Clinical studies of lactoferrin in children1This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Lactoferrin and has undergone the Journal's usual peer review process.

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 457-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa J. Ochoa ◽  
Alonso Pezo ◽  
Karen Cruz ◽  
Elsa Chea-Woo ◽  
Thomas G. Cleary

Much has been learned in recent years about the mechanisms by which breastfeeding improves child health and survival. However, there has been little progress in using these insights to improve pediatric care. The aim of this study was to review all clinical studies of lactoferrin (LF) in children in an effort to determine which interventions may improve pediatric care or require further research. We conducted a systematic and critical review of published literature and found 19 clinical studies that have used human or bovine LF for different outcomes: iron metabolisms and anemia (6 studies), fecal flora (5 studies), enteric infections (3 studies), common pediatric illnesses (1 study), immunomodulation (3 studies), and neonatal sepsis (1 study). Although the efficacies have varied in each trial, the main finding of all published studies is the safety of the intervention. Protection against enteric infections and neonatal sepsis are the most likely biologically relevant activities of LF in children. Future studies on neonatal sepsis should answer critically important questions. If the data from these sepsis studies are proven to be correct, it will profoundly affect the treatment of low birth weight neonates and will aid in the reduction of child mortality worldwide.

Symmetry ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas ◽  
Romualdas Bausys ◽  
and Jurgita Antucheviciene

A topic of utmost importance in civil engineering is finding optimal solutions throughout the life cycle of buildings and infrastructural objects, including their design, manufacturing, use, and maintenance. Operational research, management science, and optimisation methods provide a consistent and applicable groundwork for engineering decision-making. These topics have received the interest of researchers, and, after a rigorous peer-review process, eight papers have been published in the current special issue. The articles in this issue demonstrate how solutions in civil engineering, which bring economic, social and environmental benefits, are obtained through a variety of methodologies and tools. Usually, decision-makers need to take into account not just a single criterion, but several different criteria and, therefore, multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approaches have been suggested for application in five of the published papers; the rest of the papers apply other research methods. The methods and application case studies are shortly described further in the editorial.


2011 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara L. Caterino ◽  
Jeffrey J. Hayes

Linker histones are multifunctional proteins that are involved in a myriad of processes ranging from stabilizing the folding and condensation of chromatin to playing a direct role in regulating gene expression. However, how this class of enigmatic proteins binds in chromatin and accomplishes these functions remains unclear. Here we review data regarding the H1 structure and function in chromatin, with special emphasis on the C-terminal domain (CTD), which typically encompasses approximately half of the mass of the linker histone and includes a large excess of positively charged residues. Owing to its amino acid composition, the CTD was previously proposed to function in chromatin as an unstructured polycation. However, structural studies have shown that the CTD adopts detectable secondary structure when interacting with DNA and macromolecular crowding agents. We describe classic and recent experiments defining the function of this domain in chromatin folding and emerging data indicating that the function of this protein may be linked to intrinsic disorder.


2010 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Haslberger ◽  
Bernd Bukau ◽  
Axel Mogk

The oligomeric AAA+ chaperones ClpB/Hsp104 mediate the reactivation of aggregated proteins, an activity that is crucial for the survival of cells during severe stress. Hsp104 is also essential for the propagation of yeast prions by severing prion fibres. Protein disaggregation depends on the cooperation of ClpB/Hsp104 with a cognate Hsp70 chaperone system. While Hsp70 chaperones are also involved in prion propagation, their precise role is much less well defined compared with its function in aggregate solubilization. Therefore, it remained unclear whether both ClpB/Hsp104 activities are based on common or different mechanisms. Novel data show that ClpB/Hsp104 uses a motor threading activity to remodel both protein aggregates and prion fibrils. Moreover, transfer of both types of substrates to the ClpB/Hsp104 processing pore site requires initial substrate interaction of Hsp70. Together these data emphasize the similarity of thermotolerance and prion propagation pathways and point to a shared mechanistic principle of Hsp70–ClpB/Hsp104-mediated solubilization of amorphous and ordered aggregates.


2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
James B. Greenaway ◽  
Anne Koehler ◽  
Christopher A. McCulloch ◽  
James Petrik ◽  
Theodore J. Brown ◽  
...  

A lack of host-derived SPARC promotes disease progression in an intraperitoneal (IP) ID8 mouse model of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Since orthotopic injection (OT) of ID8 cells better recapitulates high-grade serous cancer, we examined the impact of host-derived SPARC following OT injection. Sparc−/− and wild-type (WT) mice were injected with ID8 cells either OT or IP and tumors were analyzed at the moribund stage. Sparc−/− mice had reduced survival and fewer well-defined abdominal lesions compared with WT controls after IP injection, whereas no differences were observed in survival or abdominal lesions between Sparc−/− and WT mice after OT injection. No differences in mass or collagen content were observed in ovarian tumors between OT-injected Sparc−/− and WT mice. The abdominal wall of the IP-injected Sparc−/− mice exhibited immature and less abundant collagen fibrils compared with WT mice both in injected and non-injected controls. In contrast to human EOC, SPARC was expressed by the tumor cells but was absent in reactive stroma of WT mice. Exposure to the ovarian microenvironment through OT injections alters the metastatic behaviour of ID8 cells, which is not affected by the absence of host-derived SPARC.


