So far, a number of acupuncture studies have shown anti-inflammatory effects of acupuncture treatment, mostly known at specific point ST36. However, there is no literature that oversaw the ...inflammation-regulatory effects of acupuncture in each tissue. Therefore, we investigated how acupuncture at specific acupoint ST36 regulates inflammation and its underlying mechanisms. We searched literatures on PubMed until July 2021 using the keywords "animal, acupuncture, ST36, inflammation, immune," and 292 literatures were searched. We ultimately selected 69 studies to determine the anti-inflammatory actions of acupuncture at ST36 and classified the changes of inflammatory mediators according to target regions. Forty-three studies were included in body fluids, 27 studies in the digestive system, 17 studies in the nervous system, and 30 studies in other tissues or organs. In this review, we found that acupuncture at ST36 has clinical benefits in relieving inflammation through several mechanisms such as vagus nerve activation, toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/NF-κB signaling, macrophage polarization, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, and cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway. We expect that these data will inform further studies related to ST36 acupuncture on inflammation.
Objective
Increased protein phosphatase magnesium‐dependent 1A (PPM1A) levels in patients with ankylosing spondylitis regulate osteoblast differentiation in bony ankylosis; however, the potential ...mechanisms that regulate osteoclast differentiation in relation to abnormal bone formation remain unclear. This study was undertaken to investigate the relationship of PPM1A to osteoclast differentiation by generating conditional gene‐knockout (PPM1Afl/fl;LysM‐Cre) mice and evaluating their bone phenotype.
Methods
The bone phenotypes of LysM‐Cre mice (n = 6) and PPM1Afl/fl;LysM‐Cre mice (n = 6) were assessed by micro–computed tomography. Osteoclast differentiation was induced by culturing bone marrow–derived macrophages in the presence of RANKL and macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (M‐CSF), and was evaluated by counting tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase–positive multinucleated cells. Levels of messenger RNA for PPM1A, RANK, and osteoclast‐specific genes were examined by real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and protein levels were determined by Western blotting. Surface RANK expression was analyzed by fluorescence flow cytometry.
Results
The PPM1Afl/fl;LysM‐Cre mice displayed reduced bone mass (P < 0.001) and increased osteoclast differentiation (P < 0.001) and osteoclast‐specific gene expression (P < 0.05) compared with their LysM‐Cre littermates. Mechanistically, reduced PPM1A function in osteoclast precursors in PPM1Afl/fl;LysM‐Cre mice induced osteoclast lineage commitment by up‐regulating RANK expression (P < 0.01) via p38 MAPK activation in response to M‐CSF. PPM1A expression in macrophages was decreased by Toll‐like receptor 4 activation (P < 0.05). The Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score was negatively correlated with the expression of PPM1A in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with axial spondyloarthritis (SpA) (γ = −0.7072, P < 0.0001).
Conclusion
The loss of PPM1A function in osteoclast precursors driven by inflammatory signals contributes to osteoclast lineage commitment and differentiation by elevating RANK expression, reflecting a potential role of PPM1A in dynamic bone metabolism in axial SpA.
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•Lacticaseibacillus paracasei AO356 decreased high-fat diet-induced body weight gain, and fat mass.•Lacticaseibacillus paracasei AO356 decrease adipocyte size and increase skeletal ...muscle fiber size in C57BL/6J male mice.•Lacticaseibacillus paracasei AO356 downregulated the expression of adipogenesis transcription factors in epididymal and subcutaneous fat pads.•Lacticaseibacillus paracasei AO356 upregulated the expression of thermogenesis-related genes in epididymal and subcutaneous fat pads.
Obesity is a metabolic disease caused by the excessive fat accumulation and is a global health problem that affects more than one-third of the population. Probiotics are considered an effective alternate treatment for preventing obesity as FDA-approved anti-obesity drugs are associated with side effects, such as depression, diarrhea, and dyspepsia. Oral administration of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei AO356 (AO356) isolated from healthy female Koreans to high-fat diet-fed C57BL/6J male mice effectively ameliorated body weight gain, abnormal body composition, and obesity-induced hyperleptinemia and inflammation. This effect may be associated with the downregulation of adipogenesis transcription factor-and lipid metabolism related genes, such as Srebp1c, Pparγ, Fas, C/ebpα, and Fabp4 and upregulation of thermogenesis-related genes, such as Ucp1, Cpt1, Pgc1α, Cidea, and Prdm16 in epididymal and subcutaneous fat pads. In conclusion, our results show that AO356 prevents high-fat diet-induced obesity by regulating adipogenesis and thermogenesis.
