Cardiovascular Risk in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases-The Role of Endothelial Dysfunction.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Cardiovascular pathology in people with IBD has not been well studied to date, and a direct link between cardiovascular events and IBD has not been established. The mechanisms underlying this association include the parallel and dynamic interaction of inflammation, modulation of the composition of the gut microbiota, endothelial dysfunction, thrombogenicity, and increased endothelial and epithelial permeability.

Maturation and Conformational Switching of a Designed Phase-Separating Polypeptide.

Cellular compartments formed by biomolecular condensation are widespread features of cell biology. These organelle-like assemblies compartmentalize macromolecules dynamically within the crowded intracellular environment. However, the intermolecular interactions that produce condensed droplets may also create arrested states and potentially pathological assemblies such as fibers, aggregates, and gels through droplet maturation.

Labile assembly of a tardigrade protein induces biostasis.

Tardigrades are microscopic animals that survive desiccation by inducing biostasis. To survive drying tardigrades rely on intrinsically disordered CAHS proteins, which also function to prevent perturbations induced by drying in vitro and in heterologous systems. CAHS proteins have been shown to form gels both in vitro and in vivo, which has been speculated to be linked to their protective capacity.

[Cardiovascular risk factors in patients with ulcerative colitis].

Background: Given the current trends in increasing the life expectancy of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), the study of the risk of atherothrombotic events in them requires study. For effective prevention of cardiovascular diseases, it is necessary to assess cardiovascular risk factors since the concept of their timely detection is the basic one when planning preventive measures.

Aim: To assess the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in patients with UC.

Assembling membraneless organelles from de novo designed proteins.

Recent advances in de novo protein design have delivered a diversity of discrete de novo protein structures and complexes. A new challenge for the field is to use these designs directly in cells to intervene in biological processes and augment natural systems. The bottom-up design of self-assembled objects such as microcompartments and membraneless organelles is one such challenge.

Skin Vaccination with Ebola Virus Glycoprotein Using a Polyphosphazene-Based Microneedle Patch Protects Mice against Lethal Challenge.

Ebolavirus (EBOV) infection in humans is a severe and often fatal disease, which demands effective interventional strategies for its prevention and treatment. The available vaccines, which are authorized under exceptional circumstances, use viral vector platforms and have serious disadvantages, such as difficulties in adapting to new virus variants, reliance on cold chain supply networks, and administration by hypodermic injection. Microneedle (MN) patches, which are made of an array of micron-scale, solid needles that painlessly penetrate into the upper layers of the skin and dissolve to deliver vaccines intradermally, simplify vaccination and can thereby increase vaccine access, especially in resource-constrained or emergency settings.

Correction: An in vitro method for inducing titan cells reveals novel features of yeast-to-titan switching in the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus gattii.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.

A Response of the Pineal Gland in Sexually Mature Rats under Long-term Exposure to Heavy Metal Salts.

Pollution with heavy metal salts is an important environmental problem today, having an adverse effect on public health. The endocrine system maintains homeostasis in the body. The antioxidant protection (GPX-1) of the pineal gland in mature rats was studied.

An in vitro method for inducing titan cells reveals novel features of yeast-to-titan switching in the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus gattii.

Cryptococcosis is a potentially lethal fungal infection of humans caused by organisms within the Cryptococcus neoformans/gattii species complex. Whilst C. neoformans is a relatively common pathogen of immunocompromised individuals, C.

Polymer-induced biofilms for enhanced biocatalysis.

The intrinsic resilience of biofilms to environmental conditions makes them an attractive platform for biocatalysis, bioremediation, agriculture or consumer health. However, one of the main challenges in these areas is that beneficial bacteria are not necessarily good at biofilm formation. Currently, this problem is solved by genetic engineering or experimental evolution, techniques that can be costly and time consuming, require expertise in molecular biology and/or microbiology and, more importantly, are not suitable for all types of microorganisms or applications.

