Regulation of candidalysin underlies Candida albicans persistence in intravascular catheters by modulating NETosis.

Candida albicans is a leading cause of intravascular catheter-related infections. The capacity for biofilm formation has been proposed to contribute to the persistence of this fungal pathogen on catheter surfaces. While efforts have been devoted to identifying microbial factors that modulate C. albicans biofilm formation in vitro, our understanding of the host factors that may shape C. albicans persistence in intravascular catheters is lacking. Here, we used multiphoton microscopy to characterize biofilms in intravascular catheters removed from candidiasis patients. We demonstrated that, NETosis, a type of neutrophil cell death with antimicrobial activity, was implicated in the interaction of immune cells with C. albicans in the catheters. The catheter isolates exhibited reduced filamentation and candidalysin gene expression, specifically in the total parenteral nutrition culture environment. Furthermore, we showed that the ablation of candidalysin expression in C. albicans reduced NETosis and conferred resistance to neutrophil-mediated fungal biofilm elimination. Our findings illustrate the role of neutrophil NETosis in modulating C. albicans biofilm persistence in an intravascular catheter, highlighting that C. albicans can benefit from reduced virulence expression to promote its persistence in an intravascular catheter.

Different wavelengths of LED irradiation promote secondary metabolite production in Pycnoporus sanguineus for antioxidant and immunomodulatory applications.

Pycnoporus sanguineus is a fungus of the phylum Basidiomycota that has many applications in traditional medicine, modern pharmaceuticals, and agricultural industries. Light plays an essential role in the metabolism, growth, and development of fungi. This study evaluated the mycelial growth and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities in P. sanguineus fermentation broth (PFB) cultured under different wavelengths of LED irradiation or in the dark. Compared to the dark cultures, the dry weight of mycelia in red- and yellow-light cultures decreased by 37 and 35% and the yields of pigments increased by 30.92 ± 2.18 mg and 31.75 ± 3.06 mg, respectively. Compared with the dark culture, the DPPH free radical scavenging ability, ABTS+ free radical scavenging capacity, and reducing power of yellow-light cultures increased significantly, and their total phenolic content peaked at 180.0 ± 8.34 µg/mL. However, the reducing power in blue-light cultures was significantly reduced, though the total phenol content did not vary with that of dark cultures. In LPS- and IFN-γ-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, nitrite release was significantly reduced in the red and yellow light-irradiated PFB compared with the dark culture. In the dark, yellow-, and green-light cultures, TNF-α production in the inflamed RAW 264.7 cells was inhibited by 62, 46, and 14%, respectively. With red-, blue-, and white-light irradiation, TNF-α production was significantly enhanced. Based on these results, we propose that by adjusting the wavelength of the light source during culture, one can effectively modulate the growth, development, and metabolism of P. sanguineus.

Photosynthetic System Based on a Polyoxometalate-Based Dehydrated Metal-Organic Framework for Nitrogen Fixation.

In nature, biological nitrogen fixation is accomplished through the π-back-bonding mechanism of nitrogenase, which poses significant challenges for mimic artificial systems, thanks to the activation barrier associated with the N≡N bond. Consequently, this motivates us to develop efficient and reusable photocatalysts for artificial nitrogen fixation under mild conditions. We employ a charge-assisted self-assembly process toward encapsulating one polyoxometalate (POM) within a dehydrated Zr-based metal-organic framework (d-UiO-66) exhibiting nitrogen photofixation activities, thereby constructing an enzyme-mimicking photocatalyst. The dehydration of d-UiO-66 is favorable for facilitating nitrogen chemisorption and activation via the unpaired d-orbital electron at the [Zr6O6] cluster. The incorporation of POM guests enhanced the charge separation in the composites, thereby facilitating the transfer of photoexcited electrons into the π* antibonding orbital of chemisorbed N2 for efficient nitrogen fixation. Simultaneously, the catalytic efficiency of SiW9Fe3@d-UiO-66 is enhanced by 9.0 times compared to that of d-UiO-66. Moreover, SiW9Fe3@d-UiO-66 exhibits an apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of 0.254% at 550 nm. The tactics of "working-in-tandem" achieved by POMs and d-UiO-66 are extremely vital for enhancing artificial ammonia synthesis. This study presents a paradigm for the development of an efficient artificial catalyst for nitrogen photofixation, aiming to mimic the process of biological nitrogen fixation.

