[Corrigendum] The cranberry flavonoids PAC DP‑9 and quercetin aglycone induce cytotoxicity and cell cycle arrest and increase cisplatin sensitivity in ovarian cancer cells.

Following the publication of this article, an interested reader drew to the author's attention that, in Fig. 5D on p. 1931, the two rightmost panels appeared to have been inverted for the SKOV3 cell line (i.

The Use of Simulation Based Learning: With Bachelor of Science Pharmaceutical Science and PharmD Students.

Background and purposeInterprofessional education between bachelor of science pharmaceutical science (BSPS) students and Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students is rare. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, more than 80% of medical schools incorporate simulation based teaching within all four years of the curriculum. The University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy healthcare simulation lab has developed integrated educational opportunities for both groups of students by offering independent study opportunities that allow BSPS students to collaborate with PharmD students.

Inhibition of DUSP6 sensitizes ovarian cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents via regulation of ERK signaling response genes.

Dual specificity phosphatase 6 (DUSP6) is a protein phosphatase that deactivates extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Since the ovarian cancer biomarker human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) interacts with the ERK pathway, we sought to determine the relationship between DUSP6 and HE4 and elucidate DUSP6's role in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Viability assays revealed a significant decrease in cell viability with pharmacological inhibition of DUSP6 using (E/Z)-BCI hydrochloride in ovarian cancer cells treated with carboplatin or paclitaxel, compared to treatment with either agent alone.

Beyond the Biomarker: Understanding the Diverse Roles of Human Epididymis Protein 4 in the Pathogenesis of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer.

Human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) is an important clinical biomarker used for the detection of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). While much is known about the predictive power of HE4 clinically, less has been reported regarding its molecular role in the progression of EOC. A deeper understanding of HE4's mechanistic functions may help contribute to the development of novel targeted therapies.

The cranberry flavonoids PAC DP-9 and quercetin aglycone induce cytotoxicity and cell cycle arrest and increase cisplatin sensitivity in ovarian cancer cells.

Cranberry flavonoids (flavonols and flavan-3-ols), in addition to their antioxidant properties, have been shown to possess potential in vitro activity against several cancers. However, the difficulty of isolating cranberry compounds has largely limited anticancer research to crude fractions without well-defined compound composition. In this study, individual cranberry flavonoids were isolated to the highest purity achieved so far using gravity and high performance column chromatography and LC-MS characterization.

Inhibitory effects of polyphenol punicalagin on type-II collagen degradation in vitro and inflammation in vivo.

Cartilage destruction is a crucial process in arthritis and is characterized by the degradation of cartilage proteins, proteoglycans, and type II collagen (CII), which are embedded within the extracellular matrix. While proteoglycan loss can be reversed, the degradation of CII is irreversible and has been correlated with an over-expression and over-activation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Among the various MMPs, the collagenase MMP-13 possesses the greatest catalytic activity for CII degradation.

Preparation, structural analysis, and properties of tenoxicam cocrystals.

Cocrystals of tenoxicam, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, are screened, prepared, and characterized in this study. Nine tenoxicam cocrystals were identified using solvent-drop grinding (SDG) techniques. Structural characterization was performed using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), differential scanning calorimetry, and multinuclear solid-state NMR (SSNMR).

Anti-inflammatory effects of polyphenolic-enriched red raspberry extract in an antigen-induced arthritis rat model.

The red raspberry ( Rubus idaeus ) fruit contains bioactive polyphenols including anthocyanins and ellagitannins with reported anti-inflammatory properties. This study sought to investigate the cartilage-protecting and anti-inflammatory effects of a polyphenolic-enriched red raspberry extract (RRE; standardized to total polyphenol, anthocyanin, and ellagitannin contents) using (1) an in vitro bovine nasal explant cell culture model and (2) an in vivo adjuvant-induced arthritis rat model. RRE contained 20% total polyphenols (as gallic acid equivalents), 5% anthocyanins (as cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalents), and 9.

Professional technical standards in colleges and schools of pharmacy.

Objective: To determine the prevalence, characteristics, and use of professional technical standards among colleges and schools of pharmacy accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).

Methods: The Web site of every college and school of pharmacy accredited by ACPE was searched to identify information regarding the availability, content, and use of technical standards and to obtain demographic information.

Results: Information was obtained from all of the 114 colleges and schools of pharmacy and 67 (59%) had technical standards in place.

Evolution of non-cytotoxic uterine natural killer cells.

The immune tolerance and de novo vascularization are two highly intriguing processes at the maternal-fetal interface that appear to be central to normal pregnancy outcome. Immune tolerance occurs despite the local presence of an active maternal immune system including macrophages, dendritic cells and specialized CD56(bright)CD16(-) uterine natural killer (uNK) cells (65-70%). Recent observations indicate that the phenotypic and functional repertoire of uNK cells is distinct from peripheral blood NK and endometrial NK cells, challenging the understanding of their temporal occurrence and function.

