Random forest and live single-cell metabolomics reveal metabolic profiles of human macrophages upon polarization.

Human macrophages are innate immune cells with diverse, functionally distinct phenotypes, namely, pro-inflammatory M1 and anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages. Both are involved in multiple physiological and pathological processes, including would healing, infection, and cancer. However, the metabolic differences between these phenotypes are largely unexplored at single-cell resolution.

Ebola virus-like particles reprogram cellular metabolism.

Ebola virus can trigger a release of pro-inflammatory cytokines with subsequent vascular leakage and impairment of clotting finally leading to multiorgan failure and shock after entering and infecting patients. Ebola virus is known to directly target endothelial cells and macrophages, even without infecting them, through direct interactions with viral proteins. These interactions affect cellular mechanics and immune processes, which are tightly linked to other key cellular functions such as metabolism.

Lassa hemorrhagic shock syndrome-on-a-chip.

Lack of experimental human models hinders research on Lassa hemorrhagic fever and the development of treatment strategies. Here, we report the first chip-based model for Lassa hemorrhagic syndrome. The chip features a microvessel interfacing collagen network as a simple mimic for extracellular matrix, allowing for quantitative and real-time vascular integrity assessment.

Human Organs-on-Chips for Virology.

While conventional in vitro culture systems and animal models have been used to study the pathogenesis of viral infections and to facilitate development of vaccines and therapeutics for viral diseases, models that can accurately recapitulate human responses to infection are still lacking. Human organ-on-a-chip (Organ Chip) microfluidic culture devices that recapitulate tissue-tissue interfaces, fluid flows, mechanical cues, and organ-level physiology have been developed to narrow the gap between in vitro experimental models and human pathophysiology. Here, we describe how recent developments in Organ Chips have enabled re-creation of complex pathophysiological features of human viral infections in vitro.

Ebola Hemorrhagic Shock Syndrome-on-a-Chip.

Ebola virus, for which we lack effective countermeasures, causes hemorrhagic fever in humans, with significant case fatality rates. Lack of experimental human models for Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a major obstacle that hinders the development of treatment strategies. Here, we model the Ebola hemorrhagic syndrome in a microvessel-on-a-chip system and demonstrate its applicability to drug studies.

Ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry for rapid separation and identification of main constituents in Chinese herbal formula Xuan Hu Suo San.

Xuan Hu Suo San (XHSS) is a traditional Chinese medicine that has been extensively applied in the treatment of osteoarthritis for many years, however, its chemical composition has not yet been elucidated. Thus, a rapid, efficient, and precise method based on ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was applied in both positive- and negative-ion modes to rapidly separate and identify the main chemical ingredients in XHSS for the first time. Finally, with the optimised separation and detection method, a total of 57 compounds were simultaneously separated within 13 min, among which 14 compounds were confirmed by comparing retention time and MS data with reference standards and others were tentatively identified by comparing with reference literatures.

Development of Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) Assay for the Rapid Detection of .

Fungi of the Alternaria genus are associated with allergic diseases, with Alternaria alternata being one of the most prevalent species. A. alternata has been frequently reported as the etiologic agent of hypersensitivity pneumonitis, allergic rhinosinusitis, bronchial asthma, and other diseases.

Pharmacodynamic study on insomnia-curing effects of Shuangxia Decoction in Drosophila melanogaster.

The present study aimed to establish a pharmacodynamic method using the pySolo software to explore the influence of freeze-dried powders of Shuangxia Decoction (SXD) on the sleep of normal Drosophila melanogaster and the Drosophila melanogaster whose sleep was divested by light. The dose-effect and the time-effect relationships of SXD on sleep were examined. The effect-onset concentration of SXD was 0.

A Network Pharmacology Approach to Uncover the Pharmacological Mechanism of XuanHuSuo Powder on Osteoarthritis.

As the most familiar type of arthritis and a chronic illness of the joints, Osteoarthritis (OA) affects a great number of people on the global scale. XuanHuSuo powder (XHSP), a conventional herbal formula from China, has been extensively applied in OA treatment. Nonetheless, its pharmacological mechanism has not been completely expounded.