Comparison of Different High-Speed Countercurrent Chromatography Injection Modes for the Separation of Glabridin.

In this work, different injection modes (single injection, overlapping injection, and continuous injection) of countercurrent chromatography were used and compared for the isolation and purification of glabridin from the crude extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra. The two-phase solvent system consisting of n-hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (5:4:5:4, v/v) was employed as stationary and mobile phases. Compared with single injection mode, both overlapping injection and continuous injection modes exhibited higher separation efficiency at the same sample loading capacity.

Effective separation of maslinic acid and oleanolic acid from olive pomace using high-speed shear off-line coupled with high-speed countercurrent chromatography and their antibacterial activity test.

In this work, a high-speed shear extraction off-line coupling high-speed countercurrent chromatography method was developed to separate maslinic acid and oleanolic acid from olive pomace. To improve extraction efficiency, the polar disparity between maslinic acid and oleanolic acid necessitated the concurrent utilization of both polar and non-polar solvents during high-speed shear extraction. Then, the high-speed shear extraction was directly feed to high-speed countercurrent chromatography for subsequently separation.

Protein -Nitrosylation Controls Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3β Function Independent of Its Phosphorylation State.

Rationale: GSK-3β (glycogen synthase kinase 3β) is a multifunctional and constitutively active kinase known to regulate a myriad of cellular processes. The primary mechanism to regulate its function is through phosphorylation-dependent inhibition at serine-9 residue. Emerging evidence indicates that there may be alternative mechanisms that control GSK-3β for certain functions.

The clinical-psychological features of functional dyspepsia patients with weight loss: a multi-center study from China.

Aims: To investigate the clinical features, appetite, quality of life (QOL), and their associated psychological factors of functional dyspepsia (FD) patients with weight loss.

Methods: For a multicenter study, FD patients were recruited and divided into two groups according to the degree of weight changes during the previous 12 months or less with the onset of dyspepsia symptoms: Group A (≥5%) and Group B (<5%). Patients were evaluated based on the Nepean dyspepsia index (NDI), appetite questionnaire, Hamilton Rating Scale of Anxiety/Depression (HAMA/HAMD).

Incidence and psychological-behavioral characteristics of refractory functional dyspepsia: a large, multi-center, prospective investigation from China.

Aim: To explore the incidence and psychological and behavioral characteristics of refractory functional dyspepsia (RFD) in China.

Methods: The subjects of this study were 1341 new outpatients with functional dyspepsia (FD) who were diagnosed according to the Rome III criteria at four hospitals in Guangdong Province between June and September 2012, and 100 healthy volunteers. All subjects completed questionnaires and scales administered.

Unhealthy dietary behavior in refractory functional dyspepsia: a multicenter prospective investigation in China.

Objective: To determine the association of dietary behavior with refractory functional dyspepsia (RFD) and its subtypes in Chinese patients.

Methods: The medical records of patients admitted to the Outpatient Department of Gastroenterology of four hospitals in Mainland China for upper gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms from June to September 2012 were reviewed and their characteristics were collected. Functional dyspepsia (FD) was diagnosed based on the Rome III criteria.

Incidence and clinical features of hyperlipidemic acute pancreatitis from Guangdong, China: a retrospective multicenter study.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the clinical features and incidence trends of hyperlipidemic acute pancreatitis (HLAP) of multicenter studies in Guangdong, China, for 15 years.

Methods: The medical records of 1582 patients with acute pancreatitis who were admitted to 4 general hospitals of Guangdong from January 1990 to December 2005 were reviewed. The inpatient medical and radiologic records were reviewed to determine clinical features, severity, complications, mortality, and recurrence rate.

Cysteine oxidative posttranslational modifications: emerging regulation in the cardiovascular system.

In the cardiovascular system, changes in oxidative balance can affect many aspects of cellular physiology through redox-signaling. Depending on the magnitude, fluctuations in the cell's production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species can regulate normal metabolic processes, activate protective mechanisms, or be cytotoxic. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species can have many effects including the posttranslational modification of proteins at critical cysteine thiols.

Redox regulation of mitochondrial ATP synthase.

Reversible cysteine oxidative post-translational modifications (Ox-PTMs) represent an important mechanism to regulate protein structure and function. In mitochondria, redox reactions can modulate components of the electron transport chain (ETC), the F(1)F(0)-ATP synthase complex, and other matrix proteins/enzymes. Emerging evidence has linked Ox-PTMs to mitochondrial dysfunction and heart failure, highlighting some potential therapeutic avenues.

