The objective was to study peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) agonist pioglitazone regulation effect and its mechanism of expression of cytokines on acute gouty arthritis synovial in rats. Rats with unilateral ankle were injected with artificial monosodium urate (MSU) crystals to make the acute gouty arthritis model. Taking the synovium 48 h after the injection of MSU and ...

The calcineurin B subunit (CnB) is the regulatory subunit of Cn, a Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent serine/threonine protein phosphatase. In this study, we demonstrate that extracellular CnB was effectively internalized through a CD14-independent Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathway, which led to the phosphorylation of nuclear factor (NF)-kappa-B inhibitor alpha (IκB-α) and upregulation of pro-inflam...

Type I interferon inducers may potentially be engineered to function as antiviral and anticancer agents, or alternatively, vaccine adjuvants, all of which may have clinical applications. We recently described a simple strategy to convert a Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonist devoid of interferon α (IFNα) stimulating activity into a robust Type I interferon inducer with potent vaccine adjuvant a...

Immune adjuvants aimed at initiating or re-activating host immunity against poorly immunogenic cancers represent a potential tool for immunotherapy. By employing the natural killer T (NKT) cell agonist α-galactosylceramide in a whole tumor cell therapeutic vaccine approach, we have achieved potent suppression of established hematological cancers upon the elicitation of innate and adaptive antit...

Abbreviations: VDRA: Vitamin D Receptor Agonist; ADMA: Asymmetric Dimethylarginine; ICAM: Soluble Intracellular Adhesion Molecule; VCAM: Vascular Adhesion Molecule; RANTES: Regulated on Activation Normal T cell Expressed and Secreted; VEGF: Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor; MCP-1: Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein; IL-1: Interleukin-1; IL-6: Interleukin-6; TNFα: Tumor Necrosis Factor-α; CKD: C...

To identify high-affinity interactions between long-chain α-neurotoxins and nicotinic receptors, we determined the crystal structure of the complex between α-btx (α-bungarotoxin) and a pentameric ligand-binding domain constructed from the human α7 AChR (acetylcholine receptor) and AChBP (acetylcholine-binding protein). The complex buries ~2000 Ų (1 Å=0.1 nm) of surface area, within which Arg³⁶...

Background: General concern is that the pregnancy rate is higher with GnRH-agonist as a protocol of pituitary suppression. GnRH-antagonist protocol provides a shorter period of administration and an easy flexible protocol. In this study, the outcomes of GnRH agonist and antagonist in ICSI cycles are compared in normo responder patients. Materials and Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, ...