A research update on the anticancer effects of bufalin and its derivatives.

Bufalin (BF) is a cardiotonic steroid that has recently been found to have substantial anticancer activity; however, more efforts should be directed toward clarifying the detailed molecular mechanisms underlying this activity. BF could exert its anticancer effect by inducing apoptosis in various human cancer cells and thus triggering autophagic cancer cell death. The anti-inflammatory activities of BF are potentially important for its anticancer functions.

Structural characterization of polysaccharides from and their hypolipidemic effects in high fat diet fed mice.

is a crude dietary therapeutic mushroom with high nutritional and medicinal values. Mushroom-derived polysaccharides have been found to possess antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic activities. This study aimed to partially clarify the structural characterization and comparatively evaluate hypolipidemic potentials of intracellular- (IPCM) and extracellular polysaccharides of (EPCM) in high fat diet fed mice.

[Reconstruction of dynamic positron emission tomographic images by exploiting low rank and sparse penalty].

Objective: To propose a new method for dynamic positron emission tomographic (PET) image reconstruction using low rank and sparse penalty (L&S).

Methods: The L&S reconstruction model was established and the split Bregman method was used to solve the optimal cost function. The one-tissue compartment model was used to simulate a set of PET 82Rb myocardial perfusion image.

Increased expression of miR-222 is associated with poor prognosis in bladder cancer.

Background: MicroRNA-222 (miR-222) has been shown to play a potential oncogenic role in bladder cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of miR-222 in bladder cancer and its potential relevance to clinicopathological characteristics and patient survival.

Methods: Surgical specimens of cancer tissue and adjacent normal tissue were obtained from 97 patients with bladder cancer.