Structural Characterization of Mannoglucan Isolated from Ophiocordyceps sobolifera and Its Antioxidant Activities

A novel polysaccharide structure (PS-T80) was collected from Ophiocordyceps sobolifera biomass and characterized via a combination of chemical and spectral analyses. Employing high-performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC), the average molecular weight is proven to be 7.4 × 10⁴ Da. Furthermore, a sugar composition analysis of the obtained polysaccharide suggests two main sugars, β-d-glucose and α-d-mannose, at a molar ratio of 2:1, respectively, in the backbone. The structure analysis unveils that PS-T80 is a mannoglucan, possessing the repeating unit of [→3)-β-d-Glcp-(1 → 3)-α-d-Manp-(1 → 3)-β-d-Glcp-(1→] _n . Such a configuration could be considered a novel polysaccharide. Impressively, in vitro antioxidant tests revealed that PS-T80 has a promising antioxidant activity. These results demonstrate that the obtained PS is a potential bioactive material for biomedical applications.

Novel and very rare causative variants in the COL7A1 gene of Vietnamese patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa revealed by whole-exome sequencing

BACKGROUND

Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) is a rare inherited disorder characterized by skin fragility leading to trauma-induced subepidermal blisters and healing with scarring. DEB is caused by mutations in COL7A1, the gene encoding for type VII collagen (COLVII). The DEB inheritance trait is divided into dominant dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DDEB) and recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB).

METHODS

Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed for identifying mutations in six affected individuals of five Vietnamese families.

RESULTS

Three novel variants in total of eight variants were found in five families. The first novel variant causing glycine substitution (c.8279G>A, p.G2760E), the remaining two novel variants resulted in splice site affecting (c.4518+2delT and c.5821-2A>G). Functional analysis indicated that the splice site at c.4518+2delT resulted in a skipping of exon 43, leading to an in-frame deletion of 12 amino acids.

CONCLUSION

Our finding expands the spectrum of COL7A1 mutations and reports altered splicing at c.4518+2delT during the processing of the pre-mRNA. This study provides an additional scientific basis for diagnosis, genetic counseling, and prognosis purposes of EB patients.

Multiple balance tests improve the assessment of postural stability in subjects with Parkinson's disease

OBJECTIVES

Clinicians often base the implementation of therapies on the presence of postural instability in subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD). These decisions are frequently based on the pull test from the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). We sought to determine whether combining the pull test, the one-leg stance test, the functional reach test, and UPDRS items 27-29 (arise from chair, posture, and gait) predicts balance confidence and falling better than any test alone.

METHODS

The study included 67 subjects with PD. Subjects performed the one-leg stance test, the functional reach test, and the UPDRS motor exam. Subjects also responded to the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale and reported how many times they fell during the previous year. Regression models determined the combination of tests that optimally predicted mean ABC scores or categorised fall frequency.

RESULTS

When all tests were included in a stepwise linear regression, only gait (UPDRS item 29), the pull test (UPDRS item 30), and the one-leg stance test, in combination, represented significant predictor variables for mean ABC scores (r2 = 0.51). A multinomial logistic regression model including the one-leg stance test and gait represented the model with the fewest significant predictor variables that correctly identified the most subjects as fallers or non-fallers (85% of subjects were correctly identified).

CONCLUSIONS

Multiple balance tests (including the one-leg stance test, and the gait and pull test items of the UPDRS) that assess different types of postural stress provide an optimal assessment of postural stability in subjects with PD.

A single amino acid substitution in the C terminus of OmpR alters DNA recognition and phosphorylation

