Growth factors deprivation induces a specific increase in PAR2 receptor mRNA expression in primary cerebellar cultures

We studied changes in the mRNA expression of protease receptors (PAR-1, PAR-2, PAR-3, and PAR-4) in primary neuroglial and glial cultures of rat cerebellum after a one hour deprivation of culture medium. Replacement of culture medium by saline induced an increase in the mRNA level of PAR-2 in cultures of both types, whereas the mRNA level of other receptors did not change. The maximum expression of PAR-2 was observed in 3 h after the deprivation and in 8 h PAR-2 mRNA returned to the basal level. Incubation of neuroglial cultures in the presence of PAR-2 agonist trypsin (10–100 nM) did not affect expression of PAR-2, however, it induced a specific decrease in the mRNA level of PAR-4. Replacement of trypsin by cathepsin B, which has substrate specificity that is similar to trypsin, did not have this effect. Thus, growth factor deprivation and treatment with trypsin had opposite effects on the mRNA expression of “trypsin” receptors, which may be related to functional role of PAR receptors in the brain.     

Effects of hydrogen sulfide on the exo- and endocytosis of synaptic vesicles in frog motor nerve endings

Using electrophysiological and optical methods, we studied the effects of sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), a hydrogen sulfide donor, on the dynamics of transmitter release and exo- and endocytosis of synaptic vesicles in motor nerve endings during long-term high-frequency stimulation (20 Hz) in experiments with the cutaneous pectoris frog muscle. H₂S increased the amplitude of endplate currents under conditions of a single stimulation of the motor nerve and slowed down the depression of the end plate currents during high-frequency stimulation (20 Hz, 3 min). Using the endocytic fluorescent dye FM 1–43, we showed that NaHS increased the dye uptake during high-frequency stimulation as compared to the control. However, after termination of the high-frequency stimulation the fluorescence intensity of nerve terminals was lower in the presence of NaHS than in the control experiments. In addition, NaHS slowed the dye release from the nerve terminals that were loaded during 20 Hz stimulation. The results thus obtained indicate that H₂S accelerates the synaptic vesicles cycle in frog motor nerve ending by enhancement of exocytosis and fast endocytosis of synaptic vesicles during high-frequency stimulation.     

Involvement of brain intracellular proteolytic systems in the effects of opiates: Caspases

It is well known that opiates, in particular morphine, are involved in a phenomenon of so-called pathological plasticity and can bring about considerable structural-functional changes in the CNS, which is an important mechanism of the formation of dependence. It has been found that realization of pharmacological effects during acute or chronic action of morphine may be related to changes in the activity of receptors, signal cascades mediated by secondary messengers, and shifts in the expression of some genes. Less is known about the relationship between the effects of morphine and functioning of intracellular proteolytic enzymes which are an important system of post-translational modification of proteins. On the basis of our results and data of literature, we hypothesized that a number of structural changes induced by morphine may be mediated by proteolytic enzymes from caspase family.     

Detecting anthrax in the mail by coherent Raman microspectroscopy

In this report, we show the collection of spatial information through a turbid medium by coherent Raman microspectroscopic imaging. In particular, the technique is capable of identifying anthrax endospores inside a sealed paper envelope.     

Synthesis and Pharmacological Activity of C(2)-Substituted Benzimidazoles

Pharmaceutical Chemistry Journal - Series of new compounds containing 2-pyrrolidinomethyl and 2-piperazinomethyl groups and 2-morpholino and 2-morpholinoethylamine substituents were synthesized....     

Color-tunable photoluminescence and energy transfer of (Tb1−xMnx)3Al2(Al1−xSix)3O12:Ce3+ solid solutions for white light emitting diodes

(Tb_1−xMn_x)₃Al₂(Al_1−xSi_x)₃O₁₂:Ce³⁺ solid solution phosphors were synthesized by introducing the isostructural Mn₃Al₂(SiO₄)₃ (MAS) into Tb₃Al₅O₁₂:Ce³⁺ (TbAG). Under 456 nm excitation, (Tb_1−xMn_x)₃Al₂(Al_1−xSi_x)₃O₁₂:Ce³⁺ shows energy transfers (ET) in the host, which can be obtained from the red emission components to enhance color rendering. Moreover, (Tb_1−xMn_x)₃Al₂(Al_1−xSi_x)₃O₁₂:Ce³⁺ (x = 0–0.2) exhibits substantial spectral broadening (68 → 86 nm) due to the 5d → 4f transition of Ce³⁺ and the ⁴T₁ → ⁶A₁ transition of Mn²⁺. The efficiency of energy transfer (η_T, Ce³⁺ → Mn²⁺) gradually increases with increasing Mn²⁺ content, and the value reach approximately 32% at x = 0.2. Namely, the different characteristics of luminescence evolution based on the effect of structural variation by substituting the (MnSi)⁶⁺ pair for the larger (TbAl)⁶⁺ pair. Therefore, with structural evolution, the luminescence of the solid solution phosphors could be tuned from yellow to orange-red, tunable by increasing the content of MAS for the applications of white light emitting diodes (wLED).

(Tb_1−xMn_x)₃Al₂(Al_1−xSi_x)₃O₁₂:Ce³⁺ solid solution phosphors were synthesized by introducing the isostructural Mn₃Al₂(SiO₄)₃ (MAS) into Tb₃Al₅O₁₂:Ce³⁺ (TbAG).     

Quercetin Attenuates Benzo(α)pyrene-induced CYP1A Expression

<正>We studied effects of nutrient quercetin on cytochromes’Р450 1А(CYP1A)activities(measured spectrofluorimetrically using 7-ethoxy-resorufin for CYP1A1 and 7-methoxy-resorufin for CYP1A2 as substrates),on mR NA levels(measured by RT-PCR),and on DNA-binding activities(evaluated by an electrophoretic mobility shift assay)of proteins regulating CYP1A expression in untreated and benzo(α)pyrene(Ba P)-treated rats.Wistar rats     

Emerging microsporidian infections in Russian HIV-infected patients

Microsporidia were identified in stool specimens by histochemistry and PCR of 30 (18.9%) of 159 HIV-infected patients presenting to the S. P. Botkin Memorial Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases, St. Petersburg, Russia. The higher prevalence of Encephalitozoon intestinalis, in 21 (12.8%) patients, than of Enterocytozoon bieneusi, in 2 patients (1.2%), was unexpected. Encephalitozoon cuniculi was detected in three patients: one with strain I and two with strain II. Encephalitozoon hellem was detected in one patient, and two patients were identified as being infected by Microsporidium species. One patient was infected with both E. intestinalis and E. cuniculi. In two patients, the microsporidian species were not identifiable. No statistically significant differences in gender, age, and stage of AIDS were observed between the microsporidian-positive and -negative HIV-infected patients. HIV-infected patients diagnosed with microsporidian infection, however, were significantly more likely to exhibit ≤ 100 CD4(+) T cells/μl blood (20/30 patients [67%]; odds ratio [OR], 3.150; 95% confidence interval [CI(95)], 1.280 to 7.750; P = 0.0116) and weight loss of >10% of the baseline (19/30 patients [63%]; odds ratio, 2.995; CI(95), 1.100 to 8.158; P = 0.0352) than HIV-infected patients not diagnosed with microsporidian infection. In summary, this is the first report describing the diagnosis of microsporidian infection of HIV-infected patients in Russia and the first detection of E. cuniculi strain II in a human.