In this study, we developed high-performance anion-exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) by investigating various parameters. To enhance AEMWE performance, the effects of the ...membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) fabrication method, operating conditions, and MEA parameters were examined. As a result of the optimization and the use of FAA-3-50 and FAA-3-Br as the AEM and anion-exchange ionomer, respectively, AEMWE showed the highest performance reported thus far. Single-cell tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results indicate that optimized AEMWE minimized the ohmic, charge-transfer, and mass transport resistances. Overall, by examining the AEMWE parameters, we were able to improve the electrochemical reactions, namely, the oxygen evolution reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction, and achieved outstanding performance.
Stem cell-based therapy is a promising approach for treating a variety of disorders, including acute brain insults and neurodegenerative diseases. Stem cells such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) ...secrete extracellular vesicles (EVs), circular membrane fragments (30 nm-1 μm) that are shed from the cell surface, carrying several therapeutic molecules such as proteins and microRNAs. Because EV-based therapy is superior to cell therapy in terms of scalable production, biodistribution, and safety profiles, it can be used to treat brain diseases as an alternative to stem cell therapy. This review presents evidences evaluating the role of stem cell-derived EVs in stroke, traumatic brain injury, and degenerative brain diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson' disease. In addition, stem cell-derived EVs have better profiles in biocompatibility, immunogenicity, and safety than those of small chemical and macromolecules. The advantages and disadvantages of EVs compared with other strategies are discussed. Even though EVs obtained from native stem cells have potential in the treatment of brain diseases, the successful clinical application is limited by the short half-life, limited targeting, rapid clearance after application, and insufficient payload. We discuss the strategies to enhance the efficacy of EV therapeutics. Finally, EV therapies have yet to be approved by the regulatory authorities. Major issues are discussed together with relevant advances in the clinical application of EV therapeutics. BMB Reports 2022; 55(1): 20-29.
Future smart mobile electronics and wearable robotics that can perform delicate activities controlled by artificial intelligence can require rapid motion actuators working at low voltages with ...acceptable safety and improved energy efficiency. Accordingly, ionic soft actuators can have great potential over other counterparts because they exhibit gentle movements at low voltages, less than 2 V. However, these actuators currently show deficient performances at sub‐1 V voltages in the high‐frequency range because of the lack of electrode materials with the vital antagonistic properties of high capacitance and good conductivity. Herein, a mutually exclusive nanohybrid electrode (pMoS2‐nSNrGO) is reported consisting of oxide‐doped p‐type molybdenum‐disulfide and sulfur‐nitrogen‐codoped n‐type reduced‐graphene‐oxide. The pMoS2‐nSNrGO electrode derives high capacitance from MoS2 and good charge transfer between the two components from p‐n nano‐junctions, resulting in excellent actuation performances (670% improvement compared with rGO electrode at 0.5 V and 1 Hz, together with fast responses up to 15 Hz). With such excellent performances, these actuators can be successfully applied to realize an artificial soft robotic finger system for delicately touching the fragile surfaces of smartphones and tablets. The mutually exclusive pMoS2‐nSNrGO electrode can open a new way to develop high‐performance soft actuators for soft robotic applications in the future.
Nanohybrids with antagonistic properties (high capacitance and good conductivity) like pMoS2‐nSNrGO are demonstrated among excellent electrode materials for ionic actuators. With a 670% bending improvement at a low voltage of 0.5 V and the ability to perform fast bending up to 15 Hz, the pMoS2‐nSNrGO‐based actuators successfully act as soft fingers to touch fragile surfaces of smartphones to switch the flashlight.
The fabrication of ultrathin silicon wafers at low cost is crucial for advancing silicon electronics toward stretchability and flexibility. However, conventional fabrication techniques are ...inefficient because they sacrifice a large amount of substrate material. Thus, advanced silicon electronics that have been realized in laboratories cannot move forward to commercialization. Here, a fully bottom‐up technique for producing a self‐releasing ultrathin silicon wafer without sacrificing any of the substrate is presented. The key to this approach is a self‐organized nanogap on the substrate fabricated by plasma‐assisted epitaxial growth (plasma‐epi) and subsequent hydrogen annealing. The wafer thickness can be independently controlled during the bulk growth after the formation of plasma‐epi seed layer. In addition, semiconductor devices are realized using the ultrathin silicon wafer. Given the high scalability of plasma‐epi and its compatibility with conventional semiconductor process, the proposed bottom‐up wafer fabrication process will open a new route to developing advanced silicon electronics.
