Development of a novel N14-substituted antitumor evodiamine derivative with inhibiting heat shock protein 70 in non-small cell lung cancer.

Notwithstanding the latest advancements in anticancer therapy, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a prominent contributor to cancer-associated mortality worldwide. Therefore, effective anti-cancer agents are required for the treatment of NSCLC. We previously demonstrated that the natural alkaloid evodiamine efficiently suppressed lung cancer cells and lung cancer stem-like cell populations by suppressing heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70).

Pregnant women's experiences of online prenatal education in Korea during COVID-19: a phenomenological study.

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the significance and insights derived from the experiences of pregnant women in Korea who participated in online prenatal education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This study employed the hermeneutic phenomenology framework developed by Colaizzi. It involved 12 pregnant women who participated in online prenatal education provided by public health centers in Chuncheon, Korea.

Tobacco-induced hyperglycemia promotes lung cancer progression via cancer cell-macrophage interaction through paracrine IGF2/IR/NPM1-driven PD-L1 expression.

Tobacco smoking (TS) is implicated in lung cancer (LC) progression through the development of metabolic syndrome. However, direct evidence linking metabolic syndrome to TS-mediated LC progression remains to be established. Our findings demonstrate that 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone and benzo[a]pyrene (NNK and BaP; NB), components of tobacco smoke, induce metabolic syndrome characteristics, particularly hyperglycemia, promoting lung cancer progression in male C57BL/6 J mice.

Effects of anxiety, depression, social support, and physical health status on the health-related quality of life of pregnant women in post-pandemic Korea: a cross-sectional study.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effects of anxiety, depression, social support, and physical health status on the health-related quality of life of Korean pregnant women using Spilker's quality of life model.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with a correlational design. The participants included 166 pregnant women who were recruited via convenience sampling at two healthcare centers in South Korea.

Korean Version of the Nursing Student Attitudes and Knowledge toward Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Patients Scale.

Aim: This study aimed to analyze the reliability and validity of a Korean version of the Nursing Student Attitudes and Knowledge Toward Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Patients (K-NAKL) Scale, which measures health and heterosexual attitudes toward LGBT individuals.

Background: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals often face discrimination and a lack of care experience on the part of healthcare professionals.

Introduction: In South Korea, the current knowledge and attitude measurement tools for medical staff regarding LGBT individuals are limited, as they only focus on homosexuality and do not account for different sexual orientations.

Effect of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol and benzo[a]pyrene exposure on the development of metabolic syndrome in mice.

Aim: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS), a cluster of serious medical conditions that raise the risk of lung cancer, has increased worldwide. Tobacco smoking (TS) potentially increases the risk of developing MetS. Despite the potential association of MetS with lung cancer, preclinical models that mimic human diseases, including TS-induced MetS, are limited.

Syntheses and antitumor activities of neorautenol and shinpterocarpin analogs.

The natural products neorautenol and shinpterocarpin and their structural analogs were investigated as novel anticancer agents. Twenty-four analogs, including analogs containing a polar chain and simplified analogs, were synthesized efficiently by a modified method from previous reports. The antitumor screening of synthesized compounds toward six cancer cell lines indicated that compounds 37, 42 and 43 with a dialkylaminoethyl-type side chain exhibited more promising activity than neorautenol and shinpterocarpin against lung and colon cancer lines with a range of 4-9 μM.

The tobacco-specific carcinogen NNK induces pulmonary tumorigenesis via nAChR/Src/STAT3-mediated activation of the renin-angiotensin system and IGF-1R signaling.

The renin-angiotensin (RA) system has been implicated in lung tumorigenesis without detailed mechanistic elucidation. Here, we demonstrate that exposure to the representative tobacco-specific carcinogen nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) promotes lung tumorigenesis through deregulation of the pulmonary RA system. Mechanistically, NNK binding to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) induces Src-mediated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) activation, resulting in transcriptional upregulation of angiotensinogen (AGT) and subsequent induction of the angiotensin II (AngII) receptor type 1 (AGTR1) signaling pathway.

Dual Impact of IGF2 on Alveolar Stem Cell Function during Tobacco-Induced Injury Repair and Development of Pulmonary Emphysema and Cancer.

Unlabelled: Pulmonary emphysema is a destructive inflammatory disease primarily caused by cigarette smoking (CS). Recovery from CS-induced injury requires proper stem cell (SC) activities with a tightly controlled balance of proliferation and differentiation. Here we show that acute alveolar injury induced by two representative tobacco carcinogens, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone and benzo[a]pyrene (N/B), increased IGF2 expression in alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells to promote their SC function and facilitate alveolar regeneration.

Cellular Dormancy in Cancer: Mechanisms and Potential Targeting Strategies.

Cancer is a leading cause of disease-related mortality worldwide. Drug resistance is one of the primary reasons for the failure of anticancer therapy. There are a number of underlying mechanisms for anticancer drug resistance including genetic/epigenetic modifications, microenvironmental factors, and tumor heterogeneity.

