A fibroblast-dependent TGF-β1/sFRP2 noncanonical Wnt signaling axis promotes epithelial metaplasia in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Reciprocal interactions between alveolar fibroblasts and epithelial cells are crucial for lung homeostasis, injury repair, and fibrogenesis, but underlying mechanisms remain unclear. To investigate, we administered the fibroblast-selective TGF-β1 signaling inhibitor epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) to interstitial lung disease (ILD) patients undergoing diagnostic lung biopsy and conducted single-cell RNA-Seq on spare tissue. Biopsies from untreated patients showed higher fibroblast TGF-β1 signaling compared with nondisease donor or end-stage ILD tissues.

Swietemicrolides A-D, mexicanolide-type limonoids from the bark of with cytotoxic and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities.

Four new mexicanolide-type limonoids, swietemicrolides A-D (1-4), together with three known compounds (5-7) were isolated from an ethyl acetate extract of the bark of . 1 and 2 had 1,8-hemiacetal systems whilst 3 and 4 shared hexacyclic skeletons consisting of three fused five-membered rings. The structures of the isolated compounds were determined using spectroscopic methods.

Fabrication of Triblock Elastomer Foams and Gelation Studies for Oil Spill Remediation.

Polymeric foamed materials are among the most widely utilized technologies for oil spill accidents and releases of oil-contaminated wastewater oil due to their porosity to absorb and separate oil/water effectively. However, a major limitation of traditional polymeric foams is their reliance on an ad/absorption mechanism as the sole method of oil capture, leading to potential oil leakage once their saturation point is exceeded. Tri-block polymer styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS) is a fascinating absorbent material that can bypass this limitation by both capturing oil and providing a sealing mechanism via gelation to prevent oil leakage due to its unique chemical structure.

Nano-enabled smart and functional materials toward human well-being and sustainable developments.

Fabrication and operation on increasingly smaller dimensions have been highly integrated with the development of smart and functional materials, which are key to many technological innovations to meet economic and societal needs. Along with researchers worldwide, the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN) has long realized the synergetic interplays between nanotechnology and functional materials and designated 'Smart & Functional Materials' as one of its four major research themes. Thus far, WIN researchers have utilized the properties of smart polymers, nanoparticles, and nanocomposites to develop active materials, membranes, films, adhesives, coatings, and devices with novel and improved properties and capabilities.

Biofire pneumonia panel in lung donors: faster detection but limited pathogens.

Background: Culture of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens takes time to report. We tested whether a molecular diagnostic test could accelerate donor lung assessment and treatment.

Methods: We compared BioFire Film Array Pneumonia Panel (BFPP) with standard of care (SOC) tests on lung allograft samples at three time points: (1) donor BAL at organ recovery, (2) donor bronchial tissue and airway swab at implantation, and (3) first recipient BAL following lung implantation.

Design and implementation of a digital health home spirometry intervention for remote monitoring of lung transplant function.

Background: We developed an automated, chat-based, digital health intervention using Bluetooth-enabled home spirometers to monitor for complications of lung transplantation in a real-world application.

Methods: A chat-based application prompted patients to perform home spirometry, enter their forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV), answer symptom queries, and provided patient education. The program alerted patients and providers to substantial FEV decreases and concerning symptoms.

Intercostal Nerve Cryoanalgesia Versus Thoracic Epidural Analgesia in Lung Transplantation: A Retrospective Single-Center Study.

Introduction: The optimal pain management strategy after lung transplantation is unknown. This study compared analgesic outcomes of intercostal nerve blockade by cryoanalgesia (Cryo) versus thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA).

Methods: Seventy-two patients who underwent bilateral lung transplantation via clamshell incision at our center from 2016 to 2018 were managed with TEA (N = 43) or Cryo (N = 29).

In vitro and in silico antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory potential of compounds isolated from .

Nine compounds including a new one, garcichaudiic acid (), were isolated from the bark of and their structures were characterized mainly by 1 D and 2 D NMR experiments. The antioxidant capacity of the isolated compounds was determined using DPPH radical scavenging assay and the anti-hyperglycemic activity was assessed by measuring the inhibitory effect against α-glucosidase. Among them, compound showed higher antioxidant activity than the positive control, ascorbic acid, while both compounds and exhibited more significant α-glucosidase inhibitory activity than the reference drug acarbose.

Early Postoperative Management of Lung Transplant Recipients.

The early postoperative period after lung transplantation is a critical time. Prompt recognition and treatment of primary graft dysfunction can alter long-term allograft function. Cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, renal, and hematologic derangements are common and require close management to limit their negative sequelae.

Two new antidiabetic xanthones from the twigs of .

Two new xanthones, oblongixanthones I () and J (), and seven known compounds (-), were isolated from an EtOAc extract of the twigs of . Their structures were elucidated using spectroscopic methods, mainly 1 D and 2 D NMR. The antidiabetic effects of the two new compounds were evaluated using α-glucosidase and PTP1B inhibition assays.

