Apoptotic properties of polysaccharide isolated from fruiting bodies of medicinal mushroom Fomes fomentarius in human lung carcinoma cell line

AbstractMushrooms are known to complement chemotherapy and radiation therapy by countering the side effects of cancer. Recently, there has been great interest in isolation of novel bioactive compounds from mushrooms due to their numerous health beneficial effects. Chemically water-extractable polysaccharide (MFKF-AP1β), with a molecular weight of 12kDa, was isolated from fruiting bodies of mushroom Fomes fomentarius. In this research, we investigated the anti-tumor effects of MFKF-AP1β on human lung carcinoma A549 cells. Results showed that MFKF-AP1β markedly inhibited A549 cell growth in a dose-dependent manner based on the amount of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) released and morphological alterations. In addition, MFKF-AP1β induced cellular apoptosis by causing single-stranded DNA breakage, as evidenced by apoptosis assay. Furthermore, MFKF-AP1β (25–100μg/ml) significantly induced single-stranded DNA breakage in A549 cells, as shown by comet assay.Taken together, our results demonstrate that MFKF-AP1β has strong anti-tumor effects mediated through induction of apoptosis. Therefore, MFKF-AP1β could be useful in lung chemotherapy

Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) Stress Enhances Tip60 (A Histone Acetyltransferase) Binding to the Concanavalin A

Herein, we report that the concanavalin A binding of Tip60 (a target of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1-encoded transactivator Tat interacting protein 60 KD; a histone acetyltransferase; HAT) is enhanced as the result of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. The cell expression of Tip60 combined with site-directed mutagenesis analysis was used to identify the glutamine 324 residue as the lecithin binding (Concanavalin A; Con A) site. The Tip60 N324A mutant strain, which seems to be the Con A binding-deficient, was attenuated the protein-protein interactions with FE65 and its protein stability, but its ability of G0-G1 cell cycle arrest was not interrupted. Interestingly, both HAT activity and the nuclear localization of Tip60 N324A mutant were enhanced than those of Tip60 WT. Thus, our results indicate that the Con A binding deficient of Tip60 seems to be one of the most pivotal posttranslational modifications (such as N-glycosylation) for its functional regulation signal, which is generated in response to ER stress

Efficacy and Safety of Human Placental Extract Solution on Fatigue: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study

Introduction. Fatigue is a common symptom, but only a few effective treatments are available. This study was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of the human placental extract solution, which has been known to have a fatigue recovery effect. Methods. A total of 315 subjects were randomly assigned to three groups: group 1 (with Unicenta solution administration), group 2 (with exclusively human placental extract administration, excluding other ingredients from the Unicenta solution), and the placebo group. Subsequently, solutions were administered for four weeks. Results. The fatigue recovery rate was 71.00% in group 1, 71.72% in group 2, and 44.21% in the placebo group, which show statistically significant differences between the group 1 and the placebo group (P value = 0.0002), and between group 2 and the placebo group (P value = 0.0001). Conclusion. The human placental extract solution was effective in the improvement of fatigue

Quantum Optical Induced-Coherence Tomography by a Hybrid Interferometer

Quantum interferometry based on induced-coherence phenomena has demonstrated the possibility of undetected-photon measurements. Perturbation in the optical path of probe photons can be detected by interference signals generated by quantum mechanically correlated twin photons propagating through a different path, possibly at a different wavelength. To the best of our knowledge, this work demonstrates for the first time a hybrid-type induced-coherence interferometer that incorporates a Mach-Zehnder-type interferometer for visible photons and a Michelson-type interferometer for infrared photons, based on double-pass pumped spontaneous parametric down-conversion. This configuration enables infrared optical measurements via the detection of near-visible photons and provides methods for characterizing the quality of measurements by identifying photon pairs of different origins. The results verify that the induced-coherence interference visibility is approximately the same as the heralding efficiencies between twin photons along the relevant spatial modes. Applications to both time-domain and frequency-domain quantum-optical induced-coherence tomography for three-dimensional test structures are demonstrated. The results prove the feasibility of practical undetected-photon sensing and imaging techniques based on the presented structure

Adjunctive biomarkers for improving diagnosis of tuberculosis and monitoring therapeutic effects

SummaryObjectivesTo identify host biomarkers associated with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), active tuberculosis (TB), and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) diseases to improve diagnosis and effective anti-TB treatment.MethodsActive TB and NTM patients at diagnosis, recent TB contacts, and normal healthy subjects were recruited. Tuberculin skin tests, QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube tests, and multiplex bead arrays with 17 analytes were performed. TB patients were re-evaluated after 2 and 6 months of treatment.ResultsMycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) antigen-specific IFN-γ, IL-2, and CXCL10 responses were significantly higher in active TB and LTBI compared with controls (P < 0.01). Only serum VEGF levels varied between the active TB and LTBI groups (AUC = 0.7576, P < 0.001). Active TB and NTM diseases were differentiated by serum IL-2, IL-9, IL-13, IL-17, TNF-α and sCD40L levels (P < 0.05). Increased sCD40L and decreased M. tb antigen-specific IFN-γ levels correlated with sputum clearance of M. tb after 2 months of treatment (P < 0.001).ConclusionsSerum IL-2, IL-9, IL-13, IL-17, TNF-α, sCD40L and VEGF-A levels may be adjunctive biomarkers for differential diagnosis of active TB, LTBI, and NTM disease. Assessment of serum sCD40L and M. tb antigen-specific IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-2 levels could help predict successful anti-TB treatment in conjunction with M. tb clearance

The effect of voluntary IFRS adoption by unlisted fi rms on earnings quality and the cost of debt: empirical evidence from Korea

The present study empirically examines how voluntary International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adoption influences the earnings quality and the cost of debt of unlisted firms in Korea. Since 2011, when the adoption of IFRS by listed firms became mandatory, more unlisted firms have adopted IFRS voluntarily, improving the transparency and reliability of their accounting information. Using the sample of unlisted firms with 3year study period of preand post-IFRS adoption, we examine whether IFRS voluntary adopters show both lower discretionary accruals and the cost of debt than those of non adopters, and whether both discretionary accruals and the cost of debt of voluntary adopters decrease after IFRS adoption. We employ the Heckman's two stage approach in order to avoid sample selection bias and cross sectional pooled OLS regression with or without clustering test. We complimentary report the results from firm-fixed effect panel model to generalise the results. The results show that firms which adopt IFRS have a higher earnings quality and a lower cost of debt that those which do not. These findings suggest that when unlisted firms issue bonds and borrow money, IFRS adoption contributes to decreasing the cost of debt