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BACKGROUND: While HIV/AIDS is increasing in Vietnam, very few published studies focus on HIV-related stigma in Vietnam. This study reports on findings from a community development project to reduce HIV-related stigma within one community in Vietnam. OBJECTIVES AND DESIGN: The purpose of this qualitative study is to describe HIV-related stigma from the perspective of three groups within one community in Vietnam: people living with HIV, their family members, and community members and leaders, including health care professionals. SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Fifty-eight individuals from a poor, industrial district on the outskirts of a large city participated in the study and were asked to describe HIV-related stigma. Interviews were conducted with 10 people living with HIV, 10 family members of a person living with HIV, and 10 community members and 5 community leaders including health care professionals. We also conducted three focus groups, one with people living with HIV (n=8), one with family members of people living with HIV (n=8), and one with community leaders including health care professionals (n=7). FINDINGS: Stigma across the three groups is characterized by four dimensions of HIV-related stigma: feeling shamed and scorned, behaving differently, stigma due to association, and fear of transmission. The manifestation of these dimensions differs for each group. Four themes of HIV-related stigma as described by people living with HIV are: being avoided, experiencing anger and rejection, being viewed as a social ill, and hiding the illness. Seven themes of HIV-related stigma as described by family members are: shunned by neighbors, viewed as poor parents, discriminated by health professionals, overhearing discussions about people with HIV, maintaining the secret, financial hardship for family, and fear of contracting HIV. Four themes of HIV-related stigma as described by community members and leaders including health professionals are: stigma as a fair reward, avoidance and shunning by neighbors, ruined family reputation, and fear of contracting HIV. CONCLUSIONS: HIV-related stigma is experienced in a different manner by each of these groups, a finding that should help in developing culturally sensitive strategies to reduce HIV-related stigma in Vietnam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatic eosinophilic pseudotumor (HEPT) is a rare condition that mimics malignant hepatic tumors, posing significant diagnostic challenges. This case report highlights the importance of considering parasitic infections like Fasciola hepatica ( F. hepatica ) in the differential diagnosis of hepatic masses, especially in endemic regions, to prevent unnecessary interventions., Case Summary: A 40-year-old female presented with a 1-month history of epigastric pain and significant weight loss. Imaging revealed a hepatic mass, initially misdiagnosed as intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Laboratory results showed marked eosinophilia, and histopathological examination confirmed significant eosinophilic infiltration without malignancy. Serological testing identified F. hepatica infection. The patient was treated with a single dose of triclabendazole, leading to complete symptom resolution and normalization of hepatic imaging findings within days., Conclusion: HEPT due to F. hepatica can closely mimic malignancy; timely antiparasitic treatment is crucial for resolution., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose., (©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aims: The COVID-19 crisis has significantly impacted public health, particularly mental health. This study aims to determine the prevalence of depression and related factors among patients with post-COVID-19 conditions in an outpatient clinic at a tertiary referral hospital in Southern Vietnam., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 410 patients with post-COVID-19 conditions in an outpatient clinic at the University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City. A convenience sampling method was used to screen for depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)., Results: A total of 410 patients participated in the study. Depression was observed in 23.7% of respondents, categorized as mild (80.4%), moderate (16.5%), or severe (3.1%) based on PHQ-9 scores. Factors influencing depression included age 50 years or older, religion, education level, full-time employment, marital status, family contact, use of anti-inflammatory drugs, hospital admission due to COVID-19, chronic diseases, hypertension, and post-COVID-19 symptoms (shortness of breath, palpitations, fatigue, headache, abdominal pain, brain fog, insomnia, and loss of appetite). The most common symptoms reported were cough, dyspnea, shortness of breath, fatigue, and loss of appetite. A p -value of less than 0.05 indicated statistical significance., Conclusion: The prevalence of depression among patients with post-COVID-19 conditions in the outpatient clinic was high. Improving mental health and quality of life, alongside the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, should remain public health priorities., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2024 The Author(s). Health Science Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objectives: Using pesticides in the An Giang province is widespread. However, studies on the health effect of organophosphate pesticide have not been updated within the past 12 years. This study aimed to assess exposure to organophosphate pesticides and their effects on sperm quality among farmers in the An Giang Province, Mekong Delta, Vietnam., Methods: During the winter - spring crop season of December 2021 to February 2022, a cross-sectional study was conducted on farmers aged 18 to 60 years-old based on seven communes' health checkup programs. The pesticide spray group included farmers who had sprayed pesticides in the previous week and had a history of working in agriculture for more than 2 years. The control group was defined as those who lived in the same community, had not worked in agriculture, and had never sprayed pesticides. Demographic characteristics and blood, urine, and semen samples were collected and analyzed., Results: Data for 184 eligible participants were analyzed, including 116 farmers in the pesticide spray group and 68 non-farmers in the control group. Pesticide spray contributed to a decrease in the sperm quality index of 6.253 units (95% CI, 4.472-8.749). Increasing each pseudocholinesterase (PChE) unit (kIU/L) was associated with an increase of 1.181 units in the sperm quality index (95% CI, 0.757-0.947)., Conclusions: Preventive methods for organophosphate pesticide exposure, such as administrative controls, engineering controls, substitution, and personal protective equipment should be applied to control health risks. In the An Giang setting, personal protective equipment is feasible, but most types of equipment are not used. The immediate priority is to determine the cause of personal protective equipment not being used and to find solutions to encourage people to use them.

