Prophylactic use of probiotics as an adjunctive treatment for ischemic stroke via the gut-spleen-brain axis.

A growing body of research has focused on the role of spleen in orchestrating brain injury through the peripheral immune system following stroke, highlighting the brain-spleen axis as a potential target for mitigating neuronal damage during stroke. The gut microbiota plays a pivotal role in the bidirectional communication between the gut and the brain. Several studies have suggested that probiotic supplements hold promise as a strategic approach to maintaining a balanced intestinal microecology, reducing the apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells, protecting the intestinal mucosal and blood-brain barrier (BBB), enhancing both intestinal and systemic immune functions, and thereby potentially affecting the pathogenesis and progression of ischemic stroke.

Involvement of autophagy and gut dysbiosis in ambient particulate matter-induced colonic inflammation.

Ambient fine particulate matter (PM), a vital environmental toxicant, not only adversely affects the cardiovascular and respiratory systems but also potentially exhibits an association with intestinal inflammation and colorectal cancer (CRC). The underlying molecular mechanisms of PM2.5 impacts on CRC are still unclear.

Loss of fragile WWOX gene leads to senescence escape and genome instability.

Induction of DNA damage response (DDR) to ensure accurate duplication of genetic information is crucial for maintaining genome integrity during DNA replication. Cellular senescence is a DDR mechanism that prevents the proliferation of cells with damaged DNA to avoid mitotic anomalies and inheritance of the damage over cell generations. Human WWOX gene resides within a common fragile site FRA16D that is preferentially prone to form breaks on metaphase chromosome upon replication stress.

Polysaccharide of Ganoderma lucidum Ameliorates Cachectic Myopathy Induced by the Combination Cisplatin plus Docetaxel in Mice.

Cachexia is a lethal muscle-wasting syndrome associated with cancer and chemotherapy use. Mounting evidence suggests a correlation between cachexia and intestinal microbiota, but there is presently no effective treatment for cachexia. Whether the Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide Liz-H exerts protective effects on cachexia and gut microbiota dysbiosis induced by the combination cisplatin plus docetaxel (cisplatin + docetaxel) was investigated.

The Establishment of a Noninvasive Bioluminescence-Specific Viral Encephalitis Model by Pseudorabies Virus-Infected NF-κBp-Luciferase Mice.

Encephalitis is a rare brain inflammation that is most commonly caused by a viral infection. In this study, we first use an in vivo imaging system (IVIS) to determine whether NF-κBp-luciferase expression could be detected in the brain of pseudorabies virus (PRV)-infected NF-κBp-luciferase mice and to evaluate proinflammatory mediators in a well-described mouse model of PRV encephalitis. In in vitro studies, we used murine microglia (BV-2) cells to demonstrate the PRV-induced encephalitis model entailing the activation of microglia cells.

Ornithine decarboxylase functions in both autophagy and apoptosis in response to ultraviolet B radiation injury.

We present a mechanism for how ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) regulates the crosstalk between autophagy and apoptosis. In cancer cells, low-intensity ultraviolet B (UVB ) induces autophagy while high-intensity UVB (UVB ) induces apoptosis. Overexpression of ODC decreases UVB -induced autophagy by inhibiting Atg5-Atg12 conjugation and suppressing the expression of autophagy markers LC3, Atg7, Atg12, and BECN1 proteins.

Periodontitis is associated with incidental valvular heart disease: A nationwide population-based cohort study.

Aim: Periodontitis and valvular heart disease (VHD) are common diseases. Both diseases are related to chronic inflammation and share many common risk factors. Previous periodontal studies had focused mainly on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Lactobacillus Attenuate the Progression of Pancreatic Cancer Promoted by Porphyromonas Gingivalis in Transgenic Mice.

Accumulating evidence suggests that there is a link between the host microbiome and pancreatic carcinogenesis, and that increases the risk of developing pancreatic cancer. The aim of the current study was to clarify the role of in the pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer and the potential immune modulatory effects of probiotics. The six-week-old LSL-K-rasG12D; Pdx-1-cre (KC) mice smeared P.

