HCV-induced miR146a controls SOCS1/STAT3 and cytokine expression in monocytes to promote regulatory T-cell development.

Host innate and adaptive immune responses must be tightly regulated by an intricate balance between positive and negative signals to ensure their appropriate onset and termination while fighting pathogens and avoiding autoimmunity; persistent pathogens may usurp these regulatory machineries to dampen host immune responses for their persistence in vivo. Here, we demonstrate that miR146a is up-regulated in monocytes from hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected individuals compared to control subjects. Interestingly, miR146a expression in monocytes without HCV infection increased, whereas its level in monocytes with HCV infection decreased, following Toll-like receptor (TLR) stimulation. This miR146a induction by HCV infection and differential response to TLR stimulation were recapitulated in vitro in monocytes co-cultured with hepatocytes with or without HCV infection. Importantly, inhibition of miR146a in monocytes from HCV-infected patients led to a decrease in IL-23, IL-10 and TGF-ß expressions through the induction of suppressor of cytokine signalling 1 (SOCS1) and the inhibition of signal transducer and activator transcription 3 (STAT3), and this subsequently resulted in a decrease in regulatory T cells (Tregs) accumulated during HCV infection. These results suggest that miR146a may regulate SOCS1/STAT3 and cytokine signalling in monocytes, directing T-cell differentiation and balancing immune clearance and immune injury during chronic viral infection.

Characterization of a ts-1-like Mycoplasma galisepticum isolate from commercial broiler chickens.

Several commercial broiler flocks in northeastern Georgia that were the progeny of the same parent flock (Flock 40) were diagnosed as Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) positive by serology, culture, and PCR. Flock 40 had been vaccinated with ts-11 live MG vaccine. Several isolates were obtained from the MG-positive broiler flocks, and these isolates were indistinguishable from the ts-11 vaccine strain by the molecular strain differentiation methods used. A pathogenicity study was performed to compare the virulence of one of the isolates, K6216D, to the ts-11 vaccine strain. K6216D elicited a significantly stronger antibody response and significantly increased colonization of the tracheas and air sacs. K6216D also elicited significantly greater air sac and tracheal lesions than the ts-11 vaccine strain at 10 and 21 days postinoculation (P < or = 0.05). This is the first report of a field case of the apparent reversion to virulence and vertical transmission of the ts-11 vaccine.

Poultry Professionals' Perception of Participation in Voluntary Disease Mapping and Monitoring Programs in the United States: A Cluster Analysis.

The development and implementation of disease mapping and monitoring programs can be useful tools for rapid communication and control of endemic and epidemic infectious diseases affecting the food animal industry. Commercial livestock producers have traditionally been reluctant to share information related to animal health, challenging the large-scale implementation of such monitoring and mapping programs. The main objective of this study was to assess the perception of poultry professionals toward disease mapping and monitoring programs and to identify groups of poultry professionals with similar perceptions and attitudes toward these projects. We conducted a survey to identify the perceived risks and benefits to be able to properly address them and encourage industry participation in the future. An anonymous online survey was developed and distributed to poultry professionals through industry and professional associations. The participant's demographic information and perceptions of risk and benefits from participation on voluntary poultry disease mapping and monitoring programs were collected. Multiple correspondence analysis and hierarchical clustering on principal components were performed to identify groups of professionals with similar characteristics. A total of 63 participants from 21 states filled out the survey. The cluster analysis yielded two distinct groups of respondents, each including approximately 50% of respondents. Cluster 1 subjects could be characterized as optimistic, perceiving major benefits of sharing farm-level poultry disease information. However, they also had major concerns, mostly related to potential accidental data release and providing competitive advantages to rival companies. Cluster 2 subjects were characterized as perceiving a lesser degree of benefits from sharing farm-level poultry disease information. This second cluster mostly included production and service technicians. The roles and perceptions of risk and benefits of the participants contributed significantly to cluster assignment, while the represented commodity and geographic location in the United States did not. Successful development of voluntary poultry disease mapping and monitoring programs in the future will require that different sectors of poultry professionals be approached in different manners in order to highlight the benefits of the programs and to achieve maximum participation.

