Nrf2 activation ameliorates cytotoxic effects of arsenic trioxide in acute promyelocytic leukemia cells through increased glutathione levels and arsenic efflux from cells.

Carnosic acid (CA), a phenolic diterpene isolated from Rosmarinus officinalis, has been shown to activate nuclear transcription factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), which plays a central role in cytoprotective responses to oxidative and electrophilic stress. Recently, the Nrf2-Kelch ECH associating protein 1 (Keap1) pathway has been associated with cancer drug resistance attributable to modulation of the expression and activation of antioxidant and detoxification enzymes. However, the exact mechanisms by which Nrf2 activation results in chemoresistance are insufficiently understood to date.

Size-Dependent Mechanism of Intracellular Localization and Cytotoxicity of Mono-Disperse Spherical Mesoporous Nano- and Micron-Bioactive Glass Particles.

Mono-disperse spherical mesoporous nano- and micro- bioactive glass particles (NMBGs) can find potential use in bone tissue engineering. However, their size-dependent interaction with osteoblasts has never been studied. Herein, the proliferation, morphology, cytoskeleton organization and apoptosis of MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts are studied in response to the NMBGs with varying sizes (from 61 to 1085 nm) at different concentrations.

Processing and Properties of Bioactive Surface-Porous PEKK.

Bioactive surface-porous polyetherketoneketone materials (PEKK-BSP) were prepared by first leaching hydroxyapatite (HA) microsphere templates from compression molded PEKK/HA composites (i.e., PEKK-P) followed by sulfonation with 80% sulfuric acid for 3 h (i.

Utility of colon leakage score in left-sided colorectal surgery.

Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical utility of the colon leakage score (CLS) in predicting the risk of anastomotic leakage (AL) after left-sided colorectal surgery.

Materials And Methods: This investigation was designed as a retrospective study of 304 patients who underwent left-sided colorectal surgery. The patients were classified into two groups as those who developed AL and those who did not develop AL, and the CLSs of the two groups were compared.

Copy number analysis of the low-copy repeats at the primate NPHP1 locus by array comparative genomic hybridization.

Array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) has been widely used to detect copy number variants (CNVs) in both research and clinical settings. A customizable aCGH platform may greatly facilitate copy number analyses in genomic regions with higher-order complexity, such as low-copy repeats (LCRs). Here we present the aCGH analyses focusing on the 45 kb LCRs [1] at the NPHP1 region with diverse copy numbers in humans.

Lyn, a tyrosine kinase closely linked to the differentiation status of primary acute myeloid leukemia blasts, associates with negative regulation of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and dihydroxyvitamin D3 (VD3)-induced HL-60 cells differentiation.

Background: Lyn, an import member of Src family kinases (SFKs), is supposed to be implicated in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) pathogenesis and development by participation in AML differentiation, yet the details still remain incompletely understood. The expression status of Lyn and its correlation with multiple clinical parameters including cell differentiation degree, different cytogenetic risk classification, and the activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) were thus investigated. To address the mechanisms underlying the involvement of Lyn in differentiation induction, the effects of dasatinib, an inhibitor for SFKs including Lyn, on the alterations of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA)- or dihydroxyvitamin D3 (VD3)-induced differentiation, and c-Myc protein expression were investigated.

Noninvasive ventilation for acute lung injury a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Purpose: To compare the effect of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) and standard oxygen therapy on treating acute lung injury (ALI).

Methods: A search on PubMed, Embase, Springer, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Clinical Trials was carried out up to Nov 2015 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with NIV as cases and standard oxygen therapy as controls. Risk ratios and weight mean difference were used for estimation.

[Development of Researches on Scalp Acupuncture for Ischemic Stroke].

Ischemic stroke is one of the commonly met diseases in clinical practice nowadays. Acupuncture therapy is widly used in the treatment of sequela of ischemic stroke in China and its mechanisms have been extensively studied in recen years. In the present paper, the authors focus on the development of studies on the mechanism of scalp acupuncture therapy in the treatment of ischemic stroke.

Cytoprotective effects of cerium and selenium nanoparticles on heat-shocked human dermal fibroblasts: an in vitro evaluation.

It is a widely accepted fact that environmental factors affect cells by modulating the components of subcellular compartments and altering metabolic enzymes. Factors (such as oxidative stress and heat-shock-induced proteins and heat shock factors, which upregulate stress-response related genes to protect affected cells) are commonly altered during changes in environmental conditions. Studies by our group and others have shown that nanoparticles (NPs) are able to efficiently attenuate oxidative stress by penetrating into specific tissues or organs.

Gα12/13 signaling promotes cervical cancer invasion through the RhoA/ROCK-JNK signaling axis.

Several reports have indicated a role for the members of the G12 family of heterotrimeric G proteins (Gα12 and Gα13) in oncogenesis and tumor cell growth. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the role of G12 signaling in cervical cancer. We demonstrated that expression of the G12 proteins was highly upregulated in cervical cancer cells.

[Moxibustion at Gaohuang (BL 43) for chronic fatigue syndrome: a randomized controlled trial].

Objective: To observe the clinical effect of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) treated with moxibustion at Gaohuang (BL 43).