An A-ring substituted evodiamine derivative with potent anticancer activity against human non-small cell lung cancer cells by targeting heat shock protein 70.

The heat shock protein (HSP) system is essential for the conformational stability and function of several proteins. Therefore, the development of efficacious HSP-targeting anticancer agents with minimal toxicity is required. We previously demonstrated that evodiamine is an anticancer agent that targets HSP70 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells.

Isolation of slow-cycling cancer cells from lung patient-derived xenograft using carboxyfluorescein-succinimidyl ester retention-mediated cell sorting.

The slow-cycling subpopulation plays an important role in anticancer drug resistance and tumor recurrence. Here, we describe a clinically relevant patient-derived xenograft model and a carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester dye that is diluted in a cell proliferation-dependent manner. We detail steps to separate active-cycling cancer cells and slow-cycling cancer cells (SCCs) in heterogeneous cancer populations to confirm their different cellular properties.

The effects of environmental prenatal program on environmental health perception and behavior using internet-based intervention in South Korea: A non-randomized controlled study.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop and examine the effects of an internet-based intervention program on environmental perception and behavior among Korean pregnant women based on revised protection motivation theory.

Method: This study was a non-equivalent control group pre-post-test design. The experimental program consisted of prenatal education, reduction of fine dust, birth education, environmental health promotion, and postnatal management education using zoom video conferences.

Molecular targeted therapy for anticancer treatment.

Since the initial clinical approval in the late 1990s and remarkable anticancer effects for certain types of cancer, molecular targeted therapy utilizing small molecule agents or therapeutic monoclonal antibodies acting as signal transduction inhibitors has served as a fundamental backbone in precision medicine for cancer treatment. These approaches are now used clinically as first-line therapy for various types of human cancers. Compared to conventional chemotherapy, targeted therapeutic agents have efficient anticancer effects with fewer side effects.

S100A14: A novel negative regulator of cancer stemness and immune evasion by inhibiting STAT3-mediated programmed death-ligand 1 expression in colorectal cancer.

Background: Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) has functional roles in cancer stem-like cell (CSC) phenotypes and chemoresistance besides immune evasion. Chemotherapy is a common treatment choice for colorectal cancer (CRC) patients; however, chemoresistance limits its effectiveness of treatment.

Methods: We examined the role of S100A14 (SA14) in CRC by adopting PD-L1 subpopulations within CRC cell lines and patient tumours, by establishing PD-L1 chemoresistant CRC sublines through prolonged exposure to 5-fluorouracil/oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy in vitro and in vivo, and by analysing a public database.

Ethanol Extract of Inhibits Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Nitric Oxide Generation by Downregulating the Nuclear Factor-Kappa B Signaling Pathway.

(SS) is an edible brown seaweed widely consumed in Korea and considered a functional food source. Previous studies have reported various biological activities of SS extracts, including antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties. In the present study, we examined the anti-inflammatory effects of the SS extract and assessed the underlying mechanism of action.

Targeting epidermal growth factor receptor in paclitaxel-resistant human breast and lung cancer cells with upregulated glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase.

Background: Chemoresistance is a major obstacle to the successful treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Therapeutic strategies to overcome chemoresistance are necessary to improve the prognosis of patients with these cancers.

Methods: Paclitaxel-resistant TNBC and NSCLC sublines were generated through continuous paclitaxel treatment over 6 months.

Ninjurin1 drives lung tumor formation and progression by potentiating Wnt/β-Catenin signaling through Frizzled2-LRP6 assembly.

Background: Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) play a pivotal role in lung tumor formation and progression. Nerve injury-induced protein 1 (Ninjurin1, Ninj1) has been implicated in lung cancer; however, the pathological role of Ninj1 in the context of lung tumorigenesis remains largely unknown.

Methods: The role of Ninj1 in the survival of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) CSCs within microenvironments exhibiting hazardous conditions was assessed by utilizing patient tissues and transgenic mouse models where Ninj1 repression and oncogenic Kras or carcinogen-induced genetic changes were induced in putative pulmonary stem cells (SCs).

An integrative review of studies of condom use among Korean college students.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was (a) to synthesize studies of condom use among South Korean college students, and (b) to appraise the quality of each article using Gough's weight of evidence.

Methods: Studies published in English and Korean were searched in electronic databases using the terms "student or college student or university student or undergraduate", "condom", and "Korea*".

Results: Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria, showed appropriate quality, and were therefore selected for review.

A novel C-terminal heat shock protein 90 inhibitor that overcomes STAT3-Wnt-β-catenin signaling-mediated drug resistance and adverse effects.

The heat shock protein (Hsp) system plays important roles in cancer stem cell (CSC) and non-CSC populations. However, limited efficacy due to drug resistance and toxicity are obstacles to clinical use of Hsp90 inhibitors, suggesting the necessity to develop novel Hsp90 inhibitors overcoming these limitations. The underlying mechanism of resistance to Hsp90 inhibitors was investigated by colony formation assay, sphere formation assay, western blot analysis, and real-time PCR.