Baicalein and U0126 suppress bladder cancer proliferation via MAPK signaling pathway

Purpose: To investigate baicalein and 1,4-diamino-2,3-dicyano-1,4-bis[2-aminophenylthio] butadiene (U0126)effects on human bladder cell line T24 proliferation and related mechanisms.Methods: Twenty micromoles of baicalein or 10 μM U0126 were incubated with T24 cells. Cell viability was tested by CCK8 assay. Cell cycle was evaluated by flow cytometry while cell apoptosis was detected by Annexin V/PI and TUNEL assay. MAPK signaling pathway was evaluated by real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot.Results: Baicalein and U0126 suppressed bladder cancer cell T24 proliferation by blocking cell cycle in G0~G1 phase. TUNEL and Annexin V/PI detection showed both baicalein and U0126 induced T24 cell apoptosis. Baicalein and U0126 significantly down-regulated MAPK signaling pathway related molecule activity in both mRNA and protein levels (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Baicalein and U0126 restrain bladder cancer cell proliferation and promote cell apoptosis by affecting MAPK signaling pathway. Thus, they have  potentials for use in the treatment of bladder cancer.Keywords: Bladder cancer, Baicalein, 1,4-diamino-2,3-dicyano-1,4-bis[2-aminophenylthio] butadiene, MAPK signal pathway, Apoptosi

Estabilidad de varios tipos de comunidad en ecosistemas de dunas en el noreste de China

The stability of artificial, sand-binding communities has not yet fully studied. A similarity index was developed to evaluate the stability of artificial communities in shifting and semi-fixed sand dunes. This similarity index consisted of 8 indicators (i.e., vegetation cover, Shannon-Wiener Index, biomass, organic matter, Total N, available P and K, and sand particle ratio). The relative weight of these indicators was obtained using an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. Stability was compared on Artemisia halodendron Turczaninow ex Besser, Bull communities in shifting and semifixed sand dunes, and of Caragana microphylla Lam. communities with different planting ages. The similarity indexes of the A. halodendron communities were 0.24 and 0.54 in shifting and semi-fixed sand dunes, respectively. The peak stability of C. microphylla communities was 0.55, and it was reached when these communities were 20-year-old. It is suggested that A. halodendron communities should be planted preferentially in semi-fixed to moving sand dunes. Furthermore, the planting age of artificial communities should be included in planting programs. This study improved the understanding of some mechanisms contributing to maintain community stability, and is critical for guiding the artificial planting in sand dunes.La estabilidad de comunidades artificiales que contribuyen a la fijación de suelos arenosos no se ha estudiado completamente. Se desarrolló un índice de similitud para evaluar la estabilidad de comunidades artificiales en dunas móviles y fijadas medianamente. Este índice de similitud consistió de 8 indicadores (cobertura vegetal, índice de Shannon-Wiener, biomasa, materia orgánica, N total, P y K disponibles, y relación de partículas de arena). La importancia relativa de estos indicadores se obtuvo utilizando un método de procesamiento jerárquico analítico (AHP). Se comparó la estabilidad de comunidades de Artemisia halodendron Turczaninow ex Besser, Bull en dunas móviles y fijadas medianamente, y la de comunidades de Caragana microphylla Lam. de diferentes edades de plantación. Los índices de similitud de las comunidades de A. halodendron fueron 0,24 y 0,54 en dunas móviles y fijadas medianamente, respectivamente. La estabilidad máxima de las comunidades de C. microphylla fue 0,55, la que se obtuvo cuando dichas comunidades alcanzaron 20 años de edad. Se sugiere que las comunidades de A. halodendron se deberían plantar preferencialmente en dunas fijadas medianamente a móviles. Además, la edad de plantación de las comunidades artificiales se debería incluir en programas de plantación. Este estudio mejoró el entendimiento de algunos mecanismos que contribuyen a mantener la estabilidad de las comunidades, y es crítico para guiar la plantación artificial en áreas de dunas.Fil: Tang, Yi.Fil: Li, Xiaolan.Fil: Wu, Jinhua.Fil: Busso, Carlos Alberto

Core human values and their interactions with pro-Tobacco factors on cigarette smoking: The role of factors not explicitly related to a risk behavior

More effective tobacco control requires new data on factors that are not explicitly related to smoking but are influential, such as “Terminal Values” regarding desirable end-states of existence and “Instrumental Values” regarding desirable modes of conduct. Association analysis was conducted among 36 Core Values (18 Terminal and 18 Instrumental) derived from Rokeach’s Value Survey, three risk factors (protobacco media, smoking peers and sensation-seeking), and cigarette smoking using data collected from a sample of 334 medical students in China. The participants were 18 to 24 years old (47% female) and 18.4% of them smoked in the past 30 days. Multivariate analysis indicated that cigarette smoking was negatively associated with nine Terminal Values (e.g., a Sense of Accomplishment and Self-Respect) and ten Instrumental Values (e.g., Clean and Self-Controlled). As expected, when the endorsed number of values/total value scores increased from low to high, the 30-day smoking rate declined from 32.6% - 75.0% to 13.5% - 15.9% (p < .01). The odds ratios (OR) for the endorsed Terminal Values and the total value scores were 0.50 (p < .01) and 0.64 (p < .01) respectively, and the ORs for the endorsed Instrumental Values and the total value scores were 0.42 (p < .01) and 0.44 (

