Crude extract of Polygonum cuspidatum promotes immune responses in leukemic mice through enhancing phagocytosis of macrophage and natural killer cell activities in vivo.

Polygonum cuspidatum is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine used in the treatment of various diseases. In the present study, we investigated whether the crude extract of Polygonum cuspidatum (CEPC) could affect immune responses of murine leukemia cells in vivo. Normal BALB/c mice were i.

Crude extract of Rheum palmatum L. Induces cell cycle arrest S phase and apoptosis through mitochondrial-dependent pathways in U-2 OS human osteosarcoma cells.

Cancer is the second cause of death in children. Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignancy of solid bone cancer primarily affecting adolescents and young adults. In the Chinese population, the crude extract of Rheum palmatum L.

Crude extract of Polygonum cuspidatum stimulates immune responses in normal mice by increasing the percentage of Mac-3-positive cells and enhancing macrophage phagocytic activity and natural killer cell cytotoxicity.

Polygonum cuspidatum is a natural plant that is used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine. The crude extract of Polygonum cuspidatum (CEPC) has numerous biological effects; however, there is a lack of studies on the effects of CEPC on immune responses in normal mice. The aim of the present study was to determine the in vivo effects of CEPC on immune responses in normal mice.

Deguelin inhibits the migration and invasion of U-2 OS human osteosarcoma cells via the inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase-2/-9 in vitro.

Osteosarcoma is the most common malignant primary bone tumor in children and young adults and lung metastasis is the main cause of death in those patients. Deguelin, a naturally occurring rotenoid, is known to be an Akt inhibitor and to exhibit cytotoxic effects, including antiproliferative and anticarcinogenic activities, in several cancers. In the present study, we determined if deguelin would inhibit migration and invasion in U-2 OS human osteosarcoma cells.

Bufalin induces cell death in human lung cancer cells through disruption of DNA damage response pathways.

Bufalin is a key component of a Chinese medicine (Chan Su) and has been proved effective in killing various cancer cells. Its role in inducing DNA damage and the inhibition of the DNA damage response (DDR) has been reported, but none have studied such action in lung cancer in detail. In this study, we demonstrated bufalin-induced DNA damage and condensation in NCI-H460 cells through a comet assay and DAPI staining, respectively.

Bufalin alters gene expressions associated DNA damage, cell cycle, and apoptosis in human lung cancer NCI-H460 cells in vitro.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related death and there is no effective treatment to date. Bufalin has been shown effective in inducing apoptosis and DNA damage in lung cancer cells. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying these actions have not been elucidated yet.

Cantharidin induces DNA damage and inhibits DNA repair-associated protein levels in NCI-H460 human lung cancer cells.

Cantharidin is one of the major compounds from mylabris and it has cytotoxic effects in many different types of human cancer cells. Previously, we found that cantharidin induced cell death through cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induction in human lung cancer NCI-H460 cells. However, cantharidin-affected DNA damage, repair, and associated protein levels in NCI-H460 cells have not been examined.

Crude extract of Rheum palmatum L inhibits migration and invasion of LS1034 human colon cancer cells acts through the inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase-2/-9 by MAPK signaling.

Crude extract of Rheum palmatum L. (CERP) has been used to treat different diseases in the Chinese population for decades. In this study, we investigated the anti-metastasis effects of CERP on LS1034 human colorectal cancer cells in vitro and examined potential mechanisms of its effects.

Establishment of reporter platforms capable of detecting NF-κB mediated immuno-modulatory activity.

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) are transcriptional targets of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) that are involved in inflammatory responses. The aim of this study is to develop a method for efficiently detecting inflammation modulatory activities. Here we established RAW264.

Alpha-phellandrene promotes immune responses in normal mice through enhancing macrophage phagocytosis and natural killer cell activities.

α-Phellandrene, a natural compound from natural plants, has been used in the food and perfume industry. We investigated the effects of α-phellandrene on the immune responses on normal murine cells in vivo. Normal BALB/c mice were treated orally with or without α-phellandrene at 0, 1, 5 and 25 mg/kg and olive oil as a positive control for two weeks.

The E3 ubiquitin ligase SIAH2 is a prosurvival factor overexpressed in oral cancer.

Background: This study aimed at investigating the expression and functional significance of seven in absentia homologues 2 (SIAH2), an E3 ubiquitin ligase, in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

Materials And Methods: Comparative genomic hybridization and real-time PCR were performed to examine the amplification of SIAH2 gene in clinical specimens of OSCC tissues. Expression of SIAH2 mRNA and protein was examined by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemical assays, respectively.

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), influences a murine WEHI-3 leukemia model in vivo through enhancing phagocytosis of macrophages and populations of T- and B-cells.

