Integrating Rehabilitation Services into Routine Care of Rheumatoid Arthritis May Reduce the Inflammatory Response: A Hospital-Based Follow-Up Study in Taiwan.

For persons with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the accompanying systemic inflammatory conditions often insidiously damage extra-glandular organs, causing poor outcomes. Despite evidence manifesting the application of rehabilitation services (RSs), the association between RSs use and changes in the inflammatory response among persons with RA has not yet been established. With that in mind, this study aimed to evaluate changes in C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) before and after long-term RSs use.

The QS regulator AphB promotes expression of the AHPND PirA and PirB toxins and may enhance virulence under acidic conditions.

Shrimp acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) is one of the most devastating diseases to impact the global shrimp farming industry, with a mortality rate of 70 %-100 %. The key virulence factors are a pair of Photorhabdus insect-related (Pir)-like toxins, PirA and PirB. In this study, by using an in vitro transcription and translation assay, we first confirmed that the quorum sensing transcriptional regulator AphB could trigger the expression of its downstream genes after binding to the AphB binding sequence in the promoter region of the pirA/pirB operon.

Clinical and pathogen features of COVID-19-associated infections during an Omicron strain outbreak in Guangzhou, China.

Unlabelled: Although the Omicron variant has been associated with greater transmissibility and tropism of the upper respiratory tract, the clinical and pathogenic features of patients infected with the Omicron variant during an outbreak in China have been unclear. Adults with COVID-19 were retrospectively enrolled from seven medical centers in Guangzhou, China, and clinical information and specimens ( BALF, sputum, and throat swabs) from participants were collected. Conventional detection methods, metagenomics next-generation sequencing (mNGS), and other methods were used to detect pathogens in lower respiratory tract samples.

Oral ellagic acid attenuated LPS-induced neuroinflammation in rat brain: MEK1 interaction and M2 microglial polarization.

Ellagic acid, the marker component of peels of L., is known traditionally to treat traumatic hemorrhage. In this study, the cellular mechanism underlying ellagic acid-induced anti-inflammation was investigated using lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) as a neuroinflammation inducer.

One-step cladding metal oxide nanowires with a carbon-dots-embedded ZnO amorphous layer toward boosted photoelectrochemical water oxidation.

An effective method was proposed for constructing carbon dots (CDs)-sensitized multijunction composite photoelectrodes via one-step cladding a CDs-embedded ZnO amorphous overlayer on vertically aligned metal oxide nanowires. This strategy involved the double role of hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) in the ethylene glycol (EG) solvent mixed with a controllable trace amount of water. In the water-deficient synthetic system, a limited portion of HMTA served as the pH buffer and hydroxyl source to force the hydrolytic process of zinc ions for the production of ZnO.

Does Use of Acupuncture Reduce the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis? Evidence From a Universal Coverage Health Care System.

Although acupuncture is often advocated for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), its efficacy for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), a common metabolic disease among RA cohorts, has not yet been established. This retrospective cohort study aimed to determine the association between acupuncture use and the development of T2DM among them. Data were collected from 1999 through 2008 for individuals aged 20-70 years in the nationwide insurance database of Taiwan.

Adding Pay-for-Performance Program to Routine Care Was Related to a Lower Risk of Depression Among Type 2 Diabetes Patients in Taiwan.

Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) often experience depression during treatment, negatively influencing their treatment compliance and clinical outcomes. Recently, the pay-for-performance (P4P) program for chronic diseases, with high-cost and high-risk feature, such as T2DM, has been implemented and has been operational for several years. Nevertheless, its effect on the risk of developing depression among T2DM cases is unknown.

Neuroprotective effect of selumetinib on acrolein-induced neurotoxicity.

Abnormal accumulation of acrolein, an α, β unsaturated aldehyde has been reported as one pathological cause of the CNS neurodegenerative diseases. In the present study, the neuroprotective effect of selumetinib (a MEK-ERK inhibitor) on acrolein-induced neurotoxicity was investigated in vitro using primary cultured cortical neurons. Incubation of acrolein consistently increased phosphorylated ERK levels.

