Usage of Mushrooms in Culinary and Medicinal Purposes

The present article reviews the history of mushroom uses in culinary, food and medicinal values; current status and future aspect of mushroom research. Mushrooms contain biologically active polysaccharides, lipid and proteins in fruit bodies, each of them has a distinct role in health as either nutritional value or medicinal elements. Immunostimulating polysaccharides found in mushrooms, are most important for modern medicine. Several of the mushroom biomolecules have undergone phase I, II, and III clinical trials and are used extensively and successfully throughout the world for the treatment of various cancers and other diseases. Medicinal functions played by the mushrooms include antitumor, antibacterial, antioxidant, antiparasitic, antidiabetic, detoxification, cardiovascular, antihypercholesterolemia, antiviral, antifungal, hepatoprotective, immunomodulating and free radical scavenging. The present review draws attention to nutritional and medicinal importance of mushroom as well as the problems and opportunity in the future development of mushroom research.

Multi-omic profiling of histone variant H3.3 lysine 27 methylation reveals a distinct role from canonical H3 in stem cell differentiation

Histone variants, such as histone H3.3, replace canonical histones within the nucleosome to alter chromatin accessibility and gene expression. Although the biological roles of selected histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) have...

IL-6 in the Ecosystem of Head and Neck Cancer: Possible Therapeutic Perspectives

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a highly potent cytokine involved in multiple biological processes. It was previously reported to play a distinct role in inflammation, autoimmune and psychiatric disorders, ageing and various types of cancer. Furthermore, it is understood that IL-6 and its signaling pathways are substantial players in orchestrating the cancer microenvironment. Thus, they appear to be potential targets in anti-tumor therapy. The aim of this article is to elucidate the role of IL-6 in the tumor ecosystem and to review the possible therapeutic approaches in head and neck cancer.

The parallel-stranded d(CGA) duplex is a highly predictable structural motif with two conformationally distinct strands

ABSTRACTDNA can adopt non-canonical structures that have important biological functions while also providing structural diversity for nanotechnology applications. Here, we describe the crystal structures of two oligonucleotides composed of d(CGA) triplet repeats in the parallel-stranded duplex form. The structure determination of four unique d(CGA)-based parallel-stranded duplexes across two crystal structures has allowed us to characterize and establish structural parameters of d(CGA) triplets in the parallel-stranded duplex form. Our results show that d(CGA) units are highly uniform, but that each strand in the duplex is structurally unique and has a distinct role in accommodating structural asymmetries induced by the C-CH+ base pair.

Efflux Pump Inhibition and Resistance Modulation in Mycobacterium smegmatis by Peucedanum ostruthium and Its Coumarins

Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem and may become the next major global health crisis if no timely actions are taken. Mycobacterial infections are widespread and, due to antibiotic resistance, also hard to treat and a major cause of mortality. Natural compounds have the potential to increase antibiotic effectiveness due to their resistance modulatory and antimicrobial effects. In this study, Peucedanum ostruthium extracts, fractions, and isolated compounds were investigated regarding their antimicrobial and resistance-modulatory effects as well as efflux pump inhibition in Mycobacterium smegmatis. P. ostruthium extracts were found to have anti-mycobacterial potential and resistance modulating effects on ethidium bromide activity. The major antibacterial effect was attributed to ostruthin, and we found that the more lipophilic the substrate, the greater the antimicrobial effect. Imperatorin caused potent modulatory effects by interfering with the action of the major LfrA efflux pump in M. smegmatis. The plant P. ostruthuim has a complex effect on M. smegmatis, including antibacterial, efflux pump inhibition, resistance modulation, and membrane permeabilization, and its major constituents, ostruthin and imperatorin, have a distinct role in these effects. This makes P. ostruthium and its coumarins promising therapeutics to consider in the fight against drug-resistant mycobacteria.

Justice-Based OT: A Scoping Review and Analysis

Date Presented 04/13/21 This scoping review analyzed OT practice in justice-based systems as depicted in 140 sources appearing in publications between 1943 and 2019. This analysis may inform students, practitioners, and researchers and support efforts to define a distinct role for OTs in justice-based systems. Results may help define competencies or practice guidelines and inform the development of practices, programs, and research addressing the needs of individuals involved in the criminal justice system. Primary Author and Speaker: Jaime P. Muñoz Additional Authors and Speakers: Mimi Stroud, Suzanne Walter, Courtney Stonesifer, Yk Liao, and Samantha Marrah