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To improve the clinical outcome of tumor chemotherapy, more effective combination treatments against tumor metastasis and recurrence are required. Licochalcone A (LicA) is the root of Glycyrrhiza inflata and has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antitumor effects. Sorafenib (Sor), a multikinase inhibitor, is used to treat patients with solid tumors such as advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the synergistic effects of LicA and Sor on the metastasis of human HCC cells have not been reported. We found that LicA and Sor did not have cytotoxic effects or arrest growth in human SK-Hep-1 and Huh-7 cells. In addition, treatment with LicA or Sor alone inhibited migration and invasion in human SK-Hep-1 and Huh-7 HCC cells. Furthermore, cotreatment with LicA and Sor synergistically inhibited the migration and invasion of HCC cells and significantly inhibited uPA protein expression. Notably, cotreatment of LicA and Sor synergistically and significantly downregulated MKK4-JNK expression. Through tail vein injection in nude mice, the aforementioned cotreatment synergistically suppressed SK-Hep-1 cell-mediated lung metastasis. These findings first revealed the synergistic effects of LicA and Sor cotreatment against human HCC cells, further suggesting that beneficial effects on tumor regression could be confirmed through prospective clinical trials.

The indirect-developing enteropneust acorn worm Ptychodera flava has been used as a hemichordate model system for studying the developmental evolution of deuterostome body plans and the origins of chordate characteristics. However, research progress has been hindered by the limited accessibility of its embryonic materials and metamorphosing larvae. In this study, we identified an abundant population of P. flava in Penghu, Taiwan, and examined the feasibility of using this animal for developmental studies. Through histological examination, we established that the reproductive season of this population is between September and December, with a peak breeding period in October and November. In addition, we have developed new procedures that can induce P. flava spawning at any time of the day during the breeding season, with a higher successful rate than that achieved using a previously published method. Moreover, the culturing system we developed enables rearing of P. flava larvae through various planktonic stages and eventual metamorphosis into benthic juveniles, all under laboratory conditions. We anticipate that the animal resources and new technical procedures reported here will further facilitate the use of P. flava as a model organism for evolutionary and developmental biology research.

Introduction To date, no study reports the implication of YKL-40 in pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Therefore, we investigate the levels of plasma YKL-40 in patients with PID and further associate its expression with the severity of disease. Methods We designed a hospital-based case-control study with approximate 1:1 ratio and consecutively recruited 64 patients with PID and 70 control women. We collected blood samples from 64 women with PID before and after they received treatment and 70 control women to detect levels of plasma YKL-40 and C-reactive protein (CRP) as well as white blood cell and neutrophil counts. Results The results revealed that levels of plasma YKL-40 were significantly elevated in patients with PID as compared to those in controls (38.36 vs. 21.69 ng/ml, P = 0.001) but the significant difference was restricted to women aged 30 years or old after age stratification (56.75 vs. 23.61 ng/ml, P ≤ 0.001). It declined significantly after they received treatment (median: 38.36 vs. 27.54 ng/ml; P ≤ 0.001). Although both plasma YKL-40 and CRP were elevated in patients with tubo-ovarian abscess, PID patients with surgery exhibited higher YKL-40 concentration than those without surgery (median: 82.05 vs. 30.19 ng/ml, P = 0.005) and only plasma YKL-40 was significantly associated with the length of the hospital stay (P ≤ 0.001, R = 0.604). Conclusion We conclude that once individuals are diagnosed to have PID, YKL-40 may act as a biomarker to predict the severity and clinical outcome of the disease. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 26:136-142, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Background and Objectives The role of human nonmetastatic clone 23 type 1 (nm23-H1), a metastasis-associated gene, is less clear-cut in cancer of uterine cervix; therefore, we investigate its expression in cancer tissues and its correlation with clinicopathologic variables and survival of patients. Methods Thirty cervical cancer tissues and their normal counterparts were collected to evaluate quantitative nm23-H1 mRNA expression. From them, 16 cancer and 16 normal tissues were collected and added with another 64 cancer tissues to construct a 96-tissue core microarray for immunohistochemical study. We evaluated the relationships among nm23-H1 immunostaining using semi-quantitative H scores, clinicopathologic parameters, recurrence and survival in cervical cancer patients. Results Nm23-H1 mRNA expression and H score (median H scores: 2.0 vs. 0.3, P = 0.001) were higher in cervical cancer tissues than normal counterparts, respectively. Nm23-H1 expression was significantly associated with depth of stromal invasion (P = 0.003), tumor diameter (P = 0.044) and cell differentiation (P = 0.025). Other than stage II, poor cell differentiation as well as positive parametrium invasion and lymph node metastasis, positive nm23-H1 expression was significantly correlated with poor overall survival. Conclusion High nm23-H1 expression is predictive of worse overall survival for cervical cancer patients. J. Surg. Oncol. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Integrin proteins are critical for stabilization of hippocampal long-term potentiation but the mechanisms by which integrin activities are involved in synaptic transmission are not known. The present study tested whether activation of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-proprionate (AMPA) class glutamate receptors increases surface expression of alpha5beta1 integrin implicated in synaptic potentiation. Surface protein biotinylation assays demonstrated that AMPA treatment of COS7 cells expressing GluR1 homomeric AMPA receptors increased membrane insertion and steady-state surface levels of alpha5 and beta1 subunits. Treated cells exhibited increased adhesion to fibronectin- and anti-alpha5-coated substrates and tyrosine kinase signaling elicited by fibronectin-substrate adhesion, as expected if new surface receptors are functional. Increased surface expression did not occur in calcium-free medium and was blocked by the protein kinase C inhibitor chelerythrine chloride and the exocytosis inhibitor brefeldin A. AMPA treatment similarly increased alpha5 and beta1 surface expression in dissociated neurons and cultured hippocampal slices. In both neuronal preparations AMPA-induced integrin trafficking was blocked by combined antagonism of NMDA receptor and L-type voltage-sensitive calcium channel activities but was not induced by NMDA treatment alone. These results provide the first evidence that glutamate receptor activation increases integrin surface expression and function, and suggest a novel mechanism by which synaptic activity can engage a volley of new integrin signaling in coordination with, and probably involved in, stabilization of synaptic potentiation.

Objectives To compare the maternal age, sex ratio, and associated major anomalies among fetal trisomy 18 cases with different cell division of error. Methods Thirty-one consecutive cases of fetal trisomy 18 detected perinatally during a period of 6 years were studied. Among these, 18 were 47,XY,+18, and 13 were 47,XX,+18. The average gestational age at diagnosis was 19.7 ± 4.6 weeks, and the maternal age at diagnosis was 34.5 ± 5.8 years. DNA polymorphism analysis was applied to determine the parental origin, stage of non-disjunctional error and recombination. Results Twenty-eight cases were of maternal origin. Among these, 20 had major anomalies, 17 had meiosis II (MII) errors, 10 had meiosis I (MI) errors, and one had a postzygotic mitotic (PZM) or non-crossover MII error. Three cases were of paternal origin. Among these, two had major anomalies, two had MI errors, and one had a PZM or non-crossover MII error. For the 17 cases with maternal MII errors, the average maternal age was 34.5 ± 6.6 years. Of these cases, 12 had major anomalies, 13 were male, and 4 were female, giving a male : female sex ratio of 3.25:1. For the 10 cases with maternal MI errors, the average maternal age was 34.8 ± 5.7 years. Of these cases, seven had major anomalies, three were male, and seven were female, giving a male : female sex ratio of 0.429 : 1. Conclusion In trisomy 18, there is a male preponderance in the fetuses caused by maternal MII errors and a female preponderance in the fetuses caused by maternal MI errors. No significant difference was noted in maternal age or in associated major anomalies between the two groups of maternal MII errors and maternal MI errors. No significant difference was noted in associated major anomalies between the maternal and paternal cases. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A series of polymer–clay nanocomposite (PCN) materials that consist of poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PNVC) and layered montmorillonite (MMT) clay are prepared by effectively dispersing the inorganic nanolayers of MMT in an organic PNVC matrix via in situ photoinitiated polymerization with triarylsulfonium salt as the initiator. Organic NVC monomers are first intercalated into the interlayer regions of the organophilic clay hosts, followed by one-step UV-radiation polymerization. The as-synthesized PCN materials are typically characterized by Fourier transform IR spectroscopy, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The molecular weights of PNVCs extracted from the PCN materials and the bulk PNVC are determined by gel permeation chromatography analysis with tetrahydrofuran as the eluant. The morphological image of the synthesized materials is observed by an optical polarizing microscope. The effects of the material composition on the optical properties and thermal stability of PNVCs and a series of PCN materials (solution and fine powder) are also studied by UV–visible absorption spectra measurements, thermogravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry, respectively. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 1904–1912, 2004

When measuring periodontal disease, various types of equipment for making objective measurements of tooth mobility have been proposed. However, these devices and methodology are insufficient in terms of reliability. An innovative method using vibrational theories to assess the periodontal attachment level of natural teeth is presented in this study.Modal testing technique, a non-destructive and time-saving method, was used for non-invasive and quantitative measurement of the natural frequencies of the upper central incisor in vivo and in vitro. A finite element model was established, and modal testing experiments were simulated to assess the relationship between bone level and teeth.The first dominant natural frequency of healthy human upper central incisors ranges from 710 Hz to 3,360 Hz, with an average of 1,701+/-679 Hz. Both in vitro experiment and finite element simulation showed that lowering of the attachment level causes a significant decrease in the natural frequencies, and a strong relationship (r = -0.99, P0.01) was observed between the frequency and the bone level height.Our results suggested that natural frequency is an important parameter for assessing the periodontal condition and that the modal testing technique is a useful supplemental method for assessing the attachment conditions of the periodontium.

Periplasmic copper, zinc superoxide dismutases (Cu,ZnSOD) of several Gram-negative pathogens have been shown to play an important role in protection against exogenous superoxide radicals and in determining virulence of the pathogens. Here we report the cloning and characterization of the sodC gene, encoding Cu,ZnSOD, from the Gram-positive Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The predicted protein sequence contains 240 amino acids with a putative signal peptide at the N-terminus and shows approximately 25% identity to other bacterial sodC. Recombinant proteins of a full-length sodC and a truncated form lacking the putative signal peptide were overexpressed in Escherichia coli and affinity purified. Renatured recombinant M. tuberculosis sodC protein possessed characteristics of a Cu,ZnSOD. Immunoblotting with an antiserum against the recombinant M. tuberculosis Cu,ZnSOD allowed detection of a single polypeptide in the lysate of M. tuberculosis. This polypeptide has a similar size as the recombinant protein without the putative signal peptide indicating that the endogenous Cu,ZnSOD in M. tuberculosis might be processed and secreted. Furthermore, immunogold electron microscopic image showed that Cu,ZnSOD is located in the periphery of M. tuberculosis. The enzymatic activity and subcellular localization of this novel Cu,ZnSOD suggest that it may play a role in determining virulence of M. tuberculosis.