Cissus quadrangularis Linn exerts dose-dependent biphasic effects: osteogenic and anti-proliferative, through modulating ROS, cell cycle and Runx2 gene expression in primary rat osteoblasts

OBJECTIVES

This report highlights phytoconstituents present in Cissus quadrangularis (CQ) extract and examines biphasic (proliferative and anti-proliferative) effects of its extract on bone cell proliferation, differentiation, mineralization, ROS generation, cell cycle progression and Runx2 gene expression in primary rat osteoblasts.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Phytoconstituents were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Osteoblasts were exposed to different concentrations (10-100 μg/ml) of CQ extract and cell proliferation and cell differentiation were investigated at different periods of time. Subsequently, intracellular ROS intensity, apoptosis and matrix mineralization of osteoblasts were evaluated. We performed flow cytometry for DNA content and real-time PCR for Runx2 gene expression analysis.

RESULTS

CQ extract's approximately 40 bioactive compounds of fatty acids, hydrocarbons, vitamins and steroidal derivatives were identified. Osteoblasts exposed to varying concentrations of extract exhibited biphasic variation in cell proliferation and differentiation as a function of dose and time. Moreover, lower concentrations (10-50 μg/ml) of extract slightly reduced ROS intensity, although they enhanced matrix mineralization, DNA content in S phase of the cell cycle, and levels of Runx2 expression. However, higher concentrations (75-100 μg/ml) considerably induced the ROS intensity and nuclear condensation in osteoblasts, while it reduced mineralization level, proportion of cells in S phase and Runx2 level of the osteogenic gene.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that CQ extract revealed concentration-dependent biphasic effects, which would contribute notably to future assessment of pre-clinical efficacy and safety studies.

Contrasting effects of two antimicrobial agents (triclosan and triclocarban) on biomineralisation of an organophosphate pesticide in soils

We examined the impact of triclosan (TCS) and triclocarban (TCC) antimicrobial compounds on the biomineralisation of glucose and cadusafos pesticide in three Australian soils. Mineralisations of radiolabelled ((14)C) compounds were measured over a period of up to 77 d in sterile and non-sterile soils treated with different concentrations of TCS and TCC (0-450 mg kg(-1)). The rates of mineralisation of cadusafos were found to decrease with increasing concentration of TCS in all soils, but varied with soil type. Soils treated with TCS at the highest concentration (270 mg kg(-1)) reduced cadusafos mineralisation by up to 58%. However, glucose mineralisation was not significantly affected by the presence of TCS. While TCS, significantly reduced the mineralisation of cadusafos (by 17%; p<0.05) even at the lowest studied concentration (30 mg kg(-1)), no significant effect of TCC was observed on cadusafos or glucose mineralisation even at the highest concentration used (450 mg kg(-1)).

Detection and seroprevalence of foot and mouth disease in sheep and goats in Punjab, Pakistan

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious disease of ruminants that causes huge economic losses around the globe. However, the prevalence of FMDV in small ruminants has been overlooked in Pakistan. A seroepidemiological study was conducted in Chakwal, Faisalabad and Khanewal districts of Punjab, Pakistan to determine the prevalence of FMD in sheep and goats. A total 1200 serum samples were collected from sheep (n = 180) and goats (n = 920) and were subjected to 3ABC non-structural protein enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of antibodies against non-structural proteins of FMD virus. Samples collected from clinical cases were also confirmed for FMDV using RT-PCR. The overall seroprevalence of FMD in sheep and goats was 21% (n = 252) while 19.44% (n = 35) in sheep and 21.27% (n = 217) prevalence was recorded in goats. Highest seroprevalence (32.5%) was observed in southern Punjab (Khanewal), followed by (25.75%) central Punjab (Faisalabad) and the lowest seroprevalence (4.75%) was detected in northern Punjab (Chakwal). There was no statistically significant difference in seroprevalence between sheep and goats. Among different risk factors tested, age and sex were found to be significantly associated with the prevalence of disease while pregnancy and herd type had no association with the prevalence of the disease. This study illustrate that FMD is highly prevalent in sheep and goats in Punjab. Therefore, a broader study is needed to ascertain the countrywide prevalence of FMD in small ruminants.

Is hand-sewn anastomosis superior to stapled anastomosis following oesophagectomy?

A best evidence topic was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was: In patients undergoing oesophagectomy is stapled anastomosis (STA) superior to hand-sewn anastomosis (HSA) with respect to post-operative outcomes. In total, 82 papers were found suitable using the reported search and 14 of these represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The authors, date, journal, study type, population, main outcome measures and results are tabulated. Existing evidence shows that STA is associated with reduced time to anastomotic construction and decreased intra-operative blood loss but increased risk of benign stricture formation compared to HSA. There is no difference between HSA and STA with respect to cardiac or respiratory complications, anastomotic leakage, duration of hospital admission or 30-day mortality. In HSA, increasing surgical experience and intra-operative air leakage testing after anastomotic creation are associated with reduced risk of anastomotic leakage. Further adequately powered studies will enable identification of other local and systemic factors influencing anastomotic healing, which will lead to improved patient and anastomotic technique selection for optimal surgical outcomes.

