Expression in the human brain of retinoic acid induced 1, a protein associated with neurobehavioural disorders

Acknowledgements Funding was provided by the Wellcome Trust and Tenovus Scotland. Prof Fragoso is the recipient of a Post Doctoral Science without Borders grant from the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, 37450/2012- 7). We also thank Aberdeen Proteomics for assistance with the western blots as well as the Microscopy and Histology Core Facility at the University of Aberdeen for confocal microscopy.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Antioxidant Effects of Some Vitamins – Implications at Oral Level

All the products of the oxidative stress are normally present within the body and have functions in inter-cellular signaling and anti-bacterial defense, but at high levels they can modify the structure of proteins, DNA, and lipids. The immune system is the first one affected by the oxidative stress. The aggressive periodontal disease is associated to a high extent with the exaggerated immune response and increased oxidative stress. The vitamins with antioxidant roles that have implication at systemic level, and with repercussions at the oral cavity are vitamin E, vitamin C and carotenoids represented by β-carotene lycopene, lutein, and β-cryptoxanthin. However, one of the major problems when assessing the beneficial effects of antioxidant vitamins on the immune system is the lack of a reliable marker of immune function that is known to be indicative a long-term beneficial effect

Dual Effects Of Flavonoids On Dyslipidemia And Periodontal Disease

Introduction The association periodontal disease-systemic status has a dynamic role and is bi-directional therefore none of the two can be studied independently. Objective Taking into consideration that an increased level of lipids represents a risk predictor for atherosclerosis we aimed to investigate a group of patients that presented both, periodontal disease and dyslipidemia. Materials and methods After careful evaluation of systemic and periodontal indexes, we separated the initial group into three separate subgroups. In one subgroup we administered concentrated green tea, consumed as such and through rinsing after each teeth brushing, a second group was administered capsules of flavonoids and our third group was the control group where the classical treatment for the systemic and periodontal condition was administered. Results We noticed that the systemic biochemical parameters improved with the green tea or flavonoid administrations even better than the control group. A significant reduction of the gingival bleeding index was recorded both, in the green tea consumers group as well as in the group of patients that followed the flavonoid treatment. Conclusions Through its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and actions on matrix metalloproteinases the green tea seem to slow the evolution of periodontal disease. The comparable anti-hyperlipemiant results of flavonoids capsules and green tea suggest another additional treatment tool besides the classical options when treating the systemic condition. Both the systemic and periodontal state seemed to improve when the green tea or flavonoids were administere

Surface Assembly Configurations and Packing Preferences of Fibrinogen Mediated by the Periodicity and Alignment Control of Block Copolymer Nanodomains

The ability to control the specific adsorption and packing behaviors of biomedically important proteins by effectively guiding their preferred surface adsorption configuration and packing orientation on polymeric surfaces may have utility in many applications such as biomaterials, medical implants, and tissue engineering. Herein, we investigate the distinct adhesion configurations of fibrinogen (Fg) proteins and the different organization behaviors between single Fg molecules that are mediated by the changes in the periodicity and alignment of chemically alternating nanodomains in thin films of polystyrene-<i>block</i>-poly­(methyl methacrylate) (PS-<i>b</i>-PMMA) block copolymer (BCP). Specifically, the adsorption characteristics of individual Fg molecules were unambiguously resolved on four different PS-<i>b</i>-PMMA templates of dsa PS-<i>b</i>-PMMA, sm PS-<i>b</i>-PMMA, com PS-<i>b</i>-PMMA, and PS-<i>r</i>-PMMA. By direct visualization through high resolution imaging, the distinct adsorption and packing configurations of both isolated and interacting Fg molecules were determined as a function of the BCP template-specific nanodomain periodicity, domain alignment (random versus fully aligned), and protein concentration. The three dominant Fg adsorption configurations, SP_∥, SP_⊥, and TP, were observed and their occurrence ratios were ascertained on each PS-<i>b</i>-PMMA template. During surface packing, the orientation of the protein backbone was largely governed by the periodicity and alignment of the underlying PS-<i>b</i>-PMMA nanodomains whose specific direction was explicitly resolved relative to the polymeric nanodomain axis. The use of PS-<i>b</i>-PMMA with a periodicity much smaller than (and comparable to) the length of Fg led to a Fg scaffold with the protein backbone aligned parallel (and perpendicular) to the nanodomain major axis. In addition, we have successfully created fully Fg-decorated BCP constructs analogous to two-dimensional Fg crystals in which aligned protein molecules are arranged either side-on or end-on, depending on the BCP template. Our results demonstrate that the geometry and orientation of the protein can be effectively guided during Fg self-assembly by controlling the physical dimensions and orientations of the underlying BCP templates. Finally, the biofunctionality of the BCP surface-bound Fg was assessed and the Fg/BCP construct was successfully used in the Ca–P nanoparticle nucleation/growth and microglia cell activation