β3 adrenergic agonism: A novel pathway which improves right ventricular-pulmonary arterial hemodynamics in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Efficacy of therapies that target the downstream nitric oxide (NO) pathway in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) depends on the bioavailability of NO. Reduced NO level in PAH is secondary to "uncoupling" of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). Stimulation of β3 adrenergic receptors (β3 ARs) may lead to the recoupling of NOS and therefore be beneficial in PAH.

Moderate- and High-Intensity Exercise Improves Lipoprotein Profile and Cholesterol Efflux Capacity in Healthy Young Men.

Background Exercise is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels are thought to contribute to these benefits, but much of the research in this area has been limited by lack of well-controlled subject selection and exercise interventions. We sought to study the effect of moderate and high-intensity exercise on HDL function, lipid/lipoprotein profile, and other cardiometabolic parameters in a homogeneous population where exercise, daily routine, sleep patterns, and living conditions were carefully controlled.

The Effects of Exercise on Plaque Volume and Composition in a Mouse Model of Early and Late Life Atherosclerosis.

Background: Exercise is associated with a less atherogenic lipid profile; however, there is limited research on the effect of exercise on atherosclerotic plaque composition and markers of plaque stability.

Methods: A total of 110 apolipoprotein () mice were placed on a chow diet and randomly assigned to control or exercise for a period of 10 weeks, commencing either at 12 weeks of age (the early-stage atherosclerosis, EA group) or at 40 weeks of age (the late-stage atherosclerosis, LA group). At the end of the exercise period, blood was assayed for lipids.

Effect of chronic exercise in healthy young male adults: a metabolomic analysis.

Aims: To examine the metabolic adaptation to an 80-day exercise intervention in healthy young male adults where lifestyle factors such as diet, sleep, and physical activities are controlled.

Methods And Results: This study involved cross-sectional analysis before and after an 80-day aerobic and strength exercise intervention in 52 young, adult, male, newly enlisted soldiers in 2015. Plasma metabolomic analyses were performed using liquid chromatography, tandem mass spectrometry.

Neutrophil-derived microparticles are released into the coronary circulation following percutaneous coronary intervention in acute coronary syndrome patients.

To evaluate (i) local coronary and systemic levels of microparticles (MP) in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and stable angina pectoris (SAP) patients and (ii) their release after plaque disruption with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). MP are small vesicles originating from plasma membranes of cells after activation or apoptosis and are implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Neutrophils play a role in plaque destabilization and shed neutrophil-derived MP that have the potential to drive significant proinflammatory and thrombotic downstream effects.

The IL-6 response to Chlamydia from primary reproductive epithelial cells is highly variable and may be involved in differential susceptibility to the immunopathological consequences of chlamydial infection.

Background: Chlamydia trachomatis infection results in reproductive damage in some women. The process and factors involved in this immunopathology are not well understood. This study aimed to investigate the role of primary human cellular responses to chlamydial stress response proteases and chlamydial infection to further identify the immune processes involved in serious disease sequelae.

Apoptosis and dysfunction of blood dendritic cells in patients with falciparum and vivax malaria.

Malaria causes significant morbidity worldwide and a vaccine is urgently required. Plasmodium infection causes considerable immune dysregulation, and elicitation of vaccine immunity remains challenging. Given the central role of dendritic cells (DCs) in initiating immunity, understanding their biology during malaria will improve vaccination outcomes.

Proteomic biomarkers for ageing the mosquito Aedes aegypti to determine risk of pathogen transmission.

Biomarkers of the age of mosquitoes are required to determine the risk of transmission of various pathogens as each pathogen undergoes a period of extrinsic incubation in the mosquito host. Using the 2-D Difference Gel Electrophoresis (2-D DIGE) procedure, we investigated the abundance of up to 898 proteins from the Yellow Fever and dengue virus vector, Aedes aegypti, during ageing. By applying a mixed-effects model of protein expression, we identified five common patterns of abundance change during ageing and demonstrated an age-related decrease in variance for four of these.

Antigenic characterization of an intrinsically unstructured protein, Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 2.

Merozoite surface protein 2 (MSP2) is an abundant glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored protein of Plasmodium falciparum, which is a potential component of a malaria vaccine. As all forms of MSP2 can be categorized into two allelic families, a vaccine containing two representative forms of MSP2 may overcome the problem of diversity in this highly polymorphic protein. Monomeric recombinant MSP2 is an intrinsically unstructured protein, but its conformational properties on the merozoite surface are unknown.

Low doses of killed parasite in CpG elicit vigorous CD4+ T cell responses against blood-stage malaria in mice.

Development of a vaccine that targets blood-stage malaria parasites is imperative if we are to sustainably reduce the morbidity and mortality caused by this infection. Such a vaccine should elicit long-lasting immune responses against conserved determinants in the parasite population. Most blood-stage vaccines, however, induce protective antibodies against surface antigens, which tend to be polymorphic.

Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 2 is unstructured and forms amyloid-like fibrils.

Several merozoite surface proteins are being assessed as potential components of a vaccine against Plasmodium falciparum, the cause of the most serious form of human malaria. One of these proteins, merozoite surface protein 2 (MSP2), is unusually hydrophilic and contains tandem sequence repeats, characteristics of intrinsically unstructured proteins. A range of physicochemical studies has confirmed that recombinant forms of MSP2 are largely unstructured.