A novel compound heterozygous PCDH15 variants is associated with arRP in a Chinese pedigree.

Background: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a heterogeneous group of inherited retinal diseases. However, it is still not well understand about the relationship between PCDH15 variants and RP.

Methods: In this study, we enrolled a Chinese autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa (arRP) pedigree and identified the causative gene in the proband by targeted whole exome sequencing (WES).

Saccharopolyspora mangrovi sp. nov., a novel mangrove soil actinobacterium with distinct metabolic potential revealed by comparative genomic analysis.

A novel mangrove soil-derived actinomycete, strain S2-29, was found to be most closely related to Saccharopolyspora karakumensis 5K548 based on 16 S rRNA sequence (99.24% similarity) and genomic phylogenetic analyses. However, significant divergence in digital DNA-DNA hybridization, average nucleotide identity, and unique biosynthetic gene cluster possession distinguished S2-29 as a distinct Saccharopolyspora species.

Ellagic acid protects dopamine neurons from rotenone-induced neurotoxicity via activation of Nrf2 signalling.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most prevalent central nervous system (CNS) degenerative disease. Oxidative stress is one of key contributors to PD. Nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is considered to be a master regulator of many genes involved in anti-oxidant stress to attenuate cell death.

An Overview of Available Antimalarials: Discovery, Mode of Action and Drug Resistance.

Malaria is one of the three most deadly infectious diseases in the world and seriously endangers human health and life. To reduce the public health burden of this disease, scientists have focused on the discovery and development of effective antimalarial drugs, from quinine and chloroquine to antifolates and artemisinin and its derivatives, which all play a profound role in the treatment of malaria. However, drugresistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum have emerged due to frequent use of antimalarials and have become increasingly resistant to existing antimalarial drugs, causing disastrous consequences in the world.

Naringenin Produces Neuroprotection Against LPS-Induced Dopamine Neurotoxicity via the Inhibition of Microglial NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most prevalent central nervous system (CNS) degenerative disease and characterized by slow and progressive loss of dopamine (DA) neurons in the midbrain substantia nigra. Microglia-mediated neuroinflammation has been considered as the major central event in the process of DA neuronal loss. Thus, inhibition of neuroinflammation could possess a more viable strategy for PD treatment.

Targeting MAPK Pathways by Naringenin Modulates Microglia M1/M2 Polarization in Lipopolysaccharide-Stimulated Cultures.

Neuroinflammation is considered to be an important and inevitable pathological process associated with all types of damages to, and disorders of, the central nervous system. The hallmark of neuroinflammation is the microglia activation. In response to different micro-environmental disturbances, microglia could polarize into either an M1 pro-inflammatory phenotype, exacerbating neurotoxicity, or an M2 anti-inflammatory phenotype, exerting neuroprotection.

Adulthood Exposure to Lipopolysaccharide Exacerbates the Neurotoxic and Inflammatory Effects of Rotenone in the Substantia Nigra.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most neurodegenerative disorder with a regional decrease of dopamine (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Despite intense exploration, the etiology of PD progressive process remains unclear. This study was to investigate the synergistic effects of systemic inflammation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and neurotoxicity of rotenone (ROT) on exacerbating DA neuron lesion.

Metabonomic classification and detection of small molecule biomarkers of malignant pleural effusions.

To date, most research has been focused on the benign molecules in pleural effusions, and diagnosis of malignant ones still remains challenging. In the present study, targeting the small molecules as potential biomarkers to predict the malignancy of the effusions, the metabolic profiles of 81 clinical pleural effusions (41 malignant effusions from lung cancer and 40 benign ones) were investigated through a NMR-based metabonomic approach. In (1)H NMR analysis, a total of ten small molecules in the effusions were simultaneously determined.

[Proliferation of type II collagen specific T cell response and antibody formation in rheumatoid arthritis and their relations to HLA-DR4].

Objective: To investigate the proliferation of type II collagen specific T cell response and antibody formation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and their relations to HLA-DR4 subtype.

Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells and serum were obtained from 62 RA patients, 14 males and 48 females, aged 43 +/- 29. CII263-272 decapeptide and the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 62 RA patients were co-incubated for 5 approximately 7 days.