Therapeutic Potential of Oligo-Fucoidan in Mitigating Peritoneal Dialysis-Associated Fibrosis.

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) serves as a home-based kidney replacement therapy with increasing utilization across the globe. However, long-term use of high-glucose-based PD solution incites repeated peritoneal injury and inevitable peritoneal fibrosis, thus compromising treatment efficacy and resulting in ultrafiltration failure eventually. In the present study, we utilized human mesothelial MeT-5A cells for the in vitro experiments and a PD mouse model for in vivo validation to study the pathophysiological mechanisms underneath PD-associated peritoneal fibrosis.

Hyperspectral screen-image-synthesis meter with scattering-noise suppression.

The screen image synthesis (SIS) meter was originally proposed as a high-speed measurement tool, which fused the measured data from multiple sample-rotational angles to produce a whole-field measurement result. However, it suffered from stray light noise and lacked the capability of spectrum measurement. In this study, we propose an SIS system embedded with a snapshot hyperspectral technology, which was based on a dispersion image of the sparse sampling screen (SSS).

Lemierre's Syndrome Caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Lemierre's syndrome is a rare condition that involves anaerobic sepsis following pharyngitis and is characterized by a high mortality rate. It often manifests as a septic embolism within the internal jugular vein due to oropharyngeal infections, leading to vein wall inflammation. Despite modern antibiotics, Lemierre's syndrome remains underdiagnosed and poses a significant threat.

Luminal pressure gradient and risk of arteriovenous fistula nonmaturation.

While arteriovenous fistula (AVF) nonmaturation is a major issue of hemodialysis care, an effective treatment to improve AVF maturation remains lacking. AVF introduces pulsatile arterial blood flow into its venous limb and produces high luminal pressure gradient, which may have adverse effect on vascular remodeling. As such, the aim of the present study is to investigate effect of luminal pressure gradient on AVF nonmaturation.

Far-infrared radiation alleviates cisplatin-induced vascular damage and impaired circulation via activation of HIF-1α.

Severe vascular damage and complications are often observed in cancer patients during treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs such as cisplatin. Thus, development of potential options to ameliorate the vascular side effects is urgently needed. In this study, the effects and the underlying mechanisms of far-infrared radiation (FIR) on cisplatin-induced vascular injury and endothelial cytotoxicity/dysfunction in mice and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were investigated.

Oligosaccharides Ameliorate Acute Kidney Injury by Alleviating Cluster of Differentiation 44-Mediated Immune Responses in Renal Tubular Cells.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a sudden episode of kidney damage that commonly occurs in patients admitted to hospitals. To date, no ideal treatment has been developed to reduce AKI severity. Oligo-fucoidan (FC) interferes with renal tubular cell surface protein cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44) to prevent renal interstitial fibrosis; however, the influence of oligosaccharides on AKI remains unknown.

Inhibition of β-catenin signaling attenuates arteriovenous fistula thickening in mice by suppressing myofibroblasts.

Background: Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the most important vascular access for hemodialysis; however, preventive treatment to maintain the patency of AVFs has not been developed. In endothelium, β-catenin functions in both the intercellular adherens complex and signaling pathways that induce the transition of endothelial cells to myofibroblasts in response to mechanical stimuli. We hypothesize that mechanical disturbances in the AVF activate β-catenin signaling leading to the transition of endothelial cells to myofibroblasts, which cause AVF thickening.

Suppression of EGFR/PKC-δ/NF-κB Signaling Associated With Imipramine-Inhibited Progression of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: Anti-depressants have been reported to own anti-tumor potential types of cancers; however, the role of imipramine in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has not been elucidated. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was known to be one of the key regulators that control NSCLC progression. Whether EGFR would be the target of imipramine for suppressing tumor signaling transduction and results in anti-tumor potential is remaining unclear.

Induction of Apoptosis, Inhibition of MCL-1, and VEGF-A Expression Are Associated with the Anti-Cancer Efficacy of Magnolol Combined with Regorafenib in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

While regorafenib was approved for the treatment of advanced HCC in 2017, with a partial response and survival benefit; other combination agents to facilitate the efficacy of regorafenib still need to be explored. Magnolol is a potential natural anti-tumor compound for many types of cancers. Combination indexes calculated on the basis of both in vitro and in vivo models have indicated a synergistic effect of the combination of regorafenib and magnolol.

Amentoflavone Induces Cell-cycle Arrest, Apoptosis, and Invasion Inhibition in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Cells.

Background/aim: Amentoflavone, an effective compound derived from medicinal plants, has been shown to boost therapeutic efficacy of chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, anti-NSCLC effect of amentoflavone is ambiguous. The major purpose of the present study was to verify the inhibitory effects of amentoflavone in NSCLC cells.

