Therapeutic effects of the extract of Sancao Formula, a Chinese herbal compound, on imiquimod-induced psoriasis via cysteine-rich protein 61

Objective: Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease that is prone to recurrence, and the proinflammatory factor, cysteine-rich protein 61(Cyr61), is important in its pathophysiology. Long-term clinical practice has shown that Sancao Formula(SC), a Chinese herbal compound, is effective in the treatment of psoriasis, but the precise mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we investigate the mechanism by which SC extract alleviates imiquimod(IMQ)-induced psoriasis.Methods: The expression of Cyr61 in psoriatic lesions and normal healthy skin was detected using immunohistochemical analysis to investigate the biological role of Cyr61 in models of psoriatic inflammation. A psoriatic mouse model was established by topical application of IMQ, and the effect of topical application of SC extract was evaluated using the psoriasis area and severity index(PASI) score,hematoxylin-eosin staining, and histopathological features of the skin. Next, a HaCaT cell inflammation model was established using interferon-γ(IFN-γ), and the effect of SC extract on the mRNA and protein levels of Cyr61 and intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1) was confirmed using Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses.Results: Immunohistochemical staining showed that the expression of Cyr61 in psoriatic lesions was higher than that in normal skin samples(78.26% vs 41.18%, P < 0.05), and the number of Cyr61-positive cells in psoriatic lesions was also significantly higher than in normal skin(18.66 ± 2.51 vs4.33 ± 1.52, P < 0.05). Treatment in mice with IMQ-induced psoriasis showed that SC extract could significantly improve the inflammatory phenotype, PASI score(10.875 ± 0.744 vs 3.875 ± 0.582, P < 0.05),and pathological features compared with those in IMQ model group;SC treatment was also associated with decreased levels of Cyr61 and ICAM-1. In the IFN-γ-induced inflammatory cell model, the mRNA and protein levels of Cyr61 and ICAM-1 were upregulated, while the SC extract downregulated the levels of Cyr61 and ICAM-1.Conclusion: The results provide a theoretical basis for the involvement of Cyr61 in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, and suggest that SC should be used to target Cyr61 for the prevention of psoriasis recurrence.

Narrowband photonic quantum entanglement with counterpropagating domain engineering

Narrowband photonic entanglement is a crucial resource for long-distance quantum communication and quantum information processing,including quantum memories.We demonstrate the first polarization entanglement with 7.1 GHz inherent bandwidth by counterpropagating domain engineering,which is also confirmed by Hong–Ou–Mandel interference with 155-ps base-to-base dip width and(97.1±0.59)%high visibility.The entanglement is harnessed with 18.5-standard-deviations Bell inequality violation,and further characterized with state tomography of(95.71±0.61)%fidelity.Such narrowband entanglement sets a cornerstone for practical quantum information applications.

Pneumonia Caused by Community-Acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus： Vancomycin or Linezolid？

To the Editor： During the past decade, community-acquired, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus （CA-MRSA） cases, which show rapid progression and high mortality, have emerged worldwide. However, invasive CA-MRSA infections are relatively rare in our clinical work, some CA-MRSA pneumonia cases were reported during the past years. Here, we describe a case of CA-MRSA pneumonia that was successfully treated using a combination of antimicrobials and surgical therapy.