ANTI INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY OF ERYTHRINA VARIEGATA

Objective: Erythrina variegata had been widely used for its reported biological activity in indigenous system of medicine. The present investigation was carried out to find the anti-inflammatory effect of ethanolic extract of Erythrina variegata in albino rats.Methods: The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated using acute inflammatory model like carrageenan induced paw edema and chronic inflammatory model like cotton pellet induced granuloma respectively.Results: The ethanolic extract in different doses (200, and 400mg/kg, p. o) exhibited dose dependent and significant antiinflammatory activity in acute and chronic model of inflammation.Conclusion: The alcoholic extract of Erythrina variegata has anti-inflammatory activity. This activity was related to the dose and these results corroborate the potential traditional use of the plant in folk medicine

Seasonal Adaptation of Vegetation Color in Satellite Images

Remote sensing techniques like NDVI (Normal Difference vegetative Index) when applied to phenological variations in aerial images, ascertained the seasonal rise and decline of photosynthetic activity in different seasons, resulting in different color tones of vegetation. The rise and fall of NDVI values decide the biological response, either the green up or brown down [1]. Vegetation in green up period appears with more vegetative vigor and during brown down period it has a dry appearance. This paper proposes a novel method that identifies vegetative patterns in satellite images and then alters vegetation color to simulate seasonal changes based on training image pairs. The proposed method first generates a vegetation map for pixels corresponding to vegetative areas, using ISODATA clustering, morphological operations and vegetation classification. It then generates seasonal color adaptation of a target input image based on a pair of training images, which depict the same area but were captured in different seasons, using image analogies technique. The vegetation map ensures that only the colors of vegetative areas in the target image are altered and also improves the performance of the original image analogies technique. The proposed method can be used in flight simulations and other applications

Vegetation Identification Based on Satellite Imagery

Automatic vegetation identification plays an important role in many applications including remote sensing and high performance flight simulations. This paper presents a method to automatically identify vegetation based upon satellite imagery. First, we utilize the ISODATA algorithm to cluster pixels in the images where the number of clusters is determined by the algorithm. We then apply morphological operations to the clustered images to smooth the boundaries between clusters and to fill holes inside clusters. After that, we compute six features for each cluster. These six features then go through a feature selection algorithm and three of them are determined to be effective for vegetation identification. Finally, we classify the resulting clusters as vegetation and nonvegetation types based on the selected features using a multilayer percetron (MLP) classifier. We tested our algorithm by using the 5-fold cross-validation method and achieved 96% classification accuracy based on the three selected features

Information flow between stock indices

Using transfer entropy, we observed the strength and direction of information flow between stock indices. We uncovered that the biggest source of information flow is America. In contrast, the Asia/Pacific region the biggest is receives the most information. According to the minimum spanning tree, the GSPC is located at the focal point of the information source for world stock markets

Integrating genetic regulation and single-cell expression with GWAS prioritizes causal genes and cell types for glaucoma

Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), characterized by retinal ganglion cell death, is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide; however, the molecular and cellular causes are not well understood. Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is a major risk factor, but many patients have normal IOP. Colocalization and Mendelian randomization analysis of >240 POAG and IOP genome-wide association study (GWAS) loci and of overlapping expression and splicing quantitative trait loci (e/QTLs and sQTLs) in 49 GTEx tissues and retina prioritizesd causal genes for 60% of loci. These genes awere enriched in pathways implicated in extracellular matrix organization, cell adhesion, and vascular development. Analysis of single-nucleus RNA-seq of glaucoma-relevant eye tissues revealesd that the colocalizing genes and genome-wide POAG and IOP associations awere enriched in specific cell types in the aqueous outflow pathways, retina, optic nerve head, peripapillary sclera, and choroid. This study nominatesd IOP-dependent and independent regulatory mechanisms, genes, and cell types that may contribute to POAG pathogenesis

Grape Seed Proanthocyanidins Inhibit Melanoma Cell Invasiveness by Reduction of PGE2 Synthesis and Reversal of Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition

Melanoma is the leading cause of death from skin disease due, in large part, to its propensity to metastasize. We have examined the effect of grape seed proanthocyanidins (GSPs) on melanoma cancer cell migration and the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects using highly metastasis-specific human melanoma cell lines, A375 and Hs294t. Using in vitro cell invasion assays, we observed that treatment of A375 and Hs294t cells with GSPs resulted in a concentration-dependent inhibition of invasion or cell migration of these cells, which was associated with a reduction in the levels of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression and prostaglandin (PG) E2 production. Treatment of cells with celecoxib, a COX-2 inhibitor, or transient transfection of melanoma cells with COX-2 small interfering RNA, also inhibited melanoma cell migration. Treatment of cells with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, an inducer of COX-2, enhanced the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, a protein of mitogen-activated protein kinase family, and subsequently cell migration whereas both GSPs and celecoxib significantly inhibited 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate -promoted cell migration as well as phosphorylation of ERK1/2. Treatment of cells with UO126, an inhibitor of MEK, also inhibited the migration of melanoma cells. Further, GSPs inhibited the activation of NF-κB/p65, an upstream regulator of COX-2, in melanoma cells, and treatment of cells with caffeic acid phenethyl ester, an inhibitor of NF-κB, also inhibited cell migration. Additionally, inhibition of melanoma cell migration by GSPs was associated with reversal of epithelial-mesenchymal transition process, which resulted in an increase in the levels of epithelial biomarkers (E-cadherin and cytokeratins) while loss of mesenchymal biomarkers (vimentin, fibronectin and N-cadherin) in melanoma cells. Together, these results indicate that GSPs have the ability to inhibit melanoma cell invasion/migration by targeting the endogenous expression of COX-2 and reversing the process of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition

Antioxidant and Antitumor Activity of a Bioactive Polyphenolic Fraction Isolated from the Brewing Process

There is increasing interest in identifying natural bioactive compounds that can improve mitochondrial functionality and regulate apoptosis. The brewery industry generates wastewater that could yield a natural extract containing bioactive phenolic compounds. Polyphenols act as antioxidants and have been documented to protect the human body from degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular diseases or cancer. The main aims of our research were to determine the phenolic profile of a crude extract obtained (at pilot scale) from a brewery waste stream and to evaluate the biochemical activity of this extract on the mitochondrial function of a cancer cell line (SH-SY5Y). This work is a basic translational pilot study. The total phenolic content was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu assay, which revealed that 2.30% of the extract consisted of phenolic compounds. The polyphenols, identified and quantified by reverse-phase-high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (RP-HPLC/MS), were mainly flavonoids. After cell culture, the tumoral cells treated with the polyphenolic extract showed enhanced mitochondrial oxidative function, which is likely related to a decrease in oxidative stress and an increase in mitochondrial biogenesis. This type of brewery waste stream, properly treated, may be a promising source of natural antioxidants to replace the synthetic antioxidants currently used in the food industry

HoxA-11 and FOXO1A Cooperate to Regulate Decidual Prolactin Expression: Towards Inferring the Core Transcriptional Regulators of Decidual Genes

During the menstrual cycle, the ovarian steroid hormones estrogen and progesterone control a dramatic transcriptional reprogramming of endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) leading to a receptive state for blastocyst implantation and the establishment of pregnancy. A key marker gene of this decidualization process is the prolactin gene. Several transcriptional regulators have been identified that are essential for decidualization of ESCs, including the Hox genes HoxA-10 and HoxA-11, and the forkhead box gene FOXO1A. While previous studies have identified downstream target genes for HoxA-10 and FOXO1A, the role of HoxA-11 in decidualization has not been investigated. Here, we show that HoxA-11 is required for prolactin expression in decidualized ESC. While HoxA-11 alone is a repressor on the decidual prolactin promoter, it turns into an activator when combined with FOXO1A. Conversely, HoxA-10, which has been previously shown to associate with FOXO1A to upregulate decidual IGFBP-1 expression, is unable to upregulate PRL expression when co-expressed with FOXO1A. By co-immunoprecipitation and chromatin immunoprecipitation, we demonstrate physical association of HoxA-11 and FOXO1A, and binding of both factors to an enhancer region (−395 to −148 relative to the PRL transcriptional start site) of the decidual prolactin promoter. Because FOXO1A is induced upon decidualization, it serves to assemble a decidual-specific transcriptional complex including HoxA-11. These data highlight cooperativity between numerous transcription factors to upregulate PRL in differentiating ESC, and suggest that this core set of transcription factors physically and functionally interact to drive the expression of a gene battery upregulated in differentiated ESC. In addition, the functional non-equivalence of HoxA-11 and HoxA-10 with respect to PRL regulation suggests that these transcription factors regulate distinct sets of target genes during decidualization

Redox Regulation of the AMP-Activated Protein Kinase

Redox state is a critical determinant of cell function, and any major imbalances can cause severe damage or death

Genetic Evidence for Inhibition of Bacterial Division Protein FtsZ by Berberine

Background: Berberine is a plant alkaloid that is widely used as an anti-infective in traditional medicine. Escherichia coli exposed to berberine form filaments, suggesting an antibacterial mechanism that involves inhibition of cell division. Berberine is a DNA ligand and may induce filamentation through induction of the SOS response. Also, there is biochemical evidence for berberine inhibition of the cell division protein FtsZ. Here we aimed to assess possible berberine mechanism(s) of action in growing bacteria using genetics tools. Methodology/Principal Findings: First, we tested whether berberine inhibits bacterial growth through DNA damage and induction of the SOS response. The SOS response induced by berberine was much lower compared to that induced by mitomycin C in an SOS response reporter strain. Also, cell filamentation was observed in an SOS-negative E. coli strain. To test whether berberine inhibits FtsZ, we assessed its effects on formation of the cell division Z-rings, and observed a dramatic reduction in Z-rings in the presence of berberine. We next used two different strategies for RNA silencing of ftsZ and both resulted in sensitisation of bacteria to berberine, visible as a drop in the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC). Furthermore, Fractional Inhibitory Concentration Indices (FICIs) showed a high level of synergy between ftsZ silencing and berberine treatment (FICI values of 0.23 and 0.25 for peptide nucleic acid- and expressed antisense RNA-based silencing of ftsZ, respectively). Finally, over-expression of ftsZ led to a mild rescue effect in berberine-treated cells