Discovery of Safe COX-2 Inhibitors: Achieving Reduced Colitis Side Effects through Balanced COX Inhibition.

The severe adverse effects associated with imbalanced cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibition continue to pose significant challenges in the development of contemporary anti-inflammatory drugs. In recent years, the approach to COX-2 inhibitor drug development has shifted from a focus on highly selective inhibition of COX-2 to a strategy that emphasizes more moderate selectivity. The amino acid sequence and structural similarities between inducible COX-2 and constitutive cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) isoforms present both substantial opportunities and challenges for the design of next generation of balanced COX-2 inhibitors.

Trem2 acts as a non-classical receptor of interleukin-4 to promote diabetic wound healing.

Background: The immunoglobulin superfamily protein Trem2 (triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2) is primarily expressed on myeloid cells where it functions to regulate macrophage-related immune response induction. While macrophages are essential mediators of diabetic wound healing, the specific regulatory role that Trem2 plays in this setting remains to be established.

Objective: This study was developed to explore the potential importance of Trem2 signalling in diabetic wound healing and to clarify the underlying mechanisms through which it functions.

X-Paste improves wound healing in diabetes NF-E2-related factor/HO-1 signaling pathway.

Background: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU), as severe complications of diabetes mellitus (DM), significantly compromise patient health and carry risks of amputation and mortality.

Aim: To offer new insights into the occurrence and development of DFU, focusing on the therapeutic mechanisms of X-Paste (XP) of wound healing in diabetic mice.

Methods: Employing traditional Chinese medicine ointment preparation methods, XP combines various medicinal ingredients.

Phaeohyphomycosis caused by , a plant pathogen worldwide.

Although rare, trans-kingdom infection features an interesting infection biology concept, in which highly versatile pathogenic attributes allow successful infections in evolutionarily highly divergent species. is a phytopathogenic fungus and occasionally causes human infections. Herein, we report a phaeohyphomycosis case caused by .

Progress in the application of nanoparticles for the treatment of fungal infections: A review.

The burden of fungal infections on human health is increasing worldwide. , , and are the top three human pathogenic fungi that are responsible for over 90% of infection-related deaths. Moreover, effective antifungal therapeutics are lacking, primarily due to host toxicity, pathogen resistance, and immunodeficiency.

XB130 inhibits healing of diabetic skin ulcers through the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway.

Background: Diabetic skin ulcers, a significant global healthcare burden, are mainly caused by the inhibition of cell proliferation and impaired angiogenesis. XB130 is an adaptor protein that regulates cell proliferation and migration. However, the role of XB130 in the development of diabetic skin ulcers remains unclear.

Diagnosis of invasive fungal infections: challenges and recent developments.

Background: The global burden of invasive fungal infections (IFIs) has shown an upsurge in recent years due to the higher load of immunocompromised patients suffering from various diseases. The role of early and accurate diagnosis in the aggressive containment of the fungal infection at the initial stages becomes crucial thus, preventing the development of a life-threatening situation. With the changing demands of clinical mycology, the field of fungal diagnostics has evolved and come a long way from traditional methods of microscopy and culturing to more advanced non-culture-based tools.

Octreotide and Octreotide-derived delivery systems.

Pharmaceutical peptide Octreotide is a somatostatin analog with targeting and therapeutic abilities. Over the last decades, Octreotide has been developed and approved to treat acromegaly and neuroendocrine tumours, and Octreotide-based radioactive conjugates have been leveraged clinically to detect small neuroendocrine tumour sites. Meanwhile, variety of Octreotide-derived delivery strategies have been proposed and explored for tumour targeted therapeutics or diagnostics in preclinical or clinical settings.

TREM2 as a Potential Immune-Related Biomarker of Prognosis in Patients with Skin Cutaneous Melanoma Microenvironment.

Background: The skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) is a devastating form of skin cancer triggered by genetic and environmental factors, and the incidence of SKCM has rapidly increased in recent years. Immune infiltration of the tumor microenvironment is positively associated with overall survival in many tumors. Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is a transmembrane receptor of the immunoglobulin superfamily and a crucial signaling hub for multiple pathological pathways that mediate immunity.

Genotypic diversity and antifungal susceptibility of Scedosporium species from clinical settings in China.

Background: Scedosporium species have drawn significant interest as inhabitants of polluted soil and water and as cause of high mortality in near-drowning patients. So far, most cases have been reported from Europe and Australia, while knowledge on their prevalence and genotypic diversity from Asia is scant.

Objectives: To increase the knowledge of the genetic diversity and in vitro antifungal susceptibility of Scedosporium species involved in human infections from China.

Functionalization of Nanomaterials for Skin Cancer Theranostics.

Skin cancer has drawn attention for the increasing incident rates and high morbidity worldwide. Timely diagnosis and efficient treatment are of paramount importance for prompt and effective therapy. Thus, the development of novel skin cancer diagnosis and treatment strategies is of great significance for both fundamental research and clinical practice.

Genotypic diversity and antifungal susceptibility of environmental isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans from the Yangtze River Delta region of East China.

Unlabelled: Although cryptococcosis is widely recognized as infection by Cryptococcus neoformans sensu lato from environmental sources, information concerning the characteristics of environmental isolates of C. neoformans s. l.

Molecular identification of Cryptococcus gattii from cerebrospinal fluid using single-cell sequencing: A case study.

A 31-year-old man presented with cryptococcal meningitis (CM) without typical clinical characteristics, but with abnormal walking, difficult leg lifting and frequent falling. He was admitted to Peking Union Medical College Hospital. After multiple tests failed to identify the pathogen, single-cell sequencing (scS) was used to test the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Evaluation of genetic susceptibility loci for chronic hepatitis B in Chinese: two independent case-control studies.

Background: A recent genome-wide scan has identified two genetic variants in the HLA-DP region strongly associated with hepatitis B infection in Japanese. This study evaluates the effects of these risk variants in Chinese, where the HBV infection is the most popular in the world.

Methods And Findings: We have assessed the relationship between these two single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs3077 and rs9277535) and chronic hepatitis B infection in two independent case-control studies.