TNFAIP1 contributes to the neurotoxicity induced by Aβ25–35 in Neuro2a cells

Background: Amyloid-beta (Aβ) accumulation is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) that can lead to neuronal dysfunction and apoptosis. Tumor necrosis factor, alpha-induced protein 1 (TNFAIP1) is an apoptotic protein that was robustly induced in the transgenic C. elegans AD brains. However, the roles of TNFAIP1 in AD have not been investigated. Results: We found TNFAIP1 protein and mRNA levels were dramatically elevated in primary mouse cortical neurons and Neuro2a (N2a) cells exposed to Aβ25–35. Knockdown and overexpression of TNFAIP1 significantly attenuated and exacerbated Aβ25–35-induced neurotoxicity in N2a cells, respectively. Further studies showed that TNFAIP1 knockdown significantly blocked Aβ25–35-induced cleaved caspase 3, whereas TNFAIP1 overexpression enhanced Aβ25–35-induced cleaved caspase 3, suggesting that TNFAIP1 plays an important role in Aβ25–35-induced neuronal apoptosis. Moreover, we observed that TNFAIP1 was capable of inhibiting the levels of phosphorylated Akt and CREB, and also anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. TNFAIP1 overexpression enhanced the inhibitory effect of Aβ25–35 on the levels of p-CREB and Bcl-2, while TNFAIP1 knockdown reversed Aβ25–35-induced attenuation in the levels of p-CREB and Bcl-2. Conclusion: These results suggested that TNFAIP1 contributes to Aβ25–35-induced neurotoxicity by attenuating Akt/CREB signaling pathway, and Bcl-2 expression

Chemical Composition, Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oil from <i>Allium tenuissimum</i> L. Flowers

Allium tenuissimum L. as a kind of food condiment in northern China, is popular among more and more consumers owning to its special flavor from the flower. However, its composition has not been widely studied. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the chemical composition and antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of essential oil from Allium tenuissimum L. flowers. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was applied to detect the chemical composition. The antimicrobial activity against foodborne pathogens was evaluated by measuring the zones of inhibition (ZOI), the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), and the minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC). The antioxidant effect was tested by the scavenging capacity on DPPH, ABTS+•, and •OH. The results of GC-MS showed that 72 volatile components were isolated and the structures 68 of them were identified, which comprised about 91.92% of the total composition of the oil. Among these compounds, terpenoid compounds and sulfurous compounds had the highest contents, especially dimethyl trisulfide. Our investigation demonstrated that the essential oil has better antimicrobial efficiency to Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Aspergillus flavus, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In addition, the essential oil had a strong stability to UV. Furthermore, the essential oil exhibited a high radical-scavenging effect on DPPH, ABTS+•, and •OH, which is significant for application in the food industry. In conclusion, the essential oil could be used as an inexpensive and natural antibacterial and antioxidant agent in food

The clinical characteristics of autoimmune haemolytic anaemia/Evans syndrome patients with clonal immunoglobulin/T cell receptor gene rearrangement

Objective To investigate the clinical features of AIHA/ES patients with clonal Ig/TCR gene rearrangement. Methods Ig/TCR gene rearrangements were measured by BIOMED-2 PCR. 44 primary AIHA/ES patients were enrolled in the study. Clinical characteristics were analyzed and compared between patients with and without clonal Ig/TCR gene rearrangement. Results Clonal Ig/TCR rearrangements were identified in 34.09% (15/44) patients including 18.18% (8/44) clonal Ig rearrangement and 15.91% (7/44) clonal TCR rearrangement. 11.37% (5/44) patients showed TCR γ rearrangement, and 2.27% (1/44) patient showed β rearrangement. 2.27% (1/44) patient showed both γ and β chain rearrangement. The median ages of patients with Ig/TCR clonality (8 male and 7 female) and without Ig/TCR clonality (10 male and 19 female) were 60 (16 ∼ 81) and 53 (17 ∼ 78) years old, respectively. No significant differences were found in age or gender between the two groups (p = .26, p = .378). Hb and RBC of patients with Ig/TCR clonality [(64.31 ± 5.72) g/L, (1.78 ± 0.22) × 1012/L] were significantly lower than those of patients without Ig/TCR clonality (p = .0053 and p = .0189, respectively). The percentage of reticulocytes of Ig/TCR clonality group was obviously higher than that of patients without Ig/TCR clonality (p = .0248). No significant differences were found in levels of TBIL, IBIL, LDH, FHb, Hp, IgG, IgA, IgM, IgE, C3, C4, CD5+CD19+/CD19+ ratio, and CD3+CD4+/CD3+CD8+ ratio between the two groups. Treatment response of Ig/TCR clonality group occurred significantly later than that of the non-clonality group (p = .0016). There were no differences in relapse rate, time to recurrence, and duration of remission between two groups (p = .083, p = .72, and p = .61, respectively). Conclusion AIHA/ES patients with clonal Ig/TCR gene rearrangement presented more severe haemolysis and anaemia. Longer treatment is needed for these patients to obtain remission