Parathyroid Hormone Induces Transition of Myofibroblasts in Arteriovenous Fistula and Increases Maturation Failure.

Context: Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) maturation failure remains a clinical dilemma, and its pathobiology is largely unclear. Secondary hyperparathyroidism is a complication of chronic renal failure that is associated with cardiovascular disease. While parathyroid hormone (PTH) has a prosclerotic effect on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), its role in AVF maturation failure remained unknown.

Renal protective effect of sacubitril/valsartan in patients with heart failure.

Sacubitril/valsartan is a combined neprilysin inhibitor/angiotensin II receptor blocker designed for treatment of heart failure (HF). Nonetheless, its renal protective effect remained an issue of debate. This retrospective cohort study investigated the renal protective effect of sacubitril/valsartan in HF patients.

Anticancer Efficacy and Mechanism of Amentoflavone for Sensitizing Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma to Cisplatin.

Background/aim: Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) inactivation and apoptosis activation have been shown to enhance the anticancer effect of cisplatin in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Amentoflavone may suppress NF-κB activity and trigger apoptosis in different types of cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the anticancer effect and mechanism of amentoflavone in combination with cisplatin in OSCC.

Combined protective effects of oligo-fucoidan, fucoxanthin, and L-carnitine on the kidneys of chronic kidney disease mice.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common global progressive disease, but there are no ideal drugs for the treatment. Fucoidan and fucoxanthin, and L-carnitine are one of the very few natural products that have a therapeutic effect on CKD in animal experiments. However, the combined effects of these compounds on CKD are unknown.

Effects of cardiovascular medications on primary patency of hemodialysis arteriovenous fistula.

While the patency of vascular access is essential for hemodialysis patients, optimal pharmaceutical treatment to maintain arteriovenous fistula (AVF) patency remains lacking. As cardiovascular diseases are highly prevalent in patients with end-stage renal disease, various cardiovascular medications have also been used to maintain AVF patency. However, previous studies revealed inconsistent therapeutic effects and a comprehensive evaluation of this issue is needed.

Far-infrared radiation prevents decline in β-cell mass and function in diabetic mice via the mitochondria-mediated Sirtuin1 pathway.

Insulin deficiency in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) involves a decline in both pancreatic β-cell mass and function. Enhancing β-cell preservation represents an important therapeutic strategy to treat type 2 DM. Far-infrared (FIR) radiation has been found to induce promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger protein (PLZF) activation to protect the vascular endothelium in diabetic mice.

Apoptosis induction and ERK/NF-κB inactivation are associated with magnolol-inhibited tumor progression in hepatocellular carcinoma in vivo.

Although hepatitis B and/or hepatitis C virus were recognized as major risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), certain occupational, environmental, and lifestyle factors also play key roles in HCC tumorigenesis. Moreover, in molecular signaling route, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signaling was found to be overexpressed and linked to poor prognosis in HCC. Thus, to identify possible nature compound that can suppress ERK/NF-κB may be benefit to HCC patient.

Study protocol for a prospective observational study to investigate the role of luminal pressure on arteriovenous fistula maturation.

Introduction: Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the preferred vascular access for hemodialysis due to its higher patency and lower infection rate. However, its suboptimal maturation rate is a major weakness. Although substantial risk factors for AVF maturation failure have been disclosed, modifiable risk factors remain unknown.

Detecting the limits of the biological effects of far-infrared radiation on epithelial cells.

Far-infrared radiation (FIR) exerts numerous beneficial effects on health and cell physiology. Recent studies revealed that the biological effects of FIR are independent of thermal effects. There is no proper method for measuring the parameters of the non-thermal biological effects of FIR, which limits its biomedical application.

Fluoxetine Induces Apoptosis through Extrinsic/Intrinsic Pathways and Inhibits ERK/NF-κB-Modulated Anti-Apoptotic and Invasive Potential in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells In Vitro.

The aim of the present study was to verify the effects of fluoxetine on dysregulation of apoptosis and invasive potential in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) SK-Hep1 and Hep3B cells. Cells were treated with different concentrations of fluoxetine for different times. MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide) assays were used for testing the effects of fluoxetine on cell viability.

Alleviative effect of fucoxanthin-containing extract from brown seaweed Laminaria japonica on renal tubular cell apoptosis through upregulating Na/H exchanger NHE1 in chronic kidney disease mice.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Brown seaweed is a common food for Asians, and the bioactive ingredient fucoxanthin exerts anti-apoptotic activities in several cell types. Renal tubular cell apoptosis is one of the common cellular events leading to renal fibrosis and chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the influence of fucoxanthin-containing brown seaweed extract on CKD is still unknown.