Plasma-catalysis technologies (PCTs) have the potential to control the emissions of volatile organic compounds, although their low-energy efficiency is a bottleneck for their practical applications. ...A plasma-catalyst reactor filled with a CeO2/γ-Al2O3 catalyst was developed to decompose toluene with a high-energy efficiency enhanced by the elevating reaction temperature. When the reaction temperature was raised from 50 °C to 250 °C, toluene conversion dramatically increased from 45.3% to 95.5% and the energy efficiency increased from 53.5 g/kWh to 113.0 g/kWh. Conversely, the toluene conversion using a thermal catalysis technology (TCT) exhibited a maximum of 16.7%. The activation energy of toluene decomposition using PCTs is 14.0 kJ/mol, which is far lower than those of toluene decomposition using TCTs, which implies that toluene decomposition using PCT differs from that using TCT. The experimental results revealed that the Ce3+/Ce4+ ratio decreased and Oads/Olatt ratio increased after the 40-h evaluation experiment, suggesting that CeO2 promoted the formation of the reactive oxygen species that is beneficial for toluene decomposition.
•Toluene decomposition using a plasma-catalysis technology (PCT) was investigated.•Energy efficiency was improved to 113.0 g/kWh by elevating reaction temperature.•Toluene conversion was 95.5% using PCT, but 16.7% using thermal catalysis technology.•Activation energy of toluene decomposition is 14.0 kJ/mol.•CeO2 promoted the formation of reactive oxygen species on CeO2 surface.
It is widely known that the degeneration of neural circuits is prominent in the brains of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. The reciprocal connectivity of the medial septum (MS) and hippocampus, ...which constitutes the septo-hippocampo-septal (SHS) loop, is known to be associated with learning and memory. Despite the importance of the reciprocal projections between the MS and hippocampus in AD, the alteration of bidirectional connectivity between two structures has not yet been investigated at the mesoscale level. In this study, we adopted AD animal model, five familial AD mutations (5XFAD) mice, and anterograde and retrograde tracers, BDA and DiI, respectively, to visualize the pathology-related changes in topographical connectivity of the SHS loop in the 5XFAD brain. By comparing 4.5-month-old and 14-month-old 5XFAD mice, we successfully identified key circuit components of the SHS loop altered in 5XFAD brains. Remarkably, the SHS loop began to degenerate in 4.5-month-old 5XFAD mice before the onset of neuronal loss. The impairment of connectivity between the MS and hippocampus was accelerated in 14-month-old 5XFAD mice. These results demonstrate, for the first time, topographical evidence for the degradation of the interconnection between the MS and hippocampus at the mesoscale level in a mouse model of AD. Our results provide structural and functional insights into the interconnectivity of the MS and hippocampus, which will inform the use and development of various therapeutic approaches that target neural circuits for the treatment of AD.
Testican‐1, as a novel diagnosis of sepsis Lee, Yuri; Lee, Wonhwa; Chang, Hyun‐Ha ...
Journal of cellular biochemistry,
20/May , Letnik:
119, Številka:
5
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The development of new sepsis‐specific biomarkers is mandatory to improve the detection and monitoring of the disease. Testican‐1 is a highly conserved, multidomain proteoglycan that is most ...prominently expressed in the thalamus of the brain, and is upregulated in activated astroglial cells of the cerebrum. The aim of this study was to evaluate blood levels of Testican‐1 in septic patients. A prospective study of 82 patients with sepsis was conducted. Furthermore, C57BL/6 mice were administrated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein or subjected to cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) surgery. Alternatively, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) or C57BL/6 mice were exposed to LPS (100 ng/mL) or HMGB1 (1 μg/mL). LPS, HMGB1, or CLP enhanced the synthesis and secretion of Testican‐1 in HUVECs and mice. In patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with sepsis, circulating levels of Testican‐1 were significantly high (sepsis, 20.44‐63.37 ng/mL, n = 30; severe sepsis, 41.30‐98.69 ng/mL, n = 22; septic shock, 98.10‐151.85 ng/mL, n = 30) when compared to the levels of control donors (6.97‐8.77 ng/mL, n = 21), reflecting the severity of the disease. These results suggest that in septic patients, Testican‐1 blood level is related to the severity of sepsis and Testican‐1 could be used as a biomarker to determine the severity of sepsis.