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the major polyphenol in green tea, and has been reported to have anticancer effects on many types of cancer cells. However, there is no report to show its effects on the immune response in a murine leukemia mouse model. Thus, in the present study, we investigated the effects of EGCG on the immune responses of murine WEHI-3 leukemia cells in vivo.

The crude extract of Corni Fructus inhibits the migration and invasion of U-2 OS human osteosarcoma cells through the inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase-2/-9 by MAPK signaling.

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignancy of the bone cancers. In the Chinese population, the crude extract of Corni Fructus (CECF) has been used as Traditional Chinese medicine to treat several different diseases for hundreds of years. In the present study, effects of CECF on inhibition of migration and invasion in U-2 OS human osteosarcoma cells were examined.

WWP1 gene is a potential molecular target of human oral cancer.

Objective: This study investigates the oncogenic role of WWP1, an ubiquitin ligase linked to tumor promotion, in oral cancer.

Study Design: An array-based comparative genomic hybridization was used to detect chromosomal changes in 10 oral cancer specimens. An additional 59 specimens and 6 cultured oral cancer cells were further examined to evaluate changes in the DNA copy number and messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of WWP1.

Factors associated with newly diagnosed tic disorders among children in Taiwan: a 10-year nationwide longitudinal study.

Increased attention has been paid to tic disorders clinically, yet relatively few studies have probed potential factors that account for the occurrence of tic disorders in the general population. In this study, we used data derived from the Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database to examine an array of factors related to the diagnosis of tic disorders and to further probe gender heterogeneity in clinical manifestation. Poisson regression analyses were applied to model the effects of birth cohort, period, and age, separately, on tic disorders.

Subamolide B Isolated from Medicinal Plant Cinnamomum subavenium Induces Cytotoxicity in Human Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells through Mitochondrial and CHOP-Dependent Cell Death Pathways.

Subamolide B is a butanolide isolated from Cinnamomum subavenium, a medicinal plant traditionally used to treat various ailments including carcinomatous swelling. We herein reported for the first time that subamolide B potently induced cytotoxicity against diverse human skin cancer cell lines while sparing nonmalignant cells. Mechanistic studies on human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell line SCC12 highlighted the involvement of apoptosis in subamolide B-induced cytotoxicity, as evidenced by the activation of caspases-8, -9, -4, and -3, the increase in annexin V-positive population, and the partial restoration of cell viability by cotreatment with the pan-caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk.

Crude extract of Euphorbia formosana inhibits the migration and invasion of DU145 human prostate cancer cells: The role of matrix metalloproteinase-2/9 inhibition via the MAPK signaling pathway.

Prostate cancer is a common worldwide health problem in males with a poor prognosis due in part to tumor invasion and migration. The crude extract of Euphorbia formosana (CEEF) has been used for the treatment of numerous diseases, however, its effects on the migration and invasion of prostate cancer cells have yet to be examined. In the present study, we investigated the effects of CEEF on the migration and invasion of DU145 human prostate cancer cells in vitro.

Direct human papillomavirus E6 whole-cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for objective measurement of E6 oncoproteins in cytology samples.

A novel, whole-cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on a non-type-specific anti-human papillomavirus (HPV) E6 antibody was tested on 182 residual cytological specimens. For samples with a designation of more severe than cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 (CIN3+), 83% tested positive for E6; in a subset with paired testing for E6 ELISA and HPV DNA, 72% tested E6 positive and 92% tested high-risk (HR)-HPV DNA positive (P = 0.2).

A neural network model for constructing endophenotypes of common complex diseases: an application to male young-onset hypertension microarray data.

Motivation: Identification of disease-related genes using high-throughput microarray data is more difficult for complex diseases as compared with monogenic ones. We hypothesized that an endophenotype derived from transcriptional data is associated with a set of genes corresponding to a pathway cluster. We assumed that a complex disease is associated with multiple endophenotypes and can be induced by their up/downregulated gene expression patterns.

Microfluidic chip for high efficiency DNA extraction.

A high efficiency DNA extraction microchip was designed to extract DNA from lysed cells using immobilized beads and the solution flowing back and forth. This chip was able to increase the extraction efficiency by 2-fold when there was no serum. When serum existed in the solution, the extraction efficiency of immobilized beads was 88-fold higher than that of free beads.

Evaluation of different promoters and host strains for the high-level expression of collagen-like polymer in Escherichia coli.

The increased expression of collagen-like polymer, CLP3.1-his which consists of 52 repeating peptide (GAPGAPGSQGAPGLQ), in Escherichia coli was investigated. The effects of three promoters, thermally inducible promoter, T7 promoter and T7lac promoter, and three Escherichia coli host strains, BL21, BL21(DE3) and BL21(DE3)[pLysS] which differ in stringency of suppressing basal transcription, were compared.