23 research outputs found
Therapeutic Effect of Cucumis melo
Obesity results in the progression of metabolic disorders, especially type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Obesity-induced insulin resistance (IR) is a causative factor of T2DM morbidity in obese people. It is generally held by clinicians that IR is caused by adiposity-related inflammation that is mediated by changes in composite ions in the gut microbiome. This experimental study was designed to investigate the effects of Cucumis melo L. (Cucumis) on obesity-induced IR in genetically leptin-deficient Lepob/Lepob mice. Specifically, we examined the anti-inflammatory effects of Cucumis and the effects of Cucumis on the gut microbiota. We evaluated glucose control by measuring FBS, performing the OGTT, quantifying serum IR, calculating the HOMA-IR, and determining the lipid profiles. To see whether inflammation was reduced, we analyzed adipose tissue macrophages as well as monocytes in the blood. We also profiled the gut microbiota to determine whether the ratios of microbial phyla changed. We found that Cucumis improved IR in obese mice and relieved inflammation in adipose tissue and blood. Simultaneously, the microbiota composition ratios changed. In conclusion, administration of Cucumis improved IR by reducing inflammation, thereby changing the gut microbiota composition. Cucumis is thus a promising treatment for obesity-induced insulin resistance and the inflammatory state
The Realities and Associated Factors of Palliative Chemotherapy Near the End of Life in the Patients Enrolled in Palliative Care Unit
Phenotypic and Functional Changes of Peripheral Ly6C(+) T Regulatory Cells Driven by Conventional Effector T Cells
A relatively high affinity/avidity of T cell receptor (TCR) recognition for self-peptide bound to major histocompatibility complex II (self-pMHC) ligands is a distinctive feature of CD4 T regulatory (Treg) cells, including their development in the thymus and maintenance of their suppressive functions in the periphery. Despite such high self-reactivity, however, all thymic-derived peripheral Treg populations are neither homogenous in their phenotype nor uniformly immune-suppressive in their function under steady state condition. We show here that based on the previously defined heterogeneity in the phenotype of peripheral Treg populations, Ly6C expression on Treg marks a lower degree of activation, proliferation, and differentiation status as well as functional incompetence. We also demonstrate that Ly6C expression on Treg in a steady state is either up-or downregulated depending on relative amounts of tonic TCR signals derived from its contacts with self-ligands. Interestingly, peripheral appearance and maintenance of these Ly6C-expressing Treg cells largely differed in an age-dependent manner, with their proportion being continuously increased from perinatal to young adult period but then being gradually declined with age. The reduction of Ly6C(+) Treg in the aged mice was not due to their augmented cell death but rather resulted from downregulation of Ly6C expression. The Ly6C down-regulation was accompanied by proliferation of Ly6C(+) Treg cells and subsequent change into Ly6C-effector Treg with concomitant restoration of immune-suppressive activity. Importantly, we found that this phenotypic and functional change of Ly6C(+) Treg is largely driven by conventional effector T cell population. Collectively, these findings suggest a potential cross-talk between peripheral Treg subsets and effector T cells and provides better understanding for Treg homeostasis and function on maintaining self-tolerance.110Ysciescopu
Safety and feasibility of hybrid tracheostomy
Background Percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) is widely used in intensive care units, but this conventional method has some disadvantages, such as requirement of a lot of equipment and experts at the site. Especially, in situations where the patient is isolated due to an infectious disease, difficulties in using the equipment may occur, and the number of exposed persons may increase. In this paper, we introduce hybrid tracheostomy that combines the advantages of surgical tracheostomy and PDT and describe our experiences. Methods Data from 55 patients who received hybrid tracheostomy without bronchoscopy from January 2020 to February 2021 were collected and reviewed retrospectively. Hybrid tracheostomy was performed at the bedside by a single thoracic surgeon. The hybrid tracheostomy method was as follows: after the skin was incised and the trachea was exposed, only the extent of the endotracheal tube that could not be removed was withdrawn, and then tracheostomy was performed by the Seldinger method using a PDT kit. Results The average age was 66.5 years, and the proportion of men was 69.1%. Among the patients, 21.8% were taking antiplatelet drugs and 14.5% were taking anticoagulants. The average duration of the procedure was 13.3 minutes. There was no major bleeding, and there was one case of paratracheal placement of the tracheostomy tube. Conclusions In most patients, the procedure can be safely performed without any major complications. However, patients with a short neck, a neck burn or patients who have received radiation therapy to the neck should be treated with conventional methods
Dietary Glucose Consumption Promotes RALDH Activity in Small Intestinal CD103(+)CD11b(+) Dendritic Cells
Retinal dehydrogenase (RALDH) enzymatic activities catalyze the conversion of
vitamin A to its metabolite Retinoic acid (RA) in intestinal dendritic cells (DCs)
and promote immunological tolerance. However, precise understanding of the exogenous
factors that act as initial trigger of RALDH activity in these cells is still
evolving. By using germ-free (GF) mice raised on an antigen free (AF) elemental
diet, we find that certain components in diet are critically required to establish
optimal RALDH expression and activity, most prominently in small intestinal
CD103(+)CD11b(+) DCs (siLP-DCs) right from the beginning of their lives.
