Association of neutralizing breadth against SARS-CoV-2 with inoculation orders of heterologous prime-boost vaccines.

Background: Emerging evidence suggests heterologous prime-boost COVID-19 vaccination as a superior strategy than homologous schedules. Animal experiments and clinical observations have shown enhanced antibody response against influenza variants after heterologous vaccination; however, whether the inoculation order of COVID-19 vaccines in a prime-boost schedule affects antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 variants is not clear.

Methods: We conducted immunological analyses in a cohort of health care workers (n = 486) recently vaccinated by three types of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines under homologous or heterologous prime-boost schedules.

Artemisinin induces A549 cell apoptosis dominantly via a reactive oxygen species-mediated amplification activation loop among caspase-9, -8 and -3.

This report is designed to explore the roles of caspase-8, -9 and -3 in artemisinin (ARTE)-induced apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer cells (A549 cells). ARTE induced reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated apoptosis in dose- and time-dependent fashion. Although ARTE treatment did not induce Bid cleavage and significant loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, it induced release of Smac and AIF but not cytochrome c from mitochondria, and silencing of Bak but not Bax significantly prevented ARTE-induced cytotoxicity.

Elevated plasma levels of hypermethylated RASSF1A gene sequences in pregnant women with intrahepatic cholestasis.

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is associated with increased perinatal mortality and morbidity. Circulating cell-free fetal DNA has been a useful parameter for monitoring of pregnancy-associated diseases. The purpose of this study was to determine the concentrations of hypermethylated RAS-association domain family 1, isoform A (RASSF1A) gene sequences in the plasma of pregnant women with intrahepatic cholestasis.

Amplification activation loop between caspase-8 and -9 dominates artemisinin-induced apoptosis of ASTC-a-1 cells.

Although caspases have been demonstrated to be involved in artemisinin (ARTE)-induced apoptosis, their exact functions are not well understood. The aim of this report is to explore the roles of caspase-8, -9 and -3 during ARTE-induced apoptosis in human lung adenocarcinoma (ASTC-a-1) cells. ARTE treatment induces a rapid generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and ROS-dependent apoptosis as well as the activation of caspase-8, -9 and -3 via time- and dose-dependent fashion.

Artemisinin induces caspase-8/9-mediated and Bax/Bak-independent apoptosis in human lung adenocarcinoma (ASTC-a-1) cells.

Artemisinin (ARTE), an antimalarial phytochemical component from the sweet wormwood plant, has been shown a potential anticancer activity by inducing cell apoptosis. The aim of this report is to explore the mechanism of ARTE-induced human lung adenocarcinoma (ASTC-a-1) cell apoptosis. Cell counting kit (CCK-8) assay showed that ARTE induced cytotoxcity in a dose- and time-dependent manner.