Progesterone suppresses rhinovirus-induced airway inflammation by inhibiting neutrophil infiltration and extracellular traps formation.

Background: The process of NETosis is observed in a range of inflammatory conditions. Progesterone (P4) has been shown to alleviate inflammation caused by viral infections such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2. However, the precise molecular mechanisms responsible for this effect are not yet fully understood.

Progesterone modulates the immune microenvironment to suppress ovalbumin-induced airway inflammation by inhibiting NETosis.

Studies have demonstrated that prior to puberty, girls have a lower incidence and severity of asthma symptoms compared to boys. This study aimed to explore the role of progesterone (P4), a sex hormone, in reducing inflammation and altering the immune microenvironment in a mouse model of allergic asthma induced by OVA. Female BALB/c mice with or without ovariectomy to remove the influence of sex hormones were used for the investigations.

Rosuvastatin attenuates airway inflammation and remodeling in a chronic allergic asthma model through modulation of the AMPKα signaling pathway.

The efficacy of rosuvastatin in reducing allergic inflammation has been established. However, its potential to reduce airway remodeling has yet to be explored. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of rosuvastatin in reducing airway inflammation and remodeling in a mouse model of chronic allergic asthma induced by sensitization and challenge with OVA.

Toxicarioside H-mediated modulation of the immune microenvironment attenuates ovalbumin-induced allergic airway inflammation by inhibiting NETosis.

Purpose: Our team identified a new cardiac glycoside, Toxicarioside H (ToxH), in a tropical plant. Previous research has indicated the potential of cardenolides in mitigating inflammation, particularly in the context of NETosis. Therefore, this study sought to examine the potential of ToxH in attenuating allergic airway inflammation by influencing the immune microenvironment.

Penicilazaphilone C alleviates allergic airway inflammation and improves the immune microenvironment by hindering the NLRP3 inflammasome.

Aims: Penicilazaphilone C (PAC) is hypothesized to potentially serve as a therapeutic treatment for allergic airway inflammation by inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome and reducing oxidative stress.

Methods: An allergic asthma model was induced in female BALB/c mice of the OVA, OVA+PAC, OVA+PAC+LPS, and OVA+Dex groups by sensitizing and subsequently challenging them with OVA. The OVA+PAC and Normal+PAC groups were treated with PAC, while the OVA+PAC+LPS group also received LPS.

Autocrine phosphatase PDP2 inhibits ferroptosis by dephosphorylating ACSL4 in the Luminal A Breast Cancer.

Phosphatases can dephosphorylate phosphorylated kinases, leading to their inactivation, and ferroptosis is a type of cell death. Therefore, our aim is to identify phosphatases associated with ferroptosis by analyzing the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of the Luminal A Breast Cancer (LumABC) cohort from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). An analysis of 260 phosphatase genes from the GeneCard database revealed that out of the 28 DEGs with high expression, only the expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase 2 (PDP2) had a significant correlation with patient survival.

Gankyrin inhibits ferroptosis through the p53/SLC7A11/GPX4 axis in triple-negative breast cancer cells.

Gankyrin is found in high levels in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and has been established to form a complex with the E3 ubiquitin ligase MDM2 and p53, resulting in the degradation of p53 in hepatocarcinoma cells. Therefore, this study sought to determine whether gankyrin could inhibit ferroptosis through this mechanism in TNBC cells. The expression of gankyrin was investigated in relation to the prognosis of TNBC using bioinformatics.

Interoceptive awareness: MBSR training alters information processing of salience network.

Mindfulness refers to a mental state of awareness of internal experience without judgment. Studies have suggested that each mindfulness practice may involve a unique mental state, but the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms remain unknown. Here we examined how distinct mindfulness practices after mindfulness-based intervention alter brain functionality.

Enhanced electroencephalography effective connectivity in frontal low-gamma band correlates of emotional regulation after mindfulness training.

Practicing mindfulness, focusing attention on the internal and external experiences occurring in the present moment with open and nonjudgement stance, can lead to the development of emotional regulation skills. Yet, the effective connectivity of brain regions during mindfulness has been largely unexplored. Studies have shown that mindfulness practice promotes functional connectivity in practitioners, potentially due to improved emotional regulation abilities and increased connectivity in the lateral prefrontal areas.

