Association of sleep duration and insulin resistance in Taiwanese vegetarians.

Background: Short sleep duration has been reported to associate with increased insulin resistance. However, no studies have investigated whether such association exists in vegetarians. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between sleep duration and insulin resistance in Taiwanese vegetarians.

Predicting insulin resistance using the triglyceride-to-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio in Taiwanese adults.

Background: The triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (TG/HDL-C) has been advocated as a simple clinical indicator of insulin resistance. Thresholds of TG/HDL-C appeared to depend on ethnicity. However, no studies have specifically compared the accuracy of TG/HDL-C with and without other clinical and demographic factors in predicting insulin resistance in Taiwanese adults.

Synthesis and characterizations of new lysine-based biodegradable cationic poly(urethane-co-ester) and study on self-assembled nanoparticles with DNA.

To improve the self-assembly efficiency of nanoparticles with DNA, we synthesized lysine-based poly(urethane-co-ester) PMMD (6) and polyester PDMA (8) bearing ester linkages in the backbone and tertiary amines in the side chain. Both poly(urethane-co-ester) PMMD (6) and polyester PDMA (8), readily self-assembled with plasmid DNA (pCMV-beta-gal) in HEPES buffer, were characterized by dynamic light scattering and zeta-potential. The results reveal that PMMD (6) and PDMA (8) were able to self-assemble particles with DNA and yield complexes with positive charges of 80-115 nm and 170-180 nm in size at mass ratios (W/W) of 2/1 and 20/1, respectively.

Norsolorinic acid inhibits proliferation of T24 human bladder cancer cells by arresting the cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase and inducing a Fas/membrane-bound Fas ligand-mediated apoptotic pathway.

1. Norsolorinic acid, isolated from Aspergillus nidulans, has been shown to have antiproliferative activity in T24 human bladder cancer cells by arresting the cell cycle at the G(0)/G(1) phase and inducing apoptosis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the antiproliferative activity of norsolorinic acid in T24 human bladder cancer cells.

Norsolorinic acid from Aspergillus nidulans inhibits the proliferation of human breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cells via Fas-mediated pathway.

Norsolorinic acid, isolated from the Aspergillus nidulans, was investigated for its antiproliferative activity in human breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cells. To identity the anticancer mechanism of norsolorinic acid, we assayed its effect on apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, and levels of p53, p21/WAF1, Fas/APO-1 receptor and Fas ligand. The results showed that norsolorinic acid induced apoptosis of MCF-7 cells without mediation of p53 and p21/WAF1.

Plumbagin induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis through reactive oxygen species/c-Jun N-terminal kinase pathways in human melanoma A375.S2 cells.

This study is the first to investigate the anticancer effect of plumbagin in human melanoma A375.S2 cells. Plumbagin exhibited effective cell growth inhibition by inducing cancer cells to undergo S-G2/M phase arrest and apoptosis.

Chalcone arrests cell cycle progression and induces apoptosis through induction of mitochondrial pathway and inhibition of nuclear factor kappa B signalling in human bladder cancer cells.

Chalcones (1,3-diphenyl-2-propenone) are cancer preventive food components found in a human diet rich in fruits and vegetables. In this study, we first report the chemopreventive effect of chalcone in two human bladder cancer cell lines: T24 and HT-1376. The results show that chalcone inhibits the proliferation of T24 and HT-1376 cells by inducing apoptosis and blocking cell cycle progression in the G2/M phase.

Myricetin induces human osteoblast differentiation through bone morphogenetic protein-2/p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway.

Myricetin (3,3',4',5,5',7-hexahydroxyflavone), a flavonoid compound, is present in vegetables and fruits. By means of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, osteocalcin, and type I collagen enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), we have shown that myricetin exhibits a significant induction of differentiation in MG-63 and hFOB human osteoblasts. Alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin are phenotypic markers for early-stage differentiated osteoblasts and terminally differentiated osteoblasts, respectively.

Piceatannol stimulates osteoblast differentiation that may be mediated by increased bone morphogenetic protein-2 production.

Piceatannol (3,3',4,5'-tetrahydroxy-trans-stilbene) is a polyphenol present in grapes and wine. By means of alkaline phosphatase activity and osteocalcin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), we have shown that piceatannol exhibits a significant induction of differentiation in immortalized fetal osteoblasts (hFOB), and osteosarcoma cells (MG-63). Alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin are phenotypic markers for early-stage differentiated osteoblasts and terminally differentiated osteoblasts, respectively, our results indicate that piceatannol stimulate osteoblast differentiation at various stages (from maturation to terminally differentiated osteoblasts).

Platelet adsorption and hemolytic properties of liquid crystal/composite polymers.

The aim of this study is to investigate how the presence of liquid crystal, cholesteryl oleyl carbonate, embedded into polymers (PMMA, Eb270, PU) affects the biocompatibility of composite membranes with human blood. The effects of different surface textures of composite membranes on platelet adhesion and platelet activation were evaluated as well. The adhesion and geometric deformation of platelets were demonstrated by SEM.

Fraxetin inhibits the induction of anti-Fas IgM, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1beta-mediated apoptosis by Fas pathway inhibition in human osteoblastic cell line MG-63.

The survival of osteoblast cells is one of the determinants of the development of osteoporosis in patients with inflamed synovium, such as in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). By means of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and osteocalcin ELISA assay, we have shown that fraxetin exhibits a significant induction of differentiation in the human osteoblast-like cell line MG-63. In addition, we also assessed whether fraxetin affects inflammatory cytokine-mediated apoptosis in osteoblast cells.

Bone morphogenetic protein-2 and -4 (BMP-2 and -4) mediates fraxetin-induced maturation and differentiation in human osteoblast-like cell lines.

Fraxetin (7,8-dihydroxy-6-methoxy coumarin), a coumarin derivative, was investigated for its effects on differentiation of osteoblasts. By means of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and osteocalcin ELISA assay, we have shown that fraxetin exhibits a significant induction of differentiation in two human osteoblast-like cell lines, MG-63 and hFOB. Alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin are phenotypic markers for early-stage differentiated osteoblasts and terminally differentiated osteoblasts, respectively.

Osthole-mediated cell differentiation through bone morphogenetic protein-2/p38 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 pathway in human osteoblast cells.

The survival of osteoblast cells is one of the determinants of the development of osteoporosis in patients. Osthole (7-methoxy-8-isopentenoxycoumarin) is a coumarin derivative present in many medicinal plants. By means of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, osteocalcin, osteopontin, and type I collagen, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, we have shown that osthole exhibits a significant induction of differentiation in two human osteoblast-like cell lines, MG-63 and hFOB.

Casuarinin from the bark of Terminalia arjuna induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in human breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cells.

Casuarinin, a hydrolyzable tannin isolated from the bark of Terminalia arjuna L. (Combretaceae), was investigated for its antiproliferative activity in human breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cells. The results showed that casuarinin inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 by blocking cell cycle progression in the G0/G1 phase and inducing apoptosis.

Induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells by casuarinin from the bark of Terminalia arjuna Linn.

Casuarinin, a hydrolyzable tannin isolated from the bark of Terminalia arjuna Linn. (Combretaceae), inhibits human non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells by blocking cell cycle progression in the G0/G1 phase and inducing apoptosis. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that the G0/G1 phase arrest is due to p53-dependent induction of p21/WAF1.