Craniofacial Analysis May Indicate Co-Occurrence of Skeletal Malocclusions and Associated Risks in Development of Cleft Lip and Palate.

Non-syndromic orofacial clefts encompass a range of morphological changes affecting the oral cavity and the craniofacial skeleton, of which the genetic and epigenetic etiologic factors remain largely unknown. The objective of this study is to explore the contribution of underlying dentofacial deformities (also known as skeletal malocclusions) in the craniofacial morphology of non-syndromic cleft lip and palate patients (nsCLP). For that purpose, geometric morphometric analysis was performed using full skull cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of patients with nsCLP ( = 30), normocephalic controls ( = 60), as well as to sex- and ethnicity- matched patients with an equivalent dentofacial deformity ( = 30).

Repetitive Religious Chanting Modulates the Late-Stage Brain Response to Fear- and Stress-Provoking Pictures.

Chanting and praying are among the most popular religious activities, which are said to be able to alleviate people's negative emotions. However, the neural mechanisms underlying this mental exercise and its temporal course have hardly been investigated. Here, we used event-related potentials (ERPs) to explore the effects of chanting the name of a Buddha (Amitābha) on the brain's response to viewing negative pictures that were fear- and stress-provoking.

Entrainment of chaotic activities in brain and heart during MBSR mindfulness training.

The activities of the brain and the heart are dynamic, chaotic, and possibly intrinsically coordinated. This study aims to investigate the effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program on the chaoticity of electronic activities of the brain and the heart, and to explore their potential correlation. Electroencephalogram (EEG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) were recorded at the beginning of an 8-week standard MBSR training course and after the course.

Free cholesterol accumulation impairs antioxidant activities and aggravates apoptotic cell death in menadione-induced oxidative injury.

Although the relationship between hypercholesterolemia and oxidative stress has been extensively investigated, direct evidence regarding to the roles of cholesterol accumulation in the generations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptotic cell death under oxidative stress is lack. In this study, we investigated productions of superoxide anions (O(2)(-)) and nitric oxide (NO), and apoptotic cell death in wild type Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and cholesterol accumulated CHO cells genetically and chemically. Oxidative stress was induced by menadione challenge.

Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb761) inhibits mitochondria-dependent caspase pathway and prevents apoptosis in hypoxia-reoxygenated cardiomyocytes.

Background: EGb761 is a standard extract from the leaves of Ginkgo biloba (Yinxing) containing ginkgo-flavone glycosides and terpenoid. The flavonoid components of EGb761 scavenge free radicals and protect myocardia from ischemia-reperfusion injury. The present study aims to determine the effects of the active compounds of EGb761 on mitochondria-dependent caspase pathway.

Tissue-specific gene delivery via nanoparticle coating.

The use of biomaterials for gene delivery can potentially avoid many of the safety concerns with viral gene delivery. However, the efficacy of polymeric gene delivery methods is low, particularly in vivo. One significant concern is that the interior and exterior composition of polymeric gene delivery nanoparticles are often coupled, with a single polymer backbone governing all functions from biophysical properties of the polymer/DNA particle to DNA condensation and release.

Probing the mystery of Chinese medicine meridian channels with special emphasis on the connective tissue interstitial fluid system, mechanotransduction, cells durotaxis and mast cell degranulation.

This article hypothesizes that the Chinese medicine meridian system is a special channel network comprising of skin with abundant nerves and nociceptive receptors of various types, and deeper connective tissues inside the body with the flowing interstitial fluid system. These meridian channels provide efficient migratory tracks mainly due to durotaxis (also including chemotaxis) for mast cells, fibroblasts and other cells to migrate and carry out a number of physiological functions. Acupuncture acting on meridian channel causes cytoskeletal remodeling through mechanotransduction, leading to regulation of gene expression and the subsequent production of related proteins.

Spatiotemporal dipole source localization of face processing ERPs in adolescents: a preliminary study.

Background: Despite extensive investigation of the neural systems for face perception and emotion recognition in adults and young children in the past, the precise temporal activation of brain sources specific to the processing of emotional facial expressions in older children and adolescents is not well known. This preliminary study aims to trace the spatiotemporal dynamics of facial emotion processing during adolescence and provide a basis for future developmental studies and comparisons with patient populations that have social-emotional deficits such as autism.

Methods: We presented pictures showing happy, angry, fearful, or neutral facial expressions to healthy adolescents (aged 10-16 years) and recorded 128-channel event-related potentials (ERPs) while they performed an emotion discrimination task.

Abnormal spatiotemporal processing of emotional facial expressions in childhood autism: dipole source analysis of event-related potentials.

Previous studies of face processing in autism suggest abnormalities in anatomical development, functioning and connectivity/coordination of distributed brain systems involved in social cognition, but the spatial sequence and time course of rapid (sub-second) neural responses to emotional facial expressions have not been examined in detail. Source analysis of high-density event-related potentials (ERPs) is an optimal means to examine both the precise temporal profile and spatial location of early electrical brain activity in response to emotionally salient stimuli. Therefore, we recorded 128-channel ERPs from high-functioning males with autism (aged 6-10 years), and age-, sex- and IQ-matched typically developing controls during explicit and implicit processing of emotion from pictures showing happy, angry, fearful, sad and neutral facial expressions.

Fast network component analysis (FastNCA) for gene regulatory network reconstruction from microarray data.

Motivation: Recently developed network component analysis (NCA) approach is promising for gene regulatory network reconstruction from microarray data. The existing NCA algorithm is an iterative method which has two potential limitations: computational instability and multiple local solutions. The subsequently developed NCA-r algorithm with Tikhonov regularization can help solve the first issue but cannot completely handle the second one.

Adeno-associated virus-mediated expression of kallistatin suppresses local and remote hepatocellular carcinomas.

Background: The current treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are poor, particularly for metastatic HCC. Intraportal transfusion of adeno-associated virus (AAV) leads to long-term and persistent transgenic expression in livers. Kallistatin, a novel angiogenesis inhibitor, exhibits anti-tumor activity.

Inhibition of angiogenesis and HCT-116 xenograft tumor growth in mice by kallistatin.

Aim: To investigate the inhibitory effect of kallistatin (KAL) on angiogenesis and HCT-116 xenograft tumor growth.

Methods: Heterotopic tumors were induced by subcutaneous injection of 2 multiply 10(6) HCT-11 cells in mice. Seven days later, 2 multiply 10(11) rAAV-GFP or rAAV-KAL was injected intratumorally (n = 5 for each group).

Serum nitric oxide metabolites and disease activity in patients with systemic sclerosis.

There is no surrogate marker in serum for defining disease activity in scleroderma (SSc). Nitric oxide (NO), which regulates vasodilation and possesses pro-inflammatory actions, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of SSc. We compared serum NO(x) (total nitrate and nitrite) level in SSc patients to healthy controls and evaluated its correlation with detailed symptomatology and scoring systems for various organ involvement.

Cytoglobin overexpression protects against damage-induced fibrosis.

Cytoglobin (Cygb), a member of the hexacoordinate globin superfamily (hxHb), is expressed in fibroblasts from a broad range of tissues. The physiological functions of hxHb are still unclear, but biochemical studies reveal that they can scavenge toxic species, such as nitric oxide, peroxynitrite, and hydrogen peroxide. We demonstrate that the overexpression of Cygb in rat hepatic stellate cells, both in vitro and in vivo, protects against oxidative stress, inhibiting their differentiation into a myofibroblast-like phenotype.

Nitric oxide down-regulates caveolin-1 expression in rat brains during focal cerebral ischemia and reperfusion injury.

As a signalling molecule of the integral membrane protein family, caveolin participates in cellular signal transduction via interaction with other signalling molecules. The nature of interaction between nitric oxide (NO) and caveolin in the brain, however, remains largely unknown. In this study we investigated the role(s) of NO in regulating caveolin-1 expression in rat ischemic brains with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO).

Stability of infectious recombinant adeno-associated viral vector in gene delivery.

