Biocompatible bacterial cellulose pellicle (BCP) is a candidate for biomedical material such as wound dressing. However, due to lack of antibacterial activity, to grant BCP with the property is crucial for its biomedical application. In the present study, BCP was modified by 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical (TEMPO)-mediated oxidation using TEMPO/NaClO/NaBr system at pH 10 to form TEMPO-oxidized BCP (TOBCP) with anionic C6 carboxylate groups. The TOBCP was subsequently ion-exchanged in AgNO solution and silver nanoparticles (AgNP) with diameter of ∼16.5 nm were in situ synthesized on TOBC nanofiber surfaces by thermal reduction without using a reducing agent. Field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectra, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis were carried out to confirm morphology and structure of the pellicles with AgNP. The AgNP continuously released Ag with a rate of 12.2%/day at 37 °C in 3 days. The TOBCP/AgNP exhibited high biocompatibility according to the result of in vitro cytotoxicity test (cell viability >95% after 48 h of incubation) and showed significant antibacterial activities of 100% and 99.2% against E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. Hence, the highly biocompatible and highly antibacterial TOBCP/AgNP prepared in the present study is a promising candidate for wound dressing.

Aberrant activation of the Ras/ERK pathway mediates breast cancer initiation and aggressiveness. Therefore, it is important to identify miRNAs that modulate the Ras/ERK pathway during breast carcinogenesis and progression. The Ras GTPase superfamily member RERG (Ras-related and estrogen-regulated growth inhibitor) acts as a tumor suppressor to reduce breast cancer cell proliferation and tumor formation and has been suggested to have a regulatory role in the Ras/ERK pathway. In this study, we found that RERG exerted its tumor suppressor role by attenuating the activation of Ras/ERK signaling effectors. Furthermore, we found that miR-382-5p directly targets and represses RERG to attenuate the inhibitory effects of RERG on the oncogenic Ras/ERK pathway. Thereby, miR-382-5p promoted breast cancer cell viability, clonogenicity, survival, migration, invasion and in vivo tumorigenesis/metastasis. In clinical interpretation, miR-382-5p expression was negatively correlated with RERG expression, and it also significantly functioned as an independent oncomiR for the higher incidence and poorer prognosis of breast cancer. This novel connection highlights new diagnostic and prognostic roles for miR-382-5p and RERG in breast cancer.

Influenza virus infection is a major global public health problem, and the efficacy of influenza vaccination is not satisfactory. Vitamin D is involved in many immune-mediated inflammatory processes. The impact of vitamin D levels on the immunogenic response to influenza vaccination is not clear. We performed a comprehensive literature search and systematic review of studies that investigated vitamin D and influenza vaccination. Data pertaining to study population, vaccine components, vitamin D levels, and immunogenic response were analyzed. Nine studies, with a combined study population of 2367 patients, were included in the systematic review. Four studies were included in the meta-analysis to investigate the influence of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) on the seroprotection (SP) rates and seroconversion (SC) rates following influenza vaccination. We found no significant association between vitamin D level and the immunogenic response to influenza vaccination. However, strain-specific differences may exist. We observed lower SP rates of influenza A virus subtype H3N2 (A/H3N2) and B strain in VDD patients than patients with normal vitamin D levels (A/H3N2: 71.8% vs. 80.1%, odds ratio (OR): 0.63, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.43–0.91, p = 0.01; B strain: 69.6% vs. 76.4%, OR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.5–0.93, p = 0.01). However, the SP rates of A/H1N1 and SC rates of all three strains were not significantly different in VDD and control groups. In conclusion, no association was observed between VDD and immunogenic response to influenza vaccination.