Probiotics (Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011 and acidophilus R0052) Reduce the Expression of Toll-Like Receptor 4 in Mice with Alcoholic Liver Disease

Objective The role of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR 4) in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) has been widely established. We evaluated the biological effects of probiotics (Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011 and acidophilus R0052), KRG (Korea red ginseng), and urushiol (Rhus verniciflua Stokes) on ALD, including their effects on normal and high-fat diet in mice. Methods One hundred C57BL/6 mice were classified into normal (N) and high-fat diet (H) groups. Each group was divided into 5 sub-groups: control, alcohol, alcohol+probiotics, alcohol+KRG, and alcohol+urushiol. A liver function test, histology, electron-microscopy, interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-6, and IL-10, and TLR 4 were evaluated and compared. Results In the N group, probiotics, KRG, and urushiol significantly reduced levels of TNF-α (12.3±5.1, 13.4±3.9, and 12.1±4.3 vs. 27.9±15.2 pg/mL) and IL-1β (108.4±39.4, 75.0±51.0, and 101.1±26.8 vs. 162.4±37.5 pg/mL), which were increased by alcohol. Alcohol-induced TLR 4 expression was reduced by probiotics and urushiol (0.7±0.2, and 0.8±0.1 vs. 1.0±0.3, p<0.001). In the H group, IL-10 was significantly increased by probiotics and KRG, compared with alcohol (25.3±15.6 and 20.4±6.2 vs. 7.6±5.6 pg/mL) and TLR 4 expression was reduced by probiotics (0.8±0.2 vs. 1.0±0.3, p = 0.007). Conclusions Alcohol-induced TLR 4 expression was down-regulated by probiotics in the normal and high-fat diet groups. Probiotics, KRG, and urushiol might be effective in the treatment of ALD by regulating the gut-liver axis

Improved cortical activity and reduced gait asymmetry during poststroke self-paced walking rehabilitation

Background For patients with gait impairment due to neurological disorders, body weight-supported treadmill training (BWSTT) has been widely used for gait rehabilitation. On a conventional (passive) treadmill that runs at a constant speed, however, the level of patient engagement and cortical activity decreased compared with gait training on the ground. To increase the level of cognitive engagement and brain activity during gait rehabilitation, a self-paced (active) treadmill is introduced to allow patients to actively control walking speed, as with overground walking. Methods To validate the effects of self-paced treadmill walking on cortical activities, this paper presents a clinical test with stroke survivors. We hypothesized that cortical activities on the affected side of the brain would also increase during active walking because patients have to match the target walking speed with the affected lower limbs. Thus, asymmetric gait patterns such as limping or hobbling might also decrease during active walking. Results Although the clinical test was conducted in a short period, the patients showed higher cognitive engagement, improved brain activities assessed by electroencephalography (EEG), and decreased gait asymmetry with the self-paced treadmill. As expected, increases in the spectral power of the low γ and β bands in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), premotor cortex (PMC), and supramarginal gyrus (SG) were found, which are possibly related to processing sensory data and planning voluntary movements. In addition, these changes in cortical activities were also found with the affected lower limbs during the swing phase. Since our treadmill controller tracked the swing speed of the leg to control walking speed, such results imply that subjects made substantial effort to control their affected legs in the swing phase to match the target walking speed. Conclusions The patients also showed reduced gait asymmetry patterns. Based on the results, the self-paced gait training system has the potential to train the symmetric gait and to promote the related cortical activities after stroke. Trial registration Not applicableThis work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) Grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No. NRF-2020R1A2C2012641). This study has also been supported by Grant numbers (16-2016-003, 16-2017004) from the SNUBH-KAIST Collaboration Research Fund

Cordycepin induces apoptosis of human ovarian cancer cells by inhibiting CCL5-mediated Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway

The chemokine, CCL5, is a key mediator for the recruitment of immune cells into tumors and tissues. Akt/NF-κB signaling is significantly activated by CCL5. However, the role of NF-κB inactivation in apoptosis induced by negative regulation of CCL5 remains unclear. Here, we analyzed the effect of cordycepin on NF-κB activity in SKOV-3 cells and found that cordycepin-mediated inhibition of NF-κB signaling induced apoptosis in SKOV-3 cells via the serial activation of caspases. In addition, immune-blotting analysis showed that CCL5 is highly expressed in SKOV-3 cells. In addition to activating caspases, we show that, cordycepin prevents TNF-α-induced increase in CCL5, Akt, NF-κB, and c-FLIPL activation and that CCL5 siRNA could inhibit Akt/NF-κB signaling. Moreover, cordycepin negatively regulated the TNF-α-mediated IκB/NF-κB pathway and c-FLIPL activation to promote JNK phosphorylation, resulting in caspase-3 activation and apoptosis. Also, we show that c-FLIPL is rapidly lost in NF-κB activation-deficient. siRNA mediated c-FLIP inhibition increased JNK. SP600125, a selective JNK inhibitor, downregulated p-JNK expression in cordycepin-treated SKOV-3 cells, leading to suppression of cordycepin-induced apoptosis. Thus, these results indicate that cordycepin inhibits CCL5-mediated Akt/NF-κB signaling, which upregulates caspase-3 activation in SKOV-3 cells, supporting the potential of cordycepin as a therapeutic agent for ovarian cancer