Methods: With stratified block randomization, 72 patients accorded with inclusive criteria were divided into a moxibustion at Gaohuang (BL 43) group (moxibustion group) and an acupuncture group, 36 cases in each one. In the moxibustion group, Gaohuang (BL 43) was treated with big moxa cones as the main acupoint, 10 cones a time; Qihai (CV 6) and Zusanli (ST 36) were added with big moxa cones, 7 cones a time.

Somatic mosaicism underlies X-linked acrogigantism syndrome in sporadic male subjects.

Somatic mosaicism has been implicated as a causative mechanism in a number of genetic and genomic disorders. X-linked acrogigantism (XLAG) syndrome is a recently characterized genomic form of pediatric gigantism due to aggressive pituitary tumors that is caused by submicroscopic chromosome Xq26.3 duplications that include GPR101 We studied XLAG syndrome patients (n= 18) to determine if somatic mosaicism contributed to the genomic pathophysiology.

Selenium Inhibits Homocysteine-Induced Endothelial Dysfunction and Apoptosis via Activation of AKT.

Background/aims: Endothelial cells are crucial in vascular homeostasis. Dysfunction of endothelial cells is involved in the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). High plasma homocysteine (Hcy) correlates with CVD while selenium supplementation counteracts development of CVD.

Reciprocal regulation of autism-related genes MeCP2 and PTEN via microRNAs.

MeCP2 encodes a methyl-CpG-binding protein that plays a critical role in repressing gene expression, mutations of which lead to Rett syndrome and autism. PTEN is a critical tumor suppressor gene that is frequently mutated in human cancers and autism spectrum disorders. Various studies have shown that both MeCP2 and PTEN proteins play important roles in brain development.

Hutterite-type cataract maps to chromosome 6p21.32-p21.31, cosegregates with a homozygous mutation in LEMD2, and is associated with sudden cardiac death.

Background: Juvenile-onset cataracts are known among the Hutterites of North America. Despite being identified over 30 years ago, this autosomal recessive condition has not been mapped, and the disease gene is unknown.

Methods: We performed whole exome sequencing of three Hutterite-type cataract trios and follow-up genotyping and mapping in four extended kindreds.

[Fibrosis after damage to fat dome structure of skin of pig].

Objective: To observe the fibrosis of skin after damage to the fat dome structure in skin of pig.

Methods: Totally 4 pieces of skin grafts of intermediate thickness in the size of 5 cm × 5 cm were obtained from both sides beside the spine of back in each of the 4 female red Duroc pigs with pedicle on one side with Humby knife performed by burn specialists, who were rich in clinical experience. These skin grafts were assigned as thin dermis group (TD).

Comparison of biofouling mechanisms between cellulose triacetate (CTA) and thin-film composite (TFC) polyamide forward osmosis membranes in osmotic membrane bioreactors.

There are two types of popular forward osmosis (FO) membrane materials applied for researches on FO process, cellulose triacetate (CTA) and thin film composite (TFC) polyamide. However, performance and fouling mechanisms of commercial TFC FO membrane in osmotic membrane bioreactors (OMBRs) are still unknown. In current study, its biofouling behaviors in OMBRs were investigated and further compared to the CTA FO membrane.

Selective cytotoxic eremophilane-type sesquiterpenes from Penicillium citreonigrum.

One new eremophilane-type sesquiterpene (1, citreopenin) was isolated from Penicillium citreonigrum (HQ738282), and the structure was elucidated by a combination of spectroscopic data interpretation and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis using Cu Kα radiation (CCDC 1030588). Compound 1 showed weak activity against KB-VIN (IC50 = 11.0 ± 0.

Comparative Genomic Analyses of the Human NPHP1 Locus Reveal Complex Genomic Architecture and Its Regional Evolution in Primates.

Many loci in the human genome harbor complex genomic structures that can result in susceptibility to genomic rearrangements leading to various genomic disorders. Nephronophthisis 1 (NPHP1, MIM# 256100) is an autosomal recessive disorder that can be caused by defects of NPHP1; the gene maps within the human 2q13 region where low copy repeats (LCRs) are abundant. Loss of function of NPHP1 is responsible for approximately 85% of the NPHP1 cases-about 80% of such individuals carry a large recurrent homozygous NPHP1 deletion that occurs via nonallelic homologous recombination (NAHR) between two flanking directly oriented ~45 kb LCRs.

ROS/p38/p53/Puma signaling pathway is involved in emodin-induced apoptosis of human colorectal cancer cells.

Aim: Emodin was found effective in suppressing proliferation of cancer cells including colorectal cancer (CRC), but the mechanisms were still unclear. This study was aimed to investigate the possible mechanism of emodin's anti-CRC effects.

Methods: Two most frequently used CRC cell lines, SW480 and SW620, were investigated in this study.

Aggressive tumor growth and clinical evolution in a patient with X-linked acro-gigantism syndrome.

X-linked acro-gigantism (X-LAG) syndrome is a newly described disease caused by microduplications on chromosome Xq26.3 leading to copy number gain of GPR101. We describe the clinical progress of a sporadic male X-LAG syndrome patient with an Xq26.

Mechanisms for the Generation of Two Quadruplications Associated with Split-Hand Malformation.

Germline copy-number variants (CNVs) involving quadruplications are rare and the mechanisms generating them are largely unknown. Previously, we reported a 20-week gestation fetus with split-hand malformation; clinical microarray detected two maternally inherited triplications separated by a copy-number neutral region at 17p13.3, involving BHLHA9 and part of YWHAE.