Artículo regular­Percepción de los profesionales avícolas sobre la participación en programas voluntarios de seguimiento y mapeo de enfermedades en los Estados Unidos: Análisis de conglomerados. El desarrollo y la implementación de programas de seguimiento y mapeo de enfermedades pueden ser herramientas útiles para la comunicación y el rápido control de las enfermedades infecciosas endémicas y epidémicas que afectan a la industria de los animales destinados a la producción de alimentos. Los productores de ganado comercial tradicionalmente se han mostrado renuentes a compartir información relacionada con la salud animal, desafiando la implementación a gran escala de tales programas de seguimiento y mapeo. El objetivo principal de este estudio fue evaluar la percepción de los profesionales avícolas hacia los programas de mapeo y seguimiento de enfermedades e identificar grupos de profesionales avícolas con percepciones y actitudes similares hacia los proyectos de mapeo y monitoreo. Se realizó una encuesta para identificar los riesgos y beneficios percibidos para poder abordarlos adecuadamente y fomentar la participación de la industria. Se desarrolló y distribuyó una encuesta anónima en línea entre profesionales avícolas a través de la industria y las asociaciones profesionales. Se recopiló la información demográfica de los participantes y las percepciones de los riesgos y beneficios de la participación en programas voluntarios de seguimiento y mapeo de las enfermedades avícolas. Se realizaron análisis de correspondencia múltiple y agrupamiento jerárquico de componentes principales para identificar grupos de profesionales con características similares. Un total de 63 participantes de 21 estados completaron la encuesta. El análisis de conglomerados arrojó dos grupos distintos de encuestados, cada uno con aproximadamente el 50% de los encuestados. Los sujetos del Grupo 1 podrían caracterizarse por ser optimistas y percibir los principales beneficios de compartir información sobre enfermedades de las aves de corral a nivel de granja. Sin embargo, también tenían preocupaciones importantes, principalmente relacionadas con la posible diseminación accidental de datos y la generación de ventajas de competencia para las empresas rivales. Los sujetos del Grupo 2 se caracterizaron por percibir un grado menor de beneficios al compartir información sobre enfermedades avícolas a nivel de granja. Este segundo grupo incluía principalmente a técnicos de producción y de servicio. Los roles y las percepciones de los riesgos y beneficios de los participantes contribuyeron significativamente a la asignación de grupos, mientras que el producto representado y la ubicación geográfica en los Estados Unidos no lo hicieron. Para el desarrollo exitoso de programas de seguimiento y mapeo de enfermedades de las aves comerciales en el futuro, es probable que sea necesario abordar a varios grupos de profesiones avícolas de diferentes maneras para lograr la máxima participación en el programa voluntario.

Synthesis, molecular properties and comparative docking and QSAR of new 2-(7-hydroxy-2-oxo-2H-chromen-4-yl)acetic acid derivatives as possible anticancer agents.

Novel coumarin amino acid derivatives were synthesized. The structure of synthesized compounds has established on basis of different spectral data. The optimization geometry, frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs), thermodynamic parameters and chemical reactivity, were discussed using DFT\B3LYP by 6-311G* basis set, to identify a clear view for inter and intramolecular interaction of tested compounds. The molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) has plotted to investigate a recognition manner of synthesized compounds upon COX-2 receptor. All tested compounds showed a promising (NLOs) nonlinear optical properties. Bond dissociation energy (BDE) has studied to investigate a potency of these molecules against autoxidation mechanism Polynomial molecular docking logarithms have performed into the COX-2 active site for tested compounds. The docking protocol that has low RMSD has selected for discussion the binding affinity. The compounds with a high docking score 3,4,6-8,10 and 11 were selected for additional study against ADMET insilico, which showed that these compounds are a good oral bioavailability without observed carcinogenesis affect. The compounds (3,4,6-8,10 and 11) which that passed through docking and ADMET profile have examined their potency against (MCF-7) breast cancer cell in vitro. The compound 7 showed a highest potency against MCF-7 with IC50 value 0.39 µM. The QSAR model has created to discover the structural necessity inhibition of MCF-7. The derived QSAR model has a statistically significant with a good predictive power.

Synthesis, comparative docking, and pharmacological activity of naproxen amino acid derivatives as possible anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents.

Background and aim: Naproxen is a member of the Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). This work aimed to synthesize a safe NSAID agent based on a peptide derivative. Methods: The structure of compounds 5-20 was established on the basis of spectral data. Frontier molecular orbitals and chemical reactivity were discussed to clarify inter- and intramolecular interactions among tested compounds. We applied competitive molecular docking using polynomial logarithms to identify the most accurate algorithm for pharmacological activity prediction for the tested compounds. The docking protocol with the lowest RMSD was selected for analyzing binding affinity. Results: Docking results illustrated that the binding interaction increased after introduction of an acidic fragment to the parent compound. These compounds were selected for additional study against adsorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) in silico. The compounds tested had good oral bioavailability without any carcinogenesis effect; no marked health effects were observed via rodent toxicity. Compounds passed through docking and ADMET profiles for them (5-16) were examined as anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents. Compounds 8 and 16 showed higher anti-inflammatory potency than the reference drug and tested compounds. Compounds 8, 10, and 14 exhibited the highest analgesic potency compared to the other tested compounds. Conclusion: The tested compounds have shown negligible ulcerogenic effects, and may be considered safer drugs than naproxen for treating inflammatory conditions.

