Calycosin attenuates dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced experimental colitis.

Objectives: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) results from dysregulation of intestinal mucosal immunity. It is an incurable disease that affects millions of people worldwide. Developing new strategies for the treatment of colitis has been a major challenge.

Immune microenvironmental shift along human colorectal adenoma-carcinoma sequence: is it relevant to tumor development, biomarkers and biotherapeutic targets?

Human colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is one of the leading cancers. Every year, the WHO estimates a total of 945,000 new CRC cases, with 492,000 deaths worldwide. Most CRCs arise from the main premalignant lesion, colorectal adenomas, and the progression of colorectal adenoma to CRCs may take a long-term time course.

Distinct compartmental distribution of mature and immature dendritic cells in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Dendritic cells (DCs) play a critical role in generating anti-tumor immunity. DC functional defect has been related to the growth and progression of various human cancers. In esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), the examination of DCs using immunohistochemistry (IHC) with anti-S100 antibody has demonstrated an increased infiltration of DCs into the tumor mass, however, the distribution patterns of DCs at different maturation states in ESCC are not fully evaluated.

Influence of efflux pump inhibitors on the multidrug resistance of Helicobacter pylori.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs) on multidrug resistance of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori).

Methods: H.

Localization of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase in human esophageal squamous cell carcinomas.

Immunosuppressive factors derived from the tumor and nontumor cells present in the tumor microenvironment contribute to tumor escape from host immune attack. Recently, the tryptophan-catabolizing enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) derived from both the tumor cells and surrounding nontumor cells was found to function as a critical immunosuppressive factor. While the expression of IDO is intensively under investigation in many types of cancers, little information is available in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC) thus far.

[In vivo antitumor effect of canstatin gene on human esophageal carcinoma xenografts in nude mice].

Background And Objective: Canstatin is a newly discovered endogenous inhibitor of angiogenesis. Previous study has shown that canstatin can efficiently suppress the growth of human cancers, even more potent than endostatin. This study was to investigate the antitumor effects of canstatin gene on human esophageal carcinoma xenografts.

Overexpression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are known to play important roles in extracellular matrix remodeling during the process of tumor invasion and metastasis. However, little is known about their role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in ESCC was detected in our research.

Expression of non-mast cell histidine decarboxylase in tumor-associated microvessels in human esophageal squamous cell carcinomas.

Histamine is produced by mast cells and many other types of cells. The role of histamine released from mast cells in promoting tumor angiogenesis has been intensively studied; however, the role of non-mast cell histamine in regulating tumor angiogenesis has been largely ignored. In this study, tissue specimen sections from 43 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and normal esophageal biopsies from 17 heath individuals obtained from a high incidence area of north China were used to assess changes in microvessel density (MVD) and non-mast cell L-histidine decarboxylase (HDC) (the only rate-limiting enzyme that catalyzes the formation of histamine from L-histidine) expression in the tumor microenvironment by immunohistochemistry (IHC).

Entecavir up-regulates dendritic cell function in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Aim: To investigate the in vitro effect of entecavir (ETV) on the function of dendritic cells (DCs) derived from chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients.

Methods: Mononuclear cells were isolated from peripheral blood of patients with CHB. DCs were incubated with RPMI-1640 medium supplemented with fetal bovine serum, IL-4, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF).