25th annual computational neuroscience meeting: CNS-2016

The same neuron may play different functional roles in the neural circuits to which it belongs. For example, neurons in the Tritonia pedal ganglia may participate in variable phases of the swim motor rhythms [1]. While such neuronal functional variability is likely to play a major role the delivery of the functionality of neural systems, it is difficult to study it in most nervous systems. We work on the pyloric rhythm network of the crustacean stomatogastric ganglion (STG) [2]. Typically network models of the STG treat neurons of the same functional type as a single model neuron (e.g. PD neurons), assuming the same conductance parameters for these neurons and implying their synchronous firing [3, 4]. However, simultaneous recording of PD neurons shows differences between the timings of spikes of these neurons. This may indicate functional variability of these neurons. Here we modelled separately the two PD neurons of the STG in a multi-neuron model of the pyloric network. Our neuron models comply with known correlations between conductance parameters of ionic currents. Our results reproduce the experimental finding of increasing spike time distance between spikes originating from the two model PD neurons during their synchronised burst phase. The PD neuron with the larger calcium conductance generates its spikes before the other PD neuron. Larger potassium conductance values in the follower neuron imply longer delays between spikes, see Fig. 17.Neuromodulators change the conductance parameters of neurons and maintain the ratios of these parameters [5]. Our results show that such changes may shift the individual contribution of two PD neurons to the PD-phase of the pyloric rhythm altering their functionality within this rhythm. Our work paves the way towards an accessible experimental and computational framework for the analysis of the mechanisms and impact of functional variability of neurons within the neural circuits to which they belong

Application for SMS in Mobile Commerce (A Study on Building Mortgage for Bank)

The financing field of Taiwan facing a violent variation t in the recent years, a series of financing revolution and of lifting the ban of laws and decrees has brought forth a turning point of the existence for the line of finance. Only the financing unit may properly use the high-tech data, can an effective benefit be obtained, especially, the merger between financing units as well as crisscross sales, that reduce unnecessary expenditures of overhead for traders, and that transfer the saving cost and manpower into the product service corresponding with the demand of customer’s design to enhance the clients satisfaction and loyalty. In the year of Internet, CRM is the lifeblood to maintain the resource of customers for enterprises in the future; if an excellent relationship can be established with the customer, it shall be won their loyalties. The mobile communication with unlimited time and space, such a characteristic may develop the customer service into a maximum extent and let the users obtain the service easily. A mobile bank cooperated by each bank to promote the value-added service may provide with an intelligent mobile-phone system for transfers, inquiries, and payment. Through the cellular phone, it can be directly to contact with the bank to proceed with the balance inquiry, checking the particulars of transaction and the payment and transfers, as if it has a potable, private, confidential, and secure ATM. Research and development of the application with respect to the news flash provided by mobile bank, and taking the banking house loan as a topic to combine with wireless Internet tech, dealers and housing demanders are establishing a “Housing Loan Based upon the Protocol of Wireless Application”, of which the specific researching content is comprised of wireless transmission protocol, instant order to buy a house on-line, transacting the trade on-line, and integrating the system of house loan on-line. In conclusion, look forward to provide more conveniences of instant order to purchase a house through the substantial practice, and provide the service to transact the trade on-line to decrease enterprise’s time and manpower’s cost, combining with new high-tech development to enhance the service quality and competitiveness of the enterprise

Extraction of Antioxidant Components from Bidens pilosa Flowers and Their Uptake by Human Intestinal Caco-2 Cells

Bidens pilosa L. var. radiata (BPR, Asteraceae) is a commonly used folk medicine for treating various disorders such as diabetes, inflammation and hypertension. Recent studies to determine its chemical composition have revealed three di-O-caffeoylquinic acids (DiCQAs) and three polyacetylene glucosides (PGAs) to be among the major bioactive markers. To obtain the major compounds of these two chemical classes, the ethyl acetate fraction (EM) obtained using liquid-liquid partition from the methanol extract resulted in a fraction with the highest total phenolic and total flavonoid contents and antioxidant activities in radical scavenging and ferric reducing power assays. To assess the bioavailability of EM, we examined the in vitro uptake using the Caco-2 human colonic cell line. The apparent permeability coefficient (Papp) for each of the compounds within PGAs measured in both apical (AP) to basolateral (BL) and BL to AP was found to preferentially appear BL to AP direction, indicated that a basolateral to apical efflux system was detected in the study. DiCQAs had a lower efflux ratio than those from PGAs (2.32–3.67 vs. 6.03–78.36). Thus, it strongly implies that most of the DiCQAs are better absorbed than the PGAs