Inherited retinal degeneration (RD) constitutes a heterogeneous group of genetic retinal degenerative disorders. The molecular mechanisms underlying RD encompass a diverse spectrum of cellular signaling, with the unfolded protein response (UPR) identified as a common signaling pathway chronically activated in degenerating retinas. TRIB3 has been recognized as a key mediator of the PERK UPR arm, influencing various metabolic pathways, such as insulin signaling, lipid metabolism, and glucose homeostasis, by acting as an AKT pseudokinase that prevents the activation of the AKT → mTOR axis. This study aimed to develop a gene-independent approach targeting the UPR TRIB3 mediator previously tested by our group using a genetic approach in mice with RD. The goal was to validate a therapeutic approach targeting TRIB3 interactomes through the pharmacological targeting of EGFR-TRIB3 and delivering cell-penetrating peptides targeting TRIB3 → AKT. The study employed rd10 and P23H RHO mice, with afatinib treatment conducted in p15 rd10 mice through daily intraperitoneal injections. P15 P23H RHO mice received intraocular injections of cell-penetrating peptides twice at a 2-week interval. Our study revealed that both strategies successfully targeted TRIB3 interactomes, leading to an improvement in scotopic A- and B-wave ERG recordings. Additionally, the afatinib-treated mice manifested enhanced photopic ERG amplitudes accompanied by a delay in photoreceptor cell loss. The treated rd10 retinas also showed increased PDE6β and RHO staining, along with an elevation in total PDE activity in the retinas. Consequently, our study demonstrated the feasibility of a gene-independent strategy to target common signaling in degenerating retinas by employing a TRIB3-based therapeutic approach that delays retinal function and photoreceptor cell loss in two RD models.

Nitrogen mustard (NM) is a known surrogate of sulfur mustard, a chemical-warfare agent that causes a wide range of ocular symptoms, from a permanent reduction in visual acuity to blindness upon exposure. Although it has been proposed that the two blistering agents have a similar mechanism of toxicity, the mode of NM-induced cell death in ocular tissue has not been fully explored. Therefore, we hypothesized that direct ocular exposure to NM in mice leads to retinal tissue injury through chronic activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) PERK arm in corneal cells and VEGF secretion, eventually causing cell death. We topically applied NM directly to mice to analyze ocular and retinal tissues at 2 weeks postexposure. A dramatic decline in retinal function, measured by scotopic and photopic electroretinogram responses, was detected in the mice. This decline was associated with enhanced TUNEL staining in both corneal and retinal tissues. In addition, exposure of corneal cells to NM revealed 228 differentially and exclusively expressed proteins primarily associated with the UPR, ferroptosis, and necroptosis. Moreover, these cells exhibited activation of the UPR PERK arm and an increase in VEGF secretion. Enhancement of VEGF staining was later observed in the corneas of the exposed mice. Therefore, our data indicated that the mechanism of NM-induced ocular toxicity should be carefully examined and that future research should identify a signaling molecule transmitted via a prodeath pathway from the cornea to the retina. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This study demonstrated that NM topical exposure in mice results in dramatic decline in retinal function associated with enhanced TUNEL staining in both corneal and retinal tissues. We also found that the NM treatment of corneal cells resulted in 228 differentially and exclusively expressed proteins primarily associated with ferroptosis. Moreover, these cells manifest the UPR PERK activation and an increase in VEGF secretion. The latter was also found in the corneas of the cexposed mice., Competing Interests: The authors do not have a conflict of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 by The Author(s).)

Background: We evaluated the utility of a novel 15-point multivessel aggregate stenosis (MVAS) score for predicting major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in low-risk patients with suspected ischaemic symptoms undergoing CTCA. Prognostic performance was compared with the Coronary Artery Disease Reporting and Data System (CAD-RADS) classification and the 16-point Segment Involvement Score (SIS)., Methods: 772 consecutive patients underwent CTCA and coronary artery calcification scoring (CACS) from 2010 to 2015. Coronary artery disease severity was calculated according to CAD-RADS class (0-5 ​± ​vulnerability modifier), the SIS (0-16), and an MVAS score (0-15) based on the aggregate stenosis severity in all 4 coronary vessels (maximum 12 points) plus the presence of any high-risk plaque features (additional 3 points). 52 patients were referred directly for coronary angiography based on CTCA findings and were excluded; the remainder were followed-up for 64.6 ​± ​19.1 months., Results: 54 ​MACE were observed in 720 patients (7.5%); MACE patients had higher CAD-RADS class (3.92 ​± ​0.7 vs 0.91 ​± ​1.2, p ​< ​0.0001), SIS (4.59 ​± ​2.7 vs 0.79 ​± ​1.2, p ​< ​0.0001), and MVAS scores (10.1 ​± ​1.7 vs 1.7 ​± ​2.1, p ​< ​0.0001). Adjusted Cox proportional hazards analysis identified CAD-RADS class (HR 2.96 (2.2-4), p ​< ​0.0001), SIS (HR 1.29 (1.2-1.4, p ​< ​0.0001), and MVAS score (HR 1.82 (1.6-2.1), p ​< ​0.0001) as predictors of MACE. Adjusted receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis found MVAS a more powerful predictor of MACE than CAD-RADS and SIS (AUC: 0.92 vs 0.84 vs 0.83, p ​= ​0.018)., Conclusions: CAD-RADS and SIS are reliable predictors of MACE, and the MVAS score provided incremental prognostic data. MVAS may potentiate risk stratification, particularly in institutions without advanced plaque analysis software., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Crown Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Piperine, a natural alkaloidal pungent product present in pepper plants, possesses the properties of anti-inflammatory and anti-metastasis. Lithocholic acid is a monohydroxy-5beta-cholanic acid with an alpha-hydroxy substituent at position 3; it is a secondary bile acid that plays a pivotal role in fat absorption, and has been discovered to mediate colorectal cancer (CRC) cell invasion and migration. However, the effect of piperine on angiogenesis has been poorly investigated. In the current study, we examined the role of piperine on LCA-stimulated angiogenesis by measuring interleukin-8 (IL-8) expression; moreover, we revealed the potential molecular mechanisms in CRC cells. Here, we showed that piperine inhibited LCA-stimulated endothelial EA.hy926 cell angiogenesis in a conditioned medium obtained from colorectal HCT-116 cells. Experiments with an IL-8 neutralizer showed that IL-8 present in the conditioned medium was the major angiogenic factor. Piperine inhibited LCA-stimulated ERK1/2 and AKT via the Src/EGFR-driven ROS signaling pathway in the colorectal cell line (HCT-116). Through mutagenesis and inhibitory studies, we revealed that ERK1/2 acted as an upstream signaling molecule in AP-1 activation, and AKT acted as an upstream signaling molecule in NF-κB activation, which in turn attenuated IL-8 expression. Taken together, we demonstrated that piperine blocked LCA-stimulated IL-8 expression by suppressing Src and EGFR in human CRC HCT-116 cells, thus remarkably attenuating endothelial EA.hy926 cell tube formation.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a global health concern. The development of vaccines with high immunogenicity and safety is crucial for controlling the global COVID-19 pandemic and preventing further illness and fatalities. Here, we report the development of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate, Nanocovax, based on recombinant protein production of the extracellular (soluble) portion of the spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2. The results showed that Nanocovax induced high levels of S protein-specific IgG and neutralizing antibodies in three animal models: BALB/c mouse, Syrian hamster, and a non-human primate ( Macaca leonina ). In addition, a viral challenge study using the hamster model showed that Nanocovax protected the upper respiratory tract from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Nanocovax did not induce any adverse effects in mice ( Mus musculus var. albino) and rats ( Rattus norvegicus ). These preclinical results indicate that Nanocovax is safe and effective., Competing Interests: All authors except TTL, DCV and LKHN were employed by Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Joint Stock Company (JSC). The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Tran, May, Ung, Nguyen, Nguyen, Dinh, Doan, Tran, Khong, Nguyen, Hua, Nguyen, Ha, Phan, Nguyen, Bui, Tu, Nguyen, Le, Dong, Huynh, Ho, Le, Truong, Pham, Luong, Y, Cao, Nguyen, Le, Vuong, Nguyen and Do.)

Cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) is a member of a subfamily of enzymes involved in the metabolism of both endogenous and exogenous substrates and the chemical activation of xenobiotics to carcinogenic derivatives. Here, the effects of nicotine, a major psychoactive compound present in cigarette smoke, on CYP1A1 expression and human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cell proliferation were investigated. Nicotine stimulated CYP1A1 expression via the transcription factors, activator protein 1, nuclear factor-kappa B, and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) signaling pathway. Pharmacological inhibition and mutagenesis studies indicated that p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, as well as RelA (or p65), mediated the upregulation of CYP1A1 of nicotine in HepG2 cells. The antioxidant compound, N-acetyl-cysteine, abrogated nicotine-activated production of reactive oxygen species and inhibited CYP1A1 expression by nicotine. Furthermore, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase activity was inhibited by diphenyleneiodonium (an NADPH oxidase inhibitor). Thus, these results demonstrated that AhR played an important role in nicotine-induced CYP1A1 expression. Additionally, liver hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells treated with nicotine exhibited markedly enhanced proliferation via CYP1A1 expression and Akt activation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors report no declarations of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Diabetes-related distress (DRD) refers to the condition of negative emotion as a result of living with diabetes and the burden of self-care. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence and associated factors of DRD among people with type 2 diabetes., Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on people with Type 2 Diabetes at three hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City, between April and November 2020. The study used the Vietnamese version of the Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS) which includes 17 items. The mean total distress score was calculated on the average of the 17 items. A mean score of equal to 2.0 or higher was classified as moderate to severe distress. Descriptive statistics were performed by frequency and percentage, and the multivariate Logistic Regression Analysis was used to assess information where p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: A total of 517 participants, who were mainly over 60 years old (56.8%) with females being 65.0%, participated in the study. Results showed that 23.6% and 5.8% of them, respectively, were found as being moderately or highly distressed. Some factors that correlated with the total distress results included age, timescale of diabetes, and glycemic control level (HbA1c). The rate of total distress in those who were over 60 years old and had a HbA1c <7 were less prevalent than those who were under 60, and had a HbA1c ≥7 (OR 0.5 95% CI 0.3-0.7; OR 0.5 95% CI: 0.3-0.9, respectively, all p<0.05), whilst the timescale of diabetes between 5 and 10 years was significantly more prevalent than those who had a timescale less 5 years (OR 1.8 95% CI 1.1-2.9, p<0.05)., Conclusion: A high rate of distress exists in people with diabetes. Therefore, combining the evaluation of distress as part of the regular diagnostic procedures of diabetes care, and recommending physicians apply a comprehensive approach to diabetes management, is necessary., Competing Interests: The authors declare they have no conflicts of interest for this work., (© 2021 Huynh et al.)

Background: The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become a major threat to human life around the world. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding COVID-19 among people with chronic diseases at the outpatient departments in Ho Chi Minh City., Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out between February and March 2020 using a convenience sampling strategy in three hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) via the use of a structured self-administered questionnaire. Factors relating to practices, prevalence ratio (PR), and 95% confidence interval were estimated by using the Poisson regression with robust options. P-value <0.05 was considered as statistically different., Results: A total of 522 participants had a mean age of 51.5 ± 10.6 years. Most of them reported seeing information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic (93.7%) via television and social media (72.8% and 62.1%, respectively). Just over two-thirds of the participants (68.4%) answered with sufficient knowledge of COVID-19. Most respondents had a positive attitude toward COVID-19 (90.8%), although some misconceptions existed. Almost over three-fourths of them (77.2%) maintained good practices for prevention. The rate of good practices in those who had sufficient knowledge was 1.24 times greater than that among those who had insufficient knowledge (PR 1.24, 95% CI: 1.10-1.41, P<0.05). Also, the rate of good practices in males was lower than that of females (PR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.83-0.99, P<0.05)., Conclusion: There still exists an amount of insufficient knowledge and negative attitude regarding COVID-19, which may be barriers to good prevention practices among chronic illness patients. Education programs need to continue via television and social media and emphasize that people with chronic diseases are more likely to experience severe symptoms, including death from COVID-19. Additionally, management authorities should prolong specific policies to protect the more vulnerable in our community., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests for this work., (© 2020 Huynh et al.)

