A novel small-molecular CCR5 antagonist promotes neural repair after stroke.

Chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) is one of the main co-receptors of HIV-1, and has been found to be a potential therapeutic target for stroke. Maraviroc is a classic CCR5 antagonist, which is undergoing clinical trials against stroke. As maraviroc shows poor blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, it is of interest to find novel CCR5 antagonists suitable for neurological medication.

Telehealth System Based on the Ontology Design of a Diabetes Management Pathway Model in China: Development and Usability Study.

Background: Diabetes needs to be under control through management and intervention. Management of diabetes through mobile health is a practical approach; however, most diabetes mobile health management systems do not meet expectations, which may be because of the lack of standardized management processes in the systems and the lack of intervention implementation recommendations in the management knowledge base.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to construct a diabetes management care pathway suitable for the actual situation in China to express the diabetes management care pathway using ontology and develop a diabetes closed-loop system based on the construction results of the diabetes management pathway and apply it practically.

The Critical Roles of Circular RNAs in Basic Research and Clinical Application of Female Reproductive-Related Diseases.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs), produced by precursor mRNAs, are a type of covalently closed circular molecule without 5' caps and 3' polyadenylated tails. Recently, advances in high-throughput sequencing, transcriptomics and bioinformatics, have revealed that circRNAs with specific traits in tissue or cells play emerging roles in both physiological and panthological contexts instead of as simple by-products of transcription. However, bringing circRNAs to the forefront of clinical practice is still a long way off.

Neuronal chemokine-like-factor 1 (CKLF1) up-regulation promotes M1 polarization of microglia in rat brain after stroke.

The phenotypic transformation of microglia in the ischemic penumbra determines the outcomes of ischemic stroke. Our previous study has shown that chemokine-like-factor 1 (CKLF1) promotes M1-type polarization of microglia. In this study, we investigated the cellular source and transcriptional regulation of CKLF1, as well as the biological function of CKLF1 in ischemic penumbra of rat brain.

Korean red ginseng alleviate depressive disorder by improving astrocyte gap junction function.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Korean red ginseng (KRG), a processed product of Panax ginseng C. A. Mey, show significant anti-depressive effect in clinic.

Regulatory T cells in ischemic stroke.

Recent evidence shows that when ischemic stroke (IS) occurs, the BBB would be destructed, thereby promoting the immune cells to migrate into the brain, suggesting that the immune responses can play a vital role in the pathology of IS. As an essential subpopulation of immunosuppressive T cells, regulatory T (Treg) cells are involved in maintaining immune homeostasis and suppressing immune responses in the pathophysiological conditions of IS. During the past decades, the regulatory role of Treg cells has attracted the interest of numerous researchers.

Low corticosterone levels attenuate late life depression and enhance glutamatergic neurotransmission in female rats.

Sustained elevation of corticosterone (CORT) is one of the common causes of aging and major depression disorder. However, the role of elevated CORT in late life depression (LLD) has not been elucidated. In this study, 18-month-old female rats were subjected to bilateral adrenalectomy or sham surgery.

Rg1 improves LPS-induced Parkinsonian symptoms in mice via inhibition of NF-κB signaling and modulation of M1/M2 polarization.

Ginsenoside Rg1 is one of the most active ingredients in ginseng, which has been reported to protect dopaminergic neurons and improve behavioral defects in MPTP model, 6-OHDA model and rotenone model. However, it is unclear whether Rg1 exerted neuroprotection in LPS-induced sub-acute PD model. In this study, we investigated the neuroprotective effect of Rg1 in the sub-acute PD mouse model and explored the related mechanisms.

The role of chemokines and chemokine receptors in multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that is characterized by leukocyte infiltration and subsequent axonal damage, demyelinating inflammation, and formation of sclerosing plaques in brain tissue. The results of various studies in patients indicate that autoimmunity and inflammation make an important impact on the pathogenesis of MS. Chemokines are key mediators of inflammation development and cell migration, mediating various immune cell responses, including chemotaxis and immune activation, and are important in immunity and inflammation, therefore we focus on chemokines and their receptors in multiple sclerosis.

Caudatin inhibits carcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial cell growth and angiogenesis through modulating GSK3β/β-catenin pathway.

In this study, we investigate the anti-cancer activity of caudatin in carcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial cell line A549 and anti-angiogenic activity in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). We show that caudatin impairs the cell viability and induces G(0) /G(1) phase arrest in A549 cells with a dose dependent manner. A549 cells, not HUVECs, dealing with caudatin exhibited typical characteristics of apoptosis, which were accompanied by activation of caspase-3, caspase-9 and Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase (PARP).