Introduction: To address the question whether combination of methylprednisolone (MP) as an anti-inflammatory drug used in neurodegenerative diseases and neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs) is safe, the present study was designed. Methods: Embryonic rat NS/PCs were exposed to different concentrations of MP and survival by MTT assay, proliferation by analyzing the number and diameter of neuro...

We describe a "fluorescence protection immunoassay," in which formation of an immune complex of a fluorescer-labeled antigen sterically protects the fluorescer from binding by antibodies to it. Competitive binding of unlabeled antigen by its antibody prevents formation of the fluorescer-labeled antigen immune complex, and allows anti-fluorescein to quench the fluorescence by binding to the fluo...

Rhoptry-associated protein 1 (RAP1) of Plasmodium falciparum is a potential component of a malaria vaccine. We have expressed in Escherichia coli eight recombinant RAP1 proteins representing almost the entire sequence of the mature protein and assessed the antigenicity of the proteins by immunization of mice. Antisera to six of the recombinant proteins reacted specifically with parasite-derived...

In Thai traditional medicine, Moringa oleifera is used for the treatment of diabetes and hyperlipidemia. Oxidative stress plays a major role in the pathogenesis of many degenerative diseases, such as hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease. We evaluated the antioxidant effect of M. oleifera extract (MOE) for reduction of advanced glycation end-product (AGE) formation, cell...

BACKGROUND This study aimed to investigate the relationship between miR-506 and proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells. MATERIAL AND METHODS MiR-506 mimics, inhibitor, and negative control (NC) were transfected into MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Cell proliferation, cell counting, colony formation assay, and Transwell assay were applied to evaluate the proliferation and migration...

Prospective studies of antibodies to multiple Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) proteins and EBV neutralizing antibodies in the same individuals before, during, and after primary EBV infection have not been reported. We studied antibody responses to EBV in college students who acquired primary EBV infection during prospective surveillance and correlated the kinetics of antibody response with the severit...

The immune response elicited by the rotavirus nonstructural protein NSP4 and its potential role in protection against rotavirus disease are not well understood. We investigated the serological response to NSP4 and its correlation with disease protection in sera from 110 children suffering acute diarrhea, associated or not with rotavirus, and from 26 children who were recipients of the rhesus ro...

In this study, we examined the immune response during gonococcal infection to the individual transferrin binding proteins by using a quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Recombinant transferrin binding protein A (rTbpA) and rTbpB were purified under nondenaturing conditions for use as ELISA antigens. Sera and secretions from culture-positive individuals were analyzed for anti...

The precise and conceptual insight of circulating endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) kinetics is hampered by the absence of an assay system capable of evaluating the EPC differentiation cascade. An assay system for EPC colony formation was developed to delineate circulating EPC differentiation. EPC colony-forming assay using semisolid medium and single or bulk CD133(+) cells from umbilical cord ...

Variability in home-cooking practices affects dietary exposure to acrylamide, limiting risk evaluation. Two observational tests (controlled and randomized) involving 127 volunteers was designed investigate the influence of consumer decisions on acrylamide formation during preparation French fries. Consumer were recorded pre-frying, frying post-frying stages. Reducing sugar content, asparagine, ...