Field and laboratory perspectives on fentanyl and carfentanil decontamination.

Abuse of the highly toxic compound fentanyl and its analogues is increasing, raising serious public health concerns due to their potency and availability. Therefore, there is a need for decontamination methodologies to safely remove fentanyl to avoid harmful exposure. In this study, the efficacy of commercial and in-house synthesized decontamination agents (Dahlgren Decon, RSDL (Reactive Skin Decontamination Lotion), FAST-ACT (First applied sorbent treatment against chemical threats), GDS2000, alldecont MED, bleach, Domestos Spray Bleach, Effekt Klor, MgO, TiO-nanodiamond, and CeO) were evaluated for the degradation of fentanyl and carfentanil under controlled laboratory conditions and on wooden floor surfaces.

Local Immune Activation and Age Impact on Humoral Immunity in Mice, with a Focus on IgG Sialylation.

Age alters the host's susceptibility to immune induction. Humoral immunity with circulating antibodies, particularly immunoglobulin G (IgG), plays an essential role in immune response. IgG glycosylation in the fragment crystallizable (Fc) region, including sialylation, is important in regulating the effector function by interacting with Fc gamma receptors (FcγRs).

Toll-like receptor-2 induced inflammation causes local bone formation and activates canonical Wnt signaling.

It is well established that inflammatory processes in the vicinity of bone often induce osteoclast formation and bone resorption. Effects of inflammatory processes on bone formation are less studied. Therefore, we investigated the effect of locally induced inflammation on bone formation.

Essential role of local antibody distribution in mediating bone-resorbing effects.

The link between antibodies and bone mass is debated. Activated IgG, which interacts directly with Fc gamma receptors, stimulates osteoclastogenesis in vitro, and local injection in immune-activated mice leads to bone loss. Multiple myeloma patients with high serum IgG levels have induced osteoclast activation and display bone loss.

Transplantation of gut microbiota from old mice into young healthy mice reduces lean mass but not bone mass.

Aging is associated with low bone and lean mass as well as alterations in the gut microbiota (GM). In this study, we determined whether the reduced bone mass and relative lean mass observed in old mice could be transferred to healthy young mice by GM transplantation (GMT). GM from old (21-month-old) and young adult (5-month-old) donors was used to colonize germ-free (GF) mice in three separate studies involving still growing 5- or 11-week-old recipients and 17-week-old recipients with minimal bone growth.

A COX-2 Inhibitor Does Not Interfere With the Bone-Protective Effects of Loading in Male Mice With Arthritis.

Mechanical loading enhances bone strength and counteracts arthritis-induced inflammation-mediated bone loss in female mice. It is unknown whether nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs; eg, COX-2 inhibitors) can reduce inflammation without affecting the loading-associated bone formation in male mice. The aim of this study was to investigate if loading combined with a COX-2 inhibitor (NS-398) could prevent arthritis-induced bone loss and inflammation in male mice.

Membrane estrogen receptor α signaling modulates the sensitivity to estradiol treatment in a dose- and tissue- dependent manner.

Estradiol (E2) affects both reproductive and non-reproductive tissues, and the sensitivity to different doses of E2 varies between tissues. Membrane estrogen receptor α (mERα)-initiated signaling plays a tissue-specific role in mediating E2 effects, however, it is unclear if mERα signaling modulates E2 sensitivity. To determine this, we treated ovariectomized C451A females, lacking mERα signaling, and wildtype (WT) littermates with physiological (0.

The impact of TLR2 and aging on the humoral immune response to Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia in mice.

Aging alters immunoglobulin production, affecting the humoral immune response. Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) recognizes Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) which causes bacteremia with high mortality in the elderly.

Bazedoxifene does not share estrogens effects on IgG sialylation.

The incidence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) increases at the same time as menopause when estrogen level decreases. Estrogen treatment is known to reduce the IgG pathogenicity by increasing the sialylation grade on the terminal glycan chain of the Fc domain, inhibiting the binding ability to the Fc gamma receptor. Therefore, treatment with estrogen may be beneficial in pre-RA patients who have autoantibodies and are prone to get an autoimmune disease.

Biopesticide Exposure Does Not Select for Resistance in Mosquitoes.

Developing effective tools to control mosquito populations is essential for reducing the incidence of diseases like malaria and dengue. Biopesticides of microbial origin are a rich, underexplored source of mosquitocidal compounds. We previously developed a biopesticide from the bacterium Chromobacterium sp.

The Impact of Aging and Toll-like Receptor 2 Deficiency on the Clinical Outcomes of Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) causes a broad range of infections. Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 senses the S.

Discovery of novel natural products for mosquito control.

Vector control plays a key role in reducing the public health burden of mosquito-borne diseases. Today's vector control strategies largely rely on synthetic insecticides that can have a negative environmental impact when applied outdoors and often become inefficient because of the mosquitoes' ability to develop resistance. An alternative and promising approach to circumvent these challenges involves the implementation of insecticides derived from nature (biopesticides) for vector control.

