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Microglial neuroinflammation appears to be neuroprotective in the early pathological stage, yet neurotoxic, which often precedes neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, it remains unclear how the microglial activities transit to the neurotoxic state during AD progression, due to complex neuron-glia interactions. Here, the mechanism of detrimental microgliosis in AD by employing 3D human AD mini-brains, brain tissues of AD patients, and 5XFAD mice is explored. In the human and animal AD models, amyloid-beta (Aβ)-overexpressing neurons and reactive astrocytes produce interferon-gamma (IFNγ) and excessive oxidative stress. IFNγ results in the downregulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and the upregulation of Kelch-like ECH-associated Protein 1 (Keap1) in microglia, which inactivate nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and sensitize microglia to the oxidative stress and induces a proinflammatory microglia via nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB)-axis. The proinflammatory microglia in turn produce neurotoxic nitric oxide and proinflammatory mediators exacerbating synaptic impairment, phosphorylated-tau accumulation, and discernable neuronal loss. Interestingly, recovering Nrf2 in the microglia prevents the activation of proinflammatory microglia and significantly blocks the tauopathy in AD minibrains. Taken together, it is envisioned that IFNγ-driven Nrf2 downregulation in microglia as a key target to ameliorate AD pathology.

The dispersion of titanium dioxide (TiO2) determines the performance of TiO2-based formulations in cosmetic and coating applications. In particular, the chemical and structural characteristics of the surfactants used to prepare TiO2 dispersions are significant. However, the influence of surfactants on TiO2 dispersion quality has not been systematically investigated. In this study, we observed the effects of the ionic character of commercial surfactants on the dispersion stability and UV-blocking efficacy of TiO2. Among the experimental surfactant groups, anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate was efficient in stabilizing TiO2 as a water-in-oil formulation and enhancing its UV-blocking efficacy. Furthermore, an anionic fatty acid as a surfactant with a longer alkyl chain length was sufficient to stabilize the TiO2 formulation, which also displayed the highest UV-blocking efficacy, comparable to the values of commercial TiO2-based cosmetic products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silica nanoparticles are innovative solutions of surgical glue that can readily adhere to various tissue-like substrates without the need for time-consuming chemical reactions or ultraviolet irradiation. Herein, 10 nm-sized silica nanoparticle (SiNP10) treatment exhibited maximum adhesion strength in the porcine heart tissue model, which was approximately 7.15 times higher than that of the control group of non-treatment. We assessed the effects of silica nanoparticle treatment on in vivo skin wounds by scoring tissue adhesion and inflammation using histological images. Compared to the commercial cyanoacrylate skin adhesive (Dermabond), suppression of inflammatory cytokine levels in the incision wound skin was observed. We further quantified the expression of angiogenic growth factors and connective tissue formation-related proteins. On day 5 after wound closing treatment, the expression levels of PDGF-BB growth factor were significantly higher in SiNP10 treatment (0.64 ± 0.03) compared to Dermabond (0.07 ± 0.05). This stimulated angiogenesis and connective tissue formation in the skin of the incision wound may be associated with the promoting effects of SiNP10 treatment on wound closure and tissue adhesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physiological and genetic evidence is reported that orf2 does not encode salicylate-5-hydroxylase. It is further found that orf2 encodes 3-hydroxybenzoate 6-hydroxylase, the enzyme which catalyzes the NADH-dependent conversion of 3-hydroxybenzoate into gentisate.

A Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic bacterium, designated strain N7(T), was isolated from a rice paddy in South Korea. Cells of strain N7(T) were non-motile, non-spore-forming rods. Growth was observed at 15-35 degrees C (optimum of 25-30 degrees C) and between pH 6.0 and 8.0 (optimum of pH 6.5-7.5). The predominant isoprenoid quinone was menaquinone-7. The major cellular fatty acids of strain N7(T) were summed feature 3 (comprising C(16 : 1)omega7c and/or iso-C(15 : 0) 2-OH), iso-C(15 : 0), anteiso-C(15 : 0), C(15 : 0) and iso-C(16 : 0). The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 37.7 mol%. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses showed that strain N7(T) formed a distinct phyletic line within the genus Pedobacter. Phylogenetic distances from strains of other Pedobacter species with validly published names were greater than 5.0 % (i.e. <95.0 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities). On the basis of phenotypic and molecular data, it is clear that strain N7(T) represents a novel species within the genus Pedobacter, for which the name Pedobacter oryzae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is N7(T) (=KACC 12821(T) =DSM 19973(T)).

A Gram-negative-staining, non-spore-forming bacterium devoid of flagella, designated strain B9(T), was isolated from rice paddy soil associated with the roots of Oryza sativa collected from Jinju, South Korea. Cells were straight rods, were catalase- and oxidase-positive and were able to hydrolyse pectin, xylan and laminarin. Growth of strain B9(T) was observed between 15 and 35 degrees C (optimum 25-30 degrees C) and between pH 5.0 and 8.0 (optimum pH 6.5-7.5). Strain B9(T) contained menaquinone-7 (MK-7) as a major isoprenoid quinone and summed feature 3 (C(16 : 1)omega7c and/or iso-C(15 : 0) 2-OH), iso-C(15 : 0) and C(16 : 0) as major fatty acids. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 44.4 mol%. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain B9(T) belonged to the genus Mucilaginibacter, a member of the family Sphingobacteriaceae, and was most closely related to Mucilaginibacter kameinonensis SCK(T) (95.9 % sequence similarity). On the basis of chemotaxonomic data and molecular properties, strain B9(T) represents a novel species of the genus Mucilaginibacter, for which the name Mucilaginibacter oryzae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is B9(T) (=KACC 12816(T) =DSM 19975(T)).