The Traditional Chinese Medicine Formula Induces Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis through Restoration of Retinoblastoma Protein Function and Inhibition of Aurora Kinase Activity.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a long-standing history in treating various diseases, including cancer. Wu Bao San is a traditional formula known for its ability to clear heat, detoxify, relieve cough and phlegm and treat tumours. The modified Wu Bao San (MWBS) is a conventional medicine prescribed by doctors of Chinese medicine.

Corrigendum: Protective effects of against hepatocyte apoptosis and liver fibrosis induced by high palmitic acid diet.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.

Concomitant autoimmunity and late cancers in adult-onset immunodeficiency due to neutralizing anti-IFN-γ autoantibodies.

Background: Opportunistic intramacrophagic infections are well-characterized in adult-onset immunodeficiency associated with neutralizing anti-IFN-γ autoantibodies (nAIGA).

Objective: Concomitant autoimmune and neoplastic diseases are rarely described.

Methods: This study included 50 patients diagnosed with adult-onset immunodeficiency due to nAIGA between 2014-2024.

Life-threatening COVID-19 in a thymoma patient with anti-interferon-α autoantibodies.

Neutralizing anti-interferon (IFN)-α autoantibodies can lead to immune dysregulation, potentially resulting in critical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We report a case presenting with severe COVID-19 who was subsequently diagnosed to have thymoma and neutralizing anti-IFN-α autoantibodies.

Protective effects of against hepatocyte apoptosis and liver fibrosis induced by high palmitic acid diet.

Background: Fatty Liver Disease (FLD) progresses from steatosis to steatohepatitis and, if left untreated, can lead to irreversible conditions such as cirrhosis and hepatocarcinoma. The etiology of FLD remains unclear, but factors such as overconsumption, poor diet, obesity, and diabetes contribute to its development. Palmitic acid (PA) plays a significant role in FLD progression by inducing apoptosis, inflammation, oxidative stress, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in hepatocytes.

Cryptococcosis in wait-listed liver transplant candidates: Prevalence, manifestations, and risk factors.

Background: Liver cirrhosis compromises immunity against cryptococcosis, and liver transplant recipients tend to develop the disease earlier after transplantation, possibly due to unrecognized pretransplant infection. We assessed the prevalence and characteristics of cryptococcosis among liver transplant candidates and whether pre-transplant cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) can detect the disease before transplantation.

Methods: We retrospectively included liver transplant candidates in a tertiary hospital during 2017-2022.

Biological Activities of Deer Antler-Derived Peptides on Human Chondrocyte and Bone Metabolism.

Orally administered "tortoiseshell and deer antler gelatin" is a common traditional medicine for patients with osteoporosis or osteoarthritis. From the pepsin-digested gelatin, we previously isolated and identified the osteoblast-stimulating pentapeptide, TSKYR. Its trypsin digestion products include the dipeptide YR, enhancing calcium ion uptake, and tripeptide TSK, resulting in remarkable 30- and 50-fold increases in mineralized nodule area and density in human osteoblast cells.

Clinical manifestations and risk factors for COVID-19 and its severity in patients with hematological malignancies.

Background: Patients with hematological malignancies (HM) were at a high risk of developing severe disease from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to assess the clinical outcome of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients with HM.

Methods: Adult patients with HM who were hospitalized with a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 between May, 2021 and November, 2022 were retrospectively identified.

Clinical characteristics and immune profiles of patients with immune-mediated alopecia associated with COVID-19 vaccinations.

Background: The clinical characteristics and pathomechanism for immune-mediated alopecia following COVID-19 vaccinations are not clearly characterized.

Objective: We investigated the causality and immune mechanism of COVID-19 vaccines-related alopecia areata (AA).

Study Design: 27 new-onset of AA patients after COVID-19 vaccinations and 106 vaccines-tolerant individuals were enrolled from multiple medical centers for analysis.

Mechanical transmission of dengue virus by Aedes aegypti may influence disease transmission dynamics during outbreaks.

Background: Dengue virus outbreaks are increasing in number and severity worldwide. Viral transmission is assumed to require a minimum time period of viral replication within the mosquito midgut. It is unknown if alternative transmission periods not requiring replication are possible.

Characteristics of immune response profile in patients with immediate allergic and autoimmune urticarial reactions induced by SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.

Severe allergic reactions following SARS-COV-2 vaccination are generally rare, but the reactions are increasingly reported. Some patients may develop prolonged urticarial reactions following SARS-COV-2 vaccination. Herein, we investigated the risk factors and immune mechanisms for patients with SARS-COV-2 vaccines-induced immediate allergy and chronic urticaria (CU).

Isolation, Identification, and Characterization of Bioactive Peptides in Human Bone Cells from Tortoiseshell and Deer Antler Gelatin.

Tortoiseshell and deer antler gelatin has been used to treat bone diseases in Chinese society. A pepsin-digested gelatin peptide with osteoblast-proliferation-stimulating properties was identified via LC-MS/MS. The resulting pentapeptide, TSKYR, was presumably subjected to further degradation into TSKY, TSK, and YR fragments in the small intestine.

Using radial pulse wave as hemodynamic measurements to quantify effects of acupuncture therapy for patients with traumatic brain injury and ischemia stroke.

Background And Aim: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and stroke are major sources of death and disability worldwide. Acupuncture has been used as a supplemental therapy for patients with TBI and stroke. This study was aimed to evaluate the effects of acupuncture therapy for patients with TBI and stroke by radial pulse spectrum.

Glycosylation and S-palmitoylation regulate SARS-CoV-2 spike protein intracellular trafficking.

