NF-κB is a well-characterized transcription factor with multiple physiological and pathological functions. NF-κB plays important roles in the development and maturation of lymphoids, regulation of immune and inflammatory response, and cell death and survival. The influence of NF-κB on cell survival could be protective or destructive, depending on types, developmental stages of cells, and pathological conditions. The complexity of NF-κB in cell death and survival derives from its multiple roles in regulating the expression of a broad array of genes involved in promoting cell death and survival. The activation of NF-κB has been found in many neurological disorders, but its actual roles in pathogenesis are still being debated. Many compounds with neuroprotective actions are strongly associated with the inhibition of NF-κB, leading to speculation that blocking the pathological activation of NF-κB could offer neuroprotective effects in certain neurodegenerative conditions. This paper reviews the recent developments in understanding the dual roles of NF-κB in cell death and survival and explores its possible usefulness in treating neurological diseases. This paper will summarize the genes regulated by NF-κB that are involved in cell death and survival to elucidate why NF-κB promotes cell survival in some conditions while facilitating cell death in other conditions. This paper will also focus on the effects of various NF-κB inhibitors on neuroprotection in certain pathological conditions to speculate if NF-κB is a potential target for neuroprotective therapy.

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BackgroundIn the present study, we aimed to investigate the role of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway in the up-regulation of programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) caused by radiotherapy (RT).Materials and MethodsTissue microarrays (TMA) consisting of glioma cancer specimens from 64 patients were used to examine the correlation between PD-L1 and EGFR levels. Furthermore, we performed in vitro experiments to assess the role of EGFR pathway in RT-upregulated PD-L1 expression using human glioma cell lines U87 and U251.ResultsOur data demonstrated that the PD-L1 expression was significantly correlated with EGFR expression in glioma specimens (χ2 = 5.00, P = 0.025). The expressions of PD-L1 at the protein and mRNA levels were both significantly up-regulated by RT (P < 0.05). The expressions of phosphorylated EGFR and janus kinase 2 (JAK2) were also induced by RT (P < 0.05). Besides, inhibition of EGFR pathway could abrogate the RT-triggered PD-L1 up-regulation (P > 0.05). The combination of RT with EGFR inhibitor exhibited the same effect on antitumor immune response compared with the combination of RT with PD-L1 neutralizing antibody (Ab).ConclusionsRT could up-regulate the PD-L1 expression through the pathways downstream of EGFR in glioma.

In recent years, blockchain has received increasing attention and numerous applications have emerged from this technology. A renowned Blockchain application is the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, that has not only been effectively solving the double-spending problem but also it can confirm the legitimacy of transactional records without relying on a centralized system to do so. Therefore, any application using Blockchain technology as the base architecture ensures that the contents of its data are tamper-proof. This paper uses the decentralized Blockchain technology approach to ensure that consumers do not fully rely on the merchants to determine if products are genuine. We describe a decentralized Blockchain system with products anti-counterfeiting, in that way manufacturers can use this system to provide genuine products without having to manage direct-operated stores, which can significantly reduce the cost of product quality assurance. INDEX TERMS Blockchain, ethereum, counterfeit.

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