This study examines the impact of communication and group size on bank run games, with a strategic focus on three-player games. In the baseline treatment group, communication is not allowed in ...two-player and three-player games. The main treatment consists of costless communication, cheap communication, and costly communication. The sender's action becomes more predictable with the increasing communication costs due to a lack of incentives to deceive. We find that in the non-cooperative, two-player bank run game, communication fosters cooperative behavior with the learning effect in the repeated interaction. However, coordination is far more difficult to achieve with Nash Pareto dominant equilibrium in three-player games due to its complexity in decision-making in larger groups. The ultimate result presents the limitation of communication as an efficiency-enhancing mechanism. A public recommendation is that policymakers should increase public transparency and ensure public confidence in banking systems to mitigate the risks and uncertainty of bank runs. In sum, the study presents the following:•In a three-player bank run game, communication is less effective than in a two-player scenario.•Policymakers should ensure public confidence and increase public transparency of banking systems.
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Berberine, extracted from Coptis Root and Phellodendron Chinese, has been frequently used for the adjuvant treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension in China. Safety and ...efficacy studies in terms of evidence-based medical practice have become more prevalent in application to Chinese Herbal Medicine. It is necessary to assess the efficacy and safety of berberine in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia and hypertension by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of available clinical data.
We searched the English databases PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cochrane library, EMbase, etc., and Chinese databases including China biomedical literature database (CBM), Chinese Technology Journal Full-text Database, Chinese journal full text database (CNKI), and Wanfang digital periodical full text database. Relevant studies were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Meta-analysis was performed with RevMan5.0 software after data extraction and the quality of studies assessment.
Twenty-seven randomized controlled clinical trials were included with 2569 patients. There are seven subgroups in our meta-analysis: berberine versus placebo or berberine with intensive lifestyle intervention versus intensive lifestyle intervention alone; berberine combined with oral hypoglycemic versus hypoglycemic alone; berberine versus oral hypoglycemic; berberine combined with oral lipid lowering drugs versus lipid lowering drugs alone; berberine versus oral lipid lowering drugs; berberine combined with oral hypotensor versus hypotensive medications; berberine versus oral hypotensive medications. In the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, we found that berberine with lifestyle intervention tended to lower the level of FPG, PPG and HbA1c than lifestyle intervention alone or placebo; the same as berberine combined with oral hypoglycaemics to the same hypoglycaemics; but there was no statistical significance between berberine and oral hypoglycaemics. As for the treatment of hyperlipidemia, berberine with lifestyle intervention was better than lifestyle intervention, berberine with oral lipid lowering drugs was better than lipid lowering drugs alone in reducing the level of TC and LDL-C, and raising the level of HDL-C. In the comparative study between berberine and oral lipid lowering drugs, there was no statistical significance in reducing the level of TC and LDL-C, but berberine shows better effect in lowering the level of TG and raising the level of HDL-C. In the treatment of hypertension, berberine with lifestyle intervention tended to lower the level of blood pressure more than the lifestyle intervention alone or placebo did; The same occurred when berberine combined with oral hypotensor was compared to the same hypotensor. Notably, no serious adverse reaction was reported in the 27 experiments.
This study indicates that berberine has comparable therapeutic effect on type 2 DM, hyperlipidemia and hypertension with no serious side effect. Considering the relatively low cost compared with other first-line medicine and treatment, berberine might be a good alternative for low socioeconomic status patients to treat type 2 DM, hyperlipidemia, hypertension over long time period. Due to overall limited quality of the included studies, the therapeutic benefit of berberine can be substantiated to a limited degree. Better methodological quality, large controlled trials using standardized preparation are expected to further quantify the therapeutic effect of berberine.
