Synergistic enhancement of the antitumor activity of 5-fluorouracil by bornyl acetate in SGC-7901 human gastric cancer cells and the determination of the underlying mechanism of action.

Purpose: To investigate the anticancer activity of bornyl acetate and its combination with low dose 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in human gastric cancer (SGC-7901) cells and to evaluate their effects on cell cycle, apoptosis, cancer cell morphology and DNA fragmentation.

Methods: The anticancer activity of bornyl acetate, 5-FU and their combination against human gastric cancer (SGC-7901) cells was evaluated by MTT assay. Flow cytometry using propidium iodide (PI) as a staining agent was used to study the effect of the extract on cell cycle phase distribution.

Integrated analysis of DNA methylation profiles and gene expression profiles to identify genes associated with pilocytic astrocytomas.

The present study performed an integral analysis of the gene expression and DNA methylation profile of pilocytic astrocytomas (PAs). Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was also performed to examine and identify the genes correlated to PAs, to identify candidate therapeutic targets for the treatment of PAs. The DNA methylation profile and gene expression profile were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database.

MiR-670-5p induces cell proliferation in hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting PROX1.

MiRNAs, as oncogenes or as anti-oncogenes, play critically regulated roles in human cancers at posttranscriptional level. A number of dysregulated miRNAs has been observed in HCC. However, the expression and function of miR-670-5p have not been evaluated in HCC to date.

Correlation between non-metastatic protein 23 expression and clinicopathological features of colorectal cancer in Asians.

The current meta-analysis was performed to investigate the association between non-metastatic protein 23 (NM23) expression, tumor pathology, and disease prognosis in colorectal cancer (CRC) among Asians. English and Chinese language-based electronic databases (e.g.

Blocking proteinase-activated receptor 2 alleviated neuropathic pain evoked by spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is an extremely serious type of physical trauma observed in clinics. Especially, neuropathic pain resulting from SCI has a lasting and significant impact on most aspects of daily life. Thus, a better understanding of the molecular pathways responsible for the cause of neuropathic pain observed in SCI is important to develop effectively therapeutic agents and treatment strategies.

Epigallocatechin‑3‑gallate inhibits the invasion of salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma cells by reversing the hypermethylation status of the RECK gene.

Epigallocatechin‑3‑gallate (EGCG) is an active and major constituent of green tea. As a non‑nucleoside inhibitor of DNA methylation, EGCG is able to inhibit the hypermethylation of newly synthesised DNA, resulting in the reversal of hypermethylation and recovery in expression of the silenced genes. Reversion‑inducing cysteine‑rich protein with Kazal motifs (RECK) is a novel tumour suppressor gene, which negatively regulates matrix metalloproteinases, and inhibits tumour invasion, angiogenesis and metastasis.

Transplantation of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived renal stem cells improved acute kidney injury.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a severe disease with high morbidity and mortality. Methods that promote repair of the injured kidney have been extensively investigated. Cell-based therapy with mesenchymal stem cells or renal progenitor cells (RPCs) resident in the kidney has appeared to be an effective strategy for the treatment of AKI.

Gefitinib causes growth arrest and inhibition of metastasis in human chondrosarcoma cells.

Purpose: Chondrosarcomas are primary malignant cartilage-forming tumors of bone which are not responsive either to chemotherapy or radiation treatment and display potent capacity to invade locally and cause distant metastasis. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway plays an important role in the development and progression of many cancers. However, the effect of EGFR inhibitor gefitinib on cell growth and metastasis in human chondrosarcoma cells is largely unknown.

Effects of Ringer's sodium pyruvate solution on serum tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 upon septic shock.

Objective: To study the effects of Ringer's sodium pyruvate solution on tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) upon septic shock.

Methods: Ninety emergency patients with septic shock were divided into a treatment group and a control group by random draw. The control group was resuscitated with 50 ml of compound sodium chloride (Ringer's solution), and the treatment group was given 50 ml of Ringer's sodium pyruvate solution.

Carriage of NBN polymorphisms and acute leukemia risk.

Background: Recent reports revealed a significant association of NBN polymorphisms with risk of acute leukemia among Chinese, but not among Europeans. The objective of this study was to obtain a more precise measure of acute leukemia risk associated with NBN rs1805794, rs2735383, rs709816 polymorphisms.

Methods: Using PubMed, Embase, ISI Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library databases, we undertook a systematic literature search up to September 1, 2014.

Intravascular NK/T-cell lymphoma: a report of five cases with cutaneous manifestation from China.

Background: Intravascular lymphoma is a rare type of lymphoma that frequently affects the skin and is usually of B-cell origin. This lymphoma type is very rare and not recognized as a separate entity in the 2008 World Health Organization classification of hematopoietic and lymphoid tissue tumors.

