Berberine Inhibits the Inflammatory Response Induced by Isolated from Atopic Eczema Patients via the TNF-α/Inflammation/RAGE Pathways.

Atopic eczema patients exhibit high levels of () skin colonization. can stimulate macrophages and the expression of proinflammatory cytokines. Berberine (BBR), an alkaloid, attenuates toxin production.

Mammea B/BA Isolated From the Seeds of L. (Calophyllaceae) is a Potent Inhibitor of Methicillin-Resistant .

remains a pathogen of high concern in public health programs worldwide due to antibiotic resistance and emergence of highly virulent strains. Many phytochemicals have demonstrated activity against and other Gram-positive bacteria, but the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values comparable to commonly used antibiotics are needed. In the present study, bio-guided fractionation of the ethanol extract of seeds of L.

Complete genome and plasmid sequences of Staphylococcus aureus strain COL52-A5 isolated from a persistent nasal carrier.

Objectives: Persistent colonization with Staphylococcus aureus is associated with a higher risk of invasive infections. With increasing rates of colonization, especially with antibiotic-resistant strains, it may be useful to identify specific characteristics of colonization that confer a greater infection risk. Therefore, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of an S.

Clonal Distribution and Antibiotic Susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus from Pediatric Patients: 8-Year Trends in a Children's Hospital in Colombia.

Emergence of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) strains in healthcare settings has changed the hospital epidemiology of MRSA in the last few years. Despite a global increase in MRSA frequency, infections caused by methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) have persisted in healthcare settings and the community.

CXCL3 Signaling in the Tumor Microenvironment.

Cancer progression is driven, to a large extent, by the action of immune cells that have been recruited to tumor sites through interactions between chemokines and their receptors. Chemokines of the CXC subfamily are secreted by both tumor and non-tumor cells within the microenvironment of the tumor, where they induce either antitumor or protumor activity that fosters either clearance or progression of the tumor, respectively. Understanding the nature of these interactions is important to envisage novel approaches targeting the essential components of the tumor microenvironment, increasing the odds for favorable patient outcomes.

nasal carriage and microbiome composition among medical students from Colombia: a cross-sectional study.

The anterior nares are the main ecological niche for , an important commensal and opportunistic pathogen. Medical students are frequently colonized by a variety of pathogens. Microbial interactions in the human nose can prevent or favor colonization by pathogens, and individuals colonized by pathogens have increased risk of infection and are the source of transmission to other community members or susceptible individuals.

Gene expression profiling identifies potential molecular markers of papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Background: Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy worldwide, with the predominant form papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) representing approximately 80% of cases.

Objective: This study was addressed to identify potential genes and pathways involved in the pathogenesis of PTC and potential novel biomarkers for this disease.

Methods: Gene expression profiling was carried out by DNA microarray technology.

Atypical chemokine receptor CCRL2 is overexpressed in prostate cancer cells.

Atypical chemokine receptors have recently emerged as important molecular players in health and diseases; they affect chemokine availability and function and impact a multitude of pathophysiological events, including the tumorigenesis process. This family of atypical receptors comprises five members: ACKR1/DARC, ACKR2/D6, ACKR3/CXCR7, ACKR4/CCRL1, and ACKR5/CCRL2. This work evaluated the differential expression of these receptors in prostate cancer using quantitative PCR.

CXXC5 expression in prostate cancer: implications for cancer progression.

Identification of genes specifically deregulated in prostate adenocarcinoma may lead to discovery of new oncogenes/tumour suppressors with clinical relevance for diagnosis, prognosis and/or therapy. CXXC5 is a gene encoding a retinoid-inducible nuclear factor, whose overexpression in breast tumours, metastatic malignant melanomas and papillary thyroid carcinoma has been recently reported. We previously found differential expression of CXXC5 transcripts in metastatic prostate cancer cell lines of both rat and human origin.

ESM-1 siRNA Knockdown Decreased Migration and Expression of CXCL3 in Prostate Cancer Cells.

Endothelial cell-specific molecule-1 (ESM-1), also known as endocan, is a soluble proteoglycan expressed by the vascular endothelium, which also circulates in the bloodstream. Inflammatory cytokines and proangiogenic growth factors increase its expression, and increased serum levels have been reported in several cancer types and immunocompetent patients with sepsis. The aim of this study was to analyze the expression profile of CXC-chemokines and the effects of ESM-1 gene knockdown in proliferation, migration and CXC-chemokine expression in highly metastatic human prostate PC-3 cells.

Inflammation and focal atrophy in prostate needle biopsy cores and association to prostatic adenocarcinoma.

The possible origin of proliferative inflammatory atrophy in the regenerative proliferation of prostate epithelial cells in response to injury caused by inflammation, and their relation to prostate adenocarcinoma have not been defined. Inflammation and focal atrophy are common pathological findings in prostate biopsies, currently not routinely included in surgical pathology reports. The objective of the study was to determine the correlation between inflammation and focal atrophy with prostate adenocarcinoma.

Gene expression profiling of prostate cancer-associated genes identifies fibromodulin as potential novel biomarker for prostate cancer.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the gene expression profiles of a set of prostate cancer-associated genes in prostate cancer cell lines, to determine their association with different cancer phenotypes and identify potential novel biomarkers for this disease.

