Zn deficiency-related changes in structural, carbohydrate and fatty acid-related proteins may be disadvantageous for maintaining vascular health and are consistent with a protective role for zinc in the development of atherosclerosis.”
“The glutamate transporter GLT-1 is primarily responsible for glutamate clearance in the spinal cord. beta-Lactam antibiotics have been shown to attenuate neuropathic pain behaviors by promoting GLT-1 expression and function in the CNS. The present

study tested selleck products the hypothesis that ceftriaxone, a prototype beta-lactam antibiotic, can prevent the development of opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH) in mice. Repeated morphine administration produced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia, signs of OIH, and reduced spinal GLT-1 expression in mice. Ceftriaxone (200 mg/kg/d, i.p., for 7 d) inhibited OIH. Correlating with the behavioral effects, ceftriaxone reversed downregulation of GLT-1

expression that was induced by OIH. These results suggest that ceftriaxone inhibited the development of OIH by up-regulating spinal GLT-1 expression. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights selleck reserved.”
“Human norovirus (hNoV) remains refractory to propagation in cell culture systems. We believe that knowing the exact cell type that hNoV targets will provide important insights into culturing the virus. By the use of an in vitro whole-virus binding assay, the hNoV genogroup II genotype 4 Sakai variant was found to bind predominantly to cells of the lamina propria and Brunner’s glands, but not to those of the luminal epithelial surface, of human duodenum tissue. Our findings, together with accumulating Ispinesib manufacturer evidence reported elsewhere, suggest that hNoV may display tropism to nonepithelial cells, which is distinct from observations of other human enteric pathogens.”
“The phylum Nematoda is biologically diverse; it includes parasites of plants and animals in addition to free-living taxa. To date, the genomes of six nematodes have been sequenced. Comparative analyses of these ecologically diverse nematodes are beginning to reveal the

mechanisms by which parasites arise and how they evolve. Here, we discuss some emerging principles for the mechanisms and evolution of parasitism. First, horizontal gene transfer represents a common theme in nematode parasites. Second, the human parasite Brugia malayi lost otherwise essential genes most probably owing to the mutualistic relationship with a bacterial endosymbiont. Finally, some parasitic features evolved under free-living conditions. A recent study revealed a conserved endocrine mechanism controlling the formation of dauer and infective larvae in nematodes.”
“To identify potential oncofetal biomarkers that distinguish hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from healthy liver tissues, we compared and analyzed the proteomic profiles of mouse livers at different developmental stages. Fetal (E13.5, E16.