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Abstract Background COVID-19 is a respiratory viral infection with unique features including a more chronic course and systemic disease manifestations including multiple organ involvement; and there are differences in disease severity between ethnic groups. The immunological basis for disease has not been fully characterised. Analysis of whole-blood RNA expression may provide valuable information on disease pathogenesis. Methods We studied 45 patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection within 10 days from onset of illness and a control group of 19 asymptomatic healthy volunteers with no known exposure to COVID-19 in the previous 14 days. Relevant demographic and clinical information was collected and a blood sample was drawn from all participants for whole-blood RNA sequencing. We evaluated differentially-expressed genes in COVID-19 patients (log2 fold change ≥ 1 versus healthy controls; false-discovery rate 0.05). Conclusions The whole-blood transcriptome of COVID-19 has overall similarity with other respiratory infections but there are some unique pathways that merit further exploration to determine clinical relevance. The approach to a disease score may be of value, but needs further validation in a population with a greater range of disease severity.

While dietary or supplementary antioxidants are thought to inhibit or delay oxidation of biological molecules, their utility in vivo has been marred by equivocal evidence. Consumption of polyphenol rich foods has been thought to alleviate postprandial oxidative stress and/or improve endothelial function. Although, previous studies suggested the utility of allantoin as a biomarker of oxidative stress, controlled dose response studies with dietary antioxidants to test this in humans have been limited. We therefore investigated the effects of 2 doses of polyphenol rich curry consumption on postprandial plasma concentrations of allantoin, allantoin to uric acid ratio, F2-isoprostanes using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LCMS-MS) and measured endothelial function using peripheral arterial tonometry (endoPAT). In a randomized controlled crossover trial in 17 non-smoking, healthy, Chinese men, aged 23.7 ± 2.4 years and BMI 23.1 ± 2.3 kg/m2, the volunteers consumed 3 test meals in a random order, consisting of either non-curry Dose 0 Control (D0C, 0 g spices), or Dose 1 Curry (D1C, 6 g spices) or Dose 2 Curry (D2C, 12 g spices), after overnight fast. There were significant reductions in postprandial allantoin concentrations (p < 0.001) and allantoin to uric acid ratio (p < 0.001) at 2 h and 3 h following test meal consumption, indicating improvements in postprandial redox balance with increasing curry doses, although there were no differences between treatments on F2-isoprostane concentrations or on RHI (measured at 2 h only). Allantoin may have a utility as a biomarker of redox balance, in an acute setting. The study was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (Identifier No. NCT02599272).

Spices are known to provide orosensory stimulation that can potentially influence palatability, appetite, and energy balance. Previous studies with individual spices have shown divergent effects on appetite and energy intake measures. In a real-life context, however, several spices are consumed in combinations, as in various forms of curries. Therefore, we investigated changes in postprandial appetite and plasma ghrelin in response to the intake of two doses of curry prepared with mixed spices. The study was undertaken in healthy Chinese men, between 21 and 40 years of age and body mass index ≤27.5 kg/m2. Appetite was measured using visual analogue scales (VAS) and plasma ghrelin was measured using multiplex assay. Compared with the control meal (Dose 0 Control (D0C), 0 g mixed spices), we found significantly greater suppression in ‘hunger’ (both p < 0.05, after Bonferroni adjustments) as well in ‘desire to eat’ (both p < 0.01) during the Dose 1 Curry (D1C, 6 g mixed spices) and Dose 2 Curry (D2C, 12 g mixed spices) intake. There were no differences, however, in plasma ghrelin or in other appetite measures such as in ‘fullness’ or in ‘prospective eating’ scores. Overall, the results of our study indicate greater inter-meal satiety due to mixed spices consumption, independent of any changes in plasma ghrelin response.

Neurological and psychiatric disorders are frequently associated with disruption of various cognitive functions, but development of effective drug treatments for these conditions has proven challenging. One of the main obstacles is the poor predictive validity of our preclinical animal models. In the present study the effects of the γ-secretase inhibitor semagacestat was evaluated in preclinical in vivo electrophysiological models. Recently disclosed Phase III findings on semagacestat indicated that Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients on this drug showed significantly worsened cognitive function compared to those treated with placebo. Since previous studies have shown that drugs impairing cognitive function (including scopolamine, NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor antagonists, and nociceptin receptor agonists) disrupt or decrease power of elicited theta oscillation in the hippocampus, we tested the effects of acute and sub-chronic administration of semagacestat in this assay. Field potentials were recorded across the hippocampal formation with NeuroNexus multi-site silicon probes in urethane anesthetized male C57BL/6 mice; hippocampal CA1 theta oscillation was elicited by electrical stimulation of the brainstem nucleus pontis oralis. Sub-chronic administration of semagacestat twice daily over 12 days at a dose known to reduce beta-amyloid peptide (Aβ) level [100 mg/kg, p.o. (per oral)] diminished power of elicited hippocampal theta oscillation. Acute, subcutaneous administration of semagacestat (100 mg/kg) produced a similar effect on hippocampal activity. We propose that the disruptive effect of semagacestat on hippocampal function could be one of the contributing mechanisms to its worsening of cognition in patients with AD. As it has been expected, both acute and sub-chronic administrations of semagacestat significantly decreased Aβ40 and Aβ42 levels but the current findings do not reveal the mode of action of semagacestat in disrupting hippocampal oscillation.

