In Silico Modeling of the Immune System: Cellular and Molecular Scale Approaches

The revolutions in biotechnology and information technology have produced clinical data, which complement biological data. These data enable detailed descriptions of various healthy and diseased states and responses to therapies. For the investigation of the physiology and pathology of the immune responses, computer and mathematical models have been used in the last decades, enabling the representation of biological processes. In this modeling effort, a major issue is represented by the communication between models that work at cellular and molecular level, that is, multiscale representation. Here we sketch some attempts to model immune system dynamics at both levels

Effect of activin-A on progesterone synthesis in human luteal cells

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of activin-A on basal and hCG-stimulated P production by human luteal cells. DESIGN: Mixed luteal cell cultures and distinct cultures of two luteal cell types: small and large luteal cells from early and midluteal phase. SETTING: Corpora lutea (CL) were obtained from the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of the Catholic University, Rome, Italy. PATIENTS: Fifteen nonpregnant women between 30 and 45 years of age underwent surgery for nonendocrine gynecological diseases. INTERVENTIONS: Corpora lutea were obtained at the time of hysterectomy. The luteal cells were dispersed in Ham's F-12 medium containing collagenase at 37 degrees C in shaking water bath for 2 hours, filtered, centrifuged, and resuspended in fresh medium. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The cells diluted to a final concentration of 60,000 to 100,000 cells/mL of medium. After 24 hours, the cells attached to the wells and were incubated with or without hCG and/or activin-A at different concentrations. RESULTS: Activin-A starting from 25 micrograms/L significantly decreased basal and hCG (250 mIU/mL [conversion to SI unit, 1.00])-induced P production by mixed luteal cells. The small luteal cells responded to hCG (250 mIU/mL), and the treatment with activin-A (from 25 to 100 micrograms/L) reduced their basal and hCG-induced P production. Activin-A addition did not change the amount of P release by large luteal cells at any concentration. CONCLUSIONS: These results imply that activin-A plays a role in the local regulation of human CL

Analysis of cannabinoids in oil

Introduction: Cannabinoids are bioactive molecules found abundantly in the cannabis plant, with two major cannabinoids being D-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol.Method: The study was divided into three phases: (1) systematic literature search on the analysis of cannabinoids in oils, (2) development and validation of a rapid and efficient high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-ultraviolet (UV) method for the determination of THC in medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil, and (iii) green assessment of methods for the determination of cannabinoids in oil.Results: Articles identified describe the analysis of cannabinoids in olive oil and hemp oil. Regarding the developed and validated method for analysis of THC in MCT oil, separation was achieved using an ACE C18-AR (250 · 4.6 mm; 5 mm) column with acetonitrile and 0.5% acetic acid (70:30, v/v) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 2 mL/min. The analysis was conducted in isocratic mode with UV detection set at 220 nm. Injection volume was 10 mL. The method was validated in the linear range of 0.03125–0.5%. The method developed in this study was found to have equivalent greenness to other HPLC-UV methods reported in the literature.Discussion: The method has acceptable accuracy, precision, and stability, is relatively green, and can be successfully applied to determine concentrations of THC in commercially available cannabinoid-containing oils where the allowed limit of THC is 0.2–0.3%.peer-reviewe

In vitro human growth hormone increases human chorionic gonadotropin and progesterone secretion by human placenta at term: evidence of a modulatory role by opioids

We examined the in vitro effect of human growth hormone (hGH) on hormone placental production and the modulation by opioids of this function. Small placental fragments from 12 term placentas were incubated at 37 degrees C in a 95% air and 5% CO2 atmosphere for 4 h with various concentrations of hGH (1-1000 ng/ml) or naloxone (3-500 ng/ml). Both hGH and naloxone increased the concentrations of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and progesterone in the media. The effect of the hGH was dose-dependent and statistically significant at 10 ng/ml, while naloxone was able to increase hCG and progesterone production only at the highest doses (250-500 ng/ml). The concomitant treatment with ineffective doses of naloxone and hGH was able to enhance hCG and progesterone secretion reaching levels similar to those obtained with the highest doses of hGH alone. High naloxone concentrations significantly decreased both hCG and progesterone secretion induced by high doses of hGH. This study confirms the relevance of growth hormone in sustaining placental endocrine activities and indicates an effect of opioids in modulating these function

Aerosol emissions from Heated Tobacco Products: a review focusing on carbonyls, analytical methods and experimental quality

We provide an extensive review of 17 independent and industry-funded studies targeting carbonyls in aerosol emissions of Heated Tobacco Products (HTPs), focusing on quality criteria based on the reproducibility of experiments, appropriate analytic methods, and puffing regimes. Most revised studies complied with these requirements, but some were unreproducible, while others failed to consider analytical variables that may have affected the results and/or produced unrealistic comparisons. We also provide a review of the literature on physicochemical properties of heated tobacco and HTP aerosols, as well as the evaluation of HTPs by regulatory agencies, addressing various critiques of their relative safety profile. The outcomes from the revised studies and regulatory evaluations tend to agree with and converge to a general consensus that HTP aerosols expose users to significantly lower levels of toxicity than tobacco smoke

Aerosol Emissions from Heated Tobacco Products: A Review Focusing on Carbonyls, Analytical Methods, and Experimental Quality

<p>We provide an extensive review of 17 independent and industry-funded studies targeting carbonyls in aerosol emissions of Heated Tobacco Products (HTPs), focusing on quality criteria based on the reproducibility of experiments, appropriate analytic methods, and puffing regimes. Most revised studies complied with these requirements, but some were unreproducible, while others failed to consider analytical variables that may have affected the results and/or produced unrealistic comparisons. We also provide a review of the literature on the physicochemical properties of heated tobacco and HTP aerosols, as well as the evaluation of HTPs by regulatory agencies, addressing various critiques of their relative safety profile. The outcomes from the revised studies and regulatory evaluations tend to agree with and converge to a general consensus that HTP aerosols expose users to significantly lower levels of toxicity than tobacco smoke.</p><h2><strong>Funding</strong></h2><p>This research received no external funding.</p&gt

In silico modeling of the immune system: cellular and molecular scale approaches

The revolutions in biotechnology and information technology have produced clinical data, which complement biological data. These data enable detailed descriptions of various healthy and diseased states and responses to therapies. For the investigation of the physiology and pathology of the immune responses, computer and mathematical models have been used in the last decades, enabling the representation of biological processes. In this modeling effort, a major issue is represented by the communication between models that work at cellular and molecular level, that is, multiscale representation. Here we sketch some attempts to model immune system dynamics at both level

Role of Iron Chelation and Protease Inhibition of Natural Products on COVID-19 Infection

Although the epidemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 callings for international attention to develop new effective therapeutics, no specific protocol is yet available, leaving patients to rely on general and supportive therapies. A range of respiratory diseases, including pulmonary fibrosis, have been associated with higher iron levels that may promote the course of viral infection. Recent studies have demonstrated that some natural components could act as the first barrier against viral injury by affecting iron metabolism. Moreover, a few recent studies have proposed the combination of protease inhibitors for therapeutic use against SARS-CoV-2 infection, highlighting the role of viral protease in virus infectivity. In this regard, this review focuses on the analysis, through literature and docking studies, of a number of natural products able to counteract SARS-CoV-2 infection, acting both as iron chelators and protease inhibitors