IFN-γ, IL-17A, IL-4, and IL-13: Potential Biomarkers for Prediction of the Effectiveness of Biologics in Psoriasis Patients.

Biologics are widely used to treat moderate-to-severe psoriasis. However, we have unmet needs for predicting individual patient responses to biologics before starting psoriasis treatment. We investigate a reliable platform and biomarkers for predicting individual patient responses to biologics.

The prevalence of IgE positivity, environmental factors, and clinical implications associated with mite species in allergic patients in Taiwan.

Background: Allergic diseases are a growing public health concern with increasing prevalence and severity. Allergens play significant roles in triggering immune responses and the development of allergic reactions.

Objective: Investigate the presence and clinical significance of dust mites, storage mites, and predatory mite Cheyletus eruditus(Ce) in household environments.

Inhibition of NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation by 3H-1,2-Dithiole-3-Thione: A Potential Therapeutic Approach for Psoriasis Treatment.

Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune skin disease with a significant impact on quality of life and potential for severe comorbidities. Inflammation in the skin is induced by immune cells that overexpress pro-inflammatory cytokines, with the Th17 cell playing a crucial role. NLRP3 inflammasome activation is associated with inflammatory diseases and abnormal T cell differentiation.

Immunomodulatory effects of modified Liu-Wei-Di-Huang-Wan Traditional Chinese medicine on allergic asthmatic mice.

Background: Allergic asthma occurs worldwide and is particularly prevalent in westernized countries characterized by chronic airway inflammation resulting in airway hyperresponsiveness. The house dust mites (HDM) including Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus are major sources of sensitization and triggering allergic symptoms in asthmatic patients. The Der p 2 is a major allergen and the predominant source of causative respiratory disorders which induce airway inflammation and bronchial constriction in mite-allergic patients.

Brevilin A Ameliorates Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasis-like Dermatitis and Reduces Th17 Differentiation in Psoriasis Patients.

Psoriasis is a predominantly Th17 cell-driven chronic autoinflammatory skin disorder. Brevilin A, a natural sesquiterpene lactone extracted from , has been used as a traditional oriental medicine for allergic diseases for centuries. However, the effects of brevilin A on psoriasis have yet to be established.

Mechanisms of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Inhibitor-Induced Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus induced by biologics mainly results from tumor necrosis factor-alpha remains unclear. The objectives of the study were to investigate the mechanisms of tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor-induced systemic lupus erythematosus. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from thirteen psoriasis patients were cultured and treated with the following: untreated control, with or without different biologics.

Effects of Local Nasal Immunotherapy with FIP-fve Peptide and Denatured Tyrophagus putrescentiae for Storage Mite-Induced Airway Inflammation.

Allergic diseases are affecting public health and have increased over the last decade. Sensitization to mite allergens is a considerable trigger for allergy development. Storage mite-Tyrophagus putrescentiae shows great significance of allergenic potential and clinical relevance.

Ultrasound-aided diagnosis of preclinical phases of psoriatic arthritis in biologic-naïve psoriasis patients with or without arthralgia.

Objectives: The evolution of psoriasis (PsO) to psoriatic arthritis (PsA) has been proposed recently. There are three phases that occur in sequence prior to classifiable PsA: PsO patients, PsO patients with a positive imaging, and PsO patients with arthralgia not explained by other diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to compare the differences among preclinical phases using ultrasound and clinical assessment.

Shikonin Inhibits Der p 2-Induced Cytokine and Chemokine Expression in Dendritic Cells in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory skin disorder. Shikonin, the active component of extract, exhibits anti-inflammatory effects. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of shikonin on proinflammatory cytokines and chemokine in patients with AD.

Pathogenesis of pediatric B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Molecular pathways and disease treatments.

B-cell acute lymphoblastic lymphoma (B-ALL) is a disease found mainly in children and in young adults. B-ALL is characterized by the rapid proliferation of poorly differentiated lymphoid progenitor cells inside the bone marrow. In the United States, ~4,000 of these patients are diagnosed each year, accounting for ~30% of childhood cancer types.

Lithospermum erythrorhizon extract inhibits Der p2-induced inflammatory response through alleviation of thymic stromal lymphopoietin, nuclear factor Kappa B, and inflammasome expression in human bronchial epithelial cells.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Lithospermum erythrorhizon (LE) and Angelica sinensis (AS), widely used in several folk medicine for wound, pus discharge and dermatitis for the history of several hundred years in Asian countries.

