Fractal geometry of fingering front morphologies of water and NAPL flow in homogeneous porous media: A comparison study.

Fingering front morphologies for water and non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) infiltrating into homogeneous unsaturated porous media were quantitatively described based on the fractal assumption. Correlations of fractal dimensions with physical properties of the fluids were studied. The implications of fractal dimensions for environmental systems are further discussed.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts promote cancer cell growth through a miR-7-RASSF2-PAR-4 axis in the tumor microenvironment.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), a major component of cancer stroma, play an important role in cancer progression but little is known about how CAFs affect tumorigenesis and development. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that can negatively regulate target mRNA expression at post-transcriptional levels. In head and neck cancer (HNC), our analysis of miRNA arrays showed that miR-7, miR-196 and miR-335 were significantly up-regulated in CAFs when compared with their paired normal fibroblasts (NFs).

TGFβ3-mediated induction of Periostin facilitates head and neck cancer growth and is associated with metastasis.

The matrix-specific protein periostin (POSTN) is up-regulated in human cancers and associated with cancer growth, metastasis and angiogenesis. Although the stroma of cancer tissues is the main source of POSTN, it is still unclear how POSTN plays a role to facilitate the interplay between cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in head and neck cancer (HNC), thereby promoting tumorigenesis via modifying the tumor microenvironment. Herein, we have performed studies to investigate POSTN and its role in HNC microenvironment.

Parathyroid hormone-related protein serves as a prognostic indicator in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: In our previous study, parathyroid hormone-like hormone (PTHLH) which encodes parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) was revealed to be up-regulated in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) compared with paired apparently normal surgical margins using microarray method. However, the function and prognostic indicators of PTHLH/PTHrP in OSCC remain obscure.

Methods: The mRNA levels of PTHLH and its protein levels were investigated in 9 OSCC cell lines and in 36 paired OSCC specimens by real-time PCR and western blotting.