37,653 research outputs found
A new species of Aleurolobus Quaintance et Baker (Homoptera, Aleyrodidae) from Southern Europe.
No full textAleurolobus teucrii n. sp. is described from southern Italy and the Maltese Islands (Central Mediterranean). The species seems to be monophagous on Teucrium fruticans L. A key to the European species of this genus (A. niloticus Priesner et Hosny, A. olivinus (Silvestri), A. wunni (Ryberg) and A. teucrii n. sp.) is provided.peer-reviewe
An insight into the diverse roles of surfactant proteins, SP-A and SP-D in innate and adaptive immunity
No full textPMCID: PMC3369187Surfactant proteins SP-A and SP-D are hydrophilic, collagen-containing calcium-dependent lectins, which appear to have a range of innate immune functions at pulmonary as well as extrapulmonary sites. These proteins bind to target ligands on pathogens, allergens, and apoptotic cells, via C-terminal homotrimeric carbohydrate recognition domains, while the collagen region brings about the effector functions via its interaction with cell surface receptors. SP-A and SP-D deal with various pathogens, using a range of innate immune mechanisms such as agglutination/aggregation, enhancement of phagocytosis, and killing mechanisms by phagocytic cells and direct growth inhibition. SP-A and SP-D have also been shown to be involved in the control of pulmonary inflammation including allergy and asthma. Emerging evidence suggest that SP-A and SP-D are capable of linking innate immunity with adaptive immunity that includes modulation of dendritic cell function and helper T cell polarization. This review enumerates immunological properties of SP-A and SP-D inside and outside lungs and discusses their importance in human health and disease
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and inhaled steroids alter surfactant protein D (SP-D) levels: a cross-sectional study-1
No full text<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and inhaled steroids alter surfactant protein D (SP-D) levels: a cross-sectional study"</p><p>http://respiratory-research.com/content/9/1/13</p><p>Respiratory Research 2008;9(1):13-13.</p><p>Published online 28 Jan 2008</p><p>PMCID:PMC2249580.</p><p></p>butylmethylxanthine (100 μM) with or without dexamethasone (10 nM). Cell lysates were prepared from freshly isolated cells and at the end of a 4-day culture period (A): SP-A and SP-D production was analyzed by Western blot. (B): Results are expressed as % of the "day 0" value. *p = 0.037 (n = 3) (C): Northern blot analysis of SP-D and SP-A mRNA expression was performed on total RNA (10 μg) extracted from type II cells as described. SP-D and SP-A cDNA probes labeled with [αP] dCTP were hybridized to mRNAs on nitrocellulose membranes. (D): Intensity was quantified by densitometric scanning and the hybridization signals were normalized to 28S rRNA probe labeled with [γP] ATP. mRNA content is expressed as % of the "day 0" value. *p < 0.041 Mean ± SEM was calculated after deriving the average of the results from three independent experiments
Mosquito Larvicidal Constituents from Lantana Viburnoides SP Viburnoides Var Kisi (A. rich) Verdc (Verbenaceae).
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Lantana viburnoides sp viburnoides var kisi is used in Tanzania ethnobotanically to repel mosquitoes as well as in traditional medicine for stomach ache relief. Bioassay-guided fractionation and subtraction bioassays of the dichloromethane extract of the root barks were carried out in order to identify the bioactive components for controlling Anopheles gambiae s.s. mosquito larvae. Twenty late III or early IV instar larvae of An. gambiae s.s. were exposed to various concentrations of the plant extracts, fractions, blends and pure compounds, and were assayed in the laboratory by using the protocol of WHO 1996. Mean mortalities were compared using Dunnett's test (p < 0.05) and lethal concentration calculated by Lackfit Inversel of the SAS programme. The crude extract (LC50 = 7.70 ppm in 72 h) and fractions exhibited different level of mosquito larvicidal activity with subtraction of some fractions resulting in activity enhancement. The active fractions contained furanonaphthaquinones regio-isomers (LC50 = 5.48-5.70 ppm in 72 h) and the lantadene triterpenoid camaric acid (LC50 = 6.19 ppm in 72 h) as active principles while the lupane triterpenoid betulinic acid (LC50 < 10 ppm in 72 h) was obtained from the least active fraction. Crude extracts and some fractions had higher or comparable larvicidal activity to the pure compounds. These results demonstrate that L. viburnoides sp viburnoides var kisi extracts may serve as larvicides for managing various mosquito habitats even in their semi-purified form. The isolated compounds can be used as distinct markers in the active extracts or plant materials belonging to the genus Lantana
C(sp)-C(sp(3)) Bond Formation through Cu-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling of N-Tosylhydrazones and Trialkylsilylethynes
No full textCopper-catalyzed cross-coupling of N-tosylhydrazones with trialkylsilylethynes leads to the formation of C(sp)-C(sp(3)) bonds. Cu carbene migratory insertion is proposed to play the key role in this transformation.Chemistry, MultidisciplinarySCI(E)PubMed57ARTICLE135742-574513
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and inhaled steroids alter surfactant protein D (SP-D) levels: a cross-sectional study-0