Post-translational modifications (PTMs), such as glycosylation and palmitoylation, are critical to protein folding, stability, intracellular trafficking, and function. Understanding regulation of PTMs of SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein could help the therapeutic drug design. Herein, the VSV vector was used to produce SARS-CoV-2 S pseudoviruses to examine the roles of the LYQD and cysteine-rich motifs in S protein maturation and virus infectivity.

Furin and TMPRSS2 Resistant Spike Induces Robust Humoral and Cellular Immunity Against SARS-CoV-2 Lethal Infection.

An effective COVID-19 vaccine against broad SARS-CoV-2 variants is still an unmet need. In the study, the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-based vector was used to express the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein to identify better vaccine designs. The replication-competent of the recombinant VSV-spike virus with C-terminal 19 amino acid truncation (SΔ19 Rep) was generated.

Important Factors Influencing Willingness to Participate in Advance Care Planning among Outpatients: A Pilot Study in Central Taiwan.

Advance care planning (ACP) and advance directives (ADs) ensure patient autonomy in end-of life care. The number of ADs made and followed in Taiwan is still lacking. This study aimed to determine the factors that influence the willingness to participate in ACP among outpatients in Taiwan.

Novel anti-aging herbal formulation Jing Si displays pleiotropic effects against aging associated disorders.

Common characteristics of aging include reduced somatic stem cell number, susceptibility to cardiac injuries, metabolic imbalances and increased risk for oncogenesis. In this study, Pleiotropic anti-aging effects of a decoction Jing Si herbal drink (JS) containing eight Traditional Chinese Medicine based herbs, with known effects against aging related disorders was evaluated. Adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs) from 16 week old adult and 24 month old aging WKY rats were evaluated for the age-related changes in stem cell homeostasis.

Antimicrobial and Immunomodulatory Activity of Herb Extracts Used in Burn Wound Healing: "San Huang Powder".

"San Huang Powder," a nonsterile milled herb powder, is frequently used to treat burn wounds in traditional Chinese herbal medicine. However, treating a wound with a nonsterile dressing or reagent is not compatible with the current guidelines in modern medicine. Therefore, we investigated the bactericidal and anti-inflammatory activities of four herb extracts used in "San Huang Powder" .

Association between psychosocial determinants of adverse childhood experiences and severe early childhood caries among First Nations children.

Aim: To determine whether psychosocial determinants of adverse childhood experiences (ACE), from pregnancy to 2 years old, are associated with severe early childhood caries (S-ECC) in Indigenous children.

Design: Secondary data analyses from an ECC prevention trial among 344 First Nations mother-child dyads living on- and off-reserve in Ontario and Manitoba, Canada. Stratified (on-/off-reserve) logistic regression, controlling for mother's age and income source, assessed three categories of psychosocial ACE determinants: alcohol/drug misuse, household financial hardship (overcrowding and food insecurity) and emotional/social well-being (Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14), sense of personal control (SOC), social support, subjective social status).

Aggressive organ penetration and high vector transmissibility of epidemic dengue virus-2 Cosmopolitan genotype in a transmission mouse model.

Dengue virus (DENV) causes dengue fever and severe hemorrhagic fever in humans and is primarily transmitted by Aedes aegypti and A. albopictus mosquitoes. The incidence of DENV infection has been gradually increasing in recent years due to global urbanization and international travel.

Type I Interferon Signaling Accelerates Liver Regeneration by Metabolic Modulation in Noninfectious Conditions.

Type I interferon (IFN-I) has a well-known function in controlling viral infections, but its contribution in hepatocyte proliferation and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) formation remains unclear. Mice deficient in IFN-α receptor expression in whole mice or only in hepatocytes (Ifnar and Ifnar) were used to investigate the role of IFN-I signaling in cell proliferation and cancer formation in the liver. Ifnar mice were resistant to chemical-induced HCC formation in the absence of infection.

The curative effects of the traditional Chinese herbal medicine "Jinchuang ointment" on excisional wounds.

Background: "Jinchuang ointment" is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine for external incised wounds. This herbal medicine has been successfully used to treat patients with diabetic foot ulcers and pressure sores in Taiwan for several decades. We previously examined its biological activities on cell-based in vitro assay platforms.

Prevalence of mycotoxins in feed and feed ingredients between 2015 and 2017 in Taiwan.

Contamination of feed by mycotoxins is a global epidemic that has a sizeable impact on animal health and causes economic losses. Mycotoxins, including aflatoxins (AFs), zearalenone (ZEN), fumonisins (FUMs), deoxynivalenol (DON), and ochratoxin A (OTA), lead to acute and chronic adverse effects in pigs. Animal feed and feed ingredients are commonly contaminated by one or more mycotoxins worldwide; however, the prevalence of mycotoxin contamination in feed and feed ingredients in Taiwan remains unclear.

Long-term outcomes in lupus patients receiving different renal replacement therapy.

Background/purpose: To compare the long-term outcomes and survival rates of patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) caused by lupus nephritis who received three different modalities of renal replacement therapy, including hemodialysis (HD), peritoneal dialysis (PD), and kidney transplantation (KT).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 94 patients with ESRD caused by lupus nephritis. Among these, 42 received HD, 12 received PD, and 40 underwent KT.

Effects of Moxibustion on the Levels of Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1: A Pilot Study.

Moxibustion () is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy performed using Artemisia argyii. Zusanli (, ST36) is an acupoint in the stomach meridian, long associated in ancient Chinese medical practices with the extension of life span when moxibustion is applied to it. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels after application of moxibustion to ST36.