Search

Using a novel set of 12 microsatellites, a captive, adult female swellshark Cephaloscyllium ventriosum that produced five pups via parthenogenesis is described; naturally occurring parthenogenesis has been observed in every vertebrate class with the exception of mammals. As demonstrated in this study, a captive environment is ideal for long-term monitoring of animals under controlled conditions, and easily allows the detection of particular facets of their biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decisions of the Twenty-seventh CPSU Congress and the January and June 1987 plenums of the CPSU Central Committee present the system of public education and pedagogical science with complicated and responsible tasks relating to preparing the rising generations for life and labor under conditions of accelerated social-economic and scientific-technological progress, the enhanced role of the human factor, and the ac-tivization of the vital creativity of the masses in all spheres of social life. Pedagogical science is called upon to anticipate and react to social needs as necessary, and to provide a scientific foundation for the integral process of the communist upbringing and education of young people and all the working people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel Ce(III) complex with the triazole ligand 2b, which presents four H-bonded sites with amino acids of the MMP-2 receptor, was synthesized. The experimental IR and Raman spectra of this Ce(III) complex were well-interpreted based on their comparison to the theoretical scaled spectra using the scaling equations determined by two procedures and four density functional theory (DFT) levels. Therefore, the structure predicted for the synthesized Ce(III) complex was clearly characterized and confirmed. The potential antioxidant action of this complex was compared with the analogous La(III) complex, and it was found that the coordination of ligand 2b with Ce(III) improves the ligand's ability to participate in single-electron transfer (SET), as observed in the ABTS ·+ assay, and this complex seems to scavenge the stable radical much more actively compared to its La(III) counterpart. Additionally, interactions with potassium superoxide and sodium hypochlorite indicate a high pro-oxidant behavior of the complex. The effects of different ligands on the geometric parameters, atomic charges, and molecular properties of the Ce(III) complex were analyzed at four DFT levels, and several relationships were clearly established. These relationships can facilitate the selection of new ligands with improved properties in the design of novel lanthanide-triazole carboxylate complexes with promising biological activity. The ligand size increase in the complexes facilitates the electronic transfer of negative charge, and the low HOMO (highest occupied molecular orbital)-LUMO (lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) energy gap indicates a large reactivity and low energy for their excitation., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Palafox, Belskaya, Todorov, Hristova-Avakumova and Kostova.)

The emergence of drug-resistant bacterial and fungal pathogens has highlighted the urgent need of innovative antimicrobial therapeutics. Transition metal complexes with biologically active ligands (coumarins, terpyridines, triazoles, uracils, etc.) have long been investigated for antimicrobial activity. 1,2,3-Triazoles and their molecular derivatives are well known for a plethora of physiological activities, including antibacterial and antifungal. The aim of the present mini-review is to inform the reader about research conducted on potential antimicrobial 1,2,3-triazole complexes with transition metals. What the authors find surprising is how little such research and experimentation has actually been performed and reported in scientific literature. The goal is to highlight research efforts up to now and impress upon the reader the vast perspectives for novel, effective medicinal substances hidden in this yet unexplored field., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Todorov and Kostova.)

Ubiquitously present in plant life, coumarins, as a class of phenolic compounds, have multiple applications-in everyday life, in organic synthesis, in medicine and many others. Coumarins are well known for their broad spectrum of physiological effects. The specific structure of the coumarin scaffold involves a conjugated system with excellent charge and electron transport properties. The antioxidant activity of natural coumarins has been a subject of intense study for at least two decades. Significant research into the antioxidant behavior of natural/semi-synthetic coumarins and their complexes has been carried out and published in scientific literature. The authors of this review have noted that, during the past five years, research efforts seem to have been focused on the synthesis and examination of synthetic coumarin derivatives with the aim to produce potential drugs with enhanced, modified or entirely novel effects. As many pathologies are associated with oxidative stress, coumarin-based compounds could be excellent candidates for novel medicinal molecules. The present review aims to inform the reader on some prominent results from investigations into the antioxidant properties of novel coumarin compounds over the past five years.

