Formation of a group of younger school age children using games and drama lessons (Project)

Time-lapse recordings demonstrating the lack of the intravascular rolling and adhesion of leukocytes in C3 −/− mice after intraventricular LPS injection (4 h). Rolling leukocytes were defined as those cells moving at a velocity less than that of erythrocytes. Cells were considered adherent if they remained stationary for at least 30 s in a distance of 100 μm. (MOV 750 kb

Magnetic Field-Induced Spin Nematic Phase Up to Room Temperature in Epitaxial Antiferromagnetic FeTe Thin Films Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Electronic nematicity, where strong correlations drive electrons to align in a way that lowers the crystal symmetry, is ubiquitous among unconventional superconductors. Understanding the interplay of such a nematic state with other electronic phases underpins the complex behavior of these materials and the potential for tuning their properties through external stimuli. Here, we report magnetic field-induced spin nematicity in a model system tetragonal FeTe, the parent compound of iron chalcogenide superconductors, which exhibits a bicollinear antiferromagnetic order. The studies were conducted on epitaxial FeTe thin films grown on SrTiO3(001) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy, where the bicollinear antiferromagnetic order was confirmed by in situ atomic resolution scanning tunneling microscopy imaging. A 2-fold anisotropy is observed in in-plane angle-dependent magnetoresistance measurements, indicative of magnetic field-induced nematicity. Such 2-fold anisotropy persists up to 300 K, well-above the bicollinear antiferromagnetic ordering temperature of 75 K, indicating a magnetic field-induced spin nematic phase up to room temperature in the antiferromagnet FeTe

Amiloride facilitates plasmid entry <i>in vitro</i>.

<p>Cy5-pEGFP entry into cell lines with or without 1 mM amiloride was analyzed after 2 h and is shown as the percentage of cells that were Cy5⁺. Expression of GFP was analyzed at day 3 and is shown as percentage of EGFP⁺Cy5⁺, on RAW264.7 (A, B, C), JAWSII (D, E), and DC2.4 (F, G). Data represent one of three independent experiments.</p

Monoterpenoid Indole Alkaloids from <i>Kopsia officinalis</i> and the Immunosuppressive Activity of Rhazinilam

Six new monoterpenoid indole alkaloids, kopsinidines C–E (<b>1</b>–<b>3</b>), 11,12-methylenedioxychanofruticosinic acid (<b>4</b>), 12-methoxychanofruticosinic acid (<b>5</b>), and <i>N</i>(4)-methylkopsininate (<b>7</b>), as well as chanofruticosinic acid (<b>6</b>, as a natural product) and 23 known alkaloids, were obtained from the twigs and leaves of <i>Kopsia officinalis</i>. Their structures were characterized by physical data analysis. All isolated compounds were evaluated for their immunosuppressive activity on human T cell proliferation. Rhazinilam (<b>29</b>) significantly inhibited human T cell proliferation activated by anti-CD3/anti-CD28 antibodies (IC₅₀ = 1.0 μM) and alloantigen stimulation (IC₅₀ = 1.1 μM) without obvious cytotoxicity for naïve human T cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (0–320 μM). Although it did not affect T cell activation, it induced T cell cycle arrest in the G₂/M phase and inhibited proinflammatory cytokine production in activated T cells

Amiloride enhances adaptive immunity against HBV S2.

<p>Naïve C57 mice were immunized s.c. with pcD-S2 at various concentrations with or without amiloride in the hind footpad four times using the immunization scheme as shown (A). Seven days after the last immunization, animals (n = 3) were used to test anti-S2 IgG antibody titer (B) and delayed hypersensitivity (DTH) response after re-stimulation with 1 µg sAg <i>s.c.</i> in a hind footpad for 24 h (C). PBS was added as negative control. *, statistical significance among all groups. Another 3 animals were used to test HBV S208–215 specific lysis <i>in vitro</i> (D) and <i>in vivo</i> (E). Hepatocytes from HBV Alb1 trangenic mice were used as targets mixed with effectors from the immunized mice, or transferred into the immunized mice before the analysis of specific lysis <i>in vitro</i> (F) and <i>in vivo</i> (G). *, statistical significance between +/− amiloride.</p

Amiloride increases the frequency of triple positive CD8 T cells.

