The rheumatoid arthritis gut microbial biobank reveals core microbial species that associate and effect on host inflammation and autoimmune responses.

Gut microbiota dysbiosis has been implicated in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and influences disease progression. Although molecular and culture-independent studies revealed RA patients harbored a core microbiome and had characteristic bacterial species, the lack of cultured bacterial strains had limited investigations on their functions. This study aimed to establish an RA-originated gut microbial biobank (RAGMB) that covers and further to correlates and validates core microbial species on clinically used and diagnostic inflammation and immune indices.

sp. nov., sp. nov. and sp. nov. three novel species of the family isolated from caecal contents of C57BL/6J mice.

The intestines of mice are colonized by diverse, as-yet-uncultivated bacteria. In this report, we describe the isolation, culture, genotypic and phenotypic characterization, as well as taxonomic classification of three novel anaerobic bacterial strains derived from the caecal contents of C57BL/6J male mice. According to the phenotypic and genotype-based polyphasic taxonomy, we propose three novel species within the family .

Long-term associations of PM PM and PM with asthma and asthma-related respiratory symptoms in the middle-aged and elderly population.

Background: Few studies have compared the associations between long-term exposures to particulate matters (aerodynamic diameter ≤1, ≤2.5 and ≤10 µm: PM, PM and PM, respectively) and asthma and asthma-related respiratory symptoms. The objective of the present study was to compare the strength of the aforementioned associations in middle-aged and elderly adults.

Bacteria and viruses and clinical outcomes of asthma-bronchiectasis overlap syndrome: A cohort study.

Background: Despite the high prevalence of co-existing bronchiectasis and asthma (asthma-bronchiectasis overlap syndrome [ABOS]), little is known regarding the dominant pathogens and clinical correlates.

Objective: To investigate the bacteria and viruses which differentially dominate in ABOS (including its subtypes) compared with bronchiectasis alone, and determine their relevance with bronchiectasis severity and exacerbations.

Methods: This was a prospective observational cohort study conducted between March 2017 and August 2023.

Total alkaloid fraction of Leonurus japonicus Houtt. Promotes angiogenesis and wound healing through SRC/MEK/ERK signaling pathway.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Leonurus japonicus Houtt., also known as motherwort, is a traditional Chinese medicine that was first identified in Shennong Bencao Jing, the first and essential pharmacy monograph in China. L.

High platelet count predicts poor prognosis in HCC patients undergoing TACE: a propensity score-matched analysis.

Background: The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the prognostic value of the pretreatment platelet (PLT) count in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related intermediate-advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) complicated with cirrhosis undergoing transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE).

Research Design And Methods: We assessed 362 patients with HBV-related intermediate-advanced HCC complicated with cirrhosis undergoing TACE. Patients were divided into low (≤96 × 10/L) and high (>96 × 10/L) PLT groups.

Physicians' perceptions of generic drugs in China.

Background: In recent years, there has been a significant worldwide increase in the use of generic drugs. China has committed to a consistency evaluation of generic drugs, with the aim to improve the rate of substitution. However, there is little research on physicians' perceptions of generic drugs in China.

Highly Sensitive Detection of miR-21 through Target-Activated Catalytic Hairpin Assembly of X-Shaped DNA Nanostructures.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are found in extremely low concentrations in cells, so highly sensitive quantitation is a great challenge. Herein, a simple dual-amplification strategy involving target-activated catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) coupled with multiple fluorophores concentrated on one X-shaped DNA is reported. In this strategy, four hairpin probes (H1, H2, H3, and H4) are modified with FAM and BHQ1 at both sticky ends, while a circulating hairpin probe (H0) is used to activate CHA circuits once it binds to complementary sequences in the target miR-21 (T).

Carbon dots-based fluorescence resonance energy transfer for the prostate specific antigen (PSA) with high sensitivity.

The accurate and sensitive detection of biomarkers has great clinical value for the early diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Due to the excellent optical properties of carbon dots (CDs), CDs-based fluorescent detection methods have attracted increasing attention in bioanalytics. Signal reporters using CDs labeled hairpin DNA, based on Föster resonance energy transfer (FRET), have shown promise for the sensitive detection of biomarkers.

Paroxetine suppresses reactive microglia-mediated but not lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory responses in primary astrocytes.

Background: Astrocytes are the most abundant glial cells in a brain that mediate inflammatory responses and provide trophic support for neurons. We have previously disclosed that paroxetine, a common selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, ameliorates LPS-induced microglia activation. However, it remains elusive for the role of paroxetine in astrocytic responses.

Polarity-Sensitive Polymer Carbon Dots Prepared at Room-Temperature for Monitoring the Cell Polarity Dynamics during Autophagy.

