Determining the Optimal Administration Conditions under Which MIF Exerts Neuroprotective Effects by Inducing BDNF Expression and Inhibiting Apoptosis in an In Vitro Stroke Model.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) exerts neuroprotective effects against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by inhibiting neuronal apoptosis and inducing the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). However, the optimal administration conditions of MIF are currently unknown. Here, we aimed to identify these conditions in an in vitro model.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor mediates macrophage migration inhibitory factor to protect neurons against oxygen-glucose deprivation.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a chemokine that plays an essential role in immune system function. Previous studies suggested that MIF protects neurons in ischemic conditions. However, few studies are reported on the role of MIF in neurological recovery after ischemic stroke.

A novel dried blood spots analysis combined with on-spot reaction for determination of trimethylamine N-oxide and its related compounds.

The application of dried blood spots in clinical research is becoming increasingly popular owing to its convenient collection, storage, and transportation compared to that of conventional biological samples. The potential of trimethylamine N-oxide and its related compounds as biomarkers for various cardiovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis, stroke, thrombosis, and heart failure, was recently highlighted, which was the driving force behind the development of an analytical method to identify trimethylamine N-oxide and eight related compounds in dried blood spots. In the proposed method, a novel "on-spot reaction" approach was introduced to overcome the low loading efficiency of trimethylamine in dried blood spots.

Development and investigation of a QuEChERS-based method for determination of phthalate metabolites in human milk.

Phthalates are commonly used as plasticizers and are known as risk factors toward several conditions such as cancer, birth defects, and endocrine disruption. Biomonitoring of phthalates is necessary to assess the potentially harmful effects of long-term exposure. In this work, we have developed a novel QuEChERS method to determine eight phthalate metabolites-mono-(3-carboxypropyl) phthalate, mono-(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate, mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate, mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate, mono-n-butyl phthalate, mono-benzyl phthalate, mono-(carboxyloctyl) phthalate, and mono-(carboxynonyl) phthalate-in human milk.