Exploring the Impact of Regional Environment and Institutional Factors on Operation Period of Nursing Facilities in Taiwan.

This study examines factors influencing the operational durations of nursing facilities in Taiwan. It departs from previous closure-focused research by analyzing the duration of facility operation. A Cox regression model was employed to assess the impact of regional, governmental, and individual institutional factors on 199 facilities across diverse areas in Taiwan from 2011 to 2019.

Relationship between gene expression patterns from nasopharyngeal swabs and serum biomarkers in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, following treatment with the neutralizing monoclonal antibody bamlanivimab.

Background: A thorough understanding of a patient's inflammatory response to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is crucial to discerning the associated, underlying immunological processes and to the selection and implementation of treatment strategies. Defining peripheral blood biomarkers relevant to SARS-CoV-2 infection is fundamental to detecting and monitoring this systemic disease. This safety-focused study aims to monitor and characterize the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection via analysis of peripheral blood and nasopharyngeal swab samples obtained from patients hospitalized with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), in the presence or absence of bamlanivimab treatment.

Predictive biomarker modeling of pediatric atopic dermatitis severity based on longitudinal serum collection.

The pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD) results from complex interactions between environmental factors, barrier defects, and immune dysregulation resulting in systemic inflammation. Therefore, we sought to characterize circulating inflammatory profiles in pediatric AD patients and identify potential signaling nodes which drive disease heterogeneity and progression. We analyzed a sample set of 87 infants that were at high risk for atopic disease based on atopic dermatitis diagnoses.

Erythromycin reduces nasal inflammation by inhibiting immunoglobulin production, attenuating mucus secretion, and modulating cytokine expression.

Allergic rhinitis (AR) and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) share some similar pathological mechanisms. In current study, we intend to investigate the impact of AR on CRS. In addition, we explored the efficacy of erythromycin (EM) treatment on CRS mice with or without AR (CRSwoAR, CRSwAR).

Orchestration of myeloid-derived suppressor cells in the tumor microenvironment by ubiquitous cellular protein TCTP released by tumor cells.

One of most challenging issues in tumor immunology is a better understanding of the dynamics in the accumulation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the tumor microenvironment (TIME), as this would lead to the development of new cancer therapeutics. Here, we show that translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) released by dying tumor cells is an immunomodulator crucial to full-blown MDSC accumulation in the TIME. We provide evidence that extracellular TCTP mediates recruitment of the polymorphonuclear MDSC (PMN-MDSC) population in the TIME via activation of Toll-like receptor-2.

Insights into adult atopic dermatitis heterogeneity derived from circulating biomarker profiling in patients with moderate-to-severe disease.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a heterogeneous systemic inflammatory skin disease associated with dysregulated immune responses, barrier dysfunction and activated sensory nerves. To characterize circulating inflammatory profiles and underlying systemic disease heterogeneity within AD patients, blood samples from adult patients (N = 123) with moderate-to-severe AD in a phase 2 study of baricitinib (JAHG) were analysed. Baseline levels of 131 markers were evaluated using high-throughput and ultrasensitive proteomic platforms, patient clusters were generated based on these peripheral markers.

Characterization of the cytokine storm reflects hyperinflammatory endothelial dysfunction in COVID-19.

Background: Physicians treating patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) increasingly believe that the hyperinflammatory acute stage of COVID-19 results in a cytokine storm. The circulating biomarkers seen across the spectrum of COVID-19 have not been characterized compared with healthy controls, but such analyses are likely to yield insights into the pursuit of interventions that adequately reduce the burden of these cytokine storms.

Objective: To identify and characterize the host inflammatory response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, we assessed levels of proteins related to immune responses and cardiovascular disease in patients stratified as mild, moderate, and severe versus matched healthy controls.

Measurement of IL-21 in human serum and plasma using ultrasensitive MSD S-PLEX® and Quanterix SiMoA methodologies.

IL-21 is a pleiotropic cytokine that plays a key role in modulating inflammatory responses, including the promotion of autoimmune diseases. Several groups have quantitated circulating levels of IL-21 in plasma and serum samples using various commercial ELISAs. We determined, however, that the most commonly used commercial assays in published literature were not specific or sensitive enough to detect levels of IL-21 in heparin plasma or serum from healthy human individuals.

Effect of mite allergenic components on innate immune response: Synergy of protease (Group 1 & 3) and non-protease (Group 2 & 7) allergens.

The major mite allergenic components of protease allergens (group 1,3) and non-protease allergens (group 2,7) derived from Dermatophagoides peronyssinus (Dp) and D. farinae (Df) are reported to be capable of sensitizing 80-90% of mite-allergic patients. Although protease and non-protease allergens have been demonstrated to trigger innate and adaptive immune responses through epithelium activation, the simultaneous or sequential effects of both groups of allergens has not been reported.

Comparison of Allergenicity at Gly m 4 and Gly m Bd 30K of Soybean after Genetic Modification.

