A Comparative Study of Pressureless Sintered Nanostructured Hydroxyapatite/TiO₂ Composites Prepared by Different TiO₂ Addition Methods.

Two methods of TiO₂ addition were applied to prepare hydroxyapatite/TiO₂ (HA/TiO₂) composite, i.e., hydrolysis TiO₂ in HA powders (N-HA/TiO₂) and mixing commercial nano-sized HA and TiO₂ powder (C-HA/TiO₂).

A novel data processing method CyC* for quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction minimizes cumulative error.

Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is routinely conducted for DNA quantitative analysis using the cycle-threshold (Ct) method, which assumes uniform/optimum template amplification. In practice, amplification efficiencies vary from cycle to cycle in a PCR reaction, and often decline as the amplification proceeds, which results in substantial errors in measurement. This study reveals the cumulative error for quantification of initial template amounts, due to the difference between the assumed perfect amplification efficiency and actual one in each amplification cycle.

Effects of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) gene silencing on the radiosensitivity of glioblastoma.

The effects of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) gene silencing on the radiosensitivity of glioblastoma cells (GBM) were investigated. The lentivirus-mediated short hairpin RNA (shRNA) expression vector targeting CTGF was constructed and transinfected into U87MG human GBM cell line. The CTGF gene expression in U87MG cells was significantly down-regulated.

[Chemokine receptor CXCR4 gene silencing with shRNA inhibits breast cancer metastasis to the lung in nude mice].

Objective: To construct a CXCR4 specific recombinant plasmid vector and study its inhibiting effect on invasion capacity in vitro of human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell line and its metastatic potential to the lung in nude mice.

Methods: A CXCR4 specific recombinant plasmid vector was constructed and transfected into the cultured MDA-MB-231 cell line with lipofectamine 2000. RT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of CXCR4, respectively.

Undifferentiated liver sarcoma -- rare entity: a case report and review of the literature.

Introduction: Undifferentiated Liver Sarcoma, also known as Undifferentiated Embryonal Sarcoma of the Liver, is a rare, highly malignant neoplasm which affects mostly the pediatric population, although a few cases have been reported in adults. It accounts for about 13% of pediatric hepatic malignancies.

Case Presentation: We report a case of undifferentiated liver sarcoma in a 14-year-old Chinese boy who presented with non-specific right hypochondriac pain.

[Expression of thymidine phosphorylase in cancer].

Objective: To study the thymidine phosphorylase (TP) expression in different types of cancer and its correlation with tumor microvessel density (MVD).

Methods: The expression of TP and MVD was detected by immunohistochemistry method. In a series of 251 cancer patients there were 48 patients with gastric cancer, 53 with colorectal cancer, 47 with breast cancer, 56 with cervical cancer, 47 with lung cancer.

[Diallyl disulfide-induced G2/M arrest of human gastric cancer MGC803 cells involves activation of p38 MAP kinase pathways].

Background & Objective: p38 MAP kinase signal transduction pathway was thought to be involved in the G(2)/M arrest,however,the involved mechanisms were not clear. This study was designed to determine the role of p38 MAP kinase signal transduction pathways in diallyl disulfide (DADS)-induced G(2)/M arrest in human gastric cancer MGC803 cells and its related molecular mechanisms.

Methods: MGC803 cells growth inhibition was measured by MTT assay.