Ou Sha

Durable Antibacterial and Nonfouling Cotton Textiles with Enhanced Comfort via Zwitterionic Sulfopropylbetaine Coating

A rapid, environment-friendly, and cost-effective finishing method has been developed for cotton textiles by using zwitterionic NCO-sulfopropylbetaine as the antibacterial finishing agent through covalent bond. The sulfopropylbetaine-finished cotton textile exhibits durable broad-spectrum antibacterial and nonfouling activity, improved mechanical properties, and enhanced comfort.

Anti-tumor action of trichosanthin, a type 1 ribosome-inactivating protein, employed in traditional Chinese medicine: a mini review

Trichosanthin (TCS) as a midterm abortifacient medicine has been used clinically in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. Additionally, TCS manifests a host of pharmacological properties, for instance, anti-HIV and anti-tumor activities. TCS has been reported to inhibit cell growth of a diversity of cancers, including cervical cancer, choriocarcinoma, and leukemia/lymphoma, etc. This article purported to review the various anti-tumor activities of TCS and the mechanism of apoptosis it induced in these tumor cells. These research progresses provide an insight into cancer research and treatment as well as disclose new pharmacological properties of the ancient but popular Chinese medicine.

Proliferation and apoptosis in the epithelium of the developing human cornea and conjunctiva

To determine the distribution of proliferating and apoptotic cells in the human cornea during prenatal and early postnatal development, we examined sections of the bulbar conjunctiva, the limbus as well as the central and peripheral cornea between 11 weeks of gestation and 6 months after birth. The objective was to localize dividing cells by proliferating cell nuclear antigen-like immunoreactivity (PCNA-LI) and apoptotic cells by terminal transferase-mediated nick-end labeling (TUNEL). Before the 17th gestational week, PCNA-LI was absent in all 4 regions examined, indicating negligible cell proliferation during early development. After 20 weeks, strong PCNA-labeling was observed in all regions examined suggestive of high proliferative activity not only in the limbus and the bulbar conjunctiva, but also in the central and peripheral cornea. This rise in proliferative activity was followed by a steady decline: after 28 weeks, anti-PCNA staining gradually disappeared in the central and peripheral cornea, so that, at 6 months after birth, it was confined to the limbus and the bulbar conjunctiva, resembling the picture described for the adult cornea. TUNEL-positive cells were virtually absent in all 4 regions examined before the 38th gestational week. Apoptotic cells only started to appear at 38 weeks; at this stage, they were confined to the bulbar conjunctival epithelium. At 6 months after birth, TUNEL-positive cells were observed in the bulbar conjunctival epithelium and the entire cornea; the limbus, however remained devoid of apoptotic cells throughout the entire prenatal and early postnatal period. The present study for the first time localizes proliferating and apoptotic cells in the epithelium of the developing human cornea. Three stages of development can be distinguished: Minimal proliferation (until 17th week), vigorous proliferation over the entire cornea including the limbus and the bulbar conjunctiva (until 28th week) and gradual decrease in proliferative activity (after 28th week) accompanied by the appearance of apoptotic cells.

Postnatal Developmental Changes of Vitreous and Lens Volumes in Sprague-Dawley Rats

Purpose: To study the postnatal changes in the vitreous and lens volumes in Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods: Six eyes from Sprague-Dawley rats at each age (postnatal days 1, 6, 12, 21, 30 and 120) were obtained and cryosectioned without fixation. The areas of vitreous, lens and intraocular cavity in the sections were measured separately and their volumes calculated. The percentages of vitreous and lens volumes in the intraocular cavity of each eye were also calculated. Results: The rat vitreous volumes (means ± SE) were 5.2 ± 0.5 µl on day 1, 13.4 ± 0.6 µl on day 6, 22.2 ± 1.0 µl on day 12, 27.8 ± 0.6 µl on day 21, 33.3 ± 1.3 µl on day 30 and 52.4 ± 1.9 µl on day 120. The lens volumes were 3.5 ± 0.2 µl, 7.7 ± 0.4 µl, 10.6 ± 0.4 µl, 15.1 ± 0.5 µl, 19.6 ± 0.8 µl and 43.0 ± 1.3 µl, respectively, in each time group. The vitreous and lens measurements revealed different growth rates and trends. Conclusion: Our systematic data quantify the postnatal development of the lens and the vitreous, and also provide a reference for the ocular volumes of rats at specific postnatal ages.

Prodigiosin inhibits Wnt/β-catenin signaling and exerts anticancer activity in breast cancer cells

Significance The Wnt pathway is implicated in multiple cancers, but to date no pharmacologically acceptable Wnt inhibitors have been introduced into the clinic. Analogs of the natural product prodigiosin are in early leukemia trials, but their mechanisms of action have not been established. We report that prodigiosin and its analog obatoclax block Wnt signaling at nanomolar concentrations by preventing the phosphorylation of Dishevelled. Cyclin D is an established target of Wnt signaling, and elevated cyclin D levels are characteristic of advanced breast cancer. In a Wnt-driven murine transgenic model of breast cancer, prodigiosin potently diminished cyclin D levels and blocked the growth of tumors. These results provide a rationale for the introduction of prodigiosin analogs into clinical trials of advanced breast cancer. Prodigiosin, a natural red pigment produced by numerous bacterial species, has exhibited promising anticancer activity; however, the molecular mechanisms of action of prodigiosin on malignant cells remain unclear. Aberrant activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling cascade is associated with numerous human cancers. In this study, we identified prodigiosin as a potent inhibitor of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Prodigiosin blocked Wnt/β-catenin signaling by targeting multiple sites of this pathway, including the low-density lipoprotein-receptor-related protein (LRP) 6, Dishevelled (DVL), and glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β). In breast cancer MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 cells, nanomolar concentrations of prodigiosin decreased phosphorylation of LRP6, DVL2, and GSK3β and suppressed β-catenin–stimulated Wnt target gene expression, including expression of cyclin D1. In MDA-MB-231 breast cancer xenografts and MMTV-Wnt1 transgenic mice, administration of prodigiosin slowed tumor progression and reduced the expression of phosphorylated LRP6, phosphorylated and unphosphorylated DVL2, Ser9 phosphorylated GSK3β, active β-catenin, and cyclin D1. Through its ability to inhibit Wnt/β-catenin signaling and reduce cyclin D1 levels, prodigiosin could have therapeutic activity in advanced breast cancers.

