Discrimination of CD44 and Oct3/4 Expression in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma from Benign Pancreatic Ducts in Small Biopsy Specimens.

Cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44) and octamer-binding transcription factor 3/4 (Oct3/4) are important factors influencing cancer stem cell (CSC) development, but their clinical applications on pancreatic cancer are still unknown. Here, we tested the hypothesis that expression of CD44 and Oct3/4 correlates with the clinicopathological parameters of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs). Firstly, data on the mRNA expression levels in PDACs and normal pancreatic tissues were collected from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) repository datasets.

Invasive liver abscess syndrome predisposed by Klebsiella pneumoniae related prostate abscess in a nondiabetic patient: a case report.

Background: Prostate abscess is usually a complication of acute urinary tract infection. Invasive liver abscess syndrome is characterized with Klebsiella pneumoniae related multiple organ metastasis. Concomitant pyogenic liver abscess and prostate abscess have rarely been reported.

Association between Interleukin-18 Polymorphisms and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Occurrence and Clinical Progression.

We investigated the association between interleukin-18 (IL-18) polymorphisms and the susceptibility and clinicopathological state of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In total, 901 participants, including 559 healthy controls and 342 patients with HCC, were recruited. The allelic discrimination of -607A/C (rs1946518) and -137G/C (rs187238) polymorphisms of IL-18 was assessed through real-time polymerase chain reaction by performing the TaqMan assay.

Plantar Purpura as the Initial Presentation of Viridians Streptococcal Shock Syndrome Secondary to Streptococcus gordonii Bacteremia.

Viridians streptococcal shock syndrome is a subtype of toxic shock syndrome. Frequently, the diagnosis is missed initially because the clinical features are nonspecific. However, it is a rapidly progressive disease, manifested by hypotension, rash, palmar desquamation, and acute respiratory distress syndrome within a short period.

Emphysematous cholecystitis presenting as gas-forming liver abscess and pneumoperitoneum in a dialysis patient: a case report and review of the literature.

Background: Emphysematous cholecystitis is a rare variant of acute cholecystitis with a high mortality rate. The combination of emphysematous cholecystitis, liver abscess and pneumoperitoneum are even rarer. Herein we present a case of emphysematous cholecystitis in a senile diabetic lady who had worsening hemodynamics while undergoing hemodialysis.

Novel Investigations of Flavonoids as Chemopreventive Agents for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

We would like to highlight the application of natural products to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We will focus on the natural products known as flavonoids, which target this disease at different stages of hepatocarcinogenesis. In spite of the use of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in treating HCC, patients with HCC still face poor prognosis because of the nature of multidrug resistance and toxicity derived from chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Corrigendum to "Antimetastatic Potentials of Dioscorea nipponica on Melanoma In Vitro and In Vivo".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2011/507920.].

Effect of CD44 gene polymorphisms on risk of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder in Taiwan.

The carcinogenesis of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the urinary bladder involves etiological factors, such as ethnicity, the environment, genetics, and diet. Cluster of differentiation (CD44), a well-known tumor marker, plays a crucial role in regulating tumor cell differentiation and metastasis. This study investigated the effect of CD44 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on TCC risk and clinicopathological characteristics.

Successful resolution of symmetrical peripheral gangrene after severe acute pancreatitis: a case report.

Introduction: Symmetrical peripheral gangrene is an uncommon but devastating complication in critically ill patients, and it has a high mortality. It is seen in a wide variety of medical conditions, presenting as symmetrical gangrene of two or more extremities without large blood vessel obstruction.

Case Presentation: We report a case of a 44-year-old Chinese man who was diagnosed with alcohol-related severe acute pancreatitis and presented with systemic inflammatory response syndrome and intractable vomiting.

Association of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 single nucleotide polymorphisms with hepatocellular carcinoma susceptibility and clinicopathologic development.

Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is a human protein encoded by the ICAM-1 gene and is typically expressed on endothelial cells and immune cells. ICAM-1 is associated with episode, growth, invasion, and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the association between ICAM-1 genetic variants and the risk of HCC is undetermined.

A diagnostic dilemma: acute abdomen presenting as segmental arterial mediolysis masked by a ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma.

A 65-year-old male was brought to our hospital with right upper abdominal fullness sensation and recent body weight loss of about 3 kg. The patient had developed episodes of melena following progressive abdominal muscular guarding and drop of haemoglobin level to 6.3 g/dL.

Cardio Protective Effects of Lumbrokinase and Dilong on Second-Hand Smoke-Induced Apoptotic Signaling in the Heart of a Rat Model.

Exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke (SHS) has been epidemiologically linked to heart disease among non-smokers. However, the molecular mechanism behind SHS-induced cardiac disease is not well known. This study found that SD rats exposed to cigarette smoke at a dose of 10 cigarettes for 30 min twice a day for 1 month had a reduced left ventricle-to-tibia length ratio (mg/mm), increased cardiomyocyte apoptosis by TUNEL assay and a wider interstitial space by H&E staining.