Reduction of Mature B Cells and Immunoglobulins Results in Increased Trabecular Bone.

Inflammation has a significant effect on bone remodeling and can result in bone loss via increased stimulation of osteoclasts. Activated immunoglobulins, especially autoantibodies, can increase osteoclastogenesis and are associated with pathological bone loss. Whether immunoglobulins and mature B lymphocytes are important for general bone architecture has not been completely determined.

ERα Signaling in a Subset of CXCL12-Abundant Reticular Cells Regulates Trabecular Bone in Mice.

Estrogen has pronounced effects on the immune system, which also influences bone homeostasis. In recent years, stromal cells in lymphoid organs have gained increasing attention as they not only support the regulation of immune responses but also affect bone remodeling. A conditional knockout mouse model where estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) is deleted in CCL19-expressing stromal cells (Ccl19-Cre mice) was generated and bone densitometry was performed to analyze the importance of stromal cell-specific ERα signaling on the skeleton.

A tissue-specific role of membrane-initiated ERα signaling for the effects of SERMs.

Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) act as estrogen receptor (ER) agonists or antagonists in a tissue-specific manner. ERs exert effects via nuclear actions but can also utilize membrane-initiated signaling pathways. To determine if membrane-initiated ERα (mERα) signaling affects SERM action in a tissue-specific manner, C451A mice, lacking mERα signaling due to a mutation at palmitoylation site C451, were treated with Lasofoxifene (Las), Bazedoxifene (Bza), or estradiol (E2), and various tissues were evaluated.

A tissue-selective estrogen complex as treatment of osteoporosis in experimental lupus.

Osteoporosis is a common secondary complication in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Current osteoporosis treatment with bisphosphonates has some negative side effects and there is a lack of data regarding newer treatments options for SLE associated osteoporosis. The tissue-selective estrogen complex (TSEC) containing conjugated estrogens and the selective estrogen receptor modulator bazedoxifene (Bza) is approved for treatment of postmenopausal vasomotor symptoms and prevention of osteoporosis.

Discovery of Novel Entomopathogenic Fungi for Mosquito-Borne Disease Control.

The increased application of chemical control programs has led to the emergence and spread of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes. Novel environmentally safe control strategies are currently needed for the control of disease vectors. The use of entomopathogenic fungi could be a suitable alternative to chemical insecticides.

Dietary Derived Propionate Regulates Pathogenic Fibroblast Function and Ameliorates Experimental Arthritis and Inflammatory Tissue Priming.

Short-chain fatty acids are gut-bacteria-derived metabolites that execute important regulatory functions on adaptive immune responses, yet their influence on inflammation driven by innate immunity remains understudied. Here, we show that propionate treatment in drinking water or upon local application into the joint reduced experimental arthritis and lowered inflammatory tissue priming mediated by synovial fibroblasts. On a cellular level, incubation of synovial fibroblasts with propionate or a physiological mixture of short-chain fatty acids interfered with production of inflammatory mediators and migration and induced immune-regulatory fibroblast senescence.

Immunoglobulin G complexes without sialic acids enhance osteoclastogenesis but do not affect arthritis-mediated bone loss.

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) is important in clearance and recognition of previously presented antigens and after activation, IgGs can interact with the Fc gamma receptors (FcγRs) on haematopoietic cells, including bone-resorbing osteoclasts. The pathogenicity of IgG, that is the ability to elicit stimulatory effects via FcγRs, can be modulated by attachment of sugar moieties, including sialic acids. Human IgGs and autoantibodies are associated with bone loss in autoimmune disease.

Arginine site 264 in murine estrogen receptor-α is dispensable for the regulation of the skeleton.

Mutation of arginine 264 in ERα has been shown to abrogate rapid membrane ERα-mediated endothelial effects. Our novel finding that mutation of R264 is dispensable for ERα-mediated skeletal effects supports the concept that R264 determines tissue specificity of ERα. Estrogen protects against bone loss but is not a suitable treatment due to adverse effects in other tissues.

Tofacitinib treatment aggravates Staphylococcus aureus septic arthritis, but attenuates sepsis and enterotoxin induced shock in mice.

Tofacitinib, a janus kinase inhibitor, is a novel immunosuppressive drug for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Septic arthritis (SA) and sepsis caused by Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), for which RA patients are at risk, are infections with high mortality.

Changes in mechanical loading affect arthritis-induced bone loss in mice.

Arthritis induces bone loss by inflammation-mediated disturbance of bone homeostasis. On the other hand, pain and impaired locomotion are highly prevalent in arthritis and result in reduced general physical activity and less pronounced mechanical loading. Bone is affected by mechanical loading, directly through impact with the ground during movement and indirectly through muscular activity.

The YIN and YANG of lipoproteins in developing and preventing infectious arthritis by Staphylococcus aureus.

Rapid bone destruction often leads to permanent joint dysfunction in patients with septic arthritis, which is mainly caused by Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Staphylococcal cell wall components are known to induce joint inflammation and bone destruction.