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Surface charge plays a key role in cellular uptake and biological actions of nanomaterials. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) are novel Se species with potent anticancer activity and low toxicity. This ...study constructed positively charged SeNPs by chitosan surface decoration to achieve selective cellular uptake and enhanced anticancer efficacy. The results of structure characterization revealed that hydroxyl groups in chitosan reacted with SeO3 2– ion to form special chain-shaped intermediates, which could be decomposed to form crystals upon reduction by ascorbic acid. The initial colloids nucleated and then assembled into spherical SeNPs. The positive charge of the NH3 + group on the outer surface of the nanoparticles contributed to the high stability in aqueous solutions. Moreover, a panel of four human cancer cell lines were found to be susceptible to SeNPs, with IC50 values ranging from 22.7 to 49.3 μM. Chitosan surface decoration of SeNPs significantly enhanced the selective uptake by endocytosis in cancer cells and thus amplified the anticancer efficacy. Treatment of the A375 melanoma cells with chitosan–SeNPs led to dose-dependent apoptosis, as evidenced by DNA fragmentation and phosphatidylserine translocation. Our results suggest that the use of positively charged chitosan as a surface decorator could be a simple and attractive approach to achieve selective uptake and anticancer action of nanomaterials in cancer cells.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common gastrointestinal malignancy with a leading incidence of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Despite the progress of treatment options, there remains low ...efficacy for patients with intermediate-advanced HCC, due to tumor metastasis, recurrence and chemoresistance. Increasing evidence suggests that exosomes in the tumor microenvironment (TME), along with other extracellular vesicles (EVs) and cytokines, contribute to the drug chemosensitivity of cancer cells. Exosomes, the intercellular communicators in various biological activities, have shown to play important roles in HCC progression. This review summarizes the underlying associations between exosomes and chemoresistance of HCC cells. The exosomes derived from distinct cell types mediate the drug resistance by regulating drug efflux, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), cancer stem cell (CSC) properties, autophagic phenotypes, as well as the immune response. In summary, TME-related exosomes can be a potential target to reverse chemoresistance and a candidate biomarker of drug efficacy in HCC patients.
The genome of influenza A viruses consists of eight segments of single-stranded, negative-sense RNA that are encapsidated as individual rod-shaped ribonucleoprotein complexes (RNPs). Each RNP ...contains a viral RNA, a viral polymerase and multiple copies of the viral nucleoprotein (NP). Influenza A virus RNPs play important roles during virus infection by directing viral RNA replication and transcription, intracellular transport of the viral RNA, gene reassortment as well as viral genome packaging into progeny particles. As a unique genomic entity, the influenza A virus RNP has been extensively studied since the 1960s. Recently, exciting progress has been made in studying the RNP structure and its assembly, leading to a better understanding of the structural basis of various RNP functions.
Abstract Tyrannosaurids were the most derived group of Tyrannosauroidea and are characterized by having two body plans: gracile, long-snouted and robust, deep-snouted skulls. Both groups lived ...sympatrically in central Asia. Here, we report a new deep-snouted tyrannosaurid, Asiatyrannus xui gen. et sp. nov., from the Upper Cretaceous of Ganzhou City, southeastern China, which has produced the large-bodied and long-snouted Qianzhousaurus . Based on histological analysis, the holotype of Asiatyrannus xui is not a somatically mature adult, but it already passed through the most rapid growth stages. Asiatyrannus is a small to medium-sized tyrannosaurine, with a skull length of 47.5 cm and an estimated total body length of 3.5–4 m; or around half the size of Qianzhousaurus and other large-bodied tyrannosaurines in similar growth stages. Asiatyrannus and Qianzhousaurus are sympatric tyrannosaurid genera in the Maastrichtian of southeastern China. Asiatyrannus differs from Qianzhousaurus in that it has a proportionally deeper snout, longer premaxilla, deeper maxilla, and deeper dentary, and the cornual process of the lacrimal is inflated without developing a discrete horn. The different skull proportions and body sizes suggest that Asiatyrannus and Qianzhousaurus likely had different feeding strategies and occupied different ecological niches.