Peptide toxins have proved to be useful agents, both in discriminating between different components of native calcium channel currents and in the molecular isolation and designation of their cloned channel counterparts. Here, we describe the isolation and characterization of the biochemical and physiological properties of a novel 74-amino acid peptide toxin (DW13.3) extracted from the venom of the spider Filistata hibernalis. The subtype specificity of DW13.3 was investigated using calcium channel currents recorded from two separate expression systems and several different cultured mammalian cell preparations. Overall, DW13.3 potently blocked all native calcium channel currents studied, with the exception of T-type currents recorded from GH3 cells. Examination of transiently expressed calcium channels in oocytes showed that DW13.3 had the highest affinity for alpha1A, followed by alpha1B > alpha1C > alpha1E. The affinity of DW13.3 for alpha1B N-type currents varied by 10-fold between expressed channels and native currents. Although block occurred in a similar 1:1 manner for all subtypes, DW13.3 produced a partial block of both alpha1A currents and P-type currents in cerebellar Purkinje cells. Selective occlusion of the P/Q-type channel ligand omega-conotoxin MVIIC (but not omega-agatoxin IVA) from its binding site in Purkinje neurons suggests that DW13.3 binds to a site close to the pore of the channel. The inhibition of different subtypes of calcium channels by DW13.3 reflects a common "macro" binding site present on all calcium channels except T-type.

The venom of the funnel-web spider Agelenopsis aperta contains several peptides that paralyze prey by blocking voltage-sensitive calcium channels. Two peptides, omega-Aga-IVB (IVB) and omega-Aga-IVC (IVC), have identical amino acid sequences, yet have opposite absolute configurations at serine 46. These toxins had similar selectivities for blocking voltage-sensitive calcium channel subtypes but different potencies for blocking P-type voltage-sensitive calcium channels in rat cerebellar Purkinje cells as well as calcium-45 influx into rat brain synaptosomes. An enzyme purified from venom converts IVC to IVB by isomerizing serine 46, which is present in the carboxyl-terminal tail, from the L to the D configuration. Unlike the carboxyl terminus of IVC, that of IVB was resistant to the major venom protease. These results show enzymatic activities in A. aperta venom being used in an unprecedented strategy for coproduction of necessary neurotoxins that possess enhanced stability and potency.

CP-96,345, a nonpeptide substance P antagonist, is selective for the tachykinin NK1 receptor. The compound binds to a single population of sites in guinea pig brain and potently inhibits substance P-induced excitation of locus ceruleus neurons. CP-96,345 should be a useful tool for studying the action of substance P in the central nervous system.

Serum prostaglandin E (PGE) levels were measured in rats immediately following electrical stimulation of the mesencephalic periaqueductal gray (PAG) region and the nucleus raphe magnus (NRM) and compared to controls. An additional group received aspirin prior to PAG stimulation. A significant increase in serum PGE levels was found after stimulation of the PAG, but not the NRM. Aspirin inhibited the stimulation-induced increases in PGE.

We examined the effect of small orally administered doses of prostaglandin E2 (0.5 and 1.0 mg) on human peripheral blood leukocyte function. Plasma levels of 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-prostaglandin E2 peaked at 1 hour and returned to baseline at 3 to 4 hours. Adherence of lymphocytes to virus-infected cells was increased significantly 5 hours after ingestion of prostaglandin E2. Increases in adherence were similar to those found when lymphocytes were incubated in vitro with 10(-10) mol/L prostaglandin E2. Thus, this cell-cell interaction is very sensitive to prostaglandin E. Orally administered doses of prostaglandin E2 had only marginal effects on other leukocyte functions (active and total E-rosette formation, lymphocyte proliferation response to mitogen, and monocyte natural cytotoxicity) that are far less sensitive to prostaglandin E in vitro. Prostaglandin E2 clearly has the capacity to influence lymphocyte function when administered orally to normal humans.

Rats born to dams fed either a 6% (malnourished) or a 25% (control) casein diet during gestation and lactation and maintained on the diet of the dam after weaning were tested for electrographic and behavioral responses to electrically induced kindling of the CA1 field of the hippocampus beginning at 44 days of age. Animals in the 6% diet group had a significantly lower threshold to afterdischarge (AD), a significantly faster spread of AD activity to distal recording sites, significantly longer average duration of AD activity at all recording sites and a markedly altered behavioral progression toward seizure activity compared to control animals. These findings indicate that prenatal protein malnutrition results in hippocampal dysfunction as evidenced by both the electrographic and behavioral correlates of the kindling process. The data presented suggest that prenatal proteins malnutrition alters the response of hippocampal CA1 pyramids to electrical stimulation and that this alteration results in marked changes to both the electrographic and behavioral correlates of kindling.

