Poly-β-D-(1,6)-N-acetyl-glucosamine (PNAG) glycan vaccines with broad spectrum neutralizing activities.

The development of bacterial vaccines is a complex challenge due to the substantial serological diversity of protective antigens. One promising antigenic target is the conserved surface polysaccharide poly-β-(1,6)-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (PNAG). Despite its widespread distribution, antibodies raised against PNAG have shown restricted efficacy in promoting microbial elimination in vitro and safeguarding against infections in vivo.

NO Pain! No Cancer? The Crosstalk Between Nociception, ROS, and Cancer Development.

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, particularly those involved in nociception (nociceptive TRP channels), are implicated in both pain and cancer development. Activation of these channels by diverse stimuli triggers calcium influx, leading to mitochondrial oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. This ROS production contributes to both nociceptive signaling (causing pain) and aging processes, including genomic instability, a key driver of carcinogenesis.

Discovery and biological evaluation of potent 2-trifluoromethyl acrylamide warhead-containing inhibitors of protein disulfide isomerase.

Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) regulates multiple protein functions by catalyzing the oxidation, reduction, and isomerization of disulfide bonds. The enzyme is considered a potential target for treating thrombosis. We previously developed a potent PDI inhibitor, CPD, which contains the propiolamide as a warhead targeting cysteine residue in PDI.

Extracorporeal shockwave therapy in the management of knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review of dose-response meta-analysis.

Introduction: The aim of the research was to conduct a systematic review of dose-response meta-analysis, examining the correlation between the energy of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) and clinical outcomes for patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of three online databases - PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library - to collect relevant articles from their inception to May 2023. We included the articles that investigated the efficacy of ESWT in treating knee OA and were designed using randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Serological Responses and Predictive Factors of Booster COVID-19 Vaccines in Patients with Hematologic Malignancies.

Patients with hematologic malignancies are reported to have a more severe course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and be less responsive to vaccination. In this prospective study, we aimed to evaluate the serological responses to booster COVID-19 vaccines of Taiwanese patients with hematologic malignancies and identify potential predictive markers for effective neutralizing immunity. This study enrolled 68 patients with hematologic malignancies and 68 age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects who received three doses of vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from 1 January 2022 to 31 October 2022.

Effective Organotin-Mediated Regioselective Functionalization of Unprotected Carbohydrates.

Regioselective functionalization of unprotected carbohydrates at a secondary OH group in the presence of primary OH groups based on the commonly used organotin-mediated reaction has been improved. We found that the preactivation of the dibutylstannylene acetal intermediate with tetrabutylammonium bromide in toluene is a key to the improved condition for the efficient, high-yielding, and regioselective tosylation, benzoylation, or benzylation of unprotected carbohydrates. The counteranion of tetrabutylammonium ion with a weak coordination ability plays a crucial role in the improved regioselective reactions.

Influence of fine particle content in debris flows on alluvial fan morphology.

Alluvial fans are large-scale depositional structures commonly found at the base of mountain ranges. They are relatively soil-rich compared to the rocky terrains, or catchment areas, from which their material originates. When frequented by debris flows (massive, muddy, rocky flows) they contribute significantly to local hazards as they carry focused, collisional, fast-moving materials across alluvial fans, unpredictable in size, speed, and direction.

Subacute two stage metatarsal lengthening with gradual distraction for brachymetatarsia: A consecutive case series and literature review.

Background: This study examined the functional and clinical outcomes of subacute two stage metatarsal lengthening with gradual distraction for brachymetatarsia. This technique was developed to overcome the disadvantages of one-stage metatarsal lengthening and gradual distraction.

Methods: Four feet of three patients with congenital brachymetatarsia underwent subacute two stage metatarsal lengthening with gradual distraction.

Conditioned Media of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Suppresses Sidestream Cigarette Smoke Extract Induced Cell Death and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Lung Epithelial Cells.

The role of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in lung epithelial cells is increasingly being recognized as a key stage in the development of COPD, fibrosis, and lung cancers, which are all highly associated with cigarette smoking and with exposure to second-hand smoke. Using the exposure of human lung cancer epithelial A549 cells and non-cancerous Beas-2B cells to sidestream cigarette smoke extract (CSE) as a model, we studied the protective effects of adipose-derived stem cell-conditioned medium (ADSC-CM) against CSE-induced cell death and EMT. CSE dose-dependently induced cell death, decreased epithelial markers, and increased the expression of mesenchymal markers.

Artificial peptide-controlled protein release of Zn-triggered, self-assembled histidine-tagged protein microparticle.

Protein microparticles have received attention as drug delivery systems because of their high protein stability and prolonged release in vivo. However, most current preparation processes introduce chemical crosslinkers, which often lead to protein inactivation and limit drug efficacy in delivery systems. In this study, we employed the well-known hexahistidine (His)-tag recombinant protein technology and a metal-triggerable collagen-mimetic peptide to enhance the binding strength between the protein and metal ion and fine-tuned the protein drug release.

gen. nov., sp. nov., a facultatively anaerobic marine bacterium that ferments glucose with gas production.

