Cardioprotective Effects of Glycyrrhizic Acid Against Isoproterenol-Induced Myocardial Ischemia in Rats

The aim of the present study was to look into the possible protective effects of glycyrrhizic acid (GA) against isoproterenol-induced acute myocardial infarction in Sprague-Dawley rats. The effect of three doses of glycyrrhizic acid in response to isoproterenol (ISO)-induced changes in 8-isoprostane, lipid hydroperoxides, super oxide dismutase and total glutathione were evaluated. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control, ISO-control, glycyrrhizic acid alone (in three doses-5, 10 and 20 mg/kg BW) and ISO with glycyrrhizic acid (in three doses) groups. ISO was administered at 85 mg/kg BW at two consecutive days and glycyrrhizic acid was administered intraperitoneally for 14 days. There was a significant increase in 8-isoprostane (IP) and lipid hydroperoxide (LPO) level in ISO-control group. A significant decrease in total superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total glutathione (GSH) was seen with ISO-induced acute myocardial infarction. Treatment with GA significantly increased SOD and GSH levels and decreased myocardial LPO and IP levels. Histopathologically, severe myocardial necrosis and nuclear pyknosis and hypertrophy were seen in ISO-control group, which was significantly reduced with GA treatment. Gycyrrhizic acid treatment proved to be effective against isoproterenol-induced acute myocardial infarction in rats and GA acts as a powerful antioxidant and reduces the myocardial lipid hydroperoxide and 8-isoprostane level

Nicotine Promotes Tumor Growth and Metastasis in Mouse Models of Lung Cancer

Nicotine is the major addictive component of tobacco smoke. Although nicotine is generally thought to have limited ability to initiate cancer, it can induce cell proliferation and angiogenesis in a variety of systems. These properties might enable nicotine to facilitate the growth of tumors already initiated. Here we show that nicotine significantly promotes the progression and metastasis of tumors in mouse models of lung cancer. This effect was observed when nicotine was administered through intraperitoneal injections, or through over-the-counter transdermal patches.In the present study, Line1 mouse adenocarcinoma cells were implanted subcutaneously into syngenic BALB/c mice. Nicotine administration either by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection or transdermal patches caused a remarkable increase in the size of implanted Line1 tumors. Once the tumors were surgically removed, nicotine treated mice had a markedly higher tumor recurrence (59.7%) as compared to the vehicle treated mice (19.5%). Nicotine also increased metastasis of dorsally implanted Line1 tumors to the lungs by 9 folds. These studies on transplanted tumors were extended to a mouse model where the tumors were induced by the tobacco carcinogen, NNK. Lung tumors were initiated in A/J mice by i.p. injection of NNK; administration of 1 mg/kg nicotine three times a week led to an increase in the size and the number of tumors formed in the lungs. In addition, nicotine significantly reduced the expression of epithelial markers, E-Cadherin and beta-Catenin as well as the tight junction protein ZO-1; these tumors also showed an increased expression of the alpha(7) nAChR subunit. We believe that exposure to nicotine either by tobacco smoke or nicotine supplements might facilitate increased tumor growth and metastasis.Our earlier results indicated that nicotine could induce invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cultured lung, breast and pancreatic cancer cells. This study demonstrates for the first time that administration of nicotine either by i.p. injection or through over-the-counter dermal patches can promote tumor growth and metastasis in immunocompetent mice. These results suggest that while nicotine has only limited capacity to initiate tumor formation, it can facilitate the progression and metastasis of tumors pre-initiated by tobacco carcinogens

Methionine biosynthesis and transport are functionally redundant for the growth and virulence of Salmonella Typhimurium

Methionine (Met) is an amino acid essential for many important cellular and biosynthetic functions, including the initiation of protein synthesis and S-adenosylmethionine-mediated methylation of proteins, RNA, and DNA. The de novo biosynthetic pathway of Met is well conserved across prokaryotes but absent from vertebrates, making it a plausible antimicrobial target. Using a systematic approach, we examined the essentiality of de novo methionine biosynthesis in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, a bacterial pathogen causing significant gastrointestinal and systemic diseases in humans and agricultural animals. Our data demonstrate that Met biosynthesis is essential for S. Typhimurium to grow in synthetic medium and within cultured epithelial cells where Met is depleted in the environment. During systemic infection of mice, the virulence of S. Typhimurium was not affected when either de novo Met biosynthesis or high-affinity Met transport was disrupted alone, but combined disruption in both led to severe in vivo growth attenuation, demonstrating a functional redundancy between de novo biosynthesis and acquisition as a mechanism of sourcing Met to support growth and virulence for S. Typhimurium during infection. In addition, our LC-MS analysis revealed global changes in the metabolome of S. Typhimurium mutants lacking Met biosynthesis and also uncovered unexpected interactions between Met and peptidoglycan biosynthesis. Together, this study highlights the complexity of the interactions between a single amino acid, Met, and other bacterial processes leading to virulence in the host and indicates that disrupting the de novo biosynthetic pathway alone is likely to be ineffective as an antimicrobial therapy against S. Typhimurium

