Submerzni uzgoj i karakterizacija polisaharida iz gljive Grifola frondosa – primjena u kozmetičkoj industriji

Grifola frondosa (maitake) is traditionally called \u27the king of mushrooms\u27 and \u27the hen of the woods\u27. Both the fruiting bodies and the mycelium of maitake have been reported to have antitumor and antiviral activities. Recently, submerged culture processes have been developed, with the intention of providing opportunities for increased economic exploitation of maitake. Commonly the aim of these processes is to produce extracellular polysaccharides (EPS), mostly glucans, and to explore their applications, particularly in the cosmetic industry. A wide variety of EPS with different molecular chain length and chemical compositions are produced under different culture conditions. In this article, various biological and physicochemical properties of the EPS of G. frondosa (GF-EPS) are described, with a view to applications in the area of functional cosmeceuticals. The GF-EPS, together with GF mycelial extract (GF-MPS), showed antioxidative activity, stimulation of collagen biosynthetic activity, cell proliferation activity, and inhibitory activity of melanogenesis, without significant cytotoxicity. These diverse functionalities suggest that both GF-EPS and GF-MPS can be promising cosmetic ingredients.Gljivu Grifola frondosa (maitake) u Koreji tradicionalno zovu kraljicom gljiva i šumskim bogatstvom. Dokazano je da plodište i micelij gljiva maitake imaju antitumorski i antivirusni učinak. Ekonomsko iskorištenje te gljive omogućeno je submerznim uzgojem. Uobičajeni je cilj uzgoja proizvodnja ekstracelularnih polisaharida (EPS), uglavnom glukana i istraživanje mogućnosti njihove primjene u kozmetičkoj industriji. Pri raznim uvjetima proizvodnje dobivaju se ekstracelularni polisaharidi različitih duljina lanaca i kemijskoga sastava. U ovom su radu opisana razna biološka i fizikalno-kemijska svojstva ekstracelularnih polisaharida gljive Grifola frondosa (GF-EPS), te primjena u proizvodnji kozmetičkih preparata s povoljnim utjecajem na ljudsko zdravlje. Ekstracelularni polisaharidi i ekstrakt micelija gljive Grifola frondosa (GFMPS) imaju antioksidativni učinak, stimuliraju biosintezu kolagena, bujanje stanica, sprečavaju nastanak melanoma i nemaju jače citotoksično djelovanje, zbog čega su prikladni za primjenu u kozmetičkoj industriji

Suvremena primjena gljive Phellinus baumii – od fermentacije do proteomike

Phellinus baumii is a mushroom used as a folk medicine for a variety of human diseases in several Asian countries. Recently we have reported for the first time about the antidiabetic effect of the crude exopolysaccharides (EPS) produced from submerged mycelial culture of P. baumii in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The diabetic rats study revealed that orally administrated P. baumii EPS lowered the blood glucose levels and stimulated insulin excretion in diabetic rats, and consequently restored the functions of pancreas, liver, and kidney, suggesting that the EPS might be useful for the management of human diabetes mellitus. We undertook proteomic analyses for plasma, pancreas, liver, and kidney of the rats to search for novel biomarkers for monitoring diabetes before and after EPS treatments. In this article, we describe the production of EPS in submerged culture of P. baumii and studies of their hypoglycemic activity. We also explore the issue of proteomic analyses for mining biomarkers of diabetes.Phellinus baumii je gljiva koja se koristi kao narodni lijek za liječenje raznih bolesti u nekoliko azijskih zemalja. Nedavno smo po prvi put objavili da nerafinirani egzopolisaharidi (EPS), dobiveni submerznim uzgojem micelija gljive P. baumii, smanjuju razinu šećera u krvi štakora s dijabetesom induciranim streptozotocinom (STZ). Istraživanje je pokazalo da egzopolisaharidi gljive P. baumii, dodani oralnim putem, snizuju razinu šećera u krvi štakora, stimuliraju lučenje inzulina i time obnavljaju funkcije gušterače, jetre i bubrega. Zaključeno je da bi se mogli primjenjivati i u liječenju ljudi od dijabetesa. Autori su proveli proteomsku analizu plazme, gušterače, jetre i bubrega štakora za određivanje novih biomarkera za praćenje dijabetesa prije i nakon obrade egzopolisaharidima. U ovom je radu opisana proizvodnja egzopolisaharida u submerznoj kulturi gljive P. baumii i studija njihova utjecaja na razinu šećera u krvi. Također je provedena proteomska analiza radi određivanja biomarkera dijabetesa