Core-shell microneedle patch for six-month controlled-release contraceptive delivery.

There is a tremendous need for simple-to-administer, long-acting contraception, which can increase access to improved family planning. Microneedle (MN) patches enable simple self-administration and have previously been formulated for 1-2 months' controlled release of contraceptive hormone using monolithic polymer/drug MN designs having first-order release kinetics. To achieve zero-order release, we developed a novel core-shell MN patch where the shell acts as a rate-controlling membrane to delay release of a contraceptive hormone, levonorgestrel (LNG), for 6 months.

Binding of chloroaurate to polytyrosine-PEG micelles leads to an anti-Turkevich pattern of reduction.

Here we report formation of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) in micelles of polytyrosine-PEG copolymers that combine the properties of a reducer and a stabilizer. The size and properties of the GNPs were tailored by the excess chloroaurate over the copolymer. The latter quickly formed non-covalent complexes with HAuCl4 and then slowly reduced it to form GNPs.

Cutaneous vaccination ameliorates Zika virus-induced neuro-ocular pathology via reduction of anti-ganglioside antibodies.

Zika virus (ZIKV) causes moderate to severe neuro-ocular sequelae, with symptoms ranging from conjunctivitis to Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). Despite the international threat ZIKV poses, no licensed vaccine exists. As ZIKV and DENV are closely related, antibodies against one virus have demonstrated the ability to enhance the other.

STAR particles for enhanced topical drug and vaccine delivery.

Drug delivery to the skin is highly constrained by the stratum corneum barrier layer. Here, we developed star-shaped particles, termed STAR particles, to dramatically increase skin permeability. STAR particles are millimeter-scale particles made of aluminum oxide or stainless steel with micron-scale projections designed to create microscopic pores across the stratum corneum.

Overall bioburden by total colony count does not predict the presence of pathogens with high clinical relevance in hospital and community environments.

Background: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) affect millions of patients, increasing morbidity and mortality. Pathogens of HAIs originate from both the patient's own flora and the environment, including multi-drug-resistant organisms.

Aims: To determine the bioburden on different types of high-touch surfaces, and to identify cultures to species level and stratify strains into those of low and high clinical relevance.

Molecular Targets of the Hydrophobic Block of Pluronics in Cells: a Photo Affinity Labelling Approach.

Purpose: Pluronics are known as inhibitors of multidrug resistance thus making tumor cells sensitive to therapeutic doses of drugs. The purpose of our study consists in revealing molecular targets of the hydrophobic poly(propylene oxide) block of pluronics in living cells and the dependence of the polymers chemosensitizing efficiency upon targeting.

Methods: A photo sensitive tracer was attached to the hydrophobic poly(propylene oxide) block of H-labeled tert-Bu-EO-PO copolymer.

Stable incorporation of GM-CSF into dissolvable microneedle patch improves skin vaccination against influenza.

The widely used influenza subunit vaccine would benefit from increased protection rates in vulnerable populations. Skin immunization by microneedle (MN) patch can increase vaccine immunogenicity, as well as increase vaccination coverage due to simplified administration. To further increase immunogenicity, we used granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), an immunomodulatory cytokine already approved for skin cancer therapy and cancer support treatment.

Mammalian amyloidogenic proteins promote prion nucleation in yeast.

Fibrous cross-β aggregates (amyloids) and their transmissible forms (prions) cause diseases in mammals (including humans) and control heritable traits in yeast. Initial nucleation of a yeast prion by transiently overproduced prion-forming protein or its (typically, QN-rich) prion domain is efficient only in the presence of another aggregated (in most cases, QN-rich) protein. Here, we demonstrate that a fusion of the prion domain of yeast protein Sup35 to some non-QN-rich mammalian proteins, associated with amyloid diseases, promotes nucleation of Sup35 prions in the absence of pre-existing aggregates.

Peroxyoxalate Chemiluminescent Reaction as a Tool for Elimination of Tumour Cells Under Oxidative Stress.