Comparison of an imaging software and manual prediction of soft tissue changes after orthognathic surgery

OBJECTIVE

Accurate prediction of the surgical outcome is important in treating dentofacial deformities. Visualized treatment objectives usually involve manual surgical simulation based on tracing of cephalometric radiographs. Recent technical advancements have led to the use of computer assisted imaging systems in treatment planning for orthognathic surgical cases. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the ability and reliability of digitization using Dolphin Imaging Software with traditional manual techniques and to compare orthognathic prediction with actual outcomes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty patients consisting of 35 women and 5 men (32 class III and 8 class II) with no previous surgery were evaluated by manual tracing and indirect digitization using Dolphin Imaging Software. Reliability of each method was assessed then the two techniques were compared using paired t test.

RESULT

The nasal tip presented the least predicted error and higher reliability. The least accurate regions in vertical plane were subnasal and upper lip, and subnasal and pogonion in horizontal plane. There were no statistically significant differences between the predictions of groups with and without genioplasty.

CONCLUSION

Computer-generated image prediction was suitable for patient education and communication. However, efforts are still needed to improve accuracy and reliability of the prediction program and to include changes in soft tissue tension and muscle strain.

New method for fabrication of gunning splint in orthognathic surgery for edentulous patients

Treatment planning poses difficulties in edentulous patients for orthognathic surgery prediction and fixation.Treatment of severe class III malocclusion frequently requires orthognathic surgical procedures. For such patients, orthognathic surgery would be the only option before prosthetic rehabilitation.This clinical report describes step-by-step fabrication of a surgical splint for an edentulous 22-year-old patient with a severe class III malocclusion.The patient wound up in class I occlusions and stable prosthodontic rehabilitation.Using splints for planning and guiding the surgery in edentulous patients facilitates accurate positioning of the jaws and saves time in the operating room.

Engineering broad-spectrum resistance against RNA viruses in potato

RNA silencing technology has become the tool of choice for inducing resistance against viruses in plants. A significant discovery of this technology is that double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), which is diced into small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), is a potent trigger for RNA silencing. By exploiting this phenomenon in transgenic plants, it is possible to confer high level of virus resistance by specific targeting of cognate viral RNA. In order to maximize the efficiency and versatility of the vector-based siRNA approach, we have constructed a chimeric expression vector containing three partial gene sequences derived from the ORF2 gene of Potato virus X, Helper Component Protease gene of Potato virus Y and Coat protein gene of Potato leaf roll virus. Solanum tuberosum cv. Desiree and Kuroda were transformed with this chimeric gene cassette via Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation and transgenic status was confirmed by PCR, Southern and double antibody sandwich ELISA detection. Due to simultaneous RNA silencing, as demonstrated by accumulation of specific siRNAs, the expression of partial triple-gene sequence cassette depicted 20% of the transgenic plants are immune against all three viruses. Thus, expression of a single transgene construct can effectively confer resistance to multiple viruses in transgenic plants.

Hepatitis C virus infection during pregnancy and the newborn period--are they opportunities for treatment?

The worldwide prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in pregnant women is estimated to be between 1 and 8% and in children between 0.05% and 5%. While parenteral transmission is still common in children living in developing countries, perinatal transmission is now the leading cause of HCV transmission in developed countries. The absence of an HCV vaccine or approved therapy during pregnancy means that prevention of vertical transmission is still not possible. However, a low vertical transmission rate of 3-5%, a high rate of spontaneous clearance (25-50%) and delayed morbidity have resulted in HCV being overlooked in pregnant women and their infants. Yet a study of the natural history in mothers and children demonstrates that the prognosis of HCV can vary greatly and should be taken seriously. Factors known to increase the risk of perinatal transmission include HIV coinfection and higher maternal viral loads, while elective C-section and withholding breastfeeding have not been demonstrated to reduce vertical transmission. Current guidelines for the diagnosis of persistent perinatal infection require a positive anti-HCV test in infants born to infected mothers after 12 months or two positive HCV RNA tests at least 6 months apart. Current HCV treatment options using pegylated interferon and ribavirin are both unsuitable for use in pregnancy and infancy. However, new agents currently in preclinical phases of development, along with the recently identified association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms within the IL28 gene and treatment response, may serve to create a therapeutic window for these patients.

Effects of acacia honey on wound healing in various rat models

Honey is a traditional remedy for the treatment of infected wounds, and is becoming more important as microbial resistance to conventional therapeutic agents increases. A study was conducted to assess the wound-healing activity of Acacia honey using incision, excision, burn and dead-space wound models in rats. Different formulations of honey were used and rats were treated topically as well as orally. Both the higher and lower doses of honey produced a significant effect on healing (p < 0.05). The area of epithelization was found to increase, followed by an increase in wound contraction, skin-breaking strength, tissue granulation. The hydroxyproline content also increased in the rats treated with higher doses of honey compared to control, indicating an increase in collagen formation.

