Anti-Inflammatory Activity and Mechanism of Isookanin,Isolated by Bioassay-Guided Fractionation from Bidens pilosa L.

Bidens pilosa L. (Asteraceae) has been used historically in traditional Asian medicine and is known to have a variety of biological effects. However, the specific active compounds responsible for the individual pharmacological effects of Bidens pilosa L. (B. pilosa) extract have not yet been made clear. This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory phytochemicals obtained from B. pilosa. We isolated a flavonoids-type phytochemical, isookanin, from B. pilosa through bioassay-guided fractionation based on its capacity to inhibit inflammation. Some of isookanin’s biological properties have been reported; however, the anti-inflammatory mechanism of isookanin has not yet been studied. In the present study, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory activities of isookanin using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. We have shown that isookanin reduces the production of proinflammatory mediators (nitric oxide, prostaglandin E₂) by inhibiting the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in LPS-stimulated macrophages. Isookanin also inhibited the expression of activator protein 1 (AP-1) and downregulated the LPS-induced phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and c-jun NH₂-terminal kinase (JNK) in the MAPK signaling pathway. Additionally, isookanin inhibited proinflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β)) in LPS-induced THP-1 cells. These results demonstrate that isookanin could be a potential therapeutic candidate for inflammatory disease.     

Harnack inequality for nondivergent parabolic operators on Riemannian manifolds

We consider second-order linear parabolic operators in non-divergence form that are intrinsically defined on Riemannian manifolds. In the elliptic case, Cabré proved a global Krylov-Safonov Harnack inequality under the assumption that the sectional curvature of the underlying manifold is nonnegative. Later, Kim improved Cabré’s result by replacing the curvature condition by a certain condition on the distance function. Assuming essentially the same condition introduced by Kim, we establish Krylov-Safonov Harnack inequality for nonnegative solutions of the non-divergent parabolic equation. This, in particular, gives a new proof for Li-Yau Harnack inequality for positive solutions to the heat equation in a manifold with nonnegative Ricci curvature.     

Label-free cell separation and sorting in microfluidic systems

Cell separation and sorting are essential steps in cell biology research and in many diagnostic and therapeutic methods. Recently, there has been interest in methods which avoid the use of biochemical labels; numerous intrinsic biomarkers have been explored to identify cells including size, electrical polarizability, and hydrodynamic properties. This review highlights microfluidic techniques used for label-free discrimination and fractionation of cell populations. Microfluidic systems have been adopted to precisely handle single cells and interface with other tools for biochemical analysis. We analyzed many of these techniques, detailing their mode of separation, while concentrating on recent developments and evaluating their prospects for application. Furthermore, this was done from a perspective where inertial effects are considered important and general performance metrics were proposed which would ease comparison of reported technologies. Lastly, we assess the current state of these technologies and suggest directions which may make them more accessible.     

Automated cellular sample preparation using a Centrifuge-on-a-Chip

The standard centrifuge is a laboratory instrument widely used by biologists and medical technicians for preparing cell samples. Efforts to automate the operations of concentration, cell separation, and solution exchange that a centrifuge performs in a simpler and smaller platform have had limited success. Here, we present a microfluidic chip that replicates the functions of a centrifuge without moving parts or external forces. The device operates using a purely fluid dynamic phenomenon in which cells selectively enter and are maintained in microscale vortices. Continuous and sequential operation allows enrichment of cancer cells from spiked blood samples at the mL min(-1) scale, followed by fluorescent labeling of intra- and extra-cellular antigens on the cells without the need for manual pipetting and washing steps. A versatile centrifuge-analogue may open opportunities in automated, low-cost and high-throughput sample preparation as an alternative to the standard benchtop centrifuge in standardized clinical diagnostics or resource poor settings.     

Quantitative Determination of Octylonium in Human Plasma by LC–MS

The purpose of this investigation was to develop a method for measuring the concentration of octylonium in human plasma. Hydrochloric acid was added to the plasma samples before pretreatment to improve the stability of the octylonium. After liquid–liquid extraction with ethylacetate and isopropanol (10:1), the analytes were separated by chromatography on a reversed-phase C₁₈ column and detected by LC–MS–MS with electrospray ionization–ionization. The coefficient of variation for the precision of the assay was less than 10.1%, and the accuracy ranged from 98.0 to 106.5%. The limit of quantification or sensitivity was 0.2 ng mL⁻¹. This method was validated by measuring octylonium in the plasma of healthy human subjects after administration of a single 120-mg oral dose of octylonium bromide. Thus, a highly sensitive and accurate analytical method was developed to determine the concentration of octylonium in human plasma.     

Harnack inequality for quasilinear elliptic equations on Riemannian manifolds

We study viscosity solutions to degenerate and singular elliptic equations

$\mathrm{div}\left(\frac{F^{\prime }(|\mathrm{?}u|)}{|\mathrm{?}u|}\mathrm{?}u\right)=h$

of p-Laplacian type on Riemannian manifolds, where an even function $F\in C^1\left(\mathbb{R}\right)\cap C^2(0,\infty )$ is supposed to be strictly convex on $(0,\infty )$. Under the assumption that either $F\in C^2(\mathbb{R})$ or its convex conjugate $F^{?}\in C^2(\mathbb{R})$ with some structural condition, we establish a (locally) uniform ABP type estimate and the Krylov–Safonov type Harnack inequality on Riemannian manifolds with the use of an intrinsic geometric quantity to the operator. Here, the $C^2$-regularities of F and $F^{?}$ account for degenerate and singular operators, respectively.     

Growth of the Bismuth Titanate Films on Textured Oxide Electrode by the Spin Coating-Pyrolysis

Bismuth titanate films were fabricated onto highly oriented LaNiO₃ electrode grown on SrTiO₃(100) and LaAlO₃(012) substrates using spin-coating technique with metal naphthenates as starting materials. (00l)/(h00)-oriented bismuth titanate films on LaNiO₃/SrTiO₃ and LaNiO₃/LaAlO₃ were obtained by pyrolysis at 500°C, followed by annealing at 750°C. In-plane alignment and surface morphology of the films analyzed by pole-figure analysis ( scanning) and field emission scanning electron microscope showed an imperfect epitaxy with polycrystalline structure.An erratum to this article can be found at     

Harnack inequality for degenerate and singular operators of <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-Laplacian type on Riemannian manifolds

We study viscosity solutions to degenerate and singular elliptic equations of p-Laplacian type on Riemannian manifolds. The Krylov–Safonov type Harnack inequality for the p-Laplacian operators with \(1<p<\infty \) is established on the manifolds with Ricci curvature bounded from below based on ABP type estimates. We also prove the Harnack inequality for nonlinear p-Laplacian type operators assuming that a nonlinear perturbation of Ricci curvature is bounded below.