Novel inhibitors of bromodomain and extra-terminal domain trigger cell death in breast cancer cell lines.

Small molecule inhibitors targeting the bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) family proteins have emerged as a promising class of anti-cancer drugs. Nevertheless, the clinical advancement of these agents has been significantly hampered by challenges related to their potency, oral bioavailability, or toxicity. In this study, virtual screening approaches were employed to discover novel inhibitors of the bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) by analyzing their comparable chemical structural features to established BRD4 inhibitors.

Activities of metabolizing enzymes in human placenta.

In addition to the transfer across the placenta, placenta displays hormonal and xenobiotic metabolism, as well as enzymatic defense against oxidative stress. We analyzed aromatase (CYP19A1), uridine 5'-diphospho-glucuronyltransferase (UGT), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and catalase (CAT) activities in over 70 placentas from nonsmokers stored at -80 °C from former perfusion studies. A wide interindividual variation in all activities was found.

Transplacental transfer and metabolism of diuron in human placenta.

Diuron is a broad-spectrum phenylurea derived herbicide which is commonly used across the globe. Diuron is toxic to the reproductive system of animals and carcinogenic to rat urothelium, and recently found to be genotoxic in human cells. In in vivo, it is metabolized predominately into 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1-methyl urea (DCPMU) in humans and 3-(3, 4-dichlorophenyl)urea (DCPU) in animals.

Psychiatric diagnoses of children affected by their parents' traumatic brain injury: the 1987 Finnish Birth Cohort study.

Objective: To investigate whether parental TBI increases the overall risk for psychiatric disorders and the risk for specific psychiatric diagnoses in the children affected by parental TBI.

Methods: The 1987 Finnish Birth Cohort (n = 59 476) were followed up through national registers from birth to the end of 2008. The diagnoses of cohort members and their parents were obtained from the Care Register of Health Care, provided by the National Institute of Health and Welfare.

Human placental cell and tissue uptake of doxorubicin and its liposomal formulations.

The anticancer drug doxorubicin and its liposomal formulations are in clinical use, doxorubicin also during pregnancy. However, little is known about how doxorubicin and its liposomal formulations are taken up by placental cells and whether they can cross human placenta. We therefore investigated quantitative cellular uptake and toxicity of doxorubicin and its two liposomal formulations, pH-sensitive liposomal doxorubicin (L-DOX) and commercially available pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PL-DOX), in human placental choriocarcinoma (BeWo) cells.