Activation of the adenosine A2A receptor exacerbates experimental autoimmune neuritis in Lewis rats in association with enhanced humoral immunity.

Accumulated evidence demonstrated that Adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) is involved in the inflammatory diseases. In the present study, we showed that a selective A2AR agonist, CGS21680, exacerbated experimental autoimmune neuritis in Lewis rats induced with bovine peripheral myelin. The exacerbation was accompanied with reduced CD4(+)Foxp3(+) T cells, increased CD4(+)CXCR5(+) T cells, B cells, dendritic cells and antigen-specific autoantibodies, which is possibly due to the inhibition of IL-2 induced by CGS21680.

Escitalopram attenuates β-amyloid-induced tau hyperphosphorylation in primary hippocampal neurons through the 5-HT1A receptor mediated Akt/GSK-3β pathway.

Tau hyperphosphorylation is an important pathological feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD). To investigate whether escitalopram could inhibit amyloid-β (Aβ)-induced tau hyperphosphorylation and the underlying mechanisms, we treated the rat primary hippocampal neurons with Aβ1-42 and examined the effect of escitalopram on tau hyperphosphorylation. Results showed that escitalopram decreased Aβ1-42-induced tau hyperphosphorylation.

[Effects of combined administration of Paeoniae Radix Alba on local pharmacokinetics of six aconite alkaloids by skin microdialysis in vivo].

The Aconiti Radix Cocta gel and Aconiti Radix Cocta combined with Paeoniae Radix Alba gel were administered to mice. Physiological saline was taken as perfusate. The perfusion rate was 2 μL•min⁻¹ and the microdialysis samples were collected every 0.

A two-layer integration framework for protein complex detection.

Background: Protein complexes carry out nearly all signaling and functional processes within cells. The study of protein complexes is an effective strategy to analyze cellular functions and biological processes. With the increasing availability of proteomics data, various computational methods have recently been developed to predict protein complexes.

Determining layer number of two-dimensional flakes of transition-metal dichalcogenides by the Raman intensity from substrates.

Transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) semiconductors have been widely studied due to their distinctive electronic and optical properties. The property of TMD flakes is a function of their thickness, or layer number (N). How to determine the N of ultrathin TMD materials is of primary importance for fundamental study and practical applications.

Drug-Target Interaction Prediction with Graph Regularized Matrix Factorization.

Experimental determination of drug-target interactions is expensive and time-consuming. Therefore, there is a continuous demand for more accurate predictions of interactions using computational techniques. Algorithms have been devised to infer novel interactions on a global scale where the input to these algorithms is a drug-target network (i.

Neighborhood Regularized Logistic Matrix Factorization for Drug-Target Interaction Prediction.

In pharmaceutical sciences, a crucial step of the drug discovery process is the identification of drug-target interactions. However, only a small portion of the drug-target interactions have been experimentally validated, as the experimental validation is laborious and costly. To improve the drug discovery efficiency, there is a great need for the development of accurate computational approaches that can predict potential drug-target interactions to direct the experimental verification.

Exosomes derived from atorvastatin-modified bone marrow dendritic cells ameliorate experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis by up-regulated levels of IDO/Treg and partly dependent on FasL/Fas pathway.

Background: Previously, we have demonstrated that spleen-derived dendritic cells (DCs) modified with atorvastatin suppressed immune responses of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG). However, the effects of exosomes derived from atorvastatin-modified bone marrow DCs (BMDCs) (statin-Dex) on EAMG are still unknown.

Methods: Immunophenotypical characterization of exosomes from atorvastatin- and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO)-modified BMDCs was performed by electron microscopy, flow cytometry, and western blotting.

Protective effect of fasudil hydrochloride against acute renal injury in septicopyemia rats.

Objective: To observe the protective effect of fasudil hydrochloride against acute renal injury in septicopyemia rats.

Methods: A total of 60 Wister rats were included in the study and divided into control group (n = 10), model group (n = 25) and treatment group (n = 25). Model group and treatment group received intraperitoneal injection of endotoxin (ET) to establish acute renal injury models while the control group only received daily intraperitoneal injection of normal saline 1 mL.

Autophagy induction contributes to the resistance to methotrexate treatment in rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synovial cells through high mobility group box chromosomal protein 1.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synovial cells (RA-FLS) show resistance to methotrexate (MTX) treatment. To better understand the mechanisms of this resistance, RA-FLS and osteoarthritis fibroblast-like synovial cells (OA-FLS) were isolated and exposed to MTX. We analyzed the autophagy induced by MTX in vitro and its relationship to apoptosis.

[Ultra-Fine Pressed Powder Pellet Sample Preparation XRF Determination of Multi-Elements and Carbon Dioxide in Carbonate].

The main analysis error of pressed powder pellet of carbonate comes from particle-size effect and mineral effect. So in the article in order to eliminate the particle-size effect, the ultrafine pressed powder pellet sample preparation is used to the determination of multi-elements and carbon-dioxide in carbonate. To prepare the ultrafine powder the FRITSCH planetary Micro Mill machine and tungsten carbide media is utilized.

Nondestructive detection of lead chrome green in tea by Raman spectroscopy.

