The protective role of Piper nigrum fruit extract in an ovalbumin-induced allergic rhinitis by targeting of NFκBp65 and STAT3 signalings.

Piper nigrum L. is commonly used as a traditional medicine and food in many countries. It has been reported to have anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-tumor, anti-mutagenic, anti-diabetic, and anti-inflammatory properties.

Ethanol extract of Dryopteris crassirhizoma alleviates allergic inflammation via inhibition of Th2 response and mast cell activation in a murine model of allergic rhinitis.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Dryopteris crassirhizoma (DC) is used as a traditional herbal remedy to treat various diseases, the tapeworm infection, common cold, and cancer in Korea, Japan, and China. DC also has the antioxidant anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities. However, the anti-allergic inflammatory effect of DC and some of its mechanisms in allergic rhinitis model are unknown well.

Analysis of BMSCs-intervened viscoelasticity of sciatic nerve in rats with chronic alcoholic intoxication 1.

Purpose: To investigate the impact of bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) intervention on the viscoelasticity of sciatic nerve in rats with chronic alcohol intoxication (CAI).

Methods: The CAI rat models were prepared, divided into model groups, and treated with either BMSCs or basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). Then the rats underwent electrophysiological test and the serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and metallothionein (MT) were measured.

Protective effects of enhanced minor ginsenosides in Lactobacillus fermentum KP-3-fermented ginseng in mice fed a high fat diet.

Lactobacillus fermentum KP-3 was isolated from Korean pickle and used to ferment ginseng. The changes in the minor ginsenosides in the fermented ginseng were analyzed and the material was evaluated in high fat diet-fed mice. Total ginsenosides increased from 0.

[The Effect of miR-17-5p on Vascular Lesion and Expression of VLDLR in Atherosclerotic Mice].

Objective: To investigate the effect of miR-17-5p on vascular lesion and expression of very low density lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR) in atherosclerotic (AS) mice.

Methods: -/- mice were fed with high fat diet for 15 weeks to establish atherosclerotic mice models, and these mice were injected with miR-17-5p inhibitor antagomiR-17-5p 20 mg/kg from week 13 to week 15 to interfere the expression of miR-17-5p. AS model group (injection of normal saline) and NC miRNA group (injection of negative control inhibitors) were set and C57BL/6 mice were fed with normal diet for 15 weeks as normal control group (NC group, injection of normal saline during week 13-15).

Mutual Capacitive Sensing Touch Screen Controller for Ultrathin Display with Extended Signal Passband Using Negative Capacitance.

Flexible and thin displays for smart devices have a large coupling capacitance between the sensor electrode of the touch screen panel (TSP) and the display electrode. This increased coupling capacitance limits the signal passband to less than 100 kHz, resulting in a significant reduction in the received signal, with a driving frequency of several hundred kilohertz used for noise avoidance. To overcome this problem, we reduced the effective capacitance at the analog front-end by connecting a circuit with a negative capacitance in parallel with the coupling capacitance of the TSP.

Topical application of honey in the management of chemo/radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Background: Mucositis is an inflammatory response of mucosal epithelial cells to the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. To assess the comparative efficacy of honey for patients with cancer undergoing chemo/radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis through a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Methods: A network meta-analysis was used to identify evidence from relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Phase I/II clinical trial of a Wilms' tumor 1-targeted dendritic cell vaccination-based immunotherapy in patients with advanced cancer.

Dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapies have been created for a broad expanse of cancers, and DC vaccines prepared with Wilms' tumor protein 1 (WT1) peptides have shown great therapeutic efficacy in these diseases. In this paper, we report the results of a phase I/II study of a DC-based vaccination for advanced breast, ovarian, and gastric cancers, and we offer evidence that patients can be effectively vaccinated with autologous DCs pulsed with WT1 peptide. There were ten patients who took part in this clinical study; they were treated biweekly with a WT1 peptide-pulsed DC vaccination, with toxicity and clinical and immunological responses as the principal endpoints.

Herbaspirillum piri sp. nov., isolated from bark of a pear tree.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, motile bacterial strain, shQ-4, was isolated from a pear tree in Henan Province, China. The strain grew at 10-41 °C, at pH 4.0-8.

Flexible construction of cellulose photonic crystal optical sensing nano-materials detecting organic solvents.

We developed a simple and efficient method to construct 3D and 2D opal and inverse opal cellulose photonic crystal films (CPCF) by embedding 3D or 2D polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) colloidal arrays into carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), respectively. The morphology and optical performance of CPCFs were characterized by SEM, diffraction spectra, Debye rings, and structural color. The brilliant structural colors of CPCFs are visible to the eye in the entire visible spectrum, and can be tuned by changing the particle diameters or the pore sizes.

Lysobacter panacihumi sp. nov., isolated from ginseng cultivated soil.

A Gram-negative, non-motile, aerobic, catalase-, and oxidasepositive bacterial strain, designated DCY117, was isolated from ginseng cultivated soil in Gochang-gun, Republic of Korea, and was characterized taxonomically using a multifaceted approach. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain DCY117 showed highest similarity to Lysobacter ruishenii CTN-1 (95.3%).

Co-inhibition of TIGIT, PD1, and Tim3 reverses dysfunction of Wilms tumor protein-1 (WT1)-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes after dendritic cell vaccination in gastric cancer.

Dendritic cell (DC) vaccines have been shown to stimulate tumor antigen-specific CD8+ T cells; however, this strategy has demonstrated variable clinical efficacy likely due to immune escape mechanisms that can induce tumor-specific CD8+ T cell dysfunction. Herein, we evaluated the functional characteristics of DC vaccine-induced CD8+ T cells with regard to immune checkpoint inhibitors in gastric cancer patients who were administered Wilms tumor protein-1 (WT1)-targeted DC vaccine. We observed the upregulation of the inhibitory molecule, TIGIT and the inhibitory T cell co-receptors PD1 and Tim3 in limiting WT1-specific CD8+ T cell growth and function in GC patients.

