169 research outputs found
Polysaccharides obtained from mycelia of Cordyceps militaris attenuated doxorubicin-induced cytotoxic effects in chemotherapy
Objectives: Fungus Cordyceps militaris has been used as a herbal tonic in traditional Chinese medicine, which could be surface liquid-cultured for mycelia production. To evaluate the potential of polysaccharides obtained from mycelia of Cordyceps militaris (PS-MCM) for attenuation of side-effects of chemotherapy.Methods: Doxorubicin was used to induce cytotoxicity in THP-1 monocytes and EL-4 T cells, and the effects of PS-MCM on cell viability and cytokine production were detected on doxorubicin-treated THP-1 and EL-4 cells.Results: PS-MCM reduced doxorubicin-induced cell death and promoted cell proliferation in THP-1 and EL-4 cells. Moreover, PS-MCM elevated the level of cytokines associated with immune-modulation of THP-1 and EL-4 cells.Conclusion: These findings indicate that PS-MCM has potential for development as a functional food to counteract side effects of chemotherapy.Keywords: Cordyceps militaris, traditional Chinese medicine, doxorubicin, chemotherapy, immunotherapy
The Impact of Climate Change on Rainfall Frequency in Taiwan
The purpose of this research is to assess climate change impacts on rainfall frequency in Taiwan. The changes in future precipitation were projected statistically from general circulation model (GCM) outputs. Based on five downscaled GCM outputs [China’s FGOALS-g1.0, Japan’s CGCM2.3.2, the USA’s CM2.0, Canada’s CGCM3(T47), and France’s CM3] under the SRES A1B scenario, the frequency of the maximum consecutive dry days and maximum 1-, 2-, and 3-day rainfall during 2080 - 2099 are evaluated and compared with those in the period of 1980 - 1999. The results show that by the end of the 21st century, the risk of droughts and floods over Taiwan has a tendency to increase. The distribution of water resources in Taiwan will be more uneven, with a noticeable change in the ratio of wet and dry seasons. Due to these climate change impacts, future water conservation work will be a major challenge for governments
Polysaccharides obtained from mycelia of Cordyceps militaris attenuated doxorubicin-induced cytotoxic effects in chemotherapy
Objectives: Fungus Cordyceps militaris has been used as a herbal tonic
in traditional Chinese medicine, which could be surface liquid-cultured
for mycelia production. To evaluate the potential of polysaccharides
obtained from mycelia of Cordyceps militaris (PS-MCM) for attenuation
of side-effects of chemotherapy. Methods: Doxorubicin was used to
induce cytotoxicity in THP-1 monocytes and EL-4 T cells, and the
effects of PS-MCM on cell viability and cytokine production were
detected on doxorubicin-treated THP-1 and EL-4 cells. Results: PS-MCM
reduced doxorubicin-induced cell death and promoted cell proliferation
in THP-1 and EL-4 cells. Moreover, PS-MCM elevated the level of
cytokines associated with immune-modulation of THP-1 and EL-4 cells.
Conclusion: These findings indicate that PS-MCM has potential for
development as a functional food to counteract side effects of
chemotherapy. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v19i2.40 Cite as:
Lin R-K, Choong C-Y, Hsu W-H, Tai C-J, Tai C-J. Polysaccharides
obtained from mycelia of Cordyceps militaris attenuated
doxorubicin-induced cytotoxic effects in chemotherapy. Afri Health
Sci.2019;19(2): 2156-2163. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v19i2.4
Experimental evidence for Berry curvature multipoles in antiferromagnets
Berry curvature multipoles appearing in topological quantum materials have
recently attracted much attention. Their presence can manifest in novel
phenomena, such as nonlinear anomalous Hall effects (NLAHE). The notion of
Berry curvature multipoles extends our understanding of Berry curvature effects
on the material properties. Hence, research on this subject is of fundamental
importance and may also enable future applications in energy harvesting and
high-frequency technology. It was shown that a Berry curvature dipole can give
rise to a 2nd order NLAHE in materials of low crystalline symmetry. Here, we
demonstrate a fundamentally new mechanism for Berry curvature multipoles in
antiferromagnets that are supported by the underlying magnetic symmetries.