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) plays a crucial role in cell invasion and cancer metastasis. In this study, we showed that cholic acid (CA), a major primary bile acid, can induce MMP-9 expression in colon cancer HT29 and SW620 cells. CA increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and also activated phosphorylation of ERK1/2, JNK, and p38 MAPK. Specific inhibitors and mutagenesis studies showed that ERK1/2 and JNK functioned as upstream signals in the activation of AP-1, and p38 MAPK functioned as an upstream signal in the activation of NF-κB. N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC, an ROS scavenger) and diphenyleneiodonium chloride (DPI, an NADPH oxidase inhibitor) inhibited CA-induced activation of ERK1/2, JNK, and p38 MAPK, indicating that ROS production by NADPH oxidase could be the furthest upstream signal in MMP-9 expression. Colon cancer cells pretreated with CA showed remarkably enhanced invasiveness. Such enhancement was partially abrogated by MMP-9-neutralizing antibodies. These results demonstrate that CA could induce MMP-9 expression via ROS-dependent ERK1/2, JNK-activated AP-1, and p38-MAPK-activated NF-κB signaling pathways, which in turn stimulate cell invasion in human colon cancer cells.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a pleiotropic cytokine, plays a key role in endothelial injury and atherosclerosis. In this study, we investigated the effects of nicotine, a major psychoactive compound in cigarette smoke, on IL-6 expression and EA.hy926 endothelial cell invasion. Nicotine stimulated IL-6 expression via the activator protein 1 (AP-1) transcription factor. Pharmacological inhibition and mutagenesis studies indicated that p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) mediated the IL-6-induced upregulation of nicotine in EA.hy926 cells. Furthermore, the antioxidant compound N-acetyl-cysteine eliminated the nicotine-activated production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inhibited signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT-3) phosphorylation; these two mechanisms mediated the upregulation of IL-6 expression by nicotine. In addition, the EA.hy926 cells treated with nicotine displayed markedly enhanced invasiveness due to IL-6 upregulation. Our data demonstrate that nicotine induced IL-6 expression, which, in turn, enhanced the invasiveness of endothelial EA.hy926 cells, via activation of the p38 MAPK/AP-1 and ROS/STAT-3 signaling pathways., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Metformin, an inexpensive, well-tolerated oral agent that is a commonly used first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes, has become the focus of intense research as a potential anticancer agent. In this study, we describe the inhibitory effect of metformin in interleukin 8 (IL-8) upregulation by lithocholic acid (LCA) in HCT116 colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. Pharmacological inhibition studies indicated that reactive oxygen species (ROS) were involved in LCA-induced IL-8 upregulation through activation of the transcription factor NF-κB. Metformin was demonstrated to block LCA-stimulated ROS production, in turn suppressing NF-κB signaling that was critical for IL-8 upregulation. An NADPH oxidase assay proved that the inhibitory effect of metformin on ROS production was derived from its strong suppression of NADPH oxidase, a key producer of ROS in cells. Compared with conditioned media (CM) derived from HCT116 cells treated with LCA, CM derived from HCT116 cells pretreated with metformin and then treated with LCA lost all stimulatory effect on endothelial cell proliferation and tubelike formation. In conclusion, metformin inhibited NADPH oxidase, which in turn suppressed ROS production and NF-κB activation to prevent IL-8 upregulation stimulated by LCA; this prevention thus obstructed endothelial cell proliferation and tubelike formation.

Bile acids (BAs) are cholesterol derivatives synthesized in the liver and then secreted into the intestine for lipid absorption. There are numerous scientific reports describing BAs, especially secondary BAs, as strong carcinogens or promoters of colon cancers. Firstly, BAs act as strong stimulators of colorectal cancer (CRC) initiation by damaging colonic epithelial cells, and inducing reactive oxygen species production, genomic destabilization, apoptosis resistance, and cancer stem cells-like formation. Consequently, BAs promote CRC progression via multiple mechanisms, including inhibiting apoptosis, enhancing cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and angiogenesis. There are diverse signals involved in the carcinogenesis mechanism of BAs, with a major role of epidermal growth factor receptor, and its down-stream signaling, involving mitogen-activated protein kinase, phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt, and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells. BAs regulate numerous genes including the human leukocyte antigen class I gene, p53, matrix metalloprotease, urokinase plasminogen activator receptor, Cyclin D1, cyclooxygenase-2, interleukin-8, and miRNAs of CRC cells, leading to CRC promotion. These evidence suggests that targeting BAs is an efficacious strategies for CRC prevention and treatment., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: To the best of our knowledge, no conflict of interest exists.

Recepteur d'origine nantais (RON) is a receptor tyrosine kinase belonging to the subfamily of which c-MET is the prototype. Large epidemiologic studies have confirmed the strong association between RON and gastric cancer development. Constitutive activation of RON signaling directly correlates with tumorigenic phenotypes of gastric cancer and a poor survival rate in advanced gastric cancer patients. In this review, we focus on recent evidence of the aberrant expression and activation of RON in gastric cancer tumors and provide insights into the mechanism of RON signaling associated with gastric cancer progression and metastasis. Current therapeutics against RON in gastric cancer are summarized., Competing Interests: CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT: None declared.

