Wild Heterotrophic Nitrifying Strain Pseudomonas BT1 Isolated from Kitchen Waste Sludge Restores Ammonia Nitrogen Removal in a Sewage Treatment Plant Shocked by Thiourea.

Thiourea is used in agriculture and industry as a metal scavenger, synthetic intermediate, and nitrification inhibitor. However, in wastewater, it can inhibit the nitrification process and induce the collapse of the nitrification system. In such a case, ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) lose their ability to remove ammonia.

Prediction and characterization of the linear IgE epitopes for the major soybean allergen β-conglycinin using immunoinformatics tools.

The α subunit of β-conglycinin is a major allergen in soybean. The objective of this study was to predict and identify the linear immunoglobulin (Ig)E epitopes of the soybean α subunit of β-conglycinin. Three immunoinformatics tools were used to predict the potential epitopes and were confirmed by dot-blot inhibition using sera from soybean allergic subjects.

Electrochemical detection of peanut allergen Ara h 1 using a sensitive DNA biosensor based on stem-loop probe.

A novel electrochemical DNA sensor was developed by using a stem-loop probe for peanut allergen Ara h 1 detection. The probe was modified with a thiol at its 5' end and a biotin at its 3' end. The biotin-tagged "molecular beacon"-like probe was attached to the surface of a gold electrode to form a stem-loop structure by self-assembly through facile gold-thiol affinity.

Acute activation of acid ceramidase affects cytokine-induced cytotoxicity in rat islet beta-cells.

Ceramidase hydrolyzes ceramide and produces sphingosine as a substrate of sphingosine kinase (SPHK), which transforms sphingosine to sphingosine-1-phosphate. It has been reported that cytokines elicit SPHK activation in rat beta-cells. As a sphingosine provider, ceramidase should also be activated.

Tollip attenuated the hypertrophic response of cardiomyocytes induced by IL-1beta.

We examined the role of Tollip in the hypertrophic response of cardiomyocytes. C57BL/6 mice were subjected to transverse aortic constriction (TAC) for 2 weeks and age-matched sham surgical operated mice served as control. TAC significantly reduced the association of Tollip with IRAK-1 by 66.

Transcription factor GATA-4 is involved in erythropoietin-induced cardioprotection against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Background: Erythropoietin (EPO) can reduce myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, the cellular mechanisms have not been elucidated entirely. The present study was to investigate whether transcription factor GATA-4 could be involved in EPO-induced cardioprotection when it was administered after ischemia, immediately before reperfusion.

Chronic activation of neutral ceramidase protects beta-cells against cytokine-induced apoptosis.

Aim: To investigate the activity and expression of neutral ceramidase (N-CDase) in the insulin-secreting cell line INS-1 and its role in the cellular response to cytokines.

Methods: HPLC, Western blotting, and quantitative real-time PCR were performed to detect the activity and expression of N-CDase in INS-1 cells treated with a cytokine mixture (5 ng/mL interleukin-1beta, 10 ng/mL TNF-alpha, and 50 ng/mL interferon-gamma). The expression and activity of N-CDase in the INS-1 cells were specifically inhibited using N-CDase-siRNA transfection.