Taking the advantages of excellent optical properties, biocompatibility, and photostability of carbon dots, herein, we developed polarity-sensitive polymer carbon dots (PCDs) for visualizing of cellular polarity to real-time monitoring autophagy changes without perturbing the cellular status. The PCDs can be prepared by simply mixing dopamine (DA), HO, and -phenylenediamine (-PDA) in a common beaker without the need for any special equipment or external energy supply, and the preparation could be completed within 3 min at room temperature. Interestingly, the polarity-sensitive PCDs could emit various types of fluorescence and are insensitive to the excitation light when dispersed in different water/dioxane systems with different polarities.

A mimetic peptide of α2,6-sialyllactose promotes neuritogenesis.

Oxidative stress contributes to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. With the aim to find reagents that reduce oxidative stress, a phage display library was screened for peptides mimicking α2,6-sialyllactose (6'-SL), which is known to beneficially influence neural functions. Using Sambucus nigra lectin, which specifically binds to 6'-SL, we screened a phage display library and found a peptide comprising identical sequences of 12 amino acids.

Repeat and Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms Are Associated With Depression and Rest Tremor in Parkinson's Disease: An Exploratory Study.

Level of serotonin is mainly regulated by the serotonin reuptake transporter encoded by . The promoter region of bears a repeat polymorphism 5-HTTLPR and a single nucleotide polymorphism rs25531. We have previously studied the association between these two variants and sporadic PD.

Dual Energy Transfer-Based Fluorescent Nanoprobe for Imaging miR-21 in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Cells with Low Background.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can progress gradually to liver failure, early warning of which is critical for improving the cure rate of NAFLD. In situ imaging and monitoring of overexpressed miR-21 is an advanced strategy for NAFLD diagnosis. However, this strategy usually suffers from the high background imaging in living cells owing to the complexity of the biological system.

Dy(III)-induced aggregation emission quenching effect of single-layered graphene quantum dots for selective detection of phosphate in the artificial wetlands.

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs), prepared by one-step hydrothermal treatment of perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) and triethylamine (TEA), could be exfoliated or delaminated into single-layered graphene quantum dots (s-GQDs) with methanol for the first time, with fluorescence (FL) emission at 500 nm when excited at 417 nm. The s-GQDs, with more sufficient carboxyl groups on the surface than CQDs, could be induced to be aggregated by metal ion dysprosium (Dy), resulting in aggregation-induced emission quenching effect subsequently. However, the presence of phosphate (PO) destroys the Dy-induced aggregates of s-GQDs owing to the strong coordination between Dy and PO, inducing the FL emission recovery of the s-GQDs and providing selective detection method of PO in the artificial wetlands with the linear range of 0.

Anthrax biomarker: An ultrasensitive fluorescent ratiometry of dipicolinic acid by using terbium(III)-modified carbon dots.

The highly sensitive detection of dipicolinic acid (DPA), a biomarker of the biological threat-agent anthrax, is strongly associated with the sensing of Bacillus anthracis (B. anthracis) in environmental and food samples. In this study, we developed a novel, ultrasensitive method for the detection of DPA by using a ratiometric fluorescent terbium ions modified carbon dots (CDs-Tb).

Ratiometrically Fluorescent Electrospun Nanofibrous Film as a Cu-Mediated Solid-Phase Immunoassay Platform for Biomarkers.

Increasing demands for the sensitive, selective, visual, conveniently solid-phase-sensing film for disease-related biomarkers, electrospun nanofibrous films (ENFFs) are a novel sensing paltform because of the high surface area ratios, networked structures, and facile functionalization. In this research, carbon dots (CDs) and quantum dots (QDs) were doped inside and electrostatically assembled on electrospun nanofibers (ENFs), affording ratiometrically dual-emitting fluoresecent films. Because of the FRET process between CDs and QDs on NFs and the strong quenching response of QDs to Cu, the as-prepared NFs can visually detect Cu with high sensitivity and selectivity based on ratiometric fluorescent signals.

[Expression, purification and activity analysis of GGDEF and EAL domain-containing proteins from Lactobacillus acidophilus].

Objective: To identify the functions of the proteins containing the GGDEF or EAL domain in Lactobacillus acidophilus for investigation of the regulatory mechanism of c-di-GMP in this strain.

Methods: The DNA fragments of NH13_07045-GGDEF, NH13_07050 and NH13_07055 from Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC4356 were amplified by PCR and cloned into the expression vector pMAL-His-c2. After sequencing, the recombinant plasmids were transformed into competent Escherichia coli cells, which were induced by IPTG to express the recombinant proteins fused with maltose binding protein (MBP).