Calcium bridges built by mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes: potential targets for neural repair in neurological diseases.

The exchange of information and materials between organelles plays a crucial role in regulating cellular physiological functions and metabolic levels. Mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes serve as physical contact channels between the endoplasmic reticulum membrane and the mitochondrial outer membrane, formed by various proteins and protein complexes. This microstructural domain mediates several specialized functions, including calcium (Ca2+) signaling, autophagy, mitochondrial morphology, oxidative stress response, and apoptosis.

A novel bacteriocin against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, purified from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ZFM9.

A novel bacteriocin, plantaricin ZFM9, was purified from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ZFM9 using a combination of ammonium sulfate precipitation, XAD-2 macroporous resin, Sephadex G-50, Sephadex LH-20, and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography. The molecular mass of plantaricin ZFM9 was 1151.606 Da, and the purity was 98.

Bacteriocins: Curial guardians of gastrointestinal tract.

The human gastrointestinal (GI) tract microbiome secretes various metabolites that play pivotal roles in maintaining host physiological balance and influencing disease progression. Among these metabolites, bacteriocins-small, heat-stable peptides synthesized by ribosomes-are notably prevalent in the GI region. Their multifaceted benefits have garnered significant interest in the scientific community.

Current evidence, clinical applications, and future directions of transcranial magnetic stimulation as a treatment for ischemic stroke.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive brain neurostimulation technique that can be used as one of the adjunctive treatment techniques for neurological recovery after stroke. Animal studies have shown that TMS treatment of rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model reduced cerebral infarct volume and improved neurological dysfunction in model rats. In addition, clinical case reports have also shown that TMS treatment has positive neuroprotective effects in stroke patients, improving a variety of post-stroke neurological deficits such as motor function, swallowing, cognitive function, speech function, central post-stroke pain, spasticity, and other post-stroke sequelae.

The Effect of Indole-3-Lactic Acid from ZJ316 on Human Intestinal Microbiota In Vitro.

Microbiota-derived tryptophan metabolites are essential signals for maintaining gut homeostasis, yet the potential contribution to modulating gut microbiota has been rarely investigated. In this study, ZJ316 (CCTCC No. M 208077) with a high production (43.

Phenyl lactic acid alleviates infection in C57BL/6 mice.

is a gastric pathogen that colonizes approximately 50% of the world's population. Infection with causes chronic inflammation and significantly increases the risk of developing duodenal and gastric ulcer disease and gastric cancer. In the present study, we found that phenyl lactic acid (PLA) derived from ZJ316 ( ZJ316) can directly inhibit the growth and urease activity of with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2.

The lipidation and glycosylation enabling bioactivity enhancement and structural change of antibacterial peptide G3.

Bacterial resistance has led to increased interest in the use of antibacterial peptides (AMPs), but their clinical application is limited by poor stability and solubility, as well as complex cytotoxicity. Chemical modification is a common strategy to modulate AMPs. In this study, a de novo designed AMP (G3) was modified by adding an alkyl acid at the N-terminal and a monosaccharide at the C-terminal.

Purification and characterization of bacteriocin produced by a strain of ZFM216.

The recent surge in demand for natural preservatives has ushered in a new era of research into novel bacteriocins capable of effectively combating food-borne infections. In this study, the bacteriocin from ZFM216, which has a molecular mass of 11851.9 Da, was purified using macroporous resin, gel chromatography, and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography.

The roles, mechanism, and mobilization strategy of endogenous neural stem cells in brain injury.

Brain injury poses a heavy disease burden in the world, resulting in chronic deficits. Therapies for brain injuries have been focused on pharmacologic, small molecule, endocrine and cell-based therapies. Endogenous neural stem cells (eNSCs) are a group of stem cells which can be activated by damage, neurotrophic factors, physical factor stimulation, and physical exercise.

Exosome in Crosstalk between Inflammation and Angiogenesis: A Potential Therapeutic Strategy for Stroke.

The endothelial dysfunction, associated with inflammation and vascular permeability, remains the key event in the pathogenesis of cerebral ischemic stroke. Angiogenesis is essential for neuroprotection and neural repair following stroke. The neuroinflammatory reaction plays a vital role in stroke, and inhibition of inflammation contributes to establishing an appropriate external environment for angiogenesis.

A Novel Bacteriocin From ZFM94 and Its Antibacterial Mode of Action.

Bacteriocins are bioactive antimicrobial peptides synthesized in the ribosome of numerous bacteria and released extracellularly. Pentocin ZFM94 produced by ZFM94, isolated from infant feces with strong antibacterial activity, was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, dextran gel chromatography, and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The molecular mass of the purified bacteriocin was 3,547.

Agrin Involvement in Synaptogenesis Induced by Exercise in a Rat Model of Experimental Stroke.

Background: Agrin is a proteoglycan that aggregates nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) on neuromuscular junctions and takes part in synaptogenesis in the development of the central nervous system. However, its effects on neural repair and synaptogenesis after stroke are still unclear.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of agrin on neural repair and synaptogenesis after stroke and the effects of exercise on this process in vivo and in vitro.

Therapeutic effect of AiWalker on balance and walking ability in patients with stroke: A pilot study.

Background: AiWalker is a newly developed robot-assisted gait training system, which features over-ground walking paradigm and somatosensory stimulation during training compared to commonly-used robot-assisted gait training devices (e.g. Lokomat).

