The soluble complexes formed between hydrolyzed soybean protein and calcium at pH 7.4 were investigated using dialysis, gel chromatography, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR). The ...results demonstrate that the amount of calcium bound was significantly different for soybean protein hydrolysates obtained using the proteases neutrase, flavourzyme, protease M, and pepsin. Maximum levels of calcium binding (66.9 mg/g) occurred with hydrolysates produced using protease M. Peptide fragments exhibiting high calcium binding capacity had molecular weights of either 14.4 kDa or 8 to 9 kDa, and the calcium binding capacity was linearly correlated with carboxyl group content (R²= 0.8204). FTIR experiments revealed that upon binding calcium, the amide I band underwent a shift to lower wave numbers. A wide, intense Ca-O absorption band also appeared between 400 and 100 cm⁻¹ in the far-infrared spectrum. The width and intensity of this band increased after treatment of samples with glutaminase. The amount of bound calcium was related to both the molecular weight of the peptides and to the carboxyl group content, and the most likely sites for calcium binding are the carboxyl groups of Asp and Glu.
Summary
Background
Psoriasis is one of the most common immune‐mediated chronic inflammatory skin disorders. In spite of significant advances in the treatment of psoriasis, more effective and safer ...therapeutic strategies are still needed. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a method of light treatment that is being used increasingly in the treatment of dermatological diseases.
Aim
To evaluate the therapeutic effects of systemic 5‐aminolaevulinic acid (ALA)‐PDT on psoriasis and to explore its potential mechanism of action.
Methods
We investigated the therapeutic effects of systemic ALA‐PDT in K14‐vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) transgenic homozygous mice, an animal model of psoriasis, which has many clinical and histopathological characteristics similar to those of human psoriasis. Using haematoxylin and eosin staining, immunohistochemistry and real‐time quantitative PCR respectively, we assessed the changes in psoriasis‐like lesions, cellular infiltration of T cells, dendritic cells (DCs) and neutrophils, and the mRNA expression of the inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)‐17 and interferon (IFN)‐γ in the lesions.
Results
Systemic ALA‐PDT blocked the development of psoriasis‐like lesions and moderately attenuated the histopathological changes in K14‐VEGF transgenic mice. Furthermore, systemic ALA‐PDT produced an obvious reduction in infiltration of T cells, CD11c+ DCs and neutrophils in psoriasis‐like lesions. In addition, systemic ALA‐PDT also significantly decreased the mRNA expression of IL‐17 and IFN‐γ.
Conclusions
We suggest that the mechanism of systemic ALA‐PDT in this psoriasis‐like model might be associated with selective damage to abnormal T helper (Th)1 and Th17 cells, and reduction of the inflammatory cytokines IL‐17 and IFN‐γ. These observations partly explain the potential mechanism of systemic ALA‐PDT in psoriasis and other inflammatory skin diseases.
Summary Currently, osteoarthritis (OA) is considered a disease of the entire joint, which is not simply a process of wear and tear but rather abnormal remodelling and joint failure of an organ. The ...bone–cartilage interface is therefore a functioning synergistic unit, with a close physical association between subchondral bone and cartilage suggesting the existence of biochemical and molecular crosstalk across the OA interface. The crosstalk at the bone–cartilage interface may be elevated in OA in vivo and in vitro . Increased vascularisation and formation of microcracks associated with abnormal bone remodelling in joints during OA facilitate molecular transport from cartilage to bone and vice versa . Recent reports suggest that several critical signalling pathways and biological factors are key regulators and activate cellular and molecular processes in crosstalk among joint compartments. Therapeutic interventions including angiogenesis inhibitors, agonists/antagonists of molecules and drugs targeting bone remodelling are potential candidates for this interaction. This review summarised the premise for the presence of crosstalk in bone–cartilage interface as well as the current knowledge of the major signalling pathways and molecular interactions that regulate OA progression. A better understanding of crosstalk in bone–cartilage interface may lead to development of more effective strategies for treating OA patients.
It is a key problem to design and prepare metallized explosives of high energy and low sensitivity. In order to study the effect of the content of the boron/aluminum (B/Al) compound powder on the ...energy output property of metallized explosives in the air blast, three HMX-based explosives containing B/Al were designed and prepared. Air blast tests of cylindrical samples are performed, accompanied by numerical simulations by the finite element program LS-DYNA. The results show that the shock wave overpressures of explosives containing B/Al are higher than those of explosives containing Al under the same conditions. The deviations between the values calculated by the empirical equation and the measured values are smaller than 3.5 kPa, and the deviations between the values obtained in numerical simulations and the measured values are smaller than 4.9 kPa. Although the Al powder can enter the reaction with detonation products and air easier, the burning time of the boron powder is longer and the released energy is larger. Moreover, as the content of the B/Al compound powder increases, the burning time becomes longer, and the aftereffect work ability and the damage effect become stronger.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. In 2010, a goal released by the American Heart Association (AHA) Committee focused on the primary reduction ...in cardiovascular risk.
Data collected from 7683 men and 7667 women aged 18-69 years were analyzed. The distribution of ideal cardiovascular health metrics based on 7 cardiovascular disease risk factors or health behaviors in according to the definition of AHA was evaluated among the subjects. The association of the socioeconomic factors on the prevalence of meeting 5 or more ideal cardiovascular health metrics was estimated by logistic regression analysis, and a chi-square test for categorical variables and the general linear model (GLM) procedure for continuous variables were used to compare differences in prevalence and in means among genders.
