Enhanced tolerance of Cupriavidus necator NCIMB 11599 to lignocellulosic derived inhibitors by inserting NAD salvage pathway genes.

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a bio-based, biodegradable and biocompatible plastic that has the potential to replace petroleum-based plastics. Lignocellulosic biomass is a promising feedstock for industrial fermentation to produce bioproducts such as polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB). However, the pretreatment processes of lignocellulosic biomass lead to the generation of toxic byproducts, such as furfural, 5-HMF, vanillin, and acetate, which affect microbial growth and productivity. In this study, to reduce furfural toxicity during PHB production from lignocellulosic hydrolysates, we genetically engineered Cupriavidus necator NCIMB 11599, by inserting the nicotine amide salvage pathway genes pncB and nadE to increase the NAD(P)H pool. We found that the expression of pncB was the most effective in improving tolerance to inhibitors, cell growth, PHB production and sugar consumption rate. In addition, the engineered strain harboring pncB showed higher PHB production using lignocellulosic hydrolysates than the wild-type strain. Therefore, the application of NAD salvage pathway genes improves the tolerance of Cupriavidus necator to lignocellulosic-derived inhibitors and should be used to optimize PHB production.

Mannitol Enhances the Antinociceptive Effects of Diphenhydramine as an Alternative Local Anesthetic.

Mannitol has recently been reported to be effective in enhancing the antinociceptive efficacy of lidocaine. No single study to date, however, has compared diphenhydramine with and without mannitol for nociceptive processing as an alternative local anesthetic. In this study, we examined the antinociceptive efficacy enhancements of diphenhydramine when combined with mannitol. Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 230-260 g were used in a hot plate test to evaluate the antinociceptive effects of diphenhydramine. All chemicals were dissolved in isotonic normal saline and administered subcutaneously into the plantar surface of the right hind paw at 10 min before the hot plate test. A subcutaneous injection of 0.5% or 1% diphenhydramine produced significant inhibition of the withdrawal latency time compared with the vehicle treatment. Antinociceptive effects appeared 10 min after the diphenhydramine injections and persisted for over 30 min. The antinociceptive effects of 1% diphenhydramine were not statistically different from those of 1% lidocaine. Although a subcutaneous injection of a 0.5 M mannitol solution alone did not affect the withdrawal latency time, 1% diphenhydramine with 0.5 M mannitol significantly enhanced antinociception. A subcutaneous injection of 1% diphenhydramine with epinephrine (1 : 100,000) solution did not increase the antinociceptive effect of the diphenhydramine. These results suggest that diphenhydramine with mannitol can be used as an alternative local anesthetic.

Fructus Amomi Cardamomi Extract Inhibit Coxsackievirus-B3 Induced Myocarditis in Murine Myocarditis Model.

Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is the main cause of acute myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy. Plant extracts are considered as useful materials to develop new antiviral drugs. We had previously selected candidate plant extracts, which showed anti-inflammatory effects. We examined the antiviral effects by using a HeLa cell survival assay. Among these extracts, we chose the Amomi Cardamomi (Amomi) extract, which showed strong antiviral effect and preserved cell survival in CVB3 infection. We investigated the mechanisms underlying the ability of Amomi extract to inhibit CVB3 infection and replication. HeLa cells were infected by CVB3 with or without Amomi extract. Erk and Akt activities, and their correlation with virus replication were observed. Live virus titers in cell supernatants and viral positive- and negative-strand RNA amplification were measured. Amomi extract significantly increased HeLa cell survival in different concentrations (100-10 µg/ml). CVB3 capsid protein VP1 expression (76%) and viral protease 2A-induced eIF4G1 cleavage (70%) were significantly decreased in Amomi extract (100 µg/ml) treated cells. The levels of positive- (20%) and negative-strand (80%) RNA were dramatically decreased compared with the control, as revealed by reverse transcription-PCR. In addition, Amomi extract improved mice survival (51% vs 26%) and dramatically reduced heart inflammation in a CVB3-induced myocarditis mouse model. These results suggested that Amomi extract significantly inhibited Enterovirus replication and myocarditis damage. Amomi may be developed as a therapeutic drug for Enterovirus.

Nonvolatile memory thin-film transistors using biodegradable chicken albumen gate insulator and oxide semiconductor channel on eco-friendly paper substrate.

Nonvolatile memory thin-film transistors (TFTs) fabricated on paper substrates were proposed as one of the eco-friendly electronic devices. The gate stack was composed of chicken albumen gate insulator and In-Ga-Zn-O semiconducting channel layers. All the fabrication processes were performed below 120 °C. To improve the process compatibility of the synthethic paper substrate, an Al2O3 thin film was introduced as adhesion and barrier layers by atomic layer deposition. The dielectric properties of biomaterial albumen gate insulator were also enhanced by the preparation of Al2O3 capping layer. The nonvolatile bistabilities were realized by the switching phenomena of residual polarization within the albumen thin film. The fabricated device exhibited a counterclockwise hysteresis with a memory window of 11.8 V, high on/off ratio of approximately 1.1 × 10(6), and high saturation mobility (µsat) of 11.5 cm(2)/(V s). Furthermore, these device characteristics were not markedly degraded even after the delamination and under the bending situration. When the curvature radius was set as 5.3 cm, the ION/IOFF ratio and µsat were obtained to be 5.9 × 10(6) and 7.9 cm(2)/(V s), respectively.

Females with angina pectoris have altered lipoprotein metabolism with elevated cholesteryl ester transfer protein activity and impaired high-density lipoproteins-associated antioxidant enzymes.

In order to investigate non-invasive biomarkers for angina pectoris (AP), we analyzed the lipid and protein composition in individual lipoproteins from females with angina pectoris (n=22) and age- and gender-matched controls (n=20). In the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) fraction, the triglycerides (TG) and protein content increased in the AP group compared to the control group. The AP group had lower total cholesterol (TC) and elevated TG in the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) fraction. In the AP group, cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) activity was enhanced in HDL and LDL, while lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activity in HDL3 was almost depleted. Antioxidant activity was significantly decreased in the HDL3 fraction, with a decrease in the HDL2 particle size. In the HDL3 fraction, paraoxonase and platelet activating factor-acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) activity were much lower and the levels of CETP and apoC-III were elevated in the AP group. The LDL from the AP group was more sensitive to cupric ion-mediated oxidation with faster mobility. In conclusion, the lipoprotein fractions in the AP group had impaired antioxidant activity and increased TG and apoC-III with structural and functional changes.