Protein and Peptide Substances in the Treatment of Respiratory Syncytial Infection: Current State

Respiratory syncytial virus infection (RSVI) is an acute medical and social problem in many countries globally. Infection is most dangerous for infants under one year old and the elderly. Despite its epidemiological relevance, only two drugs are registered for clinical use against RSVI: ribavirin (approved in a limited number of countries due to side effects) and palivizumab (Synagis), which is intended only for the prevention, but not the treatment, of infection. Currently, various research groups are searching for new drugs against RSV, with three main areas of research: small molecules, polymeric drugs (proteins and peptides), and plant extracts. This review is devoted to currently developed protein and peptide anti-RSV drugs.     

3D X-ray Micro-CT Analysis of Rebar Corrosion in Reinforced Concrete Subjected to a Chloride-Induced Environment

The paper presents experimental investigations of the concrete covers’ protective ability to counteract rebar corrosion in reinforced concrete cubes. The concrete sample was subjected to a chloride-induced environment to get corroded and combined with an un-corroded sample. The chloride-accelerated technique can induce a high degree of corrosion within a controlled time. Moreover, detailed and thorough experimental measurements and analyses of reinforcement loss due to corrosion and its influence on concrete microstructure, were studied through 3D X-ray micro-computed tomography. The rebar outside the concrete was heavily corroded due to the chloride-accelerated test, whereas, only local surface corrosion products appeared inside the concrete. It turned out that the concrete cover showed protective ability to counteract the reinforcing-steel corrosion mechanism despite the accelerated corrosion environment. Moreover, the bond strength between the reinforcement rebar and concrete was not visibly affected since the failure force in the pull-out test and failure mechanisms, observed by 3D X-ray micro-CT, were similar for corroded and un-corroded samples. The failure occurred due to radial cracks with a maximum width equal to approximately 0.25 mm.     

Polyphenolic Composition and Antioxidant Activity (ORAC,EPR and Cellular) of Different Extracts of Argylia radiata Vitroplants and Natural Roots

Plant biochemistry studies have increased in recent years due to their potential to improve human health. Argylia radiata is an extremophile plant with an interesting polyphenolic profile. However, its biomass is scarce and occasionally available. Argylia in vitro biomass was obtained from tissue culture and compared with in vivo roots regarding its polyphenolic and flavonoid content. Different solvents were used to prepare extracts from the in vitro tissue of callus and aerial plant organs and in vivo roots. UPLC-MS/MS was used to assess the chemical composition of each extract. ORAC-FL and scavenging of free radicals (DPPH and OH) methods were used to determine the antioxidant capacity of extracts. Furthermore, the biological activity of the extracts was established using the cellular antioxidant activity method. The vitroplants were a good source of polyphenols (25–68 mg GAE/100 g tissue FW), and methanol was the most efficient solvent. Eight polyphenolic compounds were identified, and their antioxidant properties were investigated by different chemical methods with EPR demonstrating its specific scavenging activity against free radicals. All extracts showed cellular dose-dependent antioxidant activity. The methanolic extract of vitroplants showed the highest cellular antioxidant activity (44.6% and 51%) at 1 and 10 µg/mL of extract, respectively. Vitroplants of A. radiata are proposed as a biotechnological product as a source of antioxidant compounds with multiple applications.     

Development of an Inhibition Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) Prototype for Detecting Cytotoxic Three-Finger Toxins (3FTxs) in African Spitting Cobra Venoms

The administration of toxin-specific therapy in snake envenoming is predicated on improved diagnostic techniques capable of detecting specific venom toxins. Various serological tests have been used in detecting snakebite envenoming. Comparatively, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been shown to offer a wider practical application. We report an inhibition ELISA for detecting three-finger toxin (3FTx) proteins in venoms of African spitting cobras. The optimized assay detected 3FTxs in N. ashei (including other Naja sp.) venoms, spiked samples, and venom-challenged mice samples. In venoms of Naja sp., the assay showed inhibition, implying the detection of 3FTxs, but showed little or no inhibition in non-Naja sp. In mice-spiked samples, one-way ANOVA results showed that the observed inhibition was not statistically significant between spiked samples and negative control (p-value = 0.164). Similarly, the observed differences in inhibition between venom-challenged and negative control samples were not statistically significant (p-value = 0.9109). At an LOD of 0.01 µg/mL, the assay was able to confirm the presence of 3FTxs in the samples. Our results show a proof of concept for the use of an inhibition ELISA model as a tool for detecting 3FTxs in the venoms of African spitting cobra snakes.     

