Role of miR-455-3p in the alleviation of LPS-induced acute lung injury by allicin.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a type of diffuse lung injury that seriously affects the survival of critically ill patients. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can serve as promising therapeutic targets or offer insights for the development of potential therapeutic strategies against ALI. In our previous study, we demonstrated the protective effect of allicin in ALI, but the role of miRNAs in the alleviation of ALI by allicin remains unclear.

Liraglutide alleviates sepsis-induced acute lung injury by regulating pulmonary surfactant through inhibiting autophagy.

Background: Pulmonary surfactant (PS) plays an important role in the treatment of sepsis-induced acute lung injury (ALI). Liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog, improves the secretion and function of PS in ALI, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate how liraglutide regulates PS secretion in ALI.

Myasthenia gravis with tongue muscle atrophy: A case series.

Here, we presented 6 patients who were admitted to our institution and diagnosed as myasthenia gravis (MG) with tongue muscle atrophy. All these 6 patients developed symptoms of bulbar muscle weakness in acetylcholine receptor antibodies positive MG (AChR-MG) (3/6), muscle-specific receptor tyrosine kinase antibodies positive MG (MuSK-MG) (1/6), and sero-negative MG (2/6). Most of patients had "triple-furrowed" tongue except for patient 2 with irregular atrophy of tongue muscle.

Engineered Luminescent Oncolytic Vaccinia Virus Activation of Photodynamic-Immune Combination Therapy for Colorectal Cancer.

Oncolytic virus therapy is currently regarded as a promising approach in cancer immunotherapy. It has greater therapeutic advantages for colorectal cancer that is prone to distant metastasis. However, the therapeutic efficacy and clinical application of viral agents alone for colorectal cancer remain suboptimal.

Immunogenic chemotherapy: great potential for improving response rates.

The activation of anti-tumor immunity is critical in treating cancers. Recent studies indicate that several chemotherapy agents can stimulate anti-tumor immunity by inducing immunogenic cell death and durably eradicate tumors. This suggests that immunogenic chemotherapy holds great potential for improving response rates.

Hypoxic bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomal lncRNA XIST attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury via the miR-455-3p/Claudin-4 axis.

Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified to play a role in acute lung injury (ALI). In this study, we investigated whether exosomal lncRNAs could regulate ALI and the underlying mechanisms. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) were pretreated with hypoxia or normoxia, and exosomes were subsequently extracted from normoxic BM-MSCs (Nor-exos) and hypoxic BM-MSCs (Hypo-exos).

A rare case of IgG4-associated disease caused by COVID-19: Case report and literature review.

An increasing number of cases have reported that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can lead to immune system dysregulation and induce autoimmune diseases, but the mechanism is unclear. We treated a patient who presented with an unknown fever after infection with the novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in 2023. After excluding the possibility of infection, malignancy, and other connective tissue diseases, we considered the diagnosis of IgG4-related disease in consideration of the patient's pathology and clinical findings.

Upregulation of claudin‑4 by Chinese traditional medicine Shenfu attenuates lung tissue damage by acute lung injury aggravated by acute gastrointestinal injury.

Context: Many studies have explored new methods to cure acute lung injury (ALI); however, none of those methods could significantly change the high mortality rate of ALI. Shenfu is a Chinese traditional medicine that might be effective against ALI.

Objective: Our study explores the therapeutic potential of Shenfu in ALI.

Protective effect of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells in lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury mediated by claudin-4 in a rat model.

Our study aims to investigate the effects of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) as well as the underlying mechanism. In our study, Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: control group; ALI group; ALI+MSCs group and ALI+MSCs claudin-4 siRNA group. MRC-5 and BEAS-2B cell lines were used for assay.

[Overexpression of LaeA enhances mevastatin production and reduces sporulation of Penicillium citrinum].

Objective: To study the regulation of laeA overexpression on mevastatin production and sporulation in Penicillium citrinum.

Methods: We cloned the laeA gene from Penicillium citrinum and constructed the vector pGiHTGi-laeA. The plasmid pGiHTGi-laeA was transformed in Penicillium citrinum by agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation.

Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription inhibitors enhance the protective effect mediated by tanshinone IIA from hypoxic/ischemic injury in cardiac myocytes.

Tanshinone IIA is a lipophilic abietane diterpene compound, which exhibits protective effects against ischaemia/reperfusion injury; however, the pathways responsible for the myocardial protective activities of tanshinone IIA remain to be elucidated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of tanshinone IIA on the Janus‑activated kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling pathway, which is associated with cardiac dysfunction during ischemia/reperfusion. The results demonstrated that tanshinone IIA protected myocardial cells from hypoxia/ischemia‑induced injury in vitro and recovered decreased cell viability due to activation of the JAK2/STAT3 pathway, with 10 µM tanshinone IIA exhibiting the most potent protective effects.

JNK inhibitor SP600125 protects against lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury via upregulation of claudin-4.

