Epidemiological analysis of the Kaohsiung city strategy for dengue fever quarantine and epidemic prevention.

BACKGROUND: Dengue is endemic in over 100 countries and is an important public health problem worldwide. Dengue fever is not endemic in Taiwan; the importation of dengue viruses from neighboring countries via close commercial links and air travel is considered to be the cause of local outbreaks. Therefore, efforts toward disease control have focused on preventing the importation of dengue into Taiwan. In this study, we investigated the relationships between the numbers of imported and indigenous dengue cases to test the validity of this strategy. METHODS: Data on cases of dengue fever that occurred between 2013 and 2018 were obtained from the surveillance systems of the Taiwan Center for Disease Control and Kaohsiung City Health Department. Standard epidemiological data, including the monthly numbers of indigenous and imported cases of dengue, were calculated. Potential associations between the numbers of indigenous and imported cases were investigated using correlation analyses. RESULTS: We identified a possible relationship between the period of disease concealment and the number of imported dengue cases, which resulted in epidemics of indigenous dengue fever within local communities. Further analysis of confirmed cases during previous epidemics in Kaohsiung City found that the risk of indigenous dengue fever may be related to the likelihood that patients with imported dengue fever will stay within local communities. CONCLUSION: Given the correlations found between imported and indigenous cases of dengue fever, as well as the relationship between the disease concealment period and the risk of indigenous dengue fever, prevention of disease importation and efficient identification of dengue cases within high-risk communities remain the major priorities for disease control.

Analogous corticosteroids, 9A and EK100, derived from solid-state-cultured mycelium of Antrodia camphorata inhibit proinflammatory cytokine expression in macrophages.

Antrodia camphorata mycelium is used in traditional Chinese medicine in Taiwan. The wild-type mycelium is rare and expensive, so a solid-state-cultured mycelium of A. camphorata (SCMAC) has been developed. Previous studies have found SCMAC to have anti-inflammatory effects. However, the immunomodulatory effects of SCMAC and of its active phytosterol compounds EK100 and 9A on asthma remain unknown. In this study, BALB/c mice were repeatedly exposed to Dermatogoides pteronyssinus (Der p) at 1-week intervals and were orally administered crude SCMAC extract before the Der p challenge. The mice were sacrificed 72 h after the last challenge to examine the airway remodeling, inflammation, and expression profiles of cytokines and various genes. Then, 30-µg/mL Der p-stimulated MH-S cells with 9A or EK100 were collected for real-time PCR analysis, and the effects of 9A and EK100 on macrophages were evaluated. The crude extract reduced Der p-induced airway hyperresponsiveness, total serum immunoglobulin E levels, and recruitment of inflammatory cells to the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid through cytokine downregulation and Th1/Th2/Th17 response modulation. Additionally, 9A and EK100 inhibited IL-1ß and IL-6 expression in alveolar macrophages. These results indicate that the pharmacologically active compounds in a crude SCMAC extract exert synergistic effects on multiple targets to relieve asthma symptoms.

Synthesis of Azoxybenzenes by Reductive Dimerization of Nitrosobenzene.

Herein we report an effective and simple preparation method of substituted azoxybenzenes by reductive dimerization of nitrosobenzenes. This procedure requires no additional catalyst/reagent and can be applied to substrates with a wide range of substitution patterns.

2016 Guidelines of the Taiwan Heart Rhythm Society and the Taiwan Society of Cardiology for the management of atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia. Both the incidence and prevalence of AF are increasing, and the burden of AF is becoming huge. Many innovative advances have emerged in the past decade for the diagnosis and management of AF, including a new scoring system for the prediction of stroke and bleeding events, the introduction of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants and their special benefits in Asians, new rhythm- and rate-control concepts, optimal endpoints of rate control, upstream therapy, life-style modification to prevent AF recurrence, and new ablation techniques. The Taiwan Heart Rhythm Society and the Taiwan Society of Cardiology aimed to update the information and have appointed a jointed writing committee for new AF guidelines. The writing committee members comprehensively reviewed and summarized the literature, and completed the 2016 Guidelines of the Taiwan Heart Rhythm Society and the Taiwan Society of Cardiology for the Management of Atrial Fibrillation. This guideline presents the details of the updated recommendations, along with their background and rationale, focusing on data unique for Asians. The guidelines are not mandatory, and members of the writing committee fully realize that treatment of AF should be individualized. The physician's decision remains most important in AF management.

