Intermittent Fasting Reduces Neuroinflammation and Cognitive Impairment in High-Fat Diet-Fed Mice by Downregulating Lipocalin-2 and Galectin-3.

Intermittent fasting (IF), an alternating pattern of dietary restriction, reduces obesity-induced insulin resistance and inflammation. However, the crosstalk between adipose tissue and the hippocampus in diabetic encephalopathy is not fully understood. Here, we investigated the protective effects of IF against neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment in high-fat diet(HFD)-fed mice. Histological analysis revealed that IF reduced crown-like structures and adipocyte apoptosis in the adipose tissue of HFD mice. In addition to circulating lipocalin-2 (LCN2) and galectin-3 (GAL3) levels, IF reduced HFD-induced increases in LCN2- and GAL3-positive macrophages in adipose tissue. IF also improved HFD-induced memory deficits by inhibiting blood-brain barrier breakdown and neuroinflammation. Furthermore, immunofluorescence showed that IF reduced HFD-induced astrocytic LCN2 and microglial GAL3 protein expression in the hippocampus of HFD mice. These findings indicate that HFD-induced adipocyte apoptosis and macrophage infiltration may play a critical role in glial activation and that IF reduces neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment by protecting against blood-brain barrier leakage.

Coherences of Photoinduced Electron Spin Qubit Pair States in Photosystem I.

This publication presents the first comprehensive experimental study of electron spin coherences in photosynthetic reaction center proteins, specifically focusing on photosystem I (PSI). The ultrafast electron transfer in PSI generates spin-correlated radical pairs (SCRPs), which are entangled spin pairs formed in well-defined spin states (Bell states). Since their discovery in our group in the 1980s, SCRPs have been extensively used to enhance our understanding of structure-function relationships in photosynthetic proteins. More recently, SCRPs have been utilized as tools for quantum sensing. Electron spin decoherence poses a significant challenge in realizing practical applications of electron spin qubits, particularly the creation of quantum entanglement between multiple electron spins. This work is focused on the systematic characterization of decoherence in SCRPs of PSI. These decoherence times were measured as electron spin echo decay times, termed phase memory times (TM), at various temperatures. Decoherence was recorded on both transient SCRP states P700+A1- and thermalized states. Our study reveals that TM exhibits minimal dependence on the biological species, biochemical treatment, and paramagnetic species. The analysis indicates that nuclear spin diffusion and instantaneous diffusion mechanisms alone cannot explain the observed decoherence. As a plausible explanation we discuss the assumption that the low-temperature dynamics of methyl groups in the protein surrounding the unpaired electron spin centers is the main factor governing the loss of the spin coherence in PSI.

3,3'-Diindolylmethane Suppresses the Growth of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Regulating Its Invasion, Migration, and ER Stress-Mediated Mitochondrial Apoptosis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide with limited treatment options. Biomarker-based active phenolic flavonoids isolated from medicinal plants might shed some light on potential therapeutics for treating HCC. 3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM) is a unique biologically active dimer of indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a phytochemical compound derived from Brassica species of cruciferous vegetables-such as broccoli, kale, cabbage, and cauliflower. It has anti-cancer effects on various cancers such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, endometrial cancer, and colon cancer. However, the molecular mechanism of DIM involved in reducing cancer risk and/or enhancing therapy remains unknown. The aim of the present study was to evaluate anti-cancer and therapeutic effects of DIM in human hepatoma cell lines Hep3B and HuhCell proliferation was measured with MTT and trypan blue colony formation assays. Migration, invasion, and apoptosis were measured with Transwell assays and flow cytometry analyses. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) intensity and the loss in mitochondrial membrane potential of Hep3B and Huh7 cells were determined using dihydroethidium (DHE) staining and tetramethylrhodamine ethyl ester dye. Results showed that DIM significantly suppressed HCC cell growth, proliferation, migration, and invasion in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, DIM treatment activated caspase-dependent apoptotic pathway and suppressed epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) via ER stress and unfolded protein response (UPR). Taken together, our results suggest that DIM is a potential anticancer drug for HCC therapy by targeting ER-stress/UPR.