Seven of 15350 participants (0.05 %) met all 7 cardiovascular health metrics. The women had a higher proportion of meeting 5 or more ideal health metrics compared with men (32.67 VS.14.27 %). The subjects with a higher education and income level had a higher proportion of meeting 5 or more ideal health metrics than the subjects with a lower education and income level. A comparison between subjects with meeting 5 or more ideal cardiovascular health metrics with subjects meeting 4 or fewer ideal cardiovascular health metrics reveals that adjusted odds ratio OR, 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI) was 1.42 (0.95, 2.21) in men and 2.59 (1.74, 3.87) in women for higher education and income, respectively.
The prevalence of meeting all 7 cardiovascular health metrics was low in the adult population. Women, young subjects, and those with higher levels of education or income tend to have a greater number of the ideal cardiovascular health metrics. Higher socioeconomic status was associated with an increasing prevalence of meeting 5 or more cardiovascular health metrics in women but not in men. It's urgent to develop comprehensive population-based interventions to improve the cardiovascular risk factors in Shandong Province in China.
Aim: In this study, we investigated the effect of plagiochin E (PLE), a botanic‐derived phenolic natural product, on reversal of fungal resistance to fluconazole (FLC) in vitro and the related ...mechanism.
Methods and Results: A synergistic action of PLE and FLC was observed in the FLC‐resistant Candida albicans strains and was evaluated using the fractional inhibited concentration index. The effect of PLE on FLC intracellular uptake was investigated in FLC‐resistant C. albicans cells by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry, and the effect on efflux drug pump was assessed by measuring the efflux of Rhodamine 123 (Rh123). PLE significantly inhibited the efflux, but not the absorption, of Rh123 in FLC‐resistant strains in phosphate‐buffered saline with 5% glucose. Overexpression of the multidrug‐resistance gene CDR1 in FLC‐resistant C. albicans isolates was detected, and the introduction of PLE to the cells showed a significant reduction of the CDR1 expression in those FLC‐resistant isolates.
Conclusions: These findings indicate that PLE could reverse the fungal resistant to FLC by inhibiting the efflux of FLC from C. albicans, and this effect may be related to the efflux pump.
Significance and Impact of the Study: These results indicate that the combination of PLE and FLC may provide an approach for the clinical therapy of fungus infection induced by FLC‐resistant strains.
► The volume fraction of austenite in DDS 2507 decreased as annealing temperature increased from 1050 to 1150
°C. ► The paramagnetic austenite showed a nobler Volta potential than ferromagnetic ...ferrite. ► The Volta potential difference between ferrite and austenite is the largest at 1100
°C and the smallest at 1150
°C. ► The preferential corrosion occurred in the ferrite phase in hydrochloric acid solution. ► The corrosion rate is highest at 1100
°C and lowest at 1150
°C.
The effects of the annealing temperature on the microstructure and the corrosion behavior of duplex stainless steel 2507 were investigated by means of magnetic force microscopy (MFM), scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy (SKPFM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM results indicated that the volume fraction of the austenite phase decreased with the increased annealing temperature. SKPFM/MFM measurements conducted in air at the room temperature and an ambient relative humidity of about 25% showed a higher Volta potential of the paramagnetic austenite than that of the ferromagnetic ferrite. The
in situ AFM observation in a hydrochloric acid solution provided solid evidence that corrosion preferentially occurred in the ferrite phase. The sample annealed at 1100
°C exhibited a greater Volta potential difference between the ferrite and austenite and a higher corrosion rate in the ferrite, while that annealed at 1150
°C had a smaller Volta potential difference and a lower corrosion rate. The relative nobility and microstructure change of two phases, as well as their corrosion behavior, can be explained by the effect of the composition of alloying elements.
Background
Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) were closely associated with asthma. However, there were no perspective studies about the effects of glucocorticoid on ILC2s in asthma patients. Our ...objective was to perform a perspective study and evaluate the ILC2 activity after glucocorticoid therapy in asthma patients.
Methods
The asthma and asthma with allergic rhinitis patients were treated with glucocorticoid for 3 months. The circulating ILC2 levels were evaluated. The effects of glucocorticoid on ILC2s and possible signalling pathways were investigated in vitro.
Results
The patients were well‐controlled, and the high ILC2 levels were significantly decreased at 1 and 3 months after treatment. Peripheral blood monocytes from allergic patients produced dramatic IL‐5, IL‐13 and IL‐9 in response to IL‐25, IL‐33 plus IL‐2, and glucocorticoid significantly decreased their levels. Moreover, ILC2s were identified to be the predominant source of IL‐5, IL‐13 and IL‐9, and glucocorticoid treatment was able to reverse their high levels. STAT3, STAT5, STAT6, JAK3 and MEK signalling pathways were proved to be involved in regulating ILC2 activity under the glucocorticoid treatment.
Conclusion
The data suggested that glucocorticoid administration could be effective in treating asthma by regulating ILC2s via MEK/JAK‐STAT signalling pathways. This provides a new understanding of glucocorticoid application in regard to allergic diseases.
High circulating ILC2s were found in asthma and asthma with allergic rhinitis patients, and significantly decreased after treatment of glucocorticoid. High levels of IL‐5, IL‐13 and IL‐9 in response to epithelium‐derived cytokines were mostly produced by the increased ILC2s from asthma patients. Glucocorticoid treatment is able to reverse the high levels of IL‐5 and IL‐13 produced by ILC2s via STAT3, STAT5 and STAT6 signalling pathways.
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