Silybin Alleviates Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis by Suppressing Dendritic Cell Activation and Th17 Cell Differentiation.

Silybin, a peculiar flavonoid compound derived from the fruit and seeds of , exhibits strong anti-inflammatory activities. In the present study, we found that silybin effectively alleviated experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), via inhibition of dendritic cell (DC) activation and Th17 cell differentiation. Silybin treatment greatly ameliorated the disease severity and significantly declined inflammation and demyelination of the central nervous system (CNS) of EAE mice.

[Development of a gap ligase chain reaction for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis in newborn infants].

Objective: To establish a gap ligase chain reaction (G-LCR) assay for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) in neonates with pneumonia.

Methods: A G-LCR DNA amplification assay that targeted the outer major membrane protein gene (omp1) of Ct was developed to detect Ct. The sensitivity and specificity of the G-LCR test was examined by the use of highly purified elementary bodies (EBs).