Late presenting congenital diaphragmatic hernia misdiagnosed as a pleural effusion: A case report.

RATIONALE: Late presenting congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) that develops after the neonatal period has various clinical manifestations and can often be misdiagnosed as pleural effusion, pneumonia, or pneumothorax. We report an adolescent case who was transferred to our hospital after iatrogenic gastric perforation during chest tube thoracotomy caused by misdiagnosis of pleural effusion. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 13-year-old boy with no medical history of conditions relevant to CDH and traumatic events visited a community hospital complaining of left upper quadrant abdominal pain and vomiting over the previous 3 days. The initial chest x-ray looked like pleural effusion at a cursory glance, so a chest tube thoracotomy was performed, upon insertion food-like materials drained through the tube. DIAGNOSIS: CDH and iatrogenic gastric perforation by chest tube were diagnosed by chest computed tomography scan. INTERVENTIONS: The patient was transferred to our hospital immediately, and emergent operation was performed. There was a large hernial defect on the left posterolateral side of the diaphragm and various intra-abdominal organs, including the stomach, had been displaced into the thoracic cavity. After manual reduction, stomach perforation by chest tube was identified. Wedge resection of the gastric perforation site was performed and the hernial defect in the diaphragm was closed with Gore-Tex mesh and nonabsorbable sutures. OUTCOMES: The patient was discharged without complication on the postoperative 15th day. LESSONS: Late presenting CDH can be misdiagnosed as pleural effusion on chest x-ray, so special attention should be given to a differential diagnosis to avoid any serious complications.

Amomum xanthoides extract prevents cytokine-induced cell death of RINm5F cells through the inhibition of nitric oxide formation.

We previously showed that Amomum xanthoides extract prevented alloxan-induced diabetes through the suppression of NF-kappaB activation. In this study, the preventive effects of A. xanthoides extract on cytokine-induced beta-cell destruction were examined. Cytokines produced by immune cells infiltrating pancreatic islets are important mediators of beta-cell destruction in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. A. xanthoides extract completely protected interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)-mediated cytotoxicity in rat insulinoma cell line (RINm5F). Incubation with A. xanthoides extract resulted in a significant reduction in IL-1beta and IFN-gamma-induced nitric oxide (NO) production, a finding that correlated well with reduced levels of the inducible form of NO synthase (iNOS) mRNA and protein. The molecular mechanism by which A. xanthoides extract inhibited iNOS gene expression appeared to involve the inhibition of NF-kappaB activation. Our results revealed the possible therapeutic value of A. xanthoides extract for the prevention of diabetes mellitus progression.

Isolated spontaneous dissection of the common iliac artery: percutaneous stent placement in two patients.

Isolated spontaneous dissection of the common iliac artery (CIA) is a rare entity. Two patients with this condition were successfully treated by percutaneous stent placement. We emphasize the feasibility of nonsurgical management by percutaneous stent placement for isolated spontaneous dissection of the CIA.

Phyllodes tumor of the seminal vesicle: case report and literature review.

A 39-year-old man presented with urinary retention and lower abdominal discomfort at our hospital, and a computed tomography scan showed a huge cystic mass posterior to the urinary bladder. During surgical exploration, a mass superior to the prostate in the region of the left seminal vesicle was found. Histologically, the tumor was characterized by cystically dilated or slit-like glands mixed in a densely cellular stroma with pleomorphism and resembled those of phyllodes tumor of the breast or prostate. The glandular epithelium within the tumor showed focal lipofuscin pigment and negative staining for prostate specific antigen (PSA). The stromal cells showed positive immunoreactivity for vimentin and CD34, and focal positive reactions for desmin and alpha-smooth muscle actin. Mitosis was present 0 to 1 per 10 high power fields of magnification in the stromal cells. Approximately 20% of the stromal cells were positive for progesterone receptor. The patient is alive with no evidence of disease 12 months after surgery. Mixed epithelial-stromal tumors of the seminal vesicle are extremely rare. A combination of stromal cellularity, atypia and mitosis might be used for the histological grading, and a prostatic origin might be excluded by the location of the primary lesion itself and by the failure to show PSA.