Epigenetic Modifier Based Enhancement of Piperine Production in Endophytic Diaporthe sp. PF20

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences - Biodiversity and metabolite richness of endophytic fungi are highly fascinating. Some of them have even been...     

Intermolecular crosslinking of fatty acyl chains in phospholipids: use of photoactivable carbene precursors.

Phospholipids containing photolysable carbene precursors (beta-trifluoro-alpha-diazopropionoxy and m-diazirinophenoxy groups) in omega-positions of sn-2 fatty acyl chains were prepared. Photolysis of their vesicles produced crosslinked products in 40-60% yields. Crosslinking was mostly intermolecular and occurred by carbene insertion into the C-H bonds of a second fatty acyl chain. Crosslinking products were characterized by (i) their gel permeation behavior, (ii) analysis of products formed by base-catalyzed transesterification, (iii) degradation with phospholipases A2 and C, (iv) gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and (v) use of mixtures of phospholipids carrying the carbene precursors and a phospholipid containing radioactively labeled fatty acyl groups. Nitrenes generated from the aliphatic or aromatic azido groups in phospholipids were unsatisfactory for forming crosslinks by insertion in C-H bonds.     

Site of attachment of retinal in bacteriorhodopsin.

The identity of the lysine residue in bacteriorhodopsin to which the chromophore, retinal, is attached as a Schiff's base has been reinvestigated. Retinal is now shown to be linked to lysine-216 and not lysine-41, as had been concluded previously. The retinal in purple membrane was replaced by [15-3H]retinal, the Schiff's base linkage was reduced with NaBH4 while the sample was illuminated, and the resulting [retinyl-3H]bacterio-opsin was cleaved with CNBr. The radioactivity was present exclusively in the COOH-terminal peptide (amino acids 210--248). Sequence analysis showed that the [3H]retinal was attached to lysine-216. The same site was labeled when purple membrane was reduced with NaBH4 in the light at pH greater than 10 or at pH 8 and when membranes modified with ether or solubilized with hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide were reduced in the dark. Our finding places of Schiff's base linkage close to the midpoint of the putative membrane-spanning alpha-helix that is directly connected to the COOH terminus of bacteriorhodopsin.     

Correlation between culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and IgG antibody to Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen-5 in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with tuberculous meningitis

A retrospective study was made of the correlation between culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and detection of IgG antibody to M. tuberculosis antigen-5 in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by means of an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Mycobacterium tuberculosis was cultured from the CSF in 14 of 70 patients with a clinical diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM). IgG antibody to M. tuberculosis antigen-5 was demonstrated in significant titres (80–640) in all 14 culture-positive patients. Thus, positive correlation was observed between culture of M. tuberculosis and detection of IgG antibody in the CSF. As a result of this observation, the CSF from 56 culture-negative patients with a clinical diagnosis TBM was specifically investigated for the detection of IgG antibody to M. tuberculosis antigen-5 and the findings were correlated with those of culture-positive patients. The assay was positive in 34 of 56 patients, the antibody titre ranging between 80 and 640. In the CSF of 70 patients with non-tuberculous neurological diseases, the assay was negative at a dilution of 1 in 80. Thus, detection of IgG antibody to M. tuberculosis antigen-5 by indirect ELISA carried 100% specificity and 60·7 % sensitivity for a tuberculous aetiology in culture-negative patients with TBM. The results of this study suggest that indirect ELISA for IgG antibody to M. tuberculosis antigen-5 in CSF holds definite promise in diagnosis of TBM, particularly when repeated cultures of CSF are negative for M. tuberculosis.     

Pangolin Indexing System: implications in forensic surveillance of large seizures

International Journal of Legal Medicine - Demand for pangolin scales in East Asia has increased dramatically in the past two decades, raising concern to the pangolin survival and bringing them to...     

