Adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase (AMPK), a mediator of estradiol-induced apoptosis in long-term estrogen deprived breast cancer cells.

Estrogens stimulate growth of hormone-dependent breast cancer but paradoxically induce tumor regress under certain circumstances. We have shown that long-term estrogen deprivation (LTED) enhances the sensitivity of hormone dependent breast cancer cells to estradiol (E2) so that physiological concentrations of estradiol induce apoptosis in these cells. E2-induced apoptosis involve both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways but precise mechanisms remain unclear.

RUNX3 promoter hypermethylation is frequent in leukaemia cell lines and associated with acute myeloid leukaemia inv(16) subtype.

Correlative and functional studies support the involvement of the RUNX gene family in haematological malignancies. To elucidate the role of epigenetics in RUNX inactivation, we evaluated promoter DNA methylation of RUNX1, 2, and 3 in 23 leukaemia cell lines and samples from acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL) and myelodysplatic syndromes (MDS) patients. RUNX1 and RUNX2 gene promoters were mostly unmethylated in cell lines and clinical samples.

[Administrative reform thinking on the regulations on the supervision and administration of medical devices].

This paper learned and interpreted the regulations on the supervision and administration of medical devices, carded the thoughts of administrative reform, then put forward the "ten principles", including full supervision, classification supervision, risk classification, safety-effective-save, to encourage innovation, simplified license, scientific-standard, sincerity & self-discipline, clear responsibility, severe punishment, and discussed these priciples.

MiR-34a inhibits migration and invasion by regulating the SIRT1/p53 pathway in human SW480 cells.

MicroRNA-34a (miR-34a) is a direct transcriptional target of p53, and is downregulated in several different types of cancer. However, the underlying mechanism of the miR-34a effects in colorectal cancer is not well understood. In this study, we explored the role of miR-34a in cell invasion, migration, and apoptosis.

Antioxidant activities in vitro and in vivo of water-soluble polysaccharide isolated from Sparganium stoloniferum Buch.-Ham.

In this study, the crude polysaccharides from Sparganium stoloniferum Buch.-Ham were prepared using hot-water extraction and further deproteinzated by Sevage method. The purified fraction of crude polysaccharide was obtained using a DEAE-52 cellulose chromatography and named with WSSP.

Identification of the distribution of adenosine phosphates, nucleosides and nucleobases in royal jelly.

Nucleotides, nucleosides and nucleobases play a greater role in the physiological activity of organisms which are highly present in royal jelly (RJ). The objective of the present study is to develop a HPLC method to simultaneous determine nucleotides, nucleosides and nucleobases in RJ and access them in fresh and commercial RJ samples. The LOD and LOQ were 12.

Effective background infusion rate of ropivacaine 0.2% for patient-controlled interscalene brachial plexus analgesia after rotator cuff repair surgery.

Background: Continuous interscalene nerve block (CISB) is considered to be the most effective method for postoperative analgesia after shoulder surgery with prolonged severe pain. This study was performed to evaluate the minimum effective background infusion rate and the effective background infusion rate of ropivacaine 0.2% for CISB after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair surgery in 95% of patients.

Endophytic fungi with antitumor activities: Their occurrence and anticancer compounds.

Plant endophytic fungi have been recognized as an important and novel resource of natural bioactive products, especially in anticancer application. This review mainly deals with the research progress on the production of anticancer compounds by endophytic fungi between 1990 and 2013. Anticancer activity is generally associated with the cytotoxicity of the compounds present in the endophytic fungi.

[Effect of electroacupuncture stimulation of "Fenglong" (ST 40) on expression of inflammatory cytokines of celiac macrophages in hyperlipidemia rats].

Objective: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation of "Fenglong" (ST 40) on celiac inflammatory factors in rats with hyperlipemia (HLP), so as to reveal its mechanism underlying improvement of HLP.