Carrying out electric transport measurements on the kagome antiferromagnet
FeSn, we observe a 3rd order NLAHE, which appears as a transverse voltage
response at the 3rd harmonic frequency when a longitudinal a.c. current drive
is applied. Interestingly, this NLAHE is strongest at and above room
temperature. We combine these measurements with a scaling law analysis, a
symmetry analysis, model calculations, first-principle calculations, and
magnetic Monte-Carlo simulations to show that the observed NLAHE is induced by
a Berry curvature quadrupole appearing in the spin-canted state of FeSn. At a
practical level, our study establishes NLAHE as a sensitive probe of
antiferromagnetic phase transitions in other materials, such as moir\'e
superlattices, two-dimensional van der Waal magnets, and quantum spin liquid
candidates, that remain poorly understood to date. More broadly, Berry
curvature multipole effects are predicted to exist for 90 magnetic point
groups. Hence, our work opens a new research area to study a variety of
topological magnetic materials through nonlinear measurement protocols
Destabilization of Fatty Acid Synthase by Acetylation Inhibits De Novo Lipogenesis and Tumor Cell Growth
Fatty acid synthase (FASN) is the terminal enzyme in de novo lipogenesis and plays a key role in cell proliferation. Pharmacological inhibitors of FASN are being evaluated in clinical trials for treatment of cancer, obesity and other diseases. Here we report a previously unknown mechanism of FASN regulation involving its acetylation by KAT8 and its deacetylation by HDAC3. FASN acetylation promoted its degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. FASN acetylation enhanced its association with the E3 ubiquitin-ligase TRIM21. Acetylation destabilized FASN and resulted in decreased de novo lipogenesis and tumor cell growth. FASN acetylation was frequently reduced in human hepatocellular carcinoma samples, which correlated with increased HDAC3 expression and FASN protein levels. Our results suggest opportunities to target FASN acetylation as an anticancer strategy
Integration, Launch, and First Results from IDEASSat/INSPIRESat-2 - A 3U CubeSat for Ionospheric Physics and Multi-National Capacity Building
The Ionospheric Dynamics and Attitude Subsystem Satellite (IDEASSat) is a 3U CubeSat carrying a Compact Ionospheric Probe (CIP) to detect ionospheric irregularities that can impact the usability and accuracy of global satellite navigation systems (GNSS), as well as satellite and terrestrial over the horizon communications. The spacecraft was developed by National Central University (NCU) in Taiwan, with additional development and operational support from partners in the International Satellite Program in Science and Education (INSPIRE) consortium. The spacecraft system needed to accommodate these mission objectives required three axis attitude control, dual band communications capable of supporting both tracking, telemetry and command (TT&C) and science data downlink, as well as flight software and ground systems capable of supporting the autonomous operation and short contact times inherent to a low Earth orbit mission developed on a limited university budget with funding agency-imposed constraints. As the first spacecraft developed at NCU, lessons learned during the development, integration, and operation of IDEASSat have proven to be crucial to the objective of developing a sustainable small satellite program. IDEASSat was launched successfully on January 24, 2021 aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter 1 flight. and successfully began operations, demonstrating power, thermal, and structural margins, as well as validation of uplink and downlink communications functionality, and autonomous operation. A serious anomaly occurred after 22 days on orbit when communication with the spacecraft were abruptly lost. Communication was re-established after 1.5 months for sufficient time to downlink stored flight data, which allowed the cause of the blackout to be identified to a high level of confidence and precision. In this paper, we will report on experiences and anomalies encountered during the final flight model integration and delivery, commissioning, and operations. The agile support from the international amateur radio community and INSPIRE partners were extremely helpful in this process, especially during the initial commissioning phase following launch. It is hoped that the lessons learned reported here will be helpful for other university teams working to develop spaceflight capacity
Cost-effectiveness analysis of neonatal hearing screening program in china: should universal screening be prioritized?
Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector
A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements
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