Triterpenoids from the bark of .

Two new triterpenoids, entanolide () and methyl 3,4-secotirucalla-23-oxo-4(28),7,24-trien-21-al-3-oate (), together with nine known compounds (), were isolated from the bark of . Their structures were elucidated based on spectroscopic analyses, mainly 1 D and 2 D NMR spectral data. Compounds - and were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells, and compounds exhibited weak activities.

Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of the Extracts from Different Species.

Background: is a large genus which has promising bioactivities. However, the properties of many species have not been investigated thoroughly.

Aim: To determine the antioxidant and antimicrobial capabilities of the extracts from different species.

Robust multiphase and multilayer starch/polymer (TPS/PBAT) film with simultaneous oxygen/moisture barrier properties.

The demands for bioplastics that provide good barrier properties against moisture and oxygen while simultaneously displaying good physical properties without compromising their biodegradability is ever-increasing. In this work, a multiphase and multilayer film assembly composed of thermoplastic starch (TPS) and its maleated counterpart (MTPS) with poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) was constructed as a suitable barrier film with excellent mechanical properties. The bioplastic film assemblies were fabricated through reactive extrusion, compression molding, and dip-coating process.

Chemical constituents of and and their cytotoxicity.

Two new rocaglamides, 8b--5-oxohexylrocaglaol () and elaeagnin (), together with twelve known compounds, were isolated from the bark of and the whole tree of . Their structures were determined using spectroscopic methods, mainly 1D and 2D NMR. Cytotoxic activity against HepG2 human liver cancer cells of the isolated compounds was evaluated using the SRB assay.

The association of post-operative delirium with patient-reported outcomes and mortality after lung transplantation.

Post-operative delirium after lung transplantation is common. Its associations with health-related quality of life (HRQL), depression, and mortality remains unknown. In 236 lung transplant recipients, HRQL and depressive symptoms were assessed as part of a structured survey battery before and after transplantation.

Construct and Predictive Validity of Sarcopenia in Lung Transplant Candidates.

Sarcopenia is associated with disability and death. The optimal definition and clinical relevance of sarcopenia in lung transplantation remain unknown. To assess the construct and predictive validity of sarcopenia definitions in lung transplant candidates.

Lung transplantation from swimming pool drowning victims: A case series.

The use of donor lungs from victims of drowning remains a rare occurrence, given concerns over lung parenchymal injury and microbial contamination secondary to aspiration. Given this infrequency, there is a relative paucity of literature surrounding the use of organs from drowned donors, with the few that exist on this subject focusing primarily on cases of drowning in naturally occurring bodies of water (i.e.

The megascolecid earthworms (Annelida, Oligochaeta, Megascolecidae) in the Phu Quoc island, Vietnam, with descriptions of three new species.

The megascolecid earthworms of the Phu Quoc island are intensively investigated. Twelve species in three genera ( Kinberg, 1867, Kinberg, 1867, and Sims & Easton, 1972) are recorded. Of these, Bantaowong & Panha, 2016 is recorded for the first time in Vietnam, and three species are newly described, namely , , and An identification key to 12 megascolecid species is provided as well.

Risk Factors and Outcomes of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation as a Bridge to Lung Transplantation.

This study aimed to identify outcome determinants for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as a bridge to lung transplantation (BTT) at our institution.This retrospective single-center study reviewed patients on ECMO between 2010 and 2018 and compared clinical characteristics between patients who underwent successful-BTT and those who did not. Additionally, we examined differences between actively versus emergently listed patients and reasons for failure-to-list.

Cytotoxic limonoids from the bark of Walsura cochinchinensis.

Three new limonoids, walsucochinones A-C (1-3), along with eight known compounds, were isolated from an ethyl acetate extract of the bark of Walsura cochinchinensis. Their structures were determined using spectroscopic techniques, mainly 1-D and 2-D NMR. The ethyl acetate extract showed cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 human breast cancer cells and cytotoxicity of the isolated compounds were evaluated in vitro using the SRB assay.

MethyLight and Digital MethyLight.

MethyLight is a quantitative, fluorescence-based, real-time PCR method to sensitively detect and quantify DNA methylation of candidate regions of the genome. MethyLight is uniquely suited for detecting low-frequency methylated DNA regions against a high background of unmethylated DNA, as it combines methylation-specific priming with methylation-specific fluorescent probing. The quantitative accuracy of real-time PCR and the ability to design bisulfite-dependent, DNA methylation-independent control reactions together allow for a quantitative assessment of these low frequency methylation events.

High-Resolution Inhibition Profiling Combined with HPLC-HRMS-SPE-NMR for Identification of PTP1B Inhibitors from Vietnamese Plants.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) plays a key role as a negative regulator in insulin signal transduction by deactivating the insulin receptor. Thus, PTP1B inhibition has emerged as a potential therapeutic strategy for curing insulin resistance. In this study, 40 extracts from 18 different plant species were investigated for PTP1B inhibitory activity in vitro.