The secondary bile acid lithocholic acid (LCA), an established tumor promoter, has been implicated in colorectal cancer (CRC) metastasis. Overexpression of interleukin-8 (IL-8) has been detected in CRC, and it contributes to poor prognosis. However, the effect of LCA on IL-8 expression is still undefined. In this study, we observed that LCA treatment induced IL-8 expression in CRC HCT116 cells. Pharmacological inhibition and mutagenesis studies indicated that Erk1/2 is critical for LCA-induced IL-8 expression. Furthermore, LCA reduced the phosphorylation of STAT3, and the STAT3 inhibitor Stattic, accelerated LCA-induced IL-8 expression, suggesting that STAT3 is involved in LCA-induced IL-8 expression. Activation of Erk1/2 functioned as an upstream signal of the STAT3 suppression induced by LCA. In conclusion, LCA activated Erk1/2 and in turn, suppressed STAT3 phosphorylation to induce IL-8 expression in HCT116 cells, thus stimulating endothelial cell proliferation and tube like formation. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 2958-2967, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Aberrant expression of urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) has been observed in human gastric cancers. Prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ), whose biosynthesis is catalyzed by cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), is implicated in cancer metastasis; however, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of PGE 2 -driven uPAR expression are yet to be elucidated in human gastric cancer AGS cells. In this study, we showed that PGE 2 induces uPAR expression in concentration- and time-dependent manners. Furthermore, using antagonists and siRNA, we found that among the four subtypes of PGE 2 receptors, EP2 receptors are involved in PGE 2 -induced uPAR expression. PGE 2 induced the activation of Src, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), c-Jun NH 2 -terminal kinase (JNK), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk), and p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK). Specific inhibitor and mutagenesis studies showed that Src, EGFR, JNK1/2, and Erk1/2 are involved in PGE 2 -induced uPAR expression. PGE 2 induces EP2-dependent phosphorylation of Src, while the activation of Src-dependent EGFR leads to the phosphorylation of JNK1/2 and Erk1/2. Deletion and site-directed mutagenesis studies demonstrated the involvement of transcription factor activator protein (AP)-1 and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) in PGE 2 -induced uPAR expression. EGFR-dependent MAPKs (JNK1/2 and Erk1/2) function as the upstream signaling molecules in the activation of AP-1 and NF-κB, respectively. AGS cells pre-treated with PGE 2 showed remarkably enhanced invasiveness, which was partially abrogated by uPAR-neutralizing antibodies. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that PGE 2 -induced uPAR expression, which stimulates invasiveness of human gastric cancer AGS cells, is mediated by the EP2 receptor-dependent Src/EGFR/JNK1/2, Erk1/2/AP-1, and Src/EGFR/JNK1/2, Erk1/2/NF-κB cascades. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

The overexpression of urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) is associated with inflammation and virtually all human cancers. Despite the fact that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties, the negative regulation of uPAR by DHA is still undefined. Here, we investigated the effect of DHA on 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced uPAR expression and the underlying molecular mechanisms in ECV304 human endothelial cells. DHA concentration-dependently inhibited TPA-induced uPAR. Specific inhibitors and mutagenesis studies showed that PKCδ, JNK1/2, Erk1/2, NF-κB, and AP-1 were critical for TPA-induced uPAR expression. Application of DHA suppressed TPA-induced translocation of PKCδ, activation of the JNK1/2 and Erk1/2 signaling pathways, and subsequent AP-1 and NF-κB transactivation. In conclusion, these observations suggest a novel role for DHA in reducing uPAR expression and cell invasion by inhibition of PKCδ, JNK1/2, and Erk1/2, and the reduction of AP-1 and NF-κB activation in ECV304 human endothelial cells., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Carbon monoxide (CO), a byproduct of heme oxygenase (HO), presents antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor properties. Accumulating evidence supports that interleukin (IL)-8 contribute to the vascularity of human gastric cancer. However, the inhibition of IL-8 expression by CO is yet to be elucidated. Here, we utilized CO releasing molecule-2 (CORM-2) to investigate the effect of CO on IL-1β-induced IL-8 expression and the underlying molecular mechanisms in human gastric cancer AGS cells. CORM-2 dose-dependently suppressed IL-1β-induced IL-8 mRNA and protein expression as well as IL-8 promoter activity. IL-1β induced the translocation of p47(phox) to activate reactive oxygen species (ROS)-producing NADPH oxidase (NOX). Moreover, IL-1β activated MAPKs (Erk1/2, JNK1/2, and p38 MAPK) and promoted nuclear factor (NF)-кB and activator protein (AP)-1 binding activities. Pharmacological inhibition and mutagenesis studies indicated that NOX, ROS, Erk1/2, and p38 MAPK are involved in IL-1β-induced IL-8 expression. Transient transfection of deletion mutant constructs of the IL-8 promoter in cells suggested that NF-кB and AP-1 are critical for IL-1β-induced IL-8 transcription. NOX-derived ROS and MAPKs (Erk1/2 and p38 MAPK) functioned as upstream activators of NF-κB and AP-1, respectively. CORM-2 pretreatment significantly mitigated IL-1β-induced activation of ROS/NF-кB and Erk1/2/AP-1 cascades, blocking IL-8 expression and thus significantly reducing endothelial cell proliferation in the tumor microenvironment., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Cadmium (Cd), a widespread cumulative pollutant, is a known human carcinogen, associated with inflammation and tumors. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) plays a pivotal role in tumor metastasis; however, the mechanisms underlying the MMP-9 expression induced by Cd remain obscure in human endothelial cells. Here, Cd elevated MMP-9 expression in dose- and time-dependent manners in human endothelial cells. Cd increased ROS production and the ROS-producing NADPH oxidase. Cd translocates p47(phox), a key subunit of NADPH oxidase, to the cell membrane. Cd also activated the phosphorylation of EGFR, Akt, Erk1/2, and JNK1/2 in addition to promoting NF-кB and AP-1 binding activities. Specific inhibitor and mutagenesis studies showed that EGFR, Akt, Erk1/2, JNK1/2 and transcription factors NF-κB and AP-1 were related to Cd-induced MMP-9 expression in endothelial cells. Akt, Erk1/2, and JNK1/2 functioned as upstream signals in the activation of NF-κB and AP-1, respectively. In addition, N-acetyl-l-cystein (NAC), diphenyleneiodonium chloride (DPI) and apocynin (APO) inhibited the Cd-induced activation of EGFR, Akt, Erk1/2, JNK1/2, and p38 MAPK, indicating that ROS production by NADPH oxidase is the furthest upstream signal in MMP-9 expression. At present, it states that Cd displayed marked invasiveness in ECV304 cells, which was partially abrogated by MMP-9 neutralizing antibodies. These results demonstrated that Cd induces MMP-9 expression via ROS-dependent EGFR->Erk1/2, JNK1/2->AP-1 and EGFR->Akt->NF-κB signaling pathways and, in turn, stimulates invasiveness in human endothelial cells., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Body sway while maintaining an upright quiet stance reflects an active process of balance based on the integration of visual, vestibular, somatosensory, and proprioceptive inputs. Richard Serra's Promenade sculpture featured in the 2008 Monumenta exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris, France is herein hypothesized to have stimulated the body's vertical and longitudinal axes as it showcased five monumental rectangular solids pitched at a 1.69(°) angle. Using computerized dynamic posturography we measured the body sway of 23 visitors when fixating a cross, or when observing the artwork (fixating it or actively exploring it with eye movements) before and after walking around and alongside the sculpture (i.e., before and after a promenade). A first fixation at the sculpture increased medio-lateral stability (in terms of spectral power of body sway). Eye movement exploration in the depth of the sculpture increased antero-posterior stability [in terms of spectral power and canceling time (CT) of body sway] at the expense of medio-lateral stability (in terms of CT). Moreover, a medio-lateral instability associated with eye movement exploration before the promenade (in terms of body sway sensu stricto) was canceled after the promenade. Finally, the overall medio-lateral stability (in terms of spectral power) increased after the promenade. Fourteen additional visitors were asked to stand in a dark room and adjust a luminous line to what they considered to be the earth-vertical axis. The promenade executed within the sculpted environment afforded by Serra's monumental statuary works resulted in significantly improved performances on the subjective visual vertical test. We attribute these effects to the sculpted environment provided by the exhibition which may have acted as a kind of physiologic "training ground" thereby improving the visitors' overall sense of visual perspective, equilibrium, and gravity.

