Exosome from IFN-γ-Primed Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Improved Skin Inflammation and Barrier Function.

The pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD) is multifactorial, including immune dysregulation and epidermal barrier defects, and a novel therapeutic modality that can simultaneously target multiple pathways is needed. We investigated the therapeutic effects of exosomes (IFN-γ-iExo) secreted from IFN-γ-primed induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells (iMSC) in mice with Aspergillus fumigatus-induced AD. IFN-γ-iExo was epicutaneously administered to mice with AD-like skin lesions. The effects of IFN-γ-iExo treatment were investigated through clinical scores, transepidermal water loss (TEWL) measurements, and histopathology. To elucidate the therapeutic mechanism, we used an in vitro model of human keratinocyte HaCaT cells stimulated with IL-4 and IL-13 and performed extensive bioinformatics analysis of skin mRNA from mice. The expression of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase was higher in IFN-γ primed iMSCs than in iMSCs. In human keratinocyte HaCaT cells, treatment with IFN-γ-iExo led to decreases in the mRNA expression of thymic stromal lymphopoietin, IL-25, and IL-33 and increases in keratin 1, keratin 10, desmoglein 1, and ceramide synthase 3. IFN-γ-iExo treatment significantly improved clinical and histological outcomes in AD mice, including clinical scores, TEWL, inflammatory cell infiltration, and epidermal thickness. Bioinformatics analysis of skin mRNA from AD mice showed that IFN-γ-iExo treatment is predominantly involved in skin barrier function and T cell immune response. Treatment with IFN-γ-iExo improved the clinical and histological outcomes of AD mice, which were likely mediated by restoring proper skin barrier function and suppressing T cell-mediated immune response.

Innate Type 2 Response to Aspergillus fumigatus in a Murine Model of Atopic Dermatitis-like Skin Inflammation.

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic and relapsing inflammatory skin disease mediated by T helper type 2 (Th2) cells in acute phase. Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) play a role in the initiation of the Th2 response. Although mold exposure is associated with the development of AD, studies on the underlying mechanisms are lacking. This study investigated whether group 2 ILCs are involved in inflammation in AD-like skin induced by Aspergillus fumigatus (Af). METHODS: We investigated changes of group 2 ILCs population in Af-induced AD-like skin lesions. To induce AD-like skin lesions, Af extracts were applied to the dorsal skin of BALB/c and Rag1-/- mice five times per week, with repeat exposures at 2-week intervals. RESULTS: The clinical parameters were higher in the Af-treated group than in the control group. Histologic findings revealed epiderrmal and dermal thickening as well as eosinophil and mast cell infiltration into the skin of Af-treated mice. Populations of group 2 ILCs in the skin were also significantly higher in the Af-treated group. In addition, interleukin-33 mRNA expression was significantly higher in the skin lesions of the Af-treated mice. In the Rag1-/- mice lacking mature lymphocytes, AD-like skin lesions were still induced by Af and ILCs depletion using an anti-CD90.2 mAb lowered the Af-induced inflammatory response. CONCLUSIONS: Group 2 ILCs may play a role in a murine model of Af-induced AD-like skin lesions.

Modified MYOMI-14 Korean herbal formulations have protective effects against cyclophosphamide-induced male infertility in mice.

Korean herbal formulation, MYOMI-14, has been reported to improve the idiopathic male infertility condition with poor semen. In this study, four MYOMI formulations were modified from MYOMI-14 by reducing the number of constituents. We investigated the therapeutic effect of MYOMI formulations on cyclophosphamide-induced male infertility using mice model. Cyclophosphamide treatment significantly decreased body weight, testicular weight, sperm count, normal-shaped sperm rate and sperm motility compared to untreated control group, whereas MYOMI formulations restore the cyclophosphamide-induced dysfunction, as determined by increased sperm count and motility, and decreased abnormally shaped spermatozoa. In addition, treatment with MYOMI formulations reduced cyclophosphamide-induced apoptosis of germ cells and oxidative stress. MYOMI-treated mice also showed improved spermatogenesis as shown by the increased expression of spermatogenesis-related genes, as cAMP-responsive element modulator (CREM) and cAMP response element-binding (CREB) protein. Among the MYOMI formulations, MYOMI-7 showed better results in terms of recovering CP-induced damages to testis and improving the fertility. Taken together, this study is expected to make significant contribution to the literature by exploring various formulations that reduced constituents of MYOMI-14, a Korean herbal medicine, in treating CP-induced male infertility.