Sphingomonas aeria sp. nov., isolated from air.

A Gram-negative, aerobic, non-spore-forming, non-motile, yellow-pigmented and rod-shaped bacterial strain, designated B093034, was isolated from air at the foot of Xiangshan mountain, located in Beijing, China. Cells of strain B093034 were oxidase-negative and catalase-positive. Growth was observed at 4-41 °C, at pH 4.

The Efficacy and Safety of the Chinese Herbal Formula, JTTZ, for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes with Obesity and Hyperlipidemia: A Multicenter Randomized, Positive-Controlled, Open-Label Clinical Trial.

Background And Aim: Studies have shown an increasing number of type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with concomitant obesity and hyperlipidemia syndromes, resulting from relevant metabolic disorders. However, there are few medications and therapies, which can thoroughly address these issues. Therefore, the current study evaluated the efficacy and safety of using JTTZ, a Chinese herbal formula, to treat T2D with obesity and hyperlipidemia.

[Transcriptome analysis of response to heavy metal Cd stress in soybean root].

Cadmium (Cd) is a common pollutant not required for life activities, which can have extremely strong toxicity to organisms and affect the growth of crops at a low concentration in soil. To investigate the molecular mechanism of soybean root responding to Cd stress, 7-day old soybean seedlings were stressed by Cd (75 Μmol·L) for 0 , 4 , 8, 12 and 48 h. Comparative transcriptome analysis showed 244, 1545, 442 and 1401 of genes responded to the four Cd treatments, respectively, and total 2670 differential expression genes were obtained.

Self-assembled polymeric micelles for combined delivery of anti-inflammatory gene and drug to the lungs by inhalation.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a lung inflammatory disease for which pulmonary delivery of drug and gene could be a useful strategy. In this study, cholesterol-conjugated polyamidoamine (PAM-Chol) was synthesized and characterized as a carrier for combined delivery of anti-inflammatory gene and drug into the lungs by inhalation. The PAM-Chol formed self-assembled micelles in an aqueous solution with a critical micelle concentration of 0.

Pseudonocardia lutea sp. nov., a novel actinobacterium isolated from soil in Chad.

A novel actinomycete, designated strain NEAU-G57 was isolated from a soil sample collected from the bottom of a river in Chad. A polyphasic approach was employed to determine the status of strain NEAU-G57. Phylogenetic analysis based on its 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that the organism should be assigned to the genus Pseudonocardia and formed a monophyletic clade with its closest relatives Pseudonocardia yuanmoensis YIM 75926 (98.

Streptomyces urticae sp. nov., isolated from rhizosphere soil of Urtica urens L.

Two novel Gram-stain positive, spore-forming, aerobic actinomycetes, designated NEAU-PCY-1 and NEAU-PCY-2, were isolated from rhizosphere soil of Urtica urens L. collected from Anshan, Liaoning Province, northeast China. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strains NEAU-PCY-1 and NEAU-PCY-2 exhibited 99.

Complement 5a stimulates macrophage polarization and contributes to tumor metastases of colon cancer.

Inflammatory cells such as macrophages can play a pro-tumorigenic role in the tumor stroma. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) generally display an M2 phenotype with tumor-promoting activity; however, the mechanisms regulating the TAM phenotype remain unclear. Complement 5a (C5a) is a cytokine-like polypeptide that is generated during complement system activation and is known to promote tumor growth.

Ginsenoside Rg1 inhibits dietary-induced obesity and improves obesity-related glucose metabolic disorders.

Obesity and its consequent type 2 diabetes are significant threats to global health. Emerging evidence indicates that ginsenosides from ginseng (Panax ginseng) have anti-diabetic activity. We hypothesized that ginsenosides Rg1 could suppress dietary-induced obesity and improve obesity-related glucose metabolic disorders.

The Complement C3aC3aR Axis Promotes Development of Thoracic Aortic Dissection via Regulation of MMP2 Expression.

Thoracic aortic dissection (TAD), once ruptured, is devastating to patients, and no effective pharmaceutical therapy is available. Anaphylatoxins released by complement activation are involved in a variety of diseases. However, the role of the complement system in TAD is unknown.

A curcumin-loaded polymeric micelle as a carrier of a microRNA-21 antisense-oligonucleotide for enhanced anti-tumor effects in a glioblastoma animal model.

A glioblastoma is a common primary brain tumor that expresses microRNA-21 (miR-21), which inhibits the expression of pro-apoptotic genes such as phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) and programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4). Therefore, an antisense-oligonucleotide against miR-21 (miR21ASO) could have therapeutic effects for glioblastomas. In this study, curcumin was loaded into deoxycholic acid-conjugated polyethylenimine (DP) micelles.

Production and application of HMGB1 derived recombinant RAGE-antagonist peptide for anti-inflammatory therapy in acute lung injury.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is an inflammatory lung disease caused by sepsis, infection, or ischemia-reperfusion. The receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) signaling pathway plays an important role in ALI. In this study, a novel RAGE-antagonist peptide (RAP) was produced as an inhibitor of the RAGE signaling pathway based on the RAGE-binding domain of high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1).

Aureimonas populi sp. nov., isolated from poplar tree bark.

Two novel bacterial strains (4M3-2 and 10-107-7) were isolated from poplar tree bark. The strains were Gram-stain-negative facultative aerobes, and produced short rods that were motile because of polar flagella. A phylogenetic tree was reconstructed based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicating that the two novel strains are related to species of the genus Aureimonas and Aurantimonas.