Objective: To evaluate sustained attention in adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP). CP affects motor control as well as certain cognitive processes such as attention, but its influence on the latter remains largely unexplored., Methods: Manual (Experiment 1) and oculomotor (Experiment 2) versions of the Continuous Performance Test were performed by adolescents with spastic CP and healthy age-matched controls (n = 10 per group in each experiment)., Results: In both experiments, patients with CP showed more omissions and their reaction time was more variable than controls. In Experiment 2, patients also showed more commissions. This problem was not observed in Experiment 1, possibly because of the presence of a hand movement deficit in CP., Conclusion: Taken together, the results show that sustained attention and inhibition capabilities are affected in CP. The present study also proposes that eye movements could constitute an interesting alternative for measuring sustained attention when hand movement is affected.

Background: Many patients show modulation of tinnitus by gaze, jaw or neck movements, reflecting abnormal sensorimotor integration, and interaction between various inputs. Postural control is based on multi-sensory integration (visual, vestibular, somatosensory, and oculomotor) and indeed there is now evidence that posture can also be influenced by sound. Perhaps tinnitus influences posture similarly to external sound. This study examines the quality of postural performance in quiet stance in patients with modulated tinnitus., Methods: Twenty-three patients with highly modulated tinnitus were selected in the ENT service. Twelve reported exclusively or predominately left tinnitus, eight right, and three bilateral. Eighteen control subjects were also tested. Subjects were asked to fixate a target at 40 cm for 51 s; posturography was performed with the platform (Technoconcept, 40 Hz) for both the eyes open and eyes closed conditions., Results: For both conditions, tinnitus subjects showed abnormally high lateral body sway (SDx). This was corroborated by fast Fourrier Transformation (FFTx) and wavelet analysis. For patients with left tinnitus only, medio-lateral sway increased significantly when looking away from the center., Conclusion: Similarly to external sound stimulation, tinnitus could influence lateral sway by activating attention shift, and perhaps vestibular responses. Poor integration of sensorimotor signals is another possibility. Such abnormalities would be accentuated in left tinnitus because of the importance of the right cerebral cortex in processing both auditory-tinnitus eye position and attention.

The Stroop test enables interference between color naming and reading to be studied. Protopapas et al. (2007) reported more errors in an interference task and longer reaction times in 12.5-year-old dyslexics; also more Stroop interference with lower reading skills. The present study uses a version of the Stroop with four color cards and aims to test interference and flexibility in older dyslexic teenagers. The four cards are: color naming, reading, interference and flexibility. In the latter, subjects have to name the color of the word inhibiting reading except when the word is inside a box. This flexibility task enables the testing of the capacity for cognitive switching between tasks. Ten dyslexics (15.1 +/- 0.7 years old) and fourteen controls (14.3 +/- 1.6 years old) participated in the study. All performed the color naming, the reading, the interference and the flexibility tasks in the same order. Subsequently, they performed a sequence of 60 saccades left-right followed by the interference task. Generally, dyslexic teenagers behaved similarly to non-dyslexics as they showed fewer errors in reading and color than in the interference and flexibility tasks. However, they made more errors and needed more time to accomplish each task than non-dyslexics. The results suggest that the inhibitory and attention processes required by the Stroop test are dysfunctioning even in older dyslexics. In contrast, the study shows no evidence for particular difficulty in the flexibility task, which would constitute an argument against problems with mental switching. Following the execution of saccades, errors in the interference test were significantly reduced for dyslexics, while the time was reduced for both groups. The effects are attributed to visual attention training via saccades.