3'-epi-12β-hydroxyfroside-mediated autophagy degradation of RIPK1/RIPK3 necrosomes leads to anergy of immunogenic cell death in triple-negative breast cancer cells.

Increasing studies have suggested that some cardiac glycosides, such as conventional digoxin (DIG) and digitoxin, can induce immunogenic cell death (ICD) in various tumors. We previously found that 3'-epi-12β-hydroxyfroside (HyFS), a novel cardenolide compound isolated by our group, could induce cytoprotective autophagy through inactivation of the Akt/mTOR pathway. However, whether HyFS can induce ICD remains unknown.

Immunotherapy combining tumor and endothelium cell lysis with immune enforcement by recombinant MIP-3α Newcastle disease virus in a vessel-targeting liposome enhances antitumor immunity.

Background: Several agents for oncolytic immunotherapy have been approved for clinical use, but monotherapy is modest for most oncolytic agents. The combination of several therapeutic strategies through recombinant and nanotechnology to engineer multifunctional oncolytic viruses for oncolytic immunotherapy is a promising strategy.

Methods: An endothelium-targeting iRGD-liposome encapsulating a recombinant Newcastle disease virus (NDV), which expresses the dendritic cell (DC) chemokine MIP-3α (iNDV3α-LP), and three control liposomes were constructed.

Mindfulness Training Associated With Resting-State Electroencephalograms Dynamics in Novice Practitioners Mindful Breathing and Body-Scan.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction has been proven to improve mental health and quality of life. This study examined how mindfulness training and various types of mindfulness practices altered brain activity. : Specifically, the spectral powers of scalp electroencephalography of the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) group (=17) who underwent an 8-week MBSR training-including mindful breathing and body-scan-were evaluated and compared with those of the waitlist controls (=14).

Engineered porous/hollow Burkholderia pseudomallei loading tumor lysate as a vaccine.

Due to its size, shape, and inherent expression of pathogen-associated molecular patterns and invasion-assistant adhesion proteins, Burkholderia pseudomallei can easily attach to, and then be internalized by, dendritic cells (DCs), leading to more efficient antigen cross-presentation if modified as carrier. Herein, we engineered Burkholderia pseudomallei as a porous/hollow carrier (SB) for loading tumor lysates (L) and adjuvant CpG (C) to be used as a tumor vaccine (SB-LC). We found that the adhesion proteins of Burkholderia pseudomallei promote internalization of the SB-LC vaccine by DCs, and result in enhanced DC maturation and antigen cross-presentation.

A biotin-avidin-system-based virus-mimicking nanovaccine for tumor immunotherapy.

Virus is a nanosized pathogen and mainly composed of viral protein and nucleic acids. Under the pressure of long-term selection, mammals have gradually evolved effective immune mechanisms to defend themselves against viruses. In addition to recognizing viral proteins, immune system can also respond to viral sequence-specific nucleic acids, including CpG ODN, single- and double- strand RNA, and thereby enhancing the ability to remove infected viruses.

Toxicarioside O Inhibits Cell Proliferation and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition by Downregulation of Trop2 in Lung Cancer Cells.

Toxicarioside O (TCO), a natural product derived from , has been identified to be a promising anticancer agent. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of TCO on the proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of lung cancer cells and its molecular mechanisms. Here, we indicated that TCO inhibits the proliferation of lung cancer cells both and .

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on bereavement grief: Alterations of resting-state network connectivity associate with changes of anxiety and mindfulness.

Bereavement, the experience of losing a loved one, is one of the most catastrophic but inevitable events in life. It causes grief and intense depression-like sadness. Recent studies have revealed the effectiveness and proficiency of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in emotional regulation among bereavement populations.

Trait mindfulness and depressive symptoms in non-small cell lung cancer patients: the mediating roles of quality of life and meaning in life.