[Corythucha marmorata affects growth and quality of Artemisia argyi].

This study aims to investigate the impact of the invasive pest Corythucha marmorata on the growth and quality of Artemi-sia argyi. The signs of insect damage at the cultivation base of A. argyi in Huanggang, Hubei were observed. The pests were identified based on morphological and molecular evidence. The pest occurrence pattern and damage mechanism were investigated. Electron microscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS), and high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) were employed to analyze the microstructure, volatile oils, and flavonoid content of the pest-infested leaves. C. marmorata can cause destructive damage to A. argyi. Small decoloring spots appeared on the leaf surface at the initial stage of infestation. As the damage progressed, the spots spread along the leaf veins and aggregated into patches, causing yellowish leaves and even brownish yellow in the severely affected areas. The insect frequently appeared in summer because it thrives in hot dry conditions. After occurrence on the leaves, microscopic examination revealed that the front of the leaves gradually developed decoloring spots, with black oily stains formed by the black excrement attaching to the glandular hairs. The leaf flesh was also severely damaged, and the non-glandular hairs were broken, disor-ganized, and sticky. The content of neochlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid, isochlorogenic acids A and B, hispidulin, jaceosidin, and eupatilin at the early stage of infestation was significantly higher than that at the middle stage, and the content decreased at the last stage of infestation. The content of eucalyptol, borneol, terpinyl, and caryophyllin decreased in the moderately damaged leaves and increased in the severely damaged leaves. C. marmorata was discovered for the first time on A. argyi leaves in this study, and its prevention and control deserves special attention. The germplasm materials resistant to this pest can be used to breed C. marmorata-resis-tant A. argyi varieties.

Reconstructing vascular networks promotes the repair of skeletal muscle following volumetric muscle loss by pre-vascularized tissue constructs.

Current treatment for complex and large-scale volumetric muscle loss (VML) injuries remains a limited success and have substantial disadvantages, due to the irreversible loss of muscle mass, slow muscle regeneration, and rapid formation of non-functional fibrosis scars. These VML injuries are accompanied by denervation and the destruction of native vasculature which increases difficulties in the functional restoration of muscle. Here, reconstruction of the vascular network at the injury site was offered as a possible solution for improving the repair of muscle defects through the timely supply of nutrients and oxygen to surrounding cells. A hydrogel-based tissue construct containing various densities of the vascular network was successfully created in the subcutaneous space of mice by manipulating hydrogel properties, and then implanted into the VML injury site. One month after implantation, the mouse treated with the highly vascularized tissue had extensive muscle repair at the injury site and only spent a shorter time completing the inclined plane tests. These findings suggest that the reconstruction of the functional vascular network at the VML injury site accelerated muscle fiber repair through a timely supply of sufficient blood and avoided invasion by host fibroblasts.

