n-Butylidenephthalide recovered calcium homeostasis to ameliorate neurodegeneration of motor neurons derived from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis iPSCs.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an incurable neurodegenerative disease that causes muscle atrophy and primarily targets motor neurons (MNs). Approximately 20% of familial ALS cases are caused by gain-of-function mutations in superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), leading to MN degeneration and ion channel dysfunction. Previous studies have shown that n-Butylidenephthalide (BP) delays disease progression and prolongs survival in animal models of ALS.

Six novel species of the genus isolated from various environments in Taiwan.

Taiwan is situated in the subtropical region and its geographical location and topographical features contribute to a rich ecological diversity and scenic landscapes. We investigated the diversity of methanogens in different environments of Taiwan using a culture-dependent method. This report presents the characterization and taxonomy of six hydrogenotrophic methanogens obtained from cold seep sediments (strain FWC-SCC1 and FWC-SCC3), marine sediments (strain CWC-02 and YWC-01), estuarine sediments (strain Afa-1), and a hot spring well (strain Wushi-C6) in Taiwan.

Engineered Exosomes Containing microRNA-29b-2 and Targeting the Somatostatin Receptor Reduce Presenilin 1 Expression and Decrease the β-Amyloid Accumulation in the Brains of Mice with Alzheimer's Disease.

Purpose: Exosomes are membrane vesicles secreted by various cells and play a crucial role in intercellular communication. They can be excellent delivery vehicles for oligonucleotide drugs, such as microRNAs, due to their high biocompatibility. MicroRNAs have been shown to be more stable when incorporated into exosomes; however, the lack of targeting and immune evasion is still the obstacle to the use of these microRNA-containing nanocarriers in clinical settings.

gen. nov., sp. nov., the first oceanic methanogen, isolated from potential methane hydrate bearing area offshore southwestern Taiwan.

A novel mesophilic, hydrogenotrophic methanogen, strain CWC-04, was obtained from a sediment sample extracted from a gravity core retrieved at station 22 within the KP-9 area off the southwestern coast of Taiwan during the ORIII-1368 cruise in 2009. Cells of strain CWC-04 were rod-shaped, 1.4-2.

Anti-Excitotoxic Effects of N-Butylidenephthalide Revealed by Chemically Insulted Purkinje Progenitor Cells Derived from SCA3 iPSCs.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is characterized by the over-repetitive CAG codon in the ataxin-3 gene (), which encodes the mutant ATXN3 protein. The pathological defects of SCA3 such as the impaired aggresomes, autophagy, and the proteasome have been reported previously. To date, no effective treatment is available for SCA3 disease.

Preparation and Characterization of Pure SiC Ceramics by HTPVT Induced by Seeding with SiC Nanoarrays.

Dense SiC ceramics were fabricated by high-temperature physical vapor transport (HTPVT) growth process using SiC nanoarrays as the crystal seeds, which was obtained by vacuum heat treatment of amorphous SiC films prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) with a porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template. In the HTPVT process, two-step holding was adopted, and the temperature at the first step was controlled at 2100 and 2150 °C to avoid SiC nanoarrays evaporation, and the grain size of SiC crystal increased with the increase in temperature and decrease in the pressure of Ar. The temperature of the second step was 2300 °C, and rapid SiC grain growth and gradual densification were achieved.

Transplantation of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Alleviates Striatal Degeneration in a Transgenic Mouse Model for Multiple System Atrophy.

Patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder of adult onset, were found less than 9 years of life expectancy after onset. The disorders include bradykinesia and rigidity commonly seen in Parkinsonism disease and additional signs such as autonomic dysfunction, ataxia, or dementia. In clinical treatments, MSA poorly responds to levodopa, the drug used to remedy Parkinsonism disease.

[Effects of Targeting lncRNA on the Invasion and Nude Mouse Tumorigenicity of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Cells].

Objective: To explore the effects of shRNA-mediated downregulating lncRNA on the invasion,nude mouse tumorigenicity and snail expression of epithelial ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells.

Methods: The expression of lncRNA was detected by RT-PCR in SKOV3 cells. The shRNA targeting the lncRNA gene was cloned into RNA interference plasmid.

[Effect of cordycepin on apoptosis and autophagy of tongue cancer cells in vitro and the molecular mechanism].

Objective: To study the effect of cordycepin on cell cycle, apoptosis and autophagy of human tongue cancer TCA-8113 cells and explore the mechanism of cordycepin for inhibiting the occurrence of tongue cancer.

Methods: CCK-8 method was used to assess the inhibitory effect of cordycepin on TCA-8113 cell proliferation in vitro. The cell cycle and cell apoptosis of TCA-8113 cells treated with different concentrations of cordycepin were analyzed using flow cytometry.

Comparison of Enzymatic Traits between Native and Recombinant Glycine Sarcosine N-Methyltransferase from Methanohalophilus portucalensis FDF1T.

The halophilic methanoarchaeon Methanohalophilus portucalensis FDF1T possesses the ability to synthesize the osmolyte betaine from its precursor, glycine, in response to extracellular salt stress through a three-step transmethylation process. Analysis of recombinant glycine sarcosine N-methyltransferase (rGSMT) and recombinant sarcosine dimethylglycine N-methyltransferase (rSDMT) from Escherichia coli indicated that betaine synthesis is rate-limited by rGSMT and is constitutively activated by rSDMT. Therefore, it is of interest to purify native GSMT from Methanohalophilus portucalensis to further compare its enzymatic characteristics and kinetics with rGSMT.

[High mobility group box-1 stimulates proinflammatory cytokine production in endothelial cells via MAP kinases].

Objective: To examine the synergistic effect of recombinant human high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) on the release of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) in human umbilic vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), and explore the role of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signal transduction in cytokine release.

Methods: HUVECs were incubated with recombinant HMGB1 (0-75 ng/ml) for 24 h and the culture medium supernatant was harvested for detection of IL-8 and MCP-1 with LiquiChip system. At 0, 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 h after stimulation with 15 ng/ml HMGB1 or 15 ng/ml HMGB1 plus 10 ng/ml LPS, the levels of IL-8 and MCP-1 in the HUVECs were examined.

[Construction of a eukaryotic expression vector for alpha-1-antitrypsin and the localization of the expression product in NIH 3T3 cells].

Objective: To construct a eukaryotic expression vector for alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) and detect its expression and localization in NIH 3T3 cells.

Methods: The total RNA was extracted from the liver tissue of BALB/c mice, and the corresponding coding sequences for mouse AAT (GenBank accession No. NM_009243) were amplified by RT-PCR and cloned into hemagglutinin (HA)-tagged vector pcDNA3-HA.