Hyperglycemia from Diabetes Potentiates Uncarboxylated Osteocalcin-Stimulated Insulin Secretion in Rat INS-1 Pancreatic β-Cells.

Uncarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) is a hormone secreted by osteoblasts that strengthens bone during mineralization and is a biomarker for ongoing bone formation. It also regulates glucose homeostasis by stimulating insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells. However, its effect on β-cells under hyperglycemic diabetic conditions is unclear.

Optimization of adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene delivery into human bone marrow stem cells (hBMSCs).

Background: Efficiently delivering nucleic acid into mammalian cells is essential to overexpress genes for assessing gene functions. Human bone marrow stem cells (hBMSCs) are the most studied tissue-derived stem cells. Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) have been used to deliver DNA into hBMSCs for various purposes.

Prospective study of the safety and efficacy of a pancreatic cancer stem cell vaccine.

Introduction: In this trial, we isolated and cultured pancreatic cancer stem cells (CSCs) to produce a vaccine and prospectively evaluated its safety and efficacy in low-, medium-, and high-dose groups.

Material And Methods: Between February and October 2014, we enrolled 90 patients who met the enrollment criteria and assigned them to three groups (n = 30). CSC-specific and CSC-non-specific immunity pre- and post-vaccination were compared by Dunnett's multiple comparison test (one-way ANOVA).

Safety and efficacy study of nasopharyngeal cancer stem cell vaccine.

In this trial, nasopharyngeal cancer stem cells (CSCs) were separated and cultured to produce a vaccine; its safety and efficacy were prospectively evaluated in low-, medium-, and high-dose groups. Between April and September 2014, we enrolled 90 patients who met the enrolment criteria, and assigned them to three groups (n=30). Throughout the trial, injection site reaction was the most common reaction (81%), and fever was least common (31%); however, there was no difference among the three groups.

Safety and efficacy study of lung cancer stem cell vaccine.

In this trial, lung cancer stem cells (CSCs) were separated and cultured to produce a vaccine; its safety and efficacy were prospectively evaluated in low-, medium-, and high-dose groups. Between February and September 2014, we enrolled 90 patients who met the enrollment criteria and assigned them to three groups (n = 30). Throughout the trial, injection site reaction was the most common reaction (63 %), and fever was least common (16 %); however, there was no difference among the three groups.

Therapeutic outcomes of combining cryotherapy, chemotherapy and DC-CIK immunotherapy in the treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

Currently there are no effective therapies for the treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Here, we conducted a retrospective study of 161 patients to evaluate the therapeutic effects of combining cryosurgery, chemotherapy and dendritic cell-activated cytokine-induced killer cells (DC-CIK) immunotherapy. The overall survival (OS) after diagnosis of metastatic NSCLC to patient death was assessed during a 5-years follow-up period.

Combination treatment with comprehensive cryoablation and immunotherapy in metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Objective: The aim of this study was to retrospectively assess the effect of comprehensive cryosurgery (ablation of intrapancreatic and extrapancreatic tumors) plus immunotherapy in metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Methods: We divided 106 patients (57 men, 49 women; median age, 65 years) into the cryoimmunotherapy (31 patients), cryotherapy (36 patients), immunotherapy (17 patients), and chemotherapy groups (22 patients). Pretreatment immune function was tested in patients who underwent immunotherapy.

Immunity to malaria in Plasmodium vivax infection: a study in central China.

Background: P. vivax infection is characterised by relapsing fever, indicating reinfection by previously hidden parasites in the host. Relapsed infection can lead to the activation of the memory T cell pool, which may lead to protective immunity.

Comprehensive treatment of malignant mesothelioma patients after the failure of systemic chemotherapy.

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an aggressive neoplasm usually arising from the mesothelial surfaces of the pleural or peritoneal cavity. Currently, no standard therapy is available. The most commonly used therapy is cytoreductive surgery combined with systematic chemotherapy, but the median overall survival (OS) is less than 12 months; moreover, treatments are lacking for patients in whom chemotherapy has failed and/or who cannot withstand surgery.

[Eukaryotic expression of recombinant porcine single-chain IL-12 and its biologic activity].

Aim: To express the recombinant porcine single-chain interleukin-12 (pscIL-12) gene in CHO-K1 cells, and identify biological activity of pscIL-12 fusion protein.

Methods: The recombinant pcDNA3.1(+)-pscIL-12 plasmid was transfected into the CHO-K1 cells using Sofast(TM); reagent.

[Construction and eukaryotic expression of recombinant porcine single-chain interleukin-12].

Objective: To clone the p40 and p35 subunit cDNA of porcine IL-12(pIL-12) and construct the fusion gene of recombinant porcine single-chain interleukin-12 (pscIL-12).

Methods: The total RNAs were extracted from porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and porcine splenic lymphocytes for cloning pIL-12 p35 and p40 cDNA by RT-PCR. A hydrophobic polypeptide linker (Gly4Ser)3 was used for splicing two different gene fragments (pIL-12) p40+linker+p35 (pscIL-12) by recombinant PCR to construct pscIL-12 fusion gene.

[Construction of full-length cDNA library of erythrocytic stage Plasmodium vivax].

Blood samples were collected from vivax malaria patients without antimalarial drug therapy. After filtration through Plasmodipur filter to remove white blood cells, Plasmodium vivax-infected RBCs were enriched by Percoll. Total P.

Oncogenic B-RAF negatively regulates the tumor suppressor LKB1 to promote melanoma cell proliferation.

The LKB1-AMPK signaling pathway serves as a critical cellular sensor coupling energy homeostasis to cell growth, proliferation, and survival. However, how tumor cells suppress this signaling pathway to gain growth advantage under conditions of energy stress is largely unknown. Here, we show that AMPK activation is suppressed in melanoma cells with the B-RAF V600E mutation and that downregulation of B-RAF signaling activates AMPK.