Proteomics Approach for the Discovery of Rheumatoid Arthritis Biomarkers Using Mass Spectrometry.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes serious functional loss in patients. Early and accurate diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis may attenuate its severity. Despite a diagnosis guideline in the 2010 American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) classification criteria for rheumatoid arthritis, the practical difficulties in its diagnosis highlight the need of developing new methods for diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis. The current study aimed to identify rheumatoid arthritis diagnostic biomarkers by using a proteomics approach. Serum protein profiling was conducted using mass spectrometry, and five distinguishable biomarkers were identified therefrom. In the validation study, the five biomarkers were quantitatively verified by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) analysis. Two proteins, namely serum amyloid A4 and vitamin D binding protein, showed high performance in distinguishing patients with rheumatoid arthritis from healthy controls. Logistic analysis was conducted to evaluate how accurately the two biomarkers distinguish patients with rheumatoid arthritis from healthy controls. The classification accuracy was 86.0% and 81.4% in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and in healthy controls, respectively. Serum amyloid A4 and vitamin D binding protein could be potential biomarkers related to the inflammatory response and joint destruction that accompany rheumatoid arthritis.

Identification and Validation of SAA4 as a Rheumatoid Arthritis Prescreening Marker by Liquid Chromatography Tandem-mass Spectrometry.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that progresses into systemic inflammation and joint deformity. RA diagnosis is a complicated procedure, and early diagnostic methods are insufficient. Therefore, in this study, we attempted to identify new markers to improve the accuracy of RA prescreening. e identified differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) by using liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry in health-prescreening sera with high rheumatoid factor (RF) values, and compared the findings with those from sera with normal RF values. We identified 93 DEPs; of these, 36 were upregulated, and 57 were downregulated in high-RF sera. Pathway analysis revealed that these DEPs were related to immune responses. Additionally, four DEPs were statistically analyzed by proteomic analysis; of these, SAA4 was significantly validated in individual enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Moreover, SAA4 was significantly upregulated in RA patients (n = 40, 66.43 ± 12.97 ng/mL) compared with normal controls (n = 40, 4.79 ± 0.95 ng/mL) and had a higher area under the curve than C-reactive protein. Thus, we identified SAA4 as a protein that was positively correlated with RF and RA. SAA4 may represent a novel prescreening marker for the diagnosis of RA.

An increased level of IL-6 suppresses NK cell activity in peritoneal fluid of patients with endometriosis via regulation of SHP-2 expression.

STUDY QUESTION: Is the decreased natural killer (NK) cell cytolytic activity in the peritoneal fluid (PF) of endometriosis patients due to primary cytokine activity? SUMMARY ANSWER: An increased level of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the PF of patients with endometriosis suppresses NK cell cytolytic activity by down-regulating cytolytic granule components, such as granzyme B and perforin, through the modulation of Src homology region 2-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase-2 (SHP-2) expression. WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN: Endometriosis is known to be related to a defect in NK cell cytolytic activity. Additionally, the levels of inflammatory cytokines are elevated in the PF of women with endometriosis. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: The effects of PF on the differentiation and functional activity of NK cells were investigated in patients with or without endometriosis, and cytokines that reduce NK cell cytolytic activity in endometriosis patients were examined. The study included women who underwent laparoscopic examination for the diagnosis of endometriosis from August 2012 to July 2013 (33 women with, and 15 women without, endometriosis). PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Women of reproductive age (20-40 years old) who underwent laparoscopic examination for endometriosis were included. Cytokines present in the PF were identified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The cytolytic activity of NK cells in the PF was also analyzed using a calcein-acetoxy methyl ester (AM) release assay. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: PF from patients with endometriosis suppressed the differentiation and cytotoxicity of NK cells compared with PF from controls (P < 0.05). Increased levels of IL-6 were also found in the PF of patients with endometriosis (P < 0.01), and IL-6 levels were negatively correlated with the cytolytic activity of NK cells (rs = -0.558, P = 0.03). Furthermore, IL-6 reduced the cytolytic activity of NK cells, concomitantly with the down-regulation of granzyme B and perforin (P < 0.05), by modulating SHP-2. Importantly, the addition of anti-IL-6 to the PF of endometriosis patients restored the activity of NK cells (P < 0.01), suggesting that IL-6 plays a crucial role in the reduction of NK cell activity in the PF of patients with endometriosis. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: PF contains various inflammatory cytokines in addition to IL-6 and so it is possible that other cytokines may affect the differentiation and activity of NK cells. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Our results imply that the suppression of IL-6 using an anti-IL-6 antibody or soluble IL-6 receptor could rescue the impairment of NK cell activity in patients with endometriosis. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS: This work was supported by the KRIBB Creative Research Program (KCS3051312); the STP project (DTM0111221) of the Ministry of Knowledge & Economy and the Basic Science Research Program (RBM0271312) of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) from the Ministry of Education, Science & Technology. There are no conflicts of interest.

Feasibility of Home-Based Pulmonary Rehabilitation of Pediatric Patients with Chronic Respiratory Diseases.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Chronic respiratory diseases in children deteriorate their daily life due to dyspnea and reduced lung function. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of home-based pulmonary rehabilitation in pediatric chronic respiratory diseases. METHODS: This prospective, single-arm, cohort study included children with chronic lung disease. They were instructed to perform home-based pulmonary rehabilitation 30 min/session, three sessions/week for three months. Pulmonary function test (PFT) using spirometry, respiratory muscle strength (RMT), cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET), 6 min walk test (6MWT), dyspnea questionnaires, speech evaluation, and pediatric quality of life inventory (PedsQL) were assessed pre- and post-pulmonary rehabilitation. Compliance and satisfaction of the program were also evaluated. RESULTS: Twenty children (mean age: 11.2 ± 3.1 years) with chronic respiratory diseases without cardiopulmonary instability participated. The overall compliance was 71.1% with no related adverse events. After pulmonary rehabilitation, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), peak expiratory flow (PEF), RMT, 6MWT, dyspnea questionnaire, speech rate, and PedsQL (child) significantly improved (p < 0.05), particularly better in the FEV1 < 60% group than in the FEV1 ≥ 60% group and in the high-compliance group (compliance ≥ 50%) than in the low-compliance group (compliance < 50%). CONCLUSIONS: Home-based pulmonary rehabilitation for children with chronic lung disease was feasible with high compliance and effective in terms of objective functions, subjective dyspnea symptom, and quality of life.

IL-17A and Th17 Cells Contribute to Endometrial Cell Survival by Inhibiting Apoptosis and NK Cell Mediated Cytotoxicity of Endometrial Cells via ERK1/2 Pathway.

Immune status including the immune cells and cytokine profiles has been implicated in the development of endometriosis. In this study, we analyzed Th17 cells and IL-17A in peritoneal fluid (PF) and endometrial tissues of patients with (n=10) and without (n=26) endometriosis. Our study has shown increased Th17 cell population and IL-17A level in PF with endometriosis patients. To determine the roles of IL-17A and Th17 cells in the development of endometriosis, the effect of IL-17A, major cytokine of Th17, on endometrial cells isolated from endometriotic tissues was examined. Recombinant IL-17A promoted survival of endometrial cells accompanied by increased expression of anti-apoptotic genes, including Bcl-2 and MCL1, and the activation of ERK1/2 signaling. In addition, treatment of IL-17A to endometrial cells inhibited NK cell mediated cytotoxicity and induced HLA-G expression on endometrial cells. IL-17A also promoted migration of endometrial cells. Our data suggest that Th17 cells and IL-17A play critical roles in the development of endometriosis by promoting endometrial cell survival and conferring a resistance to NK cell cytotoxicity through the activation of ERK1/2 signaling. Targeting IL-17A has potential as a new strategy for the treatment of endometriosis.

Ginsenoside 20(R)-Rg3 enhances natural killer cell activity by increasing activating receptor expression through the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway.