Analysis of the Clinical Characteristics, Management, and Causes of Death in Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Treated With Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention from 2005 to 2014.

It is unknown whether there has been any change in the causes of death for acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in the era of aggressive reperfusion. We analyzed the direct causes of in-hospital death in patients with STEMI treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in a tertiary referral center over the past 10 years.We retrospectively analyzed 878 STEMI patients treated with primary PCI in our hospital between January 2005 and December 2014. There were no significant changes in the age and sex of patients, but the prevalence of hypertension and smoking decreased. STEMI severity increased with more patients in Killip classification > 2. The number of out-ofhospital cardiac arrest events also increased over the 10 years. Symptom onset-to-door time did not change in the 10year study period. The care quality was improved with shorter door-to-balloon time for primary PCI and increased use of dual antiplatelet therapy. The all-cause in-hospital mortality was 9.1%, which did not vary over the 10 years. Multivariable analysis showed that Killip classification > 2 was the most important determinant of death. Cardiogenic shock was the major cause of cardiovascular death. There was an increase in non-cardiovascular causes of death in the most recent 3 years, with infection being a major problem.Despite improvement in care quality for STEMI, the in-hospital mortality did not decrease in this tertiary referral center over these 10 years due to increased disease severity and non-cardiovascular causes of death.

Hormone therapy and risk of venous thromboembolism among postmenopausal women in Taiwan - a 10-year nationwide population-based study.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in Asians is lower than in Caucasians, but the risk of VTE associated with hormone therapy (HT) in Taiwanese postmenopausal women has not been determined. METHODS AND RESULTS: From Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database, we established matched cohorts (HT users and nonusers) of postmenopausal women aged ≥50 years between 1 January 1998 and 31 December 2008. We calculated the 2-year incidence of VTE in HT users and nonusers. HT users and nonusers were matched 1:1 based on propensity-score matching. Cox regression hazard model was used to identify risk factors of VTE. We initially identified 499,594 HT users and 424,963 nonusers. There were higher percentages of cancer and cardiovascular events among the HT nonusers. After matching, the VTE incidence was 4.4 vs. 2.6 per 10,000 patient-years (adjusted hazard ratio 1.796, 95% confidence interval 1.272-2.537) in HT users and nonusers, respectively. The Cox regression hazard model showed that HT use, older age, malignancy, heart failure, and recent major surgery were independent risk factors for VTE. CONCLUSIONS: Although the incidence of VTE was very low among this cohort of Taiwanese postmenopausal women, oral HT was still associated with an increased risk of VTE. Therefore, physicians should be aware of other potential VTE risk factors when prescribing oral HT to postmenopausal women.

Using combinatorial bioinformatics methods to analyze annual perspective changes of influenza viruses and to accelerate development of effective vaccines.

The standard World Health Organization procedure for vaccine development has provided a guideline for influenza viruses, but no systematic operational model. We recently designed a systemic analysis method to evaluate annual perspective sequence changes of influenza virus strains. We applied dnaml of PHYLIP 3.69, developed by Joseph Felsenstein of Washington University, and ClustalX2, developed by Larkin et al, for calculating, comparing, and localizing the most plausible vaccine epitopes. This study identified the changes in biological sequences and associated alignment alterations, which would ultimately affect epitope structures, as well as the plausible hidden features to search for the most conserved and effective epitopes for vaccine development. Addition our newly designed systemic analysis method to supplement the WHO guidelines could accelerate the development of urgently needed vaccines that might concurrently combat several strains of viruses within a shorter period.

Increased aortic stiffness and attenuated lysyl oxidase activity in obesity.

