Energy propagation along polypeptide α-helix: Experimental data and ab initio zone structure.

We report new theoretical and experimental results that may significantly change our ideas on the workings of life. We performed ab initio analysis of the band structure of periodic α-helix polypeptides (PP) in function of the chain length. Three different calculation approaches were tested: (a) PP described semiempirically as a one-dimensional object, with the amino acids substituted by effective atoms; (b) density functional theory (DFT) as implemented in WIEN2k approach, and (c) CRYSTAL-17 software package.

Novel applications of modification of thiol enzymes and redox-regulated proteins using S-methyl methanethiosulfonate (MMTS).

S-Methyl methanethiosulfonate (MMTS) is used in experimental biochemistry for alkylating thiol groups of protein cysteines. Its applications include mainly trapping of natural thiol-disulfide states of redox-sensitive proteins and proteins which have undergone S-nitrosylation. The reagent can also be employed as an inhibitor of enzymatic activity, since nucleophilic cysteine thiolates are commonly present at active sites of various enzymes.

Meta-analysis of gene expression for development and validation of a diagnostic biomarker panel for Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

We use a newly developed feature extraction and classification method to analyze previously published gene expression data sets in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma and in healthy oral mucosa in order to find a gene set sufficient for diagnoses. The feature selection technology is based on the relative dichotomy power concept published by us earlier. The resulting biomarker panel has 100% sensitivity and 95% specificity, is enriched in genes associated with oncogenesis and invasive tumor growth, and, unlike marker panels devised in earlier studies, shows concordance with previously published marker genes.

Quantum mechanism of light energy propagation through an avian retina.

Taking into account the ultrastructure of the Pied Flycatcher foveal retina reported earlier and the earlier reported properties of Müller cell (MC) intermediate filaments (IFs) isolated from vertebrate retina, we proposed a quantum mechanism (QM) of light energy transfer from the inner limiting membrane level to visual pigments in the photoreceptor cells. This mechanism involves electronic excitation energy transfer in a donor-acceptor system, with the IFs excited by photons acting as energy donors, and visual pigments in the photoreceptor cells acting as energy acceptors. It was shown earlier that IFs with diameter 10 nm and length 117 μm isolated from vertebrate eye retina demonstrate properties of light energy guide, where exciton propagates along such IFs from MC endfeet area to photoreceptor cell area.

Synthesis, Characterization and Fabrication of Graphene/Boron Nitride Nanosheets Heterostructure Tunneling Devices.

Various types of 2D/2D prototype devices based on graphene (G) and boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS) were fabricated to study the charge tunneling phenomenon pertinent to vertical transistors for digital and high frequency electronics. Specifically, G/BNNS/metal, G/SiO, and G/BNNS/SiO heterostructures were investigated under direct current (DC-bias) conditions at room temperature. Bilayer graphene and BNNS were grown separately and transferred subsequently onto the substrates to fabricate 2D device architectures.

[Nutrient value of fruit in promising strawberry varieties].

One of the current areas in research of fruit and berry crops is the study of their nutritional value and micronutrient composition. Valuable chemical composition of the strawberry determines a wide spectrum of its utilization not only as fresh fruit, but also as a raw material for food industry. Breeding requirements for contemporary strawberry varieties together with yield, large-fruit, important taste and dietary qualities of fruit provide for higher content of biologic active substances.

Back to the future: Advances in development of broad-spectrum capsid-binding inhibitors of enteroviruses.

The hydrophobic pocket within viral capsid protein 1 is a target to combat the rhino- and enteroviruses (RV and EV) using small molecules. The highly conserved amino acids lining this pocket enable the development of antivirals with broad-spectrum of activity against numerous RVs and EVs. Inhibitor binding blocks: the attachment of the virion to the host cell membrane, viral uncoating, and/or production of infectious virus particles.

IMPACT OF AG NANOPARTICLES ON MICROORGANISMS, CAUSATIVE AGENTS OF PURULENT-INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES.

