Preliminary investigation of a combined herbal extract of Aruncus dioicus, Cirsium nipponicum, and Ocimum basilicum for halitosis.

BACKGROUND: Halitosis, the unpleasant odor in the oral cavity, has garnered increased attention and concern due to the growing significance of social interaction. SGE-107, a blend of 3 botanical drugs-Korean goat's beard, Cirsium tanakae, and Basil-with caffeic acid as its indicator component. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of SGE-107 in treating halitosis in patients with mild gastrointestinal symptoms. METHODS: We enrolled 25 participants with oral malodor and dyspeptic symptoms. We assessed the severity of halitosis using the visual analog scale. Throughout a 4-week period of administering SGE-107, we evaluated both objective and subjective parameters, including the halitosis-associated life-quality test, the Korean gastrointestinal symptom rating scale, levels of volatile sulfur compounds, salivary flow rate, oral moisture, tongue index, Winkel tongue coating index, and tongue temperature. RESULTS: After the intervention period, both the visual analog scale (5.88 ±â€…1.03 vs 2.38 ±â€…0.93, P < .001) and the scores of the halitosis-associated life-quality test (31.21 ±â€…11.78 vs 13.83 ±â€…6.38, P < .001) showed significant reductions. The proportion of participants with abnormal levels of methyl mercaptan (a volatile sulfur compound) also significantly decreased (17, 70.8% vs 9, 37.5%, P = .039). Furthermore, there were significant improvements in reflux, constipation, diarrhea, and the total scores on the Korean gastrointestinal symptom rating scale. Throughout the study period, only 2 participants experienced mild adverse events. CONCLUSION: SGE-107 appears to be a safe and effective treatment for halitosis-associated with gastrointestinal symptoms; nevertheless, the limited sample size necessitates further large-scale randomized, controlled studies to confirm our findings.

Phosphorylation of XPD drives its mitotic role independently of its DNA repair and transcription functions.

The helicase XPD is known as a key subunit of the DNA repair/transcription factor TFIIH. However, here, we report that XPD, independently to other TFIIH subunits, can localize with the motor kinesin Eg5 to mitotic spindles and the midbodies of human cells. The XPD/Eg5 partnership is promoted upon phosphorylation of Eg5/T926 by the kinase CDK1, and conversely, it is reduced once Eg5/S1033 is phosphorylated by NEK6, a mitotic kinase that also targets XPD at T425. The phosphorylation of XPD does not affect its DNA repair and transcription functions, but it is required for Eg5 localization, checkpoint activation, and chromosome segregation in mitosis. In XPD-mutated cells derived from a patient with xeroderma pigmentosum, the phosphomimetic form XPD/T425D or even the nonphosphorylatable form Eg5/S1033A specifically restores mitotic chromosome segregation errors. These results thus highlight the phospho-dependent mitotic function of XPD and reveal how mitotic defects might contribute to XPD-related disorders.

Synthesis of 4-substituted benzyl-2-triazole-linked-tryptamine-paeonol derivatives and evaluation of their selective inhibitions against butyrylcholinesterase and monoamine oxidase-B.

Cholinesterase (ChE) and monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors are being used and developed to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD), a major type of dementia patients. Fifteen 4-substituted benzyl-2-triazole-linked-tryptamine-paeonol derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their inhibitory activities against acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A), and B (MAO-B). Compound 896 was the most potent BChE inhibitor (IC50 = 0.13 µM) with the selectivity index (SI) value of >769.23 for BChE over AChE. Compound 897 was the most potent selective MAO-B inhibitor (IC50 = 0.73 µM; SI = 20.45 for MAO-B over MAO-A). The meta-CF3 substituent of 896 increased BChE inhibitory activity and the para-CF3 substituent of 897 increased MAO-B inhibitory activity. Compound 896 was a reversible noncompetitive BChE inhibitor (Ki = 0.171 µM) and 897 was a reversible competitive MAO-B inhibitor (Ki = 0.237 µM). Compound 896 had a lower binding energy (-13.75 kcal/mol) to BChE than 897 (-11.29 kcal/mol), and 897 had a lower binding energy to MAO-B (-11.31 kcal/mol) than that to MAO-A (-6.72 kcal/mol). Little cytotoxicity was observed for 896 and 897 to normal cells (MDCK) and human neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y). This study suggested that 896 and 897 are therapeutic candidates for various neurodegenerative disorders such as AD.

