Chiral Mass Splitting for c \bar{s} and c \bar{n} Mesons in the \tilde{U}(12)-Classification Scheme of Hadrons

We investigate the chiral mass splitting of parity-doubled J=0,1 states for c \bar{s} and c \bar{n} meson systems in the \tilde{U}(12)_{SF}-classification scheme of hadrons, using the linear sigma model to describe the light-quark pseudoscalar and scalar mesons together with the spontaneous breaking of chiral symmetry, and consequently predict the masses of as-yet-unobserved (0^{+},1^{+}) c \bar{n} mesons. We also mention some indications of their existence in the recent published data from the Belle and BABAR Collaborations.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figures, talk at the 11th International Conference on Hadron Spectroscopy, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 21-26 Aug 2005, to appear in the Proceeding

NF-κB, JNK, and TLR Signaling Pathways in Hepatocarcinogenesis

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third largest cause of cancer deaths worldwide. The role of molecular changes in HCC have been used to identify prognostic markers and chemopreventive or therapeutic targets. It seems that toll-like receptors (TLRs) as well as the nuclear factor (NF)-κB, and JNK pathways are critical regulators for the production of the cytokines associated with tumor promotion. The cross-talk between an inflammatory cell and a neoplastic cell, which is instigated by the activation of NF-κB and JNKs, is critical for tumor organization. JNKs also regulate cell proliferation and act as oncogenes, making them the main tumor-promoting protein kinases. TLRs play roles in cytokine and hepatomitogen expression mainly in myeloid cells and may promote liver tumorigenesis. A better understanding of these signaling pathways in the liver will help us understand the mechanism of hepatocarcinogenesis and provide a new therapeutic target for HCC