Search

Glossogyne tenuifolia (Labill.) Cass. ex Cass (Compositae) is a herbaceous plant that is endemic to Taiwan. Traditional Chinese Medicine has utilized it as a treatment for fever, inflammation, and liver preservation. Recent research has unveiled its bioactivities, including anti-inflammation, anti-cancer, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-fatigue, hepatoprotection, and immune modulation elements. Nevertheless, its effect on skin health remains to be investigated. Thus, we investigated the impact of G. tenuifolia essential oil (GTEO) on forskolin (FRK)-induced melanin biosynthesis and its mechanisms in B16-F10 murine melanoma in vitro. Treatment of GTEO resulted in a substantial decrease in FRK-induced melanin production, accompanied by a significant decrease in tyrosinase mRNA and protein expression levels. Additionally, our data demonstrated that the decrease in tyrosinase expression resulted from the suppression of MITF, as indicated by the reduced movement of MITF into the cell nucleus. Moreover, GTEO prompted a prolonged ERK1/2 activation, leading to the decline of MITF through proteasomal degradation, and it was verified that GTEO had no inhibitory impact on MITF activity in ERK1/2 inhibitor-treated cells. Additional studies demonstrated that α-pinene and D-limonene, which are the primary components in GTEO, showed strong melanin and tyrosinase inhibitory effects, indicating that α-pinene and D-limonene may contribute to its anti-melanogenic effects. Collectively, these data presented compelling proof that GTEO, along with its primary components α-pinene and D-limonene, show great potential as natural sources for developing innovative skin-whitening agents in the field of cosmetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein tyrosine phosphorylation plays a critical role in initiating upstream cellular signaling transduction. However, the challenge in biological samples is the variability in relative concentrations (0.1%) of site‐specific tyrosine phosphorylation on proteins. To navigate these fluctuations and accurately quantify the absolute levels of tyrosine phosphosites among different samples, we reported a hybrid data‐independent acquisition‐parallel reaction monitoring (DIA‐PRM) MS technique for the robust identification and quantification of the phosphoproteome, the establishment of a comprehensive library of tyrosine phosphosites, and the specific assessment of changes in tyrosine phosphorylation. In our model study on non‐small cell lung cancer cells, our PRM strategy accomplished by a spiked‐in synthetic heavy phosphopeptide demonstrated reliable targeted quantification of the pY1197 on EGFR, revealing levels of 2.5, 4.9, and 5.3 fmol in pervanadate (PV)‐treated cells at 0, 15, and 30 min, respectively. Additionally, DIA‐extensive phosphoproteomic analysis provided 2765 tyrosine phosphosites within 14,961 global phosphosites corresponding to 1536 phosphoproteins, contributing to the phospho‐library establishment and relative quantification of phosphorylation level, especially in the PV‐treated time‐dependent increase of ErbB signaling pathway. This hybrid DIA‐PRM approach will advance the application of precise measurement of changes in multiple phosphotyrosine residues and enhance our understanding of phosphoproteomic dynamics in drug‐resistant cascades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent times, there has been growing attention towards exploring the nutritional and functional aspects of potato protein, along with its diverse applications. In the present study, we examined the anti‐osteoclast properties of potato protein hydrolysate (PP902) in vitro. Murine macrophages (RAW264.7) were differentiated into osteoclasts by receptor activator of nuclear factor‐κB ligand (RANKL), and PP902 was examined for its inhibitory effect. Initially, treatment with PP902 was found to significantly prevent RANKL‐induced morphological changes in macrophage cells, as determined by tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining analysis. This notion was further supported by F‐actin analysis using a confocal microscope. Furthermore, PP902 treatment effectively and dose‐dependently down‐regulated the expression of RANKL‐induced osteoclastogenic marker genes, including TRAP, CTR, RANK, NFATc1, OC‐STAMP, and c‐Fos. These inhibitory effects were associated with suppressing NF‐κB transcriptional activation and subsequent reduced nuclear translocation. The decrease in NF‐κB activity resulted from reduced activation of its upstream kinases, including I‐κBα and IKKα. Moreover, PP902 significantly inhibited RANKL‐induced p38MAPK and ERK1/2 activities. Nevertheless, PP902 treatment prevents RANKL‐induced intracellular reactive oxygen species generation via increased HO‐1 activity. The combined antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory effects of PP902 resulted in significant suppression of osteoclastogenesis, suggesting its potential as an adjuvant therapy for osteoclast‐related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To compare the risk of PsA in psoriasis (PsO) patients treated with acitretin vs DMARDs. Methods This retrospective study used Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database from 1997 to 2013. Adult PsO patients without PsA prescribed acitretin or DMARDs for ≥30 days within a year were assigned to the acitretin cohort or DMARDs cohort, respectively. Patients in the acitretin cohort prescribed DMARDs for >7 days, or in the DMARDs cohort prescribed acitretin for >7 days, were excluded. Cumulative incidence of PsA were determined within both cohorts using the Kaplan–Meier method. The hazard ratio (HR) comparing acitretin to DMARDs was calculated with Cox regression models, adjusting for demographic and clinical covariates including the use of NSAIDs and comorbidities. Results The study included 1948 patients in each cohort. The 5-year cumulative incidence of PsA in the acitretin cohort was lower than that in the reference cohort (7.52% vs 9.93%; P  = 0.005), with a more pronounced difference in the subpopulation receiving NSAIDs treatment. However, in subpopulations without NSAIDs treatment, the 5-year cumulative incidence of PsA in the acitretin cohort was comparable to the DMARDs cohort (5.26% vs 6.98%; P  = 0.106). Acitretin was not associated with PsA development in PsO (HR 0.83, 95% confidence interval 0.65–1.05). This risk remained consistent regardless of adjustments for NSAID treatment and comorbidities. Other independent risk factors for PsA included female and NSAIDs treatment. Conclusion Compared with DMARDs, acitretin was not associated with increased PsA risk in PsO patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: The pancreatic solid pseudopapillary neoplasm (SPN), a rare tumor predominantly affecting young women, has seen an increased incidence due to improved imaging and epidemiological knowledge. This study aimed to understand the outcomes of different interventions, possible complications, and associated risk factors. Materials and Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed 24 patients who underwent pancreatic surgery for SPNs between September 1998 and July 2020. Results: Surgical intervention, typically required for symptomatic cases or pathological confirmation, yielded favorable outcomes with a 5-year survival rate of up to 97%. Despite challenges in standardizing preoperative evaluation and follow-up protocols, aggressive complete resection showed promising long-term survival and good oncological outcomes. Notably, no significant differences were found between conventional and minimally invasive (MI) surgery in perioperative outcomes. Histopathological correlations were lacking in prognosis and locations. Among the patients, one developed diffuse liver metastases 41 months postoperatively but responded well to chemotherapy and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, with disease stability observed at 159 postoperative months. Another patient developed nonalcoholic steatohepatitis after surgery and underwent liver transplantation, succumbing to poor medication adherence 115 months after surgery. Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of surgical intervention in managing SPNs and suggest the MI approach as a viable option with comparable outcomes to conventional surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background In the era of biologic therapy, phototherapy and methotrexate (MTX) are still commonly used for treatment in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. However, the skin cancer risk following a combination of MTX and narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) has rarely been explored. Objectives To investigate whether MTX plus NB-UVB increases skin cancer risk in patients with psoriasis. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of data in the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from 1997 to 2013. Cumulative incidences and multivariate analysis were investigated using a competing risk regression model, comparing skin cancer risk between cohorts of people having combination therapy and those using NB-UVB alone, matched for relative confounders. We further conducted a sensitivity analysis for those receiving a higher MTX dose. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated for skin cancer risk. Results We enrolled 3203 participants in each cohort. No significant differences in skin cancers were noted between the two cohorts for the cumulative incidences (log-rank test, P = 0.28) and for the hazard ratio (HRs) [adjusted HR 0.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.15–1.63, P = 0.247] in the competing risk regression model. There were also no significant differences between those receiving higher-dose MTX and UVB alone in the cumulative incidences of skin cancers (P = 0.23) and the HR (adjusted HR = 0.29, 95% CI 0.04–2.21, P = 0.23) in the multivariate analysis. There was no significant difference in the SIR between the two cohorts compared with the general population. Conclusions In the Taiwanese population, MTX does not increase skin cancer risk in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis receiving NB-UVB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of drug‐resistant bacterial pathogens foreshadows a healthcare crisis. Calcium‐dependent antibiotics (CDAs) are promising candidates to combat infectious diseases as many of them show modes of action (MOA) orthogonal to widespread resistance mechanisms. The calcium dependence is nonetheless one of the hurdles toward realizing their full potential. Using laspartomycin C (LspC) as a model, we explored the possibility of reducing, or even eliminating, its calcium dependence. We report herein a synthetic LspC analogue (B1) whose activity no longer depends on calcium and is instead induced by phenylboronic acid (PBA). In LspC, Asp1 and Asp7 coordinate to calcium to anchor it in the active conformation; these residues are replaced by serine in B1 and condense with PBA to form a boronic ester with the same anchoring effect. Using thin‐layer chromatography, MS, NMR, and complementation assays, we demonstrate that B1 inhibits bacterial growth via the same MOA as LspC, i.e. sequestering the cell wall biosynthetic intermediate undecaprenyl phosphate. B1 is as potent and effective as LspC against several Gram‐positive bacteria, including methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin‐resistant Enterococcus. Our success in converting a CDA to a boron‐dependent antibiotic opens a new avenue in the design and functional control of drug molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psoriasis can affect individuals of all age groups. While the epidemiology of psoriasis in adults has been extensively studied, there is limited research specifically investigating pediatric cases. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and incidence of skin psoriasis (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) among pediatric patients in Taiwan. A nationwide cohort of 17 535 patients with psoriatic diseases under the age of 18 was enrolled from the National Health Insurance Research Database for the period 2000–2013, including 16 129 PsO patients and 2022 PsA patients. The age‐ and sex‐standardized prevalence and incidence of pediatric PsO and PsA were calculated. The 2007 yearly reports of age‐ and sex‐specific distribution of the general population was adopted as a standard. The results showed that between 2000 and 2013, the prevalence for pediatric PsO increased from 0.03% to 0.07%, and from 0.003% to 0.014% for pediatric PsA. During the same period, the incidence slightly decreased from 19.81 to 17.55 per 100 000 for pediatric PsO but increased from 1.02 to 5.06 per 100 000 for pediatric PsA. Adolescents (12 to <18 years) had higher prevalence and incidence rates of PsO and PsA than children (aged ≤ 12 years), with no sex difference observed in either age group. PsA preceding PsO was more common among children than adolescents (27.07% vs. 13.46%). This study provides important insights into the prevalence and incidence of psoriatic diseases in the pediatric population. Further research is needed to identify risk factors for pediatric psoriasis and to investigate its long‐term health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]