A Novel Anti-PD-L1 Antibody Exhibits Antitumor Effects on Multiple Myeloma in Murine Models via Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity.

Multiple myeloma is a malignant cancer of plasma cells. Despite recent progress with immunomodulatory drugs and proteasome inhibitors, it remains an incurable disease that requires other strategies to overcome its recurrence and non-response. Based on the high expression levels of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) in human multiple myeloma isolated from bone marrow and the murine myeloma cell lines, NS-1 and MOPC-315, we propose PD-L1 molecule as a target of anti-multiple myeloma therapy.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells regulate colitis-associated tumorigenesis by controlling myeloid-derived suppressor cell infiltration.

Toll-like receptor (TLR)3 and TLR7 are important for stimulating plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), which secrete type I interferon. Mice deficient for TLR3 and TLR7 (TLR3TLR7) reportedly exhibit deteriorated colitis because of impaired pDCs. However, the role of pDCs in tumorigenesis-associated inflammation progression has not been studied.

B Cell-Based Vaccine Transduced With ESAT6-Expressing Vaccinia Virus and Presenting α-Galactosylceramide Is a Novel Vaccine Candidate Against ESAT6-Expressing Mycobacterial Diseases.

Early secretory antigenic target-6 (ESAT6) is a potent immunogenic antigen expressed in as well as in some non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), such as . is one of the most clinically relevant species of NTM that causes mycobacterial lung disease, which is clinically indistinguishable from tuberculosis. In the current study, we designed a novel cell-based vaccine using B cells that were transduced with vaccinia virus expressing ESAT6 (vacESAT6), and presenting α-galactosylceramide (αGC), a ligand of invariant NKT cells.

Manassantin B shows antiviral activity against coxsackievirus B3 infection by activation of the STING/TBK-1/IRF3 signalling pathway.

Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is an important human pathogen associated with the development of acute pancreatitis, myocarditis, and type 1 diabetes. Currently, no vaccines or antiviral therapeutics are approved for the prevention and treatment of CVB3 infection. We found that Saururus chinensis Baill extract showed critical antiviral activity against CVB3 infection in vitro.

IκBζ facilitates protective immunity against Salmonella infection via Th1 differentiation and IgG production.

Inhibitor of kappa B (IκB)-ζ transcription is rapidly induced by stimulation with TLR ligands and IL-1. Despite high IκBζ expression in inflammation sites, the association of IκBζ with host defence via systemic immune responses against bacterial infection remains unclear. Oral immunisation with a recombinant attenuated Salmonella vaccine (RASV) strain did not protect IκBζ-deficient mice against a lethal Salmonella challenge.

Development of New Preventive and Therapeutic Vaccines for Tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious disease that has been responsible for the death of one billion people in the last 200 years. Until now, the only vaccine approved for the prevention of TB is Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), which is prepared by attenuating . However, one of the limitations of BCG is that its preventive effect against pulmonary TB varies from person to person.

Antiviral and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Pochonin D, a Heat Shock Protein 90 Inhibitor, against Rhinovirus Infection.

Human rhinoviruses (HRV) are one of the major causes of common cold in humans and are also associated with acute asthma and bronchial illness. Heat-shock protein 90 (Hsp90), a molecular chaperone, is an important host factor for the replication of single-strand RNA viruses. In the current study, we examined the effect of the Hsp90 inhibitor pochonin D, and , using a murine model of human rhinovirus type 1B (HRV1B) infection.

Trans-scirpusin A showed antitumor effects via autophagy activation and apoptosis induction of colorectal cancer cells.

Trans-Scirpusin A (TSA) is a resveratrol oligomer found in Borassus flabellifer L. We found that TSA inhibited the growth of colorectal cancer Her2/CT26 cells in vivo in mice. Although some cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) were induced against the tumor-associated antigen Her2, TSA treatment did not significantly increase the level of Her2-specific CTL response compared to that with vehicle treatment.

Interleukin-10 attenuates tumour growth by inhibiting interleukin-6/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 signalling in myeloid-derived suppressor cells.

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a well-characterized anti-inflammatory cytokine, but its role in anti-cancer immunity is controversial. After injection with TC-1 cancer cells, we observed more rapid tumour growth and significantly higher interleukin-6 (IL-6) production in IL-10 knockout (IL-10(-/-)) mice than wild-type (WT) mice. Blocking IL-6 with an anti-IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) monoclonal antibody (mAb) inhibited tumour growth and myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC) generation, which were significantly increased in IL-10-deficient mice.

Antiviral Activity of Oroxylin A against Coxsackievirus B3 Alleviates Virus-Induced Acute Pancreatic Damage in Mice.

The flavonoids mosloflavone, oroxylin A, and norwogonin, which were purified from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, significantly protected Vero cells against Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3)-induced cell death. To investigate the in vivo antiviral activity of oroxylin A, we intraperitoneally inoculated CVB3 into 4-week-old BALB/c mice. Body weights and blood glucose levels of the mice were decreased after CVB3 infection, and these changes were attenuated by the administration of oroxylin A.

Therapeutic and prophylactic activity of itraconazole against human rhinovirus infection in a murine model.

Human rhinovirus (HRV) is the most common viral infectious agent in humans and is the predominant cause of the common cold. There is a need for appropriate vaccines or therapeutic agents to treat HRV infection. In this study, we investigated whether itraconazole (ICZ) can protect cells from HRV-induced cytotoxicity.

Compensatory roles of CD8+ T cells and plasmacytoid dendritic cells in gut immune regulation for reduced function of CD4+ Tregs.

CD4+ Tregs need to migrate from the mucosal periphery into the draining lymph node via CCR7 to exert their suppressive effects. In this study, we investigated whether CCR7 deficiency resulted in failure of immune suppression in 2% dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis. Unexpectedly, intestinal inflammation was not exacerbated in the absence of CCR7.

Ready-to-use colloidal adjuvant systems for intranasal immunization.

Adjuvant systems based on oil-in-water (o/w) microemulsions (MEs) for vaccination via intranasal administration were prepared and evaluated. A ready-to-use blank ME system composed of mineral oil (oil), Labrasol (surfactant), Tween 80 (cosurfactant), and water was prepared and blended with antigen (Ag) solution prior to use. The o/w ME system developed exhibited nano-size droplets within the tested range of Ag concentrations and dilution factors.

Pros and cons of VP1-specific maternal IgG for the protection of Enterovirus 71 infection.

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) causes hand, foot, and mouth diseases and can result in severe neurological disorders when it infects the central nervous system. Thus, there is a need for the development of effective vaccines against EV71 infection. Here we report that viral capsid protein 1 (VP1), one of the main capsid proteins of EV71, efficiently elicited VP1-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) in the serum of mice immunized with recombinant VP1.

Antiviral Activity of Chrysin Derivatives against Coxsackievirus B3 in vitro and in vivo.

Chrysin is a 5,7-dihydroxyflavone and was recently shown to potently inhibit enterovirus 71 (EV71) by suppressing viral 3C protease (3C(pro)) activity. In the current study, we investigated whether chrysin also shows antiviral activity against coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3), which belongs to the same genus (Enterovirus) as EV71, and assessed its ability to prevent the resulting acute pancreatitis and myocarditis. We found that chrysin showed antiviral activity against CVB3 at 10 μM, but exhibited mild cellular cytotoxicity at 50 μM, prompting us to synthesize derivatives of chrysin to increase the antiviral activity and reduce its cytotoxicity.

Retinoic acid enhances lactoferrin-induced IgA responses by increasing betaglycan expression.

Lactoferrin (LF) and retinoic acid (RA) are enriched in colostrum, milk, and mucosal tissues. We recently showed that LF-induced IgA class switching through binding to betaglycan (transforming growth factor-beta receptor III, TβRIII) and activation of canonical TGF-β signaling. We investigated the combined effect of LF and RA on the overall IgA response.

Coadministration of Hedera helix L. Extract Enabled Mice to Overcome Insufficient Protection against Influenza A/PR/8 Virus Infection under Suboptimal Treatment with Oseltamivir.

Several anti-influenza drugs that reduce disease manifestation exist, and although these drugs provide clinical benefits in infected patients, their efficacy is limited by the emergence of drug-resistant influenza viruses. In the current study, we assessed the therapeutic strategy of enhancing the antiviral efficacy of an existing neuraminidase inhibitor, oseltamivir, by coadministering with the leaf extract from Hedera helix L, commonly known as ivy. Ivy extract has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, and antihelminthic properties.

Complete sequence analysis and antiviral screening of medicinal plants for human coxsackievirus a16 isolated in Korea.

Objectives: Coxsackievirus A group 16 strain (CVA16) is one of the predominant causative agents of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD).

Methods: Using a specimen from a male patient with HFMD, we isolated and performed sequencing of the Korean CVA16 strain and compared it with a G10 reference strain. Also, we were investigated the effects of medicinal plant extract on the cytopathic effects (CPE) by CPE reduction assay against Korean CVA16.

Do rotational shifts affect micturition patterns in real practice? A pilot study in healthy, young female nurses.

Purpose: Healthy, young individuals are known to exhibit circadian variation in urinary functions. However, the effects of chronic circadian disturbance on voiding functions are largely unknown. The present work compared the effects of rotational shifts on the micturition patterns of female nurses to that in female nurses with routine daytime shifts.

Elevated endoplasmic reticulum stress reinforced immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment via myeloid-derived suppressor cells.

The role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in cancer has been studied in detail, and ER stress is known to increase tumor cell apoptosis, and thus, reduce tumor growth. However, in our study, persistent ER stress induced by multiple administrations of low-dose thapsigargin (Tg) accelerated tumor growth in mice. Tg-mediated ER stress increased the generation of Ly6G+CD11b+ myeloid cells, but did not alter anti-tumor effector T cells.

Association between depression, patient scar assessment and burn-specific health in hospitalized burn patients.

Background: Depression is one of the most common psychological problems arising after a burn, but its relationship with patient scar assessment and burn-specific health are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to identify the incidence of in-hospital symptoms of depression, compare level of patient scar assessment, and burn-specific health by depression cutoff point, and identify the relationship between depression and these variables.

Methods: In a cross-sectional descriptive study, 113 burn patients from two inpatient burn centers were divided into two groups based on the cutoff point of the Korean Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (Korean CES-D): ≥25 or <25.

Predictive risk factors for impaired quality of life in middle-aged women with urinary incontinence.

Purpose: Urinary incontinence (UI) has substantial and important impacts on quality of life (QoL). The purpose of this study was to identify the associated risk factors of QoL in middle-aged women with UI.

Methods: The participants were 127 women aged 40-64 years who experienced UI.