The anti-hyperuricemic effect of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on hyperuricemic mice.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a major constituent of green tea catechin, has been used for antioxidant. This study aimed to evaluate the antihyperuricemic activity of EGCG on hyperuricemic mice. We demonstrated that serum uric acid (UA) level was decreased significantly with dose-dependence by EGCG treated with 10, 20, and 50mg/kg.

THYROID PHANTOM MEASUREMENTS IN JOINT EURADOS-LLNL INTERCOMPARISON EXERCISE.

The European Radiation Dosimetry Group (EURADOS), in collaboration with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL's) Thyroid Intercomparison Program (TRIP), conducted an intercomparison exercise consistent with the goals of EURADOS. In total, 35 in vivo radiobioassay facilities from 18 countries participated to evaluate the differences between the neck and thyroid phantoms specified in two standards issued by the American National Standards Institute. Radioiodine (125I and 131I) measurement results were compared to the traceable standard activity levels added to each phantom.

Comparative effects of green and black tea extracts on lowering serum uric acid in hyperuricemic mice.

Context: Tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze [Theaceae]) is used to induce urination and inducing nervous excitation. Green and black teas have multifarious physiological functions.

Facile Construction of Novel 3-Dimensional Graphene/Amorphous Porous Carbon Hybrids with Enhanced Lithium Storage Properties.

Presently, porous materials have become essential to many technological applications. In this account, 3-dimensional skeleton composite materials consisting of a core-shell amorphous porous carbon/multilayer graphene are synthesized by chemical vapor deposition on Ni foam using a facile one-step growth method. The data suggest that these composites have not only outstanding electrical and mechanical properties of the multilayer graphene but also the mesoporous characteristics of the amorphous carbon.

Dietary docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as lysophosphatidylcholine, but not as free acid, enriches brain DHA and improves memory in adult mice.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is uniquely concentrated in the brain, and is essential for its function, but must be mostly acquired from diet. Most of the current supplements of DHA, including fish oil and krill oil, do not significantly increase brain DHA, because they are hydrolyzed to free DHA and are absorbed as triacylglycerol, whereas the transporter at blood brain barrier is specific for phospholipid form of DHA. Here we show that oral administration of DHA to normal adult mice as lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) (40 mg DHA/kg) for 30 days increased DHA content of the brain by >2-fold.

Wearable Microfluidic Diaphragm Pressure Sensor for Health and Tactile Touch Monitoring.

Flexible pressure sensors have many potential applications in wearable electronics, robotics, health monitoring, and more. In particular, liquid-metal-based sensors are especially promising as they can undergo strains of over 200% without failure. However, current liquid-metal-based strain sensors are incapable of resolving small pressure changes in the few kPa range, making them unsuitable for applications such as heart-rate monitoring, which require a much lower pressure detection resolution.

Pharmacokinetics of dinalbuphine sebacate and nalbuphine in human after intramuscular injection of dinalbuphine sebacate in an extended-release formulation.

Nalbuphine is a semi-synthetic opioid indicated for the relief of moderate to severe pain. Its short half-life requires frequent injections in clinical practice, resulting in a greater incidence of adverse events. A prodrug of nalbuphine has been developed, dinalbuphine sebacate (DNS), dissolved in a simple oil-based injectable formulation, which could deliver and maintain an effective blood level of nalbuphine.

3D Printed "Earable" Smart Devices for Real-Time Detection of Core Body Temperature.

Real-time detection of basic physiological parameters such as blood pressure and heart rate is an important target in wearable smart devices for healthcare. Among these, the core body temperature is one of the most important basic medical indicators of fever, insomnia, fatigue, metabolic functionality, and depression. However, traditional wearable temperature sensors are based upon the measurement of skin temperature, which can vary dramatically from the true core body temperature.

Peripheral Inflammation, Apolipoprotein E4, and Amyloid-β Interact to Induce Cognitive and Cerebrovascular Dysfunction.

Cerebrovascular dysfunction is rapidly reemerging as a major process of Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is, therefore, crucial to delineate the roles of AD risk factors in cerebrovascular dysfunction. While apolipoprotein E4 ( APOE4), Amyloid-β (Aβ), and peripheral inflammation independently induce cerebrovascular damage, their collective effects remain to be elucidated.

A novel penetratin-modified complex for noninvasive intraocular delivery of antisense oligonucleotides.

Inhibition of gene expression by nucleic acids is a promising strategy in the treatment of ocular diseases. However, intraocular delivery of nucleic acids to the posterior ocular tissues remains a great challenge due to the presence of various biological barriers. To circumvent this problem, we established a novel penetratin (P) modified poly(amidoamine) dendrimer (D)/hyaluronic acid (H) complex to deliver antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs, O).

In Vitro Assays to Assess Blood-brain Barrier Mesh-like Vessel Formation and Disruption.

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) coverage plays a central role in the homeostasis of the central nervous system (CNS). The BBB is dynamically maintained by astrocytes, pericytes and brain endothelial cells (BECs). Here, we detail methods to assess BBB coverage using single cultures of immortalized human BECs, single cultures of primary mouse BECs, and a humanized triple culture model (BECs, astrocytes and pericytes) of the BBB.

Epidermal growth factor prevents -induced cognitive and cerebrovascular deficits in female mice.

Cerebrovascular dysfunction is re-emerging as a major component of aging, and may contribute to the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). Two important risk factors for cerebrovascular dysfunction are and female sex, which are primarily researched in the context of high amyloid-β (Aβ) levels as found in AD. However, and sex modulate Aβ-independent pathways that may induce cerebrovascular dysfunction as a downstream consequence.

Comparative analyses of long non-coding RNA in lean and obese pig.

Objectives: Current studies have revealed that long non-coding RNA plays a crucial role in fat metabolism. However, the difference of lncRNA between lean (Duroc) and obese (Luchuan) pig remain undefined. Here, we investigated the expressional profile of lncRNA in these two pigs and discussed the relationship between lncRNA and fat deposition.

NLRP3 inflammasome activation in murine macrophages caused by Neospora caninum infection.

Background: Neospora caninum is an intracellular parasite that causes significant economic losses in cattle industry. Understanding the host resistance mechanisms in the innate immune response to neosporosis could facilitate the exploration of approaches for controlling N. caninum infection.

The Neuroprotective Role of MiR-124-3p in a 6-Hydroxydopamine-Induced Cell Model of Parkinson's Disease via the Regulation of ANAX5.

Parkinson's disease (PD), the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, is characterized by a progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain. Several pathogenetic factors have been involved in the onset and progression of PD, including inflammation, oxidative stress, unfolded protein accumulation, and apoptosis. Ample evidence indicates that miRNAs could regulate post-transcriptional gene expression and neuronal disease.

Cardiovascular and Metabolic Effects of ANGPTL3 Antisense Oligonucleotides.

Background: Epidemiologic and genomewide association studies have linked loss-of-function variants in ANGPTL3, encoding angiopoietin-like 3, with low levels of plasma lipoproteins.

Methods: We evaluated antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) targeting Angptl3 messenger RNA (mRNA) for effects on plasma lipid levels, triglyceride clearance, liver triglyceride content, insulin sensitivity, and atherosclerosis in mice. Subsequently, 44 human participants (with triglyceride levels of either 90 to 150 mg per deciliter [1.

Noninvasive delivery of oligonucleotide by penetratin-modified polyplexes to inhibit protein expression of intraocular tumor.

Our present study aimed to develop an antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) delivery system to achieve gene silencing in intraocular tumor via topical instillation. ASO specific for luciferase was chosen as model drug, polyamidoamine (PG5) was employed to condense ASO, and penetratin (Pene) was used to enhance cellular uptake. Nanoscale PG5/ASO/Pene polyplex was stabilized via noncovalent bonding.

EFAD transgenic mice as a human relevant preclinical model of Alzheimer's disease.

Identified in 1993, is the greatest genetic risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD), increasing risk up to 15-fold compared with , with decreasing AD risk. However, the functional effects of on AD pathology remain unclear and, in some cases, controversial. In vivo progress to understand how the human (h)- genotypes affect AD pathology has been limited by the lack of a tractable familial AD-transgenic (FAD-Tg) mouse model expressing h- rather than mouse (m)- The disparity between m- and h-apoE is relevant for virtually every AD-relevant pathway, including amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition and clearance, neuroinflammation, tau pathology, neural plasticity and cerebrovascular deficits.

APOE ε4 specific imbalance of arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in serum phospholipids identifies individuals with preclinical Mild Cognitive Impairment/Alzheimer's Disease.

This study was designed to explore the influence of apolipoprotein E (APOE) on blood phospholipids (PL) in predicting preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD). Lipidomic analyses were also performed on blood from an AD mouse model expressing human APOE isoforms (EFAD) and five AD mutations and from 195 cognitively normal participants, 23 of who converted to mild cognitive impairment (MCI)/AD within 3 years. APOE ε4-carriers converting to MCI/AD had high arachidonic acid (AA)/docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) ratios in PL compared to cognitively normal ε4 and non-ε4 carriers.

NK-Cell Recruitment Is Necessary for Eradication of Peritoneal Carcinomatosis with an IL12-Expressing Maraba Virus Cellular Vaccine.

Despite improvements in chemotherapy and radical surgical debulking, peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) remains among the most common causes of death from abdominal cancers. Immunotherapies have been effective for selected solid malignancies, but their potential in PC has been little explored. Here, we report that intraperitoneal injection of an infected cell vaccine (ICV), consisting of autologous tumor cells infected with an oncolytic Maraba MG1 virus expressing IL12, promotes the migration of activated natural killer (NK) cells to the peritoneal cavity in response to the secretion of IFNγ-induced protein-10 (IP-10) from dendritic cells.

Endocannabinoid activation of CB receptors contributes to long-lasting reversal of neuropathic pain by repetitive spinal cord stimulation.

Background: Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been shown to be effective in the management of certain neuropathic pain conditions, however, the underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. In this study, we investigated repetitive SCS in a rodent neuropathic pain model, revealing long-lasting and incremental attenuation of hyperalgesia and a mechanism of action involving endocannabinoids.

Method: Animals were implanted with monopolar electrodes at the time of partial sciatic nerve injury.

Characterisation of mice lacking all functional isoforms of the pro-survival BCL-2 family member A1 reveals minor defects in the haematopoietic compartment.

The pro-survival proteins of the BCL-2 family regulate the survival of all cells, and genetic deletion models for these proteins have revealed which specific BCL-2 family member(s) is/are critical for the survival of particular cell types. A1 is a pro-survival BCL-2-like protein that is expressed predominantly in haematopoietic cells, and here we describe the characterisation of a novel mouse strain that lacks all three functional isoforms of A1 (A1-a, A1-b and A1-d). Surprisingly, complete loss of A1 caused only minor defects, with significant, although relatively small, decreases in γδTCR T cells, antigen-experienced conventional as well as regulatory CD4 T cells and conventional dendritic cells (cDCs).

Mobile robots exploration through cnn-based reinforcement learning.

Exploration in an unknown environment is an elemental application for mobile robots. In this paper, we outlined a reinforcement learning method aiming for solving the exploration problem in a corridor environment. The learning model took the depth image from an RGB-D sensor as the only input.

Epidermal growth factor prevents oligomeric amyloid-β induced angiogenesis deficits in vitro.

Cerebrovascular dysfunction is a critical component of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. Oligomeric amyloid-β42 (oAβ42) is considered a major contributor to AD progression. However, data are limited on the role of oAβ42 in brain endothelial cell vessel degeneration/angiogenesis, including the interaction with angiogenic mediators.