Hypermethylation of PDX1, EN2, and MSX1 predicts the prognosis of colorectal cancer.

Despite numerous observations regarding the relationship between DNA methylation changes and cancer progression, only a few genes have been verified as diagnostic biomarkers of colorectal cancer (CRC). To more practically detect methylation changes, we performed targeted bisulfite sequencing. Through co-analysis of RNA-seq, we identified cohort-specific DNA methylation markers: CpG islands of the intragenic regions of PDX1, EN2, and MSX1. We validated that these genes have oncogenic features in CRC and that their expression levels are increased in correlation with the hypermethylation of intragenic regions. The reliable depth of the targeted bisulfite sequencing data enabled us to design highly optimized quantitative methylation-specific PCR primer sets that can successfully detect subtle changes in the methylation levels of candidate regions. Furthermore, these methylation levels can divide CRC patients into two groups denoting good and poor prognoses. In this study, we present a streamlined workflow for screening clinically significant differentially methylated regions. Our discovery of methylation markers in the PDX1, EN2, and MSX1 genes suggests their promising performance as prognostic markers and their clinical application in CRC patients.

ZNF204P is a stemness-associated oncogenic long non-coding RNA in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a major health burden, and though various treatments through much research are available, difficulties in early diagnosis and drug resistance to chemotherapy-based treatments render several ineffective. Cancer stem cell model has been used to explain formation of heterogeneous cell population within tumor mass, which is one of the underlying causes of high recurrence rate and acquired chemoresistance, highlighting the importance of CSC identification and understanding the molecular mechanisms of CSC drivers. Extracellular CSCmarkers such as CD133, CD90 and EpCAM have been used successfully in CSC isolation, but studies have indicated that increasingly complex combinations are required for accurate identification. Pseudogene-derived long non-coding RNAs are useful candidates as intracellular CSC markers - factors that regulate pluripotency and self-renewal - given their cancer-specific expression and versatile regulation across several levels. Here, we present the use of microarray data to identify stemness-associated factors in liver cancer, and selection of sole pseudogenederived lncRNA ZNF204P for experimental validation. ZNF204P knockdown impairs cell proliferation and migration/invasion. As the cytosolic ZNF204P shares miRNA binding sites with OCT4 and SOX2, well-known drivers of pluripotency and self-renewal, we propose that ZNF204P promotes tumorigenesis through the miRNA-145-5p/OCT4, SOX2 axis. [BMB Reports 2022; 55(6): 281-286].