OBJECTIVE: One potential mechanism through which obesity exerts adverse effects on the vascular system is by increasing aortic stiffness, a change known to be predictive of increased cardiovascular mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the pathophysiology that links obesity to aortic stiffening. APPROACH AND RESULTS: Obese (ob/ob) mice were used to examine physical, morphological, and molecular changes in the aorta in response to obesity. ob/ob mice had increased aortic pulse wave velocity and tissue rigidity. ob/ob aorta exhibited decreases of lysyl oxidase (LOX) activity and cross-linked elastin, and increases of elastin fragmentation and elastolytic activity. The aortas of ob/ob mice were surrounded by a significant amount of proinflammatory and pro-oxidative perivascular adipose tissue. In vitro studies revealed that the conditioned medium from differentiated adipocytes or the perivascular adipose tissue of ob/ob mice attenuated LOX activity. Furthermore, inhibition of LOX in wild-type lean mice caused elastin fragmentation and induced a significant increase in pulse wave velocity. Finally, we found that obese humans had stiffer arteries and lower serum LOX levels than do normal-weight humans. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that obesity resulted in aortic stiffening in both humans and mice, and established a causal relationship between LOX downregulation and aortic stiffening in obesity.

The effect of serine protease inhibitors on airway inflammation in a chronic allergen-induced asthma mouse model.

Serine protease inhibitors reportedly attenuated airway inflammation and had antioxidant in multiorgan. However, the effects of the serine protease inhibitors nafamostat mesilate (FUT), gabexate mesilate (FOY), and ulinastatin (UTI) on a long-term challenged mouse model of chronic asthma are unclear. BALB/c mice (6 mice/group) were intratracheally inoculated with five doses of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p; 50 µL, 1 mg/mL) at one-week intervals. Therapeutic doses of FUT (0.0625 mg/kg), FOY (20 mg/kg), or UTI (10,000 U/kg) were, respectively, injected intraperitoneally into these mice. Control mice received sterile PBS. At 3 days after the last challenge, mice were sacrificed to assess airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), remodeling, and inflammation; lung histological features; and cytokine expression profiles. Compared with untreated controls, mice treated with FUT, FOY, and UTI had decreased AHR and goblet cell hyperplasia, decreased eosinophil and neutrophil infiltration, decreased Der p-induced IL-4 levels in serum and IL-5, IL-6, IL-13, and IL-17 levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and inhibited nuclear factor (NF)-κB activity in lung tissues. The serine protease inhibitors FUT, FOY, and UTI have potential therapeutic benefits for treating asthma by downregulating Th2 cytokines and Th17 cell function and inhibiting NF-κB activation in lung tissue.

Xin-Yi-Qing-Fei-Tang and its critical components reduce asthma symptoms by suppressing GM-CSF and COX-2 expression in RBL-2H3 cells.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) XYQFT is composed of 10 herbs. According to the NHIRD, XYQFT is one of the top ten most commonly used TCM prescriptions for asthma treatment. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this study was to explore whether XYQFT reduces asthma symptoms in a mouse model of chronic asthma and determine the immunomodulatory mechanism of mast cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: BALB/c mice were intratracheally (it) stimulated with 40 µL (2.5 µg/µL) of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p) once a week for 6 consecutive weeks and orally administered XYQFT at 1 g/kg 30 min before Der p stimulation. Airway hypersensitivity, inflammatory cells in the BALF and total IgE in the blood were assessed in mice. In addition, RBL-2H3 cells (mast cells) were stimulated with DNP-IgE, after which different concentrations of XYQFT were added for 30 min to evaluate the effect of XYQFT on the gene expression and degranulation of DNP-stimulated RBL-2H3 cells. After the compounds in XYQFT were identified using LC‒MS/MS, the PBD method was used to identify the chemical components that inhibited the expression of the GM-CSF and COX-2 genes in mast cells. RESULTS: The airway hypersensitivity assay demonstrated that XYQFT significantly alleviated Der p-induced airway hypersensitivity. Moreover, cell counting and typing of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid revealed a significant reduction in Der p-induced inflammatory cell infiltration with XYQFT treatment. ELISA examination further indicated a significant decrease in Der p-induced total IgE levels in serum following XYQFT administration. In addition, XYQFT inhibited the degranulation and expression of genes (IL-3, IL-4, ALOX-5, IL-13, GM-CSF, COX-2, TNF-α, and MCP-1) in RBL-2H3 cells after DNP stimulation. The compounds timosaponin AIII and genkwanin in XYQFT were found to be key factors in the inhibition of COX-2 and GM-CSF gene expression in mast cells. CONCLUSION: By regulating mast cells, XYQFT inhibited inflammatory cell infiltration, airway hypersensitivity and specific immunity in a mouse model of asthma. In addition, XYQFT synergistically inhibited the expression of the GM-CSF and COX-2 genes in mast cells through timosaponin AIII and genkwanin.