In bacteria and lower eukaryotes, adaptation to changes in the environment is often mediated by two-component regulatory systems. Such systems provide the basis for chemotaxis, nitrogen and phosphate regulation and adaptation to osmotic stress, for example. In Escherichia coli, the sensor kinase EnvZ detects a change in the osmotic environment and phosphorylates the response regulator OmpR. Phospho-OmpR binds to the regulatory regions of the porin genes ompF and ompC, and alters their expression. Recent evidence suggests that OmpR functions as a global regulator, regulating additional genes besides the porin genes. In this study, we have characterized a previously isolated OmpR2 mutant (V203M) that constitutively activates ompF and fails to express ompC. Because the substitution was located in the C-terminal DNA-binding domain, it had been assumed that the substitution would not affect phosphorylation of the N-terminal domain of OmpR. Our results indicate that this substitution completely eliminates phosphorylation by a small phosphate donor, acetyl phosphate, but not phosphorylation by the kinase EnvZ. The mutant OmpR has altered dephosphorylation kinetics and altered binding affinities to both ompF and ompC sites compared to the wild-type. Thus, a single amino acid substitution in the C-terminal DNA-binding domain has dramatic effects on the N-terminal phosphorylation domain. Most strikingly, we have identified a single base change in the OmpR binding site of ompC that restores high-affinity binding activity by the mutant. We interpret our results in the context of a model for porin gene expression.

The multifunctional role of the co-activator CBP in transcriptional regulation

One of the most studied and best-understood examples of second messenger-regulated gene transcription involves the activation of genes by the cyclic AMP pathway: stimulation of several hormone, growth factor, and neurotransmitter receptors activates adenylyl cyclase, generating cyclic AMP that, by binding to the regulatory subunit of protein kinase A (PKA), dissociates the PKA catalytic subunit. The free catalytic subunit is transported to the nucleus where it phosphorylates and consequently activates the transcription factor CREB. This phosphorylation of CREB allows interaction with the co-activator CBP, which binds to components of the basal transcriptional machinery. CBP and its homologue p300 are targets for several viral-transforming proteins, implying that these co-activators have a more extensive role in cellular function. Indeed, recent studies have demonstrated that multiple transcription factors bind to CBP, including c-jun, c-myb, MyoD, E2F1, YY1, and members of the steroid hormone receptor superfamily, although it is not yet clear which of these transcription factors depend upon CBP for function. Determining exactly which transcriptional pathways require CBP in vivo and which genes are activated by CBP will provide an important clue in developmental regulation and cell cycle control, since mutations in the human CBP gene have been found to cause developmental abnormalities and a predisposition for some types of cancer. In this review, we will discuss the mechanisms involved in the PKA-dependent activation of CREB and describe how the co-activator CBP and its homologue are involved in this process. In addition, we will outline the various transcription factor pathways that CBP has been proposed to activate. Finally, we will discuss the possible role of CBP in cellular transformation and differentiation.

[Ultrasonographic diagnosis of appendicitis. Value and limitations]

Appendicitis is a frequently encountered surgical emergency which can be diagnosed by clinical and laboratory criteria. But there are some atypical cases that ultrasound can help to diagnose. From April the 9th 1992 to April the 11th 1993, we have examined by ultrasound 465 patients entered in our hospital for right lower quadrant pain. 190 patients have been diagnosed as appendicitis and operated (true positive = 124 cases, false negative = 54 cases and false positive = 12 cases). 275 patients have been diagnosed as negative and they are not operated (true = 273 cases, false positive = 2 cases). So in our study, the sensitivity is 70%, the specificity is 95% and the accuracy is 85%. Our scientific report has the objective to show the usefulness and the limits of ultrasound in the diagnosis of appendicitis.

A randomized controlled trial for inguinal hernia repair to compare the Shouldice and the Bassini-Kirschner operation

A randomized controlled trial was conducted on 142 adult male and female patients for primary inguinal hernias by the Shouldice or the Bassini-Kirschner surgical technique. Follow-up after one year revealed 7 recurrences out of 72 patients having had Bassini-Kirschner's operation and three recurrences out of 70 patients having had Shouldice's operation (p = 0.326, NS). Six patients died during the follow-up period and two were lost to the study. At two years follow-up examination nine recurrences out of 63 patients having had Bassini-Kirschner's operation and seven recurrences out of 65 patients having had Shouldice's operation were found (p = 0.792, NS). Both operations gave the same results when performed by either a consultant surgeon or a surgeon in training. The complication rate was high but similar for both techniques (18%). Although surgical literature abounds with excellent low recurrence rates using the Shouldice surgical technique, we were unable to reproduce these results. This might be due to lack of experience.