Determination of Ag nanoparticles impact on microorganisms causative agents of purulent-inflammatory processes was carried out and it was stated that the greatest significance of growth inhibition zone was found in Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes with sample length from 1 to 6 mm and Escherichia coli with 5-6 mm sample length. The investigated strains in an amount 104 - 106 CFU/ml were sensitive to Аg nanoparticles activity, but at concentration 108 CFU/ml and more all strains were found persistent to samples of various length. The ability to form biofilms with planktonic cells of microorganisms under Ag nanoparticles activity sufficiently reduced from 3.

Cryopreservation of the human gut microbiota: Current state and perspectives.

The human intestinal microbiota is a complex ecosystem that consists of thousands of bacterial species that are responsible for human health and disease. The intestinal microbiota is a natural resource for production of therapeutic and preventive medicals, such as probiotics and fecal transplants. Modern lifestyles have resulted in the extinction of evolutionally selected microbial populations upon exposure to environmental factors.

Development and validation of a multiplex UHPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of the investigational antibiotic against multi-resistant tuberculosis macozinone (PBTZ169) and five active metabolites in human plasma.

The emergence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains resistant to current first-line antibiotic regimens constitutes a major global health threat. New treatments against multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) are thus eagerly needed in particular in countries with a high MDR-TB prevalence. In this context, macozinone (PBTZ169), a promising drug candidate with an unique mode of action and highly potent in vitro tuberculocidal properties against MDR Mycobacterium strains, has now reached the clinical phase and has been notably tested in healthy male volunteers in Switzerland.

Animal-derived medicinal products in Russia: Current nomenclature and specific aspects of quality control.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Animal-derived medicinal products (ADMP) had been extensively used in Russia and became a part of officinal medicine in 1778.

Aim Of The Study: The aim of the current review was to analyse the ADMPs authorised in the Russian Federation and to identify specific aspects of quality evaluation of these medicinal products.

Materials And Methods: Information of ADMPs was extracted from the online State Register of Medicinal Products of the Russian Federation.

Statistical Properties and Predictability of Extreme Epileptic Events.

The use of extreme events theory for the analysis of spontaneous epileptic brain activity is a relevant multidisciplinary problem. It allows deeper understanding of pathological brain functioning and unraveling mechanisms underlying the epileptic seizure emergence along with its predictability. The latter is a desired goal in epileptology which might open the way for new therapies to control and prevent epileptic attacks.

Genetic diversity of tumors with mismatch repair deficiency influences anti-PD-1 immunotherapy response.

Tumors with mismatch repair deficiency (MMR-d) are characterized by sequence alterations in microsatellites and can accumulate thousands of mutations. This high mutational burden renders tumors immunogenic and sensitive to programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint inhibitors. Yet, despite their tumor immunogenicity, patients with MMR-deficient tumors experience highly variable responses, and roughly half are refractory to treatment.

Virus-Like Particle Facilitated Deposition of Hydroxyapatite Bone Mineral on Nanocellulose after Exposure to Phosphate and Calcium Precursors.

We produced and isolated tobacco mosaic virus-like particles (TMV VLPs) from bacteria, which are devoid of infectious genomes, and found that they have a net negative charge and can bind calcium ions. Moreover, we showed that the TMV VLPs could associate strongly with nanocellulose slurry after a simple mixing step. We sequentially exposed nanocellulose alone or slurries mixed with the TMV VLPs to calcium and phosphate salts and utilized physicochemical approaches to demonstrate that bone mineral (hydroxyapatite) was deposited only in nanocellulose mixed with the TMV VLPs.

Functional Analysis of Coilin in Virus Resistance and Stress Tolerance of Potato Solanum tuberosum using CRISPR-Cas9 Editing.

The role of the nuclear protein coilin in the mechanisms of resistance of potato Solanum tuberosum cultivar Chicago to biotic and abiotic stresses was studied using the CRISPR-Cas9 technology. For the coilin gene editing, a complex consisting of the Cas9 endonuclease and a short guide RNA was immobilized on gold or chitosan microparticles and delivered into apical meristem cells by bioballistics or vacuum infiltration methods, respectively. Editing at least one allele of the coilin gene considerably increased the resistance of the edited lines to infection with the potato virus Y and their tolerance to salt and osmotic stress.

Immunogenic neoantigens derived from gene fusions stimulate T cell responses.

Anti-tumor immunity is driven by self versus non-self discrimination. Many immunotherapeutic approaches to cancer have taken advantage of tumor neoantigens derived from somatic mutations. Here, we demonstrate that gene fusions are a source of immunogenic neoantigens that can mediate responses to immunotherapy.

Combined treatment of nonresectable cholangiocarcinoma complicated by obstructive jaundice.

Background: The five-year survival rate for successful surgical treatment of cholangiocellular cancer is only 20-40%, and in the case of an unresectable tumor, the life expectancy does not usually exceed 6 months. Survival decreases with the presence of jaundice, due to the spread of the tumor process along the bile ducts, leading to their obstruction. We report outcomes of patients with nonresectable bile duct carcinoma complicated by obstructive jaundice treated with Photodynamic Therapy (PDT).

Local and Volume-Conducted Contributions to Cortical Field Potentials.

Brain field potentials (FPs) can reach far from their sources, making difficult to know which waves come from where. We show that modern algorithms efficiently segregate the local and remote contributions to cortical FPs by recovering the generator-specific spatial voltage profiles. We investigated experimentally and numerically the local and remote origin of FPs in different cortical areas in anesthetized rats.

Broad Bactericidal Activity of the Bacteriophage Lysins LysAm24, LysECD7, and LysSi3 against Gram-Negative ESKAPE Pathogens.

The extremely rapid spread of multiple-antibiotic resistance among Gram-negative pathogens threatens to move humankind into the so-called "post-antibiotic era" in which the most efficient and safe antibiotics will not work. Bacteriophage lysins represent promising alternatives to antibiotics, as they are capable of digesting bacterial cell wall peptidoglycans to promote their osmotic lysis. However, relatively little is known regarding the spectrum of lysin bactericidal activity against Gram-negative bacteria.

New targets for HIV drug discovery.

Recent estimates suggest close to one million people per year die globally owing to HIV-related illnesses. Therefore, there is still a need to identify new targets to develop future treatments. Many of the more recently identified targets are host-related and these might be more difficult for the virus to develop drug resistance to.

Non-structural Functions of Hordeivirus Capsid Protein Identified in Plants Infected by a Chimeric Tobamovirus.

Capsid proteins (CPs) of (+)RNA-containing plant viruses are multifunctional proteins involved in many stages of viral infection cycle, in addition to their main function of virus capsid formation. For example, the tobamoviral CP ensures virus systemic transport in plants and defines the virus-host interactions, thereby influencing the virus host range, virus infectivity, pathogenicity, and manifestation of infection symptoms. Hordeiviruses and tobamoviruses belong to the Virgaviridae family and have rod-shaped virions with a helical symmetry; their CPs are similar in structure.

Multiple Machine Learning Comparisons of HIV Cell-based and Reverse Transcriptase Data Sets.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes over a million deaths every year and has a huge economic impact in many countries. The first class of drugs approved were nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. A newer generation of reverse transcriptase inhibitors have become susceptible to drug resistant strains of HIV, and hence, alternatives are urgently needed.

New unique optical and electric properties of intermediate filaments in Müller cells.

Presently we report new unique optical and electric properties of Müller cell (MC) intermediate filaments (IFs). We inform that these IFs extracted from porcine retina are excellent conductors of light and electric current. Such IF properties may endow vertebrate eyes with high-contrast vision.

Macro-scale transport of the excitation energy along a metal nanotrack: exciton-plasmon energy transfer mechanism.

Presently we report (i) excited state (exciton) propagation in a metal nanotrack over macroscopic distances, along with (ii) energy transfer from the nanotrack to adsorbed dye molecules. We measured the rates of both of these processes. We concluded that the effective speed of exciton propagation along the nanotrack is about 8 × 10 cm/s, much lower than the surface plasmon propagation speed of 1.