2′,6′-Bis(4-carb­oxy­phen­yl)-4,4′-bipyridin-1-ium nitrate 0.25-hydrate

In the title compound, C24H17N2O4 +·NO3 −·0.25H2O, the central pyridine ring of the 2′,6′-bis­(4-carb­oxy­phen­yl)-4,4′-bipyridin-1-ium cation is almost coplanar with one benzene ring [dihedral angle = 1.03 (5)°], while it makes dihedral angles of 9.59 (5)° with the other benzene ring and 13.66 (6)° with the pyridinium ring. In the crystal, N—H⋯O and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the cations and nitrate anions into a sheet in the (302) plane. The crystal structure also exhibits π–π inter­actions between the central pyridine ring and the benzene rings of neighboring mol­ecules [centroid–centroid distance = 3.6756 (13) Å]

Poly[diaqua­bis­[μ-1-hy­droxy-2-(imidazol-3-ium-1-yl)ethane-1,1-diyldiphospho­nato]tricopper(II)]

In the title coordination polymer, [Cu3(C5H7N2O7P2)2(H2O)2]n, one CuII atom is five-coordinated by five O atoms from three 1-hy­droxy-2-(imidazol-3-ium-1-yl)ethane-1,1-diyldiphospho­nate (L) ligands in a distorted square-pyramidal geometry. The other CuII atom, lying on an inversion center, is six-coordinated in a distorted octa­hedral geometry by four O atoms from two L ligands and two O atoms from two water mol­ecules. The five-coordinated CuII atoms are linked by phospho­nate O atoms of the L ligands, forming a polymeric chain. These chains are further linked by the six-coordinated Cu atoms into a layer parallel to (01). N—H⋯O and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds connect the layers into a three-dimensional supra­molecular structure

Immunopathogenesis of Behcet's Disease

Behcet's disease (BD) is a chronic systemic inflammatory vasculitis of unknown etiology characterized by recurrent episodes of oral aphthous ulcers, genital ulcers, skin lesions, ocular lesions, and other manifestations. Although the pathogenesis of BD is unclear, some studies have shown that immunological aberrations play an important role in the development and progression of BD. Infection-related trigger factors, including antigens and autoantigens, are believed to mediate the development of BD in patients with a genetic predisposition and subsequently activate the innate and adaptive immune systems, resulting in the production of numerous cytokines and chemokines to combat the infection-related factors. The study of the immunological mechanism of BD paves the way for the development of innovative therapies. Recently, novel biotherapy approaches, including interferon-α (IFN-α), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) antagonists, and other agents that target interleukins and their receptors, have shown promising results in the treatment of patients with refractory BD and have improved the prognosis of BD. In this review, we provide the current concepts of BD immunopathogenesis

Cellular Signaling in Müller Glia: Progenitor Cells for Regenerative and Neuroprotective Responses in Pharmacological Models of Retinal Degeneration

Retinal degenerative diseases are a leading cause of visual impairment or blindness. There are many therapies for delaying the progression of vision loss but no curative strategies currently. Stimulating intrinsic neuronal regeneration is a potential approach to therapy in retinal degenerative diseases. In contrast to stem cells, as embryonic/pluripotent stem cell-derived retinal progenitor cell or mesenchymal stem cells, Müller glia provided an endogenous cellular source for regenerative therapy in the retina. Müller glia are a major component of the retina and considerable evidence suggested these cells can be induced to produce the lost neurons in several species. Understanding the specific characteristic of Müller glia to generate lost neurons will inspire an attractive and alternative therapeutic strategy for treating visual impairment with regenerative research. This review briefly provides the different signal transduction mechanisms which are underlying Müller cell-mediated neuroprotection and neuron regeneration and discusses recent advances about regeneration from Müller glia-derived progenitors

The follow-up observation on the therapeutic effect of photodynamic therapy for the juxtapapillary retinal capillary hemangioma: a case report

Abstract Background The present study reported a case of juxtapapillary retinal capillary hemangioma (JRCH) that was successfully treated by two sessions of full-fluence photodynamic treatment (PDT) with good visual outcome. Case presentation A 19-year-old male patient presented progressive deterioration of the vision of right eye due to the presence of exudative macular detachment associated with JRCH. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) had decreased from 1.0 to 0.02. The JRCH was treated with two sessions of full-fluence PDT at an interval of 3 months. After the first PDT, the subfoveal fluid was reduced, albeit not completely disappeared. After the second PDT, the subfoveal fluid was successfully displaced. At the 1.5-year follow-up examination, no subfoveal fluid was observed at the macula, and VA improved from a pretherapy level of 0.02–0.8 at 18 months post-treatment. Conclusion Resolution of the exudative macular detachment, reduction in papillomacular area fluid, and reduction in the size of the JRCH were observed during the follow-up period. No severe adverse events were observed. Therefore, PDT is potential candidate treatment for relieving exudative macular detachment and recovering VA and reduction in the size of the JRCH

Comparative Analysis of KnockOut ™

The limbal epithelial cells can be maintained on 3T3 feeder layer with fetal bovine serum supplemented culture medium, and these cells have been used to successfully treat limbal stem cell deficiency. However, fetal bovine serum contains unknown components and displays quantitative and qualitative lot-to-lot variations. To improve the culture condition, the defined KnockOut serum replacement was investigated to replace fetal bovine serum for culturing human limbal epithelial cell. Human primary limbal epithelial cells were cultured in KnockOut serum and fetal bovine serum supplemented medium, respectively. The cell growth rate, gene expression, and maintenance of limbal epithelial stem cells were studied and compared between these two groups. Human primary limbal epithelial cells were isolated and successfully serially cultivated in this novel KnockOut serum supplemented medium; the cell proliferation and stem cell maintenance were similar to those of cells grown in fetal bovine serum supplemented medium. These data suggests that this KnockOut serum supplemented medium is an efficient replacement to traditional fetal bovine serum supplemented medium for limbal epithelial cell culture, and this medium has great potential for long term maintenance of limbal epithelial cells, limbal epithelial stem cells transplantation, and tissue regeneration