Production of coffee-dyed bacterial cellulose as a bio-leather and using it as a dye adsorbent.

Owing to its sustainability and environmentally friendliness, bacterial cellulose (BC) has received attention as a zero-waste textile material. Since the color of original BC was mostly yellowish white, a dyeing process is necessary to suggest BC as a textile. Thus, this study aimed to suggest a natural dyeing method using coffee to produce an eco-friendly coffee-dyed bacterial cellulose (BC-COF) bio-leather and to propose a reusing method as a dye adsorbent. To determine the dyeing and mordanting conditions with the highest color strength value, parameters such as dyeing temperature, time, mordanting methods were evaluated. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that BC-COF was successfully colorized with coffee without changing its chemical and crystalline structures. In addition, field-emission scanning electron microscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis confirmed that coffee molecules were successfully incorporated into fiber structures of BC. The effects of pH, concentration, temperature, and time on the adsorption of methylene blue dye using BC-COF bio-leather were also evaluated using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and zeta potential measurement. The results showed that BC-COF was found to be most effective when pH 6 of methylene blue solution with a concentration of 50 mg/L was adsorbed for 30 minutes at 25°C. Moreover, BC-COF could be reused for multiple times and had better dye adsorption rate compared to the original BC. From the results, it was confirmed that BC-COF could be employed as a dye adsorbent.

Treatment efficacy by hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy vs. sorafenib after liver-directed concurrent chemoradiotherapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: We compared the clinical efficacies of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) vs. sorafenib as sequential maintenance therapy following liver-directed concurrent chemoradiotherapy (LD-CCRT) for locally advanced-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Patients undergoing HAIC with 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin (HAIC-maintain group, n = 151) or sorafenib (Sorafenib-maintain group, n = 37) after LD-CCRT were consecutively enrolled. The study endpoints were overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and treatment response rates. RESULTS: The median OS among HAIC-maintain and Sorafenib-maintain groups were 15.9 and 24.3 months (p = 0.287), whereas the median PFS were 8.1 and 9.1 months (p = 0.651), respectively. During the planned treatments, the radiological objective response rate (54.3% vs. 64.9%; p = 0.246), and conversion rate to surgical resection or liver transplantation after successful down-staging (15.9% vs. 18.9%; p = 0.657) were comparable between the HAIC-maintain and Sorafenib-maintain groups. Similar results were found after the inverse probability of treatment weighting and propensity score-matching analyses. Regarding treatment-related adverse events, the HAIC-maintain group showed worse profiles in terms of leukopenia (all grades [p = 0.001] and grades 3 or 4 [p = 0.041]) and hypoalbuminemia (p = 0.001) than the Sorafenib-maintain group. CONCLUSIONS: The overall clinical efficacies between the sequential treatment of HAIC vs. sorafenib after LD-CCRT were comparable for locally advanced HCC.

Herbal Combinational Medication of Glycyrrhiza glabra, Agastache rugosa Containing Glycyrrhizic Acid, Tilianin Inhibits Neutrophilic Lung Inflammation by Affecting CXCL2, Interleukin-17/STAT3 Signal Pathways in a Murine Model of COPD.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is caused by exposure to toxic particles, such as coal fly ash (CFA), diesel-exhaust particle (DEP), and cigarette smoke (CS), leading to chronic bronchitis, mucus production, and a subsequent lung dysfunction. This study, using a mouse model of COPD, aimed to evaluate the effect of herbal combinational medication of Glycyrrhiza glabra (GG), Agastache rugosa (AR) containing glycyrrhizic acid (GA), and tilianin (TN) as active ingredients. GA, a major active component of GG, possesses a range of pharmacological and biological activities including anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-oxidative. TN is a major flavonoid that is present in AR. It has been reported to have anti-inflammatory effects of potential utility as an anti-COPD agent. The COPD in the mice model was induced by a challenge with CFA and DEP. BALB/c mice received CFA and DEP alternately three times for 2 weeks to induce COPD. The herbal mixture of GG, AR, and TN significantly decreased the number of neutrophils in the lungs and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. It also significantly reduced the production of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CXCL-2), IL-17A, CXCL-1, TNF-α, symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) in BALF and CXCL-2, IL-17A, CXCL-1, MUC5AC, transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1), IL-6, COX-2, NOS-II, and TNF-α mRNA expression in the lung tissue. Notably, a combination of GG and AR was more effective at regulating such therapeutic targets than GG or AR alone. The histolopathological lung injury was alleviated by treatment with the herbal mixture and their active ingredients (especially TN). In this study, the herbal combinational mixture more effectively inhibited neutrophilic airway inflammation by regulating the expression of inflammatory cytokines and CXCL-2 by blocking the IL-17/STAT3 pathway. Therefore, a herbal mixture of GG and AR may be a potential therapeutic agent to treat COPD.