A fully bottom‐up technique for fabricating a self‐releasing ultrathin silicon wafer without sacrificing any of the substrate is presented, whereas conventional technologies waste large amounts of such material. A plasma‐assisted epitaxially grown silicon seed layer with a self‐organized nanogap is a key for the realization of the fully bottom‐up process. The results represent a technological breakthrough in advanced silicon microelectronics and photovoltaics.
A substantial amount of research effort has been directed toward the development of Pt-based catalysts with higher performance and durability than conventional polycrystalline Pt nanoparticles to ...achieve high-power and innovative energy conversion systems. Currently, attention has been paid toward expanding the electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) of catalysts and increase their intrinsic activity in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, despite innumerable efforts having been carried out to explore this possibility, most of these achievements have focused on the rotating disk electrode (RDE) in half-cells, and relatively few results have been adaptable to membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) in full-cells, which is the actual operating condition of fuel cells. Thus, it is uncertain whether these advanced catalysts can be used as a substitute in practical fuel cell applications, and an improvement in the catalytic performance in real-life fuel cells is still necessary. Therefore, from a more practical and industrial point of view, the goal of this review is to compare the ORR catalyst performance and durability in half- and full-cells, providing a differentiated approach to the durability concerns in half- and full-cells, and share new perspectives for strategic designs used to induce additional performance in full-cell devices.
Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) is up-regulated in a variety of human neoplasms. Mutations in the core promoter region of the
TERT
gene, which increases promoter activity, have been reported ...in melanomas and a variety of human neoplasms, including gliomas. In the present study, we screened for
TERT
promoter mutations by direct DNA sequencing in a population-based collection of 358 glioblastomas.
TERT
promoter mutations (C228T, C250T) were detected in 55 % glioblastomas analysed. Of these, 73 % had a C228T mutation, and 27 % had a C250T mutation; only one glioblastoma had both C228T and C250T mutations.
TERT
promoter mutations were significantly more frequent in primary (
IDH1
wild-type) glioblastomas (187/322; 58 %) than in secondary (
IDH1
mutated) glioblastomas (10/36, 28 %;
P
= 0.0056). They showed significant inverse correlations with
IDH1
mutations (
P
= 0.0056) and
TP53
mutations (
P
= 0.043), and a significant positive correlation with
EGFR
amplification (
P
= 0.048). Glioblastoma patients with
TERT
mutations showed a shorter survival than those without
TERT
mutations in univariate analysis (median, 9.3 vs. 10.5 months;
P
= 0.015) and multivariate analysis after adjusting for age and gender (HR 1.38, 95 % CI 1.01–1.88,
P
= 0.041). However,
TERT
mutations had no significant impact on patients’ survival in multivariate analysis after further adjusting for other genetic alterations, or when primary and secondary glioblastomas were separately analysed. These results suggest that the prognostic value of
TERT
mutations for poor survival is largely due to their inverse correlation with
IDH1
mutations, which are a significant prognostic marker of better survival in patients with secondary glioblastomas.
Aging is associated with an inevitable and universal loss of cell homeostasis and restricts an organism's lifespan by an increased susceptibility to diseases and tissue degeneration. The glucose ...uptake associated with producing energy for cell survival is one of the major causes of ROS production under physiological conditions. However, the overall mechanisms by which glucose uptake results in cellular senescence remain mysterious. In this study, we found that TXNIP deficiency accelerated the senescent phenotypes of MEF cells under high glucose condition. TXNIP‐/‐ MEF cells showed greater induced glucose uptake and ROS levels than wild‐type cells, and N‐acetylcysteine (NAC) treatment rescued the cellular senescence of TXNIP‐/‐ MEF cells. Interestingly, TXNIP‐/‐ MEF cells showed continuous activation of AKT during long‐term subculture, and AKT signaling inhibition completely blocked the cellular senescence of TXNIP‐/‐ MEF cells. In addition, we found that TXNIP interacted with AKT via the PH domain of AKT, and their interaction was increased by high glucose or H2O2 treatment. The inhibition of AKT activity by TXNIP was confirmed using western blotting and an in vitro kinase assay. TXNIP deficiency in type 1 diabetes mice (Akita) efficiently decreased the blood glucose levels and finally increased mouse survival. However, in normal mice, TXNIP deficiency induced metabolic aging of mice and cellular senescence of kidney cells by inducing AKT activity and aging‐associated gene expression. Altogether, these results suggest that TXNIP regulates cellular senescence by inhibiting AKT pathways via a direct interaction under conditions of glucose‐derived metabolic stress.
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