The overproduction of hydrogen peroxide is an inherent feature of some tumour cells and inflamed tissues. We took advantage of this peculiarity to eliminate cells using chemiluminescent peroxyoxalate reaction. We designed dispersions containing polyoxalate and tetramethylhematoporhyrin (TMHP) in dimethylphthalate droplets stabilized with Pluronic L64.

Surface chemistry of rare-earth oxide surfaces at ambient conditions: reactions with water and hydrocarbons.

Rare-earth (RE) oxide surfaces are of significant importance for catalysis and were recently reported to possess intrinsic hydrophobicity. The surface chemistry of these oxides in the low temperature regime, however, remains to a large extent unexplored. The reactions occurring at RE surfaces at room temperature (RT) in real air environment, in particular, in presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), were not addressed until now.

Yeast Short-Lived Actin-Associated Protein Forms a Metastable Prion in Response to Thermal Stress.

Self-perpetuating ordered protein aggregates (amyloids and prions) are associated with a variety of neurodegenerative disorders. Although environmental agents have been linked to certain amyloid diseases, the molecular basis of their action remains unclear. We have employed endogenous yeast prions as a model system to study environmental control of amyloid formation.

Tetanus vaccination with a dissolving microneedle patch confers protective immune responses in pregnancy.

Maternal and neonatal tetanus claim tens of thousands lives every year in developing countries, but could be prevented by hygienic practices and improved immunization of pregnant women. This study tested the hypothesis that skin vaccination can overcome the immunologically transformed state of pregnancy and enhance protective immunity to tetanus in mothers and their newborns. To achieve this goal, we developed microneedle patches (MNPs) that efficiently delivered unadjuvanted tetanus toxoid to skin of pregnant mice and demonstrated that this route induced superior immune responses in female mice conferring 100% survival to tetanus toxin challenge when compared to intramuscular vaccination.

[HORMONAL-GENETIC SCREENING IN PATIENTS, SUFFERING GASTRODUODENAL ULCER HEMORRHAGE].

Genetic-hormonal regulation plays a key pathophysiologic role in a blood loss on background of complicated gastroduodenal ulcer disease, but a clinical significance of some genes of compensatory steroidogenesis remains unrevealed. Examination of 63 patients, using a chain reaction with polymerase (CRP); analysis of length of restriction fragments (CRP-RFLP) and immunohistochemical investigation of gastroduodenal mucosa were performed on the base of a Sumsky Rural Clinical Hospital. Trustworthy difference of distribution of polymorphic genes ESR1 and VKORC1 in patients of both gender in presence of the ulcer hemorrhage was not revealed, excluding genotype A/A VKORC1, what trustworthy more frequently was revealed in women (p < 0.

S100, bcl2 and myeloperoxid protein expirations during periodontal inflammation.

Background: Periodontal inflammation is characterized by injuries in collagen, epithelial, bone tissues. The hypotheses to be tested were relationship between the s100, bcl2 and myeloperoxidase in gingival tissues (MPO does affect the level of s100, bcl2). The object of this study was to investigate of s100 expression, bcl2 expression and myeloperoxidase expression in periodontal inflammation.

[Gastroduodenal mucosa sensitivity to estrogen in ulcers complicated by hemorrhage].

Expression of alpha-receptors of estrogen (RE) in accordance to immunohistochemical (IHC) labeling in gastroduodenal mucosa cells was studied up in patients, suffering the ulcer disease and without it. In 4 patients (group I) a gastroduodenal mucosa affection was revealed, they were operated on for hemorrhage from gastroduodenal ulcers; in 3 patients (group II) gastroduodenal mucosa affection was not observed; in 4 patients (group III, control), a mammary gland cancer was diagnosed, a positive reaction on alpha-RE was noted. In groups I and II the biopsies were studied, obtained from pylorus and gastric fundus, as well as from duodenal ampula, and in a group III--obtained from the tumor.