Esophageal mycobiome landscape and interkingdom interactions in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: The study purpose was to characterize the mycobiome and its associations with the expression of pathogenic genes in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods: Patients with primary ESCC were recruited from two central hospitals. We performed internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) ribosomal DNA sequencing analysis. We compared differential fungi and explored the ecology of fungi and the interaction of bacteria and fungi. Results: The mycobiota diversity was significantly different between tumors and tumor-adjacent samples. We further analysed the differences between the two groups, at the species level, confirming that Rhodotorula toruloides, Malassezia dermatis, Hanseniaspora lachancei, and Spegazzinia tessarthra were excessively colonized in the tumor samples, whereas Preussia persica, Fusarium solani, Nigrospora oryzae, Acremonium furcatum, Golovinomyces artemisiae, and Tausonia pullulans were significantly more abundant in tumor-adjacent samples. The fungal co-occurrence network in tumor-adjacent samples was larger and denser than that in tumors. Similarly, the more complex bacterial-fungal interactions in tumor-adjacent samples were also detected. The expression of mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase was positively correlated with the abundance of N. oryzae and T. pullulans in tumor-adjacent samples. In tumors, the expression of MET proto-oncogene, receptor tyrosine kinase (MET) had a negative correlation and a positive correlation with the abundance of R. toruloides and S. tessarthra, respectively. Conclusion: This study revealed the landscape of the esophageal mycobiome characterized by an altered fungal composition and bacterial and fungal ecology in ESCC.

Toll-like Receptor 2 Mediates VEGF Overexpression and Mesothelial Hyperpermeability in Tuberculous Pleural Effusion.

Toll-like receptor (TLR) is essential for the immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection. However, the mechanism whereby TLR mediates the MTB-induced pleural mesothelial hyperpermeability in tuberculous pleural effusion (TBPE) remains unclear. Pleural effusion size and pleural fluid levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and soluble TLR2 (sTLR2) in patients with TBPE (n = 36) or transudative pleural effusion (TPE, n = 16) were measured. The effects of MTB H37Ra (MTBRa) on pleural mesothelial permeability and the expression of VEGF and zonula occludens (ZO)-1 in human pleural mesothelial cells (PMCs) were assessed. Levels of VEGF and sTLR2 were significantly elevated in TBPE compared to TPE. Moreover, effusion VEGF levels correlated positively, while sTLR2 values correlated negatively, with pleural effusion size in TBPE. In human PMCs, MTBRa substantially activated JNK/AP-1 signaling and upregulated VEGF expression, whereas knockdown of TLR2 remarkably inhibited MTBRa-induced JNK phosphorylation and VEGF overexpression. Additionally, both MTBRa and VEGF markedly reduced ZO-1 expression and induced pleural mesothelial permeability, while TLR2 silencing or pretreatment with anti-VEGF antibody significantly attenuated the MTBRa-triggered effects. Collectively, TLR2 mediates VEGF overproduction and downregulates ZO-1 expression in human PMCs, leading to mesothelial hyperpermeability in TBPE. Targeting TLR2/VEGF pathway may confer a potential treatment strategy for TBPE.

Adverse Experiences in Late Adolescence and Young Adulthood Disadvantages.

Despite extensive research documenting associations between adverse early-life experiences and negative outcomes in later life, little is known about how adverse experiences in late adolescence relate to young adulthood disadvantages. This study examines the role of adverse experiences during late adolescence on young adults' education and work trajectories in Taiwan. Drawing theories and research from human development and sociology, the study links indicators of disadvantages in young adulthood to measures of adverse experiences in late adolescence using data from the Taiwan Youth Project data (n = 1221; median ages 18, 20, and 22; 49.4% female). The analysis found that running away from home was associated with instability in education or employment and that having cumulative adverse experiences was associated with graduating with debt and instability in education or employment. Some associations were explained by financial pressure, however, taken together, the findings suggest that certain adverse experiences in late adolescence have a significant impact on disadvantaged education and work trajectories in young adulthood.

Newly diagnosed diabetes based on an oral glucose tolerance test predicts cardiovascular outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease: An observational study.