Innovative Purification Method of Ovatodiolide from Anisomeles indica to Induce Apoptosis in Human Gastric Cancer Cells

Ovatodiolide (Ova), found in the plant Anisomeles indica (AI), has been reported to have an anti-proliferation effect in various cancer cells. However, little information is available regarding the anti-cancer effect of Ova in human gastric cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effects and the mechanisms of action responsible for these effects on human AGS cell lines from a newly developed purification technique for Ova from AI extract. Extract obtained at the optimum condition of 95% ethanol extraction of AI was sequentially partitioned by using different polarity solvents. Enriched content of Ova (35.9% purity) from the n-hexane fraction was then applied to the purification by using centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC) in a two-phase solvent system consisting of n-hexane:ethyl acetate:methanol:water (1.0:1.0:1.0:1.0, v/v/v/v) to reach purity over >95.0%. In evaluation of the anti-proliferation effect on AGS cells, Ova induced cell apoptosis with IC50 values of 13.02 and 6.18 μM at 24 and 48 h, respectively, and arrested the cells at the G2/M phase. Quantification of Bax/Bcl2 mRNA expressions using qPCR showed a 2.5-fold increase in the Ova (5 μM)-treated cells at 48 h than in the control group. Specific protein expression data warrant further research to further confirm the proposed Ova-induced apoptotic pathway in AGS cells

Potential Protection Effect of ER Homeostasis of N⁶-(2-Hydroxyethyl)adenosine Isolated from <i>Cordyceps cicadae</i> in Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug-Stimulated Human Proximal Tubular Cells

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) belong to a class of universally and commonly used anti-inflammatory analgesics worldwide. A diversity of drawbacks of NSAIDs have been reported including cellular oxidative stress, which in turn triggers the accumulation of unfolded proteins, enhancing endoplasmic reticulum stress, and finally resulting in renal cell damage. Cordyceps cicadae (CC) has been used as a traditional medicine for improving renal function via its anti-inflammatory effects. N6-(2-hydroxyethyl)adenosine (HEA), a physiologically active compound, has been reported from CC mycelia (CCM) with anti-inflammatory effects. We hypothesize that HEA could protect human proximal tubular cells (HK–2) from NSAID-mediated effects on differential gene expression at the mRNA and protein levels. To verify this, we first isolated HEA from CCM using Sephadex® LH–20 column chromatography. The MTT assay revealed HEA to be nontoxic up to 100 µM toward HK–2 cells. The HK–2 cells were pretreated with HEA (10–20 µM) and then insulted with the NSAIDs diclofenac (DCF, 200 µM) and meloxicam (MXC, 400 µM) for 24 h. HEA (20 µM) effectively prevented ER stress by attenuating ROS production (p < 0.001) and gene expression of ATF–6, PERK, IRE1α, CDCFHOP, IL1β, and NFκB within 24 h. Moreover, HEA reversed the increase of GRP78 and CHOP protein expression levels induced by DCF and MXC, and restored the ER homeostasis. These results demonstrated that HEA treatments effectively protect against DCF- and MXC-induced ER stress damage in human proximal tubular cells through regulation of the GRP78/ATF6/PERK/IRE1α/CHOP pathway

Potential Protection Effect of ER Homeostasis of N6-(2-Hydroxyethyl)adenosine Isolated from Cordyceps cicadae in Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug-Stimulated Human Proximal Tubular Cells

