DNA Condensation by Peptide-Conjugated PAMAM Dendrimers. Influence of Peptide Charge.

Nucleic acid delivery to cells is an important therapeutic strategy that requires the transport of nucleic acids to intracellular compartments and their protection from enzymatic degradation. This can be achieved through the complexation of the nucleic acids with polycations. Poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers and peptide-conjugated dendrimers have been investigated as delivery vectors.

A Rare Case of Mediastinal Mass: Thymoma and Thymic Tumor.

Thymomas and thymic carcinomas are rare mediastinal neoplasms arising from thymic epithelial cells, and the presence of synchronous or metachronous primary thymic neoplasms in a single patient is an extremely rare event. Thymoma patients appear to have an inherent predisposition toward developing additional neoplasms. This additionally presents a diagnostic challenge, revealing the importance of multidisciplinary expertise to the management of these patients.

Peracetic acid as a disinfectant for wastewater reuse - Regulation (EU) 2020/741 application on a pilot-scale.

Water scarcity affects already a large part of the world's population. To overcome this situation, water management is needed, and wastewater reuse must be implemented and included as a new approach. To achieve that objective water quality must comply with the parameters established in the Regulation (EU) 2020/741 of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union and new treatment solutions have to be developed.

Efficient DNA Condensation Induced by Chiral β-Amino Acid-Based Cationic Surfactants.

Four cationic chiral amino acid-based surfactants, - and - and - and -, have been studied as DNA-condensing agents with enhanced properties and the absence of cell toxicity. The polar head of the surfactant is made of a cyclobutane β-amino acid in which the amino group is a hydrochloride salt and the carboxyl group is involved in an amide bond, allowing the link with hydrophobic C (surfactant ) or C (surfactant ) chains. The ability of these surfactants to condense DNA was investigated using a dye exclusion assay, gel electrophoresis, and circular dichroism and compared with the well-studied dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB).

Adult Native Joint Septic Arthritis: A Nine-Year Retrospective Analysis in a Portuguese University Hospital.

Introduction: Septic arthritis of a native joint represents a medical emergency. Drainage and effective antibiotic treatment are critical to avoid joint destruction and long-term impairment. The aim of this study was to evaluate epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with the diagnosis of septic arthritis to help establish local guidelines for empirical antibiotic treatment.

Study of the Potential of Water Treatment Sludges in the Removal of Emerging Pollutants.

Presently, water quantity and quality problems persist both in developed and developing countries, and concerns have been raised about the presence of emerging pollutants (EPs) in water. The circular economy provides ways of achieving sustainable resource management that can be implemented in the water sector, such as the reuse of drinking water treatment sludges (WTSs). This study evaluated the potential of WTS containing a high concentration of activated carbon for the removal of two EPs: the steroid hormones 17β-estradiol (E2) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2).

Influence of macromolecular crowding on the charge regulation of intrinsically disordered proteins.

In this work we study the coupling between ionization and conformational properties of two IDPs, histatin-5 and β-amyloid 42, in the presence of neutral and charged crowders. The latter is modeled to resemble bovine serum albumin (BSA). With this aim, semi-grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations are performed, so that the IDP charge is a dynamic property, undergoing protonation/deprotonation processes.

Macrophagic myofasciitis: an atypical presentation for a rare disease with a challenging approach.

Macrophagic myofasciitis (MMF) is a rare immune-mediated myopathy that seems to be triggered by aluminium hydroxide adjuvant used in vaccines. Its presentation is relatively heterogeneous and treatment with steroids leads to improvement, although there is little evidence regarding the role of other immunosuppressants. The histological findings in MMF seem to be the result of an abnormal presence in the inoculation site of aluminium, which can induce an immune-mediated muscular disease in susceptible persons.

Viscous Leptomeningeal Pseudotumoural Masses and Multiple Cranial Neuropathy - Severe Presentation of Neurosarcoidosis.

Unlabelled: We present a case of a 56-year-old man with a history of episcleritis (left) and cluster headache (left) who had a penetrating trauma of the left eye leading to amaurosis 1 month previously. Since then, he developed multiple cranial neuropathy of the right side (V, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI and XII cranial pairs). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an infiltrative lesion of the base of the skull which extended to the retropharyngeal and jugular space, which progressed to multiple leptomeningeal masses extending to the clivus, despite aggressive immunosuppression.

Donor-derived fatal hyperinfection strongyloidiasis in renal transplant recipient.

is a nematode, endemic in tropical and subtropical areas. Strongyloidiasis has been reported in recipients of hematopoietic stem cells, kidney, liver, heart, intestine, and pancreas, eventually presenting as disseminated strongyloidiasis and hyperinfection syndrome (SHS) which is associated with high mortality. We report one case of a recent renal transplant recipient, who presented with gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms, evolving into shock.

The use of peracetic acid for estrogen removal from urban wastewaters: E2 as a case study.

17β-Estradiol (E2) is a natural estrogen produced by the feminine endocrine system. It is excreted mainly through urine and feces. Exposure to E2 may affect the reproductive system of both animals and humans, especially since the removal of E2 in conventional processes and technologies present in the wastewater treatment plants is not sufficient.

Efficacy assessment of peracetic acid in the removal of synthetic 17α-ethinyl estradiol contraceptive hormone in wastewater.

Increasing concerns have been raised on endocrine disrupting chemicals like the sex hormone 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), the more since traditional wastewater (WW) treatments appear to be ineffective for their removal. The efficacy of the relatively novel disinfectant peracetic acid (PAA) in EE2 removal was evaluated, as well as its potential effects on WW quality parameters. The treatments tested for EE2 removal were also evaluated in terms of toxicity, through the determination of biochemical responses (antioxidant enzymes, lipid peroxidation and vitellogenin induction) using zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a biological model.