Anti-biofilm and antimicrobial effects of zerumbone against Bacteroides fragilis.

Enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) can form biofilms in the colon mucosal membrane and may promote chronic infection and tumor formation. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of zerumbone extracted from Zingiber zerumbet (L.) Smith, on B. fragilis biofilm formation. Inhibitory effects of zerumbone on planktonic cell growth and biofilm formation were examined by crystal-violet biofilm assays and XTT metabolic assays. Results showed that zerumbone significantly inhibited biofilm formation and eradicated established biofilms. Furthermore, B. fragilis biofilms inhibited by zerumbone were observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. qRT-PCR was used to support the phenotypic results and to investigate the expression levels of an efflux pump-related gene (bmeB). Specifically, among the efflux pump-related genes, zerumbone significantly suppressed the expression level of bmeB12. These results indicate that zerumbone might be a promising candidate as an anti-biofilm and antimicrobial agent to treat and prevent biofilm-related infections caused by B. fragilis.

Enhanced Therapeutic Treatment of Colorectal Cancer Using Surface-Modified Nanoporous Acupuncture Needles.

Acupuncture originated within the auspices of Oriental medicine, and today is used as an alternative method for treating various diseases and symptoms. The physiological mechanisms of acupuncture appear to involve the release of endogenous opiates and neurotransmitters, with the signals mediating through electrical stimulation of the central nervous system (CNS). Earlier we reported a nanoporous stainless steel acupuncture needle with enhanced therapeutic properties, evaluated by electrophysiological and behavioral responses in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Herein, we investigate molecular changes in colorectal cancer (CRC) rats by acupuncture treatment using the nanoporous needles. Treatment at acupoint HT7 is found most effective at reducing average tumor size, ß-catenin expression levels, and the number of aberrant crypt foci in the colon endothelium. Surface modification of acupuncture needles further enhances the therapeutic effects of acupuncture treatment in CRC rats.

Hierarchical Micro/Nano-Porous Acupuncture Needles Offering Enhanced Therapeutic Properties.

Acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention has been widely used for treatment of many pathophysiological disorders. For achieving improved therapeutic effects, relatively thick acupuncture needles have been frequently used in clinical practice with, in turn, enhanced stimulation intensity. However due to the discomforting nature of the larger-diameter acupuncture needles there is considerable interest in developing advanced acupuncture therapeutical techniques that provide more comfort with improved efficacy. So motivated, we have developed a new class of acupuncture needles, porous acupuncture needles (PANs) with hierarchical micro/nano-scale conical pores upon the surface, fabricated via a simple and well known electrochemical process, with surface area approximately 20 times greater than conventional acupuncture needles. The performance of these high-surface-area PANs is evaluated by monitoring the electrophysiological and behavioral responses from the in vivo stimulation of Shenmen (HT7) points in Wistar rats, showing PANs to be more effective in controlling electrophysiological and behavioral responses than conventional acupuncture needles. Comparative analysis of cocaine induced locomotor activity using PANs and thick acupuncture needles shows enhanced performance of PANs with significantly less pain sensation. Our work offers a unique pathway for achieving a comfortable and improved acupuncture therapeutic effect.