Diabetes is prevalent in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Using the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), abnormal glucose regulation can be detected early in CAD patients without known diabetes. In the present study, we assessed the impact of abnormal glucose regulation on the long-term cardiovascular outcomes of patients with established CAD. Patients hospitalized for a scheduled angiography due to angina were enrolled in Taichung Veterans General Hospital. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and 2-hour postload glucose (2hPG) were assessed using the OGTT. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and other biochemical analyses were assessed using fasting blood samples. During a median follow-up period of 4.6 years, a composite of all-cause mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and nonfatal stroke was recorded as the primary endpoint. In 682 enrolled patients who completed the follow-up, there were 16 myocardial infarction events, 12 stroke events, and 58 deaths as composite endpoints. According to FPG and 2hPG, patients with newly diagnosed diabetes had a 2-fold higher risk for the composite endpoint than those in the normal glucose group (hazard ratio [HR], 2.011; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.101-3.673; P = .023); however, prediabetes was not significantly associated with the composite endpoint (HR, 1.452; 95% CI, 0.788-2.675; P = .232). On the other hand, patients with diabetes diagnosed by FPG and HbA1c did not have a significantly higher risk for the composite endpoint than those in the normal glucose group (HR, 1.321; 95% CI, 0.686-2.545; P = .405). A 2hPG ≥7.8 mmol/L was a significant predictor for the composite endpoint (odds ratio, 1.743; 95% CI, 1.060-2.863; P = .028) after adjusting for age, sex, and estimated glomerular filtration rate. Diabetes, but not prediabetes, detected via OGTT is associated with a significantly increased risk for the composite endpoint in patients with established CAD. The 2hPG provided a greater predictive power for the composite endpoint than fasting glucose and HbA1c.

Gum Arabic in combination with IFN-γ promotes the M1 polarization in macrophage.

Gum Arabic, a mixture of polysaccharide and glycoprotein, is used as an emulsifying stabilizer in the food industry. It might have immunomodulatory effects. We hypothesized that the combination of IFN-γ and Gum Arabic promotes the production of pro-inflammatory factors in RAW 264.7 cells. Treatment of RAW 264.7 cells with the combination of 3% Gum Arabic and 40 ng/mL IFN-γ resulted in a drastic increase (320%) in nitric oxide production compared with that induced by IFN-γ alone. PGE-2 was produced after the cells were treated with 3% Gum Arabic and 40 ng/mL IFN-γ for 6 h. Gum Arabic and IFN-γ increased the production of iNOS and COX-2 proteins, and triggered TNF-α release. Apart from TNF-α, the release of both G-CSF and IL-6 increased by more than 100 times. The release of IL-3, RANTES, and IL-10 increased by more than ten times. Gum Arabic and IFN-γ also increased the secretion of IL-10, IL-1α, IL-1ß, IL-13, KC, IL-5, IL-4, IL-12, Eotaxin, IL-9, MCP-1, and ROS. Cytokines associated with M1 polarization of macrophages such as TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-12, NO, and ROS were induced by Gum Arabic and IFN-γ. Our findings help to explore the inflammatory reaction caused by Gum Arabic in cosmetics.

Righteous, Reveler, Achiever, Bored: A Latent Class Analysis of First-Year Student Involvement.

Using the Wabash National Study on Liberal Arts Education and a latent class analysis of 28 outside-the-classroom activities and behaviors, we developed a typology of outside-the-classroom student engagement during the first year of college. We find ten classes of student involvement: academic artist, party athlete, serious athlete, conventional non-worker, disengaged, maximizer, moderate worker, detached partier, involved partier, and religious. Next, we examine the relationship between latent classes and students' characteristics through a multinomial logistic regression analysis. Students reporting as first-generation or racially minoritized are overrepresented in the disengaged and involved partier classes. We found an overrepresentation of White students across all party classes. Students reporting as female were likelier to be members of the religious, moderate worker, and disengaged classes and not to be members of the party classes. Federal grant recipients were likelier to be in the academic artist and moderate worker classes. We discuss other sociocultural, economic, and academic relationships in the paper. Next, we explore the relationship of latent class to academic and developmental outcomes. We find academic artists as the only class with a significant positive relationship across the seven dependent measures. Involved partier, moderate worker, and religious classes have positive relationships with at least five dependent measures. The detached partier and party athlete classes have the lowest first-year GPAs of all latent classes. Finally, we discuss the relationships of latent classes, related institutional policy implications, and directions for future research.