Effects of horizontal acceleration on human visual acuity and stereopsis.

The effect of horizontal acceleration on human visual acuity and stereopsis is demonstrated in this study. Twenty participants (mean age 22.6 years) were enrolled in the experiment.

Effects of interleukin-10 polymorphisms and smoking on the risk of gastric cancer in Taiwan.

Gastric cancer is the second cause of death from cancer worldwide and its prevalence and mortality rates are still very high in developed countries. Interleukin-10 (IL10) is a pleiotropic cytokine produced by macrophages which can suppress and stimulate the immune response in tumorigenesis signaling. However, the contribution of IL10 genomic variants to gastric cancer is still largely unknown.

Protective effect of rutin on LPS-induced acute lung injury via down-regulation of MIP-2 expression and MMP-9 activation through inhibition of Akt phosphorylation.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), also called endotoxin, is the important pathogen of acute lung injury (ALI), which is a clinical syndrome that still lacks effective therapeutic medicine. Rutin belongs to vitamin P and possesses various beneficial effects. In this study, we investigate the potential protective effects and the mechanisms of rutin on LPS-induced ALI.

Rutin improves endotoxin-induced acute lung injury via inhibition of iNOS and VCAM-1 expression.

Endotoxins exist anywhere including in water pools, dust, humidifier systems, and machining fluids. The major causal factor is endotoxins in many serious diseases, such as fever, sepsis, multi-organ failure, meningococcemia, and severe morbidities like neurologic disability, or hearing loss. Endotoxins are also called lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and are important pathogens of acute lung injury (ALI).

TIMP-3 -1296 T>C and TIMP-4 -55 T>C gene polymorphisms play a role in the susceptibility of hepatocellular carcinoma among women.

The purpose of this study was to investigate genetic impact of TIMP-3 -1296 T>C (rs9619311) and TIMP-4 -55 T>C (rs3755724) gene polymorphisms on the susceptibility and clinicopathological characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A total of 759 subjects, including 530 healthy controls and 229 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, were recruited in this study. Allelic discrimination of TIMP-3 -1296 T>C (rs9619311) and TIMP-4 -55 T>C (rs3755724) polymorphisms was assessed with the ABI StepOne™ Real-Time PCR System.

MicroRNA gene polymorphisms and environmental factors increase patient susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Micro RNAs (miRNAs) are small RNA fragments that naturally exist in the human body. Through various physiological mechanisms, miRNAs can generate different functions for regulating RNA protein levels and balancing abnormalities. Abnormal miRNA expression has been reported to be highly related to several diseases and cancers.

Activation of AMP-activated protein kinase attenuates hepatocellular carcinoma cell adhesion stimulated by adipokine resistin.

Background: Resistin, adipocyte-secreting adipokine, may play critical role in modulating cancer pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of resistin on HCC adhesion to the endothelium, and the mechanism underlying these resistin effects.

Methods: Human SK-Hep1 cells were used to study the effect of resistin on intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) expressions as well as NF-κB activation, and hence cell adhesion to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).

Role of ERCC5 polymorphism in risk of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Excision repair cross‑complementing rodent repair deficiency, complementation group 5 (ERCC5, XPG) is a key molecule in DNA damage repair. We analyzed the contribution of ERCC5 rs751402 polymorphism in increased susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A total of 96 patients diagnosed with HCC and 336 healthy controls provided blood samples for analysis of rs751402 genotypes.

Black tea polyphenols reverse epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and suppress cancer invasion and proteases in human oral cancer cells.

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cancer cells is considered to be a prerequisite for acquiring invasive/migratory phenotype and subsequent metastasis. This study provides molecular evidence associated with the antimetastatic effect of black tea polyphenol extracts (BTE), which contain polyphenols including gallic acid, gallocatechin, catechin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, epicatechin-3-gallate, and theaflavin 3,3'-digallate, in an an oral squamous cell culture system by showing a nearly complete inhibition on the invasion (p < 0.001) of SCC-4 cells via reduced activities of MMP-2 (p < 0.

p38α MAPK mediates 17β-estradiol inhibition of MMP-2 and -9 expression and cell migration in human lovo colon cancer cells.

Epidemiological studies demonstrate that the incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer in women are lower than in men. However, it is unknown if 17β-estradiol (E(2)) treatment is sufficient to inhibit cell proliferation and cell migration in human colon cancer cells. Up-regulation of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA), tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), and matrix metallopeptidases (MMPs) is reported to associate with the development of cancer cell mobility, metastasis, and subsequent malignant tumor.

Association of hypoxia inducible factor-1α polymorphisms with susceptibility to non-small-cell lung cancer.

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) is a key regulator of cellular response to hypoxia and has been suggested to play an important role in tumorigenesis and metastasis. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of HIF-1α-1772 C/T (P582S) and -1790 G/A (A588T) polymorphisms in the susceptibility to and severity of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Using a case-control study design and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment-length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis, the allele frequencies and genotype distributions of each single nucleotide polymorphism in 285 NSCLC cases and 300 gender-matched controls were compared.