The present study examined the potential mediating influences of meaning in life and quality of life in the relationship of trait mindfulness and depressive symptoms in lung cancer patients. We adopted a cross-sectional design studying a sample of patients with non-small cell lung cancer, aged 20-65 years, and receiving cancer treatments or follow-up care. The outcome measures included Beck Depression Inventory-II, European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and lung cancer specific complementary measure (EORTC QLQ-LC13), Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, and the meaning in life questionnaire.

A recombinant oncolytic Newcastle virus expressing MIP-3α promotes systemic antitumor immunity.

Background: The oncolytic Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is inherently able to trigger the lysis of tumor cells and induce the immunogenic cell death (ICD) of tumor cells and is also an excellent gene-engineering vector. The macrophage inflammatory protein-3α (MIP-3α) is a specific chemokine for dendritic cells (DCs). Thus, we constructed a recombinant NDV expressing MIP-3α (NDV-MIP3α) as an in vivo DC vaccine for amplifying antitumor immunities.

Exopolysaccharide from Paecilomyces lilacinus modulates macrophage activities through the TLR4/NF‑κB/MAPK pathway.

Multiple exopolysaccharides (EPSs) have been isolated from various organisms in extreme environments and have yielded a variety of activities. The present study evaluated the immunomodulatory capabilities of an EPS (termed PH‑EPS) derived from the fungus Paecilomyces lilacinus PH0016, which was isolated from a tropical and hyperhaline environment in southern China. The macrophage RAW 264.

Impaired Autophagic Degradation of Transforming Growth Factor-β-Induced Protein by Macrophages in Lattice Corneal Dystrophy.

Purpose: Lattice corneal dystrophy (LCD) is related to the denaturation of transforming growth factor-β-induced protein (TGFBIp). Autophagic degradation of the denatured proteins by macrophages is one pathway to remove the denatured proteins. Thus, we investigated the role of autophagy in the degradation of mutant (MU) TGFBIp in macrophages.

Mindfulness Improves Emotion Regulation and Executive Control on Bereaved Individuals: An fMRI Study.

The grief of bereavement is recognized as a severe psychosocial stressor that can trigger a variety of mental and physical disorders, and the long-lasting unresolved grief has a detrimental effect on brain functionality. Literature has documented mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) as an efficient treatment for improving well-being, specifically related to the mood and cognition, in a variety of populations. However, little attention has been devoted to neural mechanisms with regard to bereaved individuals' cognition after MBCT intervention.

Intrinsic, Cancer Cell-Selective Toxicity of Organic Photothermal Nanoagent: A Simple Formulation for Combined Photothermal Chemotherapy of Cancer.

Nano-agent-mediated photothermal therapy (PTT) combined with chemotherapy has been proposed as an effective strategy against cancer. However, chemotherapeutic agents often cause serious side effects. Herein, a novel PTT nanoagent (Cy5.

Autophagy plays a protective role against apoptosis induced by toxicarioside N via the Akt/mTOR pathway in human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells.

Toxicarioside N (Tox N), a natural product extract from Antiaris toxicaria, has been reported to induce apoptosis in human gastric cancer cells. However, the mechanism and actual role of autophagy in Tox N-induced apoptosis of human gastric cancer cells remains poorly understood. In the current study, we demonstrated that Tox N could induce autophagy by inhibiting the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in SGC-7901 cells.

Induction of enhanced immunogenic cell death through ultrasound-controlled release of doxorubicin by liposome-microbubble complexes.

Immunogenic cell death (ICD) is a specific kind of cell death that stimulates the immune system to combat cancer cells. Ultrasound (US)-controlled targeted release of drugs by liposome-microbubble complexes is a promising approach due to its non-invasive nature and visibility through ultrasound imaging. However, it is not known whether this approach can enhance ICD induced by drugs, such as doxorubicin.

3'-epi-12β-hydroxyfroside, a new cardenolide, induces cytoprotective autophagy via blocking the Hsp90/Akt/mTOR axis in lung cancer cells.

Cardenolides have potential as anticancer drugs. 3'-epi-12β-hydroxyfroside (HyFS) is a new cardenolide structure isolated by our research group, but its molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study investigates the relationship between its antitumor activities and autophagy in lung cancer cells.