Predicting Positive Youth Development from Self-Regulation and Purpose in Early Adolescence.

A Positive Youth Development (PYD) perspective emphasizes adolescents' potential for healthy, successful development. Researchers have introduced a variety of constructs that may promote PYD. For example, Intentional Self-Regulation (ISR) enables youth to seek out and use resources in the environment; purpose can help youth navigate and overcome obstacles. We examine connections between ISR, purpose and two PYD outcomes: confidence and connection. Data come from 763 Scottish youth (ages 12-14). We estimated fixed-effects regression models predicting confidence and connection from both ISR and purpose, confirming outcomes were independently associated with one or both predictors. Our findings are especially salient to the field of youth purpose, linking purpose with specific PYD outcomes.

Living arrangements and health-related lifestyle among Taiwanese college students.

ObjectiveThis study differentiated various living arrangements (ie living with two biological parents, living with one biological parent, living with friends, living in a dorm, and other) and examined its relationship with health-related lifestyles as well as the moderating role of gender differences. Methods: This study used data from the Taiwan Youth Project, a large-scale, longitudinal survey of Taiwanese youths. The data of 2313 sophomore college students who provided full information were analyzed. Regressions were used to examine the association between living arrangements and cigarette smoking, alcohol use, drug use, and physical exercise. Results: Compared to students living with two parents, students living with one parent reported a higher frequency of current cigarette smoking and alcohol use, and students living with friends/alone reported a higher frequency of current alcohol use. The associations between living arrangements and health-related lifestyle, including cigarette smoking, alcohol use, and exercise, varied by gender among college students. Conclusions: Both living in a dorm and living with two biological parents increase healthy lifestyles among Taiwanese college students.

Sleep trajectories from early adolescence to emerging adulthood: Evidence from a nine-year population-based study.

INTRODUCTION: Adolescence to emerging adulthood is a developmental period when individuals experience substantial biological changes and social transitions. In East Asian societies, this period is also marked by high pressure around college entrance exams. However, little is known about how young people's sleep changes over time, or how it is impacted by social institutions in the cultural context. This study fills this gap in the literature by examining sleep trajectories from adolescence to emerging adulthood using a population-based, longitudinal sample from Taiwan. METHODS: Multilevel models were applied to longitudinal data from the Taiwan Youth Project (N = 1,489) to estimate sleep trajectories from age 14 to 22 for total time in bed, bedtime, and wake-up time by gender and by educational pathway, controlling for family background. RESULTS: Analysis revealed that Taiwanese youth sleep less as adolescents than as emerging adults. Gender differences exist in adolescents' sleep trajectories but narrow after age 18. Differences in weekday and weekend time in bed vary by gender and change as individuals emerge into adulthood. Finally, college attendees and high school only attendees display differences in sleep that begin in high school and continue through college. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide evidence of developmental changes in sleep from adolescence to emerging adulthood and demonstrate that sleep trajectories are gendered and socially patterned. The study is also one of the first to examine the sleep trajectories of East Asian youth and, as such, sheds light on the role of educational and cultural context as an influential factor.

HDAC Inhibitor Abrogates LTA-Induced PAI-1 Expression in Pleural Mesothelial Cells and Attenuates Experimental Pleural Fibrosis.

Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) stimulates pleural mesothelial cell (PMC) to overproduce plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), and thus may promote pleural fibrosis in Gram-positive bacteria (GPB) parapneumonic effusion (PPE). Histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) was found to possess anti-fibrotic properties. However, the effects of HDACi on pleural fibrosis remain unclear. The effusion PAI-1 was measured among 64 patients with GPB PPE. Pleural fibrosis was measured as radiographical residual pleural thickening (RPT) and opacity at a 12-month follow-up. The LTA-stimulated human PMCs and intrapleural doxycycline-injected rats were pretreated with or without the pan-HDACi, m-carboxycinnamic acid bis-hydroxamide (CBHA), then PAI-1 and collagen expression and activated signalings in PMCs, and morphologic pleural changes in rats were measured. Effusion PAI-1 levels were significantly higher in GPB PPE patients with RPT > 10 mm (n = 26) than those without (n = 38), and had positive correlation with pleural fibrosis shadowing. CBHA significantly reduced LTA-induced PAI-1 and collagen expression via inhibition of JNK, and decreased PAI-1 promoter activity and mRNA levels in PMCs. Furthermore, in doxycycline-treated rats, CBHA substantially repressed PAI-1 and collagen synthesis in pleural mesothelium and minimized pleural fibrosis. Conclusively, CBHA abrogates LTA-induced PAI-1 and collagen expression in PMCs and attenuates experimental pleural fibrosis. PAI-1 inhibition by HDACi may confer potential therapy for pleural fibrosis.

The Unintended Consequences of the Pandemic: The New Normal for College Students in South Korea and Taiwan.

This study attempts to compare the impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on college students' lifestyles and mental health conditions in South Korea and Taiwan. As the COVID-19 outbreak has spread across the globe, it has brought significant changes to college campuses worldwide. College students have been heavily affected by the closure, as online learning has become increasingly common in higher education institutions. Using data collected from college students in South Korea and Taiwan in the spring of 2020, this study examines the effects of pandemic-related lifestyle changes on mental health conditions for college students in the two countries. The results were 3-fold. First, compared to college students in Taiwan, college students in South Korea reported greater decreases in time spent traveling, being with friends, eating at restaurants, and engaging in part-time employment, and greater increases in online shopping and ordering food for delivery. Second, college students in South Korea reported a higher level of worry, a greater possibility of contact with a person with COVID-19, and a lower level of happiness than did college students in Taiwan. Third, our findings indicate that social activities, including spending time with friends, were positively correlated with mental health conditions in South Korea and Taiwan. Comparing Korean and Taiwanese students' lifestyle changes and mental health conditions amid the pandemic, the study argues that the decrease in socialization and interaction under these new circumstances may be a significant factor that explains an increase in mental health issues in Korean college students compared to Taiwanese students, given the increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Korea and the corresponding greater use of online teaching platforms there than in Taiwan.

Heteropoly Blue/Protonation-Defective Graphitic Carbon Nitride Heterojunction for the Photo-Driven Nitrogen Reduction Reaction.

The establishment of a heterojunction is a crucial strategy to design highly effective nonnoble metal nanocatalysts for the photocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (PNRR). Heteropoly blues (r-POMs) can act as electron-transfer mediators in PNRR, but its agglomeration limits the further promotion of PNRR productivity. In this work, we construct a protonation-modified surface of N-vacancy g-C3N4 (HV-C3N4), achieving the high dispersion of r-POMs via the surface modification strategy. Enlightened by the synergy effect of the nitrogenase, r-POMs were anchored onto HV-C3N4 nanosheets through an electrostatic self-assembly method for preparing r-POMs-based protonation-defective graphitic carbonitride (HV-C3N4/r-POMs). As an electron donor, r-PW12 can match with the energy level of HV-C3N4 to build a heterojunction. The electron redistribution of the heterojunction facilitates the optimization of the electronic structure for enhancing the performance of PNRR. HV-C3N4/r-PW12 exhibits the best PNRR efficiency of 171.4 µmol L-1 h-1, which is boosted by 94.39% (HV-C3N4) and 86.98% (r-PW12). The isotope 15NH4+ experiment proves that ammonia is derived from N2, not carbon nitride. This study opens up a crucial view to achieve the high dispersion of r-POMs nanoparticles and develop high-efficiency nonnoble metal photocatalysts for the PNRR.