The Ser/Thr protein kinase AfsK regulates polar growth and hyphal branching in the filamentous bacteria Streptomyces.

In cells that exhibit apical growth, mechanisms that regulate cell polarity are crucial for determination of cellular shape and for the adaptation of growth to intrinsic and extrinsic cues. Broadly conserved pathways control cell polarity in eukaryotes, but less is known about polarly growing prokaryotes. An evolutionarily ancient form of apical growth is found in the filamentous bacteria Streptomyces, and is directed by a polarisome-like complex involving the essential protein DivIVA.

Redox regulation of mitochondrial ATP synthase: implications for cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Rationale: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an effective clinical treatment for heart failure patients with conduction delay, impaired contraction, and energetics. Our recent studies have revealed that mitochondrial posttranslational modifications (PTM) may contribute to its benefits, motivating the present study of the oxidative regulation of mitochondrial ATP synthase.

Objectives: We tested whether CRT alteration of ATP synthase function is linked to cysteine (Cys) oxidative PTM (Ox-PTM) of specific ATP synthase subunits.

Site-mapping of in vitro S-nitrosation in cardiac mitochondria: implications for cardioprotection.

S-nitrosation (SNO) of mitochondrial protein cysteines can be cardioprotective. Several targets have been implicated, yet the scope and identification of specific residues has not been fully assessed. To address this, a comprehensive assessment of mitochondrial SNO-modifiable cysteines was performed to determine nitric oxide (NO) susceptible pathways and identify novel mechanisms of oxidative cardioprotection.

Domains involved in the in vivo function and oligomerization of apical growth determinant DivIVA in Streptomyces coelicolor.

The coiled-coil protein DivIVA is a determinant of apical growth and hyphal branching in Streptomyces coelicolor. We have investigated the properties of this protein and the involvement of different domains in its essential function and subcellular targeting. In S.

Assemblies of DivIVA mark sites for hyphal branching and can establish new zones of cell wall growth in Streptomyces coelicolor.

Time-lapse imaging of Streptomyces hyphae revealed foci of the essential protein DivIVA at sites where lateral branches will emerge. Overexpression experiments showed that DivIVA foci can trigger establishment of new zones of cell wall assembly, suggesting a key role of DivIVA in directing peptidoglycan synthesis and cell shape in Streptomyces.

AtNUDT7, a negative regulator of basal immunity in Arabidopsis, modulates two distinct defense response pathways and is involved in maintaining redox homeostasis.

Plants have evolved complicated regulatory systems to control immune responses. Both positive and negative signaling pathways interplay to coordinate development of a resistance response with the appropriate amplitude and duration. AtNUDT7, a Nudix domain-containing protein in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) that hydrolyzes nucleotide derivatives, was found to be a negative regulator of the basal defense response, and its loss-of-function mutation results in enhanced resistance to infection by Pseudomonas syringae.

Isolation and proteomic analysis [corrected] of cell wall-deficient Haematococcus pluvialis mutants.

The green alga Haematococcus pluvialis has a plant-like cell wall consisting of glycoproteins and cellulose that is modified during the cell cycle and under various conditions. These features allow Haematococcus to be used as a model organism for studying cell wall biology. Development of the Haematococcus model is hampered by the absence of mutants that could provide insight into the biosynthesis and assembly of wall components.

Proteomic analysis of molecular response to oxidative stress by the green alga Haematococcus pluvialis (Chlorophyceae).

Rapidly growing, green motile flagellates of Haematococcus pluvialis can transform into enlarged red resting cysts (aplanospores) under oxidative stress conditions. However, it is not known what initial molecular defense mechanisms occur in response to oxidative stress, and may ultimately lead to cellular transformation. In this study, global-expression profiling of cellular proteins in response to stress was analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, image analysis, and peptide mass fingerprinting.

Cell wall proteomics of the green alga Haematococcus pluvialis (Chlorophyceae).

The green microalga Haematococcus pluvialis can synthesize and accumulate large amounts of the ketocarotenoid astaxanthin, and undergo profound changes in cell wall composition and architecture during the cell cycle and in response to environmental stresses. In this study, cell wall proteins (CWPs) of H. pluvialis were systematically analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) coupled with peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) and sequence-database analysis.