Dielectric properties of lead magnesium niobate and lead iron niobate prepared by the semiwet hydroxide route

Lead magnesium niobate (PMN) and lead iron niobate (PFN) were prepared by the semiwet hydroxide route, and their dielectric properties were measured in temperature ranges around their peak dielectric constants. The dielectric constant of PFN was much larger as compared with that of PMN sintered at the same temperature. The dielectric properties of PMN and PFN are compared and explained on the basis of their structure development

Who Needs Bankruptcy Law?

This essay summarizes four papers: “Bargaining Around Bankruptcy: Small Business Distress and State Law,” 38 Journal of Legal Studies 255 (2009); “Bankruptcy’s Rarity: An Essay on Small Business Bankruptcy in the United States,” 5 European Company & Financial Law Review 172 (2008); “Small Business Bankruptcy and the Bankruptcy Abuse and Consumer Protection Act of 2005,” A Report to the United States Small Business Administration (2007); and Douglas G. Baird & Edward R. Morrison, “Serial Entrepreneurs and Small Business Bankruptcies,” 105 Columbia Law Review 2310 (2005)

Direct observations of dislocation substructures formed by nano-indentation of the α-phase in an α/β titanium alloy

Nano-indentation has been used to assess the hardness of equiaxed grains of α-Ti as a function of orientation. Surface normals of these grains in metallographic sections were assessed using orientation imaging microscopy. Thin membranes of material from below a series of nano-indentations were excised by use of a dual-beam focused ion beam instrument. In this way, the dislocation substructures beneath individual indentations were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, permitting an identification of both statistically stored and geometrically necessary dislocations

A first principles approach to phase stability and order-disorder transformation: application to Li-Al alloys

Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR). Biblioteca Centrale / CNR - Consiglio Nazionale delle RichercheSIGLEITItal

The activation and the spreading of deformation in a fully lamellar Ti-47Al-1Cr-0.2Si Alloy

International audienceThe spreading of deformation in a lamellar Ti-47Al-1Cr-0.2Si alloy deformed under compression is studied at 25°C and 600 °C. This microstructure is largely dominated by twin related variants which are separated by either twin interfaces or thin α2 slabs. The alloy deforms at both temperatures by ordinary dislocations and twins. Deformation in a particular γ variant and its adjacent twin-related variant involves the same kind of glide system, either ordinary dislocations or twins. This property is found to be true for all twin related lamellae. The occurrence of this correlated glide is explained by the introduction of the notion of “pilot” and “driven” orientations. The lamellar orientation in which the operating glide system is activated on the basis of Schmid factor considerations is termed the pilot orientation. It imposes its deformation system on to the twin-related lamella, called the driven orientation whose deformation may not involve the slip system most favoured by the applied stress

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Not AvailableThe white rice based fermented steamed food ( idli ) is a popular and major breakfast food item across the globe. The present study reports the effect of different pigmented rice cultivars (black/red) along with a white rice as check on the colour, texture and nutritional properties of idli . Distribution of different forms of phenolic acids and flavonoids and related antioxidant properties of these products is also examined. The pigmented rice- idli (PRI), although, had lower values for adhesiveness, cohesiveness and resilience, but was nutritionally superior to traditional white rice idli (WRI) in terms of protein(12.74 to 15.53%), amino acids(2.78 to 4.26%), total phenolic acids (0.25 to 0.49 mg/g), total flavonoids(0.36 to0.71 mg/g) content and antioxidant activity(0.16 to 0.46 mg phenolic acid/g). Insoluble bound form of phenolic acids and flavonoids formed the predominant fraction in all these products. PCA scatter plot disclosed MH- idli as a promising product.Not Availabl