Antimicrobial Properties of Chitosan-Modified Cotton Fabric Treated with Aldehydes and Zinc Oxide Particles.

Chitosan is a natural biopolymer with a proven ability to impart textile materials with antimicrobial properties when loaded onto them. The mechanism of its bacteriological activity depends on the contact between the positive and negative charges of the amino groups located on the surface of the microbes. Unfortunately, the type of microorganisms and pH influence this action-shortcomings that can be avoided by chitosan modification and by loading its film with substances possessing antimicrobial properties.

Metal-Peptide Complexes with Antimicrobial Potential for Cotton Fiber Protection.

A study of the formation of copper (II) complexes with hemorphin peptide motifs in alkalic water solutions is presented. The effect of the peptide ligand on the complexing properties of the Cu (II) ion was quantified by giving the stoichiometry and stability of the complex compounds in the medium in which they are formed using voltammetric (cyclic) and spectral (UV-Vis and fluorimetric) analytical techniques. The resulting complexes were examined via IR spectroscopy to detect M-N and M-O oscillations and using the EPR approach in solution and in the solid phase to view the coordination and ligand binding regime.

Placentа of BCG-Vaccinated Women in early Pregnancy is Colonized with Non-Immunogenic Mycobacterial L-forms.

Problem: Long-lived mycobacterial L-forms (mL-forms) could be detected in the blood of BCG-vaccinated people. We have previously found mL-forms in term placentas and blood of neonates, delivered by healthy BCG-vaccinated mothers as first formal demonstration that BCG vaccination in the childhood of the woman could affect her placentobiome during pregnancy. Of note, the isolated mL-forms reverted to the cell-walled state of the parental BCG bacilli in vitro.

Study of Novel Peptides for Antimicrobial Protection in Solution and on Cotton Fabric.

Some new N- and C-modified biomolecular peptide analogues of both VV-hemorphin-5 and VV-hemorphin-7 with varied amino acids (Cys, Glu, His), 1-adamantanecarboxylic acid, and niacin (nicotinic acid) were synthesized by solid-phase peptide synthesis-Fmoc (9-fluorenylmethoxy-carbonyl) chemistry and were characterized in water solutions with different pH using spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques. Basic physicochemical properties related to the elucidation of the peptide structure at physiological pH have been also studied. The results showed that the interaction of peptide compounds with light and electricity preserves the structural and conformational integrity of the compounds in the solutions.

Bulgarian Medicinal Extracts as Natural Inhibitors with Antiviral and Antibacterial Activity.

Background: Bulgaria is a country with a wide range of medicinal plants, with uses in traditional medicine dating back for centuries.

Methods: Disc diffusion assay was used to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the plant extracts. A cytopathic effect inhibition test was used for the assessment of the antiviral activity of the extracts.

Electrostatic Interactions between CSTF2 and pre-mRNA Drive Cleavage and Polyadenylation.

Nascent pre-mRNA 3'-end cleavage and polyadenylation (C/P) involves numerous proteins that recognize multiple RNA elements. Human CSTF2 binds to a downstream U- or G/U-rich sequence through its RNA recognition motif (RRM) regulating C/P. We previously reported the only known disease-related CSTF2 RRM mutant (CSTF2) and showed that it changed the on-rate of RNA binding, leading to alternative polyadenylation in brains of mice carrying the same mutation.

In Vitro Antineoplastic and Antiviral Activity and In Vivo Toxicity of L. Extracts.

This study evaluated the in vitro antineoplastic and antiviral potential and in vivo toxicity of twelve extracts with different polarity obtained from the herbaceous perennial plant L. (). In vitro cytotoxicity was determined by ISO 10993-5/2009 on bladder cancer, (T-24 and BC-3C), liver carcinoma (HEP-G2) and normal embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cell lines.

Synthesis of New Modified with Rhodamine B Peptides for Antiviral Protection of Textile Materials.

Here we report on the synthesis and characterization of three new N-modified analogues of hemorphin-4 with rhodamine B. Modified with chloroacetyl, chloride cotton fabric has been dyed and color coordinates of the obtained textile materials were determined. Antiviral and virucidal activities of both the peptide-rhodamine B compounds and the dyed textile material were studied.

The translation attenuating arginine-rich sequence in the extended signal peptide of the protein-tyrosine phosphatase PTPRJ/DEP1 is conserved in mammals.

The signal peptides, present at the N-terminus of many proteins, guide the proteins into cell membranes. In some proteins, the signal peptide is with an extended N-terminal region. Previously, it was demonstrated that the N-terminally extended signal peptide of the human PTPRJ contains a cluster of arginine residues, which attenuates translation.

Hyperbranched Polymers Modified with Dansyl Units and Their Cu(II) Complexes. Bioactivity Studies.

Two new copper complexes of hyperbranched polymers modified with dansyl units were synthesized and characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) techniques. It was found that copper ions coordinate predominantly with nitrogen or oxygen atoms of the polymer molecule. The place of the formation of complexes and the number of copper ions involved depend on the chemical structure of the polymer.

A missense mutation in the CSTF2 gene that impairs the function of the RNA recognition motif and causes defects in 3' end processing is associated with intellectual disability in humans.

CSTF2 encodes an RNA-binding protein that is essential for mRNA cleavage and polyadenylation (C/P). No disease-associated mutations have been described for this gene. Here, we report a mutation in the RNA recognition motif (RRM) of CSTF2 that changes an aspartic acid at position 50 to alanine (p.

Publisher Correction: Integrated analysis of a compendium of RNA-Seq datasets for splicing factors.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

The anatomy of the peridural membrane of the human spine.