LPS, HMGB1 or CLP enhanced the synthesis and secretion of Testican‐1 in vitro and in vivo. Circulation levels of Testican‐1 were significantly higher, reflecting the severity of sepsis.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a fatal medical episode caused by sudden kidney damage or failure, leading to the death of patients within a few hours or days. Previous studies demonstrated that ...exosomes derived from various mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC-exosomes) have positive effects on renal injuries in multiple experimental animal models of kidney diseases including AKI. However, the mass production of exosomes is a challenge not only in preclinical studies with large animals but also for successful clinical applications. In this respect, tangential flow filtration (TFF) is suitable for good manufacturing practice (GMP)-compliant large-scale production of high-quality exosomes. Until now, no studies have been reported on the use of TFF, but rather ultracentrifugation has been almost exclusively used, to isolate exosomes for AKI therapeutic application in preclinical studies. Here, we demonstrated the reproducible large-scale production of exosomes derived from adipose tissue-derived MSC (ASC-exosomes) using TFF and the lifesaving effect of the ASC-exosomes in a lethal model of cisplatin-induced rat AKI. Our results suggest the possibility of large-scale stable production of ASC-exosomes without loss of function and their successful application in life-threatening diseases.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is highly prevalent in hospitals in many Asian countries. Recent emergence of community-associated (CA) MRSA worldwide has added another serious ...concern to the epidemiology of S. aureus infections. To understand the changing epidemiology of S. aureus infections in Asian countries, we performed a prospective, multinational surveillance study with molecular typing analysis.
We evaluated the prevalence of methicillin resistance in S. aureus isolates in CA and healthcare-associated (HA) infections, and performed molecular characterization and antimicrobial susceptibility tests of MRSA isolates.
MRSA accounted for 25.5% of CA S. aureus infections and 67.4% of HA infections. Predominant clones of CA-MRSA isolates were ST59-MRSA-SCCmec type IV-spa type t437, ST30-MRSA-SCCmec type IV-spa type t019 and ST72-MRSA-SCCmec type IV-spa type t324. Previously established nosocomial MRSA strains including sequence type (ST) 239 and ST5 clones were found among CA-MRSA isolates from patients without any risk factors for HA-MRSA infection. CA-MRSA clones such as ST59, ST30 and ST72 were also isolated from patients with HA infections.
Our findings confirmed that MRSA infections in the community have been increasing in Asian countries. Data also suggest that various MRSA clones have spread between the community and hospitals as well as between countries.
Using (S)-decursinol isolated from root of Angelica gigas Nakai (AGN), we semi-synthesized and evaluated a series of both enantiomerically pure decursin derivatives for their antiproliferative ...activities against A549 human lung cancer cells. All synthesized compounds showed a broad spectrum of inhibitory activities against the growth of A549 cells. Especially, compound (S)-2d with (E)-(furan-3-yl)acryloyl group showed the most potent activity (IC50: 14.03 µM) against A549 cancer cells as compared with the reference compound, decursin (IC50: 43.55 µM) and its enantiomer, (R)-2d (IC50: 151.59 µM). Western blotting assays indicated that (S)-2d more strongly inhibited Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) and signal transducer and activator of transcription activation 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation than decursin in a dose-dependent manner, while having no effect on CXCR7 overexpression and total STAT3 level. In addition, (S)-2d induced cell cycle arrest at G1 phase and subsequent apoptotic cell death in A549 cancer cells. Our combined analysis of molecular docking studies and biological data suggests that the inhibition of JAK1 with (S)-2d resulted in loss of STAT3 phosphorylation and inhibition of cell growth in A549 cancer cells. These overall results strongly suggest that (S)-2d (MRC-D-004) as a novel JAK1 inhibitor may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of A549 human lung cancers by targeting the JAK1/STAT3 signaling pathway.
Remdesivir is widely used for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but controversies regarding its efficacy still remain.
A retrospective cohort study was conducted to evaluate the ...effect of remdesivir on clinical and virologic outcomes of severe COVID-19 patients from June to July 2020. Primary clinical endpoints included clinical recovery, additional mechanical ventilator (MV) support, and duration of oxygen or MV support. Viral load reduction by hospital day (HD) 15 was evaluated by calculating changes in cycle threshold (Ct) values.
A total of 86 severe COVID-19 patients were evaluated including 48 remdesivir-treated patients. Baseline characteristics were not significantly different between the two groups. Remdesivir was administered an average of 7.42 days from symptom onset. The proportions of clinical recovery of the remdesivir and supportive care group at HD 14 (56.3% and 39.5%) and HD 28 (87.5% and 78.9%) were not statistically different. The proportion of patients requiring MV support by HD 28 was significantly lower in the remdesivir group than in the supportive care group (22.9% vs. 44.7%,
= 0.032), and MV duration was significantly shorter in the remdesivir group (average, 1.97 vs. 5.37 days;
= 0.017). Analysis of upper respiratory tract specimens demonstrated that increases of Ct value from HD 1-5 to 11-15 were significantly greater in the remdesivir group than the supportive care group (average, 10.19 vs. 5.36;
= 0.007), and the slope of the Ct value increase was also significantly steeper in the remdesivir group (average, 5.10 vs. 2.68;
= 0.007).
The remdesivir group showed clinical and virologic benefit in terms of MV requirement and viral load reduction, supporting remdesivir treatment for severe COVID-19.
Nosocomial infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria are severe life-threatening factors. Endolysins (lysins) degrade the bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan and may help control ...pathogens, especially MDR bacteria prevalent in hospital settings. This study was conducted to verify the potential of lysin as disinfectant to kill bacteria contaminating medical devices that cause hospital infections. Eight catheters removed from hospitalized patients were collected and tested for their ability to kill bacteria contaminating the catheters using two lysins, LysSS and CHAP-161. Catheter-contaminating bacterial species were isolated and identified by 16s rRNA sequencing. From the eight catheters, bacteria were cultured from seven catheters, and five bacterial species (
, and
) were identified. LysSS could inhibit catheter-contaminating bacteria, including
and
, compared with untreated controls but could not inhibit the growth of
CHAP-161 showed more bactericidal effects than LysSS, but could not inhibit the growth of
This study showed the potential of lysin as an alternative disinfectant for hazardous chemical disinfectants used in hospitals.
Biofilms formed owing to the attachment of bacteria to surfaces have caused various problems in industries such as marine transportation/logistics and medicine. In response, many studies have been ...conducted on bactericidal surfaces, and nanostructured surfaces mimicking cicada and dragonfly wings are emerging as candidates for mechano-bactericidal surfaces. In specific circumstances involving mechano-bactericidal activity, certain nanostructured surfaces could exhibit their bactericidal effects by directly deforming the membranes of bacteria that adhere to these nanostructures. Additionally, in most cases, debris of bacterial cells may accumulate on these nanostructured surfaces. Such accumulation poses a significant challenge: it diminishes the mechano-bactericidal effectiveness of the surface, as it hinders the direct interaction between the nanostructures and any new bacteria that attach subsequently. In specific circumstances involving mechano-bactericidal activity, certain nanostructured surfaces could exhibit their bactericidal effects by directly deforming the membranes of bacteria that adhere to these nanostructures. Additionally, in most cases, debris of bacterial cells may accumulate on these nanostructured surfaces. Such accumulation poses a significant challenge: it diminishes the mechano-bactericidal effectiveness of the surface, as it hinders the direct interaction between the nanostructures and any new bacteria that attach subsequently.In other words, there is a need for strategies to remove the accumulated bacterial debris in order to sustain the mechano-bactericidal effect of the nanostructured surface. In this study, hierarchical micro/nano-structured surface (echinoid-shaped nanotextures were formed on Al micro-particle’s surfaces) was fabricated using a simple pressure-less sintering method, and effective bactericidal efficiency was shown against E. coli (97 ± 3.81%) and S. aureus (80 ± 9.34%). In addition, thermal cleaning at 500 °C effectively eliminated accumulated dead bacterial debris while maintaining the intact Al2O3 nanostructure, resulting in significant mechano-bactericidal activity (E. coli: 89 ± 6.86%, S. aureus: 75 ± 8.31%). As a result, thermal cleaning maintains the intact nanostructure and allows the continuance of the mechano-bactericidal effect. This effect was consistently maintained even after five repetitive use (E. coli: 80 ± 16.26%, S. aureus: 76 ± 12.67%).
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•The echinoid-shaped hierarchical surface was prepared via the sintering methods.•The proposed surface exhibited remarkably high mechano-bactericidal efficiency.•The mechano-bactericidal function was well maintained after thermal cleaning.•The mechano-bactericidal efficiency was maintained after 5 rounds of reuse testing.
It has been reported that a commercial solid-phase competition ELISA (SPCE) commonly used in year-round serum surveillance in South Korea may not be sufficient for use in the sero-monitoring of ...protective antibody responses following vaccination. Here, we established a liquid-phase blocking ELISA (LPBE) method based on the purified 146S antigen of the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) A/Yeoncheon/SKR/2017 strain, and its analytical performance was assessed using a wide range of pig sera. The established LPBE performed well regardless of whether antisera were elicited by a homologous (A/Yeoncheon/SKR/2017) or heterologous virus (A/Pocheon/SKR/2010) classified in the A/ASIA/Sea-97 lineage. The LPBE performance was also assessed using sera obtained from pigs in the field that underwent routine vaccination, demonstrating that the assay exhibited higher consistency with the virus neutralization test (standard reference test) than the commercial SPCE. This suggested that the LPBE performed well for antisera induced by the FMDV serotype A vaccine strains used in South Korea, namely, A
22
/IRQ/24/64, A/Argentina/2001 + A
24
/Cruzeiro and A/Zabaikalsky/2013. Overall, the established LPBE is considered to be a convenient serological assay for use in postvaccination sero-monitoring.
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