Effects of Antrodia cinnamomea solid culture mycelium by-products on growth performance and immune response in weaning black piglets.

This study evaluated the effects of supplementation with Antrodia cinnamomea mycelium by-product (ACBP) on growth performance and immune response in weaning piglets. Total available content and antioxidant capacity of ACBP were determined. Ninety-six black pigs were randomly distributed to 24 pens. Study compared four groups which were supplemented with ACBP at 0%, 2.5%, 5%, or 10% for 6 weeks after weaning at 4 weeks. Results showed that ACBP on total phenolic, total flavonoid, and total triterpenoids contents were 13.68 mg GAE/g DW, 1.67 µg QE/g DW, and 15.6 mg/g, respectively. Weaning piglets fed 2.5% ACBP showed a significant decreased body weight gain compared with those supplemented with 5% ACBP, 10% ACBP, and control groups. Results showed that all ACBP groups increased the villi height of jejunum significantly. Incidence of diarrhea in 11 weeks with supplementation with 5% and 10% ACBP diets were lower than in control group. The 10% ACBP group showed significantly lower expression of immune response genes (IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, and IFN-γ) than the 2.5% and 5% ACBP groups. Based on results, dietary supplementation with 10% ACBP did not significantly affect body weight but could decrease piglet diarrhea condition and expression of IL-1ß and IL-6 genes.

Angiotensin-(1-7) decreases glycated albumin-induced endothelial interleukin-6 expression via modulation of miR-146a.

The presence of glycated albumin (GA) is associated with increased diabetic complications. This study investigated the effect of angiotensin-(1-7) on the expression of GA-induced endothelial interleukin-6 (IL-6) in human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs). We also evaluated whether miR-146a is involved in the post-transcriptional regulation of angiotensin-(1-7). HAECs were stimulated with GA with or without angiotensin-(1-7) pretreatment. Inflammatory cytokine screening approach identified that angiotensin-(1-7) (10(-7) M) potently inhibited GA (200 µg/mL)-stimulated endothelial IL-6 expression in conditioned medium. ELISA confirmed this finding. Real-time PCR showed that angiotensin-(1-7) decreased GA-induced intracellular IL-6 mRNA expression and western blotting showed that angiotensin-(1-7) decreased GA-induced intracellular IL-6 protein expression. Bioinformatics' miR target analysis identified homology between miR-146a and the 3'-UTR of the human IL-6 mRNA, suggesting a potential regulation of IL-6 by miR-146a. Treatment with GA decreased endothelial miR-146a expression to 37.2% of the albumin control, while angiotensin-(1-7) increased endothelial miR-146a expression to 1.9-times that of the medium control. Pretreatment with angiotensin-(1-7) inhibited the GA-mediated downregulation of miR-146a to 78.9% of the albumin control levels. Furthermore, the inhibitory effect of angiotensin-(1-7) on IL-6 expression was abolished in GA-treated, miR-146a inhibitor-transfected HAECs. In conclusion, these results suggest that angiotensin-(1-7) exerted an endothelial protective effect through IL-6 downregulation, and miR-146a modulation is involved in this protective effect.

