Protective effect of the mixture of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KC3 and Leonurus Japonicas Houtt extract on respiratory disorders.

Air pollutants, such as particulate matter (PM) and diesel exhaust particles (DEP), are associated with respiratory diseases. Therefore, preventive and therapeutic strategies against PM-and DEP (PMD)-induced respiratory diseases are needed. Herein, we evaluate the protective effects of a mixture of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KC3 and Leonurus Japonicas Houtt (LJH) extract against airway inflammation associated with exposure to PMD.

Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Immediate Early Proteins Trigger FOXQ1 Expression in Oral Epithelial Cells, Engaging in a Novel Lytic Cycle-Sustaining Positive Feedback Loop.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is an oncogenic gammaherpesvirus that can replicate in oral epithelial cells to promote viral transmission via saliva. To identify novel regulators of KSHV oral infection, we performed a transcriptome analysis of KSHV-infected primary human gingival epithelial (HGEP) cells, which identified the gene coding for the host transcription factor FOXQ1 as the top induced host gene. FOXQ1 is nearly undetectable in uninfected HGEP and telomerase-immortalized gingival keratinocytes (TIGK) cells but is highly expressed within hours of KSHV infection.

Effect of the first-flush phenomenon on the quantification of microplastics in rainwater.

Precipitation of airborne microplastics (MPs) by rainfall is one of the major transport pathways of MPs from land-to-marine. While most studies examining wet precipitation of MPs collect surface runoffs, direct investigations of MPs in rainwater are hardly reported. In this study, high-frequency and direct rainwater sampling methodology considering the first-flush effect was demonstrated.

SMAD4 Deficiency Leads to Development of Arteriovenous Malformations in Neonatal and Adult Mice.

Background Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia ( HHT ) is a rare genetic vascular disorder caused by mutations in endoglin ( ENG ), activin receptor-like kinase 1 ( ACVRL 1; ALK 1), or SMAD 4. Major clinical symptoms of HHT are arteriovenous malformations ( AVM s) found in the brain, lungs, visceral organs, and mucosal surface. Animal models harboring mutations in Eng or Alk1 recapitulate all of these HHT clinical symptoms and have been useful resources for studying mechanisms and testing potential drugs.

Decreased expression of glutaredoxin 1 is required for transforming growth factor-beta1-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition of EpRas mammary epithelial cells.

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is a cytokine important in inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a crucial morphological event in a wide range of physiological and pathological cellular processes. In this study, we demonstrate that TGF-beta1 induces the EMT phenotype through decreasing the expression of the glutaredoxin 1 (Grx1) gene, an anti-oxidant enzyme, in H-Ras transformed EpH4 mammary epithelial cells (EpRas), but not in the parental EpH4 cells. TGF-beta1-induced reduction of Grx1 expression caused an increase of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in EpRas cells, and pre-treatment of the ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine (NAC) inhibited TGF-beta1-induced EMT.