Despite rapid growth of genetically modified (GM) crops, effective evaluations of genetic modification on allergenicity are still lacking. Gly m Bd 30K is cross-reactive with cow's milk protein casein, Gly m 4, and with birch pollen allergen Bet v 1. Here we compared the allergenicity between GM and non-GM soybeans with respect to the foci Gly m 4 and Gly m Bd 30K.

Reversible Single-Crystal to Single-Crystal Transformations of a Zn(II)-Salicyaldimine Coordination Polymer Accompanying Changes in Coordination Sphere and Network Dimensionality upon Dehydration and Rehydration.

A fluorescent Zn(II)-salicyaldimine coordination polymer, [Zn(L(salpyca))(H2O)]n (1; H2L(salpyca) = 4-hydroxy-3-(((pyridin-2-yl)methylimino)methyl)benzoic acid), showing a one-dimensional (1D) zigzag chain structure has been hydro(solvo)thermally synthesized. Removal of coordination water molecules in 1 by thermal dehydration gives rise to the dehydration product [Zn(L(salpyca))]n (1'), which has a dizinc-based two-dimensional (2D) gridlike (4,4)-layer structure. X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) patterns, thermogravimetric (TG) analyses, and infrared (IR) spectra all clearly indicate that the structure of 1 is quite flexible as a result of a reversible 1D-2D single-crystal to single-crystal (SCSC) transformation upon removal and rebinding of coordination water molecules, which accompanies changes in coordination sphere and network dimensionality.

Prediction of colorectal cancer diagnosis based on circulating plasma proteins.

Non-invasive detection of colorectal cancer with blood-based markers is a critical clinical need. Here we describe a phased mass spectrometry-based approach for the discovery, screening, and validation of circulating protein biomarkers with diagnostic value. Initially, we profiled human primary tumor tissue epithelia and characterized about 300 secreted and cell surface candidate glycoproteins.

Enhanced Allergic Inflammation of Der p 2 Affected by Polymorphisms of MD-2 Promoter.

Purpose: Myeloid differentiation-2 (MD-2) has been associated with endotoxin and inflammatory disorders because it can recognize lipopolysaccharide (LPS) binding and attenuate Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-mediated signaling. However, its role in allergic inflammation has yet to be clarified. We examined whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in MD-2 promoter can affect MD-2 expression and aimed to clarify the relationship between Der p 2 allergy and SNPs of MD-2 promoter.

Statin-conferred enhanced cellular resistance against bacterial pore-forming toxins in airway epithelial cells.

Statins are widely used to prevent cardiovascular disease. In addition to their inhibitory effects on cholesterol synthesis, statins have beneficial effects in patients with sepsis and pneumonia, although molecular mechanisms have mostly remained unclear. Using human airway epithelial cells as a proper in vitro model, we show that prior exposure to physiological nanomolar serum concentrations of simvastatin (ranging from 10-1,000 nM) confers significant cellular resistance to the cytotoxicity of pneumolysin, a pore-forming toxin and the main virulence factor of Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Association of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the MD-2 Gene Promoter Region With Der p 2 Allergy.

Purpose: Sensitization to house dust mite (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus) is a considerable risk factor for the progression of allergic disease. The group 2 allergen from Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Der p 2, is considered a major one in patients with specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) to Der p 2. Der p 2 has structural homology with myeloid differentiation 2 (MD-2), which is involved in the lipopolysaccharide-binding component of the Toll-like receptor 4 signaling pathway and the development of inflammation.

Der p2 Internalization by Epithelium Synergistically Augments Toll-like Receptor-Mediated Proinflammatory Signaling.

Purpose: House-dust-mite (HDM) major allergen Der p2 shares homology and function with Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling protein myeloid differentiation-2 (MD2) and may lead to airway inflammation. Should Der p2 be internalized by human airway epithelium, it has the theoretical propensity to potentiate epithelium activation. This study aimed to demonstrate the internalization of Der p2 by airway epithelium and to investigate the effects of Der p2 on MD2 expression and epithelium activation.

Reproducible and consistent quantification of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae proteome by SWATH-mass spectrometry.

Targeted mass spectrometry by selected reaction monitoring (S/MRM) has proven to be a suitable technique for the consistent and reproducible quantification of proteins across multiple biological samples and a wide dynamic range. This performance profile is an important prerequisite for systems biology and biomedical research. However, the method is limited to the measurements of a few hundred peptides per LC-MS analysis.

Enzymatic stability and immunoregulatory efficacy of a synthetic indolicidin analogue with regular enantiomeric sequence.

Cell-mediated immunity plays a major role in protecting the host from viral infections and tumor challenge. Here, we report the enzymatic stability and adjuvanticity of a peptiomimetic stereoisomer of the bovine neutrophil peptide indolicidin. The analogue, dubbed ld-indolicidin, contains the regular enantiomeric sequence of indolicidin and is synthesized by general stepwise solid-phase strategy.

MSstats: an R package for statistical analysis of quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomic experiments.

Unlabelled: MSstats is an R package for statistical relative quantification of proteins and peptides in mass spectrometry-based proteomics. Version 2.0 of MSstats supports label-free and label-based experimental workflows and data-dependent, targeted and data-independent spectral acquisition.