The synergistic tumor growth-inhibitory effect of probiotic Lactobacillus on transgenic mouse model of pancreatic cancer treated with gemcitabine.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal and chemo-resistant cancers worldwide. Growing evidence supports the theory that the gut microbiota plays an essential role in modulating the host response to anti-cancer therapy. The present study aimed to explore the effect of probiotics as an adjuvant during chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer.

Constipation might be associated with risk of allergic rhinitis: A nationwide population-based cohort study.

Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a burdensome respiratory disorder whose etiology and pathophysiology remain controversial and most likely multifactorial. Accumulated evidence indicates that gut dysbiosis contributes to AR via the gut-airway axis. Constipation could result in alteration of the intestinal microflora.

BMI1-Mediated Pemetrexed Resistance in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells Is Associated with Increased SP1 Activation and Cancer Stemness.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide and the therapeutic strategies include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) account for around 85% of cases of lung cancers. Pemetrexed is an antifolate agent that is currently used as the second line chemotherapy drug in the treatment of advanced NSCLC patients with a response rate of 20-40%.

Early Gut Microbiota Changes in Preterm Infants with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: A Pilot Case-Control Study.

Objective: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a complex chronic lung disease that primarily affects premature or critically ill infants. This pilot study investigated early changes in gut microbiota composition in BPD patients and explored the potential risk factors associated with these changes.

Study Design: Preterm infants admitted to our neonatal intensive care unit with a gestational age of 26 to 32 weeks were prospectively surveyed and eligible for stool collection on days 7 and 28 of postnatal age between February 2016 and June 2017.

Targeting a cysteine protease from a pathobiont alleviates experimental arthritis.

Background: Several lines of evidence suggest that the pathobiont Porphyromonas gingivalis is involved in the development and/or progression of auto-inflammatory diseases. This bacterium produces cysteine proteases, such as gingipain RgpA, endowed with the potential to induce significant bone loss in model systems and in patients.

Objective: We sought to gain further insight into the role of this pathobiont in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to identify novel therapeutic targets for auto-inflammatory diseases.

Wwox deficiency leads to neurodevelopmental and degenerative neuropathies and glycogen synthase kinase 3β-mediated epileptic seizure activity in mice.

Human WWOX gene resides in the chromosomal common fragile site FRA16D and encodes a tumor suppressor WW domain-containing oxidoreductase. Loss-of-function mutations in both alleles of WWOX gene lead to autosomal recessive abnormalities in pediatric patients from consanguineous families, including microcephaly, cerebellar ataxia with epilepsy, mental retardation, retinal degeneration, developmental delay and early death. Here, we report that targeted disruption of Wwox gene in mice causes neurodevelopmental disorders, encompassing abnormal neuronal differentiation and migration in the brain.

Lung Tumorigenesis Alters the Expression of Slit2-exon15 Splicing Variants in Tumor Microenvironment.

Slit2 expression is downregulated in various cancers, including lung cancer. We identified two Slit2 splicing variants at exon15-Slit2-WT and Slit2-ΔE15. In the RT-PCR analyses, the Slit2-WT isoform was predominantly expressed in all the lung cancer specimens and in their normal lung counterparts, whereas Slit2-ΔE15 was equivalently or predominantly expressed in 41% of the pneumothorax specimens.

The microRNA expression profiles in extracellular vesicles from HeLa cancer cells in response to cationic lipid- or polyethylenimine-mediated gene delivery.

Intercellular communication is known to be involved in various stages of tumour development and metastasis through the secretion of extracellular vesicles (EVs) containing messengers such as microRNAs (miRNAs). Therefore, this study explored miRNA profiles in cancer cell-derived EVs after non-viral gene delivery in order to better understand the molecular information of intercellular communication in cancer cells after gene delivery. Two commonly used non-viral vectors (Lipofectamine 2000 and jet polyethylenimine) were used for the delivery of gene fluorescent protein plasmid in HeLa cancer cells.

Mycelium Alleviates Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury through Autophagic Regulation.

The incidence of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury is rapidly increasing around the world and this disease is a major contributor to global morbidity and mortality. It is known that regulation of programmed cell death including apoptosis and autophagy reduces the impact of myocardial IR injury. In this study, the cardioprotective effects and underlying mechanisms of (Berk.

