In animal tissues, NAEs (N-acylethanolamines), including N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide), are primarily formed from their corresponding NAPEs (N-acylphosphatidylethanolamines) by a phosphodiesterase of the PLD (phospholipase D) type (NAPE-PLD). Recently, we cloned cDNAs of NAPE-PLD from mouse, rat and human [Okamoto, Morishita, Tsuboi, Tonai and Ueda (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 5298-5305...

The vaccinia virus TianTan (VTT) has been modified as an HIV vaccine vector in China and has shown excellent performance in immunogenicity and safety. However, its adverse effects in immunosuppressed individuals warrant the search for a safer vector in the following clinic trails. In this study, we deleted the C7L and K1L genes of VTT and constructed six recombinant vaccinia strains VTT△C7L, VT...

Due to the long serum half-life provided by the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) recycling, the IgG1 Fc has been pursued as the fusion partner to develop therapeutic Fc-fusion proteins, or as the antibody-derived scaffold that could be engineered with antigen-binding capabilities. In previous studies, we engineered the monomeric Fc by mutating critical residues located on the IgG1 Fc dimerization in...

BACKGROUND Occult hepatitis B infected (OBI) patients cannot eradicate hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA from their liver and peripheral blood, completely. OBJECTIVES The main aim of this study was to investigate the rate of HLA-A2 expression on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with OBI. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this experimental study, intensity of HLA-A2 was measured on th...

Psyllium is a bulk-forming laxative and is high in both fiber and mucilage. The beneficial effect of dietary fiber in the management of type II diabetes, has not been totally demonstrated. The purpose of this study was to determine the plasma-lowering effects of 5.1g b.i.d. of psyllium husk fiber, as an adjunct to dietary and drug therapy on lipid and glucose levels, in patients with type II di...

glucocorticoid steroids are widely used as anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive medications and are well known to induce osteoporosis. in present study 24 rats were randomly divided into four groups (n=6): group a (control), group b (sham)that was treated only by normal saline for 1 month.group c that was treated by methylprednisolone acetate alone (0.2 mg/kg) for 1 month. group d that was t...

Background & Aim:Cognitive impairment is one of the age-related mental problems and a typical indicator of neurodegeneration. Eragrostis tremula Hochst. ex Steud. is a commonly used medicinal plant in Nigeria for memory enhancement. This study, therefore, aimed at evaluating the memory-enhancing potential of aqueous ethanolic extract of E. tremula in ...

BACKGROUND Nasal surgeries have been applied to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients with nasal obstruction for decades. However, the efficiency of nasal surgery in improving OSA remains controversial.The aim of this study was to identify whether isolated nasal surgery can improve apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). METHODS Computerized searches were performed in MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane L...

background: chromium picolinate could be effective in clomiphen citrate resistant pcos patients. objective: to compare the effects of chromium picolinate vs. metformin in clomiphen citrate resistant pcos patients. materials and methods: the present randomized clinical trial was performed on 92 women with clomiphen citrate-resistant pcos at the clinics which were affiliated to shiraz university ...