2009 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 488-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry E. Graham

While scientists have routinely measured muscle glycogen in many metabolic situations for over 4 decades, there is surprisingly little known regarding its regulation. In the past decade, considerable evidence has illustrated that the carbohydrate stores in muscle are not homogeneous, and it is very likely that metabolic pools exist or that each granule has independent regulation. The fundamental aspects appear to be associated with a complex set of proteins that associate with both the granule and each other in a dynamic fashion. Some of the proteins are enzymes and others play scaffolding roles. A number of the proteins can translocate, depending on the metabolic stimulus. These various processes appear to be the mechanisms that give the glycogen granule precise yet dynamic regulation. This may also allow the stores to serve as an important metabolic regulator of other metabolic events.


Coatings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1113
Author(s):  

Following acceptance of the Special Issue article by the Guest Editor, El-Sayed Abd El-Aziz, concerns were raised regarding the integrity of the peer review process [...]


Coatings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1117
Author(s):  

Following acceptance of the Special Issue article by the Guest Editor, El-Sayed Abd El-Aziz, concerns were raised regarding the integrity of the peer review process [...]


2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 449-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Florian ◽  
Alina Macovei ◽  
Livia Sima ◽  
Norica Nichita ◽  
Inger Mattsby-Baltzer ◽  
...  

Different cell types have been reported to internalize lactoferrin (Lf) by specific or nonspecific receptors. Our studies focused on the endocytic pathway of human Lf in macrophage-like THP-1 cells. Lactoferrin was found to be internalized by THP-1 cells differentiated with phorbol myristate acetate. Incubation of cells with chlorpromazine and dansylcadaverine, inhibitors of clathrin-dependent endocytosis, led to a 50% inhibition of Lf internalization compared with untreated cells. Bafilomycin A1 and NH4Cl treatment also resulted in 40%–60% inhibition, respectively, suggesting that the internalization of Lf may partly be mediated by acidic endosome-like organelles. Endocytic uptake of Lf was also cholesterol-dependent, as shown by methyl-β-cyclodextrin or nystatin treatment of the cells prior to internalization. Partial colocalization of Lf and EEA-1, a marker specific for early endosomes, could be observed. Colocalization of Lf with a specific endoplasmic reticulum marker was also detected. Our results suggest that Lf is internalized mainly by the clathrin-dependent pathway in THP-1 cells and targets the ER. The physiological consequences of this intracellular trafficking will be the subject of future investigations.


2007 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianghong Fan ◽  
Xin Li ◽  
Ping Li ◽  
Ning Li ◽  
Tailing Wang ◽  
...  

Treatment of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis remains a challenging field. Hepatocyte injury and the activation of hepatic stellate cells are the 2 major events in the development of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. It is known that several Chinese herbs have significant beneficial effects on the liver; therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of saikosaponin-d (SSd) on liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. A rat model of liver fibrosis was established using the dimethylnitrosamine method. Liver tissue and serum were used to examine the effect of SSd on liver fibrosis. A hepatocyte culture was also used to investigate how SSd can protect hepatocytes from oxidative injury induced by carbon tetrachloride. The results showed that SSd significantly reduced collagen I deposition in the liver and alanine aminotransferase level in the serum. Moreover, SSd decreased the content of TGF-β1 in the liver, which was significantly elevated after dimethylnitrosamine induced liver fibrosis. Furthermore, SSd was able to alleviate hepatocyte injury from oxidative stress. In conclusion, SSd could postpone the development of liver fibrosis by attenuating hepatocyte injury.


2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 435-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nidia León-Sicairos ◽  
Leonardo Martínez-Pardo ◽  
Beatriz Sánchez-Hernández ◽  
Mireya de la Garza ◽  
Julio César Carrero

Entamoeba histolytica is a protozoan parasite that causes amoebiasis, an illness that affects many people around the world. We have previously reported that lactoferrin is able to kill E. histolytica in in vitro cultures. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the therapeutic effect of orally administered bovine lactoferrin in the control of intestinal amoebiasis of susceptible C3H/HeJ mice. The results showed that 20 mg lactoferrin/kg orally administered each day for 1 week was able to eliminate the infection in 63% of the mice, since neither trophozoites nor evidence of epithelial damage and (or) swelling were found in tissue sections of the cecum. The rest of the treated animals (37%) showed a decrease in trophozoite numbers and mucus secreted to the lumen, as compared with untreated and infected mice (p < 0.05). By immunohistochemistry, the profile of secreted cytokines in the cecum revealed that infected but untreated animals showed a mixed Th1/regulatory cytokines profile, whereas the cecum of mice treated (cured) showed a Th2 cytokine profile (IL-4) and expression of the multifunctional IL-6. In addition, cytokines and increasing cecal production of total IgA antibodies were found associated with little inflammation and disease control observed in the cecum of lactoferrin-treated animals. These results suggest that oral administration of lactoferrin can control intestinal amoebic infection probably by killing amoebas or favoring their removal and reestablish the antiinflammatory intestinal environment.


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