No full text<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and inhaled steroids alter surfactant protein D (SP-D) levels: a cross-sectional study"</p><p>http://respiratory-research.com/content/9/1/13</p><p>Respiratory Research 2008;9(1):13-13.</p><p>Published online 28 Jan 2008</p><p>PMCID:PMC2249580.</p><p></p>erence between healthy former smokers and former smokers with COPD. ** p = 0.45 for the difference between healthy current smokers and current smokers with COPD
Assessment of the cross-protective capability of recombinant capsid proteins derived from pig, rat, and avian hepatitis E viruses (HEV) against challenge with a genotype 3 HEV in pigs
No full textHepatitis E virus (HEV), the causative agent of hepatitis E, is primarily transmitted via the fecal-oral route through contaminated water supplies, although many sporadic cases of hepatitis E are transmitted zoonotically via direct contact with infected animals or consumption of contaminated animal meats. Genotypes 3 and 4 HEV are zoonotic and infect humans and other animal species, whereas genotypes 1 and 2 HEV are restricted to humans. There exists a single serotype of HEV, although the cross-protective ability among the animal HEV strains is unknown. Thus, in this study we expressed and characterized N-terminal truncated ORF2 capsid antigens derived from swine, rat, and avian HEV strains and evaluated their cross-protective ability in a pig challenge model. Thirty, specific-pathogen-free, pigs were divided into 5 groups of 6 pigs each, and each group of pigs were vaccinated with 200 μg of swine HEV, rat HEV, or avian HEV ORF2 antigen or PBS buffer (2 groups) as positive and negative control groups. After a booster dose immunization at 2 weeks post-vaccination, the vaccinated animals all seroconverted to IgG anti-HEV. At 4 weeks post-vaccination, the animals were intravenously challenged with a genotype 3 mammalian HEV, and necropsied at 4 weeks post-challenge. Viremia, fecal virus shedding, and liver histological lesions were compared to assess the protective and cross-protective abilities of these antigens against HEV challenge in pigs. The results indicated that pigs vaccinated with truncated recombinant capsid antigens derived from three animal strains of HEV induced a strong IgG anti-HEV response in vaccinated pigs, but these antigens confer only partial cross-protection against a genotype 3 mammalian HEV. The results have important implications for the efficacy of current vaccines and for future vaccine development, especially against the novel zoonotic animal strains of HEV
Dual Photosensitizer Cycles Working Synergistically in a C(sp)-C(sp3) Cross-Coupling Reaction
No full textTo assess the value and reactivity of new photocatalysts (PCs), their performance should be evaluated in one or more established reactions and benchmarked against the performance using known PCs. Here, we evaluated our recently developed PC, pDTCz-DPmS, in a C(sp)-C(sp3) cross-coupling reaction that had been documented in the literature. Previous findings indicated this reaction could not proceed in the absence of PC; however, under our conditions this was not the case. Without PC, a moderate product yield was obtained, while this yield increased significantly upon addition of pDTCz-DPmS. UV-Vis absorption studies indicated that the Hantzsch ester (HE) additive was acting as a competitive absorber of the light from the excitation source, and quenching studies confirmed that the HE was quenched by the radical precursor, N-(acyloxy)phthalimide. Mechanistic investigations established that two parallel photosensitization pathways were in operation; a reductive quenching photocatalytic pathway (using pDTCz-DPmS) and a sacrificial photoreductant pathway (employing HE). These pathways work synergistically to enhance the yield of target product
Cross-species validation of 5 species of 6mA types.
No full textThe heatmaps (a), (b), (c) and (d) show the cross-species predicted SN, SP, ACC, and AUC values for the five species for which the 6mA methylation type was determined. Once a species has built a model on its training dataset, it was tested on data from other species. The horizontal coordinates are the different species as the training set and the vertical coordinates are as the testing set.</p
Direct Hydroxylarylation of Benzylic Carbons (sp3/sp2/sp) via Radical-Radical Cross-Coupling Powered by Paired Electrolysis
No full textDiaryl alcohol moieties are widespread in pharmaceuticals. Existing methods for the synthesis of diaryl alcohols require the use of pre-functionalized benzylic alcohols, aromatic aldehydes or ketones as starting materials. Herein, the first convergent paired electrochemical approach to the direct hydroxylarylation of unactivated benzylic carbons (sp3/sp2/sp) is declared. This protocol features direct functionalization of unactivated benzylic C(sp3)–H bonds and benzylic sp2/sp-carbons, mild conditions (open air, room temperature), environmentally friendly procedure (without any external catalyst/mediator/additive), and direct access to sterically hindered alcohols from inexpensive and readily available alkyl/alkenyl/alkynylbenzenes. Mechanistic studies, including divided-cell experiments, isotope labeling, radical trapping, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), reaction kinetics, and cyclic voltammetry, strongly support the proposed radical-radical cross-coupling between transient ketyl radicals and persistent radical anions. Gram-scale synthesis and diversification of drug derivative have visualized the tremendous potential of this protocol for practical applications
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