Hyponatremic Coma after Bowel Preparation.

Introduction: Colonoscopy is a useful tool in modern medicine and is increasingly employed for both diagnostic and treatment purposes. However, bowel preparations can cause electrolyte imbalance, with the risk apparently related to the type of bowel cleansing solution used, the age of the patient and their comorbidities. Symptomatic hyponatremia, especially coma, is a rare complication of oral bowel preparation for colonoscopy and is thought to result from excessive antidiuretic hormone secretion.

Role of Protein Self-Association on DNA Condensation and Nucleoid Stability in a Bacterial Cell Model.

Bacterial cells do not have a nuclear membrane that encompasses and isolates the genetic material. In addition, they do not possess histone proteins, which are responsible for the first levels of genome condensation in eukaryotes. Instead, there is a number of more or less specific nucleoid-associated proteins that induce DNA bridging, wrapping and bending.

Nanoparticle-Hydrogel Composites: From Molecular Interactions to Macroscopic Behavior.

Hydrogels are materials used in a variety of applications, ranging from tissue engineering to drug delivery. The incorporation of nanoparticles to yield composite hydrogels has gained substantial momentum over the years since these afford tailor-making and extend material mechanical properties far beyond those achievable through molecular design of the network component. Here, we review different procedures that have been used to integrate nanoparticles into hydrogels; the types of interactions acting between polymers and nanoparticles; and how these underpin the improved mechanical and optical properties of the gels, including the self-healing ability of these composite gels, as well as serving as the basis for future development.

pH-Dependent Polyelectrolyte Bridging of Charged Nanoparticles.

Systems comprised of polyelectrolytes and charged nanoparticles are of great technological interest, being common components in formulations among other uses. The colloidal stability of formulations is an important issue, and thus a lot of effort has been made to study the interactions of individual components in these systems. Here, the complexation and adsorption of an annealed (pH-dependent) polyelectrolyte to two spherical nanoparticles has been studied using coarse-grained Monte Carlo simulations.

Adsorption of charged macromolecules upon multicomponent responsive surfaces.

Adsorption of polyions onto charged surfaces has long been recognized as a crucial phenomenon in biological and technological applications. An intuitive model relating polyelectrolyte adsorption with the imposed features of polarizable surfaces of different compositions and charges is proposed based on Monte Carlo simulations using a coarse-grained approach. The excellent performance of the equation allows simultaneously describing a wide range of adsorption regimes and accounting for specific non-monotonic trends.

In vitro studies of DNA condensation by bridging protein in a crowding environment.

The macromolecules of the bacterial cell occupy 20-40% of the total cytosol volume, and crowded environments have long been known to compact and stabilize DNA. Nevertheless, investigations on DNA-protein binding are generally performed in the absence of crowding, which may yield an incomplete understanding of how nucleoid-assembling proteins work. A family of such proteins, abundant in Gram-negative bacteria, is the histone-like nucleoid structuring proteins (H-NS).

Neuropsychiatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Involvement: Towards a Tailored Approach to Our Patients?

Neuropsychiatric involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) is a complex condition that remains poorly understood, and includes heterogeneous manifestations involving both the central and peripheral nervous system, with disabling effects. There are several models to improve NPSLE diagnosis when a neurological syndrome is present. In the last couple of years, the growing knowledge of the role of cytokines and antibodies in NPSLE, as well as the development of new functional imaging techniques, has brought some insights into the physiopathology of the disease, but their validation for clinical use remains undetermined.

Activity of lysozyme on Lactobacillus hilgardii strains isolated from Port wine.

This work evaluated the effect of lysozyme on lactobacilli isolated from Port wine. Bacterial growth experiments were conducted in MRS/TJ medium and inactivation studies were performed in phosphate buffer (KH2PO4), distilled water and wine supplemented with different concentrations of lysozyme. The response of bacteria to lysozyme was found to be highly strain dependent.

Combining polyethylenimine and Fe(III) for mediating pDNA transfection.

Background: The potential use of Fe(III) ions in biomedical applications may predict the interest of its combination with pDNA-PEI polyplexes. The present work aims at assessing the impact of this metal on pDNA complex properties.

Methods: Variations in the formation of complexes were imposed by using two types of biological buffers at different salt conditions.

Complexes formed between DNA and poly(amido amine) dendrimers of different generations--modelling DNA wrapping and penetration.

This study deals with the build-up of biomaterials consisting of biopolymers, namely DNA, and soft particles, poly(amido amine) (PAMAM) dendrimers, and how to model their interactions. We adopted and applied an analytical model to provide further insight into the complexation between DNA (4331 bp) and positively charged PAMAM dendrimers of generations 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8, previously studied experimentally. The theoretical models applied describe the DNA as a semiflexible polyelectrolyte that interacts with dendrimers considered as either hard (impenetrable) spheres or as penetrable and soft spheres.

DNA compaction induced by a cationic polymer or surfactant impact gene expression and DNA degradation.

There is an increasing interest in achieving gene regulation in biotechnological and biomedical applications by using synthetic DNA-binding agents. Most studies have so far focused on synthetic sequence-specific DNA-binding agents. Such approaches are relatively complicated and cost intensive and their level of sophistication is not always required, in particular for biotechnological application.

Interpreting the rich behavior of ternary DNA-PEI-Fe(III) complexes.

This work aims to shed light on the mechanism of interaction between components of ternary DNA-PEI-Fe(III) complexes, using experimental and theoretical approaches. In the experimental part, the chelation between PEI-Fe(III) was inspected by potentiometry and electrical conductance measurements and the respective importance for the condensation of DNA analyzed. To this end, three different mixing protocols for the components were imposed using different PEIs, branched (bPEI1.