Pepper EST database: comprehensive in silico tool for analyzing the chili pepper (Capsicum annuum) transcriptome

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is no dedicated database available for Expressed Sequence Tags (EST) of the chili pepper (<it>Capsicum annuum</it>), although the interest in a chili pepper EST database is increasing internationally due to the nutritional, economic, and pharmaceutical value of the plant. Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing of the ESTs of chili pepper cv. Bukang have produced hundreds of thousands of complementary DNA (cDNA) sequences. Therefore, a chili pepper EST database was designed and constructed to enable comprehensive analysis of chili pepper gene expression in response to biotic and abiotic stresses.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We built the Pepper EST database to mine the complexity of chili pepper ESTs. The database was built on 122,582 sequenced ESTs and 116,412 refined ESTs from 21 pepper EST libraries. The ESTs were clustered and assembled into virtual consensus cDNAs and the cDNAs were assigned to metabolic pathway, Gene Ontology (GO), and MIPS Functional Catalogue (FunCat). The Pepper EST database is designed to provide a workbench for (i) identifying unigenes in pepper plants, (ii) analyzing expression patterns in different developmental tissues and under conditions of stress, and (iii) comparing the ESTs with those of other members of the <it>Solanaceae </it>family. The Pepper EST database is freely available at <url>http://genepool.kribb.re.kr/pepper/</url>.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The Pepper EST database is expected to provide a high-quality resource, which will contribute to gaining a systemic understanding of plant diseases and facilitate genetics-based population studies. The database is also expected to contribute to analysis of gene synteny as part of the chili pepper sequencing project by mapping ESTs to the genome.</p

PPM1A Controls Diabetic Gene Programming through Directly Dephosphorylating PPAR?? at Ser273

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) is a master regulator of adipose tissue biology. In obesity, phosphorylation of PPAR gamma at Ser273 (pSer273) by cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) orchestrates diabetic gene reprogramming via dysregulation of specific gene expression. Although many recent studies have focused on the development of non-classical agonist drugs that inhibit the phosphorylation of PPAR gamma at Ser273, the molecular mechanism of PPAR gamma dephosphorylation at Ser273 is not well characterized. Here, we report that protein phosphatase Mg2+/Mn2+-dependent 1A (PPM1A) is a novel PPAR gamma phosphatase that directly dephosphorylates Ser273 and restores diabetic gene expression which is dysregulated by pSer273. The expression of PPM1A significantly decreases in two models of insulin resistance: diet-induced obese (DIO) mice and db/db mice, in which it negatively correlates with pSer273. Transcriptomic analysis using microarray and genotype-tissue expression (GTEx) data in humans shows positive correlations between PPM1A and most of the genes that are dysregulated by pSer273. These findings suggest that PPM1A dephosphorylates PPAR gamma at Ser273 and represents a potential target for the treatment of obesity-linked metabolic disorders

Implementation of central line-associated bloodstream infection prevention bundles in a surgical intensive care unit using peer tutoring

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.Abstract Background Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) can be prevented through well-coordinated, multifaceted programs. However, implementation of CLABSI prevention programs requires individualized strategies for different institutional situations, and the best strategy in resource-limited settings is uncertain. Peer tutoring may be an efficient and effective method that is applicable in such settings. Methods A prospective intervention was performed to reduce CLABSIs in a surgical intensive care unit (SICU) at a tertiary hospital. The core interventions consisted of implementation of insertion and maintenance bundles for CLABSI prevention. The overall interventions were guided and coordinated by active educational programs using peer tutoring. The CLABSI rates were compared for 9 months pre-intervention, 6 months during the intervention and 9 months post-intervention. The CLABSI rate was further observed for three years after the intervention. Results The rate of CLABSIs per 1000 catheter-days decreased from 6.9 infections in the pre-intervention period to 2.4 and 1.8 in the intervention (6 m; P = 0.102) and post-intervention (9 m; P = 0.036) periods, respectively. A regression model showed a significantly decreasing trend in the infection rate from the pre-intervention period (P < 0.001), with incidence-rate ratios of 0.348 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.98–1.23) in the intervention period and 0.257 (95% CI, 0.07–0.91) in the post-intervention period. However, after the 9-month post-intervention period, the yearly CLABSI rates reverted to 3.0–5.4 infections per 1000 catheter-days over 3 years. Conclusions Implementation of CLABSI prevention bundles using peer tutoring in a resource-limited setting was useful and effectively reduced CLABSIs. However, maintaining the reduced CLABSI rate will require further strategies

