National surveillance of 2,3,7,8-substituted polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans in soil in Taiwan.

In this study, the polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin/furan (PCDD/F) levels in 381 soil samples coming from different background areas (n = 238) and contaminated areas (n = 143) in Taiwan were investigated from 2011 to 2015 using high resolution gas chromatograph/high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS). The contaminated areas showed higher PCDD/F contamination as compared to the background areas (1230 vs 749 pg/g dry weight (dw)); 14.0 vs 6.

Two-stage face transplantation: a new concept in vascularized composite allotransplantation.

Background: Animal models and clinical cases of facial allotransplantation have been performed as a single stage procedure. A staged surgery might offer some advantages in selected cases. In this study, a two-stage face transplantation approach was performed on rat and the feasibility and safety were evaluated.

A new rat model for orthotopic abdominal wall allotransplantation.

Background: Abdominal wall, one of the most commonly transplanted composite tissues, is less researched and lacking animal models. Its clinical necessities were emphasized in multiple case series to reconstruct large abdominal defects. Previous animal models have only studied components of the abdominal wall transplant.

Targeting tumour necrosis factor receptor 1 assembly reverses Th17-mediated colitis through boosting a Th2 response.

Objective: The soluble preligand assembly domain (PLAD) of tumour necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1) interferes with receptor trimerisation to block downstream signalling, and mediates Th17 suppression. We explored the therapeutic potential of recombinant PLAD.Fc protein on a spontaneous experimental colitis.

Novel design strategy for checkpoint kinase 2 inhibitors using pharmacophore modeling, combinatorial fusion, and virtual screening.

Checkpoint kinase 2 (Chk2) has a great effect on DNA-damage and plays an important role in response to DNA double-strand breaks and related lesions. In this study, we will concentrate on Chk2 and the purpose is to find the potential inhibitors by the pharmacophore hypotheses (PhModels), combinatorial fusion, and virtual screening techniques. Applying combinatorial fusion into PhModels and virtual screening techniques is a novel design strategy for drug design.

A novel rat full-thickness hemi-abdominal wall/hindlimb osteomyocutaneous combined flap: influence of allograft mass and vascularized bone marrow content on vascularized composite allograft survival.

Vascularized bone marrow transplantation (VBMT) appears to promote tolerance for vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA). However, it is unclear whether VBMT is critical for tolerance induction and, if so, whether there is a finite amount of VCA that VBMT can support. We investigated this with a novel VCA combined flap model incorporating full-thickness hemiabdominal wall and hindlimb osteomyocutaneous (HAW/HLOMC) flaps.

Donor age negatively affects the immunoregulatory properties of both adipose and bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells.

Purpose: Age negatively impacts the biologic features of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), including decreased expansion kinetics and differentiation potential. Clinically, donor-age may be within a wide spectrum; therefore, investigation of the role of donor's age on immunoregulatory potential is of critical importance to translate stem cell therapies from bench to bedside.

Methods: Adipose and bone marrow derived MSCs (ASCs and BMSCs) were isolated in parallel from Lewis and Brown Norway rats of young (less than 4-week old) and senior groups (older than 15-month).

Design checkpoint kinase 2 inhibitors by pharmacophore modeling and virtual screening techniques.

Damage to DNA is caused by ionizing radiation, genotoxic chemicals or collapsed replication forks. When DNA is damaged or cells fail to respond, a mutation that is associated with breast or ovarian cancer may occur. Mammalian cells control and stabilize the genome using a cell cycle checkpoint to prevent damage to DNA or to repair damaged DNA.

Syngeneic adipose-derived stem cells with short-term immunosuppression induce vascularized composite allotransplantation tolerance in rats.

Background Aims: A clinically applicable tolerance induction regimen that removes the requirement for lifelong immunosuppression would benefit recipients of vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA). We characterized the immunomodulatory properties of syngeneic (derived from the recipient strain) adipocyte-derived stem cells (ADSCs) and investigated their potential to induce VCA tolerance in rats.

Methods: ADSCs were isolated from Lewis (LEW, RT1A(l)) rats; their immunomodulatory properties were evaluated by means of mixed lymphocyte reactions in vitro and VCAs in vivo across a full major histocompatibility complex mismatch with the use of Brown-Norway (BN, RT1A(n)) donor rats.

Overexpression of galectin-9 in islets prolongs grafts survival via downregulation of Th1 responses.

The differential activation of T helper (Th) cells and production of cytokines contribute to graft rejection or tolerance. In general, the Th1-type cytokines and cytotoxic T-cells are detected consistently in a host who is undergoing rejection, whereas Th2 responses are linked to a tolerance condition. Galectin-9 modulates Th1 cell immunity by binding to the T-cell immunoglobulin mucin-3 (Tim-3) molecule expressed on the Th1 cells.

Current status of the immunomodulation and immunomediated therapeutic strategies for multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system, and CD4(+) T cells form the core immunopathogenic cascade leading to chronic inflammation. Traditionally, Th1 cells (interferon-γ-producing CD4(+) T cells) driven by interleukin 12 (IL12) were considered to be the encephalitogenic T cells in MS and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of MS. Currently, Th17 cells (Il17-producing CD4(+) T cells) are considered to play a fundamental role in the immunopathogenesis of EAE.

Targeting pre-ligand assembly domain of TNFR1 ameliorates autoimmune diseases - an unrevealed role in downregulation of Th17 cells.

The pre-ligand assembly domain (PLAD) of tumor necrosis factor receptors mediates specific ligand-independent receptor assembly and subsequent signaling. However, the physiological role of PLAD in the regulation of TNFR-mediated immune responses in autoimmunity is still unclear. By using the recombinant PLAD.

Erythropoietin enhances endogenous haem oxygenase-1 and represses immune responses to ameliorate experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Both erythropoietin (EPO) and haem oxygenase-1 (HO-1), an anti-oxidative stress protein, have proven protective roles in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a reliable animal model of multiple sclerosis. In this study, EPO delivered intraperitoneally could reduce disease severity in myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)–EAE mice. To assess the effect of EPO on endogenous HO-1 in EAE, we investigated expression of HO-1 mRNA by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR), protein expression centrally and peripherally by Western blot and immunohistochemistry and mean fluorescence intensity of splenic HO-1 by flow cytometry.

Decoy receptor 3 protects non-obese diabetic mice from autoimmune diabetes by regulating dendritic cell maturation and function.

Decoy receptor 3 (DcR3), a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, regulates immune responses through competing with receptors of Fas ligand (FasL), LIGHT and TNF-like molecule 1A (TL1A). We have previously demonstrated that transgenic expression of DcR3 in a β cell-specific manner significantly protects non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice from autoimmune diabetes. In this study, we further investigated the systemic effect of DcR3 in regulating lymphocytes and dendritic cells in NOD mice.