Ginseng is one of the most widely used herbal remedies for various diseases worldwide. Ginsenoside Rg3 (G-Rg3), the main component of ginseng, possesses several pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, antioxidant, anti-obesity, and immunomodulatory activities. However, the effect of G-Rg3 on natural killer (NK) cells in humans is not fully understood. Here, we investigated the effect of G-Rg3 on NK cell function and differentiation and elucidated the underlying mechanism. G-Rg3 increased NK cell cytotoxicity and simultaneously increased the expression of NK-activating receptors, NKp44, NKp46, and NKp30. Additionally, G-Rg3 increased the mRNA expression of NK cytolytic molecules, granzyme B and perforin. The expression of CD107a, a marker of NK cell degranulation, also increased in G-Rg3-treated NK cells. We therefore proceeded to identify which MAPK signaling pathway was involved in G-Rg3-mediated cytolytic activity. Treatment with G-Rg3 increased the phosphorylation levels of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), whereas ERK inhibition eliminated G-Rg3-induced NK cell cytotoxicity, suggesting the involvement of the ERK pathway. G-Rg3 did not affect the rate of differentiation of human cord-blood-derived NK cells; however, it increased the functional maturation of differentiated NK cells and promoted their cytotoxicity. The G-Rg3 isomer, 20(R)-Rg3, effectively activated NK cells via the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway, whereas 20(S)-Rg3 had no effect on NK cell activity. Altogether, the results demonstrated that 20(R)-Rg3 promoted NK cell activity via activation of the MAPK/ERK pathway, suggesting that 20(R)-Rg3 may be used as an activator of NK cell cytotoxicity for the treatment of diverse types of cancers.

Aurantii Fructus Immaturus enhances natural killer cytolytic activity and anticancer efficacy in vitro and in vivo.

Aurantii Fructus Immaturus (AFI), extensively used in traditional herbal medicine, is known to have diverse physiological effects against various diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. However, the effects of AFI on the immune system, especially natural killer (NK) cells, remain largely unknown. We aimed to investigate the effect of AFI on NK cell activity in vitro and in vivo and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Further, we verified the anticancer efficacy of AFI in a mouse lung metastasis model, underscoring the therapeutic potential of AFI in cancer therapy. Our results revealed that AFI significantly enhanced the cytolytic activity of NK cells in a dose-dependent manner, accompanied by an increase in the expression of NK cell-activating receptors, especially NKp30 and NKp46. AFI treatment also increased the expression of cytolytic granules, including granzyme B and perforin. Furthermore, the expression of CD107a, a degranulation marker, was increased upon treatment with AFI. A signaling study using western blot analysis demonstrated that the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) was involved in increasing the NK cell activity following AFI treatment. In the in vivo study performed in mice, oral administration of AFI markedly enhanced the cytotoxic activity of spleen mononuclear cells against YAC-1 cells, which was accompanied by NKp46 upregulation. In addition, we confirmed that cancer metastasis was inhibited in a mouse cancer metastasis model, established using the mouse melanoma B16F10 cell line, by the administration of AFI in vivo. Collectively, these results indicate that AFI enhances NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo via activation of the ERK signaling pathway and suggest that AFI could be a potential supplement for cancer immunotherapy.

Pseudoalteromonas donghaensis sp. nov., isolated from seawater.

A Gram-negative, rod-shaped, motile and aerobic bacterium, designated strain HJ51(T), was isolated from a seawater sample from the East Sea, near South Korea. The isolate grew slowly at 4 °C, was able to grow at 40 °C, required NaCl and grew optimally at pH 6.5-7.0. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 41.8 mol%. The major fatty acids were summed feature 4 (C(16 : 1)ω7c and/or iso-C(15 : 0) 2-OH), C(16 : 0) and summed feature 7 (C(18 : 1)ω7c, C(18 : 1)ω9t and/or C(18 : 1)ω12t). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain HJ51(T) belonged to the genus Pseudoalteromonas and had 91.7-98.9 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with type strains of species of the genus Pseudoalteromonas. Strain HJ51(T) had 7.2 % DNA-DNA relatedness with Pseudoalteromonas mariniglutinosa DSM 15203(T) and 12.9 % with Pseudoalteromonas prydzensis DSM 14232(T). On the basis of the phenotypic, phylogenetic and genomic data, strain HJ51(T) represents a novel species of the genus Pseudoalteromonas, for which the name Pseudoalteromonas donghaensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is HJ51(T) (=KCTC 22219(T)=LMG 24469(T)).

Flavobacterium chungbukense sp. nov., isolated from soil.

