Salvia divnorum (an intense hallucinogen) is currently illegal in New Zealand under the 2014 Psychoactive Substances Amendment Act. Despite this, there is a scarcity of research surrounding Salvia divinorum and its effects in a New Zealand context. To explore the experiences of Salvia divinorum users, an anonymous questionnaire was advertised through flyers placed in locations where young adult...

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) represent a unique cell population with distinct immunosuppressive properties that have been demonstrated to shape the outcome of malignant diseases. Recently, human hepatic stellate cells (HSC) have been reported to induce monocytic-MDSC from mature CD14(+) monocytes in a contact-dependent manner. We now report a novel and unexpected mechanism by which C...

Real-life data showed an increased incidence of bacterial infections in patients with advanced liver disease receiving a protease inhibitor (PI)-containing antiviral regimen against hepatitis C (HCV). However, the causes of this event are unknown. We hypothesized that PIs might impair innate immune responses through the inhibition of proteases participating in the anti-bacterial functions of ne...

Flavones, the secondary metabolites of Phellinus igniarius fungus, have the properties of antioxidation and anticancer. Because of the great medicinal value, there are large demands on flavones for medical use and research. Flavones abstracted from natural Phellinus can not meet the medical and research need, since Phellinus in the natural environment is very rare and is hard to be cultivated a...

Flavones are a class of natural plant secondary metabolites that have anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial effects. Some flavones also activate the T2R14 bitter taste receptor, which is expressed in motile cilia of the sinonasal epithelium and activates innate immune nitric oxide (NO) production. Flavones may thus be potential therapeutics for respiratory infections. Our objective was to examin...