Different in vitro toxicities of structurally similar type I ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs).

This study was aimed at investigating and comparing the cytotoxicities of two structurally similar type I RIPs, namely trichosanthin (TCS) and free ricin A chain (RTA). A type II RIP, namely Ricinus communis agglutinin (RCA), was also included for comparison. The three RIPs were added separately to cultures of NIH 3T3 cells. The effective doses and time courses were analyzed using cell counts. Polyclonal antibodies against TCS and RTA were produced in rabbits and purified by a protein A-Sepharose CL-4B column. The mechanisms of cell death were determined by TUNEL, immunohistochemical staining, flow cytometry, and Western blotting. The effective doses for TCS, RTA and RCA were found to be 800, 50, and 50 nM, respectively. All three RIPs induced apoptosis. In all cases, activation of caspase-3 and caspase-8, but not caspase-9, was detected. Additionally, RTA caused in vivo tissue necrosis in rabbits after intradermal administration. Hence the mechanism of cell death due to RTA intoxication may vary depending on the experimental conditions, being necrosis in vivo and apoptosis in vitro. The present findings may shed light on the apoptotic pathway induced by RIPs. RTA may be useful for studying the shift in cell death.

Hepatocyte Growth Factor Promotes Long‐Term Survival and Axonal Regeneration of Retinal Ganglion Cells after Optic Nerve Injury: Comparison with CNTF and BDNF

Different trophic factors are known to promote retinal ganglion cell survival and regeneration, but each had their own limitations. We report that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) confers distinct advantages in supporting ganglion cell survival and axonal regeneration, when compared to two well‐established trophic factors ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) and brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).

Review of Evidence Suggesting That the Fascia Network Could Be the Anatomical Basis for Acupoints and Meridians in the Human Body

The anatomical basis for the concept of meridians in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has not been resolved. This paper reviews the evidence supporting a relationship between acupuncture points/meridians and fascia. The reviewed evidence supports the view that the human bodys fascia network may be the physical substrate represented by the meridians of TCM. Specifically, this hypothesis is supported by anatomical observations of body scan data demonstrating that the fascia network resembles the theoretical meridian system in salient ways, as well as physiological, histological, and clinical observations. This view represents a theoretical basis and means for applying modern biomedical research to examining TCM principles and therapies, and it favors a holistic approach to diagnosis and treatment.

Possible Applications for Fascial Anatomy and Fasciaology in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Research using medical imaging instruments such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging has led to the proposal that the fascial network distributed over the human body is the anatomical basis for the acupoints and meridians of traditional Chinese medicine. Therefore, we put forward a new theory of anatomy called fascial anatomy. In fascial anatomy, a human body is divided into two major systems. One is the supporting-storing system of unspecialized connective tissues. The other is a functional system. An undifferentiated non-specific connective tissue network, with the participation of the nervous and the immune systems, constitutes the supporting-storing system of the human body. The various differentiated functional cells in the body that are supported and surrounded by the supporting-storing system constitute the functional system. The discipline that studies the supporting-storing system and the mutual relationship between this system and the functional system in a living human body is called fasciaology. The establishment of fascial anatomy and fasciaology opens a new research field in anatomy; consequently, fasciaology will play a significant role in biological medicine and traditional Chinese medical research, as well as future clinical practice.

Propidium iodide (PI) stains Nissl bodies and may serve as a quick marker for total neuronal cell count.

Propidium iodide (PI) reacts with both DNA and RNA and is a commonly used fluorescent reagent for nucleic acid staining. The aim of the study was to compare the cellular staining patterns of PI with that of Nissl staining in rat nervous tissues and to report a modified staining method that selectively labels Nissl bodies in neurons. Cryosections and paraffin sections of different tissues of normal Sprague-Dawley rats, including trigeminal ganglia, dorsal root ganglia, spinal cord, liver, and small intestine, were stained by either PI or the hematoxylin and eosin method. Some sections were treated with RNase or DNase before the above staining, and some were double stained with PI and a Nissl stain. The sections were observed by light, fluorescence or confocal microscopy. Results showed strong PI signals detected as patterns of granules in the neuronal cytoplasm of all nervous tissues, whereas the staining of neuronal nuclei was weaker. In contrast, nuclei of neuroglial cells were strongly stained by PI, while the cytoplasm was not obviously stained. Pretreatment of the neural tissue with RNase abolished the PI signals. Furthermore, the PI positive granules in neuronal cytoplasm co-localized with Nissl bodies stained by the fluorescent Nissl stain. When the tissue was pretreated with DNase, PI only stained the cytoplasmic granules of neurons, but not that of glial cells. Our results show that PI stains Nissl bodies and may serve as an economical and convenient neuron marker for neuronal cell counting when specific neural markers such as antibodies are not readily available.