A Survey of Diabetic Educators and Patients for the Revision of Korean Food Exchange Lists

BackgroundFood exchange lists are one of the main methods of nutritional education. However, Korean food exchange lists have not been revised since 1994. Therefore, we surveyed the opinions of diabetes educators and patients with diabetes regarding the need for revision of the current food exchange lists.MethodsFor two weeks beginning on 10 March 2008, a 12-item questionnaire regarding the opinion and need for revision of the current food exchange lists was e-mailed to diabetes educators nationwide. Another 15-question survey was administered to patients with diabetes in 13 hospitals located in the Seoul and Gyeonggi regions of Korea.ResultsWe obtained survey responses from 101 diabetes educators and 209 patients; 65 (64.3%) of the educators answered that the current food exchange lists should be revised. The items that needed revision were the glycemic index, addition of new foods and reaffirmation of exchange standard amounts. The patients demanded specific education about choosing appropriate foods, a balanced meal plan, proper snacks, and dining intake.ConclusionOur survey results demonstrate the need to revise the Korean food exchange lists. This process should focus on glycemic index, the addition of new foods and reconfirmation of one exchange reference unit

Proximity-Directed Labeling Reveals a New Rapamycin-Induced Heterodimer of FKBP25 and FRB in Live Cells

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling is a core pathway in cellular metabolism, and control of the mTOR pathway by rapamycin shows potential for the treatment of metabolic diseases. In this study, we employed a new proximity biotin-labeling method using promiscuous biotin ligase (pBirA) to identify unknown elements in the rapamycin-induced interactome on the FK506-rapamycin binding (FRB) domain in living cells. FKBP25 showed the strongest biotin labeling by FRB-pBirA in the presence of rapamycin. Immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence experiments confirmed that endogenous FKBP25 has a rapamycin-induced physical interaction with the FRB domain. Furthermore, the crystal structure of the ternary complex of FRB-rapamycin-FKBP25 was determined at 1.67-angstrom resolution. In this crystal structure we found that the conformational changes of FRB generate a hole where there is a methionine-rich space, and covalent metalloid coordination was observed at C2085 of FRB located at the bottom of the hole. Our results imply that FKBP25 might have a unique physiological role related to metallomics in mTOR signaling.ope

A Novel Selective Sphingosine Kinase 2 Inhibitor, HWG-35D, Ameliorates the Severity of Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasis Model by Blocking Th17 Differentiation of Naïve CD4 T Lymphocytes

Sphingosine kinases (SK) catalyze the phosphorylation of sphingosine to generate sphingosine-1-phosphate. Two isoforms of SK (SK1 and SK2) exist in mammals. Previously, we showed the beneficial effects of SK2 inhibition, using ABC294640, in a psoriasis mouse model. However, ABC294640 also induces the degradation of SK1 and dihydroceramide desaturase 1 (DES1). Considering these additional effects of ABC294640, we re-examined the efficacy of SK2 inhibition in an IMQ-induced psoriasis mouse model using a novel SK2 inhibitor, HWG-35D, which exhibits nM potency and 100-fold selectivity for SK2 over SK1. Topical application of HWG-35D ameliorated IMQ-induced skin lesions and normalized the serum interleukin-17A levels elevated by IMQ. Application of HWG-35D also decreased skin mRNA levels of interleukin-17A, K6 and K16 genes induced by IMQ. Consistent with the previous data using ABC294640, HWG-35D also blocked T helper type 17 differentiation of naive CD4+ T cells with concomitant reduction of SOCS1. Importantly, HWG-35D did not affect SK1 or DES1 expression levels. These results reaffirm an important role of SK2 in the T helper type 17 response and suggest that highly selective and potent SK2 inhibitors such as HWG-35D might be of therapeutic use for the treatment of psoriasis