Search results for "In silico"

Large strain stimulation promotes extracellular matrix production and stiffness in an elastomeric scaffold model

2016

Mechanical conditioning of engineered tissue constructs is widely recognized as one of the most relevant methods to enhance tissue accretion and microstructure, leading to improved mechanical behaviors. The understanding of the underlying mechanisms remains rather limited, restricting the development of in silico models of these phenomena, and the translation of engineered tissues into clinical application. In the present study, we examined the role of large strip-biaxial strains (up to 50%) on ECM synthesis by vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) micro-integrated into electrospun polyester urethane urea (PEUU) constructs over the course of 3 weeks. Experimental results indicated that VSMC …

2019

With the rise of Next-Generation-Sequencing (NGS) methods, Micro-RNAs (miRNAs) have achieved an important position in the research landscape and have been found to present valuable diagnostic tools in various diseases such as multiple sclerosis or lung cancer. There is also emerging evidence that miRNAs play an important role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) or Parkinson's disease (PD). Apparently, these diseases come along with changes in miRNA expression patterns which led to attempts from researchers to use these small RNA species from several body fluids for a better diagnosis and in order to observe disease progression. Additionally, it…

In silico pathway analysis in cervical carcinoma reveals potential new targets for treatment

2016

Abstract: An in silico pathway analysis was performed in order to improve current knowledge on the molecular drivers of cervical cancer and detect potential targets for treatment. Three publicly available Affymetrix gene expression data-sets (GSE5787, GSE7803, GSE9750) were retrieved, vouching for a total of 9 cervical cancer cell lines (CCCLs), 39 normal cervical samples, 7 CIN3 samples and 111 cervical cancer samples (CCSs). Predication analysis of microarrays was performed in the Affymetrix sets to identify cervical cancer biomarkers. To select cancer cell-specific genes the CCSs were compared to the CCCLs. Validated genes were submitted to a gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and Expre…

Neuronal Cytoskeleton in Intellectual Disability: From Systems Biology and Modeling to Therapeutic Opportunities

2021

Intellectual disability (ID) is a pathological condition characterized by limited intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviors. It affects 1–3% of the worldwide population, and no pharmacological therapies are currently available. More than 1000 genes have been found mutated in ID patients pointing out that, despite the common phenotype, the genetic bases are highly heterogeneous and apparently unrelated. Bibliomic analysis reveals that ID genes converge onto a few biological modules, including cytoskeleton dynamics, whose regulation depends on Rho GTPases transduction. Genetic variants exert their effects at different levels in a hierarchical arrangement, starting from the molecular lev…

Crystal structure, Hirshfeld analysis and molecular docking with the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 of (3Z)-5-fluoro-3-(hydroxyimino)i…

2017

The reaction between 5-fluoroisatin and hydroxylamine hydrochloride in acidic ethanol yields the title compound, C8H5FN2O2, whose molecular structure matches the asymmetric unit and is nearly planar with an r.m.s. deviation for the mean plane through all non-H atoms of 0.0363 Å. In the crystal, the molecules are linked by N—H...N, N—H...O and O—H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions into a two-dimensional network along the (100) plane, forming rings withR22(8) andR12(5) graph-set motifs. The crystal packing also features weak π–π interactions along the [100] direction [centroid-to-centroid distance 3.9860 (5) Å]. Additionally, the Hirshfeld surface analysis indicates that the major contributio…

Crystal structure of (3E)-5-nitro-3-(2-phenylhydrazinylidene)-1H-indol-2(3H)-one

2017

The reaction between 5-nitroisatin and phenylhydrazine in acidic ethanol yields the title compound, C14H10N4O3, whose molecular structure deviates slightly from a planar geometry (r.m.s. deviation = 0.065 Å for the mean plane through all non-H atoms). An intramolecular N—H...O hydrogen bond is present, forming a ring of graph-set motifS(6). In the crystal, molecules are linked by N—H...O and C—H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions into a two-dimensional network along (120), and rings of graph-set motifR22(8),R22(26) andR44(32) are observed. Additionally, a Hirshfeld surface analysis suggests that the molecules are stacked along [100] through C=O...Cginteractions and indicates that the most im…

Evaluating ancient Egyptian prescriptions today: Anti-inflammatory activity of Ziziphus spina-christi.

2015

Abstract Background Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) Desf. (Christ's Thorn Jujube) is a wild tree today found in Jordan, Israel, Egypt, and some parts of Africa, which was already in use as a medicinal plant in Ancient Egypt. In ancient Egyptian prescriptions, it was used in remedies against swellings, pain, and heat, and thus should have anti-inflammatory effects. Nowadays, Z. spina-christi, is used in Egypt (by Bedouins, and Nubians), the Arabian Peninsula, Jordan, Iraq, and Morocco against a wide range of illnesses, most of them associated with inflammation. Pharmacological research undertaken to date suggests that it possesses anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, hypotensive and anti-microbial e…

2021

The coronavirus pandemic has affected more than 150 million people, while over 3.25 million people have died from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). As there are no established therapies for COVID-19 treatment, drugs that inhibit viral replication are a promising target; specifically, the main protease (Mpro) that process CoV-encoded polyproteins serves as an Achilles heel for assembly of replication-transcription machinery as well as down-stream viral replication. In the search for potential antiviral drugs that target Mpro, a series of cembranoid diterpenes from the biologically active soft-coral genus Sarcophyton have been examined as SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors. Over 360 metabolite…

In vitro and in silico studies of polycondensed diazine systems as anti-infective agents

2011

Infective diseases caused by protozoarian agents are still relevant today more than ever. In fact, they represent the first cause of death all over the world with seventeen millions victims every year. The development of drug resistance and the broad diffusion of these pathologies make actual the research of new molecules able to act as selective and effective anti-infective chemotherapics.[1] Recently several polycondensed diazine derivatives, by means 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition, reactions [2, 3] were synthesized. A broad selection of these compounds chosen with a wide pattern of substitutions were submitted to biological in vitro screening against Plasmodium falciparum, Leishmania Infantum…

Genetic screening for MC4R gene identifies three novel mutations associated with severe familiar obesity in a cohort of Spanish individuals

2019

Abstract MC4R gene is a hypothalamic satiety control mediator in which mutations cause a monogenic form of obesity. The aim of this study was to perform a genetic screening to identify variations in the entire region of MC4R gene. A total of 236 unrelated and severely obese patients (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2) with Spanish ancestry and severe overweight familiar history have been enrolled into the study. Seven MC4R gene variants were identified in the heterozygous state in 21 patients. Coding variants p.Thr101Ile and p.Ala259Asp are new and variants p.Ser30Phe, p.Val103Ile and p.Ile251Leu were previously described. Two variants have been also observed in the promoter region of the MC4R gene; the c.-24…