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by involuntary motor and vocal tics. Sub-clinical postural control anomalies have recently been reported in children with TS. The goal of the present study was to determine whether these anomalies interact with attention in postural control. Thirty-two younger (below 10 years) and 21 older (above 10 years) children with TS were compared to 13 younger and 15 older age-matched controls. Postural control was examined during standing with and without a secondary visual attention task. Sway velocity was higher in younger children than older ones and also higher in children with TS than in controls. The secondary task exacerbated the velocity anomalies in younger children with TS. The effects were independent of tic severity, medication, and attention deficit. The results suggest that postural control anomalies in TS are sensitive to attentional requirements., (Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: An earlier study suggested that deficits of vergence can influence postural control via the efferent and afferent proprioceptive signals. In this study, postural control in 28 children with vertigo with normal vestibular function but with vergence abnormalities and in 19 normal children of comparable age was assessed with orthoptic tests., Methods: A posturography platform was used to examine posture in quiet stance. The child was asked to fixate a target at 40 cm or at 200 cm, either with eyes open (vision condition) or with eyes covered by a black mask (no vision condition). In a complementary test in 15 of 28 children with vertigo and in all 19 normal children, postural control was evaluated during monocular viewing (dominant and nondominant eye viewing)., Results: For all children examined, postural stability was better when fixating a target at near than at far distance and with both eyes than with one eye or with eyes covered. In all conditions, the children with vertigo were more unstable than were the control children., Conclusions: Binocular visual information, such as vergence disparity, is essential in stabilizing posture at near distance. Postural instability reported in children with vertigo and vergence abnormalities could be due to poor vergence inputs and/or to immature compensatory mechanisms controlling postural stability (vestibular, somatosensory inputs and/or cerebellar processes).

This article describes an action research approach to community development in Vietnam. An advisory committee worked with the researchers and identified the stigma of HIV/AIDS as a health issue of importance to it. The advisory committee consisted of representatives from the community. The selected issue was then explored in greater depth by individually interviewing infected persons, their family members, community members, and leaders. At the same time, focus groups were conducted for additional members of each of the above three cohorts. Through open-ended questions, the participants described the impacts of the stigma on their life, the possible causes of the stigma, and the relevant strategies to reduce these causes. Based on the findings, the advisory committee suggested interventions to reduce the stigma. This project demonstrated an effective way in which nurses can work with communities to help them to identify local solutions to their identified health issues.

Purpose: To examine gain, speed, and temporal characteristics of initial and closed-loop components of vergence eye movements in young and elderly subjects., Methods: Vergence eye movements in 13 elderly and 10 young adults were examined. A table with light-emitting diodes was used to elicit vergence starting from near (convergence, 40-20 cm; divergence, 20-40 cm) or from far (convergence, 150-40 cm; divergence, 40-150 cm). Vergence eye movements were recorded with a video eye tracker or an infrared eye movement device., Results: There were no aging effects on the gain or peak velocity of vergence. Vergence duration was longer in elderly than in young adults, but only for the second, closed-loop components, driven by visual feedback. Elderly and young adults showed higher peak velocity and gain for convergence than for divergence., Conclusions: This observation is discussed in the context of physiological evidence of a robust convergence, rather than a divergence, generator at the brain stem level. Such a specific effect of aging on the duration of the closed-loop component is attributed to the reduced capacity of cortical processing of visual binocular disparity; slowing of vergence would allow good final accuracy.

This study examined the eye movement responses to vertical disparity induced by a 2-diopter vertical prism base down while in standing position. Vertical vergence movements are known to be small requiring accurate measurement with the head stabilized, and was done with the EyeLink 2. The 2-diopter vertical prism, base down, was inserted in front of either the non-dominant eye (NDE) or dominant eye (DE) at 40 and 200 cm. The results showed that vertical vergence was stronger and excessive relative to the required value (i.e. 1.14 degrees ) when the prism was on the NDE for both distances, but more appropriate when the prism was on the DE. The results suggest that sensory disparity process and vertical vergence responses are modulated by eye dominance.

Objective: There is a discrepancy about the effect of saccades on postural control: some studies reported a stabilization effect, other studies the opposite. Perturbation of posture by saccades could be related to loss of vision during saccades (saccades suppression) due to high velocity retinal slip. On the other hand, efferent and afferent proprioceptive signals related to saccades can be used for obtaining spatial stability over saccades and maintaining good postural control. In natural conditions saccades can be horizontal, vertical and made at different distance. The present study examines all these parameters to provide a more complete view on the role of saccade on postural control in quiet stance., Methods: Horizontal or vertical saccades of 30 degrees were made at 1Hz and at two distances, 40 and 200cm. Eye movements were recorded with video-oculograhpy (EyeLink II). Posturography was recorded with the TechnoConcept platform. The results from "saccade" conditions are compared to "fixation control" condition (at far and near)., Results: The video oculography results show that subjects performed the fixation or the saccade task correctly. Execution of saccades (horizontal or vertical at near or at far distance) had no significant effect on the surface of center of pressure (CoP), neither on the standard deviation of the lateral body sway, nor on the variance of speed of the CoP. Moreover, whatever the distance, execution of saccades decreased significantly the standard deviation of the antero-posterior sway., Conclusion: We conclude that saccades, of either the direction and at either the distance, do not deteriorate postural control; rather they could reduce sway. Efferent and proprioceptive oculomotor signals as well as attention could contribute to maintain or improve postural stability while making saccades.

The Romberg test generally shows that postural stability is better with eyes open than eyes closed; the Romberg quotient (RQ) is generally 2.5. This study examines the possible role of vergence angle on the RQ. Eighteen young (25.3+/-2.7 years) and 17 old (61.6+/-4.4 years) subjects were required to fixate a target at 40 cm or at 200 cm inducing different vergence angle (i.e. 8.6 degrees and 1.7 degrees, respectively) either with eyes open or closed. Postural stability of subjects was measured with force platform (TechnoConcept). The RQ was about 2 at 40 cm but dropped to 1 at 200 cm. In a second experiment, 15 subjects (26.7+/-5.5 years) run the Romberg test with eye movement measures (Chronos). Subjects were required to fixate a target placed at 20 cm, 40 cm, 90 cm, 200 cm or 350 cm either in light or in dark. The RQ at 20 cm and 40 cm was close to 2 and dropped to 1 at 90 cm and beyond. In parallel, the vergence angle at 20 cm and 40 cm changed significantly between light and dark, while at 90 cm and beyond it was stable (about 2 degrees both in light and dark). The distance had a significant effect on the co-variance between the RQ based on the anterior-posterior sway, and the change of vergence angle. We suggest different ways of control of posture according to the viewing distance: at near distance and in the light, the CNS uses vision coupled with oculo-motor convergence signals (efferent and afferent) leading to high RQ; at intermediate and far distances, it would use mostly internal signals (vestibular, proprioceptive, somatosensory), and similarly in the light and in the dark.