Effect of processed aloe vera gel on immunogenicity in inactivated quadrivalent influenza vaccine and upper respiratory tract infection in healthy adults: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Aloe vera is a functional food with various pharmacological functions, including an immune-modulating effect. Until now, A. vera has never been studied as an adjuvant in influenza vaccine, and its effects on upper respiratory tract infection (URI) are unknown. PURPOSE: The objective of our study was to investigate the effect of processed A. vera gel (PAG) on immunogenicity of quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine and URI in healthy adults. STUDY DESIGN: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed. METHODS: This study was conducted in 100 healthy adults at a single center from September 2017 to May 2018. Subjects were randomly divided into a PAG group (n = 50) and a placebo group (n = 50). The enrolled subjects were instructed to ingest the study drug for 8 weeks. The participants received a single dose of quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine after taking the study drug for the first 4 weeks of the study. The primary endpoint was seroprotection rate against at least one viral strain at 4 weeks post-vaccination. Other outcomes were seroprotection rate at 24 weeks post-vaccination, seroconversion rate, geometric mean fold increase (GMFI) at 4 and 24 weeks post-vaccination, seroprotection rate ratio and geometric mean titer ratio (GMTR) at 4 weeks post-vaccination between PAG and placebo groups, and incidence, severity, and duration of URI. RESULTS: The European Committee for proprietary medicinal products (CPMP) evaluation criteria were met at least one in the PAG and placebo groups for all strains. However, there was no significant difference in the seroprotection rate at 4 weeks post-vaccination against all strains in both PAG and placebo groups. Among secondary endpoints, the GMFI at 4 weeks post-vaccination for the A/H3N2 was significantly higher in the PAG than in placebo group. The GMTR as adjuvant effect was 1.382 (95% CI, 1.014-1.1883). Kaplan-Meier curve analysis showed a reduction in incidence of URI (p = 0.035), and a generalized estimating equation model identified a decrease in repeated URI events (odds ratio 0.57; 95% CI, 0.39-0.83; p = 0.003) in the PAG group. CONCLUSIONS: Oral intake of PAG did not show a significant increase in seroprotection rate from an immunogenicity perspective. However, it reduced the number of URI episodes. A well-designed further study is needed on the effect of PAG's antibody response against A/H3N2 in the future.

PLEKHA8P1 Promotes Tumor Progression and Indicates Poor Prognosis of Liver Cancer.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) records the second-lowest 5-year survival rate despite the avalanche of research into diagnosis and therapy. One of the major obstacles in treatment is chemoresistance to drugs such as 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), making identification and elucidation of chemoresistance regulators highly valuable. As the regulatory landscape grows to encompass non-coding genes such as long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), a relatively new class of lncRNA has emerged in the form of pseudogene-derived lncRNAs. Through bioinformatics analyses of the TCGA LIHC dataset, we have systematically identified pseudogenes of prognostic value. Initial experimental validation of selected pseudogene-derived lncRNA (PLEKHA8P1) and its parental gene (PLEKHA8), a well-studied transport protein in Golgi complex recently implicated as an oncogene in both colorectal and liver cancer, indicates that the pseudogene/parental gene pair promotes tumor progression and that their dysregulated expression levels affect 5-FU-induced chemoresistance in human HCC cell line FT3-7. Our study has thus confirmed cancer-related functions of PLEKHA8, and laid the groundwork for identification and validation of oncogenic pseudogene-derived lncRNA that shows potential as a novel therapeutic target in circumventing chemoresistance induced by 5-FU.

Regulation of Alcohol and Acetaldehyde Metabolism by a Mixture of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium Species in Human.

Excessive alcohol consumption is one of the most significant causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Alcohol is oxidized to toxic and carcinogenic acetaldehyde by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and further oxidized to a non-toxic acetate by aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). There are two major ALDH isoforms, cytosolic and mitochondrial, encoded by ALDH1 and ALDH2 genes, respectively. The ALDH2 polymorphism is associated with flushing response to alcohol use. Emerging evidence shows that Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species encode alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) mediate alcohol and acetaldehyde metabolism, respectively. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover clinical trial was designed to study the effects of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium probiotic mixture in humans and assessed their effects on alcohol and acetaldehyde metabolism. Here, twenty-seven wild types (ALDH2*1/*1) and the same number of heterozygotes (ALDH2*2/*1) were recruited for the study. The enrolled participants were randomly divided into either the probiotic (Duolac ProAP4) or the placebo group. Each group received a probiotic or placebo capsule for 15 days with subsequent crossover. Primary outcomes were measurement of alcohol and acetaldehyde in the blood after the alcohol intake. Blood levels of alcohol and acetaldehyde were significantly downregulated by probiotic supplementation in subjects with ALDH2*2/*1 genotype, but not in those with ALDH2*1/*1 genotype. However, there were no marked improvements in hangover score parameters between test and placebo groups. No clinically significant changes were observed in safety parameters. These results suggest that Duolac ProAP4 has a potential to downregulate the alcohol and acetaldehyde concentrations, and their effects depend on the presence or absence of polymorphism on the ALDH2 gene.

