Anti-acne vulgaris effects of chlorogenic acid by anti-inflammatory activity and lipogenesis inhibition.

Chlorogenic acid (CGA) exhibits substantial biological function in antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-lipogenesis and anti-inflammatory activities. Increased sebum production and inflammation are considered important for the development of acne. However, the therapeutic effects of CGA on acne vulgaris remain unexplored. In this study, to assess the effects and underlying mechanisms of CGA on acne, a model of skin inflammation in ears of ICR mouse induced by living Propionibacterium acnes was used. 24 hours after 1.0 × 107 CFU, P. acnes were intradermally injected into the ears of the ICR mouse. 1, 5 and 10 mg of CGA mixed with vaseline were applied to the surface of the skin every 12 hours for 3 days. Then, skin inflammation in the ears was assessed and the change of SREBP1 and TNF-α expression was analysed after CGA treatment. The mechanisms of CGA in anti-inflammatory activity and lipogenesis were also studied in primary sebocytes and HaCaT cells. We found that CGA treatment effectively rescued ear swelling, redness and erythema skin in ears of ICR mouse induced by P. acnes and significantly downregulated the expression of inflammatory cytokines by reducing the activity of the NF-κB signalling pathway. Furthermore, CGA could inhibit lipogenesis at the protein secretion and transcription level by decreasing the AKT/mTOR/SREBP signalling pathway. Our findings suggest that CGA could become a potential alternative drug for the treatment of acne vulgaris.

Monitoring Avian Influenza Viruses from Chicken Carcasses Sold at Markets, China, 2016.

During 2016 in Guangzhou, China, we detected infectious avian influenza viruses (AIVs) in 39.8% of samples from chicken carcasses slaughtered at live poultry markets but none from carcasses supplied to supermarkets by facilities bypassing live poultry markets. Promoting supply chains with high biosecurity may reduce the risk for zoonotic AIV transmission.

NGF Rescues Spermatogenesis in Azoospermic Mice.

Nerve growth factor (NGF) plays an important role in regulating the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. However, the effects of NGF on spermatogenesis remain unclear. This study aimed to assess the potential application of NGF with nasal delivery on spermatogenesis in azoospermic mice. We established a model with azoospermia induced by a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of busulfan. NGF pre-encapsulated with liposomes (25, 50, and 100 µg/kg) was delivered via internasal administration. Three weeks after busulfan injection, NGF treatments were performed twice a week for 8 weeks; the change of sperm quality, testis and epididymis histopathology, and androgenic hormone were analyzed to evaluate sperm regeneration. Furthermore, 30 mg/kg busulfan injection caused severe testicular atrophy of the seminiferous tubules, characterized by a loss of spermatogenic elements and sperms. NGF with nasal administration could significantly upregulate the markers expressing meiotic spermatogonia (Stra8) and spermatocytes (SYCP3), restore spermatogenesis, and improve sperm quality in busulfan-treated mice by increasing the secretion of sexual hormones. The convenient and noninvasive nasal delivery of NGF may be a new potential therapy for spermatogenesis via activating the HPG axis and elevating androgenic hormones. This study opened a new horizon for NGF application in reproductive endocrine.

Treatment of symptomatic complex posterior circulation cerebral artery stenosis with balloon-mounted stents: technique feasibility and outcome.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to retrospectively analyze a series of patients with complex posterior circulation stenosis who underwent stent-assisted angioplasty to evaluate the feasibility of the procedure and summarize the experience with regard to complications. METHODS: A total of 16 consecutive patients with 27 complex posterior circulation artery stenoses refractory to medical therapy were enrolled. Technical success rate, periprocedural complication, and long-term follow-up result were evaluated. RESULTS: The study population included 16 patients with 27 lesions. A total of 36 stents were successfully implanted. The technical success rate was 100%, and the overall periprocedural complication rate was 12.5% (2/16). During a median of 25.5 months of follow-up, three patients presented recurrent transient ischemic attacks, which were confirmed had restenosis more than 50% by control angiography or transcranial Doppler. CONCLUSIONS: Stent-assisted angioplasty is a feasible treatment method for complex posterior circulation artery stenosis. However, it appears to be associated with a relatively high periprocedural complication rate. Therefore, strict periprocedural management to reduce mortality and morbidity is needed.

[Correlative study of carotid transient ischemic attacks and intracranial or extracranial angiostenosis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between the clinical features of carotid transient ischemic attacks (TIA) and the intracranial or extracranial angiostenosis. METHODS: Location and degree of stenosis of involved arteries were examined by the digital subtraction angiography in 52 patients with carotid TIA. RESULTS: Intracranial or extracranial vascular lesions of different degrees were revealed in 45 patients (86.5%), and 29 out of 45 (64.4%) had more than one site. Severe stenosis and occlusion occurred more frequently in TIA patients with short duration (less than 1 hour) and multiple attacks (more than twice). CONCLUSION: Most patients with TIA of carotid systems have stenosis in intracranial or extracranial arteries. TIA with short duration and multiple attacks always accompany with severe stenosis or occlusion in intracranial or extracranial arteries. Digital subtraction angiography helps to identify the vascular etiology of TIA and provides the instruction of therapeutic regimen.

Cytotoxic mechanism related to dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase in Leydig cells exposed to heavy metals.

Heavy metals are common environmental toxicants with adverse effects on steroid biosynthesis. The importance of mitochondria has been recognized in cytotoxic mechanism of heavy metals on Leydig cells these years. But it is still poorly known. Our previous study reported that dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (DLD) located on the mitochondria was significantly decreased in Leydig cells exposed to cadmium, which suggested that DLD might be involved in the cytotoxic effects. Therefore, the altered expression of DLD was validated in rats and R2C cells exposed to cadmium, manganese and lead, and the role of DLD in the steroid synthesis pathway cAMP/PKA-ERK1/2 was investigated in this study. With a low expression of DLD, heavy metals dramatically reduced the levels of steroid hormone by inhibiting the activation of cAMP/PKA, PKC signaling pathway and the steroidogenic enzymes StAR, CYP11A1 and 3ß-HSD. After knockdown of DLD in R2C cells, progesterone synthesis was reduced by 40%, and the intracellular concentration of cAMP, protein expression of StAR, 3ß-HSD, PKA, and the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 were also decreased. These results highlight that DLD is down-regulation and related to steroid biosynthesis in Leyig cells exposed to heavy metals; cAMP/PKA act as downstream effector molecules of DLD, which activate phosphorylation of ERK1/2 to initiate the steroidogenesis.

Autophagy: a strategy for malignant gliomas' resistance to therapy.

Gliomas are malignant primary brain tumors with high morbidity. This tumor has a feature of resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy and the underlying mechanism is not yet clear. Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process of cytoplasm and cellular organelle in lysosome degradation. Under poor conditions, cells use autophagy to recycle cellular components to sustain metabolism and to prevent the accumulation of damaged, toxic proteins and organelles. More and more recent experimental results suggest that autophagy allows tumor cells survive gene therapy, chemotherapy or nutrient deficient environment. Therefore, we propose the hypothesis that autophagy may be one of the factors influencing on malignant glioma's resistance to therapy. Although there is not yet reaching an agreement about the effects of autophagy on tumor cells survival and death and much more studies are needed to prove the effects of autophagy on malignant gliomas, it gives us a new direction to investigate the mechanism underlying therapy resistance of malignant gliomas.