Methods: Quantitative real-time PCR was used to determine the expression profiles of 21 prostate cancer-associated genes in the human prostate cancer cell lines PC-3 and LNCaP, using the nontumorigenic cell line PWR-1E as control cell line. Genes evaluated were ESM-1, SERPINE2, CLU, BGN, A2M, PENK, FMOD, CD81, DCN, TSPAN8, KBTBD10, F2RL1, TMSB4X, SNCG, CXXC5, FOXQ1, PDPN, SPN, CAV1, CD24 and KLK3.

High frequency of Panton-Valentine leukocidin in Staphylococcus aureus causing pediatric infections in the city of Cartagena-Colombia.

Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL) is a pore-forming toxin that has been epidemiologically associated with CA-MRSA infections. However, its role in the pathogenicity of Staphylococcus aureus is still unclear. We evaluated the prevalence of PVL-coding genes in methicillin-resistant (MRSA) and methicillin-sensitive (MSSA) isolates that cause infections in pediatric patients in the city of Cartagena, Colombia.

The small leucine rich proteoglycan fibromodulin is overexpressed in human prostate epithelial cancer cell lines in culture and human prostate cancer tissue.

Background: Fibromodulin is a small leucine-rich proteoglycan important for extracellular matrix organization and essential for tissue repair in multiple organs. The main function of this proteoglycan is the regulation of collagen fibrillogenesis; however, more recently described roles for fibromodulin have expanded to include regulation of angiogenesis, reprogramming of human fibroblasts into pluripotent cells, modulation of TGF-β activity, inflammatory processes and association with metastatic phenotypes. Additionally, fibromodulin has been identified as a novel tumor-associated antigen in leukemia, lymphoma, and leiomyoma.

Microarray analysis of the in vitro granulomatous response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra.

Background: The hallmark of tuberculosis is the granuloma, an organized cellular accumulation playing a key role in host defense against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. These structures sequester and contain mycobacterial cells preventing active disease, while long term maintenance of granulomas leads to latent disease. Clear understanding on mechanisms involved in granuloma formation and maintenance is lacking.

Molecular identification and antimicrobial susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus nasal isolates from medical students in Cartagena, Colombia.

Staphylococcus aureus (SA) remains a major cause of nosocomial and community-acquired infections worldwide. Nasal carriage of this bacterium among hospital personnel constitutes an important source for nosocomial infections. A cross-sectional study enrolling the whole medical student population (n=387) of the School of Medicine at the Universidad de Cartagena, Colombia, was conducted to evaluate the carriage rates of both methicillin sensitive- and methicillin resistant-SA, the frequency of Panton-Valentine leukocidin genes in the isolates, and risk factors associated with carriage in this selected population.

[Staphylococcus aureus in residents from a nursing-home in Cartagena].

Objectives: Determining Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage, antibiotic susceptibility and association with potential risk factors in residents from the Hogar Asilo de Ancianos San Pedro Claver nursing-home in Cartagena during the second semester of 2007.

Methods: Nasal swabs were taken from each person participating in the study after they had signed an informed consent form. Staphylococcus aureus strains were identified by classical methods; antibiotic susceptibility was determined by disk diffusion methods, according to CLSI standards.

[Cytotoxicity of the herbicide glyphosate in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells].

Introduction: Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum, non-selective herbicide and commonly used to eliminate weeds in agricultural and forest settings. Studies evaluating glyphosate toxicity in animals and environment show that commercial formulations of glyphosate are more toxic than the active component itself.

Objectives: Technical grade glyphosate was compared with the commercial formulation Roundup in their respective toxicities on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

DNA microarray analysis reveals metastasis-associated genes in rat prostate cancer cell lines.

Introduction: The molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in prostate cancer progression towards a hormone-independent and highly invasive, metastatic phenotype, are not well understood. Cell lines with different metastatic potential, when analyzed by microarray techniques, offer valuable tools for identifying genes associated with the metastatic phenotype.

Objectives: Gene expression profiles were compared for two rat prostate cancer cell lines with differing metastatic abilities in order to better characterized molecular underpinnings of the prostate cancer metastatic process.

Aging-associated changes in gene expression in the ACI rat prostate: Implications for carcinogenesis.

Background: Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed neoplasm and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in men. Although the incidence of prostate cancer increases with age, the link between aging and prostate cancer is poorly understood.

Methods: Affymetrix oligonucleotide microarrays were used to analyze the mRNA expression levels in the dorsolateral prostates from 6- and 18-month-old ACI rats.

Effect of linoleic acid on proliferation and gene expression in the breast cancer cell line T47D.

Human and animal studies have linked n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids with mammary carcinogenesis. We investigated the cellular and molecular effects of linoleic acid on the human breast cancer cell line T47D. Linoleic acid had a stimulatory effect on the growth of T47D cells, associated with an increase in the proportion of cells in the S phase of the cell cycle.

Microarray analysis of diet-induced alterations in gene expression in the ACI rat prostate.

The natural history of prostate cancer is a multistage process that involves the transition from normal tissue to subclinical cancer, with progression to carcinoma in situ and eventually metastatic disease. Evidence suggests that a high-fat diet plays a critical role in the biology and progression of the disease. ACI rats were maintained for two generations on high beef fat or control diets for 18 months.