Effects of Korean Red Ginseng (Panax ginseng), urushiol (Rhus vernicifera Stokes), and probiotics (Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011 and Lactobacillus acidophilus R0052) on the gut–liver axis of alcoholic liver disease

AbstractBackgroundRoles of immune reaction and toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) have widely been established in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease (ALD).MethodsWe evaluated the biologic efficacy of Korean Red Ginseng (KRG), urushiol, and probiotics (Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011 and Lactobacillus acidophilus R0052) in mouse models of ALD. Sixty C57BL/6 mice were equally divided into six feeding groups for 10 weeks: normal diet, alcohol, control, alcohol + KRG, alcohol + urushiol, and alcohol + probiotics. Alcohol was administered via a Lieber–DeCarli liquid diet containing 10% alcohol. TLR-4 expression, proinflammatory cytokines, and histology, as well as the results of liver function tests were evaluated and compared.ResultsNo between-group differences were observed with regard to liver function. TLR-4 levels were significantly lower in the KRG, urushiol, and probiotics groups than in the alcohol group (0.37 ± 0.06 ng/mL, 0.39 ± 0.12 ng/mL, and 0.33 ± 0.07 ng/mL, respectively, vs. 0.88 ± 0.31 ng/mL; p < 0.05). Interleukin-1β levels in liver tissues were decreased among the probiotics and KRG groups. The tumor necrosis factor-α level of liver tissue was decreased in the KRG group.ConclusionThe pathological findings showed that alcohol-induced steatosis was significantly reduced by KRG and urushiol. As these agents improve immunologic capacity, they may be considered in potential anti-ALD treatments

Growth kinetics and atomistic mechanisms of native oxidation of ZrSx_xSe2−x_{2-x} and MoS2_2 crystals

A thorough understanding of native oxides is essential for designing semiconductor devices. Here we report a study of the rate and mechanisms of spontaneous oxidation of bulk single crystals of ZrS$_x$Se$_{2-x}$ alloys and MoS$_2$. ZrS$_x$Se$_{2-x}$ alloys oxidize rapidly, and the oxidation rate increases with Se content. Oxidation of basal surfaces is initiated by favorable O$_2$ adsorption and proceeds by a mechanism of Zr-O bond switching, that collapses the van der Waals gaps, and is facilitated by progressive redox transitions of the chalcogen. The rate-limiting process is the formation and out-diffusion of SO$_2$. In contrast, MoS$_2$ basal surfaces are stable due to unfavorable oxygen adsorption. Our results provide insight and quantitative guidance for designing and processing semiconductor devices based on ZrS$_x$Se$_{2-x}$ and MoS$_2$, and identify the atomistic-scale mechanisms of bonding and phase transformations in layered materials with competing anions

Lead-free piezoceramics - Where to move on?

Lead-free piezoceramics aiming at replacing the market-dominant lead-based ones have been extensively searched for more than a decade worldwide. Some noteworthy outcomes such as the advent of commercial products for certain applications have been reported, but the goal, i.e., the invention of a lead-free piezocermic, the performance of which is equivalent or even superior to that of PZT-based piezoceramics, does not seem to be fulfilled yet. Nevertheless, the academic effort already seems to be culminated, waiting for a guideline to a future research direction. We believe that a driving force for a restoration of this research field needs to be found elsewhere, for example, intimate collaborations with related industries. For this to be effectively realized, it would be helpful for academic side to understand the interests and demands of the industry side as well as to provide the industry with new scientific insights that would eventually lead to new applications. Therefore, this review covers some of the issues that are to be studied further and deeper, so-to-speak, lessons from the history of piezoceramics, and some technical issues that could be useful in better understanding the industry demands. As well, the efforts made in the industry side will be briefly introduced for the academic people to catch up with the recent trends and to be guided for setting up their future research direction effectively.ope