Borderline personality trait is associated with neural differentiation of self-other processing: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with borderline personality traits are known to have disturbed representations of self and others. Specifically, an unstable self-identity and difficulties distinguishing between self and others can impair their mentalizing abilities in interpersonal situations. However, it is unclear whether these traits are linked to differences in neural representation of self and others. METHODS: In this study involving 156 young adults, changes in neural function during self-other processing were measured using a Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) task and a self-report survey. During the fNIRS task, participants were asked about their own traits, others' traits, how they believed others perceived them, and the basic meaning of words. The study aimed to determine whether the degree of neural differentiation between the task conditions was related to borderline personality traits. RESULT: The study found that traits indicative of identity instability could be predicted by similarities in task-dependent connectivity. Specifically, the neural patterns when individuals estimated how others perceived them were more similar to the patterns when they judged their own traits. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that borderline personality traits related to identity issues may reflect difficulties in distinguishing between neural patterns when processing self and other information.

Augmented re-endothelialization and anti-inflammation of coronary drug-eluting stent by abluminal coating with magnesium hydroxide.

Drug-eluting stents (DESs) have been widely used as a treatment approach for coronary artery diseases. Generally, conventional DESs were fully covered with drugs and biodegradable polymers on both abluminal and luminal layers (i.e., conformal coating). However, uncontrolled drug release from the luminal drug-coating layer of the stent is known to inhibit re-endothelialization. Furthermore, the acidification of the surrounding tissue by the decomposed coating polymer causes inflammation, resulting in restenosis and late thrombosis. To overcome these limitations, here we demonstrated a functional DES coated with poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), sirolimus (SRL), and magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2, MH) precisely only on the abluminal layer. The acidic neutralization effect of MH was elucidated by measuring the pH change of the fabricated film in PBS solution. In an in vitro cell study, the stent coated with MH exhibited higher compatibility with human coronary artery endothelial cells (ECs) and a lower inflammation score as compared to the control stent. Finally, in an in vivo large porcine model, the abluminal coated DES with SRL and MH showed excellent re-endothelialization and anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombotic effects. In conclusion, it is believed that this approach has great potential for the development of functional DES for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Lycopus lucidus Turcz Inhibits the Osteoclastogenesis in RAW 264.7 Cells and Bone Loss in Ovariectomized Rat Model.

Lycopus lucidus (LL) is a perennial herb that is traditionally used in Asia to treat edema, wound healing, and gynecological diseases such as irregular menstruation and menstrual pain. We hypothesized that LL would decrease the risk of developing osteoporosis, which is a condition related to gynecological diseases. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of a water extract of LL on osteoclastogenesis in vitro and osteoporosis in vivo. In vitro study, we used RAW 264.7 cells as osteoclast precursor cell. Osteoclast differentiation was induced by receptor activator nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL). We investigated the effect of LL on RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity, and osteoclast-related genes. In vivo study, we used ovariectomized- (OVX-) induced osteoporosis rat model. OVX-induced Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly separated into sham, OVX, 17ß-estradiol (100 µg/kg), wLL-L (15.2 mg/kg), and wLL-H (152 mg/kg) groups. Drugs were administered orally once daily for 9 weeks. wLL inhibited the formation of TRAP-positive osteoclasts; TRAP activity; pit formation; transcription factors (the nuclear factor of activated T-cell cytoplasmic 1 and c-fos); and osteoclast-related genes such as TRAP, carbonic anhydrase II, cathepsin K, osteoclast-associated receptor, and the d2 isoform of the vacuolar ATPase Vo domain. Also, wLL prevented loss of the trabecular area in the OVX femur without change of estrogen level. These results indicate that wLL is able to inhibit osteoclastogenesis and protect bone loss in the OVX-induced osteoporosis model without the influence of hormones like estrogen.

Antiallergic effects of peiminine through the regulation of inflammatory mediators in HMC-1 cells.

Peiminine is the main biologically active component derived from Fritillaria ussuriensis. Peiminine was investigated in various pulmonary diseases, but its antiallergic effect and the related mechanism have not been reported yet. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of peiminine on mast cell-mediated allergic inflammation in HMC-1 cells. The pro-inflammatory cytokine production was measured using ELISA, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) pathway activation, as determined by Western blot analysis. Peiminine inhibits the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine, such as interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and IL-1beta (IL-1ß). It was shown to have inhibitory effects on MAPKs phosphorylation and NF-B expression in human mast cells (HMC)-1 using Western blot. HMC-1 cells were observed for confirmation of histamine release. Passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) reactions were evaluated using an animal model and peiminine demonstrated inhibitory effects on IgE-dependent anaphylaxis. These results suggest that peiminine has regulatory potential for allergic inflammatory reactions mediated by HMC-1 cells.