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) belong to a class of universally and commonly used anti-inflammatory analgesics worldwide. A diversity of drawbacks of NSAIDs have been reported including cellular oxidative stress, which in turn triggers the accumulation of unfolded proteins, enhancing endoplasmic reticulum stress, and finally resulting in renal cell damage. Cordyceps cicadae (CC) has been used as a traditional medicine for improving renal function via its anti-inflammatory effects. N6-(2-hydroxyethyl)adenosine (HEA), a physiologically active compound, has been reported from CC mycelia (CCM) with anti-inflammatory effects. We hypothesize that HEA could protect human proximal tubular cells (HK–2) from NSAID-mediated effects on differential gene expression at the mRNA and protein levels. To verify this, we first isolated HEA from CCM using Sephadex® LH–20 column chromatography. The MTT assay revealed HEA to be nontoxic up to 100 µM toward HK–2 cells. The HK–2 cells were pretreated with HEA (10–20 µM) and then insulted with the NSAIDs diclofenac (DCF, 200 µM) and meloxicam (MXC, 400 µM) for 24 h. HEA (20 µM) effectively prevented ER stress by attenuating ROS production (p &lt; 0.001) and gene expression of ATF–6, PERK, IRE1α, CDCFHOP, IL1β, and NFκB within 24 h. Moreover, HEA reversed the increase of GRP78 and CHOP protein expression levels induced by DCF and MXC, and restored the ER homeostasis. These results demonstrated that HEA treatments effectively protect against DCF- and MXC-induced ER stress damage in human proximal tubular cells through regulation of the GRP78/ATF6/PERK/IRE1α/CHOP pathway

<i>Schisandra chinensis</i> Peptidoglycan-Assisted Transmembrane Transport of Lignans Uniquely Altered the Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Mechanisms in Human HepG2 Cell Model

<div><p><i>Schisandra chinensis</i> (Turz Baill) (<i>S. chinensis</i>) (SC) fruit is a hepatoprotective herb containing many lignans and a large amount of polysaccharides. A novel polysaccharide (called SC-2) was isolated from SC of MW 841 kDa, which exhibited a protein-to-polysaccharide ratio of 0.4089, and showed a characteristic FTIR spectrum of a peptidoglycan. Powder X-ray diffraction revealed microcrystalline structures within SC-2. SC-2 contained 10 monosaccharides and 15 amino acids (essential amino acids of 78.12%w/w). In a HepG2 cell model, SC-2 was shown by MTT and TUNEL assay to be completely non-cytotoxic. A kinetic analysis and fluorescence-labeling technique revealed no intracellular disposition of SC-2. Combined treatment of lignans with SC-2 enhanced the intracellular transport of schisandrin B and deoxyschisandrin but decreased that of gomisin C, resulting in alteration of cell-killing bioactivity. The Second Law of Thermodynamics allows this type of unidirectional transport. Conclusively, SC-2 alters the transport and cell killing capability by a “Catcher-Pitcher Unidirectional Transport Mechanism”.</p></div

The overall free energy changes during the transport of <i>S. chinensislignans</i> from the extracellular into the intracellular compartment^a.

a<p>Free energy changes = −RTℓnK_eq(J). R = 8.314 JK⁻¹ mol⁻¹. T = 310 K.</p>b<p>K_eq′ is a pseudoequilibrium constant. K is the amount of outer membrane concentration defined in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0085165#pone-0085165-t005" target="_blank">Table 5</a>.</p>c<p>Value of ΔG₃ was exampled by the largest value (of deoxyschisandrin) among these three lignans (be referred to <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0085165#pone-0085165-t002" target="_blank">Table 2</a>).</p>d<p>The value K_eq in calculation of ΔG_0,4 in reality is not an equilibrium constant because reversible reaction does not occur in the intracellular degradation process. The value was estimated by the difference between the initial and the final conditions (be referred to text).</p

The cytotoxicity and HepG2 cell killing-capability of dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans in the presence and absence of its coexisting glycoproteinSC-2^a.

a<p>Dose of SC-2 (MW: 841 kDa): 1 mg/mL ( = 1.1891×10⁻³ mM) (^*<i>p</i><0.05; ^**<i>p</i><0.01).</p>b<p>Killing capability was measured within the linearity range of viability-dose in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0085165#pone-0085165-g005" target="_blank">Fig. 5A and 5B</a>.</p