Discovery of a novel mutation F184S (c.551T>C) in GATA4 gene causing congenital heart disease in a consanguineous Saudi family.

Background & Aim: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common cause of non-infectious deaths in infants worldwide. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying CHD remain unclear. Approximately 30 % of the causes are believed to be genetic mutations and chromosomal abnormalities.

Monitoring Photo-Fenton and Photo-Electro-Fenton process of contaminants emerging concern by a gas diffusion electrode using CaFeW(PO)(OH) nanoparticles as heterogeneous catalyst.

The catalytic performance of modified hydroxyapatite nanoparticles, CaFeW(PO)(OH), was applied for the degradation of methylene blue (MB), fast green FCF (FG) and norfloxacin (NOR). XPS analysis pointed to the successful partial replacement of Ca by Fe. Under photo-electro-Fenton process, the catalyst CaFeWFe(PO)(OH) was combined with UVC radiation and electrogenerated HO in a Printex L6 carbon-based gas diffusion electrode.

Notch and EGFR regulate apoptosis in progenitor cells to ensure gut homeostasis in Drosophila.

The regenerative activity of adult stem cells carries a risk of cancer, particularly in highly renewable tissues. Members of the family of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) inhibit caspases and cell death, and are often deregulated in adult cancers; however, their roles in normal adult tissue homeostasis are unclear. Here, we show that regulation of the number of enterocyte-committed progenitor (enteroblast) cells in the adult Drosophila involves a caspase-mediated physiological apoptosis, which adaptively eliminates excess enteroblast cells produced by intestinal stem cells (ISCs) and, when blocked, can also lead to tumorigenesis.

The relationship of salivary testosterone and male sexual dysfunction in opioid-associated androgen deficiency (OPIAD).

Background: Opioids are an effective treatment for chronic non-malignant pain (CNP). Long-term use risks and side effects such as opioid-induced androgen deficiency (OPIAD) exist. This could be measured by saliva testosterone (Sal-T).

Abstracts from the 3rd International Genomic Medicine Conference (3rd IGMC 2015) : Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 30 November - 3 December 2015.

O1 Regulation of genes by telomere length over long distances Jerry W. Shay O2 The microtubule destabilizer KIF2A regulates the postnatal establishment of neuronal circuits in addition to prenatal cell survival, cell migration, and axon elongation, and its loss leading to malformation of cortical development and severe epilepsy Noriko Homma, Ruyun Zhou, Muhammad Imran Naseer, Adeel G. Chaudhary, Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Nobutaka Hirokawa O3 Integration of metagenomics and metabolomics in gut microbiome research Maryam Goudarzi, Albert J.

A phospho-dependent mechanism involving NCoR and KMT2D controls a permissive chromatin state at Notch target genes.

The transcriptional shift from repression to activation of target genes is crucial for the fidelity of Notch responses through incompletely understood mechanisms that likely involve chromatin-based control. To activate silenced genes, repressive chromatin marks are removed and active marks must be acquired. Histone H3 lysine-4 (H3K4) demethylases are key chromatin modifiers that establish the repressive chromatin state at Notch target genes.

Nitrite reductase activity of rat and human xanthine oxidase, xanthine dehydrogenase, and aldehyde oxidase: evaluation of their contribution to NO formation in vivo.

Nitrite is presently considered a NO "storage form" that can be made available, through its one-electron reduction, to maintain NO formation under hypoxia/anoxia. The molybdoenzymes xanthine oxidase/dehydrogenase (XO/XD) and aldehyde oxidase (AO) are two of the most promising mammalian nitrite reductases, and in this work, we characterized NO formation by rat and human XO/XD and AO. This is the first characterization of human enzymes, and our results support the employment of rat liver enzymes as suitable models of the human counterparts.

A staining method for assessing the viability of Esteya vermicola conidia.

The viability of conidia of Esteya vermicola, a potentially important biocontrol agent against the pinewood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, is usually determined by cultivation for 18-48 h in culture medium. As an alternative to this labor-intensive method, we have developed a rapid, simple, and low-cost staining method for assessing E vermicola conidia survival rates. A mixture of neutral red and methylene blue was found to be the most optimal among several stains that also included safranin O and Janus green B.

Hydroxy(thio)pyrone and hydroxy(thio)pyridinone iron chelators: physico-chemical properties and anti-oxidant activity.

The O,S-donor analogues of maltol and deferiprone (DMHP), respectively, thiomaltol and DMHTP, have been investigated in solution for their iron-complexation ability, as well as their electrochemical behaviors, in the presence and absence of iron, aimed at the rationalization of their anti-oxidant activity, particularly, as hydroxyl radical scavengers and inhibitors of lipid peroxidation. The results were compared with those of the O,O-donor compounds and revealed that all the compounds are good iron chelators (pFe=14.1-20.

Cow placenta extract promotes murine hair growth through enhancing the insulin - like growth factor-1.

Background: Hair loss is seen as an irreversible process. Most research concentrates on how to elongate the anagen, reduce the negative factors of obstructing hair growth and improve the hair number and size.

Aim: In our experiment, we tried to prove that the cow placenta extract can promote hair growth by elongating hair shaft and increasing hair follicle number.

Structure and antioxidant activity of brominated flavonols and flavanones.

Hypobromous acid (HOBr) produced by both eosinophil peroxidase (EPO) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) is a stronger oxidant than HOCl, and is also essential for optimal and efficient microbial killing. Considering the potential cytotoxic effect of HOBr, if it is formed outside the phagosome, it should be useful to scavenge it in order to protect the nearby tissues. In this study the ability of selected flavonoids to protect against HOBr mediated oxidation reactions was performed through a competitive reaction, and the resulting products identified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry(ESI-MS/MS).