In these studies, power spectral analysis techniques were utilized to quantify changes in the cortical and hippocampal EEG obtained from rats reared on either an 8% or 25% casein diet as they mature from 14 to 22 days of age. Analyses of the power spectral data obtained from the frontal cortex of rats reared on the 25% casein diet during this preweaning period (14-22 days) indicated increases in the power in the 0.5-3.5 c/sec frequency band primarily during slow-wave sleep. Prenatal protein malnutrition (8% casein diet) significantly reduced the low frequency power content in the cortical EEG obtained during slow-wave sleep at 18 and 22 days of age. Analyses of power spectral data obtained from the hippocampal EEG during REM sleep also revealed developmental and diet-related differences. The frequency at which the peak power occurs in the theta band (4-11 c/sec) was found to increase normally in a linear fashion from 14 to 22 days of age (from 4.4 to 5.5 c/sec) in rats reared on the 25% casein diet. In addition, power in the 4-7 c/sec band significantly increased during this preweaning period. Prenatal protein malnutrition significantly slowed the development of theta frequency and produced higher values of power in the component of theta rhythm. Finally, vigilance profiles showed that rats normally progress from 14 days of age when REM sleep dominates their vigilance profile, to 22 days of age when they spend significantly more time in slow-wave sleep. Prenatal protein malnutrition retards this normal developmental sequence by significantly reducing the REM sleep time at 14 and 18 days of age and increasing the time spend in aroused waking at both these ages. However, at the time of weaning, i.e., at 22 days of age, these differences in sleep-waking behavior were no longer observed to be significant.

Prostaglandin synthetase contains both oxygenase and peroxidase activity and catalyzes the first step of prostaglandin synthesis. Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) inhibits oxygenase activity by acetylating a serine residue of the enzyme. In the current study, we have investigated the subunit structure of this complex enzyme and the stoichiometry of aspirin-mediated acetylation of the enzyme. The enzyme was purified to near homogeneity in both active and aspirin-acetylated forms. The purified protein was analyzed for enzymatic activity, [3H]acetate content following treatment with [acetyl-3H]aspirin, NH2-terminal sequence, and amino acid composition. The results show first, that the enzyme can be purified to near homogeneity in an active form; second, that the enzyme consists of a single polypeptide chain (molecular weight 72,000 by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) with a unique NH2-terminal sequence (Ala-Asp-Pro-Gly-Ala-Pro-Ala-Pro-Val-Asn-Pro-Met-Gly-); and third, that aspirin inhibits the enzyme by transfer of one acetate per enzyme monomer. Therefore, the two distinct enzymatic activities, oxygenation and peroxidation, are present in a single polypeptide chain. Experiments with a cross-linking agent indicate that in nonionic detergent the enzyme is a dimer of two identical subunits.

Power spectral measures of the EEG obtained from the frontal cortex and hippocampal formation during different vigilance states in the developing rat have been computed and compared. The most significant ontogenetic changes were observed in the hippocampal power spectra obtained during the vigilance state of REM sleep. These spectral analyses have revealed in the hippocampus: (1) a significant increase in the frequency at which the peak power occurs in the theta-frequency (4-11 Hz) band from 14 to 45 days of age; (2) a decrease in the quality factor of the peak from 14 to 45 days of age; (3) a decrease in the relative power co-ordinate for the center of spectral mass associated with the 0-4-Hz frequency band coupled with an increase in the frequency coordinate of the 4-11-Hz frequency band from 14 to 45 days of age, and; (4) a significant decrease in the average percent relative power associated with the 0-4-Hz frequency band from 14 to 22 days of age. For the EEG obtained from the frontal cortex, the major findings of note were: (1) a dominant contribution of relative power in the 0-4-Hz frequency band which was observed at every age and during every vigilance state tested, and; (2) a significant increase in the average percent relative power associated with this band at 18, 22, and 45 days of age. The results of this study provide a quantitative description of the electroencephalographic (EEG) ontogeny of the hippocampal formation and the frontal cortex in the rat. These ontogenetic changes in EEG activity relate closely to development of the internal circuitry and synaptic maturation in the hippocampal formation and frontal cortex.

Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) inhibits prostaglandin synthesis by acetylating an active site portion of the enzyme, prostaglandin synthetase. In the current study, the site of acetylation has been demonstrated to be a seryl residue at the NH2 terminus of the enzyme. Purified [3H]acetyl enzyme was prepared from seminal vesicle homogenates treated with [acetyl-3H]aspirin. The [3H]acetate to protein bond was stable to hydroxylamine, indicating an N-acetyl linkage. The [3H]acetyl enzyme was fragmented sequentially with cyanogen bromide, trypsin, and pronase. The 3H material isolated from the pronase digest was identified as N-acetylserine. This finding indicates that the oxygenase portion of prostaglandin synthetase has an NH2-terminal serine which is involved in enzymatic activity and is susceptible to acetylation by aspirin.