Perceived Stress, Positive Resources and Their Interactions as Possible Related Factors for Depressive Symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to explore how the patterns of interaction between stress and positive resources differ according to the severity of depression and which resources play the most important role among the various positive resources. METHODS: The study included 1,806 people who had visited a health screening center for a mental health check-up to evaluate the levels of perceived stress, positive resources, and depressive symptoms. The participants were divided into a depressive group (n=1,642, mean age 50.60, female 68%) and a non-depressive group (n=164, mean age 48.42, female 66.6%). We conducted hierarchical regression analyses and simple slope analyses to examine the interaction between perceived stress and positive resources. RESULTS: The interaction between perceived stress and optimism was significantly associated with depression in non-depressive groups. In depressive groups, the interactions between five types of positive resources (optimism, purpose in life, self-control, social support and care) and perceived stress were all significantly related to depression. CONCLUSION: Interventions that promote optimism can be helpful for preventing inevitable stress from leading to depression. A deficiency in positive resources may be a factor in aggravating depression in stressful situations for people reporting moderate to severe depressive symptoms.

NEUROD1 Intrinsically Initiates Differentiation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells into Neural Progenitor Cells.

Cell type specification is a delicate biological event in which every step is under tight regulation. From a molecular point of view, cell fate commitment begins with chromatin alteration, which kickstarts lineage-determining factors to initiate a series of genes required for cell specification. Several important neuronal differentiation factors have been identified from ectopic over-expression studies. However, there is scarce information on which DNA regions are modified during induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) to neuronal progenitor cell (NPC) differentiation, the cis regulatory factors that attach to these accessible regions, or the genes that are initially expressed. In this study, we identified the DNA accessible regions of iPSCs and NPCs via the Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin sequencing (ATACseq). We identified which chromatin regions were modified after neuronal differentiation and found that the enhancer regions had more active histone modification changes than the promoters. Through motif enrichment analysis, we found that NEUROD1 controls iPSC differentiation to NPC by binding to the accessible regions of enhancers in cooperation with other factors such as the Hox proteins. Finally, by using Hi-C data, we categorized the genes that directly interacted with the enhancers under the control of NEUROD1 during iPSC to NPC differentiation.

Chromatin Interaction Changes during the iPSC-NPC Model to Facilitate the Study of Biologically Significant Genes Involved in Differentiation.

Given the difficulties of obtaining diseased cells, differentiation of neurons from patient-specific human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) with neural progenitor cells (NPCs) as intermediate precursors is of great interest. While cellular and transcriptomic changes during the differentiation process have been tracked, little attention has been given to examining spatial re-organization, which has been revealed to control gene regulation in various cells. To address the regulatory mechanism by 3D chromatin structure during neuronal differentiation, we examined the changes that take place during differentiation process using two cell types that are highly valued in the study of neurodegenerative disease - iPSCs and NPCs. In our study, we used Hi-C, a derivative of chromosome conformation capture that enables unbiased, genome-wide analysis of interaction frequencies in chromatin. We showed that while topologically associated domains remained mostly the same during differentiation, the presence of differential interacting regions in both cell types suggested that spatial organization affects gene regulation of both pluripotency maintenance and neuroectodermal differentiation. Moreover, closer analysis of promoter-promoter pairs suggested that cell fate specification is under the control of cis-regulatory elements. Our results are thus a resourceful addition in benchmarking differentiation protocols and also provide a greater appreciation of NPCs, the common precursors from which required neurons for applications in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia and spinal cord injuries are utilized.