Methods: We reported five cases of intravascular NK/T cell lymphoma with cutaneous manifestation and reviewed 12 published cases involving Chinese patients with similar characteristics.

Cell-penetrable mouse forkhead box protein 3 alleviates experimental arthritis in mice by up-regulating regulatory T cells.

Regulatory T cells (T(regs)) have potential applications in clinical disease therapy, such as autoimmune diseases and transplant rejection. However, their numbers are limited. Forkhead box protein 3 (FoxP3) is a key transcription factor that controls T(reg) development and function.

Biophysical study on the interaction of etomidate and the carrier protein in vitro.

Etomidate is a unique drug used for induction of general anesthesia and sedation, and is usually used through intravenous injection clinically. Before targeting to the receptor, etomidate binds proteins in blood when it comes into veins. Thus to study the interaction of etomidate and serum albumin would be of great toxicological and pharmacological importance.

Thymic hyperplasia following chemotherapy in adults with lymphoma: (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography findings and correlation with T cell repopulation.

Thymic hyperplasia (TH) after chemotherapy is an infrequent phenomenon in adults. This study analyzed the incidence and metabolic activity of TH on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in this population. By reviewing 471 PET/CT recordings of 211 adults with lymphoma, increased FDG uptake within an enlarged thymus regarded as TH was observed in 27 patients aged 18-53 years.

Targeting autophagy in skin diseases.

Autophagy is a major intracellular degradative process by which cytoplasmic materials are sequestered in double-membraned vesicles and degraded upon fusion with lysosomes. Under normal circumstances, basal autophagy is necessary to maintain cellular homeostasis by scavenging dysfunctional or damaged organelles or proteins. In addition to its vital homeostatic role, this degradation pathway has been implicated in many different cellular processes such as cell apoptosis, inflammation, pathogen clearance, and antigen presentation and thereby has been linked to a variety of human disorders, including metabolic conditions, neurodegenerative diseases, cancers, and infectious diseases.

Correlation of ascending aorta elasticity and the severity of coronary artery stenosis in hypertensive patients with coronary heart disease assessed by M-mode and tissue Doppler echocardiography.

The main objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between ascending aorta elasticity and the severity of coronary artery stenosis in essential hypertensive patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) using M-mode and tissue Doppler echocardiography. A total of 184 hypertensive patients with CHD were enrolled. Patients were divided into three groups based on the severity of coronary stenosis measured by coronary arteriography (CAG): slight stenosis (group 1), moderate stenosis (group 2) and serious stenosis (group 3).

Association of the XRCC1 c.1178G>A genetic polymorphism with lung cancer risk in Chinese.

The X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 protein (XRCC1) plays important roles in the DNA base excision repair pathway which may influence the development of lung cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the potential association of the XRCC1 c.1178G>A genetic polymorphism with lung cancer risk.

Regulation of p53 level by UBE4B in breast cancer.

p53 is possibly the most important mammalian tumor suppressor and it is mutated or lost in more than half of all human cancers. The stability of p53 is primarily determined by the RING domain E3 ubiquitin ligase Hdm2, which targets p53 for proteasomal degradation, restraining the potent activity of p53 and enabling cell survival and proliferation. UBE4B has been shown to physically interact with p53 and Hdm2 and to negatively regulate p53 stability and function.

Resveratrol triggers protective autophagy through the ceramide/Akt/mTOR pathway in melanoma B16 cells.

Resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene, RSV), a natural polyphenolic compound, is known as a promising anti-cancer agent. In this study, we showed that RSV could inhibit the growth of B16 cells via induction of apoptosis. Moreover, our results showed for the first time that RSV induced autophagy in B16 cells, which might occur through ceramide accumulation and Akt/mTOR pathway inhibition.

Prognosis and weaning of elderly multiple organ dysfunction syndrome patients with invasive mechanical ventilation.

Background: Elderly multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation have poor prognosis in intensive care units (ICUs). We studied the usefulness of four commonly used severity scores and extrapulmonary factors that affected weaning to predict outcome of such patients.

Methods: Clinical data of 197 patients on admission to ICUs (from January 2009 to June 2012) were used retrospectively.

MicroRNA-22 is down-regulated in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a new class of short noncoding RNAs with post-transcriptional regulation and participate in diverse physiological and pathological processes. MiR-22, ubiquitously expressed in various tissues, plays a functional important role in life processes and is recently proved to involve in many cancers. In present study, we had shown that miR-22 was down-regulated much more obviously in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines as well as in clinical tissues.