Design,Synthesis and Evaluation of Antidepressant Activity of Novel 2‐Methoxy 1, 8 Naphthyridine 3‐Carboxamides as 5‐HT3 Receptor Antagonists

A series of novel 1,8‐naphthyridine‐3‐carboxamides as 5‐HT₃ receptor antagonists were synthesized with an intention to explore the antidepressant activity of these compounds. The title carboxamides were designed using ligand‐based approach keeping in consideration the structural requirement of the pharmacophore of 5‐HT₃ receptor antagonists. The compounds were synthesized using appropriate synthetic route from the starting material nicotinamide. 5‐HT₃ receptor antagonism of all the compounds, which was denoted in the form of pA₂ value, was determined in longitudinal muscle myenteric plexus preparation from guinea‐pig ileum against 5‐HT₃ agonist, 2‐methyl‐5‐HT. Compound 8g (2‐methoxy‐1, 8‐naphthyridin‐3‐yl) (2‐methoxy phenyl piperazine‐1‐yl) methanone was identified as the most active compound, which expressed a pA₂ value of 7.67. The antidepressant activity of all the compounds was examined in mice model of forced swim test (FST); importantly, none of the compounds was found to cause any significant changes in the locomotor activity of mice at the tested dose levels. In FST, the compounds with considerably higher pA₂ value exhibited promising antidepressant‐like activity, whereas compounds with lower pA₂ value did not show antidepressant‐like activity as compared to the control group.     

Usability Testing of a Sensor-Controlled Digital Game to Engage Older Adults with Heart Failure in Physical Activity and Weight Monitoring

Background  Poor self-management of heart failure (HF) has contributed to poor health outcomes. Sensor-controlled digital games (SCDGs) integrates data from behavior-tracking sensors to trigger progress, rewards, content, and positive feedback in a digital game to motivate real-time behaviors. Objectives  To assess the usability of an SCDG prototype over a week of game-playing among 10 older adults with HF in their homes. Methods  During initial play, participants'' SCDG experiences were observed in their homes using a checklist based on the seven-item Serious Game User Evaluator (SeGUE) instrument. After a week of game-playing, participants completed a survey guided by the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory, to provide their perceptions of the SCDG''s usability. Qualitative analysis via semistructured interview-derived themes on experiences playing the SCDG, perceptions regarding engaging with the SCDG, and any usability issues encountered. Results  Ten HF participants (50% women and 50% White) played the SCDG for an average of 6 out of 7 days. Nine found the SCDG to be interesting, satisfying, and easy to play. The average step count over a week was 4,117 steps (range: 967–9,892). Average adherence with weight monitoring was 5.9 days in a week. Qualitative analysis yielded outcomes regarding attitudes toward SCDG, and barriers and facilitators that influenced participants'' engagement with the SCDG. Conclusion  To the best of the authors'' knowledge, this usability and feasibility study is the first to report an SCDG designed to improve HF self-management behaviors of older adults in their homes. Future research should consider several issues, such as user profiles, prior game-playing experiences, and network conditions most suitable for connected health interventions for older adults living in the community.     

Potential applications of lactic acid bacteria and bacteriocins in antimycobacterial therapy

Tuberculosis(TB) is a communicable disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis(M. tuberculosis). WHO estimated that 10.4 million new(incident) TB cases worldwide in year 2016. The increased prevalence of drug resistant strains and side effects associated with the current anti-tubercular drugs make the treatment options more complicated. Hence, there are necessities to identify new drug candidates to fight against various sub-populations of M. tuberculosis with less or no toxicity/side effects and shorter treatment duration. Bacteriocins produced by lactic acid bacteria(LAB) attract attention of researchers because of its "Generally recognized as safe" status. LAB and its bacteriocins possess an effective antimicrobial activity against various bacteria and fungi. Interestingly bacteriocins such as nisin and lacticin 3147 have shown antimycobacterial activity in vitro. As probiotics, LAB plays a vital role in promoting various health benefits including ability to modulate immune response against various infectious diseases. LAB and its metabolic products activate immune system and thereby limiting the M. tuberculosis pathogenesis. The protein and peptide engineering techniques paved the ways to obtain hybrid bacteriocin derivatives from the known peptide sequence of existing bacteriocin. In this review, we focus on the antimycobacterial property and immunomodulatory role of LAB and its metabolic products. Techniques for large scale synthesis of potential bacteriocin with multifunctional activity and enhanced stability are also discussed.