Exploring Inflammatory Asthma Phenotypes: Proteomic Signatures in Serum and Induced Sputum.

Asthma drug responses may differ due to inflammatory mechanisms triggered by the immune cells in the pulmonary microenvironment. Thus, asthma phenotyping based on the local inflammatory profile may aid in treatment definition and the identification of new therapeutic targets. Here, we investigated protein profiles of induced sputum and serum from asthma patients classified into eosinophilic, neutrophilic, mixed granulocytic, and paucigranulocytic asthma, according to inflammatory phenotypes.

Cell-free DNA promotes malignant transformation in non-tumor cells.

Cell-free DNA is present in different biological fluids and when released by tumor cells may contribute to pro-tumor events such as malignant transformation of cells adjacent to the tumor and metastasis. Thus, this study analyzed the effect of tumor cell-free DNA, isolated from the blood of prostate cancer patients, on non-tumor prostate cell lines (RWPE-1 and PNT-2). To achieve this, we performed cell-free DNA quantification and characterization assays, evaluation of gene and miRNA expression profiling focused on cancer progression and EMT, and metabolomics by mass spectrometry and cellular migration.

Maxillary sinus lift response to platelet-rich plasma associated with autogenous bone, ceramic biphasic HA/β-TCP (70:30), or deproteinized bovine bone.

Background: This study evaluated the long-term effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on bone formation and regeneration when associated with autogenous bone graft (AB), porous biphasic calcium phosphate (pBCP), or deproteinized bovine bone (DBB) in maxillary sinus augmentation (MSA) of rabbit.

Methods: In 54 rabbits, bilateral MSA procedure was performed and randomly one sinus was filled with 200 mm material plus blood clot (AB/clot, DBB/clot, and pBCP/clot) and other with the same graft plus PRP (AB/PRP, DBB/PRP, and pBCP/PRP). After 30, 60, and 180 days, microtomographic were performed to analyze the three-dimensional MSA volume and histomorphometric analyses for the percentage of bone and soft tissues ingrowth.

Concentration-dependent effects of latex F1-protein fraction incorporated into deproteinized bovine bone and biphasic calcium phosphate on the repair of critical-size bone defects.

F1-protein fraction (F1) is a natural bioactive compound extracted from the rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis, and has been recently studied for its therapeutic potential in wound healing. In this study, we investigated the concentration-dependent effects of F1 (0.01%, 0.

Balanced Th1/Th2 immune response induced by MSP1a functional motif coupled to multiwalled carbon nanotubes as anti-anaplasmosis vaccine in murine model.

Anaplasmosis is one of the most prevalent tick-borne diseases of cattle caused by Anaplasma marginale. MSP1a surface protein has been shown to be involved in eliciting immunity to infected cattle. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been increasingly highlighted due to their needle like structure, which contain multiple attachment sites for biomolecules and may interact with or cross biological membranes, increasing antigen availability to immune system.

Upregulation of tropomyosin alpha-4 chain in patients' saliva with oral squamous cell carcinoma as demonstrated by Phage display.

Patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) present significant alterations in their saliva proteome. We have used the shotgun Phage Display (PD) technology to identify candidate proteins that were upregulated in saliva of OSCC by selecting ligands to salivary proteins from a single-chain variable fragment (scFv) PD combinatorial library. After two selection cycles, the highly reactive clone scFv-D09 was able to distinguish saliva of OSCC patients from healthy subjects by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with sensitivity and specificity of 96.

In vitro and in vivo assessment of CaP materials for bone regenerative therapy. The role of multinucleated giant cells/osteoclasts in bone regeneration.

In this work, bone formation/remodeling/maturation was correlated with the presence of multinucleated giant cells (MGCs)/osteoclasts (tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase [TRAP]-positive cells) on the surface of beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP), sintered deproteinized bovine bone (sDBB), and carbonated deproteinized bovine bone (cDBB) using a maxillary sinus augmentation (MSA) in a New Zealand rabbit model. Microtomographic, histomorphometric, and immunolabeling for TRAP-cells analyses were made at 15, 30, and 60 days after surgery. In all treatments, a faster bone formation/remodeling/maturation and TRAP-positive cells activity occurred in the osteotomy region of the MSA than in the middle and submucosa regions.

The plant-based chimeric antimicrobial protein SlP14a-PPC20 protects tomato against bacterial wilt disease caused by Ralstonia solanacearum.

Cecropin-B (CecB) is a peptide with well-established antimicrobial properties against different phytopathogenic bacteria. Despite modest action against Ralstonia solanacearum, its animal source limits the acceptance in transgenic applications. To overcome this, we selected eight alpha-helical (AH) cationic peptides derived from plant protein sequences and investigated their antimicrobial properties against R.

