Expeditious synthesis of the key unnatural aminoacid in the formal asymmetric total synthesis of (-)-Jorumycin and bioactive tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids

The synthesis of the enantiopure aminoacid, key intermediate in the total synthesis of (-)-Jorumycin and of various bioactive tetraidroisoquinoline alkaloids analogues, a class of compounds with antitumor and antibiotic activities, has been accomplished starting from 2,4-dimethoxy-3-methyl-benzaldehyde 1 in only 5 steps and in a very high yield. This synthesis, based on a Negishi reaction between a 5-iodo-2,4-dimethoxy-3-methylphenol and N-(tert-Butoxycarbonyl)-3-iodo-L-alanine methyl ester, permits an easy access to the intermediate, and the formal asymmetric total synthesis of (-)-Jorumycin and tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids of the same family, in a very shorter way with respect to the syntheses previously reported

Efficacy of spa-therapy, mud-pack therapy, balneotherapy and mud-bath therapy in the management of knee osteoarthritis. A systematic review

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common musculoskeletal disease in the world. OA is the result of an inflammatory and degenerative process affecting the entire joint. Osteoarthritis, especially involving the knee, has a relevant socio-economic impact in terms of drugs, hospital admissions, work absences and temporary or permanent invalidity. Therapy of knee osteoarthritis is based on pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the studies published between 2002 and 2017 on spa-therapy, mud-pack therapy, balneotherapy and mud-bath therapy in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis in order to investigate the evidence of the efficacy of such treatment on pain, functional limitation, drug use and quality of life. Overall, 35 studies were examined among which 12 were selected and included in the review if trial comparative. Each report was reviewed to identify the criteria used for study enrolment and for assignment to experimental vs control groups, sample size, type and characteristics of treatment, features of mineral water, control intervention, assessment point, endpoints, outcome measures, tests used for statistical analysis of the results. We have been able to illustrate the main results obtained in the individual studies and to elaborate these results in order to allow as much a unitary presentation as possible, and hence an overall judgment. Results: Because the studies we reviewed differed markedly from one another in terms of the methods used, we were unable to conduct a quantitative analysis (meta-analysis) of pooled data from the 12 studies. For the purposes of the present review, we re-evaluated the results of the different studies using the same statistical method, the Student’s t test, which is used to compare the means of two frequency distributions. Among all the studies, the most relevant indexes used to measure effectiveness of spa therapy were improved including VAS, Lequesne’s and WOMAC Score. Conclusions: The mud-pack therapy, balneotherapy, mud-bath therapy and spa therapy has proved to be effective in the treatment and in the secondary prevention of knee osteoarthritis, by reducing pain, non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug consumption, functional limitation and improving quality of life of affected patients. Is a noninvasive, complication-free, and cost-effective alternative modality for the conservative treatment of knee osteoarthritis

Diatoms synthesize sterols by inclusion of animal and fungal genes in the plant pathway

Diatoms are ubiquitous microalgae that have developed remarkable metabolic plasticity and gene diversification. Here we report the first elucidation of the complete biosynthesis of sterols in the lineage. The study has been carried out on the bloom-forming species Skeletonema marinoi and Cyclotella cryptica that synthesise an ensemble of sterols with chemotypes of animals (cholesterol and desmosterol), plants (dihydrobrassicasterol and 24-methylene cholesterol), algae (fucosterol) and marine invertebrates (clionasterol). In both species, sterols derive from mevalonate through cyclization of squalene to cycloartenol by cycloartenol synthase. The pathway anticipates synthesis of cholesterol by enzymes of the phytosterol route in plants, as recently reported in Solanaceae. Major divergences stem from reduction of Δ24(28) and Δ24(25) double bonds which, in diatoms, are apparently dependent on sterol reductases of fungi, algae and animals. Phylogenetic comparison revealed a good level of similarity between the sterol biosynthetic genes of S. marinoi and C. cryptica with those in the genomes of the other diatoms sequenced so far

CO2-Induced Transcriptional Reorganization: Molecular Basis of Capnophillic Lactic Fermentation in Thermotoga neapolitana

Capnophilic lactic fermentation (CLF) is a novel anaplerotic pathway able to convert sugars to lactic acid (LA) and hydrogen using CO2 as carbon enhancer in the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga neapolitana. In order to give further insights into CLF metabolic networks, we investigated the transcriptional modification induced by CO2 using a RNA-seq approach. Transcriptomic analysis revealed 1601 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in an enriched CO2 atmosphere over a total of 1938 genes of the T. neapolitana genome. Transcription of PFOR and LDH genes belonging to the CLF pathway was up-regulated by CO2 together with 6-phosphogluconolactonase (6PGL) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydratase (EDD) of the Entner–Doudoroff (ED) pathway. The transcriptomic study also revealed up-regulation of genes coding for the flavin-based enzymes NADH-dependent reduced ferredoxin:NADP oxidoreductase (NFN) and NAD-ferredoxin oxidoreductase (RNF) that control supply of reduced ferredoxin and NADH and allow energy conservation-based sodium translocation through the cell membrane. These results support the hypothesis that CO2 induces rearrangement of the central carbon metabolism together with activation of mechanisms that increase availability of the reducing equivalents that are necessary to sustain CLF. In this view, this study reports a first rationale of the molecular basis of CLF in T. neapolitana and provides a list of target genes for the biotechnological implementation of this process

