Influence of garlic or its main active component diallyl disulfide on iron bioavailability and toxicity

Garlic is regularly consumed and is known to have diverse biologic activities, particularly due to its antioxidant properties. In this study, we hypothesized that crude garlic can prevent iron-mediated oxidative stress in a rat model of nutritional iron overload, and we used an in vitro model to confirm the results. For the in vivo studies, rats received a basal diet supplemented with or without carbonyl iron (3%) and were fed distilled water or garlic solution (1g/kg body weight) by gavage for 3 weeks. The presence of both garlic and iron led to a 2-fold increase in plasma iron and a 50% increase in liver iron as compared with iron alone. However, garlic did not offer any protection against iron-induced oxidative stress. Duodenal divalent metal transporter-1 mRNA expression was fully repressed by iron and by the combined treatments but was also reduced by garlic alone. To confirm these data, we tested the effect of diallyl disulfide, one of the active components in garlic, in vitro on polarized Caco-2 cells. A 24-hour treatment decreased iron uptake at the apical side of Caco-2 cells but increased the percentage of iron transfer at the basolateral side. This probably resulted from a modest induction of ferroportin mRNA and protein expression. These results suggest that garlic, when given in the presence of iron, enhances iron absorption by increasing ferroportin expression. The presence of garlic in the diet at the dose studied does not seem to protect against iron-mediated oxidative stress.     

诺如病毒实验室诊断现状与展望

诺如病毒是引起非细菌性急性胃肠炎的主要病因,常常引起严重的公共卫生与食品安全问题。诺如病毒基因组的多样性及其它们不断的进化和变异为临床诊断及疫苗研制带来了挑战。本文就诺如病毒实验室诊断方法的研究进展作一综述,包括从传统经典的核酸检测到应用纳米、芯片等高新技术的多重核酸定量检测和高通量测序平台,以及体外成功培养的报道等等。这些新技术的成功运用将推动诺如病毒实验室诊断的新发展,以满足临床诊疗及疫苗研制的新需求。     

Human carboxylesterases HCE1 and HCE2: ontogenic expression, inter-individual variability and differential hydrolysis of oseltamivir, aspirin, deltamethrin and permethrin

Carboxylesterases hydrolyze chemicals containing such functional groups as a carboxylic acid ester, amide and thioester. The liver contains the highest carboxylesterase activity and expresses two major carboxylesterases: HCE1 and HCE2. In this study, we analyzed 104 individual liver samples for the expression patterns of both carboxylesterases. These samples were divided into three age groups: adults (≥ 18 years of age), children (0 days-10 years) and fetuses (82-224 gestation days). In general, the adult group expressed significantly higher HCE1 and HCE2 than the child group, which expressed significantly higher than the fetal group. The age-related expression was confirmed by RT-qPCR and Western immunoblotting. To determine whether the expression patterns reflected the hydrolytic activity, liver microsomes were pooled from each group and tested for the hydrolysis of drugs such as oseltamivir and insecticides such as deltamethrin. Consistent with the expression patterns, adult microsomes were ∼4 times as active as child microsomes and 10 times as active as fetal microsomes in hydrolyzing these chemicals. Within the same age group, particularly in the fetal and child groups, a large inter-individual variability was detected in mRNA (430-fold), protein (100-fold) and hydrolytic activity (127-fold). Carboxylesterases are recognized to play critical roles in drug metabolism and insecticide detoxication. The findings on the large variability among different age groups or even within the same age group have important pharmacological and toxicological implications, particularly in relation to pharmacokinetic alterations of ester drugs in children and vulnerability of fetuses and children to pyrethroid insecticides.     

Fluidized-bed bioartificial liver assist devices (BLADs) based on microencapsulated primary porcine hepatocytes have risk of porcine endogenous retroviruses transmission

Purpose  

Bioartificial liver assist devices (BLADs) are expected to bridge liver failure patients to liver transplantation, but porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) still pose a potential risk in pig-to-human xenotransplantation and thereby limit the use of bioartificial liver therapy. In our lab, fluidized-bed BLADs based on microencapsulated primary porcine hepatocytes have been successfully used to treat liver failure pigs. We detected the risk of PERVs transmission of microencapsulated primary porcine hepatocytes—the key component of fluidized-bed BLADs, to evaluate the biosafety of this device for further clinical applications.     

Virus activated filopodia promote human papillomavirus type 31 uptake from the extracellular matrix

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs), etiological agents of epithelial tumors and cancers, initiate infection of basal human keratinocytes (HKs) facilitated by wounding. Virions bind to HKs and their secreted extracellular matrix (ECM), but molecular roles for wounding or ECM binding during infection are unclear. Herein we demonstrate that HPV31 activates signals promoting cytoskeletal rearrangements and virion transport required for internalization and infection. Activation of tyrosine and PI3 kinases precedes induction of filopodia whereon virions are transported toward the cell body. Coupled with the loss of ECM-bound virions this supports a model whereby virus activated filopodial transport contributes to an increased and protracted virion uptake into susceptible cells.     

Toll-Like Receptor Expression in the Peripheral Nerve

Toll样受体(TLRs)是由进化上相对保守的蛋白家族构成的一组识别受体,是固有免疫系统的第一道防线。受到微生物配体刺激后,TLRs通过激活各种信号通路引发机体一系列防御反应。TLRs还能被内源性危险信号激活,因此推断神经退行性变也可能通过TLRs激活免疫反应。近来研究发现中枢神经系统表达各种类型的TLRs,但周围神经系统中TLRs的表达形式尚无定论。本研究结果显示,施万细胞上表达大量TLRs,主要为TLR3和TLR4。感觉神经元和运动神经元上几乎没有TLRs表达。对NF-κB信号通路的检测显示,施万细胞上所有的TLRs都是有功能的,可被细菌脂蛋白(TLR1/TLR2配体)激活,产生强烈反应。静息状态下,坐骨神经上TLRs的表达形式与施万细胞相似,主要为TLR3、TLR4和TLR7,可能在免疫监督中扮演重要角色。通过显微外科方式对坐骨神经造成急性神经退行性变后,诱导TLR1大量表达,其它TLRs的表达水平无变化。综上所述,本研究结果显示,施万细胞可能在周围神经中扮演类似中枢神经系统小胶质细胞的角色。急性神经退行性变诱导TLR表达变化,说明在分布于周围神经的TLRs在静息状态和激活状态下具有不同功能。     

Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR assays for genotype-specific detection of human noroviruses in clinical and environmental samples

Circulation of human noroviruses in water environments is suspected to be genotype-dependent, but the established primer and probe sets for noroviruses are usually genogroup-specific, which do not allow to compare the genotype-specific properties, such as persistence in water environments and resistance to disinfectants. In this study, quantitative PCR assays were designed for genotype-specific quantification of four epidemiologically important genotypes, GII.3, GII.4, GII.6, and GII.17. Developed assays were tested using norovirus positive stool samples which were previously confirmed to present target genotypes of this study. The results were 100% in accordance with the previous results. Effect of the co-existence of multiple genotypes in a sample on the target genotype quantification was evaluated using composite stool samples and wastewater samples containing multiple genotypes and the presence of non-target genotypes didn’t affect the quantification of target genotype. Sensitivity and specificity was 100% for all four assays developed in this study with no cross-reactions between genotypes demonstrating the validity of our assays and their applicability to clinical and environmental samples.     

Chronic norovirus infection in primary immune deficiency disorders: an international case series

Objective

Predictive factors associated with clinical outcomes of chronic norovirus infection (CNI) in primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDD) are lacking.