Therapeutic Potential of Olfactory Ensheathing Cells and Adipose-Derived Stem Cells in Osteoarthritis: Insights from Preclinical Studies.

Olfactory-ensheathing cells (OECs) are known for their role in neuronal regeneration and potential to promote tissue repair. Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs), characterized by mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) traits, display a fibroblast-like morphology and express MSC surface markers, making them suitable for regenerative therapies for osteoarthritis (OA). In this study, OECs and ADSCs were derived from tissues and characterized for their morphology, surface marker expression, and differentiation capabilities.

Antrodia salmonea-induced oxidative stress abrogates HER-2 signaling cascade and enhanced apoptosis in ovarian carcinoma cells.

Antrodia salmonea is well known in Taiwan as a traditional Chinese medicinal fungus and has demonstrated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects. However, the anticancer activity of A. salmonea against human ovarian cancer is still elusive.

Impact of media and antifoam selection on monoclonal antibody production and quality using a high throughput micro-bioreactor system.

Monoclonal antibody production in commercial scale cell culture bioprocessing requires a thorough understanding of the engineering process and components used throughout manufacturing. It is important to identify high impact components early on during the lifecycle of a biotechnology-derived product. While cell culture media selection is of obvious importance to the health and productivity of mammalian bioreactor operations, other components such as antifoam selection can also play an important role in bioreactor cell culture.

Trans-acting oligodeoxythymidine phosphorothioate triester reagents for transient transfection optimized and facilitated by a high-throughput microbioreactor system.

A rapid and cost-effective transient transfection method for mammalian cells is essential for screening biopharmaceuticals in early stages of development. A library of 25 amphipathic trans-acting oligodeoxythymidine phosphorothioate triester (dTtaPS) transfection reagents, carrying positively charged and lipophilic groups, has been constructed for this purpose. High-throughput screening of the library, using an imaging cytometer and an automated microbioreactor system, has led to the identification of dTtaPS as a potent transfection reagent.

Efficacy and safety of secukinumab in Taiwanese patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis: Subanalysis from ERASURE phase III study.

The efficacy and safety of secukinumab, a fully human anti-interleukin-17A monoclonal antibody, has been evaluated for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in global trials which have included a low proportion of Asian subjects. We analyzed the efficacy and safety of secukinumab in Taiwanese patients in a phase III global clinical trial (ERASURE). Fifty-one Taiwanese patients were randomized into s.

Toona sinensis Inhibits Murine Leukemia WEHI-3 Cells and Promotes Immune Response In Vivo.

Toona sinensis (TS) is one of the most popular vegetarian dishes in Taiwan. It has been shown to exhibit antioxidant, antiangiogenic, antiatherosclerotic, and anticancer properties. In this study, we demonstrated the ability of aqueous leaf extracts from TS to promote immune responses in BALB/c mice and to exhibit anti-leukemia activity in murine WEHI-3 cells.

A Case Report of Majocchi's Granuloma Associated with Combined Therapy of Topical Steroids and Adalimumab.

Currently, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) inhibitors are widely used for many autoimmune disorders. However, they cause an immunocompromised status that sometimes leads to many cutaneous side effects including atypical infections. Herein, we report the first case of adalimumab-related Majocchi's granuloma.

Wnt pathway activation and ABCB1 expression account for attenuation of proteasome inhibitor-mediated apoptosis in multidrug-resistant cancer cells.

Multiple drug resistance (MDR) is a major obstacle to attenuating the effectiveness of chemotherapy to many human malignancies. Proteasome inhibition induces apoptosis in a variety of cancer cells and is recognized as a novel anticancer therapy approach. Despite its success, some multiple myeloma patients are resistant or become refractory to ongoing treatment by bortezomib suggesting that chemoresistant cancer cells may have developed a novel mechanism directed against the proteasome inhibitor.

Intradimer/Intermolecular interactions suggest autoinhibition mechanism in endophilin A1.

Endophilin A1 is a homodimeric membrane-binding endocytic accessory protein with a high dimerization affinity. Its function has been hypothesized to involve autoinhibition. However, the autoinhibition mechanism, as well as the physicochemical basis for the high dimerization affinity of endophilin in solution, have remained unclear.

Curvature sorting of peripheral proteins on solid-supported wavy membranes.

Cellular membrane deformation and the associated redistribution of membrane-bound proteins are important aspects of membrane function. Current model membrane approaches for studying curvature sensing are limited to positive curvatures and often require complex and delicate experimental setups. To overcome these challenges, we fabricated a wavy substrate by imposing a range of curvatures onto an adhering lipid bilayer membrane.

Ligand mobility modulates immunological synapse formation and T cell activation.

T cell receptor (TCR) engagement induces clustering and recruitment to the plasma membrane of many signaling molecules, including the protein tyrosine kinase zeta-chain associated protein of 70 kDa (ZAP70) and the adaptor SH2 domain-containing leukocyte protein of 76 kDa (SLP76). This molecular rearrangement results in formation of the immunological synapse (IS), a dynamic protein array that modulates T cell activation. The current study investigates the effects of apparent long-range ligand mobility on T cell signaling activity and IS formation.

An unusual complication related to acupuncture point catgut embedding treatment of obesity.

Treatment of obesity by embedding catgut in acupuncture points has a satisfactory therapeutic effect in many patients. Even though results of its effectiveness are mixed, serious complications are rarely reported with this Chinese traditional therapy. Here an unusual complication of the treatment is reported: multiple tender subcutaneous nodules developed where the catgut was embedded over the lower abdomen and both medial thighs 1 month after treatment.