Single nucleotide variants lead to dysregulation of the human mitochondrial NAD(P)+-dependent malic enzyme.

Human mitochondrial NAD(P)+-dependent malic enzyme (ME2) is well recognized to associate with cancer cell metabolism, and the single nucleotide variants (SNVs) of ME2 may play a role in enzyme regulation. Here we reported that the SNVs of ME2 occurring in the allosteric sites lead to inactivation or overactivation of ME2. Two ME2-SNVs, ME2_R67Q and ME2-R484W, that demonstrated inactivating or overactivating enzyme activities of ME2, respectively, have different impact toward the cells. The cells with overactivating SNV enzyme, ME2_R484W, grow more rapidly and are more resistant to cellular senescence than the cells with wild-type or inactivating SNV enzyme, ME2_R67Q. Crystal structures of these two ME2-SNVs reveal that ME2_R67Q was an inactivating "dead form," and ME2_R484W was an overactivating "closed form" of the enzyme. The resolved ME2-SNV structures provide a molecular basis to explain the abnormal kinetic properties of these SNV enzymes.

A narrative review of hydrogen-oxygen mixture for medical purpose and the inhaler thereof.

Recent development regarding mixture of H2 (concentration of ~66%) with O2 (concentration of ~34%) for medical purpose, such as treatment of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) patients, is introduced. Furthermore, the design principles of a hydrogen inhaler which generates mixture of hydrogen (~66%) with oxygen (~34%) for medical purpose are proposed. With the installation of the liquid blocking module and flame arresters, the air pathway of the hydrogen inhaler is divided by multiple isolation zones to prevent any unexpected explosion propagating from one zone to the other. An integrated filtering/cycling module is utilized to purify the impurity, and cool down the temperature of the electrolytic module to reduce the risk of the explosion. Moreover, a nebulizer is provided to selectively atomize the water into vapor which is then mixed with the filtered hydrogen-oxygen mix gas, such that the static electricity of a substance hardly occurs to reduce the risk of the explosion. Furthermore, hydrogen concentration detector is installed to reduce the risk of hydrogen leakage. Result shows that the hydrogen inhaler implementing the aforesaid design rules could effectively inhibit the explosion, even ignition at the outset of the hydrogen inhaler which outputs hydrogen-oxygen gas (approximately 66% hydrogen: 34% oxygen).

Superoxide dismutase 3 as an inflammatory suppressor in A549 cells infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

Herein, we found that serum concentration of superoxide dismutase 3 (SOD3) was significantly reduced in children with mycoplasma pneumonia (MP) infection. To study the roles of SOD3 in inflammatory regulation of MP infection, human A549 type II alveolar epithelial cells were stimulated with 107 CCU/ml of MP to build MP infection in vitro. Secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-8 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to assess the inflammatory response of A549 cells. Levofloxacin (LVFX) was used as an anti-inflammatory drug while recombinant TNF-α was used as an inflammatory promotor in MP-infected cells. Transcriptional activity of nuclear factor (NF)-κB was assessed by detecting protein levels of nuclear NF-κB and cytoplasm NF-κB using Western blot analysis. Our data suggested that the expression of SOD3 mRNA and protein, as well as content of SOD3 in cultured supernatant, were time-dependently inhibited in MP-infected A549 cells. However, lentiviruses-mediated SOD3 overexpression alleviated inflammatory response of MP-infected A549 cells, and prevented the unclear translocation of NF-κB, as evidenced by obviously reducing the production of IL-8 and TNF-α in cell cultured supernatant, as well as decreasing nuclear NF-κB while increasing cytoplasm NF-κB. Inspiringly, SOD3 overexpression induced anti-inflammatory effect and the inactivation of NF-κB was similar to that of 2 lg/ml of LVFX, but reversed by additional TNF-α treatment. Therefore, we can conclude that transcriptional activity of NF-jB was the underlying mechanism, by which SOD3 regulated inflammatory response in MP infection in vitro.