Conversion of agroindustrial residues for high poly(γ-glutamic acid) production by Bacillus subtilis NX-2 via solid-state fermentation.

Poly(γ-glutamic acid) (γ-PGA) production by Bacillus subtilis NX-2 was carried out through solid-state fermentation with dry mushroom residues (DMR) and monosodium glutamate production residues (MGPR; a substitute of glutamate) for the first time. Dry shiitake mushroom residue (DSMR) was found to be the most suitable solid substrate among these DMRs; the optimal DSMR-to-MGPR ratio was optimized as 12:8. To increase γ-PGA production, industrial waste glycerol was added as a carbon source supplement to the solid-state medium.

A meta-analysis of interlaminar minimally invasive discectomy compared to conventional microdiscectomy for lumbar disk herniation.

A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the evidence that compared the safety and efficacy of interlaminar minimally invasive discectomy (ILMI) and conventional microdiscectomy (MD) for treating lumbar disk herniation (LDH) patients and to develop GRADE based recommendations for using the procedures to treat LDH. Eleven studies, encompassing 1012 patients, met the inclusion criteria. Overall, the results of the meta-analysis indicated that there were significant differences between the two groups in blood loss (SMD=-0.

Pretreatment of garlic powder using sweep frequency ultrasound and single frequency countercurrent ultrasound: optimization and comparison for ACE inhibitory activities.

The sweep frequency ultrasound (SFU) and single frequency countercurrent ultrasound (SFCU) pretreatments were modeled and compared based on production of angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptides from garlic hydrolysates. Two mathematical models were developed to show the effect of each variable and their combinatorial interactions on ACE inhibitory activity. The optimum levels of the parameters in SFU were determined using uniform design, which revealed these as follows: total ultrasonic time 1.

Upregulation of podocyte-secreted angiopoietin-like-4 in diabetic nephropathy.

Podocyte injury plays a key role in the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Understanding the changes in podocyte structure and function in diabetes mellitus may lead to novel diagnostic tools and treatment strategies for DN. Albuminuria, histological alterations, and podocyte injury were detected at different time points in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats.

Multiple mechanisms in renal artery stenosis-induced renal interstitial fibrosis.

Background/aims: Renal artery stenosis (RAS), which may lead to renal fibrosis, is a common cause of end-stage renal disease in elderly patients. However, the potential mechanisms leading to the development of renal fibrosis and atrophy have not been clarified.

Methods: A two-kidney, one-clip Goldblatt mouse model was established in the present study.

Biometals and their therapeutic implications in Alzheimer's disease.

No disease modifying therapy exists for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The growing burden of this disease to our society necessitates continued investment in drug development. Over the last decade, multiple phase 3 clinical trials testing drugs that were designed to target established disease mechanisms of AD have all failed to benefit patients.

The pro-apoptotic and pro-inflammatory effects of calprotectin on human periodontal ligament cells.

Calprotectin, a heterodimer of S100A8 and S100A9 subunits, is associated with inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and cystic fibrosis. Although calprotectin levels are increased significantly in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of periodontitis patients, its effects on periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs) remain largely unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate calprotectin levels in the GCF of generalized aggressive periodontitis (AgP) patients and to investigate the effects of recombinant human calprotectin (rhS100A8/A9) and its subunits (rhS100A8 and rhS100A9) in PDLCs.

Experience and outcomes with carotid artery stenting: an analysis of the CHOICE study (Carotid Stenting for High Surgical-Risk Patients; Evaluating Outcomes Through the Collection of Clinical Evidence).

Objectives: This study sought to examine operator experience measured by time-related variables on outcomes with protected carotid artery stenting (CAS).

Background: Studies on experience have focused on operator and institutional CAS volumes alone in the absence of a better metric.

Methods: Using the CHOICE (Carotid Stenting for High Surgical-Risk Patients; Evaluating Outcomes Through the Collection of Clinical Evidence) multicenter prospective data from October 1, 2006 to June 1, 2012, 5,841 evaluable subjects were identified.