Plant extracts with anti-inflammatory properties--a new approach for characterization of their bioactive compounds and establishment of structure-antioxidant activity relationships.

Geranium robertianum L. (Geraniacea) and Uncaria tomentosa (Willd.) DC.

Molecular mechanisms of anti-inflammatory activity mediated by flavonoids.

Flavonoids (or bioflavonoids) are naturally occurring compounds, ubiquitous in all vascular plants. These compounds have been considered to possess anti-inflammatory properties, both in vitro and in vivo. Although not fully understood, these health-promoting effects have been mainly related to their interactions with several key enzymes, signaling cascades involving cytokines and regulatory transcription factors, and antioxidant systems.

Influence of the metabolic profile on the in vivo antioxidant activity of quercetin under a low dosage oral regimen in rats.

Background And Purpose: Flavonoids are known to possess a broad set of pharmacological effects, some of which have been attributed to their antioxidant properties and, more recently, to cell signalling modulation. Nevertheless, flavonoids are extensively metabolized and their metabolites are the potential bioactive forms in vivo. Therefore, a first and crucial step to understand the mechanisms underlying potential health benefits of flavonoids is knowledge of their metabolites and their biological activities.

NADH oxidase activity of rat and human liver xanthine oxidoreductase: potential role in superoxide production.

To characterise the NADH oxidase activity of both xanthine dehydrogenase (XD) and xanthine oxidase (XO) forms of rat liver xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) and to evaluate the potential role of this mammalian enzyme as an O2*- source, kinetics and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic studies were performed. A steady-state kinetics study of XD showed that it catalyses NADH oxidation, leading to the formation of one O2*- molecule and half a H(2)O(2) molecule per NADH molecule, at rates 3 times those observed for XO (29.2 +/- 1.

Antioxidant activity of a catechol derived from abietic acid.

The demand for novel effective antioxidant-based drugs has led to the synthesis and evaluation of the antioxidant potential in several molecules derived from natural compounds. In this work the in vitro antioxidant activity of an abietic acid-derived catechol (methyl 11,12-dihydroxyabietate-8,11,13-trien-18-oate, MDTO) was evaluated. This substance, possessing important biological properties, is similar to carnosic acid, a natural antioxidant from rosemary or sage leaves.

NADH oxidase activity of rat liver xanthine dehydrogenase and xanthine oxidase-contribution for damage mechanisms.

The involvement of xanthine oxidase (XO) in some reactive oxygen species (ROS) -mediated diseases has been proposed as a result of the generation of O*- and H2O2 during hypoxanthine and xanthine oxidation. In this study, it was shown that purified rat liver XO and xanthine dehydrogenase (XD) catalyse the NADH oxidation, generating O*- and inducing the peroxidation of liposomes, in a NADH and enzyme concentration-dependent manner. Comparatively to equimolar concentrations of xanthine, a higher peroxidation extent is observed in the presence of NADH.

Protection by flavonoids against the peroxynitrite-mediated oxidation of dihydrorhodamine.

Peroxynitrite anion is a reactive and short-lived species and its formation in vivo has been implicated in several human diseases. In view of the potential usefulness of compounds that can protect against peroxynitrite or their reactive intermediates, a study focused on flavonoid compounds was carried out. Since the reactivity of peroxynitrite may be modified by Co2/HCO3-, which is an important plasma buffer, the protection of flavonoids against peroxynitrite was evaluated by their ability to inhibit the peroxynitrite-mediated dihydrorhodamine (DHR123) oxidation with or without physiological concentrations of bicarbonate.

Plasma quercetin metabolites: structure-antioxidant activity relationships.

We studied quercetin metabolism in rats to determine the nature and conjugation positions on the resulting metabolites and to evaluate their contribution to the antioxidant activity of plasma. HPLC analysis showed that quercetin is primarily metabolized to glucuronides and sulfoglucuronides and, to a minor extent, to sulfates. ESI-MS/MS studies confirmed these results and indicate that the most plausible positions for glucuronidation and sulfation are the hydroxyl groups located at positions 5 and 7, excluding the 3'-OH and 4'-OH groups.

Structure-antioxidant activity relationships of flavonoids: a re-examination.

The antioxidant and prooxidant activities of flavonoids belonging to several classes were studied to establish their structure-activity relationships against different oxidants. Special attention was paid to the flavonoids quercetin (flavone), taxifolin (flavanone) and catechin (flavanol), which possess different basic structures but the same hydroxylation pattern (3,5,7,3'4'-OH). It was found that these three flavonoids exhibited comparable antioxidant activities against different oxidants leading to the conclusion that the presence of ortho-catechol group (3',4'-OH) in the B-ring is determinant for a high antioxidant capacity.

Interactions of flavonoids with iron and copper ions: a mechanism for their antioxidant activity.

The metal chelating properties of flavonoids suggest that they may play a role in metal-overload diseases and in all oxidative stress conditions involving a transition metal ion. A detailed study has been made of the ability of flavonoids to chelate iron (including Fe3+) and copper ions and its dependence of structure and pH. The acid medium may be important in some pathological conditions.

Xanthine oxidase and aldehyde oxidase: a simple procedure for the simultaneous purification from rat liver.

Aldehyde oxidase (AO) and xanthine oxidase (XO) are cytosolic enzymes that have been involved in some pathological conditions and play an important role in the biotransformation of drugs and xenobiotics. The increasing interest in these enzymes demands for a simple and rapid procedure for their purification. This paper describes for the first time a method that allows simultaneous purification of both enzymes from the same batch of rat livers.