Quantification of tryptase-TIM-3 double-positive mast cells in human chronic periodontitis.

Objectives: Mast cells (MCs) are implicated in the pathogenesis of allergic reactions and inflammatory conditions through the release of inflammatory mediators. So far limited attention has been given to the role of MCs in periodontitis. T cell immunoglobulin mucin domain (TIM)-3 is an immunomodulatory molecule and influences MC function.

Ponatinib induces apoptosis in imatinib-resistant human mast cells by dephosphorylating mutant D816V KIT and silencing β-catenin signaling.

Gain-of-function mutations of membrane receptor tyrosine kinase KIT, especially gatekeeper D816V point mutation in KIT, render kinase autoactivation, disease progression, and poor prognosis. D816V KIT is found in approximately 80% of the patients with systemic mastocytosis, and is resistant to the first and second generations of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). The purpose of this investigation was aimed at exploring whether ponatinib (AP24534), a novel effective TKI against T315I Bcr-Abl, was active against D816V KIT.

MiR-503 targets PI3K p85 and IKK-β and suppresses progression of non-small cell lung cancer.

A microRNA usually has the ability to coordinately repress multiple target genes and therefore are associated with many pathological conditions such as human cancer. Our understanding of the biological roles of microRNAs in lung cancer, however, remains incomplete. In this study, we identified miR-503 as a tumor-suppressive microRNA in human non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), whose expression level correlates inversely with overall survival in NSCLC patients.

Comprehensive review of ocular angiostrongyliasis with special reference to optic neuritis.

Angiostrongyliasis, caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection, is a food-borne parasitic disease. Its larvae evoke eosinophilic inflammation in the central nervous system, but can also cause pathological changes in the eyes. Among ocular angiostrongyliasis cases, the incidence of optic neuritis is low and only few sporadic reports exist.

Durability of efficacy after telbivudine off-treatment in chronic hepatitis B patients.

Background/aims: Current international guidelines indicate that finite therapy with nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) is possible in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. Here we evaluate the durability of efficacy after telbivudine (LdT) off-treatment.

Methods: 39 CHB patients with normalized ALT, undetectable HBV-DNA and HBeAg seroconversion for at least 48 weeks were observed after telbivudine discontinuation.

MicroRNA in Human Glioma.

Glioma represents a serious health problem worldwide. Despite advances in surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeting therapy, the disease remains one of the most lethal malignancies in humans, and new approaches to improvement of the efficacy of anti-glioma treatments are urgently needed. Thus, new therapeutic targets and tools should be developed based on a better understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of glioma.

Dynamic changes of clinical features that predict the prognosis of acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure: a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: The natural history of acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure (ACHBLF) is complex and highly variable. However, the global clinical characteristics of this entity remain ill-defined. We aimed to investigate the dynamic patterns of the natural progression as well as their impact on the outcomes of ACHBLF.

Mast cells modulate acute toxoplasmosis in murine models.

The role of mast cells (MCs) in Toxoplasma gondii infection is poorly known. Kunming outbred mice were infected intraperitoneally with RH strain T. gondii, either treated with compound 48/80 (C48/80, MC activator) or disodium cromoglycate (DSCG, MC inhibitor).

High level of IL-27 positively correlated with Th17 cells may indicate liver injury in patients infected with HBV.

Background: Interleukin-6/IL-12 family cytokines play a key role in inflammatory diseases via their effects on the differentiation or regulation of T helper cells.

Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the role of interleukin-27 (IL-27) and its association with helper T cells in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients.

Methods: Samples were assessed from 51 HBV-infected patients [28 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) subjects and 23 acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) subjects] and 18 normal controls (NC).

An antigenic recombinant serine protease from Trichinella spiralis induces protective immunity in BALB/c mice.

In this study, we report the cloning and characterization of a cDNA encoding a Trichinella serine protease gene (TspSP-1.3) from GenBank. The recombinant TspSP-1.

Analysis of a novel cathepsin B circulating antigen and its response to drug treatment in Trichinella-infected mice.

In this paper, we cloned a novel full-length cDNA that encodes a Trichinella spiralis cathepsin B-like protease gene (TsCPB) using 3'-RACE PCR. The recombinant mature TsCPB protein (rTsCPB) was then expressed in an Escherichia coli expression system and purified with Ni-affinity chromatography. Real-time quantitative PCR revealed that TsCPB was expressed across all development stages of the parasite but had the highest expression level during the adult stage.

Overexpression of MACC1 and Its significance in human Breast Cancer Progression.

Background: Metastasis-associated in colon cancer-1 (MACC1) was first identified as a transcriptional activator for proto-oncogene c-MET expression, and its overexpression is frequently associated with metastatic progression for multiply tumor types. In the present study, we analyzed for the first time the expression of MACC1 in breast cancer and its correlation with clinicopathologic features, including metastasis and patient survival.