Fatty Acid Oxidation-Driven Src Links Mitochondrial Energy Reprogramming and Oncogenic Properties in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Transmitochondrial cybrids and multiple OMICs approaches were used to understand mitochondrial reprogramming and mitochondria-regulated cancer pathways in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Analysis of cybrids and established breast cancer (BC) cell lines showed that metastatic TNBC maintains high levels of ATP through fatty acid β oxidation (FAO) and activates Src oncoprotein through autophosphorylation at Y419. Manipulation of FAO including the knocking down of carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1A (CPT1) and 2 (CPT2), the rate-limiting proteins of FAO, and analysis of patient-derived xenograft models confirmed the role of mitochondrial FAO in Src activation and metastasis.

Rescuing lymphocytes from HLA-G immunosuppressive effects mediated by the tumor microenvironment.

Several studies have demonstrated that the antitumor activities of both T and natural killer (NK) effector populations are limited by the immunosuppressive strategies of tumors. In several malignant transformations, the expression of HLA-G by tumor cells rises dramatically, rendering them strongly immunosuppressive. In this study, we postulated that the absence of HLA-G receptors would prevent the immunosuppressive effects of both soluble and membrane-bound HLA-G.

Blocking KCa3.1 channels increases tumor cell killing by a subpopulation of human natural killer lymphocytes.

Natural killer (NK) cells are large granular lymphocytes that participate in both innate and adaptive immune responses against tumors and pathogens. They are also involved in other conditions, including organ rejection, graft-versus-host disease, recurrent spontaneous abortions, and autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis. We demonstrate that human NK cells express the potassium channels Kv1.

Myocardin-A enhances expression of promyogenic genes without depressing telomerase activity in adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

Background: The stromal compartment of adult adipose tissue consists of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) characterized by co-expression of myocardin-A (McA) and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT).

Objective: This study aims at testing the growth and myogenic regenerative properties of adipose tissue-derived MSCs, and the outcome of McA and TERT overexpression or suppression.

Methods And Results: TERT and/or McA in murine MSCs derived from adult adipose tissue were transduced with cDNA and co-immunoprecipitated with specific antibodies.

Production and detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cancers.

Reactive oxygen species include a number of molecules that damage DNA and RNA and oxidize proteins and lipids (lipid peroxydation). These reactive molecules contain an oxygen and include H(2;)O(2;) (hydrogen peroxide), NO (nitric oxide), O(2;)(-) (oxide anion), peroxynitrite (ONOO(-)), hydrochlorous acid (HOCl), and hydroxyl radical (OH(-)). Oxidative species are produced not only under pathological situations (cancers, ischemic/reperfusion, neurologic and cardiovascular pathologies, infectious diseases, inflammatory diseases, autoimmune diseases , etc…) but also during physiological (non-pathological) situations such as cellular metabolism.

Induction and testing of hypoxia in cell culture.

Hypoxia is defined as the reduction or lack of oxygen in organs, tissues, or cells. This decrease of oxygen tension can be due to a reduced supply in oxygen (causes include insufficient blood vessel network, defective blood vessel, and anemia) or to an increased consumption of oxygen relative to the supply (caused by a sudden higher cell proliferation rate). Hypoxia can be physiologic or pathologic such as in solid cancers, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis etc… Each tissues and cells have a different ability to adapt to this new condition.

Genetic variations in multiple drug action pathways and survival in advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer treated with chemotherapy.

Purpose: Variations in genes related to biological activity of anticancer drugs could influence treatment responses and lung cancer prognosis. Genetic variants in four biological pathways, that is, glutathione metabolism, DNA repair, cell cycle, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), were systematically investigated to examine their association with survival in advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with chemotherapy.

Experimental Design: A total of 894 tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in 70 genes from the four pathways were genotyped and analyzed in a 1,076-patient cohort.

Hypoxic tumors and their effect on immune cells and cancer therapy.

The abnormal decrease or the lack of oxygen supply to cells and tissues is called hypoxia. This condition is commonly seen in various diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and atherosclerosis, also in solid cancers. Pre-clinical and clinical studies have shown that hypoxic cancers are extremely aggressive, resistant to standard therapies (chemotherapy and radiotherapy), and thus very difficult to eradicate.

Treatment of chronical myocardial ischemia by adenovirus-mediated hepatocyte growth factor gene transfer in minipigs.

Growth factor gene transfer-induced therapeutic angiogenesis has become a novel approach for the treatment of myocardial ischemia. In order to provide a basis for the clinical application of an adenovirus with hepatocyte growth factor gene (Ad-HGF) in the treatment of myocardial ischemia, we established a minipig model of chronically ischemic myocardium in which an Ameroid constrictor was placed around the left circumflex branch of the coronary artery (LCX). A total of 18 minipigs were randomly divided into 3 groups: a surgery control group, a model group and an Ad-HGF treatment group implanted with Ameroid constrictor.

Isolation and functional identification of a novel human hepatic growth factor: hepatopoietin Cn.

Unlabelled: Hepatic stimulating substance (HSS) was first isolated from weanling rat liver in 1975 and found to stimulate hepatic DNA synthesis both in vitro and in vivo. Since then, mammalian and human HSS have been investigated for their potential to treat hepatic diseases. However, the essential nature in composition and structure of HSS remain puzzling because HSS has not been completely purified.

Treatment of myocardial ischemia with bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells overexpressing hepatocyte growth factor.

Mesenchymal stem cells could differentiate into cardiomyocytes in vitro and have been shown to reconstitute the impaired myocardium in vivo. Hepatocyte growth factor, a recognized angiogenic factor and endothelial cell chemoattractant, has been applied in the treatment of myocardial ischemia. In this study, we used a ligation model of proximal left anterior descending coronary artery of rats to evaluate the effect of mesenchymal stem cells overexpressing hepatocyte growth factor in the treatment of myocardial ischemia.