Apigenin Induces Apoptosis through a Mitochondria/Caspase-Pathway in Human Breast Cancer MDA-MB-453 Cells

In this study, we investigated the mechanistic role of the caspase cascade in extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis induced by apigenin, which has been targeted as a candidate in the development of noncytotoxic anticancer medicines. Treatment with apigenin (1–100 µM) significantly inhibited the proliferation of MDA-MB-453 human breast cancer cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner with IC50 values of 59.44 and 35.15 µM at 24 and 72 h, respectively. This inhibition resulted in the induction of apoptosis and the release of cytochrome c in cells exposed to apigenin at its 72 h IC50. Subsequently, caspase-9, which acts in mitochondria-mediated apoptosis, was cleaved by apigenin. In addition, apigenin activated caspase-3, which functions downstream of caspase-9. The apigenin-induced activation of caspase-3 was accompanied by the cleavage of capases-6, -7, and -8. These results are supported by evidence showing that the activity patterns of caspases-3, -8, and -9 were similar. The present study supports the hypothesis that apigenin-induced apoptosis involves the activation of both the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways

The Challenging and Transformative Implications of Education for Sustainable Development: A Case Study in South Korea

Sustainable development can be considered one of the biggest global challenges of this era, especially in the domain of education. Hence, this paper presents a case study on how the “Tongyoeng Regional Center for Expertise (Tongyoeng RCE)” has contributed to the practice of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and to the reformation of curriculum development process in South Korea. It establishes a cooperative system between formal education and in/non-formal education within an environment of a conservative and exclusive educational system. While focusing on the substantial achievement of Tongyoeng RCE that has transformed the South Korean education system from a “knowledge and grade-centred” Eastern educational regime to a “value and practice centred” one, this study also addresses how the RCE has initiated a “learning society,” that is, decentralized and deregulated educational communities that are more flexible in resolving the unprecedented challenges of globalization. This research emphasizes the implications of education for sustainable development as a challenging and transformative curriculum development process in South Korea

Activation of two types of brain glutamate dehydrogenase isoproteins by gabapentin

AbstractThe stimulatory effects of gabapentin on the activities of two types of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) isoproteins homogeneously purified from bovine brain have been studied at various conditions. When the effects of different gabapentin concentrations on GDH activities were studied in the direction of reductive amination of 2-oxoglutarate with NADPH as a coenzyme, a marked activation was observed for both isoproteins, whereas both isoproteins showed activation to a lesser extent with NADH as a coenzyme. Stimulatory effects of gabapentin on GDH activities in the direction of the oxidative deamination of glutamate were also observed, but to a much lesser extent than reductive amination. There were big differences between the two GDH isoproteins in their sensitivity to the action of gabapentin. The largest activation was observed with GDH II when NADPH was used as a coenzyme. Half-maximal stimulation was reached at around 1.5 mM. Gabapentin relieved the inhibition of GDH isoproteins by GTP and this resulted in an increase in the apparent activation by gabapentin in the presence of GTP. 2-Oxoglutarate was found to give rise to high substrate inhibition and gabapentin reduced the substrate inhibition in the presence of 0.2 mM NADH. Since there are neurodegenerative disorders in which GDH activity is decreased, the therapeutic modulation of the activity of this enzyme may be clinically useful

Development of a quantitative system for subjective evaluation of tracked vehicle crew jackets

The purpose of this study is to develop a quantitative evaluation system that reflects the required performance factors that are important for a tracked vehicle crew jacket. We identified and analyzed the necessary performance factors obtained from a focus group interview and a questionnaire survey. Further, we proposed a new method of calculating weights and developed a quantitative evaluation system. This system featured an equation that calculated the evaluation score out of 100, using the factors percentages in the total factor as factor weights. The systems application was verified by the assessment of subfactors by active-duty soldiers, and by confirmation that the results of the developed factor scores reflected the proposed development direction. The study is significant for its provision of a comprehensive and quantitative evaluation system which has not existed before for protective clothing design, as well as for the verification of the systems application through the process of protective clothing development. The quantitative evaluation system and its development process described in this study may be referenced and widely deployed due to its use of a Likert scale, which is commonly used as a subjective sensory evaluation tool.This work was supported by the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality (DTaQ) grant funded by the Ministry of National Defense (Civil and Military Technology Cooperation Project No. 18-force support-01)

The Age Old Question, Which Comes First? a Simultaneous Test of Children\u27s Savings and Children\u27s College-Bound Identity

The Age Old Question, Which Comes First? a Simultaneous Test of Children\u27s Savings and Children\u27s College-Bound Identit

Factors Affecting the Health-related Quality of Life According to Age in Vulnerable Aged Men