Since the accidental discovery of the anticancer properties of cisplatin more than half a century ago, significant efforts by the broad scientific community have been and are currently being invested into the search for metal complexes with antitumor activity. Coordination compounds of transition metals such as platinum (Pt), ruthenium (Ru) and gold (Au) have proven their effectiveness as diagnostic and/or antiproliferative agents. In recent years, experimental work on the potential applications of elements including lanthanum (La) and the post-transition metal gallium (Ga) in the field of oncology has been gaining traction. The authors of the present review article aim to help the reader "catch up" with some of the latest developments in the vast subject of coordination compounds in oncology. Herewith is offered a review of the published scientific literature on anticancer coordination compounds of Pt, Ru, Au, Ga and La that has been released over the past three years with the hope readers find the following article informative and helpful.

Introduction: Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer type worldwide. Fluoropyrimidines and their prodrug-based regimens are widely applied as primary medications. The main enzyme responsible for the rate-limiting step in pyrimidine and for the 5-fluorouracil catabolism is dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD)., Aim: We aimed to screen DPD level and the changes of plasma antioxidant capacity of colorectal cancer patients on 5-fluorouracil regimen., Materials and Methods: Human DPD Elisa Kit based on sandwich enzyme-linked immune-sorbent assay and spectrophotometric methods (FRAP and ABTS) were used in the study., Results: No statistically significant changes in plasma scavenging activity according to the results obtained in the ABTS system have been observed after evaluating all patients and considering DPD concentration. A decrease of the ferric reducing ability of patients' plasma taken after the administered treatment was found. The increase of DPD level is accompanied by a decrease in the p values and therefore the statistical significance of the differences increases., Conclusions: Based on the aforementioned observations, it could be concluded that some aspects of plasma antioxidant capacity and individuals' antioxidant status might be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease and could be altered by the activity of some enzymes. The cancer therapy in question, by the specificity of its mechanism of action, can modify patient's oxidative status., (This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The superoxide radical ion is involved in numerous physiological processes, associated with both health and pathology. Its participation in cancer onset and progression is well documented. Lanthanum(III) and gallium(III) are cations that are known to possess anticancer properties. Their coordination complexes are being investigated by the scientific community in the search for novel oncological disease remedies. Their complexes with 5-aminoorotic acid suppress superoxide, derived enzymatically from xanthine/xanthine oxidase (X/XO). It seems that they, to differing extents, impact the enzyme, or the substrate, or both. The present study closely examines their chemical structure by way of modern methods-IR, Raman, and 1 H NMR spectroscopy. Their superoxide-scavenging behavior in the presence of a non-enzymatic source (potassium superoxide) is compared to that in the presence of an enzymatic source (X/XO). Enzymatic activity of XO, defined in terms of the production of uric acid, seems to be impacted by both complexes and the pure ligand in a concentration-dependent manner. In order to better relate the compounds' chemical characteristics to XO inhibition, they were docked in silico to XO. A molecular docking assay provided further proof that 5-aminoorotic acid and its complexes with lanthanum(III) and gallium(III) very probably suppress superoxide production via XO inhibition.

Increased levels of the superoxide radical are associated with oxidative damage to healthy tissues and with elimination of malignant cells in a living body. It is desirable that a chemotherapeutic combines pro-oxidant behavior around and inside tumors with antioxidant action near healthy cells. A complex consisting of a pro-oxidant cation and antioxidant ligands could be a potential anticancer agent. Ga(III) salts are known anticancer substances, and 5-aminoorotic acid (HAOA) is a ligand with antioxidant properties. The in vitro effects of HAOA and its complex with Ga(III) (gallium(III) 5-aminoorotate (GaAOA)) on the in vitro accumulation of superoxide and other free radicals were estimated. Model systems such as potassium superoxide (KO 2 ), xanthine/xanthine oxidase (X/XO), and rat blood serum were utilized. Data suggested better antioxidant effect of GaAOA compared to HAOA. Evidently, all three ligands of GaAOA participated in the scavenging of superoxide. The effects in rat blood serum were more nuanced, considering the chemical and biochemical complexity of this model system. It was observed that the free-radical-scavenging action of both compounds investigated may be manifested via both hydrogen donation and electron transfer pathways. It was proposed that the radical-scavenging activities (RSAs) of HAOA and its complex with Ga(III) may be due to a complex process, depending on the concentration, and on the environment, nature, and size of the free radical. The electron transfer pathway was considered as more probable in comparison to hydrogen donation in the scavenging of superoxide by 5-aminoorotic acid and its gallium(III) complex.