A dengue vector surveillance by human population-stratified ovitrap survey for Aedes (Diptera: Culicidae) adult and egg collections in high dengue-risk areas of Taiwan.

Aedes aegypti L. is the primary dengue vector in southern Taiwan. This article is the first report on a large-scale surveillance program to study the spatial-temporal distribution of the local Ae. aegytpi population using ovitraps stratified according to the human population in high dengue-risk areas. The sampling program was conducted for 1 yr and was based on weekly collections of eggs and adults in Kaohsiung City. In total, 10,380 ovitraps were placed in 5,190 households. Paired ovitraps, one indoors and one outdoors were used per 400 people. Three treatments in these ovitraps (paddle-shaped wooden sticks, sticky plastic, or both) were assigned by stratified random sampling to two areas (i.e., metropolitan or rural, respectively). We found that the sticky plastic alone had a higher sensitivity for detecting the occurrence of indigenous dengue cases than other treatments with time lags of up to 14 wk. The wooden paddle alone detected the oviposition of Ae. aegypti throughout the year in this study area. Furthermore, significantly more Ae. aegypti females were collected indoors than outdoors. Therefore, our survey identified the whole year oviposition activity, spatial-temporal distribution of the local Ae. aegypti population and a 14 wk lag correlation with dengue incidence to plan an effectively proactive control.

Long-term effect of septal or apical pacing on left and right ventricular function after permanent pacemaker implantation.

BACKGROUND: Right ventricular (RV) pacing is associated with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. However, the effects of RV pacing at different sites on both LV and RV function have rarely been studied before. We want to determine whether different RV pacing sites differentially affect LV and RV deformation by using speckle tracking echocardiography (STE). METHODS: The subjects were 73 patients who had undergone dual-chamber permanent pacemaker implantation and did not have structural heart diseases. LV and RV global longitudinal strains (GLS) were measured using STE to determine subtle changes in LV function. Twenty-three patients without pacing after pacemaker implantation served as controls; 14 and 36 patients showed apical and septal pacing, respectively. RESULTS: There were no significant intergroup demographic differences. LV biplane ejection fractions in the septal- and apical-pacing groups were significantly lower than those in the controls. The GLS LV values were similar between the control and septal-pacing groups, but they were lower in the apical-pacing group. Multivariate analysis revealed that cumulative pacing loads and apical pacing were independent factors associated with lower GLS LV values. The GLS RV values were similar between the control and apical-pacing groups; however, they were lower in the septal-pacing group. CONCLUSION: We concluded that patients with septal pacing have significantly higher GLS LV and more modest decreases in GLS RV values than patients with apical pacing. Thus, septal pacing may be not necessarily preferable in patients without significant heart disease undergoing dual-chamber permanent pacemaker implantation.

Xiao-Qing-Long-Tang shows preventive effect of asthma in an allergic asthma mouse model through neurotrophin regulation.

BACKGROUND: This study investigates the effect of Xiao-Qing-Long-Tang (XQLT) on neurotrophin in an established mouse model of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p)-induced acute allergic asthma and in a LA4 cell line model of lung adenoma. The effects of XQLT on the regulation of nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR) and immunoglobulin E were measured. METHODS: LA4 cells were stimulated with 100 µg/ml Der p 24 h and the supernatant was collected for ELISA analysis. Der p-stimulated LA4 cells with either XQLT pre-treatment or XQLT co-treatment were used to evaluate the XQLT effect on neurotrophin.Balb/c mice were sensitized on days 0 and 7 with a base-tail injection of 50 µg Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p) that was emulsified in 50 µl incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA). On day 14, mice received an intra-tracheal challenge of 50 µl Der p (2 mg/ml). XQLT (1g/Kg) was administered orally to mice either on days 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 as a preventive strategy or on day 15 as a therapeutic strategy. RESULTS: XQLT inhibited expression of those NGF, BDNF and thymus-and activation-regulated cytokine (TARC) in LA4 cells that were subjected to a Der p allergen. Both preventive and therapeutic treatments with XQLT in mice reduced AHR. Preventive treatment with XQLT markedly decreased NGF in broncho-alveolar lavage fluids (BALF) and BDNF in serum, whereas therapeutic treatment reduced only serum BDNF level. The reduced NGF levels corresponded to a decrease in AHR by XQLT treatment. Reduced BALF NGF and TARC and serum BDNF levels may have been responsible for decreased eosinophil infiltration into lung tissue. Immunohistochemistry showed that p75NTR and TrkA levels were reduced in the lungs of mice under both XQLT treatment protocols, and this reduction may have been correlated with the prevention of the asthmatic reaction by XQLT. CONCLUSION: XQLT alleviated allergic inflammation including AHR, IgE elevation and eosinophil infiltration in Der p stimulated mice by regulating neurotrophin and reducing TARC. These results revealed the potential pharmacological targets on which the XQLT decotion exerts preventive and therapeutic effects in an allergic asthma mouse model.