Background: The aim of this study is to provide a basis for the design of appropriate protocols for the shipping and storage of rAAV vectors for experimental laboratory studies and clinical trials.

Material/methods: rAAV stocks were generated by standard methods and then subjected to different environments. The transduction efficiency of viral vectors both in vitro and in vivo was determined by luciferase activity and immunohistochemistry.

Novel sparse component analysis approach to free radical EPR spectra decomposition.

Free radicals play important roles in many physiological and pathological pathways in biological systems. These free radicals can be detected and quantified by their EPR spectra. The measured EPR spectra are often mixtures of pure spectra of several different free radicals and other chemicals.

Altered expression of aquaporin-2 in human explants with chronic renal allograft dysfunction.

Objective: To investigate the distribution of aquaporins, a recently discovered family of transmembrane water channels, in human renal explants, with specific reference to chronic renal allograft dysfunction (CRAD).

Materials And Methods: Immunohistochemistry for aquaporin-1 and -2 was used in 11 explants, of which five had clinically and histologically confirmed CRAD. Controls were taken from the six explants unaffected by CRAD and from histologically normal areas of six kidneys excised for renal tumours.

Anti-angiogenic therapy subsequent to adeno-associated-virus-mediated immunotherapy eradicates lymphomas that disseminate to the liver.

Liver cancer has a very poor prognosis and lacks effective therapy. We have previously demonstrated that intraportal injection of adeno-associated-viral (AAV) particles that express angiostatin lead to long-term expression of angiostatin capable of suppressing the outgrowth of EL-4 tumors in the liver. Here we combine AAV-mediated angiostatin therapy with immunotherapy by employing an AAV vector encoding the T-cell costimulator B7.

Green tea polyphenols prevent toxin-induced hepatotoxicity in mice by down-regulating inducible nitric oxide-derived prooxidants.

Background: Recently, considerable attention has been focused on dietary and medicinal phytochemicals that inhibit, reverse, or retard diseases caused by oxidative and inflammatory processes. Green tea polyphenols have both antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties.

Objective: We examined the effects of green tea polyphenols in carbon tetrachloride-treated mice, a model of liver injury in which oxidant stress and cytokine production are intimately linked.

FK 409 ameliorates small-for-size liver graft injury by attenuation of portal hypertension and down-regulation of Egr-1 pathway.

Objective: To investigate whether low-dose nitric oxide donor FK 409 could attenuate small-for-size graft injury in liver transplantation using small-for-size grafts.

Summary Background Data: The major concern of live donor liver transplantation is small-for-size graft injury at the early phase after transplantation. Novel therapeutic strategies should be investigated.

Homogeneous assays for cellular protein degradation using beta-galactosidase complementation: NF-kappaB/IkappaB pathway signaling.

Activation of cells by the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) cytokines results in activation of the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) via proteasomal degradation of an associated IkappaB molecule. To monitor cellular IkappaB, the protein was recombinantly expressed as a fusion protein with a novel enzymatic tag, ProLabel (PL). ProLabel is a small 5.

COX-2-deficient mice are less prone to MPTP-neurotoxicity than wild-type mice.

The primary lesion in Parkinson's disease is the death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. The role of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 in the etiology of Parkinson's disease was explored using COX-2 gene knockout mice. Mortality after injection of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6 tetrahydropyridine (MPTP, a chemical known to cause parkinsonism in humans) in heterozygous COX-2-deficient mice was lower than that in wild-type mice.

Nitric oxide and oxygen radicals induced apoptosis via bcl-2 and p53 pathway in hypoxia-reoxygenated cardiomyocytes.

Neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were subjected to 24 h of hypoxia 95%N2/5%CO2 and 24 h of hypoxia plus 4 h of reoxygenation 95%O2/5%CO2. 24 h of hypoxia increased the levels of NO, NO2-/NO3-, TBARS and LDH. 24 h of hypoxia plus 4 h of reoxygenation decreased the levels of NO, NO2-/NO3-, but further increased TBARS and LDH.