In this communication, gold nanoparticles with a tadpole shape were synthesized by a simple aqueous-phase chemical method. The unusual three-dimensional and crystallized structures were demonstrated by TEM, AFM, and HRTEM methods. The SEM and UV-visible absorption measurements and electrophoresis experiments revealed that the tadpoles had novel optical and electrical properties. These attractive structures and properties are expected to find uses in many fields such as electrics, optics, electrochemistry, and biological sensing.

Helicobacter pylori is associated with gastric disorders in humans and some experimental animals, and possesses the luxS/type 2 autoinducer (AI-2) system. The effects of a specific luxS mutation on the characteristics of H. pylori were examined. On 0?3 % agar medium, motility of H. pylori HPKY08 (luxS : : cat) was significantly lower than that of wild-type H. pylori TK1402. The luxS-complemented strain HPKY21 exhibited motility comparable to that of H. pylori TK1402. It was shown that the luxS/AI-2 system plays an important role in H. pylori motility. The luxS mutant exhibited a reduced infection rate relative to the wild-type parent strain TK1402 in a Mongolian gerbil model. At 3 months after oral inoculation, lower numbers of H. pylori were detected by semi-quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) in luxS " mutant-infected gerbils than in TK1402-infected gerbils. Gastric inflammation and increased antibody titre for H. pylori were observed in TK1402-infected gerbils only. INTRODUCTIONQuorum sensing (QS) is a cell-to-cell communication system that regulates bacterial phenotypes, including the expression of virulence factor genes. The signalling molecules are known as autoinducers (AIs), and when these molecules reach a critical threshold concentration within a bacterial population, a signal transduction cascade is triggered, and this forms the basis for alterations in gene expression (Fuqua et al., 1994). Many Gram-negative bacteria utilize N-acylhomoserine lactone molecules, AI-1, as signals, while Gram-positive bacteria actively export peptides as signalling molecules. There is a second signalling system involved in a wide range of bacterial species (Schauder et al., 2001), and this system is utilized by both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The signalling molecule known as type 2 autoinducer (AI-2) is a furanosyl borate diester (Chen et al., 2002), and the enzyme responsible for its synthesis is encoded by the luxS gene (Surette & Bassler, 1999). The genomes of many bacterial species, notably Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Shigella flexneri, Proteus mirabilis, Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio vulnificus, Campylobacter jejuni, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus mutans, Clostridium perfringens and Clostridium difficile, include luxS homologues. In several of these, luxS-related AI-2 signals are involved in bacterial characteristics such as biofilm formation (Balestrino et al., 2005;Blehert et al., 2003;Fong et al., 2001;Wen & Burne 2004), flagella and motility (Jeon et al., 2003;Schneider et al., 2002;Stroeher et al., 2003), type III secretion systems (Sperandio et al., 1999), toxin production (Ohtani et al., 2002) and virulence (Lyon et al., 2001; Parsonnet et al., 1991;Stroeher et al., 2003).Helicobacter pylori has been identified as the aetiological agent of chronic active gastritis, peptic ulcer disease (Blaser, 1992;Graham, 1989), gastric adenocarcinoma (Parsonnet et al., 1991) and mucosal-associated lymphoid t...

This comprehensive review provided informative details regarding the goals, outcomes and complications associated with this procedure and underscored the need for further investigation into the various surgical approaches currently available.

ABSTRACT. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the treatment of chronic systolic heart failure. Fifty-nine hospitalized patients with heart failure were randomly divided into a treatment group (30 patients) and a control group (29 patients). The treatment group received treatment with medication as well as intracoronary transplantation of umbilical cord MSCs, and the control group, only medication. The cardiac structure, function change, and rehospitalization and mortality rates of the 2 groups were observed before and 1 and 6 months after treatment. One month after the transplantation of umbilical cord MSCs, the incidence of fatigue, chest tightness, and dyspnea was high in the treatment group. The 6-min walking distance of the treatment group was found to be significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05); in addition, the NT-proBNP level, left ventricular ejection fraction, and mortality rate of the treatment group were statistically lower than those of the control group (P < 0.05). Readmission rates showed a downward trend, but the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Using umbilical cord MSCs in the treatment of congestive heart failure 3011 Treatment of severe systolic heart failure ©FUNPEC-RP www.funpecrp.com.br Genetics and Molecular Research 14 (2): 3010-3017 (2015) can help improve cardiac remodeling and cardiac function and reduce the mortality rate.

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Carvedilol is a non-selective β-blocker used in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, including myocardial ischemia. The aim of the present study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of carvedilol on simulated ischemia/reperfusion (SI/R)-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis in vitro. H9c2 cardiomyocytes were incubated with either a vehicle or an ischemic buffer during hypoxia followed by reoxygenation with or without carvedilol. In two additional groups, toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and nuclear factor κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) were inhibited by a TLR4 antibody and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, respectively. The results revealed that carvedilol markedly decreased SI/R-induced apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner, as demonstrated by flow-cytometric analysis. This effect was shown to be associated with an increase in the B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)/Bcl-2-associated X (Bax) protein ratio and concurrent reductions in the expression levels of TLR4 and NF-κB. These results suggest that carvedilol provides significant cardioprotection against SI/R-induced injury in H9c2 cardiomyocytes, an effect likely to be mediated through the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway.