Tumor-Associated Macrophage-Induced Invasion and Angiogenesis of Human Basal Cell Carcinoma Cells by Cyclooxygenase-2 Induction

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) are associated with invasion, angiogenesis, and poor prognosis in many human cancers. However, the role of TAMs in human basal cell carcinoma (BCC) remains elusive. We found that the number of TAMs infiltrating the tumor is correlated with the depth of invasion, microvessel density, and COX-2 expression in human BCC cells. TAMs also aggregate near COX-2 expressing BCC tumor nests. We hypothesize that TAMs might activate COX-2 in BCC cells and subsequently increase their invasion and angiogenesis. TAMs are a kind of M2 macrophage derived from macrophages exposed to Th2 cytokines. M2-polarized macrophages derived from peripheral blood monocytes were cocultured with BCC cells without direct contact. Coculture with the M2 macrophages induced COX-2-dependent invasion and angiogenesis of BCC cells. Human THP-1 cell line cells, after treated with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), differentiated to macrophages with M2 functional profiles. Coculture with PMA-treated THP-1 macrophages induced COX-2-dependent release of matrix metalloproteinase-9 and subsequent increased invasion of BCC cells. Macrophages also induced COX-2-dependent secretion of basic fibroblast growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor-A, and increased angiogenesis in BCC cells

Taiwanese Dermatological Association consensus for the management of atopic dermatitis

AbstractBackground/ObjectiveThis report describes the 2014 consensus of the Taiwanese Dermatological Association (TDA) regarding the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD). The TDA consensus is distributed to practices throughout Taiwan to provide recommendations for therapeutic approaches for AD patients to improve their quality of life.MethodsThe information in the consensus was agreed upon by a panel of national experts at TDA AD consensus meetings held on March 16, May 4, and June 29, 2014. The consensus was in part based on the 2013 Asia–Pacific AD guidelines and the guidelines of the American Academy of Dermatology, with modification to reflect the clinical practice in Taiwan.ResultsThe amendments were drafted after scientific discussions focused on the quality of evidence, risk, and benefits; all the consensus contents were voted on by the participating dermatologists, with approval by at least 75% for inclusion.ConclusionThe consensus provides a comprehensive overview of treatment for AD, with some local and cultural considerations for practitioners in Taiwan, especially the use of wet dressings/wraps, systemic immunomodulatory agents, and complementary therapies

Surface related and intrinsic exciton recombination dynamics in ZnO nanoparticles synthesized by a sol-gel method

ZnO nanoparticles with controlled sizes produced by a sol-gel method are studied by means of time-integrated as well as time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) spectroscopy. Room-temperature photoluminescence spectra show a blueshift of the excitonic emission with the decreasing particle size, which is attributed to the quantum confinement effect. The temperature dependence of the exciton lifetimes deduced from the TRPL results contains two components: the fast decay is attributed to surface trapping of exciton and the slow decay is mainly representative of the radiative processes involving the bound or free excitons.Funding Agencies|National Science Council of Taiwan|NSC-100-2112-M-006-002-MY3|Headquarters of University Advancement at the National Cheng Kung University||Ministry of Education, Taiwan||</p

A potentially common peptide target in secreted heat shock protein-90α for hypoxia-inducible factor-1α–positive tumors

ETOC: Deregulated/overexpressed HIF-1α is found in many solid tumors, and directly sabotaging it is challenging therapeutically. HIF-1α uses secreted Hsp90α, which uses a key epitope, F-5, for invasion and tumor formation. Drugs that target F-5 may be more effective and less toxic for treatment of HIF-1α–positive tumors