Postural control in upright stance requires the central integration of visual, vestibular, somatosensory (as cutaneous receptors) and proprioceptive (as joint receptors) inputs. Clinical studies seem to indicate an association between vertical heterophoria (VH) and balance control. The purpose of the study was to simulate a VH and examine its influence on body stabilisation in quiet stance. We studied 15 healthy subjects (25.6+/-3.0 years). The postural stability was measured with a platform under the following conditions: normal viewing, with a two-diopter prism base down placed on the dominant eye (PDE) or the non-dominant eye (PNDE). Both eyes were open in all conditions. All conditions were run at two distances: 200 and 40 cm. The results showed: (i) PNDE increased the antero-posterior body sway for both distances; this result could be related to sensory processing of disparity and/or to inappropriate eye movement response to the disparity induced by the prism; (ii) PDE improved the postural stability only at far distance (reduction of the center-of-pressure excursion area and of the lateral body sway). Such positive result could be due to appropriate sensory processing of disparity and/or eye movement response; the latter would reduce vertical disparity and modify the dynamic and tonic eye muscle activity relative to normal viewing at far distance. We conclude that: (i) experimentally induced vertical phoria does indeed influence postural control; (ii) vertical prisms, even of small power, can have complex effects, positive or negative, depending on the eye wearing it and at the distance fixated.

Prior studies indicate that postural stability under binocular viewing is not better than under monocular viewing. This was tested at the distances of 145 cm [Fox, C.R. (1990). Some visual influences on human postural equilibrium: binocular versus monocular fixation. Perception and Psychophysics, 47 (5), 409-422] and 90 cm [Isotalo, E., Kapoula, Z., Feret, P.H., Gauchon, K., Zamfirescu, F., & Gagey, P.M. (2004). Monocular versus binocular vision in postural control. Auris Nasus Larynx, 31 (1), 11-17]. On the other hand, postural stability is known to decrease with distance increase. We re-examined the effect of binocular versus monocular viewing on postural stability at near and far distances (40 and 200 cm), and for both young (25.7+/-2.7 years), and old subjects (61.2+/-4.6 years). For both groups of subjects, proximity decreased the area of CoP, the standard deviation of antero-posterior sway (SDy) and the variance of speed. The group of elderly presented increased variance of speed at far distance in comparison with young subjects. The novel finding is the interaction between distance and viewing condition. Under binocular viewing, the area of CoP was significantly higher at far distance than at near; in contrast, monocular viewing produced similar CoP values at both distances. Increased instability at far distance when both eyes are viewing is attributed to decreased sensitivity to binocular disparity cues and to visual motion in depth resulting from body sway. Monocular viewing would provide similar stability at far and at near distance, because sensitivity to lateral visual motion, detected monocularly, decreases less with distance than sensitivity to binocularly detected motion in depth. Alternatively, such monocular viewing could increase subject's attention and lead to tighter postural control regardless of the distance.

Visual stabilization of posture is known to improve when the distance to target fixation decreases; this is attributed to increased angular size of retinal slip induced by body sway. At near distance, however, the eyes converge and efferent or afferent oculomotor signals could also be involved in posture stabilization. The goal of this study is to test whether the distance effect exists for both young and elderly and to test the role of vergence itself and of gaze position. Eighteen young (25.3 years) and 17 elderly (61.6 years) subjects were asked to fixate a target in quiet stance presented either at close (40 cm) or at far distance (200 cm); the vergence angle was 9 degrees and 2 degrees , respectively. For each distance, three gaze positions were studied straight-ahead (0 degrees ), 15 degrees up or down. We found a decrease in the surface of center of pressure (CoP), of standard deviation of antero-posterior and lateral body sway and of speed variance at near distance that occurs for both young and elderly. At far distance, the surface of CoP is smaller for 15 degrees up or down gaze in comparison with straight-ahead position, but at near distance there is no such gaze position effect. In an additional experiment, subjects fixated a target at far distance (200 cm) but prisms were used to cause the eyes to converge by an amount similar to that required for 40 cm viewing distance. The use of prisms decreased surface of CoP to values similar to those for natural near viewing distance. The effect of gaze position and of convergence (experiment with prisms) leads us to suggest that in addition to retinal slip, the ocular motor signals and perhaps related neck muscle activity are involved in postural stabilization. Finally, the elderly presented higher speed variance of CoP than the young subjects even though the surface itself was similar to adult values. We suggest that increment of speed variance is the first sign of senescence in postural control.

A new murine member of the interferon (IFN)-inducible guanylate-binding protein (GBP) family was cloned in a search for glucocorticoid-attenuated response genes induced in the lung during endotoxemia. The full-length MuGBP-5 cDNA encodes a 590 amino acid residue protein with GTP binding motifs identical to those in human GBP-1 (HuGBP-1) and a similar isoprenylation sequence at the C-terminus. An alternatively spliced form of MuGBP-5 that lacks the second GTP binding motif and differs at the C-terminus was also identified. The MuGBP-5 gene is located on chromosome 3, near MuGBP-3 and MuGBP-2, and has a genomic organization similar to other GBP genes. To facilitate the evaluation of GBP family message expression, we constructed RNase protection assay probes for MuGBP-1, MuGBP-2, MuGBP-3, MuGBP-4/Mag-2 (macrophage activation gene-2), and MuGBP-5 and validated their use in Swiss Webster, BALB/c, and C57BL/6 mice. In BALB/c mice, all five MuGBPs were induced in multiple organs during endotoxemia, and all had a similar pattern of expression in different tissues. With minor quantitative differences, the MuGBPs also had similar patterns of response to IFN-gamma, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in RAW 264.7 and Swiss 3T3 cells. The coordinate expression of the MuGBPs suggests that they share common mechanisms of regulation.