Aberrant Hypomethylation of Solute Carrier Family 6 Member 12 Promoter Induces Metastasis of Ovarian Cancer.

Purpose: Ovarian cancer (OC) is the most fatal of gynecological malignancies with a high rate of recurrence. We aimed to evaluate the expression of solute carrier family 6, member 12 (SLC6A12) and methylation of its promoter CpG sites in a xenograft mouse model of metastatic OC, and to investigate the regulatory mechanisms that promote aggressive properties during OC progression.

Materials And Methods: Expression of SLC6A12 mRNA was determined by reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and DNA methylation status of its promoter CpGs was detected by quantitative methylation-specific PCR.

Genome-Wide Association Study of Bone Mineral Density in Korean Men.

Osteoporosis is a medical condition of global concern, with increasing incidence in both sexes. Bone mineral density (BMD), a highly heritable trait, has been proven a useful diagnostic factor in predicting fracture. Because medical information is lacking about male osteoporotic genetics, we conducted a genome-wide association study of BMD in Korean men.

Estimation of Prognostic Marker Genes by Public Microarray Data in Patients with Ovarian Serous Cystadenocarcinoma.

Purpose: Lymphatic invasion (LI) is regarded as a predictor of the aggressiveness of ovarian cancer (OC). However, LI is not always the major determinant of long-term patient survival. To establish proper diagnosis and treatment for OC, we analyzed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for patients with serous epithelial OC, with or without LI, who did or did not survive for 5 years.

Attenuation of p38α MAPK stress response signaling delays the in vivo aging of skeletal muscle myofibers and progenitor cells.

Functional competence and self-renewal of mammalian skeletal muscle myofibers and progenitor cells declines with age. Progression of the muscle aging phenotype involves the decline of juvenile protective factorsi.e.

Differential alterations of GABA(A) receptor (α1, β2, γ2 subunit) expression and increased seizure susceptibility in rat offspring from morphine-addicted mothers: beneficial effect of dextromethorphan.

Although prenatal morphine exposure experimentally induces seizures in rat offspring, underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study addresses whether prenatal morphine exposure altered subunit compositions of γ-aminobutyric acid receptor subtype A (GABA(A)R) in the hippocampal CA1 area and temporal cortex and increased seizure susceptibility of young rat offspring, at a representative age (postneonatal days 14; P14). Therapeutic efficacy of dextromethorphan (a noncompetitive antagonist of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs)), in such offspring was also evaluated.

Brief effect of acupuncture on the peripheral arterial system of the upper limb and systemic hemodynamics in humans.

Background: Pulse diagnosis of the peripheral artery is an important technique in Traditional Chinese Medicine, where, in acupuncture therapy, the treatment is adjusted according to the observed changes of the pulse. We investigated the change of blood flow in the peripheral artery and the cardiac index during acupuncture treatment.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to explore the effect of acupuncture on radial and brachial artery blood flow volume and the cardiac index in healthy subjects.

Aicardi syndrome in a 47, XXY male neonate with lissencephaly and holoprosencephaly.

Aicardi syndrome (AS) is a rare neuro-ophthalmic disorder first described by Jean Aicardi in 1965 with a characteristic triad of corpus callosal agenesis (CCA), chorioretinal lacunae (CRL), and infantile spasms (IS). All known cases of AS have been sporadic and a responsible gene has not been identified. With 5 exceptional males, potential X-linked dominant genetic mutation characterizes AS occurring almost exclusively in girls.

Postnatal phencyclidine administration selectively reduces adult cortical parvalbumin-containing interneurons.

Transient postnatal NMDA receptor blockade by phencyclidine (PCP), ketamine, or MK-801 induces developmental neuroapoptosis and adult behavioral deficits, which resemble abnormal human behaviors typically present in schizophrenia. This study tested the hypothesis that PCP-induced developmental apoptosis causes a specific deficit of GABAergic interneurons containing parvalbumin (PV), calretinin (CR), or calbindin (CB). Young adult (PND56) rats that were given a single dose of PCP (10 mg/kg) on PND7 exhibited no densitometric change of either CR or CB neurons in any brain region studied, but demonstrated a selective deficit of PV-containing neurons in the superficial layers (II-IV) of the primary somatosensory (S1), motor (M), and retrosplenial cortices, but not in the striatum (CPu) or hippocampus.

Alterations of postsynaptic density proteins in the hippocampus of rat offspring from the morphine-addicted mother: Beneficial effect of dextromethorphan.

Infants passively exposed to morphine or heroin through their addicted mothers usually develop characteristic withdrawal syndrome of morphine after birth. In such early life, the central nervous system exhibits significant plasticity and can be altered by various prenatal influences, including prenatal morphine exposure. Here we studied the effects of prenatal morphine exposure on postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95), an important cytoskeletal specialization involved in the anchoring of the NMDAR and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), of the hippocampal CA1 subregion from young offspring at postnatal day 14 (P14).

Prenatal administration of morphine decreases CREBSerine-133 phosphorylation and synaptic plasticity range mediated by glutamatergic transmission in the hippocampal CA1 area of cognitive-deficient rat offspring.

The central nervous system (CNS) exhibits remarkable plasticity in early life and can be altered significantly by various prenatal influences. We previously showed that prenatal exposure to morphine altered kinetic properties of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated synaptic currents in the hippocampus of young rat offspring at the age of 14 days (P14). The present study further investigates whether NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic plasticity and/or cyclic adenosine monophosphate-responsive element-binding protein (CREBSerine-133), an important transcription factor underlying learning and memory, can be altered by prenatal morphine exposure in these offspring.

Enhancement of CREBSerine-133 phosphorylation through nitric oxide-mediated signaling induced by bacterial lipopolysaccharide in vascular smooth muscle cells from rats.

Nitric oxide (NO) induced by bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) plays a critical role in various patho-physiological implications, such as atherosclerosis, vasculitis and septic shock. In addition, cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB), an important transcription factor for cell differentiation, has been shown to be involved in atherosclerogenesis in VSMCs. Here we investigated the possibility whether LPS-induced NO signaling led to phosphorylation of cAMP-responsive element binding protein on Serine-133 (CREBSer-133) in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) from rats.

Electronically addressable SnO2 inverted opal gas sensors fabricated on interdigitated gold microelectrodes.

Electronically addressable thin films of tin oxide gas sensors with well-defined opaline microstructures and reproducible sensor-to-sensor responses have been fabricated on interdigitated gold microelectrodes through self-assembly growth of a monodisperse polystyrene latex film onto the electrodes followed by infiltration of tin tert-butoxide and calcination of the film.

Recurrent Bicuculline-Induced Seizures in Rat Pups Cause Long-Term Motor Deficits and Increase Vulnerability to a Subsequent Insult.

Recurrent neonatal seizures are associated with a high risk of neurological sequelae. The major concern is whether recurrent neonatal seizures induce adverse effects on long-term cognition and/or motor performance. Rats were treated with intraperitoneal (ip) bicuculline for 3 consecutive days, starting from Postnatal Day 5 (P5).

Mechanical stability enhancement by pore size and connectivity control in colloidal crystals by layer-by-layer growth of oxide.

Control of the pore size and connectivity of micro-sphere colloidal crystal lattices has been achieved by a layer-by-layer growth of silica using atmospheric pressure room temperature chemical vapour deposition of silica, a method which largely increases the mechanical stability of the lattice without disrupting its long range order.

Tuberculous meningitis in infancy.

The lack of specific symptoms and signs in patients with tuberculous meningitis makes early diagnosis difficult. To our knowledge, there has been no report in the literature focusing on tuberculous meningitis patients younger than 1 year of age. In this report, we reviewed the clinical features and laboratory findings of seven infants with tuberculous meningitis encountered during a 15-year period.

Maternal deprivation stress exacerbates cognitive deficits in immature rats with recurrent seizures.

Purpose: Maternal deprivation is stressful for the neonate. The aim of this study was to investigate the short- and long-term effects of maternal separation on recurrent seizures in the developing brain.

Methods: Rats were divided into four groups according to whether the rat pups were treated with maternal deprivation from postnatal day 2 (P2) to P9 or neonatal seizures induced by intraperitoneal (i.

Aminophylline exacerbates status epilepticus-induced neuronal damages in immature rats: a morphological, motor and behavioral study.

Adenosine is an endogenous modulator that has an inhibitory effect on neuronal activity. The aim of this work was to investigate the role of aminophylline, an adenosine receptor antagonist, on the long-term effects of status epilepticus (SE) in the developing brain. Four groups of rats at the postnatal age of 12 days were intraperitoneally administered with saline, aminophylline (50 mg/kg), lithium-pilocarpine (Li-PC) (3 mEq/kg-60 mg/kg), and Li-PC plus aminophylline, respectively.

Pentylenetetrazol-induced recurrent seizures in rat pups: time course on spatial learning and long-term effects.

Purpose: Recurrent seizures in infants are associated with a high incidence of neurocognitive deficits. Animal models have suggested that the immature brain is less vulnerable to seizure-induced injury than is that in adult animals. We studied the effects of recurrent neonatal seizures on cognitive tasks performed when the animals were in adolescence and adulthood.

Genesis of nanostructured, magnetically tunable ceramics from the pyrolysis of cross-linked polyferrocenylsilane networks and formation of shaped macroscopic objects and micron scale patterns by micromolding inside silicon wafers.

The ability to form molded or patterned metal-containing ceramics with tunable properties is desirable for many applications. In this paper we describe the evolution of a ceramic from a metal-containing polymer in which the variation of pyrolysis conditions facilitates control of ceramic structure and composition, influencing magnetic and mechanical properties. We have found that pyrolysis under nitrogen of a well-characterized cross-linked polyferrocenylsilane network derived from the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of a spirocyclic [1]ferrocenophane precursor gives shaped macroscopic magnetic ceramics consisting of alpha-Fe nanoparticles embedded in a SiC/C/Si(3)N(4) matrix in greater than 90% yield up to 1000 degrees C.

Aminophylline aggravates long-term morphological and cognitive damages in status epilepticus in immature rats.

Here, we investigated whether aminophylline, an adenosine receptor antagonist used usually as a treatment for premature apnea, had synergistic effects on status epilepticus in the developing brain. On postnatal day 14 (P14), four groups of rats intraperitoneally received saline, aminophylline, lithium--pilocarpine (Li-PC), and Li-PC plus aminophylline, respectively. Subsequently, the Morris water maze task was performed at P80.