Raman spectroscopy was first adopted for rapid detecting a hazardous substance of lead chrome green in tea, which was illegally added to tea to disguise as high-quality. 160 samples of tea infusion with different concentrations of lead chrome green were prepared for Raman spectra acquirement in the range of 2804 cm(-1)-230 cm(-1) and the spectral intensities were calibrated with relative intensity standards. Then wavelet transformation (WT) was adopted to extract information in different time and frequency domains from Raman spectra, and the low-frequency approximation signal (ca4) was proved as the most important information for establishment of lead chrome green measurement model, and the corresponding partial least squares (PLS) regression model obtained good performance in prediction with Rp and RMSEP of 0.

[Effect of Yinao Jieyu Recipe on Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor of the Limbic System in Post-Stroke Model Rats].

Objective: To observe the evolutionary tendency of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) of the limbic system in post-stroke model rats and the intervention effect of Yinao Jieyu Recipe (YJR).

Methods: Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the normal control group (n =6), the sham-operation group (n =7), the multiple cerebral infarction (MCI) group (n =10), the post-stroke depression (PSD) group (n =10), the Chinese medicine (CM) treatment group (n =10), and the Western medicine (WM) treatment group (n =10) according to random digit table after open-field testing. Rats in the normal control group were routinely fed.

Chemical constituents from Euphorbia wallichii and their biological activities.

One rare diterpenoid which was an unusual phorbol derivative possessing a 5-ene-7-oxo functional group, wallichiioid A (1), and 17 known compounds (2-18) were isolated from the aerial parts of Euphorbia wallichii. The structures and relative configuration of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic interpretation. All the known compounds were isolated from E.

Optimization of an HPLC Method for Determining the Genomic Methylation Levels of Taxus Cells.

An HPLC method for quantifying total DNA methylation in Taxus chinensis cells is described. Optimal conditions for the method were established as follows: DNA was hydrolyzed with DNA degradase at 37°C for 3 h. The mobile phase was a mixture of Solvent A [50 mM potassium dihydrogen phosphate/triethylamine (100:0.

Three-dimensional poly-(ε-caprolactone) nanofibrous scaffolds directly promote the cardiomyocyte differentiation of murine-induced pluripotent stem cells through Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

Background: Environmental factors are important for stem cell lineage specification, and increasing evidence indicates that the nanoscale geometry/topography of the extracellular matrix (ECM) directs stem cell fate. Recently, many three-dimensional (3D) biomimetic nanofibrous scaffolds resembling many characteristics of the native ECM have been used in stem cell-based myocardial tissue engineering. However, the biophysical role and underlying mechanism of 3D nanofibrous scaffolds in cardiomyocyte differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) remain unclear.

Statin-modified dendritic cells regulate humoral immunity in experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis.

We previously demonstrated that atorvastatin induced immature dendritic cells (DCs) derived from spleen in vitro. Administration of these tolerogenic DCs led to amelioration of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG). The protective effect was mainly mediated by inhibited cellular immune response, including up-regulated regulatory T cells and shifted Th1/Th17 to Th2 cytokines.

Endogenous TGFβ1 Plays a Crucial Role in Functional Recovery After Traumatic Brain Injury Associated with Smad3 Signal in Rats.

Transforming growth factor-β 1 (TGFβ1) has a diverse role in astrogliosis and neuronal survival, but the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated, especially in traumatic brain injury (TBI). Here, we show that the expression of TGFβ1 was increased in the pericontusional region, accompanied with astrogliosis and neuronal loss in TBI rats. Moreover, TGFβ1 knockdown not only reduced the number of neurons and inhibited astrogliosis but also resulted in a significant neurological dysfunction in rats with TBI.

[Application of Hyperspectral Imaging for Visualization of Nitrogen Content in Pepper Leaf with Different Positions].

In order to estimate pepper plant growth rapidly and accurately, hyperspectral imaging technology combined with chemometrics methods were employed to realize visualization of nitrogen content (NC) distribution. First, pepper leaves were picked up with the leaf number based on different leaf positions, and hyperspectral data of these leaves were acquired. Then, SPAD and NC value of leaves were measured, respectively.

[Studies on Effect of Alkali Pretreatment on Anaerobic Digestion of Rice Straw with Confocal Raman Microscopy].

NaOH pretreatment is a convenient and effective method which is widely used in rice straw anaerobic digestion. But the mechanism of the alkaline (NaOH) hydrolysis of biopolymers compositions and polymeric cross-linked network structures of rice straw cell wall need further study. This paper firstly studied the effect and mechanism of alkali pretreatment on anaerobic digestion and biogas production of rice straw by using a combination of confocal Raman microscopy and transmission electron microscope.

Caspase-1 inhibitor ameliorates experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis by innate dendric cell IL-1-IL-17 pathway.

Background: IL-1β has been shown to play a pivotal role in autoimmunity. Cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-1 (caspase-1) inhibitor may be an important drug target for autoimmune diseases. However, the effects of caspase-1 inhibitor on myasthenia gravis (MG) remain undefined.

[A simple design of functional near-infrared spectroscopy system].

With the development in last twenty years, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive brain imaging technique which widely used in cognitive neuroscience studies. Based on mechanism of neurovascular coupling, increased functional neural activities in brain induce higher regional cerebral blood flow, which will cause relative concentration change of oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin. In this paper, a single channel continuous wave fNIRS system based on multi-function data acquisition board was proposed.