Acupuncture for insomnia with short sleep duration: protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Insomnia with short sleep duration has a more serious negative impact on patient health. The existing literature suggests that medication therapy is more effective for this phenotype of insomnia compared with cognitive-behavioural therapy. However, the potential side effects of hypnotic medications hinder their clinical application.

Structural Properties and Dynamics of Thiophene in Sub/Supercritical Carbon Dioxide from Car-Parrinello Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

Structrual and dynamic properties of thiophene (C4H4S) in supercritical carbon dioxide were studied using Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations. The geometries and energies optimized for the thiophene-CO2 complex show a stable C-H···O hydrogen bond interactions both in gas phase and in supercritical CO2. The radial distribution functions of CO2 around thiophene in the supercritical phase state show a correlation suggesting C-H···O hydrogen bond and S···C interaction.

Relationship between p53 status and response to chemotherapy in patients with gastric cancer: a meta-analysis.

Background: Previous studies have yielded conflicting results regarding the relationship between p53 status and response to chemotherapy in patients with gastric cancer. We therefore performed a meta-analysis to expound the relationship between p53 status and response to chemotherapy.

Methods/findings: Thirteen previously published eligible studies, including 564 cases, were identified and included in this meta-analysis.

PI3K-GSK3 signalling regulates mammalian axon regeneration by inducing the expression of Smad1.

In contrast to neurons in the central nervous system, mature neurons in the mammalian peripheral nervous system (PNS) can regenerate axons after injury, in part, by enhancing intrinsic growth competence. However, the signalling pathways that enhance the growth potential and induce spontaneous axon regeneration remain poorly understood. Here we reveal that phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signalling is activated in response to peripheral axotomy and that PI3K pathway is required for sensory axon regeneration.

[Effect of triptolide on sensitivity of K562/A02 cell line to adriamycin].

This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of triptolide (TPL) on the reversal of multidrug resistance in K562/A02 cell line. The sensitivity of K562 and K562/A02 to adriamycin (ADM) and reversal of drug resistance were determined with MTT method. The concentration of intracellular ADM and P-glycoprotein expression were detected by flow cytometry.

GSK3 controls axon growth via CLASP-mediated regulation of growth cone microtubules.

Suppression of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) activity in neurons yields pleiotropic outcomes, causing both axon growth promotion and inhibition. Previous studies have suggested that specific GSK3 substrates, such as adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) and collapsin response mediator protein 2 (CRMP2), support axon growth by regulating the stability of axonal microtubules (MTs), but the substrate(s) and mechanisms conveying axon growth inhibition remain elusive. Here we show that CLIP (cytoplasmic linker protein)-associated protein (CLASP), originally identified as a MT plus end-binding protein, displays both plus end-binding and lattice-binding activities in nerve growth cones, and reveal that the two MT-binding activities regulate axon growth in an opposing manner: The lattice-binding activity mediates axon growth inhibition induced by suppression of GSK3 activity via preventing MT protrusion into the growth cone periphery, whereas the plus end-binding property supports axon extension via stabilizing the growing ends of axonal MTs.

Nerve growth factor expression in astrocytoma and cerebrospinal fluid: a new biomarker for prognosis of astrocytoma.

Background: Recent studies have discovered that nuclear translocation of nerve growth factor (NGF) and its receptor fragments function differently from the traditional model. This study aimed to uncover the nuclear expression of NGF in astrocytoma and its biological significance.

Methods: Ninety-four paraffin-embedded astrocytoma specimens were subjected to immunohistochemical (IHC) and hemotoxylin & eosin (HE) staining.

[Effect of regulation of Y-box protein 1 by RNA interference on the doxorubicin induced mdr1 gene expression in K562 cells].

Objective: To investigate the effect of YB-1 on the transcription of induced mdr1 gene expression in K562 cells.

Methods: K562 cells were treated with doxorubicin (DOX) at different concentrations and times. Expression of mdr1 and YB-1 genes was examined by RT-PCR and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) by flow cytometry.

[Effect of desferrioxamine on K562/A02 cell line and its mechanism].

Iron is an essential element for cell growing including tumor cells. This study was purposed to explore the effect of desferrioxamine (DFO) on cell line K562/A02 and its mechanism. K562/A02 cells were cultured with different concentrations of DFO.

Engineering neuronal growth cones to promote axon regeneration over inhibitory molecules.

Neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) fail to regenerate axons after injuries due to the diminished intrinsic axon growth capacity of mature neurons and the hostile extrinsic environment composed of a milieu of inhibitory factors. Recent studies revealed that targeting a particular group of extracellular inhibitory factors is insufficient to trigger long-distance axon regeneration. Instead of antagonizing the growing list of impediments, tackling a common target that mediates axon growth inhibition offers an alternative strategy to promote axon regeneration.

[VEGF shRNA enhances the sensitivity of multidrug-resistant leukemia cells to anticancer agent].

This study was aimed to explore the effect of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on sensitivity of leukemia cell line K562/A02 to doxorubicin by using RNA interference, and to investigate its mechanism. The 3 shRNA targeting human vegf gene were synthesized, then transfected into K562/A02 cells by lipofectamine 2000 reagent. RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of vegf and mrp1 at the mRNA level;Western blot was used to analyze the expression of VEGF, MRP1, AKT, P-AKT at the protein level; MTT was used to determine the IC(50) value of transfected cells to doxorubicin (DOX); flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis and intracellular Rho123 retention.

Reversal of multidrug resistance by magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticle copolymerizating daunorubicin and MDR1 shRNA expression vector in leukemia cells.

In many instances, multidrug resistance (MDR) is mediated by increasing the expression at the cell surface of the MDR1 gene product, P-glycoprotein (P-gp), a 170-kD energy-dependent efflux pump. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential benefit of combination therapy with magnetic Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticle [MNP (Fe(3)O(4))] and MDR1 shRNA expression vector in K562/A02 cells. For stable reversal of "classical" MDR by short hairpin RNA (shRNA) aiming directly at the target sequence (3491-3509, 1539-1557, and 3103-3121 nucleotide) of MDR1 mRNA.

Effects of imatinib and 5-bromotetrandrine on the reversal of multidrug resistance of the K562/A02 cell line.

Background And Objective: Research has shown that 5-bromotetrandrine (BrTet) can effectively reverse multidrug resistance (MDR). Imatinib plays an important role in cell proliferation. This study explored the efficacy of the combination of imatinib and BrTet on reversing MDR of tumor cells and its mechanism.

Preventing chemoresistance of human breast cancer cell line, MCF-7 with celecoxib.

Purpose: To investigate the preventive effect of celecoxib, a specific cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) inhibitor, on the development of chemoresistance in breast cancer cell line, MCF-7, and explore the mechanism of the action.

Methods: Chemoresistance phenotype was established by treating MCF-7 cells with 0.05 μg/ml doxorubicin for 7 days, and then the effect of preventive chemoresistance was investigated by the combination of same dose of doxorubicin with 10 μM celecoxib.

[CD44 variant increases the invasive ability of human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 cells].

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a new CD44 variant on invasion of human breast cancer cell line MCF-7, and its possible mechanisms.

Methods: The full length cDNA encoding CD44v17 was obtained from the total RNA isolated from the MCF-7/ADR cells by reverse transcript-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and subcloned into pMD19-T vector. The CD44v17 gene sequence and reading frame were confirmed by two restriction enzymes and nucleotide sequencing, and then inserted into the eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3.

[Construction and identification of Mdr-1-shRNA eukaryotic expression vector].

This study was purposed to construct and identify the short hairpin RNA (shRNA) eukaryotic expression vector for targeting gene mdr-1 which may play an important role in K562/A02. Short hairpin RNA (shRNA) aiming at the target sequence was to synthesized, the 3491-3509, 1539-1557and 3103-3121 nucleotide of mdr-1 mRNA were selected as targets. The selected nucleotides were cloned in the plasmid pGCSilencer-U6-neo-GFP respectively, and the resultant recombinant plasmids were named as pGY1-1, pGY1-2 and pGY1-3.

[Reversal of multidrug-resistance in human leukemia cell line K562/A02 by tyrosine kinase inhibitors].

This study was aimed to investigate the reversal effect of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) Imatinib and Nilotinib on multidrug-resistant cell line K562/A02. The expression levels of mdr-1 mRNA and bcr-abl mRNA were assayed by RT-PCR. The protein levels of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and P210 were detected by Western blot.

Effects of magnetic nanoparticle of Fe3O4 on apoptosis induced by Gambogic acid in U937 leukemia cells.

This study was aimed to explore the potential therapy of Gambogic acid (GA) combined with magnetic nanoparticle of Fe3O4 (Fe3O4-MNP) on leukemia. The proliferation of U937 cells and the cytotoxicity were evaluated by MTT assay. Cell apoptosis was observed and analyzed by microscopy and flow cytometry respectively.