Human Amniotic Epithelial Cells (hAEC) isolated from term placenta are a promising source for regenerative medicine. However, it has long been debated whether the hAEC population consists of heterogeneous or homogeneous cells. In a previous study, we investigated the characteristics of hAEC isolated from four different regions of the amniotic membrane finding significant heterogeneity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hepatic differentiation capability of hAEC isolated from these four regions. Human term placentae were collected after caesarean section and hAEC were isolated from four regions of the amniotic membrane (R1-R4, according to their relative distance from the umbilical cord) and treated in hepatic differentiation conditions for 14 days. hAEC-derived hepatocyte-like cells showed marked differences in the expression of hepatic markers R4 showed higher levels of Albumin and Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor (HNF) 4α whereas R1 expressed higher Cytochrome P450 enzymes, both at the gene and protein level. These preliminary results suggest that hAEC isolated from R1 and R4 of the amniotic membrane are more prone to hepatic differentiation. Therefore, the use of hAEC from a specific region of the amniotic membrane should be taken into consideration as it could have an impact on the outcome of therapeutic applications. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.BACKGROUND Pneumonia is the foremost cause of child death worldwide. M-ficolin is encoded by the FCN1 gene and represents a novel link between innate and adaptive immunity. OBJECTIVES To investigate the FCN1 -144 C/A (rs10117466) polymorphism as a potential marker for pneumonia severity and adverse outcome namely complications or mortality in the under-five Egyptian children. METHODS This was a prospective multicenter study that included 620 children hospitalized with World Health Organization-defined severe pneumonia and 620 matched healthy control children. Polymorphism rs10117466 of the FCN1 gene promoter was analyzed by PCR-SSP, while serum M-ficolin levels were assessed by ELISA. RESULTS The FCN1 A/A genotype and A allele at the -144 position were more frequently observed in patients compared to the control children (43.4% vs 27.6%; odds ratio [OR] 1.62; [95% confidence interval CI 1.18-2.2]; for the A/A genotype) and (60.8% vs 52.5%; OR 1.4; [95% CI 1.19-1.65]; for the A allele); P  less then  .01. The FCN1 -144 A/A homozygous patients had significantly higher serum M-ficolin concentrations (mean 1844 ± 396 ng/mL) compared with those carrying the C/C or C/A genotype (mean 857 ± 278 and 1073 ± 323 ng/mL, respectively; P = .002). FCN1 -144 A/A genotype was an independent risk factor for adverse outcomes in children with severe pneumonia (adjusted OR = 4.85, [95% CI 2.96-10.25]; P = .01). CONCLUSION The FCN1 A/A genotype at the -144 position was associated with high M-ficolin serum levels and possibly contributes to enhanced inflammatory response resulting in the adverse outcome of pneumonia in the under-five Egyptian children. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) is an organic cofactor employed by ~4 % of enzymes. The structure of the PLP cofactor allows for the stabilization of carbanions through resonance. A small number of PLP-dependent enzymes employ molecular oxygen as a co-substrate. Here we review the biological roles and possible mechanisms of these enzymes, and we observe that these enzymes are found in multiple protein families, suggesting that reaction with oxygen might have emerged de novo in several protein families and thus could be directed to emerge again through laboratory evolution experiments. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.BACKGROUND The relationship between alcohol intake and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) risk is controversial. Moreover, while evidence has shown that the relationship between alcohol and atherosclerosis may be modified by diabetes, whether this applies to ESKD is unknown. METHODS We examined these associations in the Singapore Chinese Health Study, a prospective cohort of 63 257 adults aged 45-74 years. Information on alcohol intake, diet, lifestyle factors and medical history was collected at recruitment. We identified 1217 ESKD cases via linkage with Singapore Renal Registry after mean follow-up of 17.5 years. Cox regression models were used to estimate HRs and 95% CI of ESKD. RESULTS Among the participants without diabetes at baseline, monthly to weekly drinking was associated with a decreased risk of ESKD (HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.54-0.87) compared to non-drinkers. In contrast, this association was attenuated and not significant among those with diabetes (HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.58-1.16) (Pinteraction  = 0.19). Comparatively, alcohol intake of ≥2 drinks/day was significantly associated with an increased risk of ESKD compared to non-drinkers among those with diabetes (HR 2.00, 95% CI 1.14-3.53) but not among those without diabetes (HR 0.91, 95% CI 0.53-1.56) (Pinteraction  = 0.01). The risk of ESKD among those with diabetes and who also consumed ≥2 drinks/day was increased by nearly 12-fold compared to non-drinkers without diabetes (HR 11.6, 95% CI 6.73-19.9). CONCLUSION Low-dose drinking was associated with a reduced risk of ESKD among individuals without diabetes. However, joint exposure to heavy drinking and diabetes was associated with a substantially higher risk of ESKD. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/s-gsk1349572.html  This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.An attempt was made to determine the ground state and excited state dipole moments and quantum chemical computations of two coumarin compounds, namely 3-hydroxy-3-[2-oxo-2-(2-oxo-2H-chromen-3-yl)-ethyl]-1,3-dihydro-indol-2-one (3HOCE) and 3-[2-(8-methoxy-2-oxo-2H-chromen-3-yl)-2-oxo-ethylidene]-1,3-dihydro-indol-2-one (3MOCE). Both compounds displayed a red shift with enhancement in solvent polarity. The larger excited state dipole moment indicated the more polar nature of the selected compounds in the excited state than in the ground state. Kinetic stability and chemical reactivity of the selected compounds were studied with help of the quantum chemical properties of the compounds such as frontier molecular orbital analysis using density functional theory calculations with B3LYP/6-311+G (d, p) basis sets. Molecular electrostatic potential, Mulliken charges, natural bond orbital, and nonlinear optical properties were further studied. NBO analysis showed proton transfer within the selected donor-acceptor, depicting the large energy of stabilization for the compounds.