Methods: A total of 40 SD rats were randomized into normal control, high fat forage, high fat + common forage, high fat + EA, and high fat + common forage+ EA groups, with 8 rats in each group. The HLP model was established by feeding the animals with high fat forage for 28 days.

[Construction and investigation of a recombinant eukaryotic expression vector for expressing the ORF3 protein of hepatitis E virus in BHK-21 fibroblasts].

Objective: To construct a eukaryotic expression vector to express the hepatitis E virus protein open reading frame 3 (ORF3) and investigate the intracellular location of the expressed protein using the baby hamster kidney (BHK-21) fibroblast cell line.

Methods: The ORF3 gene was amplified by RT-PCR, cloned into the HindIII and EcoRI sites in the multicloning site of the pDsRed-Monomer-N1mammalian expression vector that encodes a red fluorescent protein (DsRed), and confirmed by restriction enzyme digestion and sequencing. The recombinant plasmid was then transfected into BHK-21 cells via the Lipofectamine 2000 reagent; the subsequent ORF3 gene overexpression was confirmed by RT-PCR and the protein expression and location was detected by Western blotting and immunofluorescence assay.

Novel mechanism of impaired function of organic anion-transporting polypeptide 1B3 in human hepatocytes: post-translational regulation of OATP1B3 by protein kinase C activation.

The organic anion-transporting polypeptide (OATP) 1B3 is a membrane transport protein that mediates hepatic uptake of many drugs and endogenous compounds. Currently, determination of OATP-mediated drug-drug interactions in vitro is focused primarily on direct substrate inhibition. Indirect inhibition of OATP1B3 activity is under-appreciated.

Estrogen metabolites and breast cancer.

Epidemiologic studies link several factors related to estrogen production in women to an increased risk of breast cancer. These include early menarche, late menopause, obesity, use of post-menopausal hormone therapy, and plasma estradiol levels. Two possible mechanisms have been proposed to explain the increased risk: (1) estrogen receptor (ER) mediated stimulation of breast cell proliferation with a concomitant enhanced rate of mutations and (2) metabolism of estradiol to genotoxic metabolites with a resulting increase in DNA mutations.

Association of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D with symptoms of depression after 6 months in stroke patients.

Our aim was to determine whether there was a relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH] D) and post-stroke depression (PSD). Two hundred and forty-four ischemic stroke patients admitted to the hospital within the first 24 h after stroke onset were consecutively recruited and followed up for 6 months. Clinical information was collected.

Predictive factors for clinical response to allergy immunotherapy in children with asthma and rhinitis.

Background: To date, no predictive methods for the clinical response to allergy immunotherapy (AIT) are available. We sought to evaluate the pretreatment parameters used in diagnosing allergic asthma and/or rhinitis including allergen skin-prick test responses, serum specific and total IgE (sIgE and tIgE) levels and blood eosinophil counts, and to identify whether these can be used to predict clinical effectiveness in children treated with immunotherapy.

Methods: This study involved 185 children who had undergone 3 years of standardized-quality house-dust mite subcutaneous immunotherapy.

[Multi-level identification and analysis about infrared spectroscopy of lophatheri herba].

Based on the infrared spectra of Lophatheri Herba and Commelinae Herba, one-dimensional infrared spectra, second derivative spectra and two-dimensional correlated spectra were used to find out the differences between Lophatheri Herba and its imitations, respectively. The common peak ratio and variant peak ratio dual-indexes sequential were calculated and established according to infrared spectra of eleven batches of herbs. Infrared spectral data of Lophatheri Herba cluster analysis was applied to explore the similarity between each sample.

Eight SNPs of the Myf5 gene and diplotypes associated with growth and reproductive traits in Jinghai yellow chicken.

The objective of this study was to analyze possible associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Myf5 gene with chicken growth and reproductive traits. SNPs in Myf5 of the Jinghai yellow chicken were detected by the polymerase chain reaction single-strand conformation polymorphism method and the haplotypes were analyzed. Eight SNPs were identified in the exons of Myf5.

p75NTR is highly expressed in vestibular schwannomas and promotes cell survival by activating nuclear transcription factor κB.

