Tannin Structural Elucidation and Quantitative P-31 NMR Analysis. 1. Model Compounds

Tannins and flavonoids are secondary metabolites of plants that display a wide array of biological activities. This peculiarity is related to the inhibition of extracellular enzymes that occurs through the complexation of peptides by tannins. Not only the nature of these interactions, but more fundamentally also the structure of these heterogeneous polyphenolic molecules are not completely clear. This first paper describes the development of a new analytical method for the structural characterization of tannins on the basis of tannin model compounds employing an in situ labeling of all labile H groups (aliphatic OH, phenolic OH, and carboxylic acids) with a phosphorus reagent. The P-31 NMR analysis of P-31 labeled samples allowed the unprecedented quantitative and qualitative structural characterization of hydrolyzable tannins, proanthocyanidins, and catechin tannin model compounds, forming the foundations for the quantitative structural elucidation of a variety of actual tannin samples described in part 2 of this series

Anti-VEGF DNA-based aptamers in cancer therapeutics and diagnostics

The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family and its receptors play fundamental roles not only in physiological but also in pathological angiogenesis, characteristic of cancer progression. Aiming at finding putative treatments for several malignancies, various small molecules, antibodies, or protein-based drugs have been evaluated in vitro and in vivo as VEGF inhibitors, providing efficient agents approved for clinical use. Due to the high clinical importance of VEGF, also a great number of anti-VEGF nucleic acid-based aptamers-that is, oligonucleotides able to bind with high affinity and specificity a selected biological target-have been developed as promising agents in anticancer strategies. Notable research efforts have been made in optimization processes of the identified aptamers, searching for increased target affinity and/or bioactivity by exploring structural analogues of the lead compounds. This review is focused on recent studies devoted to the development of DNA-based aptamers designed to target VEGF. Their therapeutic potential as well as their significance in the construction of highly selective biosensors is here discussed

DAMA: the global distribution of alien mammals database

We developed the DAMA (Distribution of Alien MAmmals) database, a comprehensive source reporting the global distribution of the 230 species of mammals that have established, self-sustaining and free-ranging populations outside their native range due to direct or indirect human action. Every alien range is accompanied by information on its invasion stage, pathway, method of introduction and date of introduction. We collected information from 827 different sources (scientific literature, books, risk assessments, reports, online biodiversity databases and websites), and used it to draw alien range maps for these species following the IUCN mapping framework. DAMA comprises 2726 range polygons, covering 199 Countries, 2190 level 1 administrative areas and 11 zoogeographic realms for the period 21500 BC-AD 2017. The most represented orders among introduced mammal species are Rodentia (n=58, 25.22%), Cetartiodactyla (n=49 species, 21.30%), Carnivora (n=30 species, 13.04%), Diprotodontia (n=28, 12.17%) and Primates (n=26, 11.30%). Mammal species have been frequently introduced for hunting (n=100), pet trade (n=57), conservation (n=51) and fauna improvement (n=42). The majority of range polygons are placed on islands (n=2196, 80.56%), encompass populations that have moved beyond establishment and into the invasion stage (n=1655, 60.71%), and originated from 1500 AD to the present (n=1496, 54.88%). Despite inheriting literature biases towards more studied regions (e.g., developed Countries), DAMA is the most up-to-date picture of alien mammal global distribution and can be used to investigate their invasion ecology across different biogeographical regions. There are no copyright or proprietary restrictions; IUCN range maps were modified into a derivative work according to the IUCN's terms of service

TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibril/polyvalent cations hydrogels: a multifaceted view of network interactions and inner structure

In the last years, hydrogels from renewable biopolymers and low-cost row materials are a hot topic for biomedical applications. In this context, cellulose nanofibrils are considered suitable building blocks for the synthesis of many biocompatible products, with a variety of chemical-physical properties. Herein we report a multi-technique and multi-scale study, from the molecular to the nanometric length scale, of the sol-gel transition observed in aqueous solutions of TEMPO-oxidized nano-sized cellulose fibrils (TOCNFs), when in the presence of polyvalent cations (Mg2+ and Ca2+). We combine the data from Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS), which provide information about the inner structure of the nanofibril, with those from UV Resonant Raman (UVRR) spectroscopy, which is a sensitive probe of the intra- and inter-molecular interactions in the gel and the liquid state. The transition between the gel and the liquid phases is investigated as a function of the concentration of both TOCNFs and cations, the nature of the latter, and the pH at which the phenomenon is observed. SANS analysis reveals that ion concentration induces an anisotropic swelling in the nanofibrils which, at the same time, become more and more flexible. The nanofibrils flexibility is also dependent on TOCNF concentration and pH value. UVRR allows us to elucidate the structural organization and hydrogen-bonding properties of water in aqueous TOCNF dispersions and gels, showing how water molecules partially lose their typical bulk-like tetrahedral organization when ions are added, and the gel phase is formed

Foix-Chavany-Marie syndrome in a 17-year-old female with congenital cytomegalovirus infection.

