Staphylococcus aureus is a leading human pathogen that causes a large variety of diseases. In vitro studies have shown that S. aureus secretes several small proteins that block specific elements of the host innate immune system, but their role in bacterial pathogenicity is unknown. For instance, the extracellular complement-binding protein (Ecb) impairs complement activation by binding to the C...

introduction: carbon nanotubes (cnts) have shown enormous potential in neuroscience. nerve growth factor (ngf)-cnts complex promotes the neuronal growth, however, the underlying mechanism(s) have remained elusive. based on the interplay between ngf and the endocannabinoid system, involvement of the neuroprotective endocannabinoid, 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-ag), was investigated in the mechanis...

Herbivore-induced plant responses have been widely described following attack on leaves; however, less attention has been paid to analogous local processes that occur in stems. Early studies of maize (Zea mays) responses to stem boring by European corn borer (ECB, Ostrinianubilalis) larvae revealed the presence of inducible acidic diterpenoid phytoalexins, termed kauralexins, and increases in t...

Potential developmental toxicities of three different cigarette butt leachates were evaluated using the frog embryo teratogenesis assay-Xenopus (FETAX). Xenopus laevis embryos were exposed to regular cigarette butt (RCB), menthol (MCB) and electronic (ECB) in concentrations ranging from 0 to 4 butts/l for RCB and MCB and 0-10 butts/l for ECB. The embryos were from stage 8 to 11 and were exposed...

Endocannabinoids (eCBs) act as retrograde messengers at inhibitory synapses of the hippocampal CA1 region. Current models place eCB synthesis in the postsynaptic pyramidal cell and the site of eCB action at cannabinoid (CB1) receptors located on presynaptic interneuron terminals. Four responses at the CA1-interneuron synapse are attributed to eCBs; depolarization-induced suppression of inhibiti...

The endocannabinoid system mainly consists of endogenously produced cannabinoids (endocannabinoids) and two G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2 (CB1 and CB2). This system also includes enzymes responsible for the synthesis and degradation of endocannabinoids and molecules required for the uptake and transport of endocannabinoids. In addition, endocannabinoid-relat...

Two deoxyglucose (DG) derivatives, (α,β)-2-deoxy-2-amino(ethylcarbamate)-D-glucose (ECB-DG) and (α,β)-2-deoxy-2-amino(1,2-dihydroxypropyl)-D-glucose (DHP-DG), were synthesized and radiolabeled successfully with [(99m)Tc(H2O)3(CO)3](+) complex. [(99m)Tc]-ECB-DG and [(99m)Tc]-DHP-DG complexes were prepared (96% and 93% radiochemical purities respectively) by using 46 mCi of Na(99m)TcO4 in 1 mL sa...