Retraction Note to: Randomized controlled trial testing weight loss and abdominal obesity outcomes of moxibustion.

The Editors-in-Chief have retracted this article [1] because, after publication, concerns were raised regarding the study design and statistical analysis. Post-publication review has confirmed firstly that within-group changes were highlighted rather than between-group differences as appropriate for a randomized trial, and secondly that there are baseline differences between the groups that exist despite randomization for which analyses were not controlled. The data reported in this article are therefore unreliable.

Ameliorates Memory Loss Induced by Insomnia in .

In clinical practice in Taiwan, is the most prescribed Chinese herbal medicine for insomnia. Short-term insomnia and hypnotic use both attenuate cognitive functions, especially learning memory. In previous studies, exhibits sedative activity, antidepressant-like effects, and protection of learning and memory against amnesia.

Randomized controlled trial testing weight loss and abdominal obesity outcomes of moxibustion.

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of moxibustion therapy on weight loss, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio in young adult females. An experimental design, 51 Asian females were enrolled. Inclusion criteria included females with ages between 21 and 25 years-old and waist circumference ≥ 80 cm, and the exclusion criteria included intolerance to moxibustion therapy and current illness.

Effect of Laser Acupuncture on Anthropometric Measurements and Appetite Sensations in Obese Subjects.

Purpose. A patient-assessor-blinded, randomized, sham-controlled crossover trial was performed to investigate the effectiveness of laser acupuncture on anthropometric measurements and appetite sensation in obese subjects. Methods.

Effect of laser acupuncture on obesity: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Obesity-related diseases have a profound economic impact on health care systems. Laser acupuncture has been shown to have beneficial effects on obesity. However, to our knowledge, those trials were either non-randomized, non-blinded or included low-calorie diet control.

Regulation of cGMP-dependent protein kinase expression by Rho and Kruppel-like transcription factor-4.

Type I cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG I) plays a major role in vascular homeostasis by mediating smooth muscle relaxation in response to nitric oxide, but little is known about the regulation of PKG I expression in smooth muscle cells. We found opposing effects of RhoA and Rac1 on cellular PKG I expression: (i) cell density-dependent changes in PKG I expression varied directly with Rac1 activity and inversely with RhoA activity; (ii) RhoA activation by calpeptin suppressed PKG I, whereas RhoA down-regulation by small interfering RNA increased PKG I expression; and (iii) PKG I promoter activity was suppressed in cells expressing active RhoA or Rho-kinase but was enhanced in cells expressing active Rac1 or a dominant negative RhoA. Sp1 consensus sequences in the PKG I promoter were required for Rho regulation and bound nuclear proteins in a cell density-dependent manner, including the Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4).

Destabilization of Krüppel-like factor 4 protein in response to serum stimulation involves the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway.

Although the zinc finger transcription factor Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) has been shown to be a negative regulator of cell proliferation, the mechanisms underlying the posttranslational modification of KLF4, especially at the level of protein degradation, are poorly understood. Here, we show that KLF4 protein levels in quiescent cells were high, but decreased rapidly as cells entered the proliferating stage following serum stimulation. This decrease was partially reversed by pretreatment with MG132, a proteasome inhibitor.

15-deoxy-Delta12,14 prostaglandin J2 up-regulates Kruppel-like factor 4 expression independently of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma by activating the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase signal transduction pathway in HT-29 colon cancer cells.

15-Deoxy-Delta(12,14) prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2) is a natural ligand for the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) that exhibits antiproliferative activity in colon cancer cells, but its mechanism of action is still poorly understood. In this study, we showed that Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) is one of the downstream effectors of 15d-PGJ2. Treatment of HT-29 cells with 15d-PGJ2 resulted in up-regulation of both KLF4 mRNA and protein expression, and these increases were also observed in other colon cancer cell lines.

Helicobacter pylori promote gastric cancer cells invasion through a NF-kappaB and COX-2-mediated pathway.

Aim: To examine the effects of Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection on the invasiveness of gastric cancer cells, and to elucidate its mechanism.

Methods: Gastric carcinoma cells, MKN-45, were incubated with CagA-positive H pylori, and cell invasion was determined by Matrigel analysis. The expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were assessed by Western-blot analysis, and transcriptional activation of the COX-2 promoter was examined by measuring luciferase and beta-galactosidase activities.

Krüppel-like factor 4 is transactivated by butyrate in colon cancer cells.

High-fiber diets decrease the incidence of colorectal cancers, and SCFA, derived from dietary fiber, are involved in the regulation of cell growth, differentiation, and apoptosis of the colonic epithelium. The mediators of these effects remain poorly defined. Krüppel-like factor-4 (KLF4/GKLF) is a zinc-finger transcription factor that exhibits some physiologic properties similar to those of SCFA in the colon.

STAT1 is required for IFN-gamma-mediated gut-enriched Krüppel-like factor expression.

Gut-enriched Krüppel-like factor (GKLF/KLF4), a member of the Krüppel-like factor family of transcription factors, has recently been shown to be associated with growth arrest in the colonic mucosa. Our laboratory has previously demonstrated that GKLF is one of the down-stream targets of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in colon cancer cells, but the signaling pathway regulating GKLF expression is not known. In this report, we showed that IFN-gamma increased GKLF and interferon regulatory factor-1 mRNA levels in a parallel fashion and these effects were abolished in STAT1 knockout mouse fibroblast cell lines, indicating that STAT1 mediated IFN-gamma-stimulated GKLF gene expression.

Gut-enriched Krüppel-like factor regulates colonic cell growth through APC/beta-catenin pathway.

Studies on colorectal carcinogenesis have suggested a critical role of the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene in the development of colorectal cancer. Gut-enriched Krüppel-like factor (GKLF) is a zinc-finger transcription protein with high expression in the colonic epithelium. Our previous studies have shown that GKLF transcript was significantly decreased in colon cancer tissue and suggested that it might play a role in the tumorigenesis of the colon.

Gut-enriched Kruppel-like factor represses ornithine decarboxylase gene expression and functions as checkpoint regulator in colonic cancer cells.

Gut-enriched Krüppel-like factor (GKLF, KLF4) is an epithelial-specific transcription factor that expresses in the gastrointestinal tract and mediates growth arrest of colonic epithelium. The molecular mechanisms governing its growth inhibitory effect have not been fully elucidated. In the present study, we showed that induction of GKLF mRNA and protein expression by interferon-gamma treatment was associated with reduction of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) gene expression and enzyme activity in colon cancer HT-29 cells.