Two isolates of heterotrophic, facultatively anaerobic, marine bacteria, designated DM1 and DM2, were recovered from a lagoon sediment sample of Dongsha Island, Taiwan. Cells were Gram-reaction-negative rods. Nearly all of the cells were non-motile and non-flagellated during the late exponential to early stationary phase of growth, while a few of the cells exhibited motility with monotrichous flagellation.

Detection of lithospermate B in rat plasma at the nanogram level by LC/MS in multi reaction monitoring mode.

Low bioavailability and high binding affinity to plasma proteins led to the difficulty for the quantitative detection of lithospermate B (LSB) in plasma. This study aimed to develop a protocol for detecting LSB in plasma. A method was employed to quantitatively detect LSB of 5-500 ng/mL by LC/MS spectrometry in multi reaction monitoring mode via monitoring two major fragments with m/z values of 519 and 321 in the MS2 spectrum.

Experimental investigation of mesoscopic heterogeneous motion of laser-activated self-propelling Janus particles in suspension.

The mesoscopic collective motion of self-propelling active particle suspension is experimentally investigated. The active particles are silica micro spheres with Au hemisphere coating, and their propelling strength is activated by laser irradiation. The suspension is driven from equilibrium to near equilibrium and far from equilibrium by tuning the excitation laser intensity.

Cardiac fibrosis in mouse expressing DsRed tetramers involves chronic autophagy and proteasome degradation insufficiency.

Proteinopathy in the heart which often manifests excessive misfolded/aggregated proteins in cardiac myocytes can result in severe fibrosis and heart failure. Here we developed a mouse model, which transgenically express tetrameric DsRed, a red fluorescent protein (RFP), in an attempt to mimic the pathological mechanisms ofcardiac fibrosis. Whilst DsRed is expressed and forms aggregation in most mouse organs, certain pathological defects are specifically recapitulated in cardiac muscle cells including mitochondria damages, aggresome-like residual bodies, excessive ubiquitinated proteins, and the induction of autophagy.

Site-specific water quality criteria for lethal/sublethal protection of freshwater fish exposed to zinc in southern Taiwan.

There were considerable concerns about the zinc (Zn) pollution caused by electroplating, chemical, and computer-related high-tech industrial discharges in Kaohsiung Rivers situated at south Taiwan. There is, however, a lack of site-specific water chemistry based toxicity assessment and little is known about the sublethal toxicity on freshwater fish. This study proposes an integrated framework to link experimental and mechanistic model-based data analysis of lethal and sublethal Zn toxicities for grass carp (Ctenopharyn odon idellus) populations for providing the site-specific Zn water quality threshold in Kaohsiung Rivers.

Knockout of ho-1 protects the striatum from ferrous iron-induced injury in a male-specific manner in mice.

Men have worse survival than premenopausal women after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). After ICH, overproduction of iron associated with induction of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in brain was observed. Rodent ICH model using ferrous citrate (FC)-infusion into the striatum to simulate iron overload, showed a higher degree of injury severity in males than in females.

Neonatal Death and Heart Failure in Mouse with Transgenic HSP60 Expression.

Mitochondrial heat shock proteins, such as HSP60, are chaperones responsible for the folding, transport, and quality control of mitochondrial matrix proteins and are essential for maintaining life. Both prosurvival and proapoptotic roles have been proposed for HSP60, and HSP60 is reportedly involved in the initiation of autoimmune, metabolic, and cardiovascular diseases. The role of HSP60 in pathogenesis of these diseases remains unclear, partly because of the lack of mouse models expressing HSP60.

Male-Specific Alleviation of Iron-Induced Striatal Injury by Inhibition of Autophagy.

Men exhibit a worse survival rate than premenopausal women after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), however, no sex-specific management has been concerned. In a rat model involving infusion of ferrous citrate (FC) that simulates iron accumulation after hemorrhage, a higher degree of autophagy associated with higher injury severity was observed in striatum of males than in females. Since the imbalance between the levels of autophagy and energy demand may lead to cell death, we proposed that FC-induced autophagy is detrimental in a male specific manner and autophagy modulation affects injury severity in a sex-dependent manner.

Three-dimensional molybdenum sulfide sponges for electrocatalytic water splitting.

Electroactive MoSx catalysts on porous 3D sponges synthezied by a simple and scalable thermolysis process are proposed. Although no conducting materials are used to host the MoSx catalysts, they still serve as efficient electrodes for hydrogen evolution. The high current density of the MoSx-coated sponges are attributed to the large electrochemical surface area and their S-rich chemical structure.

Direct intermolecular force measurements between functional groups and individual metallic or semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes.

Many electronic applications of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) require electronic homogeneity in order to maximally exploit their outstanding properties. Non-covalent separation is attractive as it is scalable and results in minimal alteration of nanotube properties. However, fundamental understanding of the metallicity-dependence of functional group interactions with nanotubes is still lacking; this lack is compounded by the absence of methods to directly measure these interactions.

Highly efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen production by MoS(x) grown on graphene-protected 3D Ni foams.

A three-dimensional Ni foam deposited with graphene layers on surfaces is used as a conducting solid support to load MoS(x) catalysts for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The graphene sheets grown on Ni foams provide robust protection and efficiently increase the stability in acid. The superior performance of hydrogen evolution is attributed to the relatively high catalyst loading weight as well as its relatively low resistance.