Results: MACC1 protein expression was analyzed in two cohorts of clinicopathologically characterized breast cancer using immunohistochemistry.

Targeting Smad2 and Smad3 by miR-136 suppresses metastasis-associated traits of lung adenocarcinoma cells.

TGF-β/Smad signaling induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and tumor metastasis. As essential mediators in this pathway, Smad2 and Smad3 have been extensively studied and found to promote EMT and the subsequent mobility as well as invasiveness of lung cancer cells. In the present study, we determined that miR-136 directly targeted Smad2 and Smad3, leading to reduced migration and invasiveness of lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) cell lines, accompanied by increased epithelial markers as well as decreased mesenchymal markers.

A marine anthraquinone SZ-685C overrides adriamycin-resistance in breast cancer cells through suppressing Akt signaling.

Breast cancer remains a major health problem worldwide. While chemotherapy represents an important therapeutic modality against breast cancer, limitations in the clinical use of chemotherapy remain formidable because of chemoresistance. The HER2/PI-3K/Akt pathway has been demonstrated to play a causal role in conferring a broad chemoresistance in breast cancer cells and thus justified to be a target for enhancing the effects of anti-breast cancer chemotherapies, such as adriamycin (ADR).

Dual function of RGD-modified VEGI-192 for breast cancer treatment.

Identification of endogenous angiogenesis inhibitors has led to development of an increasingly attractive strategy for cancer therapy and other angiogenesis-driven diseases. Vascular endothelial growth inhibitor (VEGI), a potent and relatively nontoxic endogenous angiogenesis inhibitor, has been intensively studied, and this work shed new light on developing promising anti-angiogenic strategies. It is well-documented that the RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) motif exhibits high binding affinity to integrin α(v)β(3), which is abundantly expressed in cancer cells and specifically associated with angiogenesis on tumors.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture filtrate protein 10-specific effector/memory CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells in tubercular pleural fluid, with biased usage of T cell receptor Vβ chains.

T cell-mediated immunity is critical for the control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Identifying the precise immune mechanisms that lead to control of initial M. tuberculosis infection and preventing reactivation of latent infection are crucial for combating tuberculosis.

A novel adriamycin analogue derived from marine microbes induces apoptosis by blocking Akt activation in human breast cancer cells.

1403P-3 is a novel anthracenedione derivative isolated from the secondary metabolites of endophytic fungus from the South China Sea. In previous studies, 1403P-3 was found to exhibit potent cytotoxicity against human cancer cells, but its molecular target and the mechanisms mediating its cytotoxicity remain unknown. In this study, we showed that 1403P-3 markedly inhibited the survival of the human breast cancer cells MCF-7 and MDA-MB-435 in a dose-dependent manner, with an IC₅₀ of 9.

ESAT-6- and CFP-10-specific Th1, Th22 and Th17 cells in tuberculous pleurisy may contribute to the local immune response against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.

Th1 cell-mediated adaptive immune response is very important but may not be sufficient to control Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) infection. The roles of the various T cell subsets and cytokines in the inflammatory processes are not clearly elucidated.

microRNA and cancer.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small, regulatory, non-coding RNA molecules, display aberrant expression patterns and functional abnormalities in human diseases including cancers. This review summarizes the abnormally expressed miRNAs in various types of human cancers, possible mechanisms underlying such abnormalities, and miRNA-modulated molecular pathways critical for cancer development. Practical implications of miRNAs as biomarkers, novel drug targets and therapeutic tools for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatments of human cancers are also discussed.

SZ-685C, a marine anthraquinone, is a potent inducer of apoptosis with anticancer activity by suppression of the Akt/FOXO pathway.

Background And Purpose: The aims of this study were to investigate the anti-cancer activity of SZ-685C, an anthracycline analogue isolated from marine-derived mangrove endophytic fungi, and to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying such activity.

Experimental Approach: The effect of SZ-685C on the viability of cancer cell lines was investigated using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. SZ-685C-induced apoptosis was assessed by Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide staining, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labelling assay and analysis of caspase activation.

Astrocyte elevated gene-1 is a novel prognostic marker for breast cancer progression and overall patient survival.

Purpose: The present study was aimed at clarifying the expression of astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1), one of the target genes of oncogenic Ha-ras, in breast cancer and its correlation with clinicopathologic features, including the survival of patients with breast cancer.

Experimental Design: The expression of AEG-1 in normal breast epithelial cells, breast cancer cell lines, and in four cases of paired primary breast tumor and normal breast tissue was examined using reverse transcription-PCR and Western blot. Real-time reverse transcription-PCR was applied to determine the mRNA level of AEG-1 in the four paired tissues, each from the same subject.