Lycopene Prolongs the Lifespan and Enhances the Cytotoxicity of NK Cells after Ex Vivo Expansion

Lycopene is a nonprovitamin A carotenoid mainly found in fruits and vegetables, which has been reported to possess a variety of biological effects. The properties of lycopene on human natural killer (NK) cells after ex vivo expansion were assessed in the present study. Results showed that lycopene has a positive effect on NK cells viability and cytotoxicity. Aging and apoptosis started from the fourth week onwards in the cultured NK cells which were obtained from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Supplemented with lycopene (5μM) can restore the decreased viability and cytotoxicity of NK cells and reduce NK cells apoptosis caused by aging during fourth-sixth week culture. Its anti-apoptosis effect in NK cells may be related to lycopene which can decrease the expression of caspase 3 and 9 genes. Furthermore, lycopene can enhance the IFN-γ expression in gene and protein level after 7d treatment. However, lycopene did not affect the functional receptor’s (NKG2A, NKG2D, NKp30 and NKp44) expression on NK cells. These results indicated that lycopene has a positive effect on NK cells. As a health product, it may help to prolong the lifespan and enhance the cytotoxicity of NK cells after ex vivo expansion

An Investigation of Thermal Effects on Micro-Properties of Sudbury Norite by CT Scanning and Image Processing Method

Rock is constantly subjected to stress and thermal conditions. Thermal-induced micro-cracks will be generated as a result of different thermal expansion gradations between different minerals. This characteristic was investigated in this paper by studying the micro-properties of Sudbury norite via CT scanning and the image processing method. A novel filtering method, maximum–minimum shadow filtering (MMSF), was developed in this study to highlight the thermal-induced micro-cracks in Sudbury Igneous Complex (SIC) norite after different temperature treatments. Based on quantitative analysis, the areal percentages of biotite, felspar, quartz, and small amounts of metal minerals were determined. It was also found that small-scale micro-cracks were first observed in the middle of biotite grains at a temperature of 400 °C. The cracks further propagated and extended with the temperature increase. In addition, the orientations of cracks either remained at the same distribution or became more evenly distributed with the rising temperature. A linear relationship was found between the average porosity of SIC norite and the temperature. Moreover, the anisotropic properties between vertical and horizontal directions of norite were also noticeable. Overall, the paper presented a quantitative study on the effects of thermal treatment and the anisotropic properties of SIC norite. Methodology and findings from this paper will be a significant reference for future studies regarding the thermal impacts on norite and similar rocks

Immunosuppressive effect of cyclophosphamide on white blood cells and lymphocyte subpopulations from peripheral blood of Balb/c mice

There has been lack of the uniform standard for establishment of animal immunodepressive models induced by cyclophosphamide (CTX), and the information about the immunosuppressive effect of CTX on peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets in rodents. Here we describe a CTX-induced mouse model and try to establish a feasible immunosuppressive model for studying the fungal pathogenicity. Balb/c mice received two intraperitoneal injections of different CTX doses (50–200 mg/kg) at 2-day intervals. Peripheral whole blood collected at different time-points before and after CTX injection was used to detect white blood cells (WBCs), lymphocytes and their subsets by automated hematology analyzer and flow cytometry, respectively. WBCs and lymphocytes in all groups except CTX50 (50 mg/kg CTX) group commenced to decrease in a dose-dependent manner on day 1, reached the nadir on day 4, rebounded on day 10, and declined again on day 17 after CTX treatment. Low dose (50 mg/kg) CTX produced no obvious change of percentage of CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and CD19+ cells, but high doses (100 or 150 mg/kg) yielded a significant decrease of CD3+ and CD4+ cells on day 4 and CD19+ cells on day 10, and increase of CD8+ cells on day 4. The CD4+/CD8+ ratio decreased on day 4, followed by a rebound thereafter when treated with 3 different doses of CTX. The results indicate that two intraperitoneal injections of CTX at 150 mg/kg at 2-day intervals may establish good immunosuppressive models of Balb/c mice for studying the fungal pathogenicity

Combined Treatment with Electrocauterization, Carbon Dioxide Laser, and Microneedle Fractional Radiofrequency for Facial Angiofibromas in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex: A Case Report and Literature Review

ABSTRACT: Tuberous sclerosis complex is a type of genetic multisystem disease that causes hamartomas in various organs. Facial angiofibromas commonly occur in 80% of patients and are prominently distributed over the cheek, chin, and nasolabial folds with severe disfigurement and emotional distress. Recently, photoelectric devices have been identified for the treatment of angiofibromas with great efficacy and fewer side effects. We report a case of a 42-year-old man with facial angiofibromas, who was treated with a combination of high-frequency electrocauterization, Ultrapulse CO2 laser, and microneedle fractional radiofrequency with 7 sessions and a 6-month follow-up. The patient showed great improvement in relation to the elevated lesions and nodules. A low recurrence rate was observed. This is the first study to investigate the efficacy of high-frequency electrocauterization and microneedle fractional radiofrequency in angiofibromas. It may provide an optimal approach for clinicians wherein a combined treatment of various lasers and electric devices is effective for complicated, protuberant, and firm angiofibromas of specific patients

Ferroelectricity in a semiconducting all-inorganic halide perovskite.

Ferroelectric semiconductors are rare materials with both spontaneous polarizations and visible light absorptions that are promising for designing functional photoferroelectrics, such as optical switches and ferroelectric photovoltaics. The emerging halide perovskites with remarkable semiconducting properties also have the potential of being ferroelectric, yet the evidence of robust ferroelectricity in the typical three-dimensional hybrid halide perovskites has been elusive. Here, we report on the investigation of ferroelectricity in all-inorganic halide perovskites, CsGeX3, with bandgaps of 1.6 to 3.3 eV. Their ferroelectricity originates from the lone pair stereochemical activity in Ge (II) that promotes the ion displacement. This gives rise to their spontaneous polarizations of ~10 to 20 μC/cm2, evidenced by both ab initio calculations and key experiments including atomic-level ionic displacement vector mapping and ferroelectric hysteresis loop measurement. Furthermore, characteristic ferroelectric domain patterns on the well-defined CsGeBr3 nanoplates are imaged with both piezo-response force microscopy and nonlinear optical microscopic method