A yellow-pigmented, Gram-staining-negative, non-motile, strictly aerobic and rod-shaped bacterium, designated CS100(T), was isolated from soil in Chungbuk, Korea. Phylogenetic analysis and comparative studies based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that strain CS100(T) belonged to the genus Flavobacterium in the family Flavobacteriaceae. Strain CS100(T) showed the highest sequence similarities to Flavobacterium glaciei JCM 13953(T) (97.6 %) and Flavobacterium johnsoniae KACC 11410(T) (97.1 %). Sequence similarity to other members of the genus Flavobacterium was 91.5-97.0 %. Growth occurred at 4-30 °C, at pH 5.0-9.0 and in the presence of 0-2 % (w/v) NaCl. Flexirubin-type pigments were produced. Menaquinone-6 (MK-6) was the major respiratory quinone and the major fatty acids were iso-C(15 : 0) (17.3 %), summed feature 3 (comprising iso-C(15 : 0) 2-OH and/or C(16 : 1)ω7c, 15.5 %) and C(16 : 0) (11.8 %). The DNA G+C content was 36.4 mol%. Strain CS100(T) hydrolysed skimmed milk and gelatin, but not chitin or pectin, and showed oxidase and catalase activities. DNA-DNA relatedness was 3.0 % with F. glaciei JCM 13953(T) and 11.5 % with F. johnsoniae KACC 11410(T). On the basis of the evidence from this study, strain CS100(T) represents a novel species of the genus Flavobacterium, for which the name Flavobacterium chungbukense sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CS100(T) ( = KACC 15048(T) = JCM 17386(T)).

Reichenbachiella faecimaris sp. nov., isolated from a tidal flat, and emended descriptions of the genus Reichenbachiella and Reichenbachiella agariperforans.

A taxonomic study was carried out on two bacterial strains, PCP11(T) and PCP104, isolated from a tidal flat of the Yellow Sea, Korea. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence studies showed that these strains belonged to the family Cytophagaceae, phylum Bacteroidetes. Strains PCP11(T) and PCP104 shared 99.4 % sequence similarity and were related most closely to Reichenbachiella agariperforans KMM 3525(T) (95.8 and 96.0 % sequence similarity, respectively). Members of the genera Fulvivirga, Roseivirga, Fabibacter and Marinoscillum were the next closest relatives of the new isolates, with sequence similarities ≤ 91 %. The two isolates were Gram-staining-negative, strictly aerobic, gliding bacteria. They grew in the presence of 1-5 % NaCl, at pH 5.5-8.5 and at 4-35 °C. Strains PCP11(T) and PCP104 shared a number of physiological and biochemical properties with Reichenbachiella agariperforans KMM 3525(T), but they differed from this strain in the hydrolysis of biopolymers and in the production of carotenoid and flexirubin-type pigments. Both strains possessed iso-C(15 : 0), summed feature 4 (C(16 : 1)ω7c and/or iso-C(15 : 0) 2-OH) and C(15 : 0) as major cellular fatty acids. The major respiratory quinone was menaquinone 7 (MK-7). The G+C contents of the genomic DNA of strains PCP11(T) and PCP104 were 39.6 and 41.9 mol%, respectively. On the basis of phenotypic data and phylogenetic inference, it is proposed that the two isolates represent a novel species, Reichenbachiella faecimaris sp. nov., with strain PCP11(T) ( = KACC 14523(T)  = JCM 16588(T)) as the type strain. Emended descriptions of the genus Reichenbachiella and Reichenbachiella agariperforans are also proposed.

Proteomics-Based Identification of Diagnostic Biomarkers Related to Risk Factors and Pathogenesis of Ischemic Stroke.

Ischemic stroke is caused by blood clot formation and consequent vessel blockage. Proteomic approaches provide a cost-effective alternative to current diagnostic methods, including computerized tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). To identify diagnostic biomarkers associated with ischemic stroke risk factors, we performed individual proteomic analysis of serum taken from 20 healthy controls and 20 ischemic stroke patients. We then performed SWATH analysis, a data-independent method, to assess quantitative changes in protein expression between the two experimental conditions. Our analysis identified several candidate protein biomarkers, 11 of which were validated by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) analysis as novel diagnostic biomarkers associated with ischemic stroke risk factors. Our study identifies new biomarkers associated with the risk factors and pathogenesis of ischemic stroke which, to the best of our knowledge, were previously unknown. These markers may be effective in not only the diagnosis but also the prevention and management of ischemic stroke.

