catena-Poly[[triaqua­(pyridine-κN)nickel(II)]-μ-sulfato-κ2 O:O′]

The title compound, [Ni(SO4)(C5H5N)(H2O)3]n, was synthesized by the hydro­thermal reaction of NiSO4·6H2O, pyridine and water. The central NiII atom is coordinated in a distorted octa­hedral environment by a pyridine N atom, three aqua O atoms and two O atoms of bridging sulfate anions, yielding a zigzag chain. A three-dimensional network is generated via complex hydrogen bonds involving the sulfate and aqua ligands and a pyridine C—H group

Safety and efficacy of phage application in bacterial decolonisation:a systematic review

Colonisation by bacterial pathogens typically precedes invasive infection and seeds transmission. Thus, effective decolonisation strategies are urgently needed. The literature reports attempts to use phages for decolonisation. To assess the in-vivo efficacy and safety of phages for bacterial decolonisation, we performed a systematic review by identifying relevant studies to assess the in-vivo efficacy and safety of phages for bacterial decolonisation. We searched PubMed, Embase (Ovid), MEDLINE (Ovid), Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library to identify relevant articles published between Jan 1, 1990, and May 12, 2023, without language restrictions. We included studies that assessed the efficacy of phage for bacterial decolonisation in humans or vertebrate animal models. This systematic review is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42023457637. We identified 6694 articles, of which 56 (51 animal studies and five clinical reports) met the predetermined selection criteria and were included in the final analysis. The gastrointestinal tract (n=49, 88%) was the most studied bacterial colonisation site, and other sites were central venous catheters, lung, nose, skin, and urinary tract. Of the 56 included studies, the bacterial load at the colonisation site was reported to decrease significantly in 45 (80%) studies, but only five described eradication of the target bacteria. 15 studies reported the safety of phages for decolonisation. No obvious adverse events were reported in both the short-term and long-term observation period. Given the increasing life-threatening risks posed by bacteria that are difficult to treat, phages could be an alternative option for bacterial decolonisation, although further optimisation is required before their application to meet clinical needs.</p

Repellent activity of Glycosmis plant extracts against two stored product insects

In the present study, the repellent activities of the leaf and/or stem crude extracts of Glycosmis lucida Wall. ex Huang, G. craibii var. glabra, G. craibii Tanaka, G. oligantha Huang, G. pentaphylla (Retz) Correa. and G. esquirolii (Levl.) Tanaka were analyzed by using assays on petri dishes against Tribolium castaneum and Liposcelis bostrychophila. The leaf and stem extracts of G. lucida, G. craibii var. glabra, G. craibii Tanaka, G. oligantha and G. esquirolii possessed significant repellent activities against T. castaneum, the same level repellent with the positive control, DEET. However, the extracts of G. pentaphylla, no repellency but some insect attractant was observed. Moreover, they also showed repellent activities against L. bostrychophila. These results indicate that extracts from G. lucida and G. oligantha leaf could be a source of novel repellent against insects

Development and Characterization of Polymorphic Microsatellite Markers (SSRs) for an Endemic Plant, Pseudolarix amabilis (Nelson) Rehd. (Pinaceae)

Pseudolarix (Pinaceae) is a vulnerable (sensu IUCN) monotypic genus restricted to southeastern China. To better understand levels of genetic diversity, population structure and gene flow among populations of P. amabilis, we developed five compound SSR markers and ten novel polymorphic expressed sequence tags (EST) derived microsatellites. The results showed that all 15 loci were polymorphic with the number of alleles per locus ranging from two to seven. The expected and observed heterozygosities varied from 0.169 to 0.752, and 0.000 to 1.000, respectively. The inbreeding coefficient ranged from −0.833 to 1.000. These markers will contribute to research on genetic diversity and population genetic structure of P. amabilis, which in turn will contribute to the species conservation

