α-Tocopheryl succinate stabilizes the structure of tumor vessels by inhibiting angiopoietin-2 expression

α-Tocopheryl succinate (TS) is a tocopherol derivative and has multifaceted anti-cancer effects; TS not only causes cancer cell-specific apoptosis but also inhibits tumor angiogenesis. Although TS has the potential to be used as a well-tolerated anti-angiogenic drug, it is still unclear which step of the angiogenic process is inhibited by TS. Here, we show that TS inhibits the expression of angiopoietin (Ang)-2, which induces destabilization of vascular structure in the initial steps of the angiogenic process. In mouse melanoma cells, TS treatment decreased mRNA and extracellular protein levels of Ang-2; however, the mRNA level of Ang-1, which stabilizes the vascular structure, remained unchanged. Furthermore, aorta ring and Matrigel plug angiogenesis assays indicated that the conditioned medium from TS-treated cells (CM-TS) inhibited neovascularization and blood leakage from the existing blood vessels, respectively. Following immunohistochemical staining of the vessels treated with CM-TS, imaging studies showed that the vascular endothelial cells were highly packed with pericytes. In conclusion, we found that TS inhibits Ang-2 expression and, consequently, stabilizes the vascular structure during the initial step of tumor angiogenesis

Quantitative analysis of respiratory viral distribution in forensic autopsy cases

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A Study of the MGBi-CGSTAB Method and its Parallelization

The multigrid preconditioned bi-conjugate gradient stabilized (MGBi-CGSTAB) method is an iterative method for solving sparse nonsymmetric linear equations such as discretized convection-diffusion equations. We applied this method to problems with a stretched grid. We have experimentally shown that the MGBiCGSTAB method with additional coarse grid points is effective for solving these problems. We implemented this method on the parallel computer AP1000. We also present the parallelizing of the MGBi-CGSTAB method. The redistribution of the data on each grid is effective. 1 Introduction The preconditioned bi-conjugated gradient stabilized (Bi-CGSTAB) method [1] is one of the most popular methods for solving sparse nonsymmetric simultaneous linear equations iteratively. Its behavior of the convergence and parallel performance depend on the preconditioner. In parallel computing, the multigrid preconditioner is more effective than incomplete decompositions, such as incomplete and modified i..

Continuous intake of the Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) aqueous extract suppresses cancer progression and maintains body temperature in mice

Aims: Cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide; therefore, effective measures for cancer prevention and treatment are in constant demand. The extracts of Inonotus obliquus (Chaga mushroom) demonstrate potent anti-tumor activities and have been used to treat cancer in several countries; however, the actual effect and underlying mechanisms are still unclear. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of continuous intake of aqueous extract from I. obliquus on tumor suppression. Main methods: Anticancer activity of the I. obliquus extract was examined in mouse models of Lewis lung carcinoma growth and spontaneous metastasis after 3 weeks of continuous extract intake at the dose of 6 mg/kg/day, which corresponded to that ingested daily with Chaga infusion in Japan. Key findings: The extract of I. obliquus caused significant tumor suppressive effects in both models. Thus, in tumor-bearing mice, 60% tumor reduction was observed, while in metastatic mice, the number of nodules decreased by 25% compared to the control group. Moreover, I. obliquus extract-treated mice demonstrated the increase in tumor agglomeration and inhibition of vascularization. Interestingly, I. obliquus intake decreased body weight in middle-aged mice and increased body temperature in response to light-dark switching in mature adult mice. Furthermore, I. obliquus prevented temperature drop in mice after tumor implantation. Significance: Our findings suggest that the I. obliquus extract could be used as a natural remedy for cancer suppression by promoting energy metabolism