Oxymatrine reverses 5-fluorouracil resistance by inhibition of colon cancer cell epithelial-mesenchymal transition and NF-κB signaling .

The present study investigated the sensitization of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-resistant colon cancer cells , using oxymatrine, a Chinese herb, and a quinolizidine alkaloid compound extracted from the root of . The HCT-8 colon cancer cell line and its 5-FU-resistant subline HCT-8/5-FU were treated with 5-FU and oxymatrine, alone or in combination, at various doses. The cells were subsequently assessed for changes in cell viability, apoptosis and morphology and analyzed by fluorescence microscopy and western blotting.

Phylogeny of the ciliate family Psilotrichidae (Protista, Ciliophora), a curious and poorly-known taxon, with notes on two algae-bearing psilotrichids from Guam, USA.

Background: The classification of the family Psilotrichidae, a curious group of ciliated protists with unique morphological and ontogenetic features, is ambiguous and poorly understood particularly due to the lack of molecular data. Hence, the systematic relationship between this group and other taxa in the subclass Hypotrichia remains unresolved. In this paper the morphology and phylogenetics of species from two genera of Psilotrichida are studied to shed new light on the phylogeny and species diversity of this group of ciliates.