Curcumin inhibits WEHI-3 leukemia cells in BALB/c mice in vivo

[[abstract]]Curcumin (1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione), a natural polyphenol product of the plant Curcuma longa, exhibited potent inhibitory activities against proliferation, induced cell cycle arrest and exhibited the induction of apoptosis in several tumor cell lines. In our previous studies, we have shown that curcumin induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis on human leukemia HL-60 and mouse leukemia WEHI-3 cells; there are no reports regarding whether or not it affects leukemia cells in vivo. In the present study, we investigated the effects of curcumin on WEHI-3 in BALB/c mice and the results indicated that curcumin reduces the percentage of Mac-3 marker, which is the precursor of macrophage. Curcumin induced significant effects on the population of B cells from murine leukemia in vivo. We also investigated the weights of spleen and liver from murine leukemia and the results showed that curcumin reduced the weight of the liver and spleen. From the pathological examinations, the effects of curcumin on the liver and spleen from mice after being injected with WEHI-3 cells were apparent. Both organs were enlarged. In conclusion, curcumin affect WEHI-3 cells in vivo

Curcumin Inhibits Human Lung Large Cell Carcinoma Cancer Tumour Growth in a Murine Xenograft Model

[[abstract]]Curcumin can decrease viable cells through the induction of apoptosis in human lung cancer NCI-H460 cells in vitro. However, there are no reports that curcumin can inhibit cancer cells in vivo. In this study, NCI-H460 lung tumour cells were implanted directly into nude mice and divided randomly into four groups to be treated with vehicle, curcumin (30 mg/kg of body weight), curcumin (45 mg/kg of body weight) and doxorubicin (8 mg/kg of body weight). Each agent was injected once ever), 4 days intraperitoneally (i.p.), with treatment starting 4 weeks after inoculation with the NCI-H460 cells. Treatment with 30 mg/kg an 45 mg/kg of curcumin or with 8 mg/kg of doxorubicin resulted in a reduction in tumour incidence, size and weight compared with the control group. The findings indicate that curcumin can inhibit tumour growth in a NCI-H460 xenograft animal model in vivo. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Chronic arsenic exposure and its adverse health effects in Taiwan: A paradigm for management of a global environmental problem

AbstractIt was estimated that, nearly 100 million people are at risk for drinking arsenic (As)-contaminated drinking water. Although the WHO guideline recommends that levels of As in drinking water should not exceed 10 μm/L, it was estimated that more than 30 million people drink As-containing water at levels more than 50 μm/L in Bangladesh and India alone. Therefore, the adverse health effects resulting from chronic As exposure pose a global threat. In Taiwan, studies focusing on the health effects resulting from chronic As exposure through contaminated drinking water have been ongoing for more than 50 years. During the past half century, it was recognized that the impact of high As exposure on human health is much more complicated than originally anticipated. Chronic As exposure resulted in infamous blackfoot disease, which is unique to As endemic areas in Taiwan, and various diseases including cancers and non-cancers. Although the potential-biological outcomes have been well-documented, the pathomechanisms leading from As exposure to occurrence and development of the diseases remain largely unclear. One of the major obstacles that hindered further understanding regarding the adverse health effect resulting from chronic As exposure is documentation of cumulative As exposure from the distant past, which remains difficult as the present technologies mostly document relatively recent As exposure. Furthermore, the susceptibility to As exposure appears to differ between different ethnic groups and individuals and is modified by lifestyle factors including smoking habits and nutrition status. No consensus data has yet been reached even after comparing the study results obtained from different parts of the world focusing on associations between human As toxicity and genetic polymorphisms in terms of cellular detoxification enzymes, tumor suppressor proteins, and DNA repair pathway. With the availability of the new powerful “OMIC” technologies, it may now be possible to gain new path-breaking insights regarding this important environmental health issue. The lessons learned from the past half-century placed Taiwan in an experienced position to actively participate in the international collaborative projects using these novel technologies and standardized methods

The treatment of glioblastoma multiforme through activation of microglia and TRAIL induced by rAAV2-mediated IL-12 in a syngeneic rat model

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Microglial cells are the predominant immune cells in malignant brain tumors, but tumors may release some factors to reduce their defensive functions. Restoration of the anti-cancer function of microglia has been proposed as a treatment modality for glioblastoma. We examined the effect of intra-cranially administered recombinant adeno-associated virus encoding interleukin-12 (rAAV2/IL12) on transfection efficiency, local immune activity and survival in a rat model of glioblastoma multiforme.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>F344 rats were injected with rAAV2/IL12 and implanted with syngeneic RG2 cells (glioblastoma cell line). Intracerebral interleukin-12 and interferon-γ concentrations were determined by ELISA. Activation of microglia was determined by expressions of ED1 and tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) which were evaluated by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. The proliferation of cancer cells was evaluated with Ki67 immunohistochemistry and apoptosis of cancer cells with TUNEL.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The brains treated with rAAV2/IL-12 maintained high expression of interleukin-12 and interferon-γ for at least two months. In syngeneic tumor model, brains treated with rAAV2/IL12 exhibited more infiltration of activated microglia cells as examined by ED1 and TRAIL stains in the tumor. In addition, the volume of tumor was markedly smaller in AAV2/IL12-treated group and the survival time was significantly longer in this group too.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The intra-cerebrally administered rAAV2/IL-12 efficiently induces long lasting expression of IL-12, the greater infiltration of activated microglia cells in the tumor associated improved immune reactions, resulting in the inhibited growth of implanted glioblastoma and the increased survival time of these rats.</p