<p>Splenocytes from mice immunized with pcD-S2 with or without amiloride (n = 3) were re-stimulated in vitro with 10 µg/ml S208–215 for 12 h (A-C), or 10 µg/ml HBsAg for 24 h (D), then cytokine secretion was blocked by monensin for 6 h. PMA or Ionomycin stimulating splenocyte of pcD-S2 immunized mice was added as positive controls. Cells stained with anti-CD3 and anti-CD8 were gated and then used for intracellular staining with single or multiple fluorescent-labeled antibodies. A shows the proportion of responsive cells in the total CD8⁺ T cells with or without amiloride treatment. These responsive cells were designated as either IFN-γ⁺, perforin⁺, or granzymeB⁺ cells. B shows the cytokine expression pattern in the responsive CD8 T cells with or without amiloride treatment. C shows the dose dependent effects of amiloride on the frequency of (IFN-γ⁺perforin⁺granzymeB⁺) triple positive cells. D shows the change in frequency of triple positive cells in response to HBsAg re-stimulation. The change in frequency of triple positive cells after co-culture with peritoneal macrophages followed by re-stimulation with S208–215 (E), or with spleno-DC (F) are also shown. Data represent three independent experiments with similar results.</p

Amiloride accelerates plasmid entry <i>in vivo</i>.

<p>Naïve C57 mice (n = 3) were immunized with Cy5-pEGFP <i>s.c.</i> in hind footpad with (right side) or without (left side) amiloride. Lymph node cells were collected after 4 h (Cy5⁺ cells) and after 24 h (GFP⁺ cells) and examined for proportion (B, D) and subtype (C, E) of stained cells from both draining and control lymph nodes. * in B and D, statistical significance between control and draining lymph nodes in all treated groups.</p

Calophyline A, a New Rearranged Monoterpenoid Indole Alkaloid from <i>Winchia calophylla</i>

Calophyline A (<b>1</b>), a novel unprecedented rearranged monoterpenoid indole alkaloid, along with a new natural product <i>N</i>-methyl aspidodasycarpine (<b>2</b>) and six known analogues, was isolated from the trunk barks of <i>Winchia calophylla</i>. The structure of compound <b>1</b> was elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data and then confirmed by a single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analysis. A hypothetical biogenetic pathway for compound <b>1</b> was proposed. All isolated compounds were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxicity against a small panel of human cancer cell lines

Calophyline A, a New Rearranged Monoterpenoid Indole Alkaloid from <i>Winchia calophylla</i>

Calophyline A (<b>1</b>), a novel unprecedented rearranged monoterpenoid indole alkaloid, along with a new natural product <i>N</i>-methyl aspidodasycarpine (<b>2</b>) and six known analogues, was isolated from the trunk barks of <i>Winchia calophylla</i>. The structure of compound <b>1</b> was elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data and then confirmed by a single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analysis. A hypothetical biogenetic pathway for compound <b>1</b> was proposed. All isolated compounds were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxicity against a small panel of human cancer cell lines

Size- and Shape-Controlled Synthesis and Properties of Magnetic–Plasmonic Core–Shell Nanoparticles

Magnetic–plasmonic core–shell nanomaterials offer a wide range of applications across science, engineering, and biomedical disciplines. However, the ability to synthesize and understand magnetic–plasmonic core–shell nanoparticles with tunable sizes and shapes remains very limited. This work reports experimental and computational studies on the synthesis and properties of iron oxide–gold core–shell nanoparticles of three different shapes (sphere, popcorn, and star) with controllable sizes (70 to 250 nm). The nanoparticles were synthesized via a seed-mediated growth method in which newly formed gold atoms were added onto gold-seeded iron oxide octahedrons to form a gold shell. The evolution of the shell into different shapes was found to occur after the coalescence of gold seeds, which was achieved by controlling the amount of additive (silver nitrate) and reducing agent (ascorbic acid) in the growth solution. First-principles calculation, together with experimental results, elucidated the intimate roles of thermodynamic and kinetic parameters in the shape-controlled synthesis. Both discrete dipole approximation calculation and experimental results showed that the nanopopcorns and nanostars exhibited red-shifted plasmon resonance compared with the nanospheres, with the nanostars giving multispectral feature. This research has made a great step further in manipulating and understanding magnetic–plasmonic hybrid nanostructures and will make an important impact in many different fields