Methods: C57BL/6 (WT) or CIRP-/- mice underwent renal injury with total blockage of blood perfusion by clamping bilateral renal pedicles for 28 min. In the WT mice at the time of reperfusion, they were treated with C23 (8 mg/kg) or vehicle. Blood and kidneys were harvested for further analysis at 21 days thereafter. In a separate cohort, mice underwent bilateral RIR and treatment with C23 or vehicle and were then subjected to left nephrectomy 72 h thereafter. Mice were then monitored for additional 19 days, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was assessed using a noninvasive transcutaneous method Results: In the RIR-induced CKD, CIRP-/- mice showed decreased collagen deposition, fibronectin staining, and renal injury as compared to the WT mice. Administration of C23 ameliorated renal fibrosis by decreasing the expression of active TGF-β1, α-SMA, collagen deposition, fibronectin and macrophage infiltration to the kidneys. Furthermore, intervention with C23 significantly decreased ...

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Physical exercise is a cornerstone for preventing diet-induced obesity, while it is unclear whether physical exercise could offset high-fat, high-calories diet (HFCD)-induced cardiac dysfunction. Here, mice were fed with HFCD and simultaneously subjected to physical exercise. As expected, physical exercise prevented HFCD-induced whole-body fat deposition. However, physical exercise exacerbated HFCD-induced cardiac damage. Further metabolomic analysis results showed that physical exercise induced circulating lipid redistribution, leading to excessive cardiac lipid uptake and lipotoxicity. Our study provides valuable insights into the cardiac effects of exercise in mice fed with HFCD, suggesting that counteracting the negative effect of HFCD by simultaneous physical exercise might be detrimental inappropriate physical exercise may damage certain organs even though it leads to weight loss and overall metabolic benefits. Of note, the current findings are based on animal experiments, ...

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The logistic regression analyses revealed that, after correcting for the background variables, stabilisation appliance treatment was a strong explanatory factor for a positive treatment outcome, with a significance of P = 0.0013 compared to patients belonging to the control group. Background variables of significant importance for the treatment outcome were male sex (positive) (P = 0.0268), and severe or very severe TMJ pain (negative) (P = 0.0034). These findings indicate that not only the treatment with a stabilisation appliance but also sex and the intensity of the TMJ pain before treatment might influence the treatment outcome in patients with TMD of arthrogeneous origin. Fifty-eight patients with temporomandibular disorders of arthrogenous origin were assigned to two equally sized groups: a treatment group given a stabilization appliance; and a control group, given a control appliance. The study covered 10 weeks. The treatment outcome regarding changes in severity of temporom...

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Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a life-limiting genetic disorder predominantly affecting the lungs and pancreas. Airway clearance techniques (ACTs) and exercise therapy are key components of physiotherapy, which is considered integral in managing CF; however, low adherence is well-documented. Filamentous fungi have the ability to grow on diverse types of materials, including various organic residues and lignocellulosic biomasses and their conversion products. However, materials for fungal cultivation, particularly those intended for food applications, should be suitable for human consumption. Hence, the use of materials that do not contain physical, chemical, and microbiological hazards is suggested. For this purpose, raw materials for the production of fungal-based food products. Filamentous fungi-based products are available on a commercial scale in the food and biochemicals industries. Various types of fungal fermented foods have been sold in many countries, particularly in Asia, for yea...

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An important aspect of many chemical antibacterials is their breadth of action. This is a positive aspect because it can allow antibiotic application prior to determination of the antibiotic susceptibility of a pathogen. This property, however, is a double-edged sword, since non-target as well as target bacteria are impacted by such broad-spectrum antibiotics. The result can be dysbiosis, that is, a negative impact on important normal bacterial flora. One result of antibiotic usage consequently can be antibiotic-associated superinfections, such as vaginal yeast infections or Clostridium difficile-associated colitis. Most phages, by contrast, possess only narrow spectra of activity: Even when phages are mixed into cocktails, their overall activity spectrum remains relatively narrow. The result is a lower potential for side effects associated with dysbiosis, a phenomenon that does not appear to be a concern associated with phage therapy. [1] Blockade of programmed death 1 (PD-1) pro...

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