Foix-Chavany-Marie syndrome is characterized by bilateral facio-glosso-pharyngo-masticatory paralysis of voluntary movement due to bilateral anterior opercular lesions. We describe the case of a 17-year-old female affected by Foix-Chavany-Marie syndrome and congenital cytomegalovirus infection, evaluating the possible etiopathogenetic correlation between cerebral cortical dysplasia and intrauterine infections

tvorba vektorskih mezona i pridružene stranosti pomoću snopa linearno polariziranih fotona u JLabu

The set of experiments forming the g8a run took place in the summer of 2001 in Hall B of Jefferson Lab. The g8a run was the commissioning experiment for the linearly polarised photon beam at CLAS. The aim of these experiments is to improve the understanding of the underlying symmetry of the quark degrees of freedom in the nucleon, the nature of the parity exchange between the incident photon and the target nucleon, and the mechanism of associated strangeness production in electromagnetic reactions. A beam of tagged and collimated linearly polarised photons (energy range 1.8−2.2 GeV) in conjunction with the large solid angle coverage of CLAS make possible the extraction of the differential cross-sections and polarisation observables for the photoproduction of vector mesons and kaons. The reaction channels −→γ p → ρ 0p → π +π −p and −→γ p → K+Λ 0 → K+π −p are under investigation to search for possibly missing nucleon resonances. An overview of the experiment and preliminary results on the measurement of the photon asymmetries of the aforementioned reactions are presented.Mjerenje g8a izveli smo u ljeto 2001 u Halli B u JLabu. To je mjerenje ujedno bilo puštanje u pogon linearno polariziranog snopa kod uređaja CLAS. Cilj tih mjerenja bio je unapređenje našeg shvaćanja simetrije koja je osnova kvarkovskih stupnjeva slobode u nukleonu, značajki izmjene parnosti između fotona i nukleona u meti i mehanizma tvorbe pridružene stranosti u elektromagnetskim reakcijama. Snop kolimiranih i označenih linearno polariziranih fotona (energije 1.8 − 2.2 GeV), zajedno s velikim prostornim kutom CLASa, omogućili su određivanje diferencijalnih udarnih presjeka i polarizacijskih veličina za fototvorbu vektorskih mezona i kaona. Istraživali smo reakcijske kanale →γ p → ρ 0p → π +π −p i →γ p → K+Λ 0 → K+π −p radi mogućeg nalaženja novih nukleonskih rezonancija. Dajemo opis mjerenja i prethodne ishode za fotonsku asimetriju navedenih reakcija

Changes in the expression of extracellular regulated kinase (ERK 1/2) in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease after phosphodiesterase IV inhibition

The mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) superfamily comprises three major signaling pathways: the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases (ERKs), the c-Jun N-terminal kinases or stress-activated protein kinases (JNKs/SAPKs) and the p38 family of kinases.ERK 1/2 signaling has been implicated in a number of neurodegenerative disorders, including Huntington's disease (HD). Phosphorylation patterns of ERK 1/2 and JNK are altered in cell models of HD. In this study, we aimed at studying the correlations between ERK 1/2 and the neuronal vulnerability to HD degeneration in the R6/2 transgenic mouse model of HD. Single and double-label immunofluorescence for phospho-ERK (pERK, the activated form of ERK) and for each of the striatal neuronal markers were employed on perfusion-fixed brain sections from R6/2 and wild-type mice. Moreover, Phosphodiesterase 4 inhibition through rolipram was used to study the effects on pERK expression in the different types of striatal neurons. We completed our study with western blot analysis. Our study shows that pERK levels increase with age in the medium spiny striatal neurons and in the parvalbumin interneurons, and that rolipram counteracts such increase in pERK. Conversely, cholinergic and somatostatinergic interneurons of the striatum contain higher levels of pERK in the R6/2 mice compared to the controls. Rolipram induces an increase in pERK expression in these interneurons. Thus, our study confirms and extends the concept that the expression of phosphorylated ERK 1/2 is related to neuronal vulnerability and is implicated in the pathophysiology of cell death in HD. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved