Isoalantolactone inhibits UM-SCC-10A cell growth via cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induction.

Isoalantolactone is a sesquiterpene lactone compound isolated from the roots of Inula helenium L. Previous studies have demonstrated that isoalantolactone possesses antifungal, anti-bacterial, anti-helminthic and anti-proliferative properties in a variety of cells, but there are no studies concerning its effects on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). In the present study, an MTT assay demonstrated that isoalantolactone has anti-proliferative activity against the HNSCC cell line (UM-SCC-10A).

Computer-aided diagnosis of breast DCE-MRI images using bilateral asymmetry of contrast enhancement between two breasts.

Dynamic contrast material-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) of breasts is an important imaging modality in breast cancer diagnosis with higher sensitivity but relatively lower specificity. The objective of this study is to investigate a new approach to help improve diagnostic performance of DCE-MRI examinations based on the automated detection and analysis of bilateral asymmetry of characteristic kinetic features between the left and right breast. An image dataset involving 130 DCE-MRI examinations was assembled and used in which 80 were biopsy-proved malignant and 50 were benign.

Bilateral sudden hearing loss following habitual abortion: a case report and review of literature.

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is usually unilateral and can be associated with tinnitus and vertigo. The most common causes of this disease are known to be the vascular and viral agents, but immune disorders are involved in the development of sudden deafness. The antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an acquired autoimmune system disorder, which is defined as the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (APA) in the patient's blood, then cause venous and/or arterial thrombosis in various organs of the body, for example, thrombosis can occur in the placenta and/or the inner ear.

Correlation of biological activity with computationally derived structural features from transmembrane hetero-dimers of HIV-1 Vpu with host factors.

Vpu is an 81 amino acid type I integral membrane protein encoded by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). It is identified to support viral release by potentially forming ion and substrate conducting channels and by modulating the function of host factors. The focus is on the interaction of the transmembrane domains of Vpu with those of host factors using a combination of molecular dynamics simulations and docking approach.

Viral channel proteins in intracellular protein-protein communication: Vpu of HIV-1, E5 of HPV16 and p7 of HCV.

Viral channel forming proteins are known for their capability to make the lipid membrane of the host cell and its subcellular compartments permeable to ions and small compounds. There is increasing evidence that some of the representatives of this class of proteins are also strongly interacting with host proteins and the effectiveness of this interaction seems to be high. Interaction of viral channel proteins with host factors has been proposed by bioinformatics approaches and has also been identified experimentally.

[The impact of Forsus on mandible's stress and displacement].

Objective: To further explore the best Forsus load power by analyzing the change of mandible's stress and displacement after Forsus protruded mandible instantaneously under different vertical component for providing theoretical basis.

Methods: The pre-built Forsus protruding mandible model were build through Abaqus 6.5 software.

Bioinformatic analysis for structure and function of TCTP from Spirometra mansoni.

Objective: To predict structure and function of translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) from Spirometra mansoni by bioinformatics technology, and to provide a theoretical basis for further study.

Methods: Open reading frame (ORF) of EST sequence from Spirometra mansoni was obtained by ORF finder and was translated into amino acid residue by DNAclub. The structure domain was analyzed by Blast.

The Golgi Apparatus: Panel Point of Cytosolic Ca(2+) Regulation.

The Golgi apparatus (GA), an intermediate organelle of the cell inner membrane system, plays a key role in protein glycosylation and secretion. In recent years, this organelle has been found to act as a vital intracellular Ca(2+) store because different Ca (2+) regulators, such as the inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate receptor, sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) -ATPase and secretory pathway Ca 2+ -ATPase, were demonstrated to localize on their membrane. The mechanisms involved in Ca(2+) release and uptake in the GA have now been established.

An Engineered Arginase FC Protein Inhibits Tumor Growth In Vitro and In Vivo.

Arginine is a semiessential amino acid required for the growth of melanoma and hepatocellular carcinoma, and the enzymatic removal of arginine by pegylated arginine deiminase (ADI) or arginase is being tested clinically. Here, we report a genetically engineered arginase FC fusion protein exhibiting a prolonged half-life and enhanced efficacy. The use of this enzyme to treat different tumor lines both inhibited cell proliferation and impaired cellular migration in vitro and in vivo.

Assembling viral channel forming proteins: Vpu from HIV-1.

Different routes of assembly are probed for the transmembrane domain (TMD) of the bitopic membrane protein Vpu from HIV-1. Vpu is responsible for the amplification of viral release from the host cell. The mode of action includes (i) heteroassembly with host factors and (ii) the formation of homo-oligomers, which are able to conduct ions across the lipid membrane.

Solubility properties and spectral investigation of dilute SO2 in a triethylene glycol + water + La3+ system.

Isothermal gas-liquid equilibrium (GLE) data were determined for dilute SO2 in a triethylene glycol (TEG) + water (W) system (TEGW) at 298.15 K and 123.15 kPa, in which SO2 partial pressures were calculated in the range 0-130 Pa.

A strategy for sequencing based on rolling-circle amplification on a microarray.

The sequencing of DNA fragments has become an important facet of the study of genomes. Parallel genomic DNA fragments displayed on a microarray play a key role in producing a template in next generation DNA sequencing. Here, we developed a technique to display parallel genomic DNA fragments based on the reaction with Bst DNA polymerase on a microarray.

Numerical study of magnetoacoustic signal generation with magnetic induction based on inhomogeneous conductivity anisotropy.

Magnetoacoustic tomography with magnetic induction (MAT-MI) is a noninvasive imaging modality for generating electrical conductivity images of biological tissues with high spatial resolution. In this paper, we create a numerical model, including a permanent magnet, a coil, and a two-layer coaxial cylinder with anisotropic electrical conductivities, for the MAT-MI forward problem. We analyze the MAT-MI sources in two cases, on a thin conductive boundary layer and in a homogeneous medium, and then develop a feasible numerical approach to solve the MAT-MI sound source densities in the anisotropic conductive model based on finite element analysis of electromagnetic field.

No significant association between vitamin D and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in a Chinese population.

Background: Some research evidence from Western populations suggests that lower vitamin D is associated with the prevalence and histologically assessed severity of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Aims: To investigate the associations of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations and vitamin D status (deficiency <20 ng/ml; insufficiency 20-30 ng/ml; sufficiency >30 ng/ml) with the prevalence of NAFLD in study population of Chinese.

Methods: Serum 25(OH)D, parathyroid hormone, lipids, liver enzymes, and anthropometric characteristics were measured in 1,248 subjects aged ≥ 20 years.

Reversible pH-responsive aggregates based on the self-assembly of functionalized POSS and hyaluronic acid.

We report here the self-assembly of reversible pH intelligent aggregate from natural polysaccharide hyaluronic acid and functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane with tertiary amines and hydroxyls (POSS-AH). Various forms such as micelles, sacs and membranes were self-assembled through different procedures in this organic/inorganic hybrid system. The complex can be manipulated simply by changing pH to produce hydrogen-bond and ionic interaction.

Activation of the EGFR/Akt/NF-κB/cyclinD1 survival signaling pathway in human cholesteatoma epithelium.

Cholesteatoma is a benign keratinizing squamous epithelial lesion characterized by the hyper-proliferation of keratinocytes with abundant production of keratin debris in the middle ear. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/Akt/nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB)/cyclinD1 signaling pathway is one of the most important pathways in regulating cell survival and proliferation. We hypothesized that the EGFR/Akt/NF-κB/cyclinD1 signaling pathway may be activated and involved in the cellular hyperplasia mechanism in acquired cholesteatoma epithelium.

Impact of heart rate on central hemodynamics and stroke: a meta-analysis of β-blocker trials.

Background: In a meta-analysis, we investigated effects of β-blockers on central hemodynamic measurements and explored the impact of heart rate (HR) on central hemodynamics and the risk of stroke.

Methods: We searched randomized controlled trials that compared β-blockers with other classes of antihypertensive drugs in reducing central systolic blood pressure (cSBP) and augmentation index (cAI) and in preventing stroke. A random-effects model was used to compute pooled estimates.

Decreased left middle temporal gyrus volume in antipsychotic drug-naive, first-episode schizophrenia patients and their healthy unaffected siblings.

Background: The shared neuropathological characteristics of patients with schizophrenia and their siblings might represent intermediate phenotypes that could be used to investigate genetic susceptibility to the illness. We sought to discover gray matter volume differences in patients with schizophrenia and their unaffected siblings with voxel-based morphometry (VBM).

Methods: We recruited antipsychotic drug-naive, first-episode schizophrenia (FES) patients, their unaffected siblings and age-, sex- and handedness-matched healthy controls.

Hollow fiber cell fishing with high performance liquid chromatography for screening bioactive compounds from traditional Chinese medicines.

A novel hollow fiber cell fishing method with high performance liquid chromatography was proposed and used to screen, isolate, and analyze bioactive compounds from Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCMs). The active compounds that interact with the living cells acceptor inside the hollow fiber lumen were screened and isolated from the TCM extracts in phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.4).

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, parathyroid hormone, and their association with metabolic syndrome in Chinese.

Increasing evidence suggests that 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels are associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS). In 2010, we explored the association of serum 25(OH)D and PTH levels with MetS in 1,390 Chinese participants, aged 20-83 years. Anthropometric phenotypes, blood pressure, and the incidence of MetS were evaluated.

Non-biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) improve pain in inflammatory arthritis (IA): a systematic literature review of randomized controlled trials.

Evidence supports early use of non-biologic DMARDs to prevent irreversible damage in inflammatory arthritides, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and possibly ankylosing spondylitis (AS). However, there is a paucity of data exploring their effects on pain as a primary outcome in these conditions. This systematic literature review investigated the effect of non-biologic DMARDs on pain levels in IA and examined whether disease duration impacted efficacy.

Association of 8q24 rs13281615A > G polymorphism with breast cancer risk: evidence from 40,762 cases and 50,380 controls.

The association between a single nucleotide polymorphism rs13281615A > G located in the 8q24 and breast cancer risk is still controversial and ambiguous. Hence, we performed a more convincing and precise estimation of the relationship between 8q24 and breast cancer by meta-analyzing the currently available evidence from literature. PubMed, Ovid, Medline, and Web of Science databases were searched.

[Determination of exogenous gamma-amylase residue in honey].

A novel method for the determination of exogenous gamma-amylase residue in honey using liquid chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (LC-IRMS) was established. After pre-separation by gel column chromatography, the gamma-amylase in honey samples was separated from the sugars. The gamma-amylase was then used to catalyze maltose into glucose.

[Comparative study on application of Duo positive airway pressure and continuous positive airway pressure in preterm neonates with respiratory distress syndrome].

Objective: To determine whether early application of Duo positive airway pressure (DuoPAP), in comparison with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP), can reduce the need for endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation and decrease the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm neonates with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).

Methods: In a single-center, randomized controlled trial, preterm neonates (gestational ages 30-35 weeks) with RDS were randomly assigned to receive DuoPAP (n=34) or NCPAP (n=33) within 6 hours of birth. If the two noninvasive ventilations were not effective, endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation were used, and pulmonary surfactant was administered as rescue therapy.