Tanshinone IIA inhibits angiogenesis in human endothelial progenitor cells and .

Accumulating evidence reports that bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) regulate angiogenesis, postnatal neovascularization and tumor metastasis. It has been suggested that understanding the molecular targets and pharmacological functions of natural products is important for novel drug discovery. Tanshinone IIA is a major diterpene quinone compound isolated from Danshen () and is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

Automated tongue diagnosis on the smartphone and its applications.

Tongue features are important objective basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment in both western medicine and Chinese medicine. The need for continuous monitoring of health conditions inspires us to develop an automatic tongue diagnosis system based on built-in sensors of smartphones. However, tongue images taken by smartphone are quite different in color due to various lighting conditions, and it consequently affects the diagnosis especially when we use the appearance of tongue fur to infer health conditions.

Data supporting the angiotensin II activates MEL18 to deSUMOylate HSF2 for hypertension-related heart failure.

In association with the published article "Inhibition of HSF2 SUMOylation MEL18 upregulates IGF-IIR and leads to hypertension-induced cardiac hypertrophy" (Huang et al., 2017) [1], this data article contains information about deSUMOylation of HSF2 on lysine 82 on angiotensin II (ANG II) -induced cardiac hypertrophy, which is mediated by MEL18. Isolated adult human whole heart tissue showed MEL18-mediated HSF2-IGF-IIR pathway is upregulated in hypertension human heart, compared to health human heart.

Renal function is associated with 1-month and 1-year mortality in patients with ischemic stroke.

Background And Aims: Renal dysfunction is a potent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, including stroke. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of admission estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) levels on short-term (1-month) and long-term (1-year) mortality in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Methods: From the Taiwan Stroke Registry data, we classified ischemic stroke patients, identified from April 2006 to December 2015, into 5 groups by eGFR at admission: ≥ 90, 60-89, 30-59, 15-29, and <15 mL/min/1.

Inhibition of HSF2 SUMOylation via MEL18 upregulates IGF-IIR and leads to hypertension-induced cardiac hypertrophy.

Cardiac hypertrophy is a major characteristic of early-stage hypertension-related heart failure. We have found that the insulin-like growth factor receptor II (IGF-IIR) signaling was critical for hypertensive angiotensin II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and apoptosis. Moreover, this IGF-IIR signaling was elegantly modulated by the heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) during heart failure.

The Influence of Serum Prostate-Specific Antigen on the Accuracy of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Targeted Biopsy versus Saturation Biopsy in Patients with Previous Negative Biopsy.

Objective: We compared the prostate cancer (PCa) detection rates of targeted biopsy (TB) and saturation biopsy (SB) in patients with previous negative biopsy and the accuracy of TB and SB stratified by different serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels.

Materials And Methods: Overall 185 patients were enrolled. In the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) group, 65 men underwent TB and SB.

Upregulation of PRMT6 by LPS suppresses Klotho expression through interaction with NF-κB in glomerular mesangial cells.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) released from gram-negative bacteria stimulates immune responses in infected cells. Epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation and protein methylation modulate LPS-induced innate immune gene expressions. Expression of the Klotho protein decreased with LPS treatment in rats.

Acute hypoxic preconditioning prevents palmitic acid-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis via switching metabolic GLUT4-glucose pathway back to CD36-fatty acid dependent.

Metabolic syndrome is a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases. Myocardial cell damage leads to an imbalance of energy metabolism, and many studies have indicated that short-term hypoxia during myocardial cell injury has a protective effect. In our previous animal studies, we found that short-term hypoxia in the heart has a protective effect, but long-term hypoxia increases myocardial cell injury.

Diallyl trisulfide suppresses doxorubicin-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis by inhibiting MAPK/NF-κB signaling through attenuation of ROS generation.

Background: Doxorubicin (Dox) is an effective anticancer agent. However, its effectiveness is limited by its cardiotoxic effects. It has also been reported that the mitogen-activated protein kinase family and NF-κB can be activated by Dox treatment.

The preventive effects of edible folic acid on cardiomyocyte apoptosis and survival in early onset triple-transgenic Alzheimer's disease model mice.

In recent years, neuropathological and epidemiological studies have indicated an association between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and several cardiovascular risk factors. In this study, the cardio-protective effects of folic acid (FA) in early stage AD was elucidated using a triple-transgenic (3xTg) Alzheimer's mouse model. Eleven-month-old C57BL/6 mice and 3xTg mice were assigned to five groups.

Short-term hypoxia upregulated Mas receptor expression to repress the AT R signaling pathway and attenuate Ang II-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis.

Hypertension-stimulated cardiac hypertrophy and apoptosis play critical roles in the progression of heart failure. Our previous study suggested that hypertensive angiotensin II (Ang II) enhanced insulin-like growth factor receptor II (IGF-IIR) expression and cardiomyocyte apoptosis, which are involved JNK activation, sirtuin1 (SIRT1) degradation, and heat-shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) acetylation. Moreover, previous studies have implied that short-term hypoxia (STH) might exert cardioprotective effects.

Pre-stroke physical activity is associated with fewer post-stroke complications, lower mortality and a better long-term outcome.

Background And Purpose: Physical activity is associated with a reduced incidence of first-time stroke. However, few studies have examined the effect of pre-stroke physical activity on post-stroke complications and clinical outcomes.

Methods: A total of 39 835 cases of stroke registered in the nationwide stroke registry system of Taiwan between 2006 and 2009 were analyzed according to five levels of severity as determined by National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score upon hospital admission.

E2/ER β inhibit ISO-induced cardiac cellular hypertrophy by suppressing Ca2+-calcineurin signaling.

Cardiovascular incidences are markedly higher in men than in pre-menstrual women. However, this advantage in women declines with aging and therefore can be correlated with the sex hormone 17β-Estradiol (E2) which is reported to protect heart cells by acting though estrogen receptors (ERs). In this study we have determined the effect of E2/ERβ against ISO induced cellular hypertrophy in H9c2 cardiomyoblast cells.

p53-mediated miR-18 repression activates HSF2 for IGF-IIR-dependent myocyte hypertrophy in hypertension-induced heart failure.

Hypertension-induced cardiac hypertrophy and attenuated cardiac function are the major characteristics of early stage heart failure. Cardiomyocyte death in pathological cardiac conditions is the primary cause of heart failure and mortality. Our previous studies found that heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) protected cardiomyocytes from death by suppressing the IGF-IIR signaling pathway, which is critical for hypertensive angiotensin II-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor promotes VEGF-C-dependent lymphangiogenesis by suppressing miR-624-3p in human chondrosarcoma cells.

Chondrosarcoma is the second most common primary malignancy of bone, and one of the most difficult bone tumors to diagnose and treat. It is well known that increased levels of vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) promote active tumor lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic tumor spread to regional lymph nodes. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is known to promote metastasis in human chondrosarcoma cells.

Cantharidin alters the expression of genes associated with the NKG2D-associated immune response in TSGH-8301 human bladder carcinoma cells.

Cantharidin (CTD) is a natural toxin in beetles of the genus (blister beetle), which has been revealed to induce cell death in various types of human cancer cells. However, to the best of our knowledge, no previous studies have investigated the effect of CTD on the expression of genes and their associated signaling pathways in human bladder carcinoma cells. In the present study, CTD-induced cell morphological changes and apoptosis were observed using phase-contrast microscopy and the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay, respectively, in TSGH-8301 human bladder carcinoma cells.

Low Pulse Pressure After Acute Ischemic Stroke is Associated With Unfavorable Outcomes: The Taiwan Stroke Registry.

Background: Pulse pressure (PP) is related to cardiac function, arterial stiffness, fluid status, and vascular events. This study aimed to explore the prognostic role of PP upon admission in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) based on a nation-wide stroke registry.

Methods And Results: We evaluated the association between PP upon admission and outcomes 3 months after a stroke in patients who had an AIS registered in the Taiwan Stroke Registry, including 56 academic and community hospitals between 2006 and 2013.

Activation of IGF-I Survival Signaling and Its Compensative Inhibition of the Cardiac Apoptosis on Carotid Arteries Balloon-Injured Rat Hearts.

In this study, a rat carotid balloon injury-animal model was used to elucidate the temporal relation of hypertrophy in the progression of cardiac damage and the role of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I survival pathway on course of the cardiac damage. Rats were subjected to carotid balloon-injury and examined at different time points. We further studied the heart-weight/body-weight-ratio, histology and protein expression to understand the pathological events associated with percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) induced damages.

17β-Estradiol and/or estrogen receptor alpha blocks isoproterenol-induced calcium accumulation and hypertrophy via GSK3β/PP2A/NFAT3/ANP pathway.

The present study was aimed to investigate the protective effects of 17β-estradiol (E2) and estrogen receptor α (ERα) on isoproterenol (ISO)-treated H9c2 cardiomyoblast cells. In the present study, we treated H9c2 cells with ISO, a β-adrenergic receptor agonist, to induce myocardiac hypertrophy. Pre-administration of E2 or ERα (induced by doxycycline) and E2 plus ERα significantly prevented ISO-induced increase of cell size and cytosolic calcium accumulation, accompanied with increased mRNA of atrial natriuretic peptide and brain natriuretic peptide.

Zanthoxylum avicennae extract enhances GSK-3β to attenuate β-catenin via phosphatase 2A to block metastatic effects of HA22T cells and hepatocellular carcinoma xenografted nude mice.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis is often associated with the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Zanthoxylum avicennae (Ying Bu Bo, YBB), a traditional herb with hepatoprotective effect, has been proven to inhibit human HCC in in vivo models however, the in vitro and in vivo effect of YBB on tumor metastasis is not clear yet. To determine whether YBB could inhibit HA22T human HCC cell by acting on β-catenin metastatic signaling in vitro and in vivo, HA22T cells were treated with different concentrations of YBB extracts (YBBE) and analyzed by Immunofluorescence staining assay, western blot analysis, siRNA mediated gene knock-down assays and co-immunoprecipitation assay.

Platycodon grandiflorum (PG) reverses angiotensin II-induced apoptosis by repressing IGF-IIR expression.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Platycodon grandiflorum (PG) is a Chinese medical plant used for decades as a traditional prescription to eliminate phlegm, relieve cough, reduce inflammation and lower blood pressure. PG also has a significant effect on the cardiovascular systems.

Materials And Methods: The aqueous extract of Platycodon grandiflorum (JACQ.

WISP-1 positively regulates angiogenesis by controlling VEGF-A expression in human osteosarcoma.

In recent years, much research has focused on the role of angiogenesis in osteosarcoma, which occurs predominantly in adolescents and young adults. The vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) pathway is the key regulator of angiogenesis and in osteosarcoma. VEGF-A expression has been recognized as a prognostic marker in angiogenesis.

Effects of Electroacupuncture on Methamphetamine-Induced Behavioral Changes in Mice.

Methamphetamine (METH) is a major drug of abuse worldwide, and no efficient therapeutic strategies for treating METH addiction are currently available. Continuous METH use can cause behavioral upregulation or psychosis. The dopaminergic pathways, particularly the neural circuitry from the ventral tegmental area to the nucleus accumbens (NAc), have a critical role in this behavioral stage.