A Model H5N2 Vaccine Strain for Dual Protection Against H5N1 and H9N2 Avian Influenza Viruses.

Highly pathogenic (HP) H5Nx and low-pathogenicity (LP) H9N2 avian influenza viruses (AIVs) pose global threats to the poultry industry and public health, highlighting the critical need for a dual-protective vaccine. In this study, we generated a model PR8-derived recombinant H5N2 vaccine strain with hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes from clade 2.3.

Restriction of mitochondrial oxidation of glutamine or fatty acids enhances intracellular growth of in macrophages.

(Mab), a nontuberculous mycobacterium, is increasing in prevalence worldwide and causes treatment-refractory pulmonary diseases. However, how Mab rewires macrophage energy metabolism to facilitate its survival is poorly understood. We compared the metabolic profiles of murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) infected with smooth (S)- and rough (R)-type Mab using extracellular flux technology.

Exploring the Role of Guanylate-Binding Protein-2 in Activated Microglia-Mediated Neuroinflammation and Neuronal Damage.

Neuron damage by microglia, which act as macrophage cells in the brain, can result in various brain diseases. However, the function of pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory microglia in the neurons remains controversial. Guanylate-binding protein-2 (GBP2) is expressed and activated in the microglia in the early phase of the inflammatory response and plays an important role in controlling immune responses.

Isoegomaketone exhibits potential as a new inhibitor.

Although the incidence of infection has recently increased significantly, treatment is difficult because this bacterium is resistant to most anti-tuberculosis drugs. In particular, is often resistant to available macrolide antibiotics, so therapeutic options are extremely limited. Hence, there is a pressing demand to create effective drugs or therapeutic regimens for infections.

Effects of G and SH Truncation on the Replication, Virulence, and Immunogenicity of Avian Metapneumovirus.

Four mutants varying the length of the G and SH genes, including a G-truncated mutant (ΔG) and three G/SH-truncated mutants (ΔSH/G-1, ΔSH/G-2, and ΔSH/G-3), were generated via serially passaging the avian metapneumovirus strain SNU21004 into the cell lines Vero E6 and DF-1 and into embryonated chicken eggs. The mutant ΔG particles resembled parental virus particles except for the variance in the density of their surface projections. G and G/SH truncation significantly affected the viral replication in chickens' tracheal ring culture and in infected chickens but not in the Vero E6 cells.

Tracing the Evolutionary Pathways of Serogroup O78 Avian Pathogenic .

Avian pathogenic (APEC) causes severe economic losses in the poultry industry, and O78 serogroup APEC strains are prevalent in chickens. In this study, we aimed to understand the evolutionary pathways and relationships between O78 APEC and other strains. To trace these evolutionary pathways, we classified 3101 strains into 306 subgenotypes according to the numbers and types of single nucleotide polymorphisms (RST0 to RST63-1) relative to the consensus sequence (RST0) of the RNA polymerase beta subunit gene and performed network analysis.

Differential Immune Responses and Underlying Mechanisms of Metabolic Reprogramming in Smooth and Rough Variants of Infections.

() is a rapidly growing mycobacteria that is classified as a nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) and is commonly found in environmental sources such as soil, water, and animals. is considered an opportunistic pathogen that causes infection in immunocompromised individuals or those with underlying medical conditions. Although there have been clinical reports on , reports of the immune response and metabolic reprogramming have not been published.

Organization of sensorimotor activity in anterior cruciate ligament reconstructed individuals: an fMRI conjunction analysis.

Introduction: Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is characterized by persistent involved limb functional deficits that persist for years despite rehabilitation. Previous research provides evidence of both peripheral and central nervous system adaptations following ACLR. However, no study has compared functional organization of the brain for involved limb motor control relative to the uninvolved limb and healthy controls.

Development and Reliability of a Visual-Cognitive Reactive Triple Hop Test.

Context: Current lower-extremity return to sport testing primarily considers the physical status of an athlete; however, sport participation requires continuous cognitive dual-task engagement. Therefore, the purpose was to develop and evaluate the reliability of a visual-cognitive reactive (VCR) triple hop test that simulates the typical sport demand of combined online visual-cognitive processing and neuromuscular control to improve return to sport testing after lower-extremity injury.

Design: Test-retest reliability.

The effects of sports-related concussion history on female adolescent brain activity and connectivity for bilateral lower extremity knee motor control.

Sports-related concussions (SRCs) are associated with neuromuscular control deficits in athletes following return to play. However, the connection between SRC and potentially disrupted neural regulation of lower extremity motor control has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to investigate brain activity and connectivity during a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) lower extremity motor control task (bilateral leg press) in female adolescent athletes with a history of SRC.

The relationship between drop vertical jump action-observation brain activity and kinesiophobia after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A cross-sectional fMRI study.

Background: Injury and reconstruction of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) result in central nervous system alteration to control the muscles around the knee joint. Most individuals with ACL reconstruction (ACLR) experience kinesiophobia which can prevent them from returning to activity and is associated with negative outcomes after ACLR. However, it is unknown if kinesiophobia alters brain activity after ACL injury.

Development and reliability of a visual-cognitive medial side hop for return to sport testing.

Objectives: To develop and evaluate the reliability of a new visual-cognitive medial side hop (VCMH) test that challenges physical and cognitive performance to potentially improve return to sport testing.

Design: Test-retest experimental design.

Setting: Laboratory.

