Intestinal Akkermansia muciniphila complements the efficacy of PD1 therapy in MAFLD-related hepatocellular carcinoma.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are not effective for metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD)-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, and identifying the key gut microbiota that contributes to immune resistance in these patients is crucial. Analysis using 16S rRNA sequencing reveals a decrease in Akkermansia muciniphila (Akk) during MAFLD-promoted HCC development. Administration of Akk ameliorates liver steatosis and effectively attenuates the tumor growth in orthotopic MAFLD-HCC mouse models.

The relationship between probiotics and prebiotics, kidney dysfunction and mortality - Results from a longitudinal cohort study and Mendelian randomization.

Introduction: The benefits of probiotics/prebiotics consumption on chronic kidney disease (CKD) and mortality remains controversial.

Objectives: This study investigates the association of probiotics/prebiotics consumption with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and mortality.

Methods: Clinical data were retrieved from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2016 database.

Macrophage-engaging peptidic bispecific antibodies (pBsAbs) for immunotherapy a facile bioconjugation strategy.

Bispecific antibodies are artificial molecules that fuse two different antigen-binding sites of monoclonal antibodies into one single entity. They have emerged as a promising next-generation anticancer treatment. Despite the fascinating applications of bispecific antibodies, the design and production of bispecific antibodies remain tedious and challenging, leading to a long R&D process and high production costs.

A Novel Probiotic-Based Oral Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant B.1.1.529.

COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is still affecting the entire world via the rapid emergence of new contagious variants. Vaccination remains the most effective prevention strategy for viral infection, yet not all countries have sufficient access to vaccines due to limitations in manufacturing and transportation. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop an easy-to-use, safe, and low-cost vaccination approach.

Characterization of the Gut Microbiome in Healthy Dogs and Dogs with Diabetes Mellitus.

With a close pathogenetic resemblance to human diabetes, canine Diabetes Mellitus, a chronic metabolic disease featuring abnormally high blood sugar levels, is increasing in prevalence worldwide. Unlike humans, canine glycemic control requires life-long insulin injections and dietary control in most cases, thereby jeopardizing diabetic dogs' quality of life and increasing the difficulty of disease control. While many research studies have focused on elucidating the relationship between the canine gut microbiome and diseases, there is currently no research on the subject of diabetes mellitus in dogs.

Cell-free circulating tumor RNAs in plasma as the potential prognostic biomarkers in colorectal cancer.

Background: Cell free RNA (cfRNA) contains transcript fragments from multiple cell types, making it useful for cancer detection in clinical settings. However, the pathophysiological origins of cfRNAs in plasma from colorectal cancer (CRC) patients remain unclear.

Methods: To identify the tissue-specific contributions of cfRNAs transcriptomic profile, we used a published single-cell transcriptomics profile to deconvolute cell type abundance among paired plasma samples from CRC patients who underwent tumor-ablative surgery.

The diagnostic significance of CDH17-positive circulating tumor cells in patients with colorectal cancer.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Hong Kong. We tested the hypothesis that circulating tumor cell (CTC) analysis by ARB101 antibody could be used as a tool for CRC detection, progression, and therapy response.

Research Methods: ARB101 antibody was used for investigation of CDH17 expression in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) of CRC patients.

The non-invasive diagnosis of colorectal cancer via a SOX9-based gene panel.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) threatens human health seriously. Early diagnosis of CRC is critical to improving patient survival. Meanwhile, non-invasive detection through tumor-circulating markers can be an important auxiliary diagnosis.

Within-subjects vs between-subjects co-variation of prepulse-elicited reaction and the diminution of startle to the succeeding pulse stimulus in the prepulse inhibition paradigm.

Prepulse inhibition (PPI) refers to the diminution of the startle reflex to a sudden and intense acoustic stimulus (pulse) when this startle-eliciting pulse is preceded shortly by a weaker prepulse stimulus. PPI is widely used in evaluating the effects of psychomimetic and antipsychotic drugs on sensorimotor gating, but individual differences in PPI expression have received scant attention. We have previously shown that mice and rats exhibiting stronger motor response to the prepulse also exhibit more PPI.

The potential of circulating exosomal RNA biomarkers in cancer.

Introduction: There are great potentials of using exosomal RNAs (exoRNA) as biomarkers in cancers. The isolation of exoRNA requires the use of ultracentrifugation to isolate cell-free RNA followed by detection using real-time PCR, microarray, next-generation sequencing, or Nanostring nCounter system. The use of exoRNA enrichment panels has largely increased the detection sensitivity and specificity when compared to traditional diagnostic tests.

Protective effects of exopolysaccharide of a medicinal fungus on probiotic bacteria during cold storage and simulated gastrointestinal conditions.

The efficacy of probiotic health products depends on the capability of the constituent probiotic bacteria to survive through long period of cold storage and the gastrointestinal tract. This study was to evaluate the protective effects of a high-molecular weight (MW) exopolysaccharide (EPS) from a medicinal fungus Cs-HK1 on three different bifidobacteria. The EPS had a total dietary fiber content about 70% (w/w), which was close to its total carbohydrate content.

In Vitro and in Vivo Antitumor Effects of Plant-Derived Miliusanes and Their Induction of Cellular Senescence.

Our earliest phytochemical separation of Miliusa sinensis aided us in the isolation of a class of unique miliusanes, which were demonstrated as anticancer lead molecules. In the present study, we isolated 19 miliusanes (1-19), including 11 novel ones (5 and 10-19) from another Miliusa plant ( M. balansae), and synthesized additional derivatives to elucidate the structure-activity relationship of miliusanes.

A Smart Europium-Ruthenium Complex as Anticancer Prodrug: Controllable Drug Release and Real-Time Monitoring under Different Light Excitations.

A unique, dual-function, photoactivatable anticancer prodrug, RuEuL, has been tailored that features a ruthenium(II) complex linked to a cyclen-europium chelate via a π-conjugated bridge. Under irradiation at 488 nm, the dark-inactive prodrug undergoes photodissociation, releasing the DNA-damaging ruthenium species. Under evaluation-window irradiation (λ = one-photon 350 nm or two-photon 700 nm), the drug delivery process can be quantitatively monitored in real-time because of the long-lived red europium emission.

A luminescent lanthanide approach towards direct visualization of primary cilia in living cells.

We report a direct imaging tool, HGEu001, for primary cilia in living cells, which is specific, and based on the UV light or near infrared laser (via two-photon excitation) induced long-lived europium luminescence.

Tumor grafting induces changes of gut microbiota in athymic nude mice in the presence and absence of medicinal Gynostemma saponins.

Recent findings have revealed that gut microbiota plays a substantial role in modulating diseases such as autism, rheumatoid arthritis, allergies, and cancer that occur at sites distant to the gut. Athymic nude mice have been employed for tumorigenic research for decades; however, the relationships between the gut microbiome and host's response in drug treatment to the grafted tumors have not been explored. In this study, we analyzed the fecal microbiome of nonxenograft and xenograft nude mice treated with phytosaponins from a popular medicinal plant, Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Gp).

Selective G2/M arrest in a p53(Val135)-transformed cell line induced by lithium is mediated through an intricate network of MAPK and β-catenin signaling pathways.

Aims: Lithium is a common mood stabilizer to treat bipolar disorder. It has a narrow window of therapeutic action and its mechanism of action and possible side effects are still not fully understood. Lithium is a potent inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β).

Chemical and DNA authentication of taste variants of Gynostemma pentaphyllum herbal tea.

Gynostemma pentaphyllum Makino (Gp) was once used as a sweetener in Japan and is now widely consumed as an herbal tea worldwide for lowering cholesterol levels. Two taste variants, bitter and sweet, of Gp exist in the commercial market, but they cannot be differentiated morphologically nor by existing chemical analytical methods. This has been creating a problem in quality control of Gp products.

Signal-mediated dynamic retention of glycosyltransferases in the Golgi.

Golgi-resident glycosyltransferases are a family of enzymes that sequentially modify glycoproteins in a subcompartment-specific manner. These type II integral membrane proteins are characterized by a short cytoplasmically exposed amino-terminal tail and a luminal enzymatic domain. The cytoplasmic tails play a role in the localization of glycosyltransferases, and coat protein complex I (COPI) vesicle-mediated retrograde transport is also involved in their Golgi localization.