Effects of a Lifestyle-Modification Program on Blood-Glucose Regulation and Health Promotion in Diabetic Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate the efficacy of the lifestyle intervention (LSI) program in controlling blood glucose regulation and health promotion in type 2 diabetic (T2D) patients. METHODS: Thirty adults with a diagnosed with diabetes were randomly assigned to LSI and control groups. The LSI group maintained their daily routines after participating twice in the LSI program, while control group maintained 4 weeks of daily life without participating in an intervention. RESULTS: HbA1c levels in the LSI group decreased significantly after participation (p = 0.025) compared with levels before the study, but there was no significant difference between the groups. The weight and body mass index (BMI) of the LSI group tended to decrease significantly compared with the control group (p = 0.054 and p = 0.055, respectively), and the waist circumference (WC) of the LSI group decreased significantly compared with that of the control group (p = 0.048). In the effects of the LSI program according to the polymorphism of GCKR genes, changes in glycated albumin (GA) (%), HbA1c, WC, BMI, and weight showed a significant decrease in the non-risk (TT genotype) GCKR group compared with the risk group (CC and TC genotype). CONCLUSION: Application of the four-week LSI program to diabetics revealed positive effects on blood-glucose control and improvement in obesity indicators. In particular, the risk group with variations in the GCKR gene was associated with more genetic effects on indicators such as blood glucose and obesity than was the non-risk group.

DNA Methylation of Intragenic CpG Islands are Required for Differentiation from iPSC to NPC.

The effects of gene body DNA methylation on gene regulation still remains highly controversial. In this study, we generated whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) data with high sequencing depth in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) and neuronal progentior cell (NPC), and investigated the relationship between DNA methylation changes in CpG islands (CGIs) and corresponding gene expression during NPC differentiation. Interestingly, differentially methylated CGIs were more abundant in intragenic regions compared to promoters and these methylated intragenic CGIs (iCGIs) were associated with neuronal development-related genes. When we compared gene expression level of methylated and unmethylated CGIs in intragenic regions, DNA methylation of iCGI was positively correlated with gene expression in contrast with promoter CGIs (pCGIs). To gain insight into regulatory mechanism mediated by iCGI DNA methylation, we executed motif searching in hypermethylated iCGIs and found NEUROD1 as a hypermethylated iCGI binding transcription factor. This study highlights give rise to possibility of activating role of hypermethylation in iCGIs and involvement of neuronal development related TFs. Graphical Abstract The relationship between iCGI DNA methylation and expression of associated genes in neuronal developmental process. During iPSC to NPCdifferentiation, iCGI containing neural developmental genes show iCGI's DNA hypermethylation which is accompanied by gene activation and NEUROD1which is one of the core neuronal TFs interacts with hypermethylated iCGI regions.

Crumbs, Galla and Xpd are required for Kinesin-5 regulation in mitosis and organ growth in Drosophila.

Xeroderma Pigmentosum D (XPD, also known as ERCC2) is a multi-functional protein involved in transcription, DNA repair and chromosome segregation. In Drosophila, Xpd interacts with Crumbs (Crb) and Galla to regulate mitosis during embryogenesis. It is unknown how these proteins are linked to mitosis. Here, we show that Crb, Galla-2 and Xpd regulate nuclear division in the syncytial embryo by interacting with Klp61F, the Drosophila mitotic Kinesin-5 associated with bipolar spindles. Crb, Galla-2 and Xpd physically interact with Klp61F and colocalize to mitotic spindles. Knockdown of any of these proteins results in similar mitotic defects. These phenotypes are restored by overexpression of Klp61F, suggesting that Klp61F is a major effector. Mitotic defects of galla-2 RNAi are suppressed by Xpd overexpression but not vice versa. Depletion of Crb, Galla-2 or Xpd results in a reduction of Klp61F levels. Reducing proteasome function restores Klp61F levels and suppresses mitotic defects caused by knockdown of Crb, Galla-2 or Xpd. Furthermore, eye growth is regulated by Xpd and Klp61F. Hence, we propose that Crb, Galla-2 and Xpd interact to maintain the level of Klp61F during mitosis and organ growth.