Wogonoside exerts potential anti-tumor activity against bladder cancer in vivo and in vitro via regulation of GSK3β/ERK/AKT signaling pathway

Purpose: To explore the antitumor activity of wogonoside on bladder cancer, and its underlying mechanism of action. Methods: Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was applied to evaluate the anti-proliferative activity of wogonoside (2 - 128 μM) against bladder cancer 5637 cell line at different times, and the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was measured. The antitumor activity of wogonoside (30 mg/kg, i.p.) against bladder cancer 5637 cell line was confirmed via in vivo experiments on nude mice bearing human bladder cancer 5637 cells. Additionally, western blotting assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to investigate expression levels of caspase-3, caspase-9, B cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2 associated X protein (Bax), phosphorylated (p)-glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β, p-extracellular signal-regulated kinases (p-ERK), and p-(protein kinase B) AKT. Results: The in vitro results reveal that wogonoside has remarkable anti-proliferative activity against bladder cancer 5637 cells with IC50 of 20.59 μM, in a concentration-and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, wogonoside treatment also suppressed tumor volume of nude mice bearing bladder cancer 5637 cell (p &lt; 0.01). The potential mechanisms seems to be mainly associated with apoptosis mediated by mitochondria via up-regulation of caspase-3, caspase-9, and Bax levels, and downregulation of Bcl-2, p-GSK-3β, p-ERK, and p-AKT. Conclusion: The results reveal that wogonoside possesses anti-tumor potentials against bladder cancer. Further translational studies are warranted to test the clinical application of this medicinal agent in bladder cancer

Baicalein inhibits the invasion of human cervical cancer cells by inhibiting the hedgehog/Gli signaling pathway

Purpose: To identify the role of baicalein in human cervical cancer and to determine whether baicalein treatment affects hedgehog/Gli signaling pathway. Methods: Cell proliferation was evaluated by MTT(3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) and colony formation assays. Cell death rate was assessed by PI-staining and FACS assay. Furthermore, cell invasion was assessed by Transwell assay while the levels of the key proteins were measured by western blotting analysis. Results: Baicalein suppressed the viability and proliferation of HeLa cells. The colony formation ability and relative migration rate were significantly decreased in the HeLa cells treated with 50 μM baicalein. Furthermore, the levels of Shh, Gli1, MMP-9, and VEGF declined significantly in baicalein-treated cells. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that baicalein inhibits the growth and invasiveness of cervical cancer cells partly by suppressing the activation of hedgehog/Gli signaling pathway in a concentrationdependent manner. Keywords: Cervical cancer, baicalein, hedgehog/Gli pathway, MMP-

Wogonoside exerts potential anti-tumor activity against bladder cancer in vivo and in vitro via regulation of GSK3β/ERK/AKT signaling pathway

Purpose: To explore the antitumor activity of wogonoside on bladder cancer, and its underlying mechanism of action. Methods: Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was applied to determine the anti-proliferative activity of wogonoside (2 - 128 μM) on bladder cancer 5637 cell line at various times, and the halfmaximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was measured. The antitumor activity of wogonoside (30 mg/kg, ip) against bladder cancer 5637 cell line was evaluated in nude mice bearing human bladder cancer 5637 cells. Additionally, western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were carried out to investigate the levels of the caspase-3, caspase-9, B cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2 associated X-protein (Bax), phosphorylated (p)-glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β, p-extracellular signal-regulated kinases (p-ERK), and p-(protein kinase B) AKT. Results: The in vitro results revealed that wogonoside exerted anti-proliferative activity against bladder cancer 5637 cells with an IC50 of 20.59 μM (p &lt; 0.01), in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, wogonoside treatment also significantly suppressed tumor volume in mice (p &lt; 0.01). The potential mechanisms were mainly associated with apoptosis mediated by mitochondria via upregulation of caspase-3, caspase-9, and Bax levels and down-regulation of Bcl-2, p-GSK-3β, p-ERK, and p-AKT. Conclusion: The results reveal that wogonoside has remarkable anti-tumor potentials against bladder cancer. Further translational studies are warranted to test the clinical application of this medicinal agent in bladder cancer

Apport des lignes à ondes lentes S-CPW aux performances d'un front-end millimétrique en technologie CMOS avancée

