Investigation of type 2 diabetes risk alleles support CDKN2A/B, CDKAL1, and TCF7L2 as susceptibility genes in a Han Chinese cohort.

Background: Recent genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have reported several genetic variants to be reproducibly associated with type 2 diabetes. Additional variants have also been detected from a metaanalysis of three GWASs, performed in populations of European ancestry. In the present study, we evaluated the influence of 17 genetic variants from 15 candidate loci, identified in type 2 diabetes GWASs and the metaanalysis, in a Han Chinese cohort.

Aberrant survivin expression in endometrial hyperplasia: another mechanism of progestin resistance.

Up to 30% of failure rate in endometrial hyperplasia patients treated by progestin urges more detailed understanding of the mechanisms involved in progestin resistance. Survivin is a key regulator in the antiapoptotic network, and overexpression of survivin has been reported in endometrial hyperplasia and cancer. This study investigated the role of survivin in progestin resistance in endometrial hyperplasia.

Overexpression of follicle-stimulating hormone receptor facilitates the development of ovarian epithelial cancer.

We previously showed that the expressing level of FSH receptor (FSHR) increased from ovarian epithelial inclusions (OEIs) to benign ovarian epithelial tumors (OETs) and to borderline OETs, whereas FSHR levels decreased with an increase in carcinoma grade. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of FSHR in OET development. MCV152 cells with FSHR overexpression showed an increased cellular proliferation and invasive capacity, which was associated with reduced levels of prohibitin and RII-beta expression and increased levels of HER-2/neu, c-Myc, and EGFR expression.

Involvement of MAPK/ERK kinase-ERK pathway in exogenous bFGF-induced Egr-1 binding activity enhancement in anoxia-reoxygenation injured astrocytes.

Objective: Intravenous administration of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is effective to reduce the volume of cerebral infract due to ischemia. This study was designed to investigate the molecular mechanism, especially the signal transduction pathways, involved in this protective role of bFGF.

Methods: Anoxia-reoxygenation treated astrocytes were used to study the role of mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase (MAPK/ERK kinase, MEK)-ERK signaling pathway after exogenous bFGF administration by Western blot.

More than chemotaxis: a new anti-tumor DC vaccine modified by rAAV2-SLC.

Secondary lymphoid tissue chemokine (SLC) is strongly expressed in secondary lymphoid organs. Its ability to facilitate chemotaxis of both dendritic cells (DC) and T cells makes it a promising candidate for cancer therapy. In this study, we modified a BMDC vaccine by incorporating the SLC mature peptide gene.

[Effect of glutamine on the expression of grp75 in PC12 cells].

Glutamine (Gln), a conditionally essential amino acid, can be a potential enhancer of the heat stress response. And glucose-regulated protein 75(grp75) is a member of the hsp family. To evaluate the effect of glutamine on the expression of grp75, PC12 cell was cultured with DMEM, glucose-free DMEM, DMEM within Gln, and glucose-free DMEM within Gln, and the expression of grp75 was detected by immunocytochemistry and western blot, the mRNA level of grp75 in the cells was detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

Single and repeated morphine administrations differently regulate expression of N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor gene in the rat brain.

The present study investigated the potential effects of single and repeated morphine treatments on gene expression of N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive protein, a key regulatory protein of neurotransmitter release and synaptic plasticity. After a single morphine injection (10 mg/kg), N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor gene expression increased significantly in the cortex, hippocampus and periaqueductal gray. In contrast, N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor gene expression was not changed after repeated morphine exposures in these brain regions.

[Immunogenicity of recombinant human zona pellucida-3 peptides expressed in E. coli and efficacy of their antisera to inhibit in vitro human sperm-egg binding].

The present study was aimed to analyze the immunogenicity of recombinant human zona pellucida-3 peptides (r-huZP3a(22 approximately 176) and r-huZP3b(177 approximately 348)) expressed in E. coli through immunizing rabbits, and to evaluate the efficacy of their polyclonal antisera against r-huZP3a(22 approximately 176) and r-huZP3b(177 approximately 348) to inhibit in vitro human sperm-egg binding respectively. Male New Zealand rabbits were immunized using r-huZP3a(22 approximately 176) or r-huZP3b(177 approximately 348) as antigen respectively, which was purified through an improved method of preparative gel polyacryulamide gel electrophoresis.