A peridural membranous layer exists between the bony wall of the spinal canal and the dura mater, but reports on the anatomy of this structure have been inconsistent. The objective of this study is to give a precise description of the peridural membrane (PDM) and to define it unambiguously as a distinct and unique anatomical entity. Thirty-four cadaveric sections of human thoraco-lumbar spines were dissected.

Integrated analysis of a compendium of RNA-Seq datasets for splicing factors.

A vast amount of public RNA-sequencing datasets have been generated and used widely to study transcriptome mechanisms. These data offer precious opportunity for advancing biological research in transcriptome studies such as alternative splicing. We report the first large-scale integrated analysis of RNA-Seq data of splicing factors for systematically identifying key factors in diseases and biological processes.

The peridural membrane of the spine has characteristics of synovium.

The peridural membrane (PDM) is a well-defined structure between dura mater and the wall of the spinal canal. The spine may be viewed as a multi-segmented joint, with the epidural cavity and neural foramina as joint spaces and PDM as synovial lining. The objective of this investigation was to determine if PDM has histological characteristics of synovium.

Protective effects of losartan on some type 2 diabetes mellitus-induced complications in Wistar and spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) is characterized by resistance of insulin receptors and/or inadequate insulin secretion resulting in metabolic and structural complications including vascular diseases, arterial hypertension and different behavioral alterations. We aimed to study the effects of the antihypertensive angiotensin AT1 receptor antagonist losartan on the T2DM-induced changes of exploratory behavior, anxiety, nociception and short term memory in normotensive Wistar and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). The experimental model of T2DM induced by a combination of high fat diet and streptozotocin, decreased exploratory activity and increased the level of carbonylated proteins in selected brain structures in both strains; as well it increased corticosterone level, pain threshold, anxiety-like behavior, and decline short term memory only in SHRs.

New Poly(Propylene Imine) Dendrimer Modified with Acridine and Its Cu(II) Complex: Synthesis, Characterization and Antimicrobial Activity.

A second-generation poly(propylene imine) dendrimer modified with acridine and its Cu(II) complex have been synthesized for the first time. It has been found that two copper ions form complexes with the nitrogen atoms of the dendrimeric core by coordinate bonds. The new compounds have been characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and fluorescence spectroscopy.

Anti-enteroviral activity of new MDL-860 analogues: Synthesis, in vitro/in vivo studies and QSAR analysis.

A series of 60 nitrobenzonitrile analogues of the anti-viral agent MDL-860 were synthesized (50 of which are new) and evaluated for their activity against three types of enteroviruses (coxsackievirus B1, coxsackievirus B3 and poliovirus 1). Among them, six diaryl ethers (20e, 27e, 28e, 29e, 33e and 35e) demonstrated high in vitro activity (SI > 50) towards at least one of the tested viruses and very low cytotoxicity against human cells. Compound 27e possesses the broadest spectrum of activity towards all tested viruses in the same way as MDL-860 does.

The structural basis of CstF-77 modulation of cleavage and polyadenylation through stimulation of CstF-64 activity.

Cleavage and polyadenylation (C/P) of mRNA is an important cellular process that promotes increased diversity of mRNA isoforms and could change their stability in different cell types. The cleavage stimulation factor (CstF) complex, part of the C/P machinery, binds to U- and GU-rich sequences located downstream from the cleavage site through its RNA-binding subunit, CstF-64. Less is known about the function of the other two subunits of CstF, CstF-77 and CstF-50.

Polysome Profiling in Leishmania, Human Cells and Mouse Testis.

Proper protein expression at the right time and in the right amounts is the basis of normal cell function and survival in a fast-changing environment. For a long time, the gene expression studies were dominated by research on the transcriptional level. However, the steady-state levels of mRNAs do not correlate well with protein production, and the translatability of mRNAs varies greatly depending on the conditions.

Characterization of genomic changes in the cervical pre-cancerous lesions and tumors induced by different types of human papillomaviruses.

Cervical carcinoma is the second most common malignancy among women in both incidence and mortality. Although much is known about the etiology and treatment of cervical cancer, the role of genetic alterations in the multistep pathway of cervical tumorigenesis is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to characterize the genomic changes in the cervical pre-cancerous lesions and tumors, induced by different types of human papillomaviruses.

Nonsense in the testis: multiple roles for nonsense-mediated decay revealed in male reproduction.

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, or NMD, is a quality control mechanism that identifies cytoplasmic mRNAs containing translational termination (stop) codons in specific contexts-either premature termination codons or unusually long 3΄ untranslated regions (UTRs)-and targets them for degradation. In recent studies, researchers in different labs have knocked out important genes involved in NMD, the up-frameshift genes Upf2 and Upf3a, and one component of chromatoid bodies, the Tudor domain-containing protein Tdrd6, and examined the consequences for spermatogenesis. Disruption of Upf2 during early stages of spermatogenesis resulted in disappearance of nearly all spermatogenic cells through loss of NMD.

The Cstf2t Polyadenylation Gene Plays a Sex-Specific Role in Learning Behaviors in Mice.

Polyadenylation is an essential mechanism for the processing of mRNA 3' ends. CstF-64 (the 64,000 Mr subunit of the cleavage stimulation factor; gene symbol Cstf2) is an RNA-binding protein that regulates mRNA polyadenylation site usage. We discovered a paralogous form of CstF-64 called τCstF-64 (Cstf2t).

Pentameric quaternary structure of the intracellular domain of serotonin type 3A receptors.

In spite of extensive efforts over decades an experimentally-derived structure of full-length eukaryotic pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) is still lacking. These pharmaceutically highly-relevant channels contain structurally well-conserved and characterized extracellular and transmembrane domains. The intracellular domain (ICD), however, has been orphaned in structural studies based on the consensus assumption of being largely disordered.