CNTF-STAT3-IL-6 Axis Mediates Neuroinflammatory Cascade across Schwann Cell-Neuron-Microglia.

Neuroinflammation is a crucial mechanism in many neurological disorders. Injury to the peripheral sensory nerves leads to a neuroinflammatory response in the somatosensory pathway, from dorsal root ganglia (DRG) to the spinal cord, contributing to neuropathic pain. How the immune reaction is initiated peripherally and propagated to the spinal cord remains less clear.

DLK mediates the neuronal intrinsic immune response and regulates glial reaction and neuropathic pain.

Inflammatory response triggered by nerve injury plays important roles in the development of neurological disorders, such as neuropathic pain. The signaling events leading to inflammation in the nervous system remain poorly understood. Here, by deleting Dlk in sensory neurons driven by Wnt1a-Cre, we show that dual leucine zipper kinase (DLK) is required for the neuronal intrinsic immune response to induce cytokines and chemokines such as Ccl2, Ccl7, and Ccl12 upon nerve injury.

Splenic Leukocytes Get the Nerves up for Myelopoiesis.

The intricate interplay between the immune and the nervous systems has been steadily unveiled at both cellular and molecular levels. In this issue of Immunity, Vasamsetti et al. (2018) show that sympathetic nerves drive catecholamine signaling from leukocytes, thereby promoting splenic granulocyte macrophage progenitor (GMP) proliferation and differentiation.

Sources of varieties and quality of circular Fructus Ligustri Lucidi.

This study aimed to trace sources and quantitatively analyze the specnuezhenide content of circular Fructus Ligustri Lucidi for clinical use. Different specifications of Fructus Ligustri Lucidi were identified using DNA barcoding technology and the specnuezhenide content was analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The ITS sequence of circular Fructus Ligustri Lucidi was identical to that of standard privet, which was determined through botanical identification.

Biological and genomic analysis of a PBSX-like defective phage induced from Bacillus pumilus AB94180.

Defective prophages, which are found in the genomes of many bacteria, are unable to complete a viral replication cycle and propagate in their hosts as healthy prophages. They package random DNA fragments derived from various sites of the host chromosome instead of their own genomes. In this study, we characterized a defective phage, PBP180, which was induced from Bacillus pumilus AB94180 by treatment with mitomycin C.

[The preparation and kinetic study on enzymatically-controlled drug release of isotretinoin/amylose inclusion complex].

The inclusion complex of isotretinoin was prepared by sealed-control temperature method and amylose was used as carrier. The formation of inclusion complex was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction and DSC. The equation of enzymatically-controlled drug release was established by kinetic theory, and the release characteristic of drug was confirmed by using the kinetic equation.