Research Articles

A pair of over-the-counter compounds has been found in preliminary tests to inhibit the virus that causes COVID-19, University of Florida Health researchers have found. The combination includes  diphenhydramine , an antihistamine used for allergy symptoms. When paired with  lactoferrin , a protein found in cow and  human milk , the compounds were found to hinder the SARS-CoV-2  virus  during tests in monkey cells and human lung cells. The findings by David A. Ostrov, Ph.D., an immunologist and associate professor in the UF College of Medicine's department of pathology, immunology and laboratory medicine and his colleagues, are published in the journal  Pathogens . "We found out why certain drugs are active against the virus that causes COVID-19. Then, we found an antiviral combination that can be effective, economical and has a long history of safety," Ostrov said. Due to his earlier research with colleagues at UF, Ostrov already knew diphenhydramine was po...

  Essential oils are volatile oily liquids from different plant parts. Many essential oils not only have direct antimicrobial activity, but are also evaluated as a source of possible resistance modifiers ( Norajit, Laohakunjit, & Kerdchoechuen, 2007 ). There is increasing interest in the use of biologically active compounds isolated from plants to treat microbial infections caused by antibiotic resistance. Studies have found that litsea cubeba essential oil, oregano essential oil, clove essential oil effectively inhibit MRSA ( Cui, Zhang, Li, & Lin, 2019 ;  Hu, Li, Dai, Cui, & Lin, 2019 ), and cinnamon essential oil has high antibacterial activity against MDR-PA ( Utchariyakiat, Surassmo, Jaturanpinyo, Khuntayaporn, & Chomnawang, 2016 ). Inhibition mechanism of cardamom essential oil on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus biofilm - ScienceDirect

  Summary During immune challenge, T lymphocytes engage pathways of anabolic metabolism to support clonal expansion and the development of effector functions. Here we report a critical role for the non-essential amino acid serine in effector T cell responses. Upon activation, T cells upregulate enzymes of the serine, glycine, one-carbon (SGOC) metabolic network, and rapidly increase processing of serine into one-carbon metabolism. We show that extracellular serine is required for optimal T cell expansion even in glucose concentrations sufficient to support T cell activation, bioenergetics, and effector function.  Restricting dietary serine impairs pathogen-driven expansion of T cells in vivo, without affecting overall immune cell homeostasis. Mechanistically, serine supplies glycine and one-carbon units for de novo nucleotide biosynthesis in proliferating T cells, and one-carbon units from formate can rescue T cells from serine depr...

Abstract Fear, anxiety, and trauma-related disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), are quite common and debilitating, with an estimated lifetime prevalence of ~28% in Western populations. They are associated with excessive fear reactions, often including an inability to extinguish learned fear, increased avoidance behavior, as well as altered cognition and mood. There is an extensive literature demonstrating the importance of  N- methyl- D -aspartate receptor (NMDAR) function in regulating these behaviors. NMDARs require the binding of a co-agonist,  D -serine or glycine, at the glycine modulatory site (GMS) to function.  D -serine is now garnering attention as the primary NMDAR co-agonist in limbic brain regions implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders.  L -serine is synthesized by astrocytes, which is then transported to neurons for conversion to  D -serine by serine racemase (SR), a model we term the ‘serine shuttle.’ The neuronally-releas...