Experimentally characterizing the spatially varying anisotropic mechanical property of cancellous bone via a Bayesian calibration method.

Traditional experimental tests for characterizing bone's mechanical properties usually hypothesize a uniaxial stress condition without quantitatively evaluating the influence of spatially varying principal material orientations, which cannot accurately predict the mechanical properties distribution of bones in vivo environment. In this study, a Bayesian calibrating procedure was developed using quantified multiaxial stress to investigate cancellous bone's local anisotropic elastic performance around joints as the spatial variation of main bearing orientations. First, the bone cube specimens from the distal femur of sheep are prepared using traditional anatomical axes.

Low dose aspirin associated with greater bone mineral density in older adults.

The use of low-dose aspirin in older adults is increasing as is the prevalence of osteoporosis. Aspirin has been shown in numerous studies to affect bone metabolism. However, there is no clear link between low-dose aspirin use and bone mineral density (BMD).

Recombinant Adjuvanted Zoster Vaccine and Reduced Risk of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Diagnosis and Hospitalization in Older Adults.

Background: Some vaccines elicit nonspecific immune responses that may protect against heterologous infections. We evaluated the association between recombinant adjuvanted zoster vaccine (RZV) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes at Kaiser Permanente Southern California.

Methods: In a cohort design, adults aged ≥50 years who received ≥1 RZV dose before 1 March 2020 were matched 1:2 to unvaccinated individuals and followed until 31 December 2020.

Bupi Yishen Formula Versus Losartan for Non-Diabetic Stage 4 Chronic Kidney Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) might have benefits in patients with non-diabetic chronic kidney disease (CKD), but there is a lack of high-quality evidence, especially in CKD4. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of Bupi Yishen Formula (BYF) vs. losartan in patients with non-diabetic CKD4.

A Parallel Adaboost-Backpropagation Neural Network for Massive Image Dataset Classification.

Image classification uses computers to simulate human understanding and cognition of images by automatically categorizing images. This study proposes a faster image classification approach that parallelizes the traditional Adaboost-Backpropagation (BP) neural network using the MapReduce parallel programming model. First, we construct a strong classifier by assembling the outputs of 15 BP neural networks (which are individually regarded as weak classifiers) based on the Adaboost algorithm.

Butein inhibits cell proliferation and induces cell cycle arrest in acute lymphoblastic leukemia via FOXO3a/p27kip1 pathway.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a common hematological malignancy characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation of leukemia cells in children. Discovering and developing effective chemotherapeutic drugs are needed for ALL. In this study, we investigated the anti-leukemic activity of butein and its action mechanisms in ALL.

Targeting PDK1 with dichloroacetophenone to inhibit acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell growth.

Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase-1 (PDK1), a key metabolic enzyme involved in aerobic glycolysis, is highly expressed in many solid tumors. Small molecule compound DAP (2,2-dichloroacetophenone) is a potent inhibitor of PDK1. Whether targeting PDK1 with DAP can inhibit acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and how it works remains unknown.

Palbociclib inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition and metastasis in breast cancer via c-Jun/COX-2 signaling pathway.

Palbociclib, a highly selective CDK4/6 inhibitor, has been shown to be a novel anti-tumor agent that suppresses breast cancer cell proliferation. However, its anti-metastasis activity remains controversial. In the present study, we evaluated whether palbociclib prevented breast cancer cell metastasis and revealed its regulatory mechanism.

RPS3 regulates melanoma cell growth and apoptosis by targeting Cyto C/Ca2+/MICU1 dependent mitochondrial signaling.

Melanoma is one of the most aggressive and lethal cancers. Discovery and identification of novel therapeutic targets is urgently needed. In this study, we demonstrated that ribosomal protein S3 (RPS3) was a potential target involved in melanoma growth.

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 expression in mixed gastric carcinoma.

Aim: To investigate human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) amplification and protein expression in mixed gastric carcinoma.

Methods: Fluorescence in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry were used to detect HER2 amplification and protein expression in 277 cases of mixed gastric carcinoma. Protein staining intensity was rate as 1+, 2+, or 3+.

The long noncoding RNA SPRY4-IT1 increases the proliferation of human breast cancer cells by upregulating ZNF703 expression.

Background: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged recently as a new class of genes that regulate cellular processes, such as cell growth and apoptosis. The SPRY4 intronic transcript 1 (SPRY4-IT1) is a 708-bp lncRNA on chromosome 5 with a potential functional role in tumorigenesis. The clinical significance of SPRY4-IT1 and the effect of SPRY4-IT1 on cancer progression are unclear.

Activating enhancer-binding protein-2α induces cyclooxygenase-2 expression and promotes nasopharyngeal carcinoma growth.

Activating enhancer-binding protein-2α (AP-2α) regulates the expression of many cancer-related genes. Here, we demonstrated a novel mechanism by which AP-2α up-regulated cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression to promote the growth of nasopharyngeal carcinomas (NPCs). High expression of AP-2α in NPC cell lines and tumor tissues from NPC patients was detected and significantly correlated with COX-2 expression.

Ret finger protein-like 3 promotes tumor cell growth by activating telomerase reverse transcriptase expression in human lung cancer cells.

In this study, we identified ret finger protein-like 3 (RFPL3) as a hTERT promoter binding protein in lung cancer cells. The high hTERT promoter-binding activity of RFPL3 was detected in lung cancer cells compared to normal cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation confirmed RFPL3 as a tumor-specific hTERT promoter binding protein.

Effusanin E suppresses nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell growth by inhibiting NF-κB and COX-2 signaling.

Rabdosia serra is well known for its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antitumor activities, but no information has been available for the active compounds derived from this plant in inhibiting human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cell growth. In this study, we isolated and purified a natural diterpenoid from Rabdosia serra and identified its chemical structure as effusanin E and elucidated its underlying mechanism of action in inhibiting NPC cell growth. Effusanin E significantly inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in NPC cells.

Lasiodin inhibits proliferation of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells by simultaneous modulation of the Apaf-1/caspase, AKT/MAPK and COX-2/NF-κB signaling pathways.

Rabdosia serra has been widely used for the treatment of the various human diseases. However, the antiproliferative effects and underlying mechanisms of the compounds in this herb remain largely unknown. In this study, an antiproliferative compound against human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells from Rabdosia serra was purified and identified as lasiodin (a diterpenoid).

TFAP2B overexpression contributes to tumor growth and a poor prognosis of human lung adenocarcinoma through modulation of ERK and VEGF/PEDF signaling.

Background: TFAP2B is a member of the AP2 transcription factor family, which orchestrates a variety of cell processes. However, the roles of TFAP2B in regulating carcinogenesis remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated the regulatory effects of TFAP2B on lung adenocarcinomas growth and identified the underlying mechanisms of actions in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells.

Long non-coding RNA Loc554202 regulates proliferation and migration in breast cancer cells.

Data derived from massive cloning and traditional sequencing methods have revealed that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) play important roles in the development and progression of cancer. Although many studies suggest that the lncRNAs have different cellular functions, many of them are not yet to be identified and characterized for the mechanism of their functions. To address this question, we assay the expression level of lncRNAs-Loc554202 in breast cancer tissues and find that Loc554202 is significantly increased compared with normal control, and associated with advanced pathologic stage and tumor size.

CPSF4 activates telomerase reverse transcriptase and predicts poor prognosis in human lung adenocarcinomas.

The elevated expression and activation of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is associated with the unlimited proliferation of cancer cells. However, the excise mechanism of hTERT regulation during carcinogenesis is not well understood. In this study, we discovered cleavage and polyadenylation specific factor 4 (CPSF4) as a novel tumor-specific hTERT promoter-regulating protein in lung cancer cells and identified the roles of CPSF4 in regulating lung hTERT and lung cancer growth.

Upregulation of cleavage and polyadenylation specific factor 4 in lung adenocarcinoma and its critical role for cancer cell survival and proliferation.

Cleavage and polyadenylation specific factor 4 (CPSF4), a member of CPSF complex, plays a key role in mRNA polyadenylation and mRNA 3' ends maturation. However, its possible role in lung cancer pathogenesis is unknown. In this study, we investigated the biological role and clinical significance of CPSF4 in lung cancer growth and survival and elucidated its underlying molecular mechanisms.

TFAP2A regulates nasopharyngeal carcinoma growth and survival by targeting HIF-1α signaling pathway.

TFAP2A is a transcription factor that orchestrates a variety of cell processes, including cell growth and tissue differentiation. However, the regulation of TFAP2A in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma tumorigenesis and its precise mechanism of action remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the biologic role and clinical significance of TFAP2A in nasopharyngeal carcinoma growth and progression and identified the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Berberine Targets AP-2/hTERT, NF-κB/COX-2, HIF-1α/VEGF and Cytochrome-c/Caspase Signaling to Suppress Human Cancer Cell Growth.

Berberine (BBR), an isoquinoline derivative alkaloid isolated from Chinese herbs, has a long history of uses for the treatment of multiple diseases, including cancers. However, the precise mechanisms of actions of BBR in human lung cancer cells remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms by which BBR inhibits cell growth in human non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells.

Ursolic acid simultaneously targets multiple signaling pathways to suppress proliferation and induce apoptosis in colon cancer cells.

Ursolic acid (UA), a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid carboxylic acid distributed in medical herbs, exerts antitumor effects and is emerging as a promising compound for cancer prevention and therapy, but its excise mechanisms of action in colon cancer cells remains largely unknown. Here, we identified the molecular mechanisms by which UA inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in human colon cancer SW480 and LoVo cells. Treatment with UA led to significant inhibitions in cell viability and clone formation and changes in cell morphology and spreading.

Melatonin potentiates the antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of ursolic acid in colon cancer cells by modulating multiple signaling pathways.

Ursolic acid (UA), a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid carboxylic acid, is largely distributed in medical herbs and edible plants. Melatonin is an indoleamine compound produced in the pineal gland and also a plant-derived product. Both UA and melatonin have been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth in numerous studies, but they have never been combined altogether as an anticolon cancer treatment.

Application of a sensitive liquid chromatographic/tandem mass spectrometric method to a pharmacokinetic study of allylestrenol in healthy Chinese female volunteers.

A sensitive, specific and rapid liquid chromatographic/tandem mass spectrometric (LC/MS/MS) assay for the determination of allylestrenol in human plasma was established. Plasma samples were extracted by tert-butyl ether and separated by LC/MS/MS using a Phenomenex Curosil-PFP column (250 mm x 4.6 mm ID, dp 5 microm) with a mobile phase of methanol-water (95:5, v/v).

[Experimental siCD44-targeted therapy of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma mediated by adenovirus].

Objective: To explore the possibility of treating solid tumor with siCD44.

Methods: Human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell CNE-2L2 with high expression of CD44 was used in this study. The malignant activities of cells were examined by colony formation test, tumorigenesis, and lung metastasis of the tumor in nude mice.