HIF-1α determines the metastatic potential of gastric cancer cells

Gastric adenocarcinoma is characterised by rapid emergence of systemic metastases, resulting in poor prognosis due to vanished curative treatment options. Better understanding of the molecular basis of gastric cancer spread is needed to design innovative treatments. The transcription factor HIF-1α (hypoxia-inducible factor 1α) is frequently overexpressed in human gastric cancer, and inhibition of HIF-1α has proven antitumour efficacy in rodent models, whereas the relevance of HIF-1α for the metastatic phenotype of gastric adenocarcinoma remains elusive. Therefore, we have conducted a comprehensive analysis of the role of HIF-1α for pivotal metastasis-associated processes of human gastric cancer. Immunhistochemistry for HIF-1α showed specific staining at the invading tumour edge in 90% of human gastric cancer samples, whereas normal gastric tissue was negative and only a minority of early gastric cancers (T1 tumours) showed specific staining. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α-deficient cells showed a significant reduction of migratory, invasive and adhesive properties in vitro. Furthermore, the HIF-1α-inhibitor 2-methoxy-estradiol significantly reduced metastatic properties of gastric cancer cells. The accentuated expression at the invading edge together with the in vitro requirement of HIF-1α for migration, invasion and adherence argues for a pivotal role of HIF-1α in local invasion and, ultimately, systemic tumour spread. These results warrant the exploration of HIF-1α-inhibiting substances in clinical treatment studies of advanced gastric cancer

International competitiveness analysis of woodworking machinery industry in Turkey

tur Woodworking Machinery (WM) Industry has become an important market in line with the developments in furniture and other forest products industries. In spite of the developments in WM industry of Turkey, the sector is yet to be developed in terms of competitiveness, especially given the fact that the sector still fails to satisfy the domestic demand. WM foreign trade of Turkey changes on an annual basis, and according to recent trade data, export volume reached 1% of global market with 90 million USD and import volume reached 2% of global market with 200 million $. The majority of imported goods are supplied from developed countries such as Germany, Italy and China, whereas developing countries such as Russia, Iraq and Libya purchase most of the exported goods. In recent years the negative trend in the balance of foreign trade declined to 110 million$ levels, resulting in a rapid decline in foreign trade deficit. The aim of the present study was to determine the position and international competitiveness of tur WM industry. For this purpose, the definitions as to the competitiveness of the sector and evaluation methodology for international competitiveness were initially provided. 2004-2015 foreign trade data of International Trade Center (ITC) and tur Statistical Institute (TUIK in tur) were used to estimate the Revealed Comparative Advantage Index. Afterwards, other indices for competitiveness, adopted in the literature, were used to determine the international competitiveness of the sector among global markets. © by PSP

Enhanced electrokinetic properties and antimicrobial activities of biodegradable chitosan/organo-bentonite composites

PubMed ID: 28189248In this study, chitosan (CS), Na+-bentonite (Na+-BNT) and chitosan/organo-bentonite (CS/O-BNT) biodegradable composites having three different compositions were investigated. Electrokinetic measurements were examined in aqueous medium by taking the effects pH, electrolytes (NaCl and BaCl2), surfactants (CTAB and SDS), and temperature into account. It was noticed that the initial ?-potential of Na+-BNT shifted from negative (? = ?35 mV) to positive region (? = +13 mV) with increasing polycationic CS content in the composite structure as aimed. Divalent 2:1 electrolyte (BaCl2) caused to shift the ?-potentials of all the dispersions to more positive regions. While the most negative effect on ?-potential of the composites was reached with SDS, which reduced the value of ?-potential to ?39 mV for CS(1)/O-BNT composite, the most positive effect was monitored with CTAB (? = +40 mV) for CS(3)/O-BNT composite. Further, the composites were tested against various bacterial (Gram-positive and Gram-negative) and fungal microorganisms at various concentrations and results obtained were compared with the reference antibiotics and fungicide. According to inhibition zone values accomplished, antibacterial and antifungal activities of the CS/O-BNT composites are increased with increasing CS content as proportional with their positive ?-potential values. © 2017 Elsevier Lt