Association of COVID-19 and Arterial Stiffness Assessed using Cardiovascular Index (CAVI).

Background: COVID-19 is characterized by an acute inflammatory response with the formation of endothelial dysfunction and may affect arterial stiffness. Studies of cardio-ankle vascular index in COVID-19 patients with considered cardiovascular risk factors have not been conducted.

Objective: The purpose of our study was to assess the association between cardio-ankle vascular index and COVID-19 in hospitalized patients adjusted for known cardiovascular risk factors.

Influence of the Number of Axial Bexarotene Ligands on the Cytotoxicity of Pt(IV) Analogs of Oxaliplatin.

We present the synthesis and cytotoxic potencies of new Pt(IV) complexes with bexarotene, an anticancer drug that induces cell differentiation and apoptosis via selective activation of retinoid X receptors. In these complexes bexarotene is positioned as an axial ligand. The complex of one bexarotene ligand attached to Pt(IV) oxaliplatin moiety was potent whereas its counterpart carrying two bexarotene ligands was inactive.

Enhanced gene expression promoted by hybrid magnetic/cationic block copolymer micelles.

We report on novel gene delivery vector systems based on hybrid polymer-magnetic micelles. The hybrid micelles were prepared by codissolution of hydrophobically surface modified iron oxide and amphiphilic polystyrene-b-poly(quaternized 2-vinylpyridine) block copolymer (PS-b-P2QVP) in organic solvent. After extensive dialysis against water, micelles with positively charged hydrophilic corona of PQVP and hydrophobic PS core were prepared, in which magnetic nanoparticles were randomly distributed.

Antibacterial fluoroquinolone antibiotic-containing fibrous materials from poly(L-lactide-co-D,L-lactide) prepared by electrospinning.

Microfibrous materials based on poly(l-lactide-co-d,l-lactide) (coPLA) and coPLA/poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) containing a fluoroquinolone antibiotic: ciprofloxacin hydrochloride (Cipro), levofloxacin hemihydrate (Levo) or moxifloxacin hydrochloride (Moxi) were obtained by electrospinning. The presence of Moxi led to an increase in the conductivity of the coPLA and coPLA/PEG spinning solutions and to the preparation of membranes composed of fibers aligned with the collector rotation direction. The one-step incorporation of the antibiotics in the fibers was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy.

Polylactide stereocomplex-based electrospun materials possessing surface with antibacterial and hemostatic properties.

Novel fibrous materials of stereocomplex between high-molecular-weight poly(d- or l-)lactide (HMPDLA or HMPLLA) and diblock copolymers consisting of poly(l- or d-)lactide and poly(N,N-dimethylamino-2-ethyl methacrylate) blocks, respectively (PLLA-block-PDMAEMA or PDLA-block-PDMAEMA), were prepared by solution electrospinning. Fibers with mean diameters ranging from 1400 to 1700 nm were obtained. The stereocomplex formation was evidenced by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses.

Decreased DNA repair capacity of UV-irradiated cells following interferon treatment.

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of interferons (IFNs) on the recovery of UV-damaged cells by means of measuring cell viability rates. The influence of the recombinant human interferons IFN-alpha, IFN-beta and IFN-gamma on the repair capacity of the UV-irradiated human cell lines WISH and HeLa was studied. The ability of cells to repair UV-induced damage was determined by the comet assay and both short- and long-term survival assays in proliferating cell cultures.

Influence of interferons on the repair of UV-damaged DNA.

The capacity for nucleotide excision repair of a normal (WISH) and three tumour (MCF-7, HeLa, Namalva) cell lines treated with human recombinant interferons (hrIFN-alpha and hrIFN-gamma) was compared by the host cell reactivation assay. The cells were transfected with in vitro UV-damaged plasmid DNA (pEGFP-N1). The repair capacity was determined by measuring the fluorescence intensity of the expressed marker protein in total cell lysates.

Polyelectrolyte complexes between (cross-linked) N-carboxyethylchitosan and (quaternized) poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate]: preparation, characterization, and antibacterial properties.

Novel polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) between N-carboxyethylchitosan (CECh) and well-defined (quaternized) poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PDMAEMA) have been obtained. The modification of chitosan into CECh allows the preparation of PECs in a pH range in which chitosan cannot form complexes. The CECh/PDMAEMA complex is formed in a narrow pH range around 7.

Immunization with a DNA chimeric molecule encoding a hemagglutinin peptide and a scFv CD21-specific antibody fragment induces long-lasting IgM and CTL responses to influenza virus.

Killed viral vaccines are known to induce primarily antibody responses. By contrast DNA vaccination using naked DNA encoding viral antigens induces both humoral and cellular immune responses. Various approaches have been used to construct DNA vaccines with build-in adjuvanticity.