Naproxenylamino acid derivatives: Design, synthesis, docking, QSAR and anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity.

This work aimed to design and synthesize a safe nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug NSAIDs agent based on Naproxen scaffold. The structure of compounds 6-21 established on the basis of different spectral data. Anti-inflammatory and analgesic profile were examined for synthesizing compounds. The compounds 6 and 17 have shown a higher anti-inflammatory potency than Naproxen. The compounds 16, 19 and 21 have exhibited the highest analgesic potency compared to other tested compounds. The synthesized compounds have shown negligible ulcerogenic effect and may be considered as safer drugs than naproxen for treating inflammatory conditions. The molecular docking against COX-2 was performed, it verified that compound 6, 17 show stronger interactions with COX-2. This may result in a better inhibitory effect on COX-2. The best generated QSAR model shows correlation between BCUT_SMR_3 and vsurf_Wp6 with biological activity. ADMET in silico showed that these compounds are a good oral bioavailability without observed carcinogenesis affect.

Shrinking pleuritis with lobar atelectasis, a morphologic variant of "round atelectasis".

Round atelectasis (shrinking pleuritis) is typically a localized process characterized by focal pleural scarring and subjacent peripheral atelectasis. We report three patients, studied at autopsy, with an unusual variant of round atelectasis, termed shrinking pleuritis with lobar atelectasis, which is characterized by lobar atelectasis, visceral pleural fibrosis involving multiple lobes, interlobar fibrous cords, pleural effusion, and nonspecific, persistent infiltrates on chest radiogram. The possible causes of shrinking pleuritis with lobar atelectasis in our patients were multiple and included environmental dust exposure, infection, uremia, and recurrent pleural effusions. Our findings support both the folding (pleural effusion) and fibrosing (pleural injury) theories of pathogenesis of round atelectasis and emphasize the spectrum of morphologic variability in this condition.

Antiproliferative activity of novel thiophene and thienopyrimidine derivatives.

A novel series of newly synthesized thiophene derivatives, ethyl-4,5-dimethyl-2-(3-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)thioureido)thiophene-3-carboxylate 3, ethyl-2-[(2-(dimethylamino)ethoxy)mercapto)methyleneamino)]-4,5-dimethyl-thiophene-3-carboxylate 9, thienopyrimidines 4, 7, 10-20, triazolothienopyrimidines 5, 6 were prepared and tested for their antiproliferative activity. The structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed on the basis of elemental analysis, IR, (1)H-NMR, (13)C-NMR and mass spectral data. The results showed that the synthesized compounds were more active on breast cancer than on colon cancer cell lines and the most potent compounds in this study are compounds 3 and 13 which exerted remarkable activity against MDA-MB-231 (breast cancer) and HT-29 (colon cancer) cell lines with IC50 values (40.68, 49.22 µM) for compound 3 and (34.04, 45.62 µM) for compound 13. Also, compounds 4-6, 9 showed a moderate activity against breast cancer cell line, while compounds 15, 19 and 20 showed no activity.

Anticancer activity of novel thiophenes containing a biological active diphenylsulfone, diazepin, piperidine, oxazepine, acryladehyde and sulfonamide moieties.

A variety of thiophene derivatives bearing diphenylsulfone 3,4, diazepines 5b, 6b, phenylamino 7, piperidine 8, benzylpiperidine 9, oxazepines 10b, 11b, acrylaldehydes 12-14 and benzeonesulfanamide 15 were synthesized. some newly synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxic activity against human tumor breast cancer cell lines. The tested compounds showed moderate to good cytotoxic activity and indeed, some of them were more potent than doxorubicin as a reference drug.

Novel pyrazole derivatives as anticancer and radiosensitizing agents.