EVALUATION OF ELBOW AND FOREARM MOTION BETWEEN SIDEARM AND OVERHAND PITCHING

This study is to analyze the differences in kinematics, electromyography (EMG) and ultrasonography between two types of pitchers. We intend to observe and simulate the muscles around glenohumeral and elbow joints in different pitching motions and hope to discover the connections and differences in between. 12 pitchers from the top level were recruited. Larger elbow flexion was found in sidearm pitchers during the acceleration phase. Decrease of the distance of nerve to medial epicondyle was also found as the elbow moved to a more flexed position. More anterior translation of the ulnar nerve might occur during acceleration phase. Slightly lower flexor carpi radialis (FCR) activity was displayed in sidearm pitchers, showing that FCR might play a less crucial role in protecting medial elbow by providing less varus torque

Adaptive web service selection based on data type matching for dynamic web service composition

Although there are many web services provided for access in World Wide Web (WWW), some services are not available at all times.It is very important to ensure all services are available when a service composition takes place.A web service that meets the requirements of the workflow but does not match the data type will still cause a failure in composition.To address this concern, we propose an adaptive web service selection method which is able to replace a current web service which has been used for composition but fails during execution time.The proposed algorithm will select the most appropriate web service based on web service discovery engine recommendation and match the requirement based on WSDL description. Upon matching the requirements of the workflow, the selected web service will be matched according to the input and output data type. The goal of this paper is to ensure every web service that meets the requirements of the workflow does not get rejected when the data type does not fulfill the matching criteria

Webs: A web accessibility barrier severity metric

A novel metric for quantitatively measuring the severity of websites barriers that limit the accessibility for disabled people is proposed. The metric is based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0), which is the most adopted voluntary web accessibility standard internationally that can be tested automatically. The proposed metric is intended to rank the accessibility barriers based on their severity rather than the total conformance to priority levels.Our metric meets the requirements as a measurement for scientific research. An experiment is conducted to assess the results of our metric and to reveal the commonplace violations that persist in websites and affect disabled people interacting with the web

THE CENTER OF MASS TRAJECTORY DURING FIXED-STANCE PUSH HANDS MOVEMENTS OF TAI CHI CHUAN

The purpose of this study was to investigate how Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) skills affect the whole body center of mass (COM) during Tai Chi Chuan fixed-stance push hands movement. Four TCC experts with push hands movement experience for 10.3±1.7 years and four TCC beginners with 2.5±1.3-year experience were recruited in this study. Three-dimensional kinematics data of the TCC fixed-stance push hands movements were collected and COM displacement and velocity during the movements were analyzed. The patterns of the COM between two groups during the push hands movement cycle were similar, but the COM displacement and velocity were different. Our investigation reveals that the experience-related differences in whole body COM transfers are reflected in the push hands movement cycle

Paeonol Protects Memory after Ischemic Stroke via Inhibiting β-Secretase and Apoptosis

Poststroke dementia commonly occurs following stroke, with its pathogenesis related to β-amyloid production and apoptosis. The present study evaluate the effects of paeonol, one of the phenolic phytochemicals isolated from the Chinese herb Paeonia suffruticosa Andrews (MC), on protection from memory loss after ischemic stroke in the subacute stage. Rats were subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAo) with 10 min of ischemia. The data revealed that paeonol recovered the step-through latency in the retrieval test seven days after tMCAo, but did not improve the neurological deficit induced by tMCAo. Levels of Amyloid precursor protein (APP)- and beta-site APP cleaving enzyme (BACE; β-secretase)-immunoreactive cells, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells decreased in the paeonol-administered group. Western blotting revealed decreased levels of Bax protein in mitochondria and apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) in cytosol following paeonol treatment. In conclusion, we speculate that paeonol protected memory after ischemic stroke via reducing APP, BACE, and apoptosis. Supression the level of Bax and blocking the release of AIF into cytosol might participate in the anti-apoptosis provided by paeonol

A huge traumatic pulmonary pseudocyst

AbstractTraumatic pulmonary pseudocyst (TPP) is a rare complication following blunt trauma. We report a 26-year-old male patient who presented to the emergency room with internal bleeding and shock. Huge TPP (14 cm in diameter) was seen on whole-body computed tomography scan and complicated with bronchial bleeding. He deteriorated to respiratory failure soon after arriving at the emergency room. TPPs imply high-energy impact on the chest region and frequently complicated with pulmonary contusions, hemo- and pneumo-thorax, multiple rib fractures, flail chest, and concurrent with abdominal injuries. Emergency physicians should be aware of such rare entity and manage correctly