Objective: Violent suicide attempts, such as jumping from a height, frequently lead to hospitalization in general hospital with high length of stay (LOS). We investigated features associated with LOS in this context., Methods: We retrospectively included all patients admitted after suicide attempts by jumping in non-psychiatric wards of a university hospital between 2008 and 2016. Several socio-demographic and clinical data were collected, including psychiatric diagnoses, coded with the International Classification of Diseases-10th Revision. We used general linear models to identify factors associated with LOS., Results: Among 225 patients (125 men; mean age ± sd: 37.5 ± 15.4 years), several clinical factors were independently associated with a longer LOS: number of injuries (β = 8.2 p < .001), external fixator (β = 18.1 p = .01), psychotic disorder (β = 14.6 p = .02) and delirium (β = 16.6 p = .005). Admission in psychiatric ward at discharge tended to be associated with lower LOS (β = -15.3 p = .07)., Conclusion: In patients admitted in non-psychiatric wards after suicide attempt by jumping, the presence of a psychotic disorder may increase LOS by several days, and indirectly costs of hospitalization, to a similar extent of non-psychiatric factors. The association of transfer in psychiatric ward with lower LOS suggests that the psychiatric disorder might interfere with medical care., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The role metals play in living organisms is well established and subject to extensive research. Some of them participate in electron-exchange reactions. Such reactions cause generation of free radicals that can adversely impact biological systems, as a result of oxidative stress. The impact of 'non-biological' metals on oxidative stress is also a worthy pursuit due to the crucial role they play in modern civilization. Lanthanides (Ln) are widely used in modern technology. As a result, human exposure to them is increasing. They have a number of established medical applications and are being extensively researched for their potential antiviral, anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. The present review focuses on lanthanum (La) and its impact on oxidative stress. Another metal, widely used in modern high-tech is gallium (Ga). In some respects, it shows certain similarities to La, therefore it is a subject of the present review as well. Both metals exhibit ionic mimicry which allows them to specifically target malignant cells, initiating apoptosis that makes their simple salts and coordination complexes promising candidates for future anticancer agents., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Introduction: The main objective of the study was to explore the factorial structure of the French version of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief (SPQ-B) in a Likert format, in a representative sample of the general population. In addition, differences in the dimensional scores of schizotypy according to gender and age were analyzed. As the study in the general population of schizotypal traits and its determinants has been recently proposed as a way toward the understanding of aetiology and pathophysiology of schizophrenia, consistent self-report tools are crucial to measure psychometric schizotypy. A shorter version of the widely used Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ-Brief) has been extensively investigated in different countries, particularly in samples of students or clinical adolescents, and more recently, a few studies used a Likert-type scale format which allows partial endorsement of items and reduces the risk of defensive answers., Method: A sample of 233 subjects representative of the adult population from an urban area near Paris (Créteil) was recruited using the "itinerary method". They completed the French version of the SPQ-B with a 5-point Likert-type response format (1=completely disagree; 5=completely agree). We examined the dimensional structure of the French version of the SPQ-B with a Principal Components Analysis (PCA) followed by a promax rotation. Factor selection was based on Eigenvalues over 1.0 (Kaiser's criterion), Cattell's Scree-plot test, and interpretability of the factors. Items with loadings greater than 0.4 were retained for each dimension. The internal consistency estimate of the dimensions was calculated with Cronbach's α. In order to study the influence of age and gender, we carried out a simple linear regression with the subscales as dependent variables., Results: Our sample was composed of 131 women (mean age=52.5±18.2 years) and 102 men (mean age=53±18.1 years). SPQ-B Likert total scores ranged from 22 to 84 points (mean=43.6±13). Factor analysis resulted in a 3-factor solution that explained 47.7% of the variance. Factor 1 (disorganized; 10 items) included items related to "odd behavior", "odd speech", as well as "social anxiety", one item of "constricted affect" and one item of "ideas of reference". Factor 2 (interpersonal; 7 items) included items related to "no close friends", "constricted affect", and three of the items of "suspiciousness". Factor 3 (cognitive-perceptual; 5 items) included items related to "ideas of reference", "magical thinking", "unusual perceptual experiences" and one item of "suspiciousness". Coefficient α for the three subscales and total scale were respectively 0.81, 0.81, 0.77 and 0.88. We found no differences in total schizotypy and the three dimensions scores according to age and sex., Conclusion: Factor analysis of the French version of the SPQ-B in a Likert format confirmed the three-factor structure of schizotypy. We found a pure cognitive perceptual dimension including the most representative positive features. As expected, "Suspiciousness" subscale is included in both positive and negative dimensions, but mainly in the negative dimension. Surprisingly, "social anxiety" subscale is included in the disorganized dimension in our analysis. The SPQ-B in a Likert format demonstrated good internal reliability for both total and subscales scores. Unlike previous published results, we did not find any influence of age or gender on schizotypal dimensions., (Copyright © 2016 L'Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background. The hanging drop (HD) technique presumably relies on the presence of subatmospheric epidural pressure. It is not clear whether this negative pressure is intrinsic or an artifact and how it is affected by body position. There are few data to indicate how often HD is currently being used. Methods. We identified studies that measured subatmospheric pressures and looked at the effect of the sitting position. We also looked at the technique used for cervical and thoracic epidural anesthesia in the last 10 years. Results. Intrinsic subatmospheric pressures were measured in the thoracic and cervical spine. Three trials studied the effect of body position, indicating a higher incidence of subatmospheric pressures when sitting. The results show lower epidural pressure (-10.7 mmHg) with the sitting position. 28.8% of trials of cervical and thoracic epidural anesthesia that documented the technique used, utilized the HD technique. When adjusting for possible bias, the rate of HD use can be as low as 11.7%. Conclusions. Intrinsic negative pressure might be present in the cervical and thoracic epidural space. This effect is more pronounced when sitting. This position might be preferable when using HD. Future studies are needed to compare it with the loss of resistance technique.

Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) can present with a headache similar to that after a dural puncture. We report on a patient who developed postural headache after epidural anesthesia for delivery. The headache became more intense during the following 6 days, and the patient had a tonic clonic seizure. A magnetic resonance angiogram demonstrated CSVT, and anticoagulation therapy was started, with resolution of the symptoms over 2 wk. Any postdural-puncture headache that loses its positional character, becomes persistent, or does not improve with a properly performed blood patch should raise the suspicion of CVST.

This study examines the role of prejunctional and postjunctional beta-adrenoceptors in the modulation of sympathetic cotransmission in the guinea pig vas deferens. The prejunctional involvement of beta-adrenoceptors was evaluated by testing the effects of several agonists and antagonists on the nerve stimulation-evoked overflow of ATP and norepinephrine (NE) from the "in vitro" vas deferens. The nonsubtype-selective beta-adrenoceptor agonist isoproterenol and the beta2-subtype-selective agonist clenbuterol increased, to a similar degree, the overflow of ATP and NE, while the beta1-subtype-selective agonist xamoterol and the beta3-subtype-selective agonist BRL 37 344 had no effect. Pretreatment with ICI 118, 551, a beta2-subtype-selective antagonist, abolished the facilitation of cotransmitter release by isoproterenol and clenbuterol, while the beta1-subtype-selective antagonist atenolol had no effect. Activation of beta-adrenoceptors by either isoproterenol or clenbuterol, but not by xamoterol and BRL 37 344, reduced the amplitude of contractions evoked by exogenously applied ATP. Pretreatment with propranolol or ICI 118, 551, but not atenolol, prevented these inhibitory effects. Isoproterenol in lower concentrations produced dose-dependent reduction of the purinergic but not the adrenergic phase of nerve stimulation-induced contraction of the guinea pig vas deferens. When applied in concentrations greater than 1 microM, isoproterenol, but not clenbuterol, actually produced a concentration-dependent facilitation of contractions evoked by both nerve stimulation and exogenously applied ATP. Antagonists of alpha-adrenoceptors blocked these facilitatory effects. Together, these results demonstrate that beta2-adrenoceptors can influence sympathetic neuroeffector transmission both prejunctionally, where they facilitate equally well the release of sympathetic cotransmitters and postjunctionally, where they inhibit smooth muscle contractions evoked by ATP.

Recently, we have shown that by releasing specific nucleotidases the sympathetic nerves of the guinea pig vas deferens may regulate the metabolism of extracellular adenine nucleotides and consequently, the inactivation of neurotransmitter ATP. Based on the evidence for tetrodotoxin sensitivity and calcium dependence of the nerve stimulation-evoked overflow of enzyme activity, we have suggested that soluble nucleotidases may be stored in synaptic vesicles within the sympathetic nerves and released upon arrival of nerve action potentials by a mechanism similar to that for release of neurotransmitters. To further test this hypothesis we studied the time course of nerve stimulation-evoked overflow of ATP, norepinephrine (NE), releasable ATPase (r-ATPase) activity, and releasable AMPase (r-AMPase) activity under control conditions and in the presence of drugs known to selectively modulate sympathetic neurotransmission. The results show that the time course of overflow of r-ATPase and r-AMPase activities resembles the transient pattern of overflow of ATP but not the tonic pattern of overflow of NE. Vasa deferentia dissected from animals treated with reserpine release ATP, r-ATPase, and r-AMPase, whereas the overflow of NE is completely abolished. Guanethidine, on the other hand, inhibits equally well the overflow of the two neurotransmitters and the releasable nucleotidase activities. Agonists of the alpha(2)-adrenergic receptors abolish the overflow of ATP, r- ATPase, and r-AMPase but not the overflow of NE. This evidence supports the idea that the sympathetic nerves of the guinea pig vas deferens store and release ATP together with specific nucleotidases responsible for the inactivation of this neurotransmitter.

Recent reports have suggested that sympathetic nerves may store separately and release independently the cotransmitters ATP and norepinephrine (NE). It is conceivable therefore that the quantity of each neurotransmitter that is released from the nerves is not fixed but rather may vary, possibly with the frequency of stimulation. To test this hypothesis we studied the concomitant release at various frequencies and cooperative postjunctional actions of ATP and NE during the first 10 s of electrical field stimulation of the guinea pig vas deferens. We found that at lower frequencies (8 Hz), prejunctional inhibition of the release of NE, which occurs via alpha2-adrenoceptors, modulates the ultimate composition of the cocktail of cotransmitters by limiting the amount of NE that is coreleased with ATP. As the frequency of stimulation increases (above 8 Hz), the autoinhibition of the release of NE is overridden and the amount of NE relative to ATP increases. The smooth muscle of the guinea pig vas deferens reacts to changes in composition of the sympathetic neurochemical messages by increasing the amplitude of its contractions due to the enhancement by NE of the contractile responses triggered by ATP. This evidence suggests that the prejunctional alpha2-adrenoceptor may function as a sensor that "reads" the frequency of action potentials produced during a burst of neuronal activity and converts that information into discrete neurochemical messages with varying proportions of cotransmitters. The mechanism for decoding the informational content of these messages is based on the cooperative postjunctional interactions of the participating cotransmitters.