scholarly journals Novel kinase platform for the validation of the anti-tubercular activities of Pelargonium sidoides (Geraniaceae)

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Lukman ◽  
S. W. Odeyemi ◽  
R. L. Roth ◽  
L. Mbabala ◽  
N. Tshililo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Target Identification ◽  
Root Extract ◽  
Compound Identification ◽  
Shikimate Kinase ◽  
Pelargonium Sidoides ◽  
Homoserine Kinase ◽  
Drug Target Identification ◽  
History Of ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
Aqueous Root Extract

Abstract Background Pelargonium sidoides is an important traditional medicine in South Africa with a well-defined history of both traditional and documented use of an aqueous-ethanolic formulation of the roots of P. sidoides (EPs 7630), which is successfully employed for the treatment of respiratory tract infections. There is also historical evidence of use in the treatment of tuberculosis. The aim of this study was to develop a platform of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) kinase enzymes that may be used for the identification of therapeutically relevant ethnobotanical extracts that will allow drug target identification, as well as the subsequent isolation of the active compounds. Results Mtb kinases, Nucleoside diphosphokinase, Homoserine kinase, Acetate kinase, Glycerol kinase, Thiamine monophosphate kinase, Ribokinase, Aspartokinase and Shikimate kinase were cloned, produced in Escherichia coli and characterized. HPLC-based assays were used to determine the enzyme activities and subsequently the inhibitory potentials of varying concentrations of a P. sidoides extract against the produced enzymes. The enzyme activity assays indicated that these enzymes were active at low ATP concentrations. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of an aqueous root extract of P. sidoides against the kinases indicated SK has an IC50 of 1.2 μg/ml and GK 1.4 μg/ml. These enzyme targets were further assessed for compound identification from the P. sidoides literature. Conclusion This study suggests P. sidoides is potentially a source of anti-tubercular compounds and the Mtb kinase platform has significant potential as a tool for the subsequent screening of P. sidoides extracts and plant extracts in general, for compound identification and elaboration by selected extract target inhibitor profiling.

Protective activities of the aqueous root extract of Harungana madagascariensis in acute and repeated acetaminophen hepatotoxic rats

Planta Medica ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 74 (09) ◽  
Author(s):  
AA Adeneye ◽  
JA Olagunju ◽  
SO Elias ◽  
OD Olatunbosun ◽  
AO Mustafa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Root Extract ◽  
Aqueous Root Extract

Etiology and clinical features of epididymo-orchitis: A single-center study in Tehran, Iran

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Abolghasemi ◽  
Mohammad Alizadeh ◽  
Ali Hashemi ◽  
Shabnam Tehrani
Keyword(s):  
Chlamydia Trachomatis ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Urine Culture ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Urinary Frequency ◽  
Serological Tests ◽  
Duration Of Symptoms ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
History Of ◽  
Tract Infections

Introduction: Epididymo-orchitis is a common urological disease among men. Little is known about the clinical and epidemiological aspects of the disease in Iran. Thus, the present study was aimed to investigate the etiology, clinical sequelae and risk factors of patients with epididymo-orchitis in Tehran, Iran. Materials and Methods: Patients presenting with epididymo-orchitis were prospectively analyzed in order to study the etiology and pattern of the disease. Bacteriological, molecular and serological tests were undertaken to look for Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Brucella spp., Mycoplasma spp, and other bacteria. Results: Fifty patients with epididymo-orchitis were evaluated according to their clinical symptoms, duration of symptoms, physical examination, and laboratory studies. The mean age of the patients was 53 years. Fever, dysuria, pain in the flanks, urinary frequency and discharges occurred in 58.0%, 50.0%, 50.0%, 28.0% and 6.0%, respectively. Bacterial pathogen was identified in 26% (13/50) of patients by urine culture. Escherichia coli was the etiological agent in 11/13 patients (84.6%). Two out of 50 patients (4.0%) were also positive for Chlamydia trachomatis. Two samples were serologically positive for Brucella spp. High Mean age, fever, urinary frequency, history of the underlying disease and history of urinary tract infections were found to have a significant association with the positive bacteriologic urine culture (P<0.05). Conclusions: The most common clinical manifestations were fever, dysuria, and abdominal pain. E. coli and C. trachomatis were the major causative agents. Use of a set of diagnostic approaches including clinical symptoms, urine culture and more precise techniques such as PCR should be taken into consideration for the definitive diagnosis.

scholarly journals Respiratory tract infections in children with allergic asthma on allergen immunotherapy during influenza season

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuyun Li ◽  
Dongming Wang ◽  
Lili Zhi ◽  
Yunmei Zhu ◽  
Lan Qiao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Allergic Asthma ◽  
Respiratory Tract Infections ◽  
Allergen Immunotherapy ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Influenza Season ◽  
The Body ◽  
History Of ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
Stage 1

AbstractTo describle how respiratory tract infections (RTIs) that occurred in children with allergic asthma (AA) on allergen immunotherapy (AIT) during an influenza season. Data including clinical symptoms and treatment history of children (those with AA on AIT and their siblings under 14 years old), who suffered from RTIs during an influenza season (Dec 1st, 2019–Dec 31st, 2019), were collected (by face to face interview and medical records) and analyzed. Children on AIT were divided into 2 groups: stage 1 (dose increasing stage) and stage 2 (dose maintenance stage). Their siblings were enrolled as control. During the study period, 49 children with AA on AIT (33 patients in stage 1 and 16 patients in stage 2) as well as 49 children without AA ( their siblings ) were included. There were no significant differences in occurrences of RTIs among the three groups (p > 0.05). Compared with children in the other two groups, patients with RTIs in stage 2 had less duration of coughing and needed less medicine. Children on AIT with maintenance doses had fewer symptoms and recovered quickly when they were attacked by RTIs, which suggested that AIT with dose maintenance may enhance disease resistance of the body.