Evaluation of You-Gui-Wan critical compounds inhibiting ALOX-5 and HDC gene expression in RBL-2H3 cells using a fractional factorial design.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) You-Gui-Wan (YGW) has been used to treat asthma for hundreds of years. AIM OF THE STUDY: YGW is composed of 10 types of medicinal materials. However, the immune mechanism of YGW in asthma treatment has not been elucidated. Therefore, this study investigated asthma symptoms attenuated by YGW and the underlying immune regulatory mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Intratracheal (i.t.) stimulation of BALB/c mice with Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p) was performed once per week (40 µL, 2.5 µg/µL). For six consecutive weeks, different doses of YGW (0.2 g/kg and 0.5 g/kg) were orally administered 30 min before stimulation with Der p. After the last stimulation, airway hyperreactivity, lung gene expression, and total immunoglobulin E (IgE) in blood were evaluated using a whole-body plethysmograph system, real-time PCR, and ELISA, respectively. In addition, DNP-IgE/DNP-BSA was added to stimulate mast cells (RBL-2H3), and YGW or various compound compositions (Trial) were added to RBL-2H3 cells for 30 min to evaluate the effects of the drug on mast cell degranulation and on gene expression. JMP 5.1 software was used to design and analyze YGW's critical compounds by which it inhibited ALOX-5 and HDC gene expression in RBL-2H3 cells. RESULTS: YGW significantly decreased serum total IgE levels and airway hyperresponsiveness in asthmatic mice. YGW also reduced the gene expression of IL-6, TNF-α, IL-4, IL-13, and COX-2 in the lungs of asthmatic mice and RBL-2H3 cells. YGW and the compound (Trial 21) present in YGW inhibited the gene expression of ALOX-5 and HDC in RBL-2H3 cells. CONCLUSION: The experimental results indicate that YGW exhibits anti-airway hyperresponsiveness and specific immunomodulatory effects. In addition, YGW synergistically inhibits ALOX-5 and HDC gene expression in mast cells through a combination of 21 compounds, including luteolin, quercetin, and ß-carotene.

Effects of angel wings on morphological and histological characteristics of White Roman geese.

This study aims to determine the effects of normal and angel wing on morphological and histological characteristics of white Roman geese. Angel wing is a torsion of a wing at the carpometacarpus all the way down to the end, stretching outward away from the body lateral. In this study, 30 geese were raised for observing the whole appearance, including stretched wings and morphologies of defeathered wings at 14 wk old. A group of 30 goslings was raised to observe the feature of conformation development of wing bones from 4 to 8 wk old by X-ray photography. The results show that normal wing on angles of the metacarpals and radioulnar bones has a trend greater than the angel wing group (P = 0.927) at the age of 10 wk. According to 64-slice images of computerized tomography scanner on a group of 10-wk-old geese, the interstice at the carpus joint of the angel wing was larger than that of the normal wing. The slight to moderate dilated space of the carpometacarpal joint was found in the angel wing group. In conclusion, the angel wing is torqued outward away from the body laterals at the carpometacarpus and has a slight to moderate dilated space in the carpometacarpal joint. The normal wing geese exhibited an angel that is 9.24% greater than those of angel wing geese at the age of 14 wk (130 vs. 118.5°).