Mechanism and uses of a membrane peptide that targets tumors and other acidic tissues in vivo.

The pH-selective insertion and folding of a membrane peptide, pHLIP [pH (low) insertion peptide], can be used to target acidic tissue in vivo, including acidic foci in tumors, kidneys, and inflammatory sites. In a mouse breast adenocarcinoma model, fluorescently labeled pHLIP finds solid acidic tumors with high accuracy and accumulates in them even at a very early stage of tumor development. The fluorescence signal is stable for >4 days and is approximately five times higher in tumors than in healthy counterpart tissue.

Reduced expression and proteolytic susceptibility of lubricin/superficial zone protein may explain early elevation in the coefficient of friction in the joints of rats with antigen-induced arthritis.

Objective: To investigate the effect of arthritis development and progression on the integrity and function of lubricin and the relationship of lubricin to cartilage damage in a rat antigen-induced arthritis model.

Methods: Arthritis was induced in the right knee joints, using methylated bovine serum albumin and Freund's complete adjuvant. Whole joint friction measurements were performed ex vivo with a modified Stanton pendulum configuration, and coefficients of friction (mu) were determined.

Review of evidence: are endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the aquatic environment impacting fish populations?

In this paper, evidence from the current literature is presented that addresses either of two questions: 1) do EDCs in the aquatic environment have the potential to impact the reproductive health and survival of various fish species, and 2) are EDCs in the aquatic environment actually impacting the reproductive health and sustainability of indigenous populations of fish? Overall, data from laboratory experiments support the hypothesis that EDCs in the aquatic environment can impact the reproductive health of various fish species, but evidence that EDCs in the aquatic environment are actually impacting the reproductive health and sustainability of indigenous fish populations is less convincing. The scarcity of evidence linking impacts of environmental EDCs with changes in reproductive success of indigenous fish populations may reflect a critical need for a dependable method or indicator to assess reproduction of fish in situ. In addition, more studies that investigate whether fish populations routinely exposed to EDCs in situ are experiencing changes in population structure are needed.

Clofibrate and perfluorodecanoate both upregulate the expression of the pregnane X receptor but oppositely affect its ligand-dependent induction on cytochrome P450 3A23.

The pregnane X receptor (PXR) interacts with a vast array of structurally dissimilar chemicals and confers induction of several major types of drug metabolizing enzymes such as cytochrome P450s (CYP). We previously reported that the expression of PXR was markedly increased in rats treated with clofibrate and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA). The present study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that induced expression of PXR increases PXR ligand-dependent induction on CYP3A23.

Desmethoxyyangonin and dihydromethysticin are two major pharmacological kavalactones with marked activity on the induction of CYP3A23.

Kava kava (Piper methysticum), an herbal remedy, is widely used for the treatment of mild to moderate cases of anxiety. The therapeutic activity is presumably achieved through multiple constituents called kavalactones. Recently, kava extracts were shown to induce CYP3A4 and activate human pregnane X receptor (PXR).

Lubricating ability of aspirated synovial fluid from emergency department patients with knee joint synovitis.

Objective: To determine if joint effusions encountered in the emergency department (ED) requiring arthrocentesis possess normal lubricating ability or evidence cartilage degeneration. Chondroprotection of articulating joint surfaces is provided by lubricin, a mucinous glycoprotein that is a product of megakaryocyte-stimulating factor gene (GenBank U70136) expression. Loss of synovial fluid's (SF) lubricating ability has been implicated in the pathogenesis of degenerative joint disease.

Lipopolysaccharide and cecal ligation/puncture differentially affect the subcellular distribution of the pregnane X receptor but consistently cause suppression of its target genes CYP3A.

The repressed expression of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes in septic patients contributes significantly to therapeutic failures. Mice treated with sepsis-inducing agent lipopolysaccharide (LPS) sequentially express reduced mRNA levels of the pregnane X receptor (PXR) and its target genes Cyp3a(s), suggesting that reduction of Cyp expression is associated with the repression of PXR. The present study was undertaken to determine whether septic rats induced by LPS and cecal ligation/puncture (CLP) express reduced levels of rat PXR protein and whether the subcellular distribution of PXR is altered in septic conditions.

Endotoxic shock alters the pharmacokinetics of lidocaine and monoethylglycinexylidide.

Significant hepatic dysfunction occurs following endotoxin administration. Although the metabolism of lidocaine to one of the primary metabolites of lidocaine, monoethylglycinexylidide (MEGX), has been used as a marker of hepatic function under various conditions, it remains unknown whether these compounds can be used in vivo to evaluate hepatic function in a rat model of endotoxic shock. To study this, cytochrome P450-3A4 (CYP3A4) was determined after harvesting hepatic microsomes, hepatic blood flow was determined using radioactive microspheres, and the pharmacokinetics of lidocaine and MEGX were evaluated.