Proteomics Reveals Plasma Biomarkers for Ischemic Stroke Related to the Coagulation Cascade.

Stroke has a high incidence rate and often leads to permanent disability, particularly if it is not treated promptly. However, no blood biomarkers for early diagnosis are available to date. Therefore, we sought to detect stroke-specific blood biomarkers by identifying proteins associated with the underlying coagulation mechanism, which accounts for more than 80% of all stroke cases. Protein profiling was performed using blood samples from 16 healthy controls and 18 patients who suffered a stroke as the discovery set. We identified upregulated proteins (> 1.5-fold change and p value < 0.05) in patients who suffered a stroke relative to the corresponding levels in healthy controls by nano-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry using data-independent acquisition based on sequential window acquisition of all theoretical mass spectra, which was developed to improve the consistency and accuracy of candidate proteins. Pathway analysis confirmed that the upregulated proteins were mainly involved in blood coagulation. Among these, we selected prothrombin, plasminogen, fibrinogen alpha-chain, and histidine-rich glycoprotein as candidate biomarkers. Multiple reaction monitoring analysis was performed on a validation set of 61 serum samples (31 healthy controls and 30 stroke patients) to assess the diagnostic value of the candidate biomarkers. All four proteins showed higher expression levels in patients with stroke than in healthy controls. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve were greater than 0.9, confirming their clinical value. These four blood coagulation proteins may help in diagnosing stroke more accurately and quickly.

Priming with Toll-like receptor 3 agonist or interferon-gamma enhances the therapeutic effects of human mesenchymal stem cells in a murine model of atopic dermatitis.

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic and relapsing inflammatory skin disease. Great efforts have been recently made to treat AD using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which have immunomodulatory functions. However, the immunomodulatory effects of MSCs need to be enhanced for clinical application in the treatment of AD. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate and characterise the therapeutic effects of human Wharton's jelly-derived MSCs (WJ-MSCs) primed with the Toll-like receptor 3 agonist poly I:C or interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in a murine model of AD. METHODS: Mice were treated with Aspergillus fumigatus extract to induce AD and then subcutaneously injected with non-primed, poly I:C-primed or IFN-γ-primed WJ-MSCs. Clinical symptom scores, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), histological characteristics and cytokine levels were determined. Transcriptome profiling and pathway analyses of primed WJ-MSCs were conducted. RESULTS: The clinical symptom score and TEWL in skin lesions were reduced in mice administered non-primed and primed WJ-MSCs. Epidermal thickness and inflammatory cell infiltration in skin lesions were reduced more in mice administered primed WJ-MSCs than in mice administered non-primed WJ-MSCs. Secretion of interleukin-17 was significantly reduced in skin draining lymph nodes of mice administered primed WJ-MSCs. Genomics and bioinformatics analyses demonstrated the enrichment of certain pathways specifically in WJ-MSCs primed with poly I:C or IFN-γ. CONCLUSIONS: Priming with poly I:C- or IFN-γ improved the therapeutic effects of WJ-MSCs in a murine model of AD. This study suggests that priming with poly I:C or IFN-γ enhances the immunomodulatory functions of WJ-MSCs and can be used as a novel therapeutic approach for AD.

Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell extracts ameliorate atopic dermatitis in mice by reducing the T cell responses.

Mesenchymal stem cells derived from Wharton's jelly of the umbilical cord (UC-MSCs) have immunomodulatory properties. The aim of this study was to explore whether extracts of MSCs (MSC-Ex) could augment the low therapeutic efficacy of the whole cells in an Aspergillus fumigatus (Af)-induced atopic dermatitis (AD) model. LPS- or TNF-α/IFN-γ-stimulated keratinocytes (HaCaT cells) were treated with MSC-Ex, and the Af-induced AD model was established in BALB/c mice. In HaCaT cells, MSC-Ex treatment significantly reduced the inflammatory cytokine (IL-6, IL-1ß, IL-4, IL-5 and TNF-α), iNOS and NF-κB levels, and upregulated the anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10 and TGF-ß1). In the AD mice, the MSC-Ex group showed greatly reduced dermatitis, and lower clinical symptom scores and IgE levels. The histological dermatitis scores were also markedly lower in the MSC-Ex-treated animals compared with the MSC-treated group. Decreased levels of IFN-γ (Th1) and IL-17 (Th17), IL-4 and IL-13 (Th2) were detected in T cells and the skin tissue from the MSC-Ex treated AD mice. The therapeutic capacity of MSC-Ex was preserved after lyophilization and reconstitution. MSC-Ex treatment reproducibly suppresses dermatitis and inhibits the induction of inflammatory cytokines in the skin of AD mice. MSC-Ex is therefore a potential new treatment agent for AD.