scholarly journals Development of a target identification approach using native mass spectrometry

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miaomiao Liu ◽  
Wesley C. Van Voorhis ◽  
Ronald J. Quinn
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Target Identification ◽  
Native Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Pharmaceutical Drugs ◽  
Ligand Complex ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Protein Mixture ◽  
Native Ms ◽  
Drug Target Identification

AbstractA key step in the development of new pharmaceutical drugs is the identification of the molecular target and distinguishing this from all other gene products that respond indirectly to the drug. Target identification remains a crucial process and a current bottleneck for advancing hits through the discovery pipeline. Here we report a method, that takes advantage of the specific detection of protein–ligand complexes by native mass spectrometry (MS) to probe the protein partner of a ligand in an untargeted method. The key advantage is that it uses unmodified small molecules for binding and, thereby, it does not require labelled ligands and is not limited by the chemistry required to tag the molecule. We demonstrate the use of native MS to identify known ligand–protein interactions in a protein mixture under various experimental conditions. A protein–ligand complex was successfully detected between parthenolide and thioredoxin (PfTrx) in a five-protein mixture, as well as when parthenolide was mixed in a bacterial cell lysate spiked with PfTrx. We provide preliminary data that native MS could be used to identify binding targets for any small molecule.

scholarly journals A history of uremic toxicity and of the European Uremic Toxin Work Group (EUTox)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond Vanholder ◽  
Angel Argiles ◽  
Joachim Jankowski ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Work Group ◽  
Target Identification ◽  
Kidney Injury ◽  
Uremic Toxins ◽  
Uremic Toxin ◽  
Post Translational Modifications ◽  
History Of ◽  
Advanced Stages ◽  
Uremic Syndrome

Abstract The uremic syndrome is a complex clinical picture developing in the advanced stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) resulting in a myriad of complications and a high early mortality. This picture is to a significant extent defined by retention of metabolites and peptides that with a preserved kidney function are excreted or degraded by the kidneys. In as far as those solutes have a negative biological/biochemical impact, they are called uremic toxins. Here, we describe the historical evolution of the scientific knowledge about uremic toxins and the role played in this process by the European Uremic Toxin Work Group (EUTox) during the last two decades. The earliest knowledge about a uremic toxin goes back to the early 17th century when the existence of what later would appear to be urea was recognized. It cost about two further centuries to better define the role of urea and its link to kidney failure and one more century to identify the relevance of post-translational modifications caused by urea such as carbamoylation. The knowledge progressively extended, especially from 1980 on, by the identification of more and more toxins and their adverse biological/biochemical impact. Progress of knowledge was paralleled and impacted by evolution of dialysis strategies. The last two decades, when Insights grew exponentially, coincides with the foundation and activity of EUTox. In the final section we summarize the role and accomplishments of EUTox and the part it is likely to play in future action, which should be organized around focus points like biomarker and potential target identification, intestinal generation, toxicity mechanisms and their correction, kidney and extracorporeal removal, patient-oriented outcomes, and toxin characteristics in acute kidney injury and transplantation.

scholarly journals Association between severity of prenatally diagnosed hydronephrosis and receipt of surgical intervention postnatally among patients seen at a fetal-maternal center

BMC Urology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoë G. Baker ◽  
Arthi Hannallah ◽  
Melissa Trabold ◽  
Danielle Estell ◽  
Cherry Deng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surgical Intervention ◽  
Renal Scarring ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
Kaplan Meier ◽  
Hazard Ratios ◽  
Age At Surgery ◽  
History Of ◽  
Pediatric Urologist ◽  
Tract Infections

Abstract Background Hydronephrosis (HN) is the most common abnormality detected on prenatal ultrasound. This study sought to stratify outcomes of patients by severity of prenatal HN with postnatal outcomes. Methods This was a retrospective review of patients referred to a tertiary care fetal-maternal clinic with diagnosis of prenatal HN from 2004 to 2019. HN severity was categorized as mild, moderate, or severe. Data were analyzed to determine the association between HN severity and surgical intervention. Decision for surgery was based on factors including history of multiple urinary tract infections, evidence of renal scarring, and/or reduced renal function. Surgery-free survival time was represented by the Kaplan–Meier method, and hazard ratios were calculated using the log-rank test. Results 131 kidneys among 101 infants were prenatally diagnosed with hydronephrosis; 35.9% had mild HN, 29.0% had moderate HN, and 35.1% had severe HN. 8.5% of patients with mild HN, 26.3% of patients with moderate HN, and 65.2% of patients with severe HN required surgery. Patients with severe HN were 12.2 (95% CI 6.1–24.4; p < 0.001) times more likely to undergo surgery for HN than patients with mild HN and 2.9 (95% CI 1.5–5.3; p = 0.003) times more likely to undergo surgery than patients with moderate HN. Patients with moderate HN were 4.3 times more likely to require surgery than patients with mild HN (95% CI 1.5–12.9; p = 0.01). Median age at surgery was 11.8 months among patients with mild HN (IQR 11.7–14.1 months), 6.6 months among patients with moderate HN (IQR 4.2–16.4 months), and 5.4 months among patients with severe HN (3.7–12.4 months). Conclusion Among this cohort of referrals from a fetal-maternal clinic, severity of HN correlated with increased likelihood of surgical intervention. Continued assessment of patients with prenatal HN should be evaluated to best determine the role of the pediatric urologist in cases of prenatal HN.

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