Neuroprotective effects of delavatine A on LPS-induced activation of microglia in vitro and in a rat model of ischemia-reperfusion injury

Purpose: To investigate the neuroprotective effects of deloratine A on liposaccharide (LPS)-induced microglia activation in vitro and in a rat model of ischemia-reperfusion injury. Methods: LPS-induced microglial activation was successfully established in mouse microglia BV2 cell line. Then, the cells were randomly divided into model group, 2.5 μM delavatine A group, 5 μM delavatine A group, and 10 μM delavatine A group. The effect of delavatine A on the release of NO, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in BV2 cells was determined. In the vivo studies, 21 male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were used to establish a rat model of ischemia-reperfusion injury, and effect of delavatine A on neural function and cerebral infarction area was determined. Results: The NO content was significantly higher in LPS-induced microglial activation model than in blank control, but it was significantly lower in the 3 delavatine A groups than in model group (p < 0.05). The expression levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 were significantly higher in model group than in blank control group, but they were significantly and dose-dependently lower in delavatine A groups than in model group (p < 0.05). In the in vivo rat studies, neural function score and cerebral infarction area in the model group were significantly higher than those in the sham group, while cerebral infarction area in delavatine A groups were significantly lower than that in the model group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Delavatine A significantly reduces the inflammation associated with LPS-induced microglial activation, mitigates loss of neural function, and reduces cerebral infarction area in rats with ischemia-reperfusion injury. These findings may lead to the development of new neuroprotective drugs. Keywords: Delavatine A; LPS; Microglia activation; Ischemia-reperfusion injury; Neural function; Cerebral infarction are

Comparing quasiparticle H2_2O level alignment on anatase and rutile TiO2_2

Knowledge of the molecular frontier levels' alignment in the ground state can be used to predict the photocatalytic activity of an interface. The position of the adsorbate's highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) levels relative to the substrate's valence band maximum (VBM) in the interface describes the favorability of photogenerated hole transfer from the VBM to the adsorbed molecule. This is a key quantity for assessing and comparing H$_2$O photooxidation activities on two prototypical photocatalytic TiO$_2$ surfaces: anatase (A)-TiO$_2$(101) and rutile (R)-TiO$_2$(110). Using the projected density of states (DOS) from state-of-the-art quasiparticle (QP) $G_0W_0$ calculations, we assess the relative photocatalytic activity of intact and dissociated H$_2$O on coordinately unsaturated (Ti$_{\textit{cus}}$) sites of idealized stoichiometric A-TiO$_2$(101)/R-TiO$_2$(110) and bridging O vacancies (O$_{\textit{br}}^{\textit{vac}}$) of defective A-TiO$_{2-x}$(101)/R-TiO$_{2-x}$(110) surfaces ($x=\frac{1}{4},\frac{1}{8}$) for various coverages. Such a many-body treatment is necessary to correctly describe the anisotropic screening of electron-electron interactions at a photocatalytic interface, and hence obtain accurate interfacial level alignments. The more favorable ground state HOMO level alignment for A-TiO$_2$(101) may explain why the anatase polymorph shows higher photocatalytic activities than the rutile polymorph. Our results indicate that (1) hole trapping is more favored on A-TiO$_2$(101) than R-TiO$_2$(110) and (2) HO@Ti$_{\textit{cus}}$ is more photocatalytically active than intact H$_2$O@Ti$_{\textit{cus}}$

Efficacy of roxithromycin with gamma globulin in children with mycoplasma pneumonia and its effect on immunity

Purpose: To determine the efficacy of roxithromycin plus gamma globulin in the treatment of children with mycoplasma pneumonia (MPP) and its effect on immune function.Methods: From January 2019 to January 2021, 100 children with MPP assessed for eligibility in Qingdao Women and Children's Hospital, Shandong Province, China, were recruited and randomized (1:1) to receive either gamma globulin (control group) or roxithromycin plus gamma globulin (study group). Levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, immunoglobulin (Ig)A, IgM, and IgG were evaluated. Clinical indices, including fever reduction, cough disappearance, duration of hospital stay, etc were also assessed.Results: The study group had a significantly higher clinical efficacy (88 %) than the control group (68 %) (p < 0.05). After treatment, patients in the study group showed lower levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α than those in the control group (p < 0.05). The eligible patients given roxithromycin plus gamma globulin showed significantly higher levels of immunoglobulin (Ig)A, IgM, and IgG versus those given gamma globulin alone (p < 0.05). Patients in the study group had a shorter time lapse before fever reduction, cough disappearance, lung sign disappearance, and duration of hospital stay than those in the control group (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Roxithromycin plus gamma globulin demonstrate significant benefits in the treatment of children with MPP by mitigating inflammatory response, enhancing immune function, and also significantly alleviating clinical symptoms. Thus, the combination treatment shows good potentials for use in clinical practice

Postoperative anatomical and functional outcomes of different stages of high myopia macular hole

Background Recently it was suggested that high myopia macular holes (HMMH) and macular holes accompanied by retinal detachment occur in the advanced stages of myopia traction maculopathy (MTM), while macular retinoschisis, shallow retinal detachment without holes, and lamellar macular holes occur in the early stages of MTM. Complete vitreous cortex removal associated with internal limiting membrane peeling is now widely used to treat HMMH. However, it remains uncertain at what HMMH stage patients would benefit most from surgical intervention. Our study was aimed to evaluate the postoperative anatomical changes and functional outcomes of high myopia macular holes (HMMH). Methods Patients were retrospectively collected between March 2009 and August 2011. Before and 1st, 3rd, and 9th month after 23G pars plana vitrectomy, all patients underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination, spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and MP-1. At each follow-up, best- corrected visual acuity (BCVA), photoreceptor inner and outer segments (IS/OS) defects, and retinal sensitivity (RS) were investigated. According to different preoperative macular hole morphologies, patients were divided into three groups: Group 1, macular hole with epiretinal membrane (ERM) traction and macular retinoschisis; Group 2, full-thickness macular hole (FTMH); Group 3, FTMH with subretinal fluid. Results 43 eyes from 43 patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean age was 60 years. BCVA and RS were significantly improved after vitrectomy; the mean IS/OS defect was significantly reduced. At 9 postoperative months, 11 of 43 (25.6 %) eyes achieved IS/OS junction integrity; 9 of these 11 (81.8 %) eyes belonged to Group 1, 2 (18.2 %) belonged to Group 2. Conclusions Pars plana vitrectomy combined with ILM peeling and gas tamponade results in limited functional outcomes in patients with HMMH. The appearance of subretinal fluid indicates a worse prognosis for surgical intervention