L objectif de ce travail est de concevoir et de caractériser un front-end millimétriqueutilisant des lignes de propagation à ondes lentes S-CPW optimisées en technologies CMOS avancées.Ces lignes présentant des facteurs de qualité 2 à 3 fois supérieurs à ceux des lignes classiques de typemicroruban ou CPW.Dans le premier chapitre, l impact de l évolution des noeuds technologiques CMOS sur lesperformances des transistors MOS aux fréquences millimétriques et sur les lignes de propagation ainsiqu un état de l art concernant les performances des front-end sont présentés. Le deuxième chapitreconcerne la réalisation des lignes S-CPW dans différentes technologies CMOS et la validation d unmodèle phénoménologique électrique équivalent. Le troisième chapitre est dédié à la conceptiond amplificateurs de puissance à 60 GHz utilisant ces lignes S-CPW en technologies CMOS 45 et65 nm. Cette étude a permis de mettre en évidence l apport des lignes à ondes lentes aux performancesdes amplificateurs de puissance fonctionnant dans la gamme des fréquences millimétriques. Uneméthode de conception basée sur les règles d électro-migration et permettant une optimisation desperformances a été développée. Finalement, un amplificateur faible bruit et un commutateur d antennetravaillant à 60 GHz et à base de lignes S-CPW ont été conçus en technologie CMOS 65 nm afin degénéraliser l impact de ce type de lignes sur les performances des front-end millimétriques.The objective of this work is to design and characterize a millimeter-wave front-end usingthe optimized slow-wave transmission lines S-CPW in advanced CMOS technologies. The qualityfactor of these transmission lines is twice to three times higher than that of the conventionaltransmission lines such as microstrip lines and coplanar waveguides.In the first chapter, the influence of CMOS scaling-down on the performance of transistors atmillimeter-wave frequencies and on the transmission lines was studied. In addition, a state of the artwith regard to the performance of the front-end was presented. The second chapter concerns about therealization of the S-CPW lines in different CMOS technologies and the validation of an electricalequivalent model. The third chapter is dedicated to the design of 60-GHz power amplifiers using theseS-CPW lines in CMOS 45 and 65 nm technologies. This study highlighted the performanceenhancement of power amplifiers operating at millimeter-wave frequencies by using the slow-wavetransmission lines. A design method based on the electro-migration rules was also developed. Finally,a low noise amplifier and an antenna switch operating at 60 GHz were designed in CMOS 65 nm inorder to generalize the impact of such transmission lines on the performance of the millimeter-wavefront-end.SAVOIE-SCD - Bib.électronique (730659901) / SudocGRENOBLE1/INP-Bib.électronique (384210012) / SudocGRENOBLE2/3-Bib.électronique (384219901) / SudocSudocFranceF

Auxin response factor 6A regulates photosynthesis, sugar accumulation, and fruit development in tomato.

Auxin response factors (ARFs) are involved in auxin-mediated transcriptional regulation in plants. In this study, we performed functional characterization of SlARF6A in tomato. SlARF6A is located in the nucleus and exhibits transcriptional activator activity. Overexpression of SlARF6A increased chlorophyll contents in the fruits and leaves of tomato plants, whereas downregulation of SlARF6A decreased chlorophyll contents compared with those of wild-type (WT) plants. Analysis of chloroplasts using transmission electron microscopy indicated increased sizes of chloroplasts in SlARF6A-overexpressing plants and decreased numbers of chloroplasts in SlARF6A-downregulated plants. Overexpression of SlARF6A increased the photosynthesis rate and accumulation of starch and soluble sugars, whereas knockdown of SlARF6A resulted in opposite phenotypes in tomato leaves and fruits. RNA-sequence analysis showed that regulation of SlARF6A expression altered the expression of genes involved in chlorophyll metabolism, photosynthesis and sugar metabolism. SlARF6A directly bound to the promoters of SlGLK1, CAB, and RbcS genes and positively regulated the expression of these genes. Overexpression of SlARF6A also inhibited fruit ripening and ethylene production, whereas downregulation of SlARF6A increased fruit ripening and ethylene production. SlARF6A directly bound to the SAMS1 promoter and negatively regulated SAMS1 expression. Taken together, these results expand our understanding of ARFs with regard to photosynthesis, sugar accumulation and fruit development and provide a potential target for genetic engineering to improve fruit nutrition in horticulture crops

Role of lncRNAs in acute pancreatitis: pathogenesis, diagnosis, and therapy

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is one of the most common acute abdominal diseases characterized by an injury and inflammatory disorder of the pancreas with complicated pathological mechanisms. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to play an important role in various physiological and pathological processes in humans, and they have emerged as potential biomarkers of diagnosis and therapeutic targets in various diseases. Recently, accumulating evidence has shown significant alterations in the expression of lncRNAs, which are involved in the pathogenesis of AP, such as premature trypsinogen activation, impaired autophagy, inflammatory response, and acinar cell death. Moreover, lncRNAs can be the direct target of AP treatment and show potential as biomarkers for the diagnosis. Thus, in this review, we focus on the role of lncRNAs in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and therapy of AP and emphasize the future directions to study lncRNAs in AP, providing new insight into understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of AP and seeking novel biomarkers for the diagnosis and therapeutic targets to improve clinical management in the future