Serological diagnosis of equine infectious anemia in horses, donkeys and mules using an ELISA with a gp45 synthetic peptide as antigen.

Equine infectious anemia (EIA) is a disease caused by a Lentivirus that is currently controlled exclusively by identification of seropositive animals. In most countries, including Brazil, the official diagnostic test for EIA is the agar gel immunodiffusion test (AGID). Although this assay has a high specificity it can produce false negative reactions or equivocal results due to weak precipitation lines, especially in samples from donkeys, mules or newly infected equids.

Altered Leukocyte Sphingolipid Pathway in Breast Cancer.

Sphingolipid metabolism pathway is essential in membrane homeostasis, and its dysfunction has been associated with favorable tumor microenvironment, disease progression, and chemotherapy resistance. Its major components have key functions on survival and proliferation, with opposing effects. We have profiled the components of the sphingolipid pathway on leukocytes of breast cancer (BC) patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment and without, including the five sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptors, the major functional genes, and cytokines, in order to better understand the S1P signaling in the immune cells of these patients.

Osteoinductive porous biphasic calcium phosphate ceramic as an alternative to autogenous bone grafting in the treatment of mandibular bone critical-size defects.

The bone-induction capacity of a porous biphasic calcium phosphate (pBCP) using heterotopic implantation in mouse (mHI-model) and its efficacy as substitute for autograft in mandibular critical-size defect in rabbit (rabMCSD-model) was investigated. In mHI-model, pBCP was implanted into the thigh muscles and bone formation was histomorphometrically and immunohistochemically evaluated. In rabMCSD-model, 13 mm bone defects were treated with pBCP or autograft and bone repair comparatively evaluated by radiographic and histomorphometric methods.

Unraveling Antibody Display: Systems Biology and Personalized Medicine.

Background: The identification of combinatorial antibodies against many different targets in oncology, autoimmune, inflammatory and infectious diseases has uncovered novel strategies to control and prevent diseases' onset and progression, and represents the fastest growing market for the pharmaceutical industry. Phage Display has been successfully used in the identification of unknown targets, which combines shotgun approaches with high throughput selection schemes.

Methods: This specific review covers many aspects of combinatorial phage display technology starting from antibody selection strategies to its redesign for application purposes.

Strategies for Vaccine Design Using Phage Display-Derived Peptides.

Development of peptide vaccines through the phage display technology is a powerful strategy that relies on short peptides expressed in the phage capsid surface to induce highly targeted immune responses. Phage display-derived immunogenic peptides can be used directly as a phage-fused peptide reagent or as a synthetic peptide with specific modifications, according to target molecule and disease pathogen/parasite. Peptides' selection (mimotopes) can be performed against monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies to disclose determinant regions (epitopes) that can induce a neutralizing response.

A novel reactive epitope-based antigen targeted by serum autoantibodies in oligoarticular and polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis and development of an electrochemical biosensor.

Currently, there are no specific markers for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) diagnosis, which is based on clinical symptoms and some blood tests for diseases' exclusion. Aiming to select new epitope-based antigens (mimotopes) that could recognize circulating autoantibodies in most JIA forms, we screened a phage displayed random peptide library against IgG antibodies purified from serum of JIA patients. ELISA assay was carried out to confirm immunoreactivity of selected peptides against sera IgG antibodies from JIA patients, healthy children and patients with other autoimmune diseases.

Epitope-based vaccines with the Anaplasma marginale MSP1a functional motif induce a balanced humoral and cellular immune response in mice.

Bovine anaplasmosis is a hemoparasitic disease that causes considerable economic loss to the dairy and beef industries. Cattle immunized with the Anaplasma marginale MSP1 outer membrane protein complex presents a protective humoral immune response; however, its efficacy is variable. Immunodominant epitopes seem to be a key-limiting factor for the adaptive immunity.

The interaction of AGT and NOS3 gene polymorphisms with conventional risk factors increases predisposition to hypertension.

Renin-angiotensin and kallikrein-kinin systems are interconnected, regulating blood pressure homeostasis. We have demonstrated the interactions among polymorphisms of the angiotensinogen (AGT) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3) genes and conventional risk factors affecting the hypertension occurrence. Individuals were recruited (n=192) and classified into hypertensive (HG; n=140) and normotensive (NG; n=52) groups.

Functional epitope core motif of the Anaplasma marginale major surface protein 1a and its incorporation onto bioelectrodes for antibody detection.

Anaplasmosis, a persistent intraerythrocytic infection of cattle by Anaplasma marginale, causes severe anemia and a higher rate of abortion, resulting in significant loss to both dairy and beef industries. Clinical diagnosis is based on symptoms and confirmatory laboratory tests are required. Currently, all the diagnostic assays have been developed with whole antigens with indirect ELISA based on multiple epitopes.