Indoleamine-2,3-Dioxygenase in Thyroid Cancer Cells Suppresses Natural Killer Cell Function by Inhibiting NKG2D and NKp46 Expression via STAT Signaling Pathways.

Natural killer (NK) cells are key players in the immune system. They use receptors on their cell surface to identify target cells. However, to escape being killed by the immune system, cancer cells such as thyroid cancer cells, use various methods to suppress the function of NK cells. Thus, this study aims to elucidate how thyroid cancer cells downregulate NK cell function in a co-culture system. We found that thyroid cancer cells suppress NK cell cytotoxicity and inhibit the expression of activating receptors, such as NKG2D and NKp46, by regulating indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO). Also, thyroid cancer cells produce kynurenine using IDO, which causes NK cell dysfunction. Kynurenine enters NK cells via the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) on the surfaces of the NK cells, which decreases NK cell function and NK receptor expression via the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 1 and STAT3 pathways. In addition, STAT1 and STAT3 directly regulated the expression of NKG2D and NKp46 receptors by binding to the promoter region. Conclusively, NK cell function may be impaired in thyroid cancer patients by IDO-induced kynurenine production. This implies that IDO can be used as a target for thyroid cancer therapeutics aiming at improving NK cell function.

How to Sustain Smart Connected Hospital Services: An Experience from a Pilot Project on IoT-Based Healthcare Services.

OBJECTIVES: This paper describes an experience of implementing seamless service trials online and offline by adopting Internet of Things (IoT) technology based on near-field communication (NFC) tags and Bluetooth low-energy (BLE) beacons. The services were provided for both patients and health professionals. METHODS: The pilot services were implemented to enhance healthcare service quality, improve patient safety, and provide an effective business process to health professionals in a tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea. The services to enhance healthcare service quality include healing tours, cancer information/education, psychological assessments, indoor navigation, and exercise volume checking. The services to improve patient safety are monitoring of high-risk inpatients and delivery of real-time health information in emergency situations. In addition, the services to provide an effective business process to health professionals include surveys and web services for patient management. RESULTS: Considering the sustainability of the pilot services, we decided to pause navigation and patient monitoring services until the interference problem could be completely resolved because beacon signal interference significantly influences the quality of services. On the other hand, we had to continue to provide new wearable beacons to high-risk patients because of hygiene issues, so the cost increased over time and was much higher than expected. CONCLUSIONS: To make the smart connected hospital services sustainable, technical feasibility (e.g., beacon signal interference), economic feasibility (e.g., continuous provision of new necklace beacons), and organizational commitment and support (e.g., renewal of new alternative medical devices and infrastructure) are required.

Proteomics analysis reveals differential pattern of widespread protein expression and novel role of histidine-rich glycoprotein and lipopolysaccharide-binding protein in rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid factor (RF) is an auto-antibody against antigen-antibody immune complexes. RF is valuable as a biomarker for the screening of autoimmune and infectious diseases. However, it is suggested that RF would be a more powerful biomarker when used complementarily with RF-correlated proteins. In this study, we utilized a proteomic approach to analyze global protein expression in RF-low and RF-high subjects using high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRG) and lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP) were found to be differentially expressed between RF-low and RF-high subjects (cut-off > 2-fold, p < 0.05), which was validated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. To evaluate whether both proteins allow discriminating rheumatoid arthritis patients from healthy controls, receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were analyzed. Areas under the ROC curves of HRG and LBP were 0.861 and 0.888, respectively. The correlation between RF and HRG was statistically significant (p = 0.003), and LBP was also correlated with RF (p = 0.044), as indicated by correlation analysis. HRG and LBP are reportedly involved in RF-producing and RF-correlated diseases. Thus, we propose that HRG and LBP could be useful screening markers for RF-correlated diseases.