The mechanism of local inflammation and systemic injury in chronic periodontitis is complicated, in which and exosomes play an important role. In our study, we found that T helper cell 17 ...(Th17)/regulatory T cell (Treg) balance is destabilized in the peripheral blood of patients with periodontitis, with upregulated Th17 or downregulated Treg, respectively. Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to simulate the inflammatory microenvironment of chronic periodontitis. The exosomes were extracted from periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) in LPS‐induced periodontitis environment, which inversely effected on CD4+ T cells under normal and inflammatory conditions. Furthermore, compared with exosomes from normal PDLSCs, lower expression of microRNA‐155‐5p (miR‐155‐5p) and higher expression of Sirtuin‐1 (SIRT1) were observed in exosomes from LPS‐stimulated PDLSCs. Exosomes from PDLSCs alleviated inflammatory microenvironment through Th17/Treg/miR‐155‐5p/SIRT1 regulatory network. This study aimed to find the “switching” factors that affected the further deterioration of periodontitis to maximally control the multiple downstream damage signal factors to further understand periodontitis and find new targets for its treatment.
The mechanism of how exosomes from periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) alleviated inflammatory microenvironment through T helper cell 17 (Th17)/regulatory T cell (Treg)/microRNA‐155‐5p (miR‐155‐5p)/Sirtuin‐1 (SIRT1) regulatory network. PDLSCs in the normal environment was favorable for the maintenance of Th17/Treg balance. The expression of miR‐155‐5p is decreased in exosomes released by PDLSCs in the inflammatory microenvironment. After ingestion by CD4+ T cells, the expression of SIRT1 in CD4+ T cells is increased, causing the upregulation of Th17 and the downregulation of Treg.
Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have been well‐demonstrated as excellent carriers for anticancer drug delivery. Presented here is a cancer‐targeted MSNs drug delivery system that allows the ...direct fluorescence monitoring of the cellular uptake and localization of theranostic agents in cancer cells. Specifically, the anticancer action mechanisms of RGD peptide‐functionalized MSNs carrying ruthenium polypyridyl complexes (RuPOP@MSNs) are elucidated in detail. RGD peptide surface decoration significantly enhances the cellular uptake of the nanoparticles through receptor‐mediated endocytosis, and increases the selectivity between cancer and normal cells. RuPOP@MSNs exhibits unprecedented enhanced cytotoxicity toward cancer cells overexpressing integrin receptor, which is significantly higher than that of free RuPOP, through induction of apoptosis. The important contribution of extrinsic pathway to cell apoptosis is confirmed by increase in expression levels of death receptors, activation of caspase‐8 and truncation of Bid. The internalized nanoparticles release free RuPOP into the cytoplasm, where they modulate the phosphorylation of p53, AKT, and MAPKs pathways to promote cell apoptosis. Moreover, the strong autofluorescence of RuPOP permits the direct monitoring of drug delivery, and extends the power of theranostics to subcellular level. Taken together, this study provides an effective strategy for the design and development of cancer‐targeted theranostic agents.
Cancer‐targeted MSNs loaded with a novel Ru polypyridyl complex (RuPOP@MSNs) that allows the direct fluorescence monitoring of the cellular uptake and localization of anticancer agents in cancer cells are presented. The internalized RuPOP@MSNs can control the release of free Ru complex to trigger ROS‐mediated p53 phosphorylation and to regulate the AKT and MAPKs signaling pathways.
Abstract
Regulatory T-cell (Treg)/T-helper 17 (T
h
17) cell balance plays an important role in the progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our study explored the protective effect of protectin DX ...(PDX), which restored Treg/T
h
17 cell balance in RA, and the role of the nucleotide-binding domain (NOD)–like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome pathway in this process. Using mass spectrometry, we discovered that level of PDX decreased in active-RA patients and increased in inactive-RA patients compared with HCs, and serum PDX was a potential biomarker in RA activity detection (area under the curve AUC = 0.86). In addition, a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice model was constructed and PDX obviously delayed RA progression in the CIA model, upregulating Tregs and anti-inflammatory cytokines while downregulating T
h
17 cells and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Moreover, NLRP3 knockout and rescue experiments demonstrated that NLRP3 participated in PDX-mediated Treg/T
h
17 cell balance restoration, joint injury amelioration and inflammatory-response attenuation using
Nlrp3
−/−
mice. Furthermore, microarray and verified experiments confirmed that PDX reduced NLRP3 expression via miRNA-20a (miR-20a). In summary, we confirmed for the first time that PDX could effectively ameliorate CIA progression by restoring Treg/T
h
17 cell balance, which was mediated by inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway via miR-20a.
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