Although studies have previously demonstrated that mitogen-activated protein kinases are important for the activation of transcription factors and the regulation of proinflammatory mediators, the function of c-Jun NH-terminal kinase (JNK) in acute lung injury (ALI) remains to be fully elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of the JNK selective inhibitor SP600125 on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI. Pulmonary edema, the expression of inflammatory cytokines and pathological alterations were found to be significantly attenuated in LPS-induced ALI following treatment with SP600125 , it was demonstrated that SP600125 administration significantly improved A549 cell viability in a dose-dependent manner using the Cell Counting kit-8 and the 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine incorporation assay.

Sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate protects rat myocardium against ischemia-reperfusion injury via activation of PI3K/Akt/FOXO3A/Bim pathway.

Aim: To investigate the mechanisms underlying the protective effects of sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate (STS) in an ischemia-reperfusion (I/R)-induced rat myocardial injury model.

Methods: Male SD rats were iv injected with STS, STS+LY294002 or saline (NS) for 15 d. Then the hearts were subjected to 30 min of global ischemia followed by 2 h of reperfusion.

Recent progress in reproduction of whale oocytes.

Whale oocytes recovered from follicles can be matured in vitro. Whale sperm and mature oocytes can be used for in vitro fertilization (IVF), and IVF embryos have the ability to develop to morula stage. Whale sperm injected into bovine or mouse oocytes can activate the oocytes and form pronucleus.

Effects of oocyte collection time and injection position on pronucleus formation and blastocyst development in round spermatid injection in mouse.

The injection of spermatozoa into mouse, human and rabbit oocytes at specific times and positions can result in different rates of viable embryo development. However, it is not clear how the timing and position of round spermatid injection (ROSI) affect pronucleus (PN) formation and blastocyst development of mice. First, we determined the changes in relative position of the first polar body and the spindle, carried out ROSI from 11.

Apoptosis in rabbit embryos produced by fertilization or nuclear transfer with fibroblasts and cumulus cells.

In this study, we investigated the development, the cell number of the blastocyst, and apoptosis in rabbit nuclear transfer (NT) embryos derived from adult fibroblasts and cumulus cells as compared with embryos derived from in vivo fertilization and in vitro culture. The developmental rate and the total cell number of the blastocyst were significantly lower in NT embryos than in fertilized embryos (FEs). The type of donor cells did not affect the embryonic developmental rate and the total cell number of blastocysts in NT groups.

Production of mouse by inter-strain inner cell mass replacement.

The developmental ability of reconstructed blastocysts from C57BL/6 strain mouse inner cell masses (ICMs) and Kunming strain mouse trophoblasts was assessed. The procedure of ICM replacement was as follows: C57BL/6 ICMs were separated from the blastocysts using immunosurgery. A slit was made in the zona pellucida of a Kunming blastocyst to allow its ICM to extrude.

Full-term development of mouse eggs transplanted with male pronuclei derived from round spermatids: the effect of synchronization between male and female pronucleus on embryonic development.

Pronucleus transplanted mice have been produced, but their donor male pronuclei were derived from mature sperm and were completely synchronous with female pronuclei because both male and female pronuclei came from the same fertilized oocyte. The present study firstly produced male pronuclei by introducing round spermatids into enucleated mouse oocytes, then transferred the male pronuclei into mouse oocytes at three activation stages and finally compared the effect of three kinds of oocytes on the development of reconstructed embryos. Our results indicate that, in enucleated oocytes, mouse round spermatid nuclei can transform to male pronuclei in a higher proportion, and the synchronization between male and female pronucleus does not significantly influence the early cleavage but the later and full-term development of reconstructed embryos.

The effects of chemical enucleation combined with whole cell intracytoplasmic injection on panda-rabbit interspecies nuclear transfer.

Conventional methods of somatic cell nuclear transfer either by electrofusion or direct nucleus injection have very low efficiency in animal cloning, especially interspecies cloning. To increase the efficiency of interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer, in the present study we introduced a method of whole cell intracytoplasmic injection (WCICI) combined with chemical enucleation into panda-rabbit nuclear transfer and assessed the effects of this method on the enucleation rate of rabbit oocytes and the in vitro development and spindle structures of giant panda-rabbit reconstructed embryos. Our results demonstrated that chemical enucleation can be used in rabbit oocytes and the optimal enucleation result can be obtained.

Somatic nucleus remodelling in immature and mature Rassir oocyte cytoplasm.

Successful production of cloned animals derived from somatic cells has been achieved in sheep, cattle, goats, mice, pigs, rabbits, etc. But the efficiency of nuclear transfer is very low in all species. The present study was conducted to examine somatic nucleus remodelling and developmental ability in vitro of rabbit embryos by transferring somatic cells into enucleated germinal vesicle (GV), metaphase I (MI) or metaphase II (MII) oocytes.

Effects of oocyte age, cumulus cells and injection methods on in vitro development of intracytoplasmic sperm injection rabbit embryos.

This study assessed the effects of oocyte age, cumulus cells and injection methods on in vitro development of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) rabbit embryos. Oocytes were recovered from female rabbits superovulated with PMSG and hCG, and epididymal sperm were collected from a fertile male rabbit. The oocyte was positioned with the first polar body at 12 o'clock position, and a microinjection needle containing a sperm was inserted into the oocyte at 3 o'clock.