Prophylactic vaccination with adjuvant monophosphoryl lipid a prevents Th2-mediated murine asthmatic responses.

Objective: Asthma is a chronic respiratory disorder characterized by airway hyperreactivity, eosinophilic infiltration, high titer of allergen-specific IgE, and overproduction of T helper 2 (Th2) cytokines. Antigen combined with an appropriate adjuvant and administrated through the proper route can elicit suitable immunological responses to protect humans and animals from diseases. Antigen formulated with monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA) can produce priming of Th1-mediated immune responses.

The creation of cybrids harboring mitochondrial haplogroups in the Taiwanese population of ethnic Chinese background: an extensive in vitro tool for the study of mitochondrial genomic variations.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroups may contribute to the development of aging-related diseases. A reliable in vitro cellular system for investigating the physiologic significance of mtDNA haplogroups is essential. This study aims to construct and characterize a series of cybrid cell lines harboring variant mtDNA haplogroups collected from healthy Taiwanese volunteers.

Fucoidan effectively provokes the innate immunity of white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei and its resistance against experimental Vibrio alginolyticus infection.

In this study, we examined the effect of fucoidan on the immune response of white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei and its resistance against Vibrio alginolyticus infection. Fucoidan induced degranulation, caused changes in the cell morphology, and increased activation of prophenoloxidase (proPO) and the production of superoxide anions in vitro. Shrimp that received fucoidan via immersion at 100, 200, and 400 mg l(-1) after 3 h showed haemocyte proliferation and a higher mitotic index of haematopoietic tissue.

Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory effects of phloretin and phlorizin in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated mouse macrophages.

Many reports suggest that phloretin and phlorizin have antioxidant properties and can inhibit glucose transportation, the anti-inflammatory effects and mechanism of phloretin and phlorizin remain unclear. This study aims to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of phloretin and phlorizin in LPS-stimulated murine RAW264.7 macrophages.

Role of mitochondrial DNA variants and copy number in diabetic atherogenesis.

Hyperglycemia-induced reactive oxygen species production can cause diabetes and its complications, including atherosclerosis. The role of mitochondrial DNA variants and mitochondrial copy number in the pathogenesis of diabetic atherogenesis is not well understood. We examined 36 diabetic patients who had undergone amputation for diabetic foot and seven non-diabetic patients who had undergone amputation after traumatic injury.

Dietary acacetin reduces airway hyperresponsiveness and eosinophil infiltration by modulating eotaxin-1 and th2 cytokines in a mouse model of asthma.

A previous study found that eosinophil infiltration and Th2 cell recruitment are important causes of chronic lung inflammation in asthma. The plant flavonoid acacetin is known to have an anti-inflammatory effect in vitro. This study aims to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of orally administered acacetin in ovalbumin- (OVA-) sensitized asthmatic mice and its underlying molecular mechanism.

Prognosis of symptomatic patients with the A3243G mutation of mitochondrial DNA.

Background/purpose: The clinical analyses and prognoses of mitochondrial diseases with A3243G mutation are rarely documented in Taiwan. Our study investigated the clinical phenotypes and the outcomes of patients with mitochondrial disease and the A3243G mutation of mtDNA in a Taiwanese population, and compared these with previous reports.

Methods: We retrospectively studied 22 consecutive patients with mitochondrial disease and the A3243G mutation of mtDNA in Chang Gung Memorial Hospital between 1988 and 2009.

The value of serial plasma and cerebrospinal fluid nuclear and mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid levels in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Object: Increased plasma nuclear and mitochondrial DNA levels have been reported in critically ill patients, and extracellular DNA may originate from damaged tissues having undergone necrosis. This study tested the hypothesis that nuclear and mitochondrial DNA levels in CSF and plasma are substantially increased in patients with acute spontaneous aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and decrease thereafter, such that nuclear and mitochondrial DNA levels may be predictive of treatment outcomes.

Methods: Serial nuclear and mitochondrial DNA levels in CSF and plasma from 21 adult patients with spontaneous aneurysmal SAH and 39 healthy volunteers who received myelography examinations during the study period were evaluated.

Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress promote apoptotic cell death in the striatum via cytochrome c/caspase-3 signaling cascade following chronic rotenone intoxication in rats.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder marked by nigrostriatal dopaminergic degeneration. Evidence suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction may be linked to PD through a variety of different pathways, including free-radical generation and dysfunction of the mitochondrial Complex I activity. In Lewis rats, chronic systemic administration of a specific mitochondrial Complex I inhibitor, rotenone (3 mg/kg/day) produced parkinsonism-like symptoms.

Factors associated with increased carotid intima-media thickness in obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is strongly associated with the increase of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disorders. Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is used as a surrogate marker for subclinical or early atherosclerosis. Knowledge regarding early atherosclerosis in patients with OSAHS is scarce, and factors predicting carotid IMT have not been well studied.

Serum level and prognostic value of neopterin in patients after ischemic stroke.

Background: We hypothesized that serum level of neopterin is significantly predictive of prognostic outcome in patients after acute ischemic stroke (IS).

Methods: Between November 2008 and May 2010, serum levels of neopterin were prospectively collected at 48 h after acute IS in 157 patients.

Results: Serum neopterin levels were substantially higher in patients with severe neurological impairment [National institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score ≥12] than in those with NIHSS <12 (p<0.

Mitochondrial DNA coding and control region variants as genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

Both the coding and control regions of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) play roles in the generation of diabetes; however, no studies have thoroughly reported on the combined diabetogenic effects of variants in the two regions. We determined the mitochondrial haplogroup and the mtDNA sequence of the control region in 859 subjects with diabetes and 1,151 normoglycemic control subjects. Full-length mtDNA sequences were conducted in 40 subjects harboring specific diabetes-related haplogroups.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors γ/mitochondrial uncoupling protein 2 signaling protects against seizure-induced neuronal cell death in the hippocampus following experimental status epilepticus.

Background: Status epilepticus induces subcellular changes that may lead to neuronal cell death in the hippocampus. However, the mechanism of seizure-induced neuronal cell death remains unclear. The mitochondrial uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) is expressed in selected regions of the brain and is emerged as an endogenous neuroprotective molecule in many neurological disorders.

Sequence-based polymorphisms in the mitochondrial D-loop and potential SNP predictors for chronic dialysis.

Background: The mitochondrial (mt) displacement loop (D-loop) is known to accumulate structural alterations and mutations. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the D-loop among chronic dialysis patients and healthy controls.

Methodology And Principal Findings: We enrolled 193 chronic dialysis patients and 704 healthy controls.

Discovery of potent antimicrobial peptide analogs of Ixosin-B.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent the first defense line against infection when organisms are infected by pathogens. These peptides are generally good targets for the development of antimicrobial agents. Peptide amide analogs of Ixosin-B, an antimicrobial peptide with amino acid sequence of QLKVDLWGTRSGIQPEQHSSGKSDVRRWRSRY, were designed, synthesized and examined for antimicrobial activities against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The effect of the red wine polyphenol resveratrol on a rat model of biliary obstructed cholestasis: involvement of anti-apoptotic signalling, mitochondrial biogenesis and the induction of autophagy.

Mitochondria are known to be involved in cholestatic liver injury. The potential protective effect of resveratrol in cholestatic liver injury and the possible roles of autophagy and apoptosis induction in this process are not yet clear. The aim of this study is to determine whether resveratrol administration after bile duct ligation can reduce cholestasis-induced liver injury through modulating apoptosis, mitochondrial biogenesis and autophagy.

Phyllanthus urinaria Induces Apoptosis in Human Osteosarcoma 143B Cells via Activation of Fas/FasL- and Mitochondria-Mediated Pathways.

Phyllanthus urinaria (P. urinaria), in this study, was used for the treatment of human osteosarcoma cells, which is one of the tough malignancies with few therapeutic modalities. Herein, we demonstrated that P.

Predictors of clinical deterioration during hospitalization following acute ischemic stroke.

Background/aims: A number of risk factors for early worsening of neurological symptoms have been identified. We aimed to evaluate the influence of hemorheologic, biochemical, and metabolic factors on neurological deterioration during hospitalization following acute ischemic stroke and develop a model of neurological deterioration.

Methods: Worsening of stroke was defined as a deleterious increase in NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score of ≥4 points during hospitalization.

Efficacy and safety of valsartan in hypertensive Taiwanese patients: post-marketing surveillance study.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of valsartan in Taiwanese patients with essential hypertension.

Methods: This 12-week multi-center, open-label, observational, post-marketing surveillance study enrolled 2046 hypertensive patients who were prescribed valsartan 80 or 160 mg as monotherapy or in combination with other antihypertensives based on clinical judgment. The primary endpoint was the incidence rate of dizziness with valsartan 160 mg monotherapy or combination therapy at Week 4.

Susceptibilities to amphotericin B, fluconazole and voriconazole of Trichosporon clinical isolates.

A total of 35 Trichosporon isolates were collected from the Taiwan Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance of Yeasts (TSARY) project from 1999 to 2006, and their identifications as well as drug susceptibilities were determined. The most frequently isolated species was T. asahii (62.

Segmentation of DNA using simple recurrent neural network.

We report the discovery of strong correlations between protein coding regions and the prediction errors when using the simple recurrent network to segment genome sequences. We are going to use SARS genome to demonstrate how we conduct training and derive corresponding results. The distribution of prediction error indicates how the underlying hidden regularity of the genome sequences and the results are consistent with the finding of biologists: predicated protein coding features of SARS genome.

Preferential involvement of mitochondria in Toll-like receptor 3 agonist-induced neuroblastoma cell apoptosis, but not in inhibition of cell growth.

Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) can mediate its therapeutic effect through Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) expressed on tumor cells including neuroblastoma. We used synthetic dsRNA polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid [Poly(I:C)] as a TLR3 agonist to treat TLR3-expressing SK-N-AS neuroblatoma (NB) cells. We found up-regulation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress proteins glucose-regulated protein 78 and inositol-requiring enzyme 1.

Induction of oxidative DNA damage by flavonoids of propolis: its mechanism and implication about antioxidant capacity.

Propolis from beehives is commonly used as a home remedy for various purposes including as a topical antiseptic. Despite its antioxidant capacity, propolis induces oxidative DNA damage. In exploring the underlying mechanism, we found that the induction of oxidative DNA damage is attributed to the hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) produced by propolis.

Danggui Buxue Tang attenuates eosinophil infiltration and airway hyperresponsiveness in asthmatic mice.

Background: Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT), an herbal formula containing Angelica sinensis (AS) and Astragalus membranaceus (AM) (AS:AM = 1:5, designated as DBT1 here), has been used in Chinese medicine to enhance qi and blood circulation. In addition, DBT has served as a treatment for atopic dermatitis in dogs in Taiwan. It also may improve fibrosis in a rat model of pulmonary fibrosis.

Roles of oxidative stress, apoptosis, PGC-1α and mitochondrial biogenesis in cerebral ischemia.

The primary physiological function of mitochondria is to generate adenosine triphosphate through oxidative phosphorylation via the electron transport chain. Overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as byproducts generated from mitochondria have been implicated in acute brain injuries such as stroke from cerebral ischemia. It was well-documented that mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathway involves pro- and anti-apoptotic protein binding, release of cytochrome c, leading ultimately to neuronal death.