A 12-week, randomized, double-blind study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of liver function after using fermented ginseng powder (GBCK25).

BACKGROUND: Recently, clinical research has suggested that red ginseng components play a role in liver protection and combating fatigue. However, fermented ginseng has not been analyzed for liver-protective or anti-fatigue effects. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates the positive effects of fermented ginseng powder (GBCK25) on liver function. METHODS: Ninety participants with elevated alanine aminotransferase levels (35 ≤ ALT ≤1 05 IU/L) were randomized to one of three groups. The participants were treated with GBCK25 tablets at a dose of 500 mg/day (high dose), 125 mg/day (low dose), or placebo group daily for 12 weeks. The primary outcomes included changes in ALT and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels. The secondary outcomes included changes in aspartate amino-transferase (AST), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), multidimensional fatigue scale, lipid profile, and antioxidant markers. RESULTS: In male subjects, after 12 weeks of low-dose GBCK25 (125 mg) supplementation, the GGT (P = 0.036) and hs-CRP (P = 0.021) levels decreased significantly more than those in the placebo group. High-dose GBCK25 (500 mg) supplementation significantly decreased the fatigue score compared with the placebo group. There were no clinically significant differences between the groups when studying any safety parameter. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that GBCK25 supplementation has beneficial effects on liver function. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered at Clinical Trials.gov (NCT03260543).

High Behavioral Inhibition System/Behavioral Activation System Sensitivity, Childhood Emotional Neglect and Their Interaction as Possible Related Factors for Adult Attachment Style in Depression.

OBJECTIVE: Individual differences in attachment insecurity are important in a broad range of mental health problems. However, few empirical studies have examined the clinical factors that contribute to individual differences in attachment style. This study examines the nature of interrelationships among adult attachment styles, sensitivities of behavioral activation system/behavioral inhibition system (BIS/BAS), and childhood trauma in patients with depressive disorders. METHODS: Patients with depressive disorders (n=294) completed self-report questionnaires evaluating adult attachment style, childhood trauma, and BIS/BAS sensitivity. We performed multiple regression analyses to examine the associations between attachment style and other clinical factors, including childhood trauma and BIS/BAS sensitivity. We also conducted hierarchical regression analyses and simple slope analyses to examine the interaction between BIS/BAS sensitivity and childhood trauma. RESULTS: The BAS sensitivity was negatively associated with attachment avoidance. The higher was the BIS/BAS sensitivity, the higher was the level of attachment anxiety. Among childhood trauma, emotional neglect contributed to both dimensions of insecure attachment. The interaction between BAS sensitivity and emotional neglect is significantly associated with attachment anxiety. CONCLUSION: This study used data regarding the interrelationship of childhood trauma and basic motivational systems to contribute to the understanding of adult insecure attachment behaviors, a risk factor for depression.

Anti-Obesity Effect of Standardized Extract of Microalga Phaeodactylum tricornutum Containing Fucoxanthin.

Fucoxanthin (FX), a marine carotenoid found in macroalgae and microalgae, exhibits several beneficial effects to health. The anti-obesity activity of FX is well documented, but FX has not been mass-produced or applied extensively or commercially because of limited availability of raw materials and complex extraction techniques. In this study, we investigated the anti-obesity effect of standardized FX powder (Phaeodactylum extract (PE)) developed from microalga Phaeodactylum tricornutum as a commercial functional food. The effects of PE on adipogenesis inhibition in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and anti-obesity in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed C57BL/6J mice were evaluated. PE and FX dose-dependently decreased intracellular lipid contents in adipocytes without cytotoxicity. In HFD-fed obese mice, PE supplementation for six weeks decreased body weight, organ weight, and adipocyte size. In the serum parameter analysis, the PE-treated groups showed attenuation of lipid metabolism dysfunction and liver damage induced by HFD. In the liver, uncoupling protein-1 (UCP1) upregulation and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ (PPARγ) downregulation were detected in the PE-treated groups. Additionally, micro computed tomography revealed lower fat accumulation in PE-treated groups compared to that in the HFD group. These results indicate that PE exerts anti-obesity effects by inhibiting adipocytic lipogenesis, inducing fat mass reduction and decreasing intracellular lipid content, adipocyte size, and adipose weight.