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that influenced the health-related quality of life of young-old (65-74 yr) men, old-old (75-84 yr) men, and oldest-old (85 yr or above) men in vulnerable aged received home care from public health center. Methods: The participants for this study were 318 aged Korean men living in D city. The data was collected from August to October, 2009 using structured questionnaires. Chi-square, One way ANOVA, Duncan test, Pearson's Correlation Coefficient and multiple regression with the SPSS WIN 14.0 program were used to analyze the data. Results: There were statistically significant differences among young-old, old-old, and oldest-old men regarding the health-related quality of life, health promoting behavior, IADL (Instrumental Activities of Daily Living), rehabilitation, depression, and social support. The model including variables related to physical, psychological, and social aspects of life, explained variance of the health-related quality of life of aged men differently, such as 39.6% of young-old, 35.4% of old-old, and 47.0% of oldest-old. Finally, IADL and social support were predictors in explaining the level of health-related quality of life among vulnerable old men regardless of age. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, nursing interventions should be developed to improve health-related quality of life of vulnerable aged men according to age differences

17β-Estradiol strongly inhibits azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium-induced colorectal cancer development in Nrf2 knockout male mice

© 2020 The Author(s)Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) has dual effects on inflammation and cancer progression depending on the microenvironment. Estrogens have a protective effect on colorectal cancer (CRC) development. The aim of this study was to investigate CRC development in Nrf2 knockout (KO) mice. Azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-treated wild-type (WT) and Nrf2 KO male mice were sacrificed at weeks 2 and 16 after AOM injection with/without 17β-estradiol (E2) treatment during week 1. Disease activity index and colon tissue damage at week 2 showed strong attenuation following E2 administration in WT mice but to a lesser extent in Nrf2 KO male mice. At week 16, E2 significantly diminished AOM/DSS-induced adenoma/cancer incidence at distal colon in the Nrf2 KO group, but not in the WT. Furthermore, mRNA or protein levels of NF-κB-related mediators (i.e., iNOS, TNF-α, and IL-1β) and Nrf2-related antioxidants (i.e., NQO1 and HO-1) were significantly lower in the Nrf2 KO group regardless of E2 treatment compared to the WT. The expression of estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) was higher in the Nrf2 KO group than in the WT. In conclusion, estrogen further inhibits CRC by upregulating ERβ-related alternate pathways in the absence of Nrf2.

Home Base Care Approach to Reduce Disparity in Diabetes Care in Zuni Indians

Purpose/Background: We conducted a randomized clinical intervention trial of a home-based kidney care program to examine its efficacy in adult Zuni Indians with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). We evaluated the results of the study in the subset of participants with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) to determine the degree to which this intervention influenced the engagement of those with T2DM in the management of their own health circumstances. Materials & Methods: We randomized participants by household to receive usual care or home-based care. After initial lifestyle coaching, the intervention group received frequent additional reinforcement by community health representatives (CHRs) about adherence to medicines, diet and exercise, self-monitoring, and coping strategies for living with stress. We identified a sizable subset of study participants with T2DM, and performed analyses comparing outcomes between study groups using linear models with generalized estimating equations and adjusting for baseline values of the measurements. The primary outcome was the change in patient activation measure (PAM), which assesses a participant’s knowledge, skill, and confidence in managing his/her own health and health care. Results: Of 125 randomized individuals (63 intervention and 62 usual care), 72 had been diagnosed with T2DM (57.6%). In the subgroup with T2DM, 56 (78%, 24 intervention, 32 usual care) completed the 12-month study. The average PAM score after 12 months was 16.0 (95% confidence interval, 8.8 to 23.1) points higher in the intervention group than in the usual care group (Figure 1). Body mass index declined by 1.2 kg/m2 (P=0.02) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein declined by 2.7-fold (P\u3c0.001) in the intervention group compared to usual care. Hemoglobin A1c declined by 0.8 % (P=0.14) in the intervention group relative to usual care (NS). Discussion/Conclusion: A home-based intervention designed for kidney care improves the activation in their own health care of participants with diabetes, and does so at least as well as it does for all participants with CKD. It appears that it may also reduce risk factors for poor diabetic outcomes in a rural disadvantaged population

The Age Old Question, Which Comes First? a Simultaneous Test of Children\u27s Savings and Children\u27s College-Bound Identity

This study has three goals: (1) to provide an extensive review of research on the assets/expectation relationship, (2) to provide a conceptual framework for how children’s savings effects children’s college-bound identity (children’s college expectations are a proxy for children’s college-bound identity), and (3) to conduct a simultaneous test of whether owning a savings account leads to college-bound identity or college-bound identity lead to owning a savings account using path analytic technique with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Our review reveals asset researchers theorize about college-bound identity in two distinct but compatible ways: college-bound identity as a “linking mechanism, and college-bound identity as a mediator. However, there has been little theoretical development on the attitudinal effects of assets. In this study, we posit a conceptual framework for how children’s savings affects children’s college-bound identity. Findings from the simultaneous test of the assets/ college-bound identity relationship suggest that savings has modest effect on college-bound identity and vice versa. a policy implication is that asset building policies that seek to build children’s college-bound identity in addition to their savings may be more effective than policies that only seek to build children’s savings