Caleosin-assembled oil bodies as a potential delivery nanocarrier.

Encapsulation of hydrophobic agents with nanocarriers is challenging. Therefore, we have sought to use nanoscale artificial oil bodies (NOBs) as an alternative delivery carrier. To constitute NOBs, caleosin (Cal), a structural protein of plant seed oil bodies, was first fused with ZH2 (Cal-ZH2). ZH2 is a bivalent anti-HER2/neu affibody with a high affinity towards the HER2/neu receptor. After overproduction in Escherichia coli, insoluble Cal-ZH2 was isolated and used to assemble NOBs in one step. Consequently, resulting NOBs had a zeta potential around -49 mV and ranged in size from 150 to 200 nm. Upon loading with a hydrophobic fluorescence dye, NOBs were found to be selectively internalized into HER2/neu-positive tumor cells. Further analyses showed that more than 90% cells were invaded by dye-loaded NOBs and the cargo dye was released in cells with time. In addition, the in vitro assay revealed the release of the dye from NOBs in a slow and prolong manner. Overall, these results indicate the potential of Cal-based NOBs as a delivery vehicle.

The Immunomodulatory Effect of You-Gui-Wan on Dermatogoides-pteronyssinus-Induced Asthma.

The traditional Chinese medicine You-Gui-Wan (YGW) contains ten species of medicinal plants and has been used to improve health in remissive states of asthma for hundreds of years in Asia. However, little is known about the immunomodulatory mechanisms in vivo. Therefore, this study investigated the pathologic and immunologic responses to YGW in mice that had been repeatedly exposed to Dermatogoides-pteronyssinus (Der p). YGW reduced Der-p-induced airway hyperresponsiveness and total IgE in serum. It also inhibited eosinophil infiltration by downregulating the protein expression of IL-5 in serum and changed the Th2-bios in BALF by upregulating IL-12. Results of the collagen assay and histopathologic examination showed that YGW reduced airway remodeling in the lung. In addition, after YGW treatment there was a relative decrease in mRNA expression of TGF-ß1, IL-13, eotaxin, RANTES, and MCP-1 in lung in the YGW group. The results of EMSA and immunohistochemistry revealed that YGW inhibited NF-κB expression in epithelial lung cells. YGW exerts its regulative effects in chronic allergic asthmatic mice via its anti-inflammatory activity and by inhibiting the progression of airway remodeling.

Pulsatilla decoction suppresses matrix metalloproteinase-7-mediated leukocyte recruitment in dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis mouse model.

BACKGROUND: Intestinal inflammation is considered to be an important characteristic of ulcerative colitis (UC) and the current medical treatments for UC are usually proposed to suppress abnormal intestinal immune responses. Pulsatilla decoction (PD), a traditional Chinese medicine, is frequently used in UC treatments in Asian countries; however, the mechanism of the action of PD remains unclear. In the present study, the mechanism of the action of PD was elucidated in the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model, a model to mimic UC. METHODS: Murine colitis was evaluated by comparing the disease activity index score. The intestinal inflammation was examined by histology analyses. The leukocyte infiltration in the colonic tissues was examined by immunohistochemistry analyses. The cytokines level in colonic tissues was examined by Multi-Plex immunoassay. The epithelial proliferation was evaluated by histological analyses. Immunofluorescence double staining was used to examine the expression of MMP-7 in the immune cells. RESULTS: In the DSS-induced colitis mouse model, administration of PD attenuated the intestinal inflammation, with a marked decrease in colonic infiltration of innate immune cells. Immunohistochemical analyses further showed that matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) expressed by the infiltrating leukocytes, including neutrophils and macrophages was inhibited by PD treatment. PD increases the cytokine level of IL-6 in colonic tissues. CONCLUSION: PD suppresses intestinal inflammation, with a marked decrease in colonic infiltration of innate immune cells, through decreasing MMP-7 expression.