Secretory carcinoma of the breast with multiple distant metastases in the brain and unfavorable prognosis: a case report and literature review.

Background: Secretory carcinoma of the breast is one of the rarest entities, accounting for less than 0.15 % of all infiltrating breast carcinomas. It has characteristic histopathological and molecular features and, in general, a more favorable prognosis.

Cdc6 contributes to cisplatin-resistance by activation of ATR-Chk1 pathway in bladder cancer cells.

High activation of DNA damage response is implicated in cisplatin (CDDP) resistance which presents as a serious obstacle for bladder cancer treatment. Cdc6 plays an important role in the malignant progression of tumor. Here, we reported that Cdc6 expression is up-regulated in bladder cancer tissues and is positively correlated to high tumor grade.

Pristimerin overcomes adriamycin resistance in breast cancer cells through suppressing Akt signaling.

Breast cancer remains a major public health problem worldwide. Chemotherapy serves an important role in the treatment of breast cancer. However, resistance to chemotherapeutic agents, in particular, multi-drug resistance (MDR), is a major cause of treatment failure in cancer.

Knockdown of flotillin-2 impairs the proliferation of breast cancer cells through modulation of Akt/FOXO signaling.

Lipid rafts, specialized domains in cell membranes, function as physical platforms for various molecules to coordinate a variety of signal transduction processes. Flotillin-2 (FLOT2), a marker of lipid rafts, is involved in the progression of cancer, yet the precise mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, we examined the effect of FLOT2 on cell proliferation and found that silencing endogenous FLOT2 with shRNAs inhibited proliferation of breast cancer cells.

Prenatal diagnosis of foetuses with congenital abnormalities and duplication of the MECP2 region.

MECP2 duplication results in a well-recognised syndrome in 100% of affected male children; this syndrome is characterised by severe neurodevelopmental disabilities and recurrent infections. However, no sonographic findings have been reported for affected foetuses, and prenatal molecular diagnosis has not been possible for this disease due to lack of prenatal clinical presentation. In this study, we identified a small duplication comprising the MECP2 and L1CAM genes in the Xq28 region in a patient from a family with severe X-linked mental retardation and in a prenatal foetus with brain structural abnormalities.

The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor SNS-032 induces apoptosis in breast cancer cells via depletion of Mcl-1 and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein and displays antitumor activity in vivo.

Inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) have been reported to have activities in many types of cancer cells by inhibiting Cdk7 and Cdk9, which control transcription. SNS-032 is a potent and selective inhibitor of Cdk2, Cdk7 and Cdk9 and has emerged in clinical trials. Here, we examined the viability of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cells in the presence of SNS-032 and observed a dose-dependent inhibition of cellular proliferation in both cell lines.

[Analysis of post-thaw infused cell dose for predicting engraftment after unrelated cord blood transplantation].

This study was purposed to investigate the role of post-thaw infused donor cells for predicting engraftment and hematopoietic reconstitution after unrelated cord blood transplantation (UCBT). The retrospective analysis was performed on clinical data of 97 children with malignant or non-malignant diseases received single unit UCBT from August 1999 to April 2010. The impact of pre-freezing and post-thaw cell dose of total nucleated cells (TNC), CD34(+) cells and colony-forming units-granulocyte/macrophage (CFU-GM) on engraftment and hematological recovery after UCBT was analyzed.

[Analysis of maternal and neonatal factors associated with hematopoietic reconstruction potential in umbilical cord blood units].

Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is an alternative source of hematopoietic stem cells for transplantation with success being associated with the total nucleated cell (TNC) count, CD34(+) cells and colony-forming unit-granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM) content infused. This study was purposed to clarify the impact of maternal and neonatal factors on hematopoietic potential of UCB product. UCB samples were screened, processed, tested and cryopreserved according to the Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) of Guangzhou cord blood bank (GZCBB).

SZ-685C, a marine anthraquinone, is a potent inducer of apoptosis with anticancer activity by suppression of the Akt/FOXO pathway.

Background And Purpose: The aims of this study were to investigate the anti-cancer activity of SZ-685C, an anthracycline analogue isolated from marine-derived mangrove endophytic fungi, and to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying such activity.

Experimental Approach: The effect of SZ-685C on the viability of cancer cell lines was investigated using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. SZ-685C-induced apoptosis was assessed by Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide staining, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labelling assay and analysis of caspase activation.

[Preparation, characterization and preliminary application of monoclonal antibody against the transpeptidase domain of MRSA-PBP2a].

Aim: To prepare monoclonal antibody (mAb) against the penicillin binding protein 2a (PBP2a) of MRSA and establish a latex agglutination assay to detect PBP2a.

Methods: BALB/c mice were immunized with the recombinant transpeptidase domain of PBP2a expressed by gene-engineering. Mouse mAb against PBP2a was obtained with hybridoma technique.