The present article describes the synthesis of some novel pyrrole, pyrazolo[4,3-d]oxazole, pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridine, 1,2,3-triazole and oxoazetidin derivatives incorporating pyrazole moiety, the structures of which were confirmed by elemental analyses and spectral data. All the target compounds were subjected to in-vitro antitumor activity against liver and colon human tumor cell lines (HEPG2 and HCT), furthermore, the most potent compounds were evaluated for their ability to enhance the cell killing effect of γ-radiation (radiosensitizing evaluation). The results of in-vitro anticancer evaluation showed that compounds 3 and 16a were the most potent compounds on HEPG2 (IC50=2.6 and 4.2 µg/ml) and compounds 2 and 10 were the most potent on HCT (IC50=2.7 and 3.9 µg/ml) compared to vinblastine (IC50=4.6 on HEPG2 and 2.6 µg/ml on HCT), while, the activity of the most potent compounds increased after combination with γ-radiation and they showed no toxicity on normal hepatocytes and colon cells at their effective concentrations.

Synthesis, in-vitro anticancer screening and radiosensitizing evaluation of some new N-(quinoxalin-2-yl)benzenesulfonamide derivatives.

The objective of this work is to synthesize and investigate the anticancer activity of a new series of sulfaquinoxaline derivatives by incorporating biologically active moieties (thiourethane, thiazole, imidazole, imidazopyrimidine, imidazopyrimido-pyrimidine, thienopyrimidine, benzopyrimidinone, benzothiazole, thiazole and pyridine moieties). All the newly synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in-vitro anticancer activity against human liver cell line (HEPG2). All the tested compounds showed comparable activity to that of the reference drug 5-fluorouracil (IC50=40 µM), and the most potent compounds were found to be compounds 4 and 17 (IC50=4.29 and 11.27 µM, respectively). On the other hand, the most potent compounds 4 and 17 were evaluated as radiosensitizing agents.

Synthesis, anticancer activity and radiosensitizing evaluation of some new 2-pyridone derivatives.

Based on the reported anticancer activity of 2-pyridone, a new series of 6-amino-5-cyano-1-(3-ethylphenyl)-2-oxo-4-substituted-1,2-dihydropyridine-3-carbo-nitriles 4a-p were synthesized and tested for in-vitro anticancer activity against Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma (EAC) cell line and liver human tumor cell line (HEPG2). Radiosensitizing activity was also evaluated. The starting material 2-cyano-N-(3-ethylphenyl)-acetamide 3 was obtained via reaction of 3-ethyl aniline 1 with ethyl cyanoacetate under condition of fusion. Upon treatment of compound 3 with aromatic aldehyde and malononitrile in the presence of catalytic amount of piperidine yielded the corresponding 1,2-dihydropyridine derivative 4a-p. Also chromenes 5 and 6 were obtained in good yield via reaction of compound 3 with salicyladehyde under different condition. The chromene derivatives 5 and 6 were further reacted with malononitrile in NH4OAc, afford the corresponding chromenopyridones 7 and 8. The structures of the synthesized compounds 3-8 were confirmed by analytical and spectral data. Compounds 4d, 4e, 5 and 6 showed higher anticancer activity against EAC cell line with IC50 values (75.32, 20.77, 73.1 and 67.05 µM) compared to doxorubicin as positive control with IC50 value (68.13 µM), moreover, these compounds showed potent activity on HEPG2 cell line with IC50 values (26.5, 19.2, 39.3, 44.9 µM), respectively, compared to doxorubicin (CAS 29042-30-6) (38.46 µM) and their activity increased synergistically when combined with γ-radiation.

Thymoquinone suppressses in vitro production of IL-5 and IL-13 by mast cells in response to lipopolysaccharide stimulation.

OBJECTIVE: Activated mast cells produce Th2 cytokines that regulate allergic inflammation. We have previously shown that thymoquinone (TQ) attenuated airway inflammation in a mouse model of allergic airway inflammation. The present study investigated whether TQ affects Th2 cytokine response in vitro in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated rat mast cells, RBL-2H3. MATERIALS AND METHODS: RBL-2H3 cells were stimulated for 12 h with 0.1 microg/ml LPS in the presence or absence of 10 microM TQ. Th2 cytokine production was measured in the culture supernatants by ELISA. The mRNA expression of IL-5, IL- 13 and GATA transcription factors was determined by RT-PCR. The expression of the transcription proteins c-Fos, c- Jun and phospho-c-Jun were determined by western blotting. The in vivo binding of GATA, AP-1 and NF-AT transcription factors to IL-5 promoter was assessed by chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis. RESULTS: TQ significantly (p <0.05) inhibited LPS-induced IL-5 and IL-13 mRNA expression and protein production. However, TQ did not affect IL-10 production. GATA transcription factors are involved in the transcription of IL-5 and IL-13. TQ had no effect on the expression of AP-1 protein subunits, c-Jun and c-Fos, but markedly reduced the transcription of GATA-1 and -2 genes. Chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed that GATA, AP-1 and NF-AT binding to IL-5 promoter was induced by LPS stimulation and that TQ inhibited GATA binding at the IL-5 promoter but did not affect AP-1 and NF-AT binding. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that TQ inhibits LPS-induced proinflammatory cytokine production in RBL-2H3 cells by blocking GATA transcription factor expression and promoter binding which demonstrates the anti-inflammatory effect of TQ.

HMGB1 modulates inflammatory responses in LPS-activated macrophages.

OBJECTIVE: As a late mediator of inflammation, high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) amplifies the inflammatory responses to tissue injury and infection by inducing and extending the production of proinflammaory cytokines. The aim was to investigate whether HMGB1 mediates such effects by affecting the production of anti-inflammatory mediators. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells were stimulated with 0.5 microg/ml of LPS and the levels of HMGB1, TNFalpha, IL-1beta, IL-10 and TGF-beta1 in the culture supernatants were measured by ELISA. Also, the mRNA expression for IL-10 and TGF-beta1 was assessed by RT-PCR. RESULTS: LPS induced HMGB1 release at 8 h and reached a peak at 48 h. Significant (p < 0.05) production of TNFalpha, IL-1beta, IL-10, and TGF-beta1 was seen after 8 h. However, while the levels of TNFalpha and IL-beta remained elevated, IL-10 and TGF-beta1 release markedly declined by 24 h after stimulation. When cells were stimulated in the presence of conditioned medium derived from a 24 h LPS-stimulated culture, the production of TNFalpha and IL-1beta was increased while IL-10 and TGF-beta1 release and mRNA transcripts were decreased. A neutralizing anti-HMGB1 antibody added to the conditioned media reveresed these responses. CONCLUSIONS: HMGB1 modulates the inflammatory cascade in activated macrophages by inducing proinflammatory, while suppressing anti-inflammatory responses.

Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of some new 2-chloro-4-nitrobenzoylamino acid and dipeptide derivatives.

The synthesis of a series of 2-chloro-4-nitrobenzoylamino acid methyl esters (II-VIII), corresponding hydrazides (IX-XV), dipeptide methyl esters (XVI-XXII) and dipeptide hydrazides (XXIII-XXIX) was achieved employing the carbodiimide and azide methods. The derivatives containing the residues of Phe and Tyr were found to be active against several microorganisms.

PU.1 is involved in the regulation of B lineage-associated and developmental stage-dependent expression of the germinal center-associated DNA primase GANP.

Germinal center-associated DNA primase (GANP) associated with MCM3 of the DNA replication complex is up-regulated selectively in germinal center B cells. We studied promoter activity of the 5' region involved in the developmental stage-dependent expression in B lineage cells by luciferase reporter assay. Selective regulation of ganp expression was observed in the -737-bp promoter region in B and plasma cell lines but was significantly low in pre-B and T cell lines. The deletion constructs displayed a gap decrease after shortening the region from -134 to -108 bp. Further narrowing suggested the involvement of the PU.1 consensus sequence at -126 bp by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. The protein component PU.1 complex is not inhibited with mutated probes at the consensus site but is inhibited with the known PU.1 probe of CD72 and with anti-PU.1 antibody. Moreover, introduction of PU.1 cDNA enhanced the reporter gene activity in a dose-dependent manner in B cells, whereas the reporter construct with the mutated PU.1 site did not respond. Anti-CD40 stimulation induced the reporter activity with a 100% increase, which is not observed with the PU.1-mutated reporter construct. These results demonstrate that the germinal center-associated DNA primase expression is partly regulated by the transcription factor PU.1 expressed in B lineage cells.

Synthesis and biological activity of some new substituted aminoacyl-carbazole derivatives. Part II.

3-Nitro-9-(N-phthalyl- and N-tosylaminoacyl)carbazoles (II-XI) have been synthesized by the action of 3-nitro-9H-carbazole (I) on N-phthalyl- or N-tosylamino acid in THF-Et3N medium using the DCC method. Treatment of the 3-nitro derivatives (II-XI) with Sn/HCl gave the corresponding 3-amino-9-(N-phthalyl- or N-tosylaminoacyl)carbazoles (XII-XIX). Hydrazinolysis of the N-phthalylcarbazoles derivatives (III-VII) in ethanol gave the corresponding 3-nitro-9-(aminoacyl) carbazoles (XX-XXIII). Compounds (II-XI and XXI, XXII) were found to be active against some microorganisms.