Methylglyoxal increases dopamine level and leads to oxidative stress in SH-SY5Y cells.

More and more studies have suggested that methylglyoxal (MGO) induced by type-2 diabetes is related to Parkinson's disease (PD). However, little is known about the molecular mechanism. In this study, we explored the MGO toxicity in neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells.

A bioresorbable everolimus-eluting scaffold versus a metallic everolimus-eluting stent for ischaemic heart disease caused by de-novo native coronary artery lesions (ABSORB II): an interim 1-year analysis of clinical and procedural secondary outcomes from a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Despite rapid dissemination of an everolimus-eluting bioresorbable scaffold for treatment for coronary artery disease, no data from comparisons with its metallic stent counterpart are available. In a randomised controlled trial we aimed to compare an everolimus-eluting bioresorbable scaffold with an everolimus-eluting metallic stent. Here we report secondary clinical and procedural outcomes after 1 year of follow-up.

The calcineurin inhibitor tacrolimus reduces proteinuria in membranous nephropathy accompanied by a decrease in angiopoietin-like-4.

Tacrolimus is an anticalcineurinic agent with potent immunosuppressive activity that has recently been shown to have the added benefit of reducing proteinuria in membranous nephropathy (MN) patients. However, its potential mechanisms remain unknown. To reveal the mechanism, rat cohorts were administered tacrolimus or vehicle from days 7 to 28 after the induction of passive Heymann nephritis (PHN).

A comparison of ceruloplasmin to biological polyanions in promoting the oxidation of Fe(2+) under physiologically relevant conditions.

Background: Iron oxidation is thought to be predominantly handled enzymatically in the body, to minimize spontaneous combustion with oxygen and to facilitate cellular iron export by loading transferrin. This process may be impaired in disease, and requires more accurate analytical assays to interrogate enzymatic- and auto-oxidation within a physiologically relevant environment.

Method: A new triplex ferroxidase activity assay has been developed that overcomes the previous assay limitations of measuring iron oxidation at a physiologically relevant pH and salinity.

Mesenchymal stem cells, not conditioned medium, contribute to kidney repair after ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Introduction: Studies have shown that stem cells exert their therapeutic effects on acute kidney injury (AKI) through paracrine/endocrine actions. If the protective effect is mediated in an endocrine manner, the injection of the factors that these cells secrete could be effective, but the effect of conditioned medium (CM) remains controversial.

Methods: In this study, we cultured mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and then transplanted them into an ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury model.

Motor and cognitive deficits in aged tau knockout mice in two background strains.

Background: We recently reported that Parkinsonian and dementia phenotypes emerge between 7-12 months of age in tau-/- mice on a Bl6/129sv mixed background. These observations were partially replicated by another group using pure Bl6 background tau-/- mice, but notably they did not observe a cognitive phenotype. A third group using Bl6 background tau-/- mice found cognitive impairment at 20-months of age.

ΔNp63, CK5/6, TTF-1 and napsin A, a reliable panel to subtype non-small cell lung cancer in biopsy specimens.

Histopathological subtyping of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is currently important in selecting specific therapeutic agents. It can be challenging in distinguishing poorly differentiated lung adenocarcinoma (AC) from squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) on small biopsy samples. This study was aimed to evaluate the utility of a panel of immunohistochemical markers consisting of ΔNp63 (p40), cytokeratins (CK) 5/6, thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) and napsin A (novel aspartic proteinase of the pepsin family) in subtyping poorly differentiated NSCLC.

2'-(2-bromohexadecanoyl)-paclitaxel conjugate nanoparticles for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer in an orthotopic xenograft mouse model.

A nanoparticle (NP) formulation with 2'-(2-bromohexadecanoyl)-paclitaxel (Br-16-PX) conjugate was developed in these studies for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The lipophilic paclitaxel conjugate Br-C16-PX was synthesized and incorporated into lipid NPs where the 16-carbon chain enhanced drug entrapment in the drug delivery system and improved in vivo pharmacokinetics. The electron-withdrawing bromine group was used to facilitate the conversion of Br-C16-PX to paclitaxel at the tumor site.

