Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting 2-3% of the population worldwide. Hyperproliferative keratinocytes were thought to be an amplifier of inflammatory response, thereby sustaining persistence of psoriasis lesions. Agents with the ability to inhibit keratinocyte proliferation or induce apoptosis are potentially useful for psoriasis treatment. 18β-Glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), an active metabolite of glycyrrhizin, exhibits diverse pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory, anti-bacteria and anti-proliferation. The current study aims to evaluate the effects of GA on the proliferation and apoptosis of human HaCaT keratinocytes in vitro and investigate the effects of GA on the skin lesions of imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like mouse model in vivo. Methods: Cell viability was assayed by CCK-8. Flow cytometry was performed to measure apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS), with Annexin V-FITC/PI detection kit and DCFH-DA probe respectively. Caspase 9/3 activities were measured using caspase activity assay kits. The protein levels of Akt and p-Akt were determined using Western blotting. IMQ was applied to induce psoriasis-like skin lesions in mice. The histological change in mouse skin lesions was detected using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. The severity of skin lesions was scored based on Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI). RT-PCR was employed to examine the relative expression of TNF-α, IL-22 and IL-17A in mouse skin lesions. Results: GA decreased HaCaT keratinocytes viability and induced cell apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. In the presence of GA, intracellular ROS levels were significantly elevated. NAC, a ROS inhibitor, attenuated GAmediated HaCaT keratinocytes growth inhibition and apoptosis. In addition, GA treatment remarkably decreased p-Akt protein level, which could be restored partially when cells were co-treated with GA and NAC. LY294002 (a PI3K inhibitor) treatment significantly enhanced GA-mediated cytotoxicity. Moreover, GA ameliorated IMQ-induced psoriasis-like skin lesions in mice. Conclusions: GA inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in HaCaT keratinocytes through ROS-mediated inhibition of PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and ameliorates IMQ-induced psoriasis-like skin lesions in mice.

To distinguish Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from Methicillin-Sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) in the protein sequences level, test the susceptibility to antibiotic of all Staphylococcus aureus isolates from Quanzhou hospitals, define the virulence factor and molecular characteristics of the MRSA isolates. MRSA and MSSA Pfam protein sequences were used to extract feature vectors of 188D, n-gram and 400D. Weka software was applied to classify the two Staphylococcus aureus and performance effect was evaluated. Antibiotic susceptibility testing of the 81 Staphylococcus aureus was performed by the Mérieux Microbial Analysis Instrument. The 65 MRSA isolates were characterized by Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL), X polymorphic region of Protein A (spa), multilocus sequence typing test (MLST), staphylococcus chromosomal cassette mec (SCCmec) typing. After comparing the results of Weka six classifiers, the highest correctly classified rates were 91.94, 70.16, and 62.90% from 188D, n-gram and 400D, respectively. Antimicrobial susceptibility test of the 81 Staphylococcus aureus: Penicillin-resistant rate was 100%. No resistance to teicoplanin, linezolid, and vancomycin. The resistance rate of the MRSA isolates to clindamycin, erythromycin and tetracycline was higher than that of the MSSAs. Among the 65 MRSA isolates, the positive rate of PVL gene was 47.7% (31/65). Seventeen sequence types (STs) were identified among the 65 isolates, and ST59 was the most prevalent. SCCmec type III and IV were observed at 24.6 and 72.3%, respectively. Two isolates did not be typed. Twenty-one spa types were identified, spa t437 (34/65, 52.3%) was the most predominant type. MRSA major clone type of molecular typing was CC59-ST59-spa t437-IV (28/65, 43.1%). Overall, 188D feature vectors can be applied to successfully distinguish MRSA from MSSA. In Quanzhou, the detection rate of PVL virulence factor was high, suggesting a high pathogenic risk of MRSA infection. The cross-infection of CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA was presented, the molecular characteristics were increasingly blurred, HA-MRSA with typical CA-MRSA molecular characteristics has become an important cause of healthcare-related infections. CC59-ST59-spa t437-IV was the main clone type in Quanzhou, which was rare in other parts of mainland China.

A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) with a liquid antimony anode (LAA) is a potential energy conversion technology for the use of impurity-containing fuels. Atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) technology has become a promising LAA-SOFC preparation method because of its economy and convenience. In this paper, button SOFCs with different cathode materials and ratios of pore former were prepared by the APS method and were operated at 750 °C. The effect of the cathode structure on the electrochemical performance of the LAA-SOFCs was analyzed, and an optimized spraying method for LAA-SOFCs was developed. A tubular LAA-SOFC was prepared using the APS method based on the optimized spraying method, and a peak power of 2.5 W was reached. The tubular cell was also measured at a constant current of 2 A for 20 h and was fed with a sulfur-containing fuel to demonstrate its impurity resistance and electrode stability.

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) with liquid antimony anodes (LAAs) are potential energy conversion technology for impurity-containing fuels. Atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) technology has become a promising LAA-SOFC preparation method because of its economy and convenience. In this paper, button SOFCs with different cathode materials and pore former ratio were prepared by the APS method and measured at 750℃. The effect of cathode structure on the electrochemical performance of the LAA-SOFCs was analyzed, and an optimized spraying method for LAA-SOFCs was developed. A tubular LAA-SOFC was prepared by the APS method based on the optimized spraying method and a peak power of 2.5 W was reached. The tubular cell was also measured at a constant current of 2 A for 20 hours and fed with a sulfur-containing fuel to demonstrate the impurity resistance and the long-term stability.

A Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) with a liquid antimony anode (LAA) is a potential energy conversion technology for impurity-containing fuels. Atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) technology has become a promising LAA-SOFC preparation method because of its economy and convenience. In this paper, button SOFCs with different cathode materials and ratios of pore former were prepared by the APS method and measured at 750°C. The effect of the cathode structure on the electrochemical performance of the LAA-SOFCs was analyzed, and an optimized spraying method for LAA-SOFCs was developed. A tubular LAA-SOFC was prepared by the APS method based on the optimized spraying method and a peak power of 2.5 W was reached. The tubular cell was also measured at a constant current of 2 A for 20 hours and fed with a sulfur-containing fuel to demonstrate its impurity resistance and electrode stability.