Aim Of Study: To investigate the therapeutic effect of LE and AS on Der p2-induced inflammatory response in human bronchial epithelial (BEAS-2B) cells.

Methods: The effects of Der p2 stimulation on thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway, the inflammasome (specifically, the apoptosis speck-like protein [ASC] and nod-like receptor 3 [NLRP3]), Caspase-1 and the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3 pathway were evaluated in the human bronchial epithelial (BEAS-2B) cells.

Therapeutic Effect of Tzu-Yun Ointment on Patients with Atopic Dermatitis: A Preliminary, Randomized, Controlled, Open-Label Study.

Background/objective: Atopic dermatitis comprises a group of chronic, relapsing inflammatory conditions. Topical steroids (TS) can ameliorate atopic dermatitis but induce skin atrophy and secondary infection. Tzu-Yun ointment (TYO) was used widely for skin ulcers and pus discharges.

The effect of laser preexposure on seeding endothelial cells to a biomaterial surface.

Objective: In this study, the possible effect of low-level laser (LLL) on improving the adhesion of endothelial cells (ECs) to a biomaterial substrate was evaluated.

Background Data: Despite the numerous studies regarding the effects of LLL on biologic systems, the influence of LLL on the binding between cells and materials was rarely investigated.

Materials And Methods: A low-power He-Ne laser apparatus with a continuous wavelength of 632.

Pseudoatrophic macules associated with neurofibromatosis-1.

A 14-year-old boy with neurofibromatosis type 1 presented with two ill-demarcated, grayish-white, and atrophic patches on his left back, which were confirmed as neurofibroma by histopathologic examinations. This clinical presentation of neurofibroma has rarely been reported in patients with neurofibromatosis.

Possibility of spontaneous seeding of transitional cell carcinoma of the ureter in renal tubules: another mechanism of transitional cell carcinoma dissemination.

Cancer cell seeding inside the urinary tract always has been considered one possible mechanism of the multicentric origin of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). However, there is still no direct clinical evidence to prove that the natural seeding of TCC is a real event. To our knowledge, we report the first case of spontaneous seeding of TCC of the ureter in the renal tubules of a hydronephrotic kidney.

Increasing expression of serine protease matriptase in ovarian tumors: tissue microarray analysis of immunostaining score with clinicopathological parameters.

Matriptase is a type II transmembrane serine protease expressed by cells of surface epithelial origin, including epithelial ovarian tumor cells. Matriptase cleaves and activates proteins implicated in the progression of cancer and represents a potential prognostic and therapeutic target. The aim of this study was to examine the expression of matriptase in ovarian tumors and to assign clinicopathological correlations.

A co-cultured skin model based on cell support membranes.

Tissue engineering of skin based on collagen:PCL biocomposites using a designed co-culture system is reported. The collagen:PCL biocomposites having collagen:PCL (w/w) ratios of 1:4, 1:8, and 1:20 have been proven to be biocompatible materials to support both adult normal human epidermal Keratinocyte (NHEK) and mouse 3T3 fibroblast growth in cell culture, respectively, by Dai, Coombes, et al. in 2004.

Acetone extract of Angelica sinensis inhibits proliferation of human cancer cells via inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.

Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels, a traditional Chinese medicine, has been widely prescribed in treatment of gynecological diseases. Bio-based assays for extracts of Angelica sinensis showed that the acetone extract (AE-AS) had dose-dependently antiproliferative effect on A549, HT29, DBTRG-05MG and J5 human cancer cells.

Acetone extract of Bupleurum scorzonerifolium inhibits proliferation of A549 human lung cancer cells via inducing apoptosis and suppressing telomerase activity.

Bupleuri radix, a traditional Chinese herb, has been widely used to treat liver diseases such as hepatitis and cirrhosis. The acetone extract of Bupleurum scorzonerifolium (AE-BS) showed a dose-dependently antiproliferative effect on the proliferation of A549 human lung cancer cells. The IC(50) of AE-BS, i.

Microsatellite alteration at chromosome 11 in primary human nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Taiwan.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the common cancers in Taiwan but is rare in western countries. The development of NPC involves multiple genetic changes in tumorigenesis and progression of the disease. To better understand genetic alterations in chromosome 11 which occur in human (NPC), we examined tumor specimens and corresponding non-cancerous tissue from 30 cases of NPC, using five microsatellite polymorphic markers whose location has previously been defined.