Transient hypoxia induces ERK-dependent anti-apoptotic cell survival in endothelial cells

Ischemia-induced apoptosis of endothelial cells may contribute to tissue injury, organ failure, and transplantation rejection. However, little is known about survival mechanisms capable to counteract endothelial apoptosis. This study investigated the potential role of an endogenous anti-apoptotic response elicited by transient hypoxia, capable to avert ongoing apoptosis in endothelial cells. Experiments were carried out in three different types of cultured endothelial cells (human umbilical vein, pig aorta, and from rat coronary microvasculature). As a pro-apoptotic challenge endothelial cells were cultured in serum-free medium and subjected to hypoxia for 2 h. We found that transient hypoxia reduced caspase 3 activation within 1 h of hypoxia. Accordingly, the number of apoptotic cells was reduced after 24 h of reoxygenation. This was true for all three cell types analyzed. Analysis of Akt and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathways revealed that hypoxia induced a transient activation of ERK 2 but not of Akt. ERK 2 phosphorylation preceded the phosphorylation of pro-apoptotic molecule Bad at Ser112, an inhibitory phosphorylation site specific for ERK. The protective effects of hypoxia regarding Bad phosphorylation, caspase 3 activation, and apoptosis were abolished by MEK 1/2 inhibitors, PD98059 or UO126, as well as by antisense oligonucleotides directed against ERK 1/2. Furthermore, inhibition of this pathway inhibited hypoxia-induced increase in mitochondrial membrane potential. The present study demonstrates that transient hypoxia induces a novel survival mechanism that protects endothelial cells against apoptosis. This endogenous process involves MEK/ERK-mediated inhibition of the pro-apoptotic molecule Bad and caspase 3.

Synthesis and characterization of uranium(VI) and thorium(IV) complexes with o-hydroxy N,N´-dimethylbenzylamine and o-carboxy N,N´-dimethylbenzylamine

Complexes of uranium(VI) and thorium(IV) with o-hydroxy N,N´-dimethylbenzylamine and o-carboxy N,N´-dimethylbenzylamine have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR and 1H-NMR techniques. The coordination of metal ions with the ligand and their structures were established. The chemical and spectral properties revealed that uranium(VI) complexes have square bipyramidal structure for coordination number 6, and hexagonal bipyramidal structure for coordination number 8, whereas thorium(IV) shows bicapped square antiprism structure for coordination number 10.

Thermoanalytical (TG-DTA-DTG) investigations of uranium (VI) and thorium (IV) complexes of o-hydroxy N, N ′-dimethylbenzylamine in static air atmosphere

Differential thermal and thermogravimetric analyses of actinide metal o-hydroxy N,N ′-dimethylbenzylamine complexes of the formulae, [LMO2X2], [LMO2SO4] and [LTh(NO3)4], where M = U, L= o-C6H4OHCH2N(CH3)2 and X = Cl2, NO3 - have been carried out to explore their degradation patterns. The evolved products were identified on the basis of loss in weight on TG coupled with DTA curves. The thermal decomposition of these complexes occurred with the loss of inorganic and organic fragments and exhibited almost similar mode of degradation with minor differences. The composition of the intermediates formed during degradation was confirmed by microanalysis and IR spectroscopy. The residues, after heating above 545°C, corresponded to metal oxides. Degradation mechanisms of these complexes have also been proposed.

Optimization of process variables for minimization of byproduct formation during fermentation of blackstrap molasses to ethanol at industrial scale

AIMS

To investigate the effect of molasses concentration, initial pH of molasses medium, and inoculum's size to maximize ethanol and minimize methanol, fusel alcohols, acetic acid and aldehydes in the fermentation mash in industrial fermentors.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Initial studies to optimize temperature, nitrogen source, phosphorous source, sulfur supplement and minerals were performed. The essential nutrients were urea (2 kg in 60 m(3)), 0.5 l each of commercial phosphoric acid and sulfuric acid (for pH control) added at the inoculum preparation stage only. Yields of ethanol, methanol, fusel alcohols, total acids and aldehydes per 100-l fermentation broth were monitored. Molasses at 29 degrees Brix (degree of dissolved sugars in water), initial pH 4.5, inoculum size 30% (v/v) and anaerobic fermentation supported maximum ethanol (7.8%) with Y(P/S) = 238 l ethanol per tonne molasses (96.5% yield) (8.2% increase in yield), and had significantly lower values of byproducts than those in control experiments.

CONCLUSIONS

Optimization of process variables resulted in higher ethanol yield (8.2%) and reduced yield of methanol, fusel alcohols, acids and aldehydes.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

More than 5% substrate is converted into byproducts. Eliminating or reducing their formation can increase ethanol yield by Saccharomyces cerevisiae, decrease the overall cost of fermentation process and improve the quality of ethanol.