Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body and has a metabolic role as a precursor for protein, amino sugar and nucleotide synthesis. After glucose, glutamine is the main source of energy in cells and has recently been shown to be an important carbon source for de novo lipogenesis. Glutamine is synthesized by the enzyme glutamine synthetase, a mitochondrial enzyme that is active during adipocyte differentiation suggesting a regulatory role in this process. The aim of our study was therefore to investigate whether glutamine status impacts on the differentiation of adipocytes and lipid droplet accumulation.
 
  Mouse mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were submitted to glutamine deprivation (i.e. glutamine-free adipogenic medium in conjunction with irreversible glutamine synthetase inhibitor, methionine sulfoximine - MSO) during differentiation and their response was compared with MSCs differentiated in glutamine-supplemented medium (5, 10 and 20 mM). Differentiated MSCs were assessed for lipid content usnd thus obesity.
 These results suggest that the glutamine pathway may have a previously over-looked role in adipogenesis. The underlying mechanism involved the glutamine-IDH1 pathway and could represent a potential therapeutic strategy to treat excessive lipid accumulation and thus obesity.
  Light-induced control of the cell membrane potential has enabled important advances in the study of biological processes involving the nervous system and muscle activity. The use of these light-induced modifications is expected in various medical applications, including the control of physiological responses and the recovery of lost functions by regulating nerve activity. In particular, charge-separating linkage molecules (Charge-Separation (CS) molecules) can depolarize cells by photoexcitation without genetic processing. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying cell membrane depolarization are unknown and have hindered its application. Here, we show that CS molecules localized in the cell membrane of PC12 cells using a high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-based drug carrier can excite the cells through a novel membrane current regulation mechanism by light irradiation.
 
  Membrane potential, channel activity, and membrane capacitance were measured by patch clamp method in rat adrenal gland pheochromocytoma (ation slowly restores by internalization of TC1 from the membrane and insertion of new lipids into the cell membrane, resulting in the restoration of K
  to normal activity and eliminating PACS currents, without cell damage. These results suggest the possibility of medical application that can safely control membrane excitation.
 Thus, the mechanism of photo-induced depolarization concludes that photo-activated TC1 causes depolarization by generating PACS current in parallel with the suppression of the K+ current. Moreover, the depolarization slowly restores by internalization of TC1 from the membrane and insertion of new lipids into the cell membrane, resulting in the restoration of KV to normal activity and eliminating PACS currents, without cell damage. These results suggest the possibility of medical application that can safely control membrane excitation.
  Platelets are key players in hemostasis. These blood cells contain different types of granules. Recently, there has been a growing interest in the role of inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) structures stored in dense granules of platelets and secreted during platelet activation.
 
  To measure platelet polyP levels in patients with thrombocytopenia and thrombocythemia, and to examine the relationship of this indicator with platelet aggregation.
 
  The study included 36 patients with hematological disorders (26 with primary chronic thrombocytopenia and 10 with essential thrombocythemia (ET)) and 40 healthy subjects. Platelet reactivity was measured using whole blood impedance aggregometry. The polyP levels were isolated from lysed platelets, which were obtained from citrated platelet-rich plasma. The procedure included inactivating endogenous phosphatases, removing phosphate units derived from DNA and proteins, and finally hydrolyzing them into monophosphate units. A colorimetric assay using malachite green and ammonium molybdate was performed in order to quantify polyP levels.
 
  The polyP concentrations were significantly higher in the patients with thrombocytopenia than in the patients with thrombocythemia or the controls. The polyP level was not correlated with the level of aggregation.
 
  The higher polyP levels observed in the patients with low platelet counts may indicate the existence of a compensatory mechanism that prevents excessive bleeding in such patients.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/hygromycin-b.html  Our study provides evidence of an essential role of polyP in platelet function and the coagulation process.
 The higher polyP levels observed in the patients with low platelet counts may indicate the existence of a compensatory mechanism that prevents excessive bleeding in such patients. Our study provides evidence of an essential role of polyP in platelet function and the coagulation process.Caregivers of children with chronic illnesses experience elevated stress and reduced self-care. Although self-care can be beneficial, it is a form of disengagement coping, disengaging from the stressor to try and feel better, which has been characterized as a maladaptive coping strategy. In this study, we test the formulation that avoidance, avoiding the stressor and any thoughts related to it, is a maladaptive disengagement coping strategy, whereas distraction, taking a break from the stressor to do something pleasant, is an adaptive disengagement coping strategy. We assessed these strategies as well as psychosocial outcomes and trait predictors in caregivers of children with chronic illnesses. Results showed that those high in avoidance coping reported lower well-being, higher depression and higher stress. Alternatively, when controlling for avoidance, those high in distraction reported higher well-being, lower depression and lower stress. In addition, distraction exhibited strong relationships to increased positive emotions during caregiving situations and was associated with positive personality traits. These results suggest that not all disengagement coping strategies are equal; although avoidance may be a maladaptive strategy, distraction can be an effective positive emotional strategy for coping with the chronic stress of caregiving for a child with a chronic illness.