Flower Extracts as Multifunctional Dyes in the Cosmetics Industry

Flowers are a natural source of bioactive compounds that not only have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging properties, but can also be used as natural dyes. For this reason, nowadays plants are widely used to produce natural cosmetics and foods. In these studies, the properties of the water extracts of Papaver rhoeas L., Punica granatum L., Clitoria ternatea L., Carthamus tinctorius L., and Gomphrena globosa L., as bioactive, natural dyes, were investigated. Plant flower extracts were tested for their antioxidant (ABTS and DPPH radical methods) and anti-inflammatory effects by determining the ability to inhibit the activity of lipoxygenase and proteinase. The extracts were tested for their cytotoxic effect on skin cells, using Alamar Blue and Neutral Red tests. The ability to inhibit the activity of enzymes responsible for the destruction of elastin and collagen was also studied. Research has shown that extracts have no toxic effect on skin cells, are a rich source of antioxidants and show the ability to inhibit the activity of elastase and collagenase enzymes. P. rhoeas extract showed the strongest antioxidant properties with IC50 value of 24.8 ± 0.42 µg/mL and 47.5 ± 1.01 µg/mL in ABTS and DPPH tests, respectively. The tested plants are also characterized by an anti-inflammatory property, for which the ability to inhibit lipoxygenase at a level above 80% and proteinase at the level of about 55% was noted. Extracts from P. rhoeas, C. ternatea, and C. tinctorius show the strongest coloring ability and can permanently dye cosmetic products, without significant color changes during the storage of the product.     

Combined Subcutaneous Fat Aspirate and Skin Tru-Cut Biopsy for Amyloid Screening in Patients with Suspected Systemic Amyloidosis

Screening for systemic amyloidosis is typically carried out with abdominal fat aspirates with varying reported sensitivities. Fat aspirates are preferred for use in primary screening instead of organ biopsies as they are less invasive and thereby minimize the potential risk of complications. At Odense Amyloidosis Center, we performed a prospective study on whether the combined use of fat aspirate and tru-cut skin biopsy could increase the diagnostic sensitivity. Both fat aspirates and skin biopsies were screened with Congo Red staining, and positive biopsies were subsequently subtyped using immunoelectron microscopy and mass spectrometry. Seventy-six patients were included. In total, 24 patients had systemic amyloidosis (11 AL, 12 wtATTR, 1 AA), and 6 patients had localized amyloidosis. Combined fat aspirate and skin biopsy were Congo Red-positive in 15 patients (overall sensitivity (OS) 62.5%). Fat aspirates were positive in 14 patients (OS 58.3%), and the skin biopsy was positive in 5 patients (OS 20.8%). In only one patient did the skin biopsy add extra diagnostic information. The sensitivity differed between AL and ATTR amyloidosis—81.8% and 41.7%, respectively. Using skin biopsy as the only screening method is not recommended.     

Comparison of photodynamic efficacy of tetraarylporphyrin pegylated or encapsulated in liposomes: In vitro studies

Two photosensitizing systems: (1) tetrakis(4-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin (p-THPP) encapsulated in sterically stabilized liposomes (SSL) and (2) p-THPP functionalized by covalent attachment of poly(ethylene glycol) (p-THPP–PEG₂₀₀₀) were studied in vitro. The dark and photo cytotoxicity of these systems were evaluated on two cell lines: HCT 116, a human colorectal carcinoma cell line, and DU 145, a prostate cancer cell line and compared with these determined for free p-THPP. It was demonstrated that both encapsulation in liposomes as well as attachment of PEG chain result in pronounced reduction of the dark cytotoxicity of the parent porphyrin. The liposomal formulation showed higher than p-THPP–PEG₂₀₀₀ photocytotoxicity towards both cell lines used in the studies.     

On the Generalized Strongly Nil-Clean Property of Matrix Rings

Let R be an associative unital ring and not necessarily commutative.We analyze conditions under which every n × n matrix A over R is expressible as a sum A =E1 +…+ Es + N of (commuting) idempotent matrices Ei and a nilpotent matrix N.     

The Influence of Synthesis Conditions on the Antioxidant Activity of Selenium Nanoparticles

Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have attracted great attention in recent years due to their unique properties and potential bioactivities. While the production of SeNPs has been long reported, there is little news about the influence of reaction conditions and clean-up procedure on their physical properties (e.g., shape, size) as well as their antioxidant activity. This study takes up this issue. SeNPs were synthesized by two methods using cysteine and ascorbic acid as selenium reductants. The reactions were performed with and without the use of polyvinyl alcohol as a stabilizer. After the synthesis, SeNPs were cleaned using various procedures. The antioxidant properties of the obtained SeNPs were investigated using DPPH and hydroxyl radical scavenging assays. It was found that their antioxidant activity does not always depend only on the nanoparticles size but also on their homogeneity. Moreover, the size and morphology of selenium nanoparticles are controlled by the clean-up step.     

Cascade assembly of the benzo[a]anthraquinone ring system common to the angucycline antibiotics

A benzo[a]anthraquinone ring system, common to a group of angucycline antibiotics, has been prepared by a unique cascade of reactions. The reaction sequence was initiated by a Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling between a bromoquinone and vinyl boronic anhdyride. The reaction product is proposed to undergo a 6π-electron cyclization triggered by reductive activation of the quinone. The reaction process is proposed to be autocatalytic.