Failure of weaning from mechanical ventilation in COPD patients is often related to diaphragmatic fatigue. Whether there is a central respiratory drive fatigue and a reserve of excitability is still debated. The purpose of this study was to analyze the following in 13 COPD patients weaned from mechanical ventilation: (1) ventilatory (VE/PETCO2) and neuromuscular (P0.1/PETCO2) response to hyperc...

OBJECTIVES This study was aimed to investigate the protective effects of dexpanthenol (Dxp) on against cisplatin-induced ototoxicity. METHODS To examine this effect, distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) measurements and serum levels of oxidative and antioxidant status (including malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, total oxidant st...

Sterols and carotenoids are typical representatives of the group of isoprenoid lipids in plants. All isoprenoids are synthesized by condensation of the two active C5-units: dimethylallyl diphosphate, DMAPP, and isopentenyl diphosphate, IPP. Like animals, higher plants form their sterols via the classical cytosolic acetate/mevalonate (MVA) pathway of IPP biosynthesis. Plants as photosynthetic or...

In Catharanthus roseus, the monoterpene moiety exerts a strong flux control for monoterpene indole alkaloid (MIA) formation. Monoterpene synthesis depends on the methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway. Here, we have explored the regulation of this pathway in response to developmental and environmental cues and in response to specific enzyme inhibitors. For the MEP pathway entry enzyme 1-...

The minimum energy path (MEP) is an important reaction path concept of theoretical chemistry, and the nudged elastic band (NEB) method with its many facets is a central method to determine the MEP. We demonstrate in this comment that the NEB does not have to lead to a steepest descent pathway (as always assumed). In contrast, as long as it is used without spring forces, it can lead to a gradien...

The 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase (DXS) enzyme catalyses the first biosynthetic step of the 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway. In plants the MEP pathway is involved in the synthesis of the common precursors to the plastidic isoprenoids, isopentenyl diphosphate and dimethylallyl diphosphate, in plastids. DXS is recognized as limiting this pathway and is a potential targ...

The high yielding tenera is the commercial oil palm planting material of choice in Southeast Asia. Notwithstanding this, there continuous effort to further improve yield and one way do this by addressing components (YCs). Using 4451 SNP over 600 SSR markers, study revealed quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with YCs two breeding populations, a Deli dura × Yangambi pisifera (P2) AVROS (KUL...

INTRODUCTION Responses to neuromodulatory protocols based either on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) or transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) are known to be highly variable between individuals. In this study, we examined whether variability of responses to anodal tDCS (a-tDCS) could be predicted from individual differences in the ability to recruit early or late indirect waves ...

To engineer Nicotiana benthamiana to produce novel diterpenoids, we first aimed increase production of the diterpenoid precursor geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) by up-regulation key genes non-mevalonate (MEP) pathway sourced from Arabidopsis thaliana. We used transient expression evaluate combinations eight MEP plus GGPP synthase and a Jatropha curcas casbene (JcCAS) identify an optimal com...