Design and development of electrospun SPEEK incorporated with aminated zirconia and curcumin nanofibers for periodontal regeneration.

Periodontal disease disturbs the supportive tissues around the teeth such as connective tissue, gingival tissue, periodontal ligaments and alveolar bone. Previously, treatment of periodontitis was embattled by repopulating the affected site with cells that has capacity to regenerate damaged tissue by endorsing the perception of guided tissue regeneration but it entails additional surgery owing to non-biodegradability. Biodegradable polymeric nanofibrous scaffold imitating extracellular matrix (ECM) delivering functionalized nanoparticles loaded with therapeutic drug have the ability to support cellular functions thereby enhancing regeneration.

Hypoxia-activated prodrug enhances therapeutic effect of sunitinib in melanoma.

Angiogenesis is a critical step during tumor progression. Anti-angiogenic therapy has only provided modest benefits in delaying tumor progression despite its early promise in cancer treatment. It has been postulated that anti-angiogenic therapy may promote the emergence of a more aggressive cancer cell phenotype by generating increased tumor hypoxia-a well-recognized promoter of tumor progression.

Synthesis, Characterization, Crystal Structure and Molecular Docking Studies of a S-methyldithiocarbazate Derivative: Bis[2-hydroxy- benzylidenehydrazono) (methylthio)methyl]disulfide.

The title compound bis[2-hydroxybenzylidenehydrazono)(methylthio)methyl]disulfide (1), an S-methyldithiocarbazate derivative with a disulfide bond has been synthesized by the condensation of 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde with S-methyldithiocarbazate. It has been characterized by elemental analyses, 1H, 13C NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The single crystal X-ray structure shows that the compound exists in a tautomeric thione form with the dithiocarbazate fragment adopting an EE configuration with respect to the C=N bond of the benzylidene moiety.

Parent's Perspectives on the End-of-life Care of their Child with Cancer: Indian Perspective.

Context: Parents report that end-of-life decisions are the most difficult treatment-related decisions that they face during their child cancer experience. Research from the parent's perspective of the quality of end-of-life care of their cancer children is scarce, particularly in developing countries like India.

Aims: This study aimed to identify the symptoms (medical/social/emotional) that most concerned parents at the end-of-life care of their cancer child and to identify the strategies parents found to be helpful during this period.

Synthesis and Antiviral Activity of Novel Phosphorylated Derivatives of Didanosine Against Newcastle Disease Virus in Chicken.

A series of novel phosphorylated derivatives of didanosine were designed and docking studies were performed with a fusion protein of the Newcastle disease virus (NDV), to develop antiviral compounds against NDV. Based on the docking scores and binding affinities, three derivatives were selected. These compounds were synthesized and characterized by IR, (1) H, (13) C, (31) P, and CHN analysis and mass spectra.

Predicting therapy response in live tumor cells isolated with the flexible micro spring array device.

Cells disseminated from primary epithelial tumors into peripheral blood, called circulating tumor cells (CTCs), can be monitored to assess metastases and to provide a surrogate marker of treatment response. Here, we demonstrate how the flexible micro spring array (FMSA) device-a novel microfluidic device that enriches CTCs by two physical parameters: size and deformability-could be used in the rational development of treatment intervention and as a method to study the fundamental biology of CTCs. Cancer cells of different origins were spiked into healthy samples of donor blood to mimic blood samples of metastatic cancer patients.

MicroRNA-9 up-regulates E-cadherin through inhibition of NF-κB1-Snail1 pathway in melanoma.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. Hsa-miR-9 has been shown to have opposite functions in different tumour types; however, the underlying mechanism is unclear. Here we show that hsa-miR-9 is down-regulated in metastatic melanomas compared to primary melanomas.

Norcantharidin induces melanoma cell apoptosis through activation of TR3 dependent pathway.

Norcantharidin (NCTD) has been reported to induce tumor cell apoptosis. However, the underlying mechanism behinds its antitumor effect remains elusive. We have previously shown that TR3 expression is significantly decreased in metastatic melanomas and involved in melanoma cell apoptosis.

Snail1 mediates hypoxia-induced melanoma progression.

Tumor hypoxia is a known adverse prognostic factor, and the hypoxic dermal microenvironment participates in melanomagenesis. High levels of hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) expression in melanoma cells, particularly HIF-2α, is associated with poor prognosis. The mechanism underlying the effect of hypoxia on melanoma progression, however, is not fully understood.

Generation of melanocytes from induced pluripotent stem cells.

Epidermal melanocytes have an important role in protecting skin from UV rays, and are implicated in a variety of skin diseases. Here, we developed an efficient method for differentiating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into melanocytes. We first generated iPSCs from adult mouse tail-tip fibroblasts (TTFs) using retroviral vectors or virus-free piggyBac transposon vectors carrying murine Sox2, Oct3/4, c-Myc, and Klf4.

Molecular pathogenesis of sporadic melanoma and melanoma-initiating cells.

Recent advances in molecular genetics and cancer stem cell biology have shed some light on the molecular basis of melanomagenesis. In this review, we will focus on major genetic alterations in the melanoma, particularly pathways involved in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and tumor suppression. The potential role of melanoma-initiating cells during melanomagenesis and progression will also be discussed.

Stem cells with neural crest characteristics derived from the bulge region of cultured human hair follicles.

In this study, we demonstrate that we can isolate stem cells (SCs) with neural crest characteristics from the bulge area of cultured human hair follicles (HFs). These SCs can proliferate in situ and form spheroid structures attached to the bulge area of HFs, and they express immature neural crest cell markers but not differentiation markers. An expression profiling study showed that they share a similar gene expression pattern with murine skin immature neural crest cells.

The role of BRAF mutation and p53 inactivation during transformation of a subpopulation of primary human melanocytes.

Melanocytic nevi frequently harbor oncogenic BRAF mutations, but only a minority progress to melanoma. In human melanocytes, persistent BRAF(V600E) expression triggers oncogene-induced senescence, which implies that bypass of oncogene-induced senescence is necessary for malignant transformation of melanocytes. We show that a subpopulation of primary human melanocytes with persistent expression of BRAF(V600E) do not enter oncogene-induced senescence, but instead survive despite heightened MAPK activity.

RNA interference-mediated inhibition of erythropoietin receptor expression suppresses tumor growth and invasiveness in A2780 human ovarian carcinoma cells.

Although recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEpo) has revolutionized the treatment of anemia, recent clinical trials suggested that rHuEpo use may be associated with decreased survival in cancer patients. Although the expression of erythropoietin (Epo) receptor (EpoR) has been demonstrated in various human cancers, the effect of exogenous Epo on the growth and therapy resistance of EpoR-bearing tumor cells is unclear at present. In the current study, we examined the hypothesis that EpoR may contribute to tumor growth independent of Epo in A2780 human ovarian carcinoma cells.

Mutant V600E BRAF increases hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha expression in melanoma.

Mutations in the BRAF serine/threonine kinase gene are frequently found in cutaneous melanomas. Activation of hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) in response to both hypoxic stress and oncogenic signals has important implications in cancer development and progression. Here, we report that mutant BRAF(V600E) increases HIF-1alpha expression in melanoma cells.

Nuclear orphan receptor TR3/Nur77 mediates melanoma cell apoptosis.

TR3 was originally recognized for its role in the regulation of cell survival and differentiation, however, it was recently found to be a potent pro-apoptotic protein. In order to characterize the role of TR3 in melanoma cell apoptosis, we studied expression of TR3 in melanoma cell lines and tissues, its subcellular distribution and function during apoptosis using various expression and RNA interference vectors. We found that TR3 was constitutively expressed in both cultured melanoma cells and melanoma tissues.

Erythropoietin activates the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt pathway in human melanoma cells.

Erythropoietin (Epo) is used commonly to treat cancer and/or therapy-related anemia. Until recently, Epo was considered to be a specific stimulator of erythropoiesis, acting via its receptor, EpoR. It becomes clear, however, that EpoR is expressed in a variety of cell types other than hematopoietic cells, and that Epo is a potent cytoprotective cytokine increasing cell survival under hypoxic conditions.

Isolation of a novel population of multipotent adult stem cells from human hair follicles.

Hair follicles are known to contain a well-characterized niche for adult stem cells: the bulge, which contains epithelial and melanocytic stem cells. Using human embryonic stem cell culture conditions, we isolated a population of adult stem cells from human hair follicles that are distinctively different from known epithelial or melanocytic stem cells. These cells do not express squamous or melanocytic markers but express neural crest and neuron stem cell markers as well as the embryonic stem cell transcription factors Nanog and Oct4.

Functional erythropoietin autocrine loop in melanoma.

Although erythropoietin (Epo) is a known stimulator of erythropoiesis, recent evidence suggests that its biological functions are not confined to hematopoietic cells. To elucidate the role of Epo and erythropoietin receptor (EpoR) in melanoma, we examined the expression and function of these proteins in melanocytes and melanoma cells. We found increased expression of Epo in melanoma cells compared to melanocyte in vitro.