The chemerin receptor CMKLR1 is a functional receptor for amyloid-β peptide.

Amyloid-β peptides such as Aβ1-42 (Aβ42) play a pivotal role in the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Aβ42 is neurotoxic and can activate microglial cells. These cells in turn migrate toward senile (neuritic) plaques and help to clear Aβ deposits through an endocytotic mechanism.

Engineering scaffolds integrated with calcium sulfate and oyster shell for enhanced bone tissue regeneration.

Engineering scaffolds combinging natural biomineral and artificially synthesized material hold promising potential for bone tissue regeneration. In this study, novel bioactive calcium sulfate/oyster shell (CS/OS) composites were prepared. Comparing to CS scaffold, the CS/OS composites with a controllable degradation rate displayed enhanced mineral nodule formation, higher alkaline phosphate (ALP) activity and increased proliferation rate while treated osteocytes.

Iron accumulation confers neurotoxicity to a vulnerable population of nigral neurons: implications for Parkinson's disease.

Background: The substantia nigra (SN) midbrain nucleus is constitutively iron rich. Iron levels elevate further with age, and pathologically in Parkinson's disease (PD). Iron accumulation in PD SN involves dysfunction of ceruloplasmin (CP), which normally promotes iron export.

[A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON MAGNETIC COMPRESSIVE ANASTOMOSIS AND TRADITIONAL HAND-SUTURING TECHNOLOGY IN CANINE FEMORAL ARTERY ANASTOMOSIS].

Objective: To investigate the advantages of magnetic compressive anastomosis (MCA) for non-suture femoral artery anastomosis.

Methods: Twelve adult health mongrel dogs, weighing (16.5 ± 3.

Paliperidone protects SK-N-SH cells against glutamate toxicity via Akt1/GSK3β signaling pathway.

Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous psychotic illness and its etiology remains poorly understood. Recent studies have suggested that neurodegeneration is a component of schizophrenia pathology and some atypical antipsychotics appear to slow progressive morphological brain changes. In addition, the atypical antipsychotics were reported to have a superior therapeutic efficacy in treating schizophrenia and have a low incidence of extrapyramidal side effects (EPS) compared to typical antipsychotics.

Proper patient selection yields significant and sustained reduction in systolic blood pressure following renal artery stenting in patients with uncontrolled hypertension: long-term results from the HERCULES trial.

The Safety and Effectiveness Study of the Herculink Elite Renal Stent to Treat Renal Artery Stenosis (HERCULES) trial is a prospective, multicenter trial evaluating the safety, effectiveness, and durability of the RX Herculink Elite renal stent system (Abbott Vascular, Abbott Park, IL) in select patients with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis and uncontrolled hypertension. A total of 202 patients were enrolled between August 2007 and October 2009. The primary endpoint, 9-month binary restenosis, was 10.

Myricetin enhances osteogenic differentiation through the activation of canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling in human bone marrow stromal cells.

Myricetina flavonoid compound, has been reported to possess antioxidative, antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory effects. However, no study has yet investigated the effect of myricetin on osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow stem cells (hBMSCs). This study was designed to investigate the effects of myricetin on osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs in vitro.

Current approaches to enhance CNS delivery of drugs across the brain barriers.

Although many agents have therapeutic potentials for central nervous system (CNS) diseases, few of these agents have been clinically used because of the brain barriers. As the protective barrier of the CNS, the blood-brain barrier and the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier maintain the brain microenvironment, neuronal activity, and proper functioning of the CNS. Different strategies for efficient CNS delivery have been studied.

A simple, sensitive colorimetric assay for coralyne based on target induced split G-quadruplex formation.

The screening of potential drugs specifically binding to polydeoxyadenosine (poly(dA)) has been of great interest in recent studies. We have developed a simple colorimetric strategy through the mechanism of target induced split G-quadruplex formation for detecting coralyne, a poly(dA)-binding drug with noticeable antitumor activity. Two DNA oligonucleotides containing a split G-quadruplex sequence and an adenine-rich sequence are used in our strategy.