The Chinese medicine JC-001 enhances the chemosensitivity of Lewis lung tumors to cisplatin by modulating the immune response.

Background: JC-001 is a Chinese medicine that can modulate the immunity in Hepa 1-6 tumor-bearing mice, and we questioned whether JC-001 can serve as efficient adjuvant chemotherapy. We aimed to identify a novel approach for enhancing cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II) (CDDP)-based chemotherapy by immunomodulation.

Methods: The anti-tumor activity in vitro was determined based on foci formation and a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay.

The vector-related influences of autophagic microRNA delivery by Lipofectamine 2000 and polyethylenimine 25K on mouse embryonic fibroblast cells.

Despite the greater potential for clinical applications of autophagic microRNA (miRNA) delivery, the vector-related effects of such delivery on cells have not been fully explored. In this study, autophagic mmu-miR-494-3p (miR-494) in mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cells was selected as a cargo miRNA, and two commonly used non-viral carriers (Lipofectamine 2000 (Lipo) and polyethylenimine 25K (PEI)), were used as delivery vectors to mechanistically elucidate its vector-related effects. The cellular uptake, nuclear localization, and quantitative miR-494 levels of the complexes of miR-494 with Lipo (miR-494 lipoplexes) were lower than those of the complexes of miR-494 with PEI (miR-494 polyplexes) in MEF cells.

Promotion of metastasis of thyroid cancer cells via NRP-2-mediated induction.

Tumor-node-metastasis is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in thyroid cancer patients. Upregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) increases the migratory ability of thyroid cancer cells to lymph nodes. Expression of neuropilin-2 (NRP-2), the co-receptor of VEGF-C, has been reported to be correlated with lymph node metastasis in human thyroid cancer.

Antitumor Activity of the Chinese Medicine JC-001 Is Mediated by Immunomodulation in a Murine Model of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

JC-001 is a Chinese medicine that has been used to treat liver disease; however, its significance in cancer treatment has not been characterized. In this study, we used an immunocompetent tumor model to characterize the antitumor activity of JC-001. A total of 48 Hepa 1-6 tumor-bearing C57BL/6 mice were randomly grouped into 4 groups and treated with HO or JC-001 via oral administration.

Lumbrokinase attenuates myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting TLR4 signaling.

Lumbrokinase, a novel antithrombotic agent, purified from the earthworm Lumbricus rubellus, has been clinically used to treat stroke and cardiovascular diseases. However, inflammatory responses associated with the cardioprotective effect of lumbrokinase remain unknown. In this study, the signaling pathways involved in lumbrokinase-inhibited expressions of inflammation mediators were investigated in rats subjected to myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I-R) injury.

Quantitative PPARγ expression affects the balance between tolerance and immunity.

PPARγ modulates energy metabolism and inflammation. However, its specific functions in the balance of immunity in vivo have been explored incompletely. In this study, by the age of 14 mo, Pparg(C/-) mice with PPARγ expression at 25% of the normal level exhibited high autoantibody levels and developed mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis, which resembled systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-like autoimmune disease.

Exploring MicroRNA Expression Profiles Related to the mTOR Signaling Pathway in Mouse Embryonic Fibroblast Cells Treated with Polyethylenimine.

Although the toxicology of poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) in gene expression levels has been previously investigated, little is known about the effects of PEI on the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. In this study, we explored miRNA expression profiles related to cell death mechanisms in mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cells treated with PEI by applying microarray analysis. Based on the analysis of the mTOR signaling pathway, three upregulated miRNAs (mmu-miR-3090-5p, mmu-miR-346-3p, and mmu-miR-494-3p) were verified in MEF cells treated with PEI at 24 h using real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.

GMI, an Immunomodulatory Protein from Ganoderma microsporum, Potentiates Cisplatin-Induced Apoptosis via Autophagy in Lung Cancer Cells.

Cisplatin-based therapy is common in the treatment of several types of cancers, including lung cancers. In our previous study, GMI, an immunomodulatory protein cloned from Ganoderma microsporum, induced a cytotoxic effect in lung cancer cells via autophagy. The aim of this study is to examine the role of GMI in enhancing cisplatin-mediated cell death.