Low-intensity pulsed laser irradiation affects RANKL and OPG mRNA expression in rat calvarial cells.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of low-intensity pulsed laser (LIPL; 650 nm, 2 mW) irradiation on mRNA expression of receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) in rat calvarial cells.

Materials And Methods: Cultured cells were treated with LIPL irradiation of 1.14 J/cm(2) (group A) or 2.

A database on treating drug addiction with traditional Chinese medicine.

Aims: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used to treat drug addiction for more than 160 years and valuable experiences have been accumulated with regard to patients' detoxification and rehabilitation. The aims of this project were (1) to establish a computerized, bilingual (Chinese-English) database on TCM for drug addiction; (2) to analyse the literature published in this field; and (3) to identify those Chinese herbs commonly used for drug addiction treatment.

Design: (1) Paper collection: related papers were collected through electronic databases and hand-searched materials; (2) data computerization: the Microsoft Access program and Delphi language were used as the major data management systems; (3) paper analysis: annual publications from 1989 to 2003 were classified and calculated; and (4) herbal analysis: the frequency of herbs used and herbal function categories were analysed.

Identification of a neuronal Cdk5 activator-binding protein as Cdk5 inhibitor.

Neuronal Cdc2-like kinase (Nclk) plays an important role in a variety of cellular processes, including neuronal cell differentiation, apoptosis, neuron migration, and formation of neuromuscular junction. The active kinase consists of a catalytic subunit, Cdk5, and an essential regulatory subunit, neuronal Cdk5 activator (p35(nck5a) or p25(nck5a)), which is expressed primarily in neurons of central nervous tissue. In our previous study using the yeast two-hybrid screening method, three novel p35(nck5a)-associated proteins were isolated.