Blocking IL-19 Signaling Ameliorates Allergen-Induced Airway Inflammation

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airway. Its major symptoms are reversible breathing problems causing airway narrowing and obstruction. IL-19 is a member of the IL-10 family cytokines. We previously showed that IL-19 induces T-helper 2 (Th2) cytokines and that asthma patients had higher serum IL-19 levels. To further examine whether inhibiting IL-19 and its receptor (IL-20R1) protected rodents against asthma, we used Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p; house dust mites) to induce chronic airway inflammation in wild-type C57BL/6 and IL-20R1-deficient mice and then analyzed the effect of the IL-20R1 deficiency on the pathogenesis of asthma. We also examined whether inhibiting IL-19 and IL-20R1 ameliorated Der p-induced chronic asthma. Der p induced IL-19 in lung airway epithelial cells, type 2 alveolar cells, and alveolar macrophages. An IL-20R1 deficiency abolished IL-19-induced Th2 cell differentiation in vitro. Th2 cytokine expression, immune cell infiltration in the bronchoalveolar lavage, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), and bronchial wall thickening were lower in Der p-challenged IL-20R1-deficient mice. Anti-IL-20R1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) 51D and IL-19 polyclonal antibody (pAb) both ameliorated Der p-induced AHR, lung immune cell infiltration, bronchial wall thickening, and Th2 cytokine expression. Moreover, we confirmed that anti-IL-19 mAb (1BB1) attenuated lung inflammation in a rat ovalbumin-induced asthma model. This is the first report to show that inhibition of IL-19 by targeting IL-19 or IL-20R1 protected rodents from allergic lung inflammation. Our study suggests that targeting IL-19 signaling might be a novel therapeutic strategy for treating allergic asthma

Low-cost wearable sensor based on a D-shaped plastic optical fiber for respiration monitoring

A low cost, wearable textile-based respiratory sensing system is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. A highly sensitive D-shaped plastic optical fiber (POF) sensor that responds to bending is integrated into an elastic band structure to form a respiratory sensing system. The curvature sensing experiments were conducted on the D-shaped POF sensor, which has a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.9977. The system can be used to monitor not only the respiratory rate (RR) of the human body under different movement states (resting, walking and running), but also the RR of steady and unsteady respiratory signals due to different physiological states. In addition, using the proposed signal processing technique, the interference of motion noise can be removed and the influence of body movement on the sensor response can be eliminated. The advantages of the system are its low cost, compactness and simplicity in design. Thus, the application of the proposed respiratory sensing system provides a simple and inexpensive optical solution for wearable health

<i>Bauhinia</i> (Leguminosae) Fossils from the Paleogene of Southwestern China and Its Species Accumulation in Asia

Extant Bauhinia (Leguminosae) is a genus of 300 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas, widely distributed in pantropical areas, but its diversification history in southeastern Asia, one of its centers of highest diversity, remains unclear. We report new fossils of three Bauhinia species with cuticular preservation from the Paleogene of Puyang Basin, southwestern China. Our finding likely extends the emergence of Bauhinia in Asia to the late Eocene. Together with previously reported fossil records, we show that the diversification of Bauhinia in Asia and the phenomenon of a small region harboring multiple Bauhinia species in southwestern China could be traced back to the Paleogene

Tapered microfiber MZI Biosensor for highly sensitive detection of Staphylococcus aureus

A new double-taper microfiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) biosensor is applied for Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) detection. The microfiber MZI structure is fabricated by creating two tapers along a traditional single mode fiber (SMF) firstly and tapering the SMF sandwiched between two tapers into very small diameter (in the order of micrometers). The measured refractive index (RI) sensitivity of the microfiber MZI is up to 2731.1 nm/RIU in the RI range of 1.34 when the taper waist diameter was 10.2 &#x03BC;m, which is in good agreement with numerical simulation results by using the beam propagation method (BPM). The microfiber MZI functionalized with pig immunoglobulin (pig IgG) could be used to specifically binding to S. aureus. In experiment, the maximum wavelength shift of 1.408 nm was achieved when the microfiber biosensors were immersed into S. aureus with concentration of 7&#x00D7;101 CFU/mL. The limit of detection (LoD) of the microfiber biosensor for S. aureus is calculated as low as 11 CFU/mL. The proposed microfiber MZI biosensor has advantages of simple structure configuration, high sensitivity, good repeatability and specificity, wide detection range and fast detection response time (&#x003C;30 minutes) and thus was demonstrated a good application prospect in food safety inspection, biochemical sensing, diseases and medical diagnostics

Transcriptome analysis and comparison reveal divergence between two invasive whitefly cryptic species

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Invasive species are valuable model systems for examining the evolutionary processes and molecular mechanisms associated with their specific characteristics by comparison with closely related species. Over the past 20 years, two species of the whitefly <it>Bemisia tabaci </it>species complex, Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1) and Mediterranean (MED), have both spread from their origin Middle East/Mediterranean to many countries despite their apparent differences in many life history parameters. Previously, we have sequenced the transcriptome of MED. In this study, we sequenced the transcriptome of MEAM1 and took a comparative genomic approach to investigate the transcriptome evolution and the genetic factors underlying the differences between MEAM1 and MED.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using Illumina sequencing technology, we generated 17 million sequencing reads for MEAM1. These reads were assembled into 57,741 unique sequences and 15,922 sequences were annotated with an E-value above 10^-5. Compared with the MED transcriptome, we identified 3,585 pairs of high quality orthologous genes and inferred their sequence divergences. The average differences in coding, 5' untranslated and 3' untranslated region were 0.83%, 1.66% and 1.43%, respectively. The level of sequence divergence provides additional support to the proposition that MEAM1 and MED are two species. Based on the ratio of nonsynonymous and synonymous substitutions, we identified 24 sequences that have evolved in response to positive selection. Many of those genes are predicted to be involved in metabolism and insecticide resistance which might contribute to the divergence of the two whitefly species.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our data present a comprehensive sequence comparison between the two invasive whitefly species. This study will provide a road map for future investigations on the molecular mechanisms underlying their biological differences.</p

Synthesis and applications of porous non-silica metal oxide submicrospheres

© 2016 Royal Society of Chemistry. Nowadays the development of submicroscale products of specific size and morphology that feature a high surface area to volume ratio, well-developed and accessible porosity for adsorbates and reactants, and are non-toxic, biocompatible, thermally stable and suitable as synergetic supports for precious metal catalysts is of great importance for many advanced applications. Complex porous non-silica metal oxide submicrospheres constitute an important class of materials that fulfill all these qualities and in addition, they are relatively easy to synthesize. This review presents a comprehensive appraisal of the methods used for the synthesis of a wide range of porous non-silica metal oxide particles of spherical morphology such as porous solid spheres, core-shell and yolk-shell particles as well as single-shell and multi-shell particles. In particular, hydrothermal and low temperature solution precipitation methods, which both include various structure developing strategies such as hard templating, soft templating, hydrolysis, or those taking advantage of Ostwald ripening and the Kirkendall effect, are reviewed. In addition, a critical assessment of the effects of different experimental parameters such as reaction time, reaction temperature, calcination, pH and the type of reactants and solvents on the structure of the final products is presented. Finally, the practical usefulness of complex porous non-silica metal oxide submicrospheres in sensing, catalysis, biomedical, environmental and energy-related applications is presented