Surprisingly, systematic screens using modified diets devoid of individual dietary
components indicate that proteins, starch and minerals are dispensable for this
activity. On the other hand, in depth comparison between subtle differences in
dietary composition among different dietary regimes reveal that adequate glucose
concentration in diet is a critical determinant for establishing RALDH activity
specifically in siLP-DCs. Consequently, pre-treatment of siLP-DCs, and not
mesenteric lymph node derived MLNDCs with glucose, results in significant
enhancement in the in vitro generation of induced Regulatory T (iTreg) cells. Our
findings reveal previously underappreciated role of dietary glucose concentration in
establishing regulatory properties in intestinal DCs, thereby extending a potential
therapeutic module against intestinal inflammation11Ysciescopu
An Integrative Transcriptomic Analysis of Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis for Identifying Potential Genetic Markers and Drug Candidates
Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) is a rare subtype of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, whose clinical features are systemic fever and rash accompanied by painful joints and inflammation. Even though sJIA has been reported to be an autoinflammatory disorder, its exact pathogenesis remains unclear. In this study, we integrated a meta-analysis with a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) using 5 microarray datasets and an RNA sequencing dataset to understand the interconnection of susceptibility genes for sJIA. Using the integrative analysis, we identified a robust sJIA signature that consisted of 2 co-expressed gene sets comprising 103 up-regulated genes and 25 down-regulated genes in sJIA patients compared with healthy controls. Among the 128 sJIA signature genes, we identified an up-regulated cluster of 11 genes and a down-regulated cluster of 4 genes, which may play key roles in the pathogenesis of sJIA. We then detected 10 bioactive molecules targeting the significant gene clusters as potential novel drug candidates for sJIA using an in silico drug repositioning analysis. These findings suggest that the gene clusters may be potential genetic markers of sJIA and 10 drug candidates can contribute to the development of new therapeutic options for sJIA
An Integrative Transcriptomic Analysis of Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis for Identifying Potential Genetic Markers and Drug Candidates
Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) is a rare subtype of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, whose clinical features are systemic fever and rash accompanied by painful joints and inflammation. Even though sJIA has been reported to be an autoinflammatory disorder, its exact pathogenesis remains unclear. In this study, we integrated a meta-analysis with a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) using 5 microarray datasets and an RNA sequencing dataset to understand the interconnection of susceptibility genes for sJIA. Using the integrative analysis, we identified a robust sJIA signature that consisted of 2 co-expressed gene sets comprising 103 up-regulated genes and 25 down-regulated genes in sJIA patients compared with healthy controls. Among the 128 sJIA signature genes, we identified an up-regulated cluster of 11 genes and a down-regulated cluster of 4 genes, which may play key roles in the pathogenesis of sJIA. We then detected 10 bioactive molecules targeting the significant gene clusters as potential novel drug candidates for sJIA using an in silico drug repositioning analysis. These findings suggest that the gene clusters may be potential genetic markers of sJIA and 10 drug candidates can contribute to the development of new therapeutic options for sJIA
Vulnerability Resilience in the Major Watersheds of the Korean Peninsula
Water resources management requires policy enforcement in a changing environment. Climate change must be considered in major watershed river restorations in Korea. The aim of river restorations is to provide better water resource control - now and in the future. To aid in policy making in the government sector, ¡§vulnerability-resilience indexes¡¨ (VRIs) with a Delphi survey method have been adopted to provide a possible reference. The Delphi survey offers prioritized vulnerability proxy variables based on expert opinions regarding the changing environment in terms of climate change and river restorations. The VRIs of watersheds were improved after river restorations, with the exception of some locations. However, when climate change was taken into consideration in the analysis of conditions after the restorations were completed, the results showed that governments need to provide better mitigation strategies to increase vulnerability resilience in the face of climate change
Sweet nanodot for biomedical imaging: Carbon dot derived from xylitol
We report a facile microwave pyrolysis approach to prepare carbon dots (CDs) using xylitol, a biomass-derived sugar alcohol. Both the surface-passivating agent (ethylenediamine) and HCl are crucial to control the luminescent properties during the synthesis of CDs. CDxy exhibits bright luminescence, aqueous stability, and low cytotoxicity, and thus has high potential for biomedical applications.close1