Synthesis and evaluation of polyamine carbon quantum dots (CQDs) in Litopenaeus vannamei as a therapeutic agent against WSSV.

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is the causative agent of white spot syndrome (WSS), a disease that has led to severe mortality rates in cultured shrimp all over the world. The WSSV is a large, ellipsoid, enveloped double-stranded DNA virus with a wide host range among crustaceans. Currently, the main antiviral method is to block the receptor of the host cell membrane using recombinant viral proteins or virus antiserum.

Decreased risk of colorectal cancer among patients with type 2 diabetes receiving Chinese herbal medicine: a population-based cohort study.

Objectives: Patients with type 2 diabetes have a higher risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), but whether Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) can reduce this risk is unknown. This study investigated the effect that CHMs have on CRC risk in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Research Design And Methods: This cohort study used the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database to identify 54 744 patients, newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, aged 20-70 years, who were receiving treatment between 1998 and 2007.

Platinum-based combination chemotherapy triggers cancer cell death through induction of BNIP3 and ROS, but not autophagy.

These days, cancer can still not be effectively cured because cancer cells readily develop resistance to anticancer drugs. Therefore, an effective combination of drugs with different mechanisms to prevent drug resistance has become a very important issue. Furthermore, the BH3-only protein BNIP3 is involved in both apoptotic and autophagic cell death.

Gallic Acid Attenuated LPS-Induced Neuroinflammation: Protein Aggregation and Necroptosis.

Gallic acid (3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid, GA), a phenolic acid, is ubiquitous in almost all parts of the plant. In the present study, a neuroinflammatory rat model using intranigral infusion of lipopolysaccharides (LPS, 4 μg/μL) was employed to study the neuroprotective effect of GA which was orally administered daily. Compared with the vehicle-treated rats, systemic administration of GA (100 mg/kg) significantly attenuated LPS-induced increases in glial fibrillary acidic protein (a biomarker of activated astrocytes) and ED-1 (a biomarker of activated microglia), as well as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS, a proinflammatory enzyme) and interleukin-1β (a proinflammatory cytokine), in the LPS-infused substantia nigra (SN) of rat brain.

Anti-inflammatory Effect of AZD6244 on Acrolein-Induced Neuroinflammation.

Clinically, high levels of acrolein (a highly reactive α, β-unsaturated aldehyde) and acrolein adducts are detected in the brain of patients with CNS neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and spinal cord injury. Our previous study supports this notion by showing acrolein as a neurotoxin in a Parkinsonian animal model. In the present study, the effect of AZD6244 (an ATP non-competitive MEK1/2 inhibitor) on acrolein-induced neuroinflammation was investigated using BV-2 cells and primary cultured microglia.

An electrochemical study of pH influences on corrosion and passivation for a Q235 carbon steel in HNO-NaNO, HAc-NaNO and HCl-NaNO solutions.

In this study, the influences of different pH values on the corrosion and passivation behaviors of a Q235 carbon steel in HNO-NaNO, HAc-NaNO and HCl-NaNO solutions were studied by electrochemical methods. The manifestations of the electrochemical characteristics were revealed and the variations in the electrochemical parameters were clarified. Moreover, for the Q235 steel in the three solutions with different pH values, the decrease in the corrosion current density ( ) and the increase in the charge transfer resistance ( ) in each solution, indicated a decrease in the corrosion rate.

Neuroprotective Effects of Baicalein on Acrolein-induced Neurotoxicity in the Nigrostriatal Dopaminergic System of Rat Brain.

Elevated levels of acrolein, an α,β-unsaturated aldehyde are detected in the brain of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). In the present study, the neuroprotective effect of baicalein (a phenolic flavonoid in the dried root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi) on acrolein-induced neurodegeneration of nigrostriatal dopaminergic system was investigated using local infusion of acrolein in the substantia nigra (SN) of rat brain. Systemic administration of baicalein (30 mg/kg, i.

Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Inhibition Attenuates MPTP-Induced Neurotoxicity in the Nigrostriatal Dopaminergic System: Involvement of α-Synuclein Aggregation and ER Stress.

Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is widely expressed in the mammalian brain and possesses dual enzymatic activities, including C-terminal epoxide hydrolase (C-EH) which degrades epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET), a beneficial arachidonic acid metabolite. In the present study, the neuroprotective effect of sEH inhibition on 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced neurodegeneration of nigrostriatal dopaminergic system was investigated using genetic and pharmacological approaches. MPTP (15 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected in sEH knockout (KO) mice and C57BL/6J mice as wild-type (WT) mice.

Acrolein acts as a neurotoxin in the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system of rat: involvement of α-synuclein aggregation and programmed cell death.

Clinical studies report significant increases in acrolein (an α,β-unsaturated aldehyde) in the substantia nigra (SN) of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). In the present study, acrolein-induced neurotoxicity in the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system was investigated by local infusion of acrolein (15, 50, 150 nmoles/0.5 μl) in the SN of Sprague-Dawley rats.

Baicalein attenuates α-synuclein aggregation, inflammasome activation and autophagy in the MPP-treated nigrostriatal dopaminergic system in vivo.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and protein aggregation form a vicious cycle in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD); activated microglia is the main location of neuroinflammation. A Chinese medicine book, "Shanghan Lun", known as the "Treatises on Cold damage Diseases" has suggested that Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi is effective in treating CNS diseases. The anti-inflammatory mechanisms of baicalein, a phenolic flavonoid in the dried root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, remain to be explored.

Chloroquine enhances gefitinib cytotoxicity in gefitinib-resistant nonsmall cell lung cancer cells.

Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs), including gefitinib, are effective for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with EGFR mutations. However, these patients eventually develop resistance to EGFR-TKI. The goal of the present study was to investigate the involvement of autophagy in gefitinib resistance.

Role of autophagy in arsenite-induced neurotoxicity: the involvement of α-synuclein.

In the present study, the role of autophagy in sodium arsenite (arsenite)-induced neurotoxicity was investigated in rat primary cultured cortical neurons. Incubation with arsenite concentration-dependently increased LC3-II levels (a biomarker of autophagy), indicating that arsenite is capable of inducing autophagy. Co-localization of fluorescent puncta of monodansylcadaverine (a fluorescent dye of autophagic vacuoles) and LysoTracker Red (a fluorescent dye of lysosomes) as well as chloroquine-induced enhancement of arsenite-elevated LC3-II levels suggest that arsenite induced autolysosome formation in primary cultured cortical neurons.

Proteomic analysis of rhein-induced cyt: ER stress mediates cell death in breast cancer cells.

Rhein is a natural product purified from herbal plants such as Rheum palmatum, which has been shown to have anti-angiogenesis and anti-tumor metastasis properties. However, the biological effects of rhein on the behavior of breast cancers are not completely elucidated. To evaluate whether rhein might be useful in the treatment of breast cancer and its cytotoxic mechanism, we analyzed the impact of rhein treatment on differential protein expression as well as redox regulation in a non-invasive breast cancer cell line, MCF-7, and an invasive breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231, using lysine- and cysteine-labeling two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) combined with MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry.

[Applying healthcare failure mode and effect analysis to improve the surgical specimen transportation process and rejection rate].

Background & Problems: Because surgical pathology specimens are crucial to the diagnosis and treatment of disease, it is critical that they be collected and transported safely and securely. Due to recent near-miss events in our department, we used the healthcare failure model and effect analysis to identify 14 potential perils in the specimen collection and transportation process. Improvement and prevention strategies were developed accordingly to improve quality of care.

Roles of autophagy in MPP+-induced neurotoxicity in vivo: the involvement of mitochondria and α-synuclein aggregation.

Macroautophagy (also known as autophagy) is an intracellular self-eating mechanism and has been proposed as both neuroprotective and neurodestructive in the central nervous system (CNS) neurodegenerative diseases. In the present study, the role of autophagy involving mitochondria and α-synuclein was investigated in MPP+ (1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium)-induced oxidative injury in chloral hydrate-anesthetized rats in vivo. The oxidative mechanism underlying MPP+-induced neurotoxicity was identified by elevated lipid peroxidation and heme oxygenase-1 levels, a redox-regulated protein in MPP+-infused substantia nigra (SN).