Deregulation of protein phosphatase 2A inhibitor SET is associated with malignant progression in breast cancer.

To understand the mechanism underlying metastasis, identification of a mechanism-based and common biomarker for circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in heterogenous breast cancer is needed. SET, an endogenous inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A, was overexpressed in all subtypes of invasive breast carcinoma tissues. Treatment with SET-targeted siRNAs reduced the motility of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells in transwell assay.

Gαq protein signaling in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis regulate the lipopolysaccharide-induced despair-like behavior in mice.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is highly comorbid with anxiety disorders. It has been reported that the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is important for the induction of anxiety and MDD. Recently, the Gαq protein signaling within the BNST is involved in the induction of anxiety through Gαq protein signaling-mediated RNA-editing of GluR2 subunit, which produces the calcium (Ca)-impermeable α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor.

Diagnostic value of a nested polymerase chain reaction for diagnosing cutaneous sporotrichosis from paraffin-embedded skin tissue.

Background: The gold standard for diagnosis of cutaneous sporotrichosis involves the isolation of the fungus, Sporothrix, by a culture test. Generally, the sampling for the culture test is performed at the same time as skin biopsy under local anaesthesia. However, the culture test may occasionally return a false negative result.

Down-regulation of histone deacetylase 4, -5 and -6 as a mechanism of synergistic enhancement of apoptosis in human lung cancer cells treated with the combination of a synthetic retinoid, Am80 and green tea catechin.

(-)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a green tea catechin, acts as a synergist with various anticancer drugs, including retinoids. Am80 is a synthetic retinoid with a different structure from all-trans-retinoic acid: Am80 is now clinically utilized as a new drug for relapsed and intractable acute promyelocytic leukemia patients. Our experiments showed that the combination of EGCG and Am80 synergistically induced both apoptosis in human lung cancer cell line PC-9 and up-regulated expressions of growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible gene 153 (GADD153), death receptor 5, and p21 genes in the cells.