Myeloablation followed by autologous stem cell transplantation normalises systemic sclerosis molecular signatures.

Objective: In the randomised scleroderma: Cyclophosphamide Or Transplantation (SCOT trial) (NCT00114530), myeloablation, followed by haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), led to improved clinical outcomes compared with monthly cyclophosphamide (CYC) treatment in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Herein, the study aimed to determine global molecular changes at the whole blood transcript and serum protein levels ensuing from HSCT in comparison to intravenous monthly CYC in 62 participants enrolled in the SCOT study.

Methods: Global transcript studies were performed at pretreatment baseline, 8 months and 26 months postrandomisation using Illumina HT-12 arrays.

Endocide-Induced Abnormal Growth Forms of Invasive Giant Salvinia (Salvinia molesta).

Giant salvinia (Salvinia molesta) is one of the most noxious invasive species in the world. The fern is known to have primary, secondary, and tertiary growth forms, which are also commonly hypothesized as growth stages. The identification of these forms is primarily based on the size and folding status of the floating leaves.

Endocidal Regulation of Secondary Metabolites in the Producing Organisms.

Secondary metabolites are defined as organic compounds that are not directly involved in the normal growth, development, and reproduction of an organism. They are widely believed to be responsible for interactions between the producing organism and its environment, with the producer avoiding their toxicities. In our experiments, however, none of the randomly selected 44 species representing different groups of plants and insects can avoid autotoxicity by its endogenous metabolites once made available.

Effect of Origanum chemotypes on broiler intestinal bacteria.

Essential oils have been proposed as alternatives to antibiotic use in food animal production. This study evaluated 3 chemotypes of the Origanum genus, containing varying amounts of secondary metabolites carvacrol, thymol, and sabinene, in the broiler chicken diet. Aerial parts of Origanum vulgare L.

Stories and photographs of William A. Arnold (1904-2001), a pioneer of photosynthesis and a wonderful friend.

William A. Arnold discovered many phenomena in photosynthesis. In 1932, together with Robert Emerson, he provided the first experimental data that led to the concept of a large antenna and a few reaction centers (photosynthetic unit); in 1935, he obtained the minimum quantum requirement of 8-10 for the evolution of one O2 molecule; in 1951, together with Bernard L.

Cytotoxic compounds from invasive giant salvinia (Salvinia molesta) against human tumor cells.

Giant salvinia (Salvinia molesta) is one of the most noxious invasive species in the world. Our bioactivity-guided fractionation of ethanol extract of giant salvinia led to the isolation of 50 compounds. Of the six new compounds (1-6), salviniol (1) is a rare abietane diterpene with a new ferruginol-menthol coupled skeleton and both salviniside I (2) and salviniside II (3) are novel benzofuran glucose conjugates with unique 10-membered macrodiolide structures.

Characterization of a prolyl endoprotease from Eurygaster integriceps Puton (Sunn pest) infested wheat.

Sunn pest, Eurygaster integriceps, Puton, infested and uninfested wheat seeds were obtained from the International Center for Agriculture Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Aleppo, Syria, with the primary objective to identify the type of enzyme deposited by the Sunn pest on the wheat responsible for the gluten degradation. Enzyme levels were extremely low due to the enzyme being secreted by the insect in localized areas on the seed. Only extract from the infested wheat contained glutenase activity.

Cytotoxicity and inhibition of DNA topoisomerase I of polyhydroxylated triterpenoids and triterpenoid glycosides.

Cytotoxicity and inhibition on human DNA topoisomerase I (TOP1) and II (TOP2) of 74 plant-originated triterpenoids and triterpenoid glycosides were investigated. The cytotoxic compounds are primarily polyhydroxylated oleananes (GI(50) of A549: 1.0-10.

Ecdysteroids and a sucrose phenylpropanoid ester from Froelichia floridana.

Phytoecdysteroid glycosides (1-5) and a phenylpropanoid ester of sucrose (6) were isolated from the whole plant of Froelichia floridana, along with eight known compounds including three ecdysteroids (7-9), four flavonoids (10-13), and one phenolic compound (14). Structures were determined using a combination of spectroscopic techniques. Compounds 1, 2 and 6-14 were tested in vitro for their activity against human DNA topoisomerase I.

Phenolic compounds and rare polyhydroxylated triterpenoid saponins from Eryngium yuccifolium.

Phytochemical investigation on the whole plant of Eryngium yuccifolium resulted in the isolation and identification of three phenolic compounds (1-3) and 12 polyhydroxylated triterpenoid saponins, named eryngiosides A-L (4-15), together with four known compounds kaempferol-3-O-(2,6-di-O-trans-p-coumaroyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (16), caffeic acid (17), 21beta-angeloyloxy-3beta-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)]-[beta-d-xylopyranosyl-(1-->3)]-beta-D-glucuronopyranosyloxyolean-12-ene-15alpha,16alpha,22alpha,28-tetrol (18), and saniculasaponin III (19). This study reports the isolation of these compounds and their structural elucidation by extensive spectroscopic analyses and chemical degradation.