Inhibition of ErbB kinase signalling promotes resolution of neutrophilic inflammation

Neutrophilic inflammation with prolonged neutrophil survival is common to many inflammatory conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). There are few specific therapies that reverse neutrophilic inflammation, but uncovering mechanisms regulating neutrophil survival is likely to identify novel therapeutic targets. Screening of 367 kinase inhibitors in human neutrophils and a zebrafish tail fin injury model identified ErbBs as common targets of compounds that accelerated inflammation resolution. The ErbB inhibitors gefitinib, CP-724714, erbstatin and tyrphostin AG825 significantly accelerated apoptosis of human neutrophils, including neutrophils from people with COPD. Neutrophil apoptosis was also increased in Tyrphostin AG825 treated-zebrafish in vivo. Tyrphostin AG825 decreased peritoneal inflammation in zymosan-treated mice, and increased lung neutrophil apoptosis and macrophage efferocytosis in a murine acute lung injury model. Tyrphostin AG825 and knockdown of egfra and erbb2 by CRISPR/Cas9 reduced inflammation in zebrafish. Our work shows that inhibitors of ErbB kinases have therapeutic potential in neutrophilic inflammatory disease.Animal science

Taking ethanol quality beyond fuel grade: A review

Ethanol production in the United States approached 15 billion gal/year in 2015. Only about 2.5% of this was food‐grade alcohol, but this represents a higher‐value product than fuels or other uses. The ethanol production process includes corn milling, cooking, saccharification, fermentation, and separation by distillation. Volatile byproducts are produced during the fermentation of starch. These include other alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, fatty acids and esters. Food‐grade ethanol is generally produced by wet milling, where starch and sugars are separated from the other corn components, resulting in much smaller concentrations of the impurities than are obtained from fermentation of dry‐milled corn, where cyclic and heterocyclic compounds are produced from lignin in the corn hull. Some of these volatile byproducts are likely to show up in the distillate and these fermentation byproducts in ethanol could cause unpleasant flavours and affect human health if used for human consumption. There is some interest in improving ethanol quality, since human consumption represents a higher value. Advanced purification techniques, such as ozone oxidation, currently used for drinking water and municipal wastewater treatment, offer possibilities for adaptation in ethanol quality improvement. The development of analytical techniques has enabled the detection of low‐concentration compounds and simple quality assurance of food‐grade alcohol. This review includes the most recent ethanol production methods, potential ethanol purification techniques and analytical techniques. Application of such techniques would aid in the development of simplified alcohol production

Edaravone Guards Dopamine Neurons in a Rotenone Model for Parkinson's Disease

3-methyl-1-phenyl-2-pyrazolin-5-one (edaravone), an effective free radical scavenger, provides neuroprotection in stroke models and patients. In this study, we investigated its neuroprotective effects in a chronic rotenone rat model for Parkinson's disease. Here we showed that a five-week treatment with edaravone abolished rotenone's activity to induce catalepsy, damage mitochondria and degenerate dopamine neurons in the midbrain of rotenone-treated rats. This abolishment was attributable at least partly to edaravone's inhibition of rotenone-induced reactive oxygen species production or apoptotic promoter Bax expression and its up-regulation of the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) expression. Collectively, edaravone may provide novel clinical therapeutics for PD

Ekstrakter av blåbær og blåskjell som naturlige antioksidanter

De siste tiårene har det vært et økende fokus på helse og kosthold. Sjømat er en viktig kilde til helsemessige gunstige fettsyrer. Spesielt er det de langkjedede, flerumettede omega-3 fettsyrene som har vist seg å ha flere positive effekter for human helse. Problemet med disse langkjedede marine fettsyrerne når det kommer til å benytte dem i matproduksjon er at de har lett for å harskne. For å hindre eller forskinke denne oksidasjon har det blitt utviklet mange naturlige og syntetiske antioksidanter. De fleste matprodusenter vil foretrekke naturlige antioksidanter framfor syntetiske, og er interessert i nye kilder for naturlige alternativer. Tokoferoler og flavonoider er naturlige antioksidanter og ansees som mye tryggere enn de syntetiske antioksidantene BHA og BHT Målet med dette arbeidet var å undersøke antioksidative egenskaper ekstrakter av rå blåbær, kokt blåbær og blåskjell hadde på selolje i et oljesystem og emulsjonssystem, i tillegg undersøkte vi hvordan de virktet i et vandig system. Vi prøvde også å finne optimal mengde α-tokoferol i selolje. Vi fant at ekstrakter fra blåbær hadde gode antioksidative egenskaper i et oljesystem. I dette systemet viste likevel blåskjell å ha den beste antioksidative effekten da den ved siste uttaksdag bare hadde halvparten så høy PV og AV som seloljen (kontroll). I emulsjonene hadde verken blåbær eller blåskjell antioksidativ effekt. Ingen av ekstraktene så ut til å virke hemmende på oksidasjon i et vandig system. I forsøket på å finne optimal konsentrasjon av α-tokoferol fant vi i det siste forsøket hvor seloljen hadde stått lagret i 4 måneder ved 4oC at konsentrasjoner på 200, 300, 600 og 1000 ppm ga god inhiberende virkning på oksidasjon av seloljen

DANIDA; Environmental Information and Monitoring Programme (EIMP). Air Quality Monitoring Component, Installation. Mission 13 report.

This mission to Egypt has as its main objective to install monitors and samplers and to train operators in calibration, operation and maintenance of the EIMP/EEAA air quality monitoring network in Egypt. The installations were completed on 24 June 1999

DANIDA; Environmental Information and Monitoring Programme (EIMP). Air Quality Monitoring Component. Mission 18 Report.

The eighteenth mission to Egypt on the DANIDA EIMP programme included monitoring programme auditing, QA/QC procedures, training and reporting. Monthly and Quarterly air quality data reports were produced and presented. Training in QA/QC operations and reporting was given to the Monitoring Laboratories. Results were reported in Newsletters and a specific training seminar was given on "Understanding air pollution"