Spontaneous transfection of mammalian cells with plasmid DNA.

A simple method for spontaneous transfection into mammalian cells (both adherent and suspension in culture) with plasmid DNA is described. This method does not require any specific DNA carrier or technical device and can be applied for obtaining both transient and stably transfected cells. The efficiency of spontaneous transfection is slightly lower in comparison with that of the conventional calcium phosphate and lipofectin transfection methods and does not depend on the type of cell culture used.

Homodimeric monomethine cyanine dyes as fluorescent probes of biopolymers.

The fluorescence properties of newly synthesized homodimeric monomethine cyanine dyes in the presence of biopolymers are investigated. They do not fluoresce in TE buffer and bidistilled water but become strongly fluorescent (Q(F)=0.3-0.

Synthesis and anti-virus activity of some nucleosides analogues.

New 3'-, 5'-, 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (3a-g) and 3'-, 5'-thymidine (4a-i) analogues with amino acid and peptide residues were synthesized and evaluated for antiviral activity. The influence of long peptide chains, essential amino acids and the effect of this structural modification on the antiviral activity has been also reported. Three 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine derivatives containing glycyl-, glycyl-glycyl- and glycyl-glycyl-glycyl- residues (3a, 3b, 3c) showed a strong activity against the herpes virus PsRV and a moderate one vs.

Fluorescence spectral characteristics of novel asymmetric monomethine cyanine dyes in nucleic acid solutions.

Six new asymmetric monomethine cyanine dyes have been synthesized and their fluorescence characteristics in the presence of nucleic acids studied. The new dyes have no fluorescence of their own in water solutions upon excitation at 480 nm but they become strongly fluorescent in the presence of nucleic acids. The fluorescence maxima of the investigated dyes are found at 525-545 nm when bound to dsDNA and around 600 nm upon binding to RNA and ssDNA.

Comparative study on the effect of signal peptide codons and arginine codons on the expression of human interferon-alpha 1 gene in Escherichia coli.

Human interferon-alpha 1 (HuIFN-alpha 1) gene containing signal peptide codons is poorly expressed in bacteria, and this is explained by the presence of clusters of rare (AGG) arginine codons in its structure. In this study, we have constructed a series of modified HuIFN-alpha 1 genes to study the effect of both residual signal peptide codons and clusters of AGG codons on gene expression in Escherichia coli cells. Our results showed that substitution of preferential for rare arginine codons in two clusters did not affect the yield, whereas deletion of the signal peptide codons led to a 10-fold increase in the yield of recombinant protein.

Heat shock and osmotically dependent steps by DNA uptake after Escherichia coli electroporation.

Currently, the major problem in the genetic transformation is to understand how such a large molecule as the plasmid DNA passes through the cell membrane. To solve this problem we used a simplified experimental model with Escherichia coli and the plasmid pBR322: the DNA-bacteria mixture was electroporated in a sucrose solution at 0 degree C and at fixed electrical parameters; the samples were then directly plated into agar. It was found that the electrically-induced bacterial transformation after pulsing is dependent on two factors: heat shock (delta T) and osmotic stress.

Efficiency of the 5'-terminal sequence (omega) of tobacco mosaic virus RNA for the initiation of eukaryotic gene translation in Escherichia coli.

Recent studies have demonstrated that the 5' leader (omega sequence) of tobacco mosaic virus RNA has a certain enhancing capacity for translation of mRNA in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. In order to estimate the efficiency of omega to initiate translation of mRNA in Escherichia coli, in comparison to the Shine-Dalgarno (S/D) sequence, we have inserted eight different eukaryotic genes into two types of E. coli expression vectors containing one constitutive promoter (P1) but different translation-initiation sites (S/D or omega delta 3 sequence, respectively).

Chemical synthesis and characteristics of a hybrid phage T5-lac promoter.

A new P1O1R9 inducible promoter (where P1 is a promoter sequence analogous to that of the phage T5 early promoter; O1 is lac-operator; and R9 is a ribosome binding site) was synthesized. We studied the efficiency of this promoter in controlling and inducible gene expression using two model genes: human calcitonin tetrameric (hCT[4]) and human interferon alpha 1 (hIFN alpha 1). The synthetic lac-operator O1 was found to repress P1 activity in media free of lac-operon inducers which was derepressed in the presence of IPTG.

Constitutive expression of a native human interferon-alpha 1 gene in Escherichia coli.

1. A plasmid for constitutive expression of the human interferon-alpha 1 (hIFN-alpha 1) gene in Escherichia coli is constructed on the basis of the cloning plasmid pBR322 using a strong synthetic promoter, synthetic ribosome binding site and a native hIFN-alpha 1 gene excised from a chromosomal clone. 2.