Vestibular schwannomas (VSs) arise from Schwann cells (SCs) and result from the loss of function of merlin, the protein product of the NF2 tumor suppressor gene. In contrast to non-neoplastic SCs, VS cells survive long-term in the absence of axons. We find that p75(NTR) is overexpressed in VSs compared with normal nerves, both at the transcript and protein level, similar to the response of non-neoplastic SCs following axotomy.

Medicinal plant cell suspension cultures: pharmaceutical applications and high-yielding strategies for the desired secondary metabolites.

The development of plant tissue (including organ and cell) cultures for the production of secondary metabolites has been underway for more than three decades. Plant cell cultures with the production of high-value secondary metabolites are promising potential alternative sources for the production of pharmaceutical agents of industrial importance. Medicinal plant cell suspension cultures (MPCSC), which are characterized with the feature of fermentation with plant cell totipotency, could be a promising alternative "chemical factory".

A prognostic model of therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome for predicting survival and transformation to acute myeloid leukemia.

Introduction/background: We evaluated the characteristics of a cohort of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) related to therapy (t-MDS) to create a prognostic model.

Patients And Methods: We identified 281 patients with MDS who had received previous chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy for previous malignancy. Potential prognostic factors were determined using univariate and multivariate analyses.

Anti-arthritic activity of Xanthium strumarium L. extract on complete Freund׳s adjuvant induced arthritis in rats.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Xanthium strumarium L. fruit (Xanthiu fruit) has been traditionally used as a medicinal herb in China for the treatment of many ailments including rheumatoid arthritis. However, the anti-arthritic activity of Xanthium strumarium fruit has still not been demonstrated.

Disposable copper-based electrochemical sensor for anodic stripping voltammetry.

In this work, we report the first copper-based point-of-care sensor for electrochemical measurements demonstrated by zinc determination in blood serum. Heavy metals require careful monitoring, yet current methods are too complex for a point-of-care system. Electrochemistry offers a simple approach to metal detection on the microscale, but traditional carbon, gold (Au), or platinum (Pt) electrodes are difficult or expensive to microfabricate, preventing widespread use.

Prevalence of cognitive impairment no dementia in a rural area of Northern China.

Objective: Few data are available on the prevalence of cognitive impairment no dementia (CIND) in rural China. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of CIND in individuals aged 60 years and older in a large rural community, and to analyze the associated risk factors.

Methods: A two-phase, door-to-door epidemiological study was used for residents aged 60 years and older in Ji County, a rural county near Tianjin in Northern China.

Improving Reproducibility of Lab-on-a-Chip Sensor with Bismuth Working Electrode for Determining Zn in Serum by Anodic Stripping Voltammetry.

This work reports on the continuing development of a lab-on-a-chip electrochemical sensor for determination of zinc in blood serum using square wave anodic stripping voltammetry. The microscale sensor consists of a three electrode system, including an environmentally friendly bismuth working electrode, an integrated silver/silver chloride reference electrode, and a gold auxiliary electrode. The sensor demonstrates a linear response in 0.

Overexpression of miR-125a in myelodysplastic syndrome CD34+ cells modulates NF-κB activation and enhances erythroid differentiation arrest.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are characterized by impaired proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells. The participation of toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated signaling in MDS is well documented. Increased TLR signaling leads to the constitutive activation of NF-κB, which mediates inflammation, cell proliferation and apoptosis.

Alteration of nerve growth factor in dorsal root ganglia at early time of acute myocardial infarction and the role of spinal nerve afferents.

Nerve growth factor (NGF) plays important roles in transmission of nociception, neural innervation and survival in sympathetic and sensory neurons. Evidence indicates that NGF may sensitize the sensory and sympathetic reaction upon noxious stimulation. Understanding of the alterations of NGF in the sensory neurons during acute myocardial infarction and the underlying mechanism may promote clinical prognosis of the pathology.