The Microalgal Diatoxanthin Inflects the Cytokine Storm in SARS-CoV-2 Stimulated ACE2 Overexpressing Lung Cells

Contact between SARS-CoV-2 and human lung cells involves the viral spike protein and the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor on epithelial cells, the latter being strongly involved in the regulation of inflammation as well as blood pressure homeostasis. SARS-CoV-2 infection is characterized by a strong inflammatory response defined as a "cytokine storm". Among recent therapeutic approaches against SARS-CoV-2 targeting the dramatic inflammatory reaction, some natural products are promising. Diatoms are microalgae able to produce bioactive secondary metabolites, such as the xanthophyll diatoxanthin (Dt). The aim of this study is to demonstrate the anti-inflammatory effects of Dt on the A549-hACE2 lung cell line, exploring its interaction with the ACE2 receptor, as well as depicting its role in inhibiting a cytokine storm induced by the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein. Results showed that Dt enhanced the cell metabolism, e.g., the percent of metabolically active cells, as well as the ACE2 enzymatic activity. Moreover, Dt strongly affected the response of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein-exposed A549-hACE2 cells in decreasing the interleukin-6 production and increasing the interleukin-10 release. Moreover, Dt upregulated genes encoding for the interferon pathway related to antiviral defense and enhanced proteins belonging to the innate immunity response. The potential interest of Dt as a new therapeutic agent in the treatment and/or prevention of the severe inflammatory syndrome related to SARS-CoV-2 infection is postulated

Probing the partly folded states of proteins by limited proteolysis

The folding of a polypeptide chain of a relatively large globular protein into its unique three-dimensional and functionally active structure occurs via folding intermediates. These partly folded states of proteins are difficult to characterize, because they are usually short lived or exist as a distribution of possible conformers. A variety of experimental techniques and approaches have been utilized in recent years in numerous laboratories for characterizing folding intermediates that occur at equilibrium, including spectroscopic techniques, solution X-ray scattering, calorimetry and gel filtration chromatography, as well as genetic methods and theoretical calculations. In this review, we focus on the use of proteolytic enzymes as probes of the structure and dynamics of folding intermediates and we show that this simple biochemical technique can provide useful information, complementing that obtained by other commonly used techniques and approaches. The key result of the proteolysis experiments is that partly folded states (molten globules) of proteins can be sufficiently rigid to prevent extensive proteolysis and appear to maintain significant native-like structure

Enhancement of hydrogen production rate by high biomass concentrations of Thermotoga neapolitana

The objective of this study was to enhance the hydrogen production rate of dark fermentation in batch operation. For the first time, the hyperthermophilic pure culture of Thermotoga neapolitana cf. Capnolactica was applied at elevated biomass concentrations. The increase of the initial biomass concentration from 0.46 to 1.74 g cell dry weight/L led to a general acceleration of the fermentation process, reducing the fermentation time of 5 g glucose/L down to 3 h with a lag phase of 0.4 h. The volumetric hydrogen production rate increased from 323 (±11) to 654 (±30) mL/L/h with a concomitant enhancement of the biomass growth and glucose consumption rate. The hydrogen yield of 2.45 (±0.09) mol H2/mol glucose, the hydrogen concentration of 68% in the produced gas and the composition of the end products in the digestate, i.e. 62.3 (±2.5)% acetic acid, 23.5 (±2.9)% lactic acid and 2.3 (±0.1)% alanine, remained unaffected at increasing biomass concentrations

Three-Dimensional Acoustic Displays In A Museum Employing WFS (Wave Field Synthesis) And HOA (High Order Ambisonics)

The paper describes the sound systems and the listening rooms installed in the new "museum of reproduced sound", actually being built in Parma, restoring an ancient church. The museum is devoted to the exposition of a huge collection of antique radios and gramophones, but it will also exploit the frontiers of modern methods for immersive surround reproduction: WFS and HOA. In the main hall, a large planar WFS loudspeaker array is employed for inviting the visitors to enter the world of sound reproduction, providing stunning effects and emotional sounds enveloping them from many directions. At the end of the exposition path, a special HOA space is employed for showing the recent developments of recording/reproduction methods started from the Ambisonics concept, capable of creating natural reproduction of sport events, live music and other immersive acoustical experiences; in this room also a binaural/transaural system is available. A second, larger listening room capable of 30seats is equipped with a horizontal WFS array covering the complete perimeter of the room. The paper describes the technology employed, the problems encountered due to the difficult acoustical conditions (the museum was formerly a church), and the novel software tools developed for the purpose on LINUX platforms