Differential Expression of Inflammation-Related Genes in Down Syndrome Patients with or without Periodontal Disease

Aim. Aware that Down Syndrome patients present among their clinical characteristics impaired immunity, the aim of this study is to identify the statistically significant differences in inflammation-related gene expression by comparing Down Syndrome patients with Periodontal Disease (DS+PD+) with Down Syndrome patients without Periodontal Disease (DS+PD-), and their relationship with periodontitis as a chronic oral inflammatory clinical feature. Materials and Methods. Case study and controls on eleven Down Syndrome patients (DS+PD+ vs. DS+PD-). RNA was extracted from peripheral blood using a Qiagen PAXgene Blood miRNA Kit when performing an oral examination. A search for candidate genes (92 selected) was undertaken on the total genes obtained using a Scientific GeneChip® Scanner 3000 (Thermo Fisher Scientific) and Clariom S solutions for human, mouse, and rat chips, with more than 20,000 genes annotated for measuring expression levels. Results. Of the 92 inflammation-related genes taken initially, four genes showed a differential expression across both groups with a p value of <0.05 from the data obtained using RNA processing of the patient sample. Said genes were TNFSF13B (p = 0:0448), ITGB2 (p = 0:0033), ANXA3 (p = 0:0479), and ANXA5 (p = 0:016). Conclusions. There are differences in inflammation-related gene expression in Down Syndrome patients when comparing patients who present a state of chronic oral inflammation with patients with negative rates of periodontal disease

One-pot synthesis of biofoams from castor oil and cellulose microfibers for energy absorption impact materials

The use of renewable feedstocks in foam technology has created a worldwide demand for more sustainable materials. Castor oil is a vegetable oil, composed mainly of triricinoglycerol, a natural polyol, suitable for polyurethane foam production. In this study, castor oil and variable amounts of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) fibers were used in a straightforward one-pot synthesis approach for the preparation of novel biofoams. The ensuing biofoams were characterized by several techniques, including attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis, and their mechanical performance was evaluated by compression mechanical testing and by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. They were (semi-) flexible, with a cell-like morphology and reinforced toughness due to the use of MCC. They had a Young's modulus varying between 0.188 and 1.06 MPa depending on the amount of MCC used and were thermally stable up to 267 A degrees C. The properties of these novel biofoams enable them to be strong candidates for use as tough, energy-absorbing foams, advantageously prepared using renewable-based resources

Heteromeric Solute Carriers: Function, Structure, Pathology and Pharmacology

Solute carriers form one of three major superfamilies of membrane transporters in humans, and include uniporters, exchangers and symporters. Following several decades of molecular characterisation, multiple solute carriers that form obligatory heteromers with unrelated subunits are emerging as a distinctive principle of membrane transporter assembly. Here we comprehensively review experimentally established heteromeric solute carriers: SLC3-SLC7 amino acid exchangers, SLC16 monocarboxylate/H+ symporters and basigin/embigin, SLC4A1 (AE1) and glycophorin A exchanger, SLC51 heteromer Ost α-Ost β uniporter, and SLC6 heteromeric symporters. The review covers the history of the heteromer discovery, transporter physiology, structure, disease associations and pharmacology - all with a focus on the heteromeric assembly. The cellular locations, requirements for complex formation, and the functional role of dimerization are extensively detailed, including analysis of the first complete heteromer structures, the SLC7-SLC3 family transporters LAT1-4F2hc, b0,+AT-rBAT and the SLC6 family heteromer B0AT1-ACE2. We present a systematic analysis of the structural and functional aspects of heteromeric solute carriers and conclude with common principles of their functional roles and structural architecture