A small molecule Nec-1 directly induces amyloid clearance in the brains of aged APP/PS1 mice.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the formation of toxic amyloid-ß (Aß) oligomers and plaques. Considering that Aß misfolding and aggregation precedes the progressive development of cognitive impairment in AD, investigating a therapeutic means by clearance of pre-existing Aß aggregates shows promise as a viable disease-modifying treatment. Here, we report that a small molecule, necrostatin-1 (Nec-1), reduces Aß aggregates back to non-toxic monomers in vitro and in vivo. Intravenous administration of Nec-1 reduced the levels of Aß plaques in the brains of aged APP/PS1 double transgenic mice. In addition, Nec-1 exhibited therapeutic effects against Aß aggregates by inhibiting Aß-induced brain cell death in neuronal and microglial cell lines. Nec-1 also showed anti-apoptotic and anti-necroptotic effects in the cortex of aged APP/PS1 mice by reducing levels of phosphorylated-RIPK3 and Bax and increasing the levels of Bcl-2. According to our data in vitro and in silico, the methyl group of the amine in the 2-thioxo-4-imidazolidinone is the key moiety of Nec-1 that directs its activity against aggregated Aß. Given that the accumulation of Aß aggregates is an important hallmark of AD, our studies provide strong evidence that Nec-1 may serve a key role in the development of AD treatment.

Vanadium dioxide based frequency tunable metasurface filters for realizing reconfigurable terahertz optical phase and polarization control.

Metasurfaces are two dimensional arrays of artificial subwavelength resonators, which can manipulate the amplitude and phase profile of incident electromagnetic fields. To date, limited progress has been achieved in realizing reconfigurable phase control of incident waves using metasurfaces. Here, an active metasurface is presented, whose resonance frequency can be tuned by employing insulator to metal transition in vanadium dioxide. By virtue of the phase jump accompanied by the resonance frequency tuning, the proposed metasurface acts as a phase shifter at THz frequency. It is further demonstrated that by appropriately tailoring the anisotropy of the metasurface, the observed phase shift can be used to switch the transmitted polarization from circular to approximately linear. This work thus shows potential for reconfigurable phase and polarization control at THz frequencies using vanadium dioxide based frequency tunable metasurfaces.

Juxtanodin in retinal pigment epithelial cells: Expression and biological activities in regulating cell morphology and actin cytoskeleton organization.

Juxtanodin (JN, also known as ermin) was initially identified as an actin cytoskeleton-related oligodendroglial protein in the rat central nervous system. It was subsequently also found in the rat olfactory neuroepithelium, especially at the apical junctional belt of the sustentacular cells. We further examined JN expression and functional roles in the retina using fluorescence histochemistry, confocal microscopy, immuno-electron microscopy, molecular biology, and cell culture. Prominent JN expression was found in the photoreceptor-supporting retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), especially in a zone corresponding to the apices of RPE cells, at the roots of the RPE microvilli, and at the base of RPE cells next to the Bruch's membrane. Partial co-localization of JN immunoreactivity with F-actin (labeled with phalloidin) was observed at the apices and bases of RPE cells. No JN was detected in other cell types of the retina. In cultured human RPE cell line ARPE-19, expression of extrinsic JN up-regulated formation of actin cytoskeleton stress fibers, caused redistribution of more F-actin fibers to the cell periphery, and promoted spreading/enlargement of transfected cells. These findings suggest possible roles of JN in RPE molecular transport, phagocytosis and formation of outer blood-retinal barrier, or possible involvement of JN expression perturbations in pathogenesis of such retinal disorders as proliferative vitreoretinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.