Spatial association of signaling proteins and F-actin effects on cluster assembly analyzed via photoactivation localization microscopy in T cells.

Recognition of antigens by T cell receptors (TCRs) triggers cellular signaling cascades initiated by recruitment to the plasma membrane of numerous effector molecules to form signaling microclusters (MCs). Here we show that the method of high-resolution photoactivation localization microscopy (PALM) imaging can be used to analyze the spatial correlation between kinase ZAP70 and adaptor SLP76 MCs at the cell periphery and the effects of F-actin on MC assembly. We first determined the photophysical rate constants of Dronpa and tdEos fluorescence probes, which allowed us to optimize our dual-color PALM imaging method.

Independent and cooperative roles of adaptor molecules in proximal signaling during FcepsilonRI-mediated mast cell activation.

Activation through FcepsilonRI, a high-affinity IgE-binding receptor, is critical for mast cell function during allergy. The formation of a multimolecular proximal signaling complex nucleated by the adaptor molecules SLP-76 and LAT1 is required for activation through this receptor. Based on previous T-cell studies, current dogma dictates that LAT1 is required for plasma membrane recruitment and function of SLP-76.

Type I collagen-functionalized supported lipid bilayer as a cell culture platform.

The supported phospholipid bilayer serves as an important biomimetic model for the cell membrane in both basic and applied scientific research. We have constructed a biomimetic platform based on a supported phospholipid bilayer that is functionalized with type I collagen to serve as a substrate for cell culture. To create the type I collagen-functionalized lipid bilayer assembly, a simple chemical approach was employed: lipid vesicles composed of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-(glutaryl) (DP-NGPE), a carboxylic acid-functionalized phospholipid, were prepared and then fused onto an SiO(2) substrate to form a supported lipid bilayer.

Antigen-driven bystander effect accelerates epicutaneous sensitization with a new protein allergen.

Exposure to protein allergen epicutaneously, inducing a Th2-dominant immune response, sensitizes the host to the development of atopic disease. Antigen-driven bystander effect demonstrates that polarized T cells could instruct naïve T cells to differentiate into T cells with similar phenotype. In this study, we aimed to determine the contribution of antigen-driven bystander effect on epicutaneous sensitization with a newly introduced protein allergen.

Low-energy visible light irradiation modulates immune responses induced by epicutaneous sensitization with protein antigen.

Epicutaneous sensitization has been an important route for protein allergen sensitization in atopic disease. Although the skin is irradiated by sunlight daily, the influence of visible light on epicutaneous sensitization has not been explored. In this study, by using a well-established murine protein-patch model, we show that low-energy visible light (LEVL) irradiation could differentially modulate the predominant Th2 immune response induced by epicutaneous sensitization with protein antigen.

Epicutaneous sensitization with a protein antigen induces Th17 cells.

Background: Th17 is a newly identified effector T cell lineage which plays a central role in many human inflammatory diseases and experimental animal models. Epicutaneous sensitization with a protein antigen has been proven to induce a Th2-predominant immune response and lead to development of atopic diseases in a murine protein-patch model.

Objective: We sought to assess the generation of Th17 cells in epicutaneous sensitization with a protein antigen and its regulation by environmental elements and genetic background.

Self-assembly of dermal papilla cells into inductive spheroidal microtissues on poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) membranes for hair follicle regeneration.

Self-aggregation is key to hair follicle (HF) induction ability of dermal papilla (DP) cells and neogenesis of HF can be achieved by transplanting DP microtissues. However, there is currently lack of a suitable system that allows efficient production of DP microtissues and analysis of DP self-aggregation in vitro. We demonstrate that, at a higher seeding cell density, poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) (EVAL) membranes facilitate DP self-assembly into many compact spheroidal microtissues that are able to induce new HFs.

Emerging treatment of atopic dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis is a chronically relapsing eczematous disease of the skin. A wide range of therapeutic regimens has been used for atopic dermatitis. A better understanding of its pathogenesis will also lead to the development of novel approaches to treating this disease.

Cross-priming with an epicutaneously introduced soluble protein antigen generates Tc1 cells.

Epicutaneous sensitization with a protein antigen was demonstrated to induce a predominant type 2 CD4 T cell response with high IgE production in mice. On the other hand, its CD8 T cell responses have not been addressed probably partly because of the generally accepted concept that cross-priming of soluble protein is an inefficient process. Here, we used an established patch-applied murine model to demonstrate that cross-priming with an epicutaneously introduced soluble protein antigen, though inefficient, generated mainly Tc1 cells, but not Tc2 cells.

Discrimination of basal cell carcinoma from normal dermal stroma by quantitative multiphoton imaging.

We performed multiphoton fluorescence (MF) and second-harmonic generation (SHG) imaging on human basal cell carcinoma samples. In the dermis, basal cell carcinomas can be identified by masses of autofluorescent cells with relatively large nuclei and marked peripheral palisading. In the normal dermis, SHG from dermal collagen contributes largely to the multiphoton signal.

Prediction of heat-induced collagen shrinkage by use of second harmonic generation microscopy.

Collagen shrinkage associated with denaturation from thermal treatment has a number of important clinical applications. However, individualized treatment is hindered by the lack of reliable noninvasive methods to monitor the process of collagen denaturation. We investigate the serial changes of collagen denaturation from thermal treatment of rat tail tendons at 58 degrees C by use of second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy.