NFAT inhibitor 11R-VIVIT ameliorates mouse renal fibrosis after ischemia-reperfusion-induced acute kidney injury.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) with maladaptive tubular repair leads to renal fibrosis and progresses to chronic kidney disease (CKD). At present, there is no curative drug to interrupt AKI-to-CKD progression. The nuclear factor of the activated T cell (NFAT) family was initially identified as a transcription factor expressed in most immune cells and involved in the transcription of cytokine genes and other genes critical for the immune response.

Cell Apoptosis and Autophagy in Renal Fibrosis.

Renal fibrosis is the final common pathway of all chronic kidney diseases progressing to end-stage renal diseases. Autophagy, a highly conserved lysosomal degradation pathway, plays important roles in maintaining cellular homeostasis in all major types of kidney cells including renal tubular cells as well as podocytes, mesangial cells and endothelial cells in glomeruli. Autophagy dysfunction is implicated in the pathogenesis of various renal pathologies.

Surface ligand controls silver ion release of nanosilver and its antibacterial activity against .

Understanding the mechanism of nanosilver-dependent antibacterial activity against microorganisms helps optimize the design and usage of the related nanomaterials. In this study, we prepared four kinds of 10 nm-sized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with dictated surface chemistry by capping different ligands, including citrate, mercaptopropionic acid, mercaptohexanoic acid, and mercaptopropionic sulfonic acid. Their surface-dependent chemistry and antibacterial activities were investigated.

In vitro antimicrobial activity of honokiol against Staphylococcus aureus in biofilm mode.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) can attach to food, host tissues and the surfaces of medical implants and form a biofilm, which makes it difficult to eliminate. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of honokiol on biofilm-grown S.

Sorption and biodegradation of tetracycline by nitrifying granules and the toxicity of tetracycline on granules.

This paper examines the simultaneous sorption and biodegradation performance of tetracycline (TC) by the nitrifying granular sludge as well as the short-term exposure toxicity of TC. The removal of TC was characterized by a quick sorption and a slow process of biodegradation. The adsorption process fits pseudo-second-order kinetic model, with a complex mechanism of surface adsorption and intra-particle diffusion.