Aconitate Decarboxylase 1 Deficiency Exacerbates Mouse Colitis Induced by Dextran Sodium Sulfate.

Ulcerative colitis is a complex inflammatory bowel disorder disease that can induce rectal and colonic dysfunction. Although the prevalence of IBD in Western countries is almost 0.5% of the general population, genetic causes are still not fully understood.

Comparison of Macrophage Immune Responses and Metabolic Reprogramming in Smooth and Rough Variant Infections of .

(), a rapidly growing nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM), can infect humans (posttraumatic wound infections and catheter-related sepsis). Similar to other NTM species, exhibits colony morphologies of rough (-R) and smooth (-S) types. Although there are several case reports on infection, no experimental evidence supports that the R-type is more virulent.

Verbascoside-Rich Nakai Leaf Extracts Prevent LPS-Induced Preterm Birth Through Inhibiting the Expression of Proinflammatory Cytokines from Macrophages and the Cell Death of Trophoblasts Induced by TNF-α.

: Preterm birth is a known leading cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity. The underlying causes of pregnancy-associated complications are numerous, but infection and inflammation are the essential high-risk factors. However, there are no safe and effective preventive drugs that can be applied to pregnant women.

Neuroprotective Effect of Nortriptyline in Overt Hepatic Encephalopathy Through Attenuation of Mitochondrial Dysfunction.

Hyperammonemia associated with overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE) causes excitotoxic neuronal death through activation of the cytochrome C (CytC)-mediated mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathway. We tested the therapeutic effect of nortriptyline (NT), a mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) blocker that can possibly inhibit mitochondrial CytC efflux to the cytosol on in vivo and in vitro OHE models. After ensuring the generation of OHE rats, established by bile duct ligation (BDL), they were intraperitoneally administered either 20 mg/kg NT (i.

Low-Dose Irradiation Enhances Gene Targeting in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Unlabelled: Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are now being used for both disease modeling and cell therapy; however, efficient homologous recombination (HR) is often crucial to develop isogenic control or reporter lines. We showed that limited low-dose irradiation (LDI) using either γ-ray or x-ray exposure (0.4 Gy) significantly enhanced HR frequency, possibly through induction of DNA repair/recombination machinery including ataxia-telangiectasia mutated, histone H2A.

Essential engagement of Toll-like receptor 2 in initiation of early protective Th1 response against rough variants of Mycobacterium abscessus.

Although Mycobacterium abscessus (M. abscessus) is becoming more prevalent in patients without overt immunodeficiency, little is known about the factors that contribute to disease susceptibility. This study was undertaken to investigate how Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) functionally contributes to the generation of protective immunity against M.

Peptidylarginine deiminase inhibition impairs Toll-like receptor agonist-induced functional maturation of dendritic cells, resulting in the loss of T cell-proliferative capacity: a partial mechanism with therapeutic potential in inflammatory settings.

Cl-amidine, which is a small-molecule inhibitor of PAD, has therapeutic potential for inflammation-mediated diseases. However, little is known regarding the manner by which PAD inhibition by Cl-amidine regulates inflammatory conditions. Here, we investigated the effects of PAD inhibition by Cl-amidine on the functioning of DCs, which are pivotal immune cells that mediate inflammatory diseases.

EZ spheres: a stable and expandable culture system for the generation of pre-rosette multipotent stem cells from human ESCs and iPSCs.

We have developed a simple method to generate and expand multipotent, self-renewing pre-rosette neural stem cells from both human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) without utilizing embryoid body formation, manual selection techniques, or complex combinations of small molecules. Human ESC and iPSC colonies were lifted and placed in a neural stem cell medium containing high concentrations of EGF and FGF-2. Cell aggregates (termed EZ spheres) could be expanded for long periods using a chopping method that maintained cell-cell contact.

Gene editing in stem cells hits the target.

Two recent reports describe promising, highly efficient methods to modify genes in pluripotent stem cells using zinc finger nuclease (ZFN)-mediated (Soldner et al., 2011) or helper-dependent adenovirus (HDAdV)-mediated (Liu et al., 2011b) gene modification.

Dscam diversity is essential for neuronal wiring and self-recognition.

Neurons are thought to use diverse families of cell-surface molecules for cell recognition during circuit assembly. In Drosophila, alternative splicing of the Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule (Dscam) gene potentially generates 38,016 closely related transmembrane proteins of the immunoglobulin superfamily, each comprising one of 19,008 alternative ectodomains linked to one of two alternative transmembrane segments. These ectodomains show isoform-specific homophilic binding, leading to speculation that Dscam proteins mediate cell recognition.

NF-kappaB and AP-1 regulate activation-dependent CD137 (4-1BB) expression in T cells.

4-1BB(CD137) is a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily and provides a costimulatory signal by interaction with 4-1BB ligand expressed on antigen-presenting cells. The expression of 4-1BB is known to be activation-dependent. Here, we investigated the transcriptional machinery required for T cell receptor (TCR) activation-dependent induction of 4-1BB expression in CD3-CEM cells treated with phorbol myristate acetate and ionomycin.

Induction of 4-1BB (CD137) expression by DNA damaging agents in human T lymphocytes.

4-1BB(CD137) is a member of the tumour necrosis factor receptor superfamily and is expressed on activated T cells, monocytes and natural killer (NK) cells. The interaction of 4-1BB and 4-1BB ligand provides a costimulatory signal leading to T-cell activation. The expression of 4-1BB has been known to be activation dependent.