Distribution, characterization, and induction of CD8+ regulatory T cells and IL-17-producing CD8+ T cells in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>CD8⁺effector cells often have an antitumor function in patients with cancer. However, CD8⁺Foxp3⁺regulatory T cells (Tcregs) and interleukin (IL)-17-producing CD8⁺T cells (Tc17 cells) also derive from the CD8⁺T cell lineage. Their role in the antitumor response remains largely unknown. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the distribution, characterization, and generation of CD8⁺Tcregs and Tc17 cells in NPC patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Peripheral blood and tumor biopsy tissues from 21 newly diagnosed patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) were collected, along with peripheral blood from 21 healthy donors. The biological characteristics of Tcregs and Tc17 cells from blood and tumor tissues were examined by intracellular staining, tetramer staining and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis. The suppressive function of Tcregs was investigated using a proliferation assay that involved co-culture of sorted CD8⁺CD25⁺T cells with naïve CD4⁺T cells <it>in vitro</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We observed an increased prevalence of Tcregs and Tc17 cells among tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and different distribution among peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in NPC patients. Cytokine profiles showed that the Tcregs expressed a high level of IL-10 and low level of transforming growth factor β, whereas Tc17 cells expressed a high level of tumor necrosis factor α. Interestingly, both subsets expressed a high level of interferon γ in TILs, and the Tcregs suppressed naïve CD4⁺T cell proliferation by a cell contact-dependent mechanism <it>in vitro</it>. Moreover, we demonstrated the existence of Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein (LMP) 1 and LMP2 antigen-specific Tcregs in NPC.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our data provide new insights into the composition and function of CD8⁺T-cell subsets in NPC, which may have an important influence on NPC immunotherapy.</p

Functional proteomic analysis reveals the involvement of KIAA1199 in breast cancer growth, motility and invasiveness.

BACKGROUND: KIAA1199 is a recently identified novel gene that is up-regulated in human cancer with poor survival. Our proteomic study on signaling polarity in chemotactic cells revealed KIAA1199 as a novel protein target that may be involved in cellular chemotaxis and motility. In the present study, we examined the functional significance of KIAA1199 expression in breast cancer growth, motility and invasiveness. METHODS: We validated the previous microarray observation by tissue microarray immunohistochemistry using a TMA slide containing 12 breast tumor tissue cores and 12 corresponding normal tissues. We performed the shRNA-mediated knockdown of KIAA1199 in MDA-MB-231 and HS578T cells to study the role of this protein in cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis in vitro. We studied the effects of KIAA1199 knockdown in vivo in two groups of mice (n = 5). We carried out the SILAC LC-MS/MS based proteomic studies on the involvement of KIAA1199 in breast cancer. RESULTS: KIAA1199 mRNA and protein was significantly overexpressed in breast tumor specimens and cell lines as compared with non-neoplastic breast tissues from large-scale microarray and studies of breast cancer cell lines and tumors. To gain deeper insights into the novel role of KIAA1199 in breast cancer, we modulated KIAA1199 expression using shRNA-mediated knockdown in two breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and HS578T), expressing higher levels of KIAA1199. The KIAA1199 knockdown cells showed reduced motility and cell proliferation in vitro. Moreover, when the knockdown cells were injected into the mammary fat pads of female athymic nude mice, there was a significant decrease in tumor incidence and growth. In addition, quantitative proteomic analysis revealed that knockdown of KIAA1199 in breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) cells affected a broad range of cellular functions including apoptosis, metabolism and cell motility. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that KIAA1199 may play an important role in breast tumor growth and invasiveness, and that it may represent a novel target for biomarker development and a novel therapeutic target for breast cancer

Osteocalcin Ameliorates Motor Dysfunction in a 6-Hydroxydopamine-Induced Parkinson’s Disease Rat Model Through AKT/GSK3β Signaling

Osteoblasts derived osteocalcin (OCN) is recently reported to be involved in dopaminergic neuronal development. As dopaminergic neuronal injury in the substantia nigra (SN) is a pathological hallmark of Parkinson’s disease (PD), we investigated whether OCN could exert protective effects on 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced PD rat model. Our data showed that the OCN level in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in PD rat models was significantly lower than that in controls. Intervention with OCN could improve the behavioral dysfunction in PD rat models and reduce the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) loss in the nigrostriatal system. In addition, OCN could inhibit the astrocyte and microglia proliferation in the SN of PD rats. In vitro studies showed that OCN significantly ameliorated the neurotoxicity of 6-OHDA through the AKT/GSK3β signaling pathway. In summary, OCN plays a protective role against parkinsonian neurodegeneration in the PD rat model, suggesting a potential therapeutic use of OCN in PD