Search

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the taping on knee joint kinematics in the frontal and transverse planes. Nine healthy subjects (eight males and one female) volunteered to participate in this study. The Vicon T40 motion analysis system and two force platforms were used to synchronically record the 3-D trajectories of the reflective markers and the ground reaction forces during side hop. Each subject stood on the dominant leg, and jumped on the force platform from side to side between two parallel strips of tape. The knee joint motion data were grouped into two different landing conditions (jumping outward and inward). The results showed that: in the frontal plane, the condition of taping reduced knee valgus angle. In the transverse plane, the results showed significantly greater external tibial rotation angle at toe-off during outward and inward jumping. Therefore, taping could limit the knee angles in the frontal and transverse plane during side jump. That might have contributed in preventing knee ACL injured.

Celastrol is a major active component of Tripterygium wilfordii named "Thunder God Vine", which is widely used to treat rheumatoid arthritis in China. The present study aims to demonstrate that celastrol has potent anticancer activity against glioma in vitro and in vivo.Proliferation, migration, and tube formation of ECV-304 cells were determined by MTT and matrigel assays. The antiangiogenesis effect of celastrol was assessed by the chick chorioallantoic membrane assay and the in vivo matrigel plug assay. Tumor microvessels (MVD) were determined immunohistochemically with anti-CD34 antibody. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression was defined as positive if distinct staining of the cytoplasm was observed in at least 10% of tumor cells at the deepest invasive site, central portion and superficial part of the tumor. MVD was estimated by averaging the counts of three times at a x 200 field in the most vascularized area of the deepest invasive site.Celastrol purified from T. wilfordii inhibited the proliferation of vascular endothelial cells (ECV-304) with an IC50 value of 1.33 microg/ml. Celastrol, at the concentration of 0.2 microg/ml, significantly inhibited cell migration and tube formation. Celastrol inhibited angiogenesis in a dose-dependent manner both in vitro and in vivo. Subcutaneous administration of celastrol 5 days a week for 4 consecutive weeks significantly reduced tumor volume in a dose-dependent manner in the SHG-44 xenograft model. Celastrol at each different dose level lowered the density of MVD significantly in tumor bearing nude mice compared to the control group. Immunohistochemistry experiments further revealed that celastrol also decreased the level of VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 expression, but not the level of VEGF expression.Celastrol elicits antiangiogenic effects in vitro and in vivo, and could be of potential use in the treatment of malignant cancers such as glioblastoma.

A convenient salt-free approach to the halodecarboxylation of cinnamic acid analogs to β-bromostyrene was reported. This conversion was conducted at 0 °C in CH 2 Cl 2 with only 10% of acetic acid. This protocol can be used for cinnamic acids with a variety of substituents, including β-methyl cinnamic acid ( 1d ) in 60–81% yield, but not for hydroxyl- and p -methyl-cinnamic acids. Meanwhile, pyridine hydrobromide perbromide was used as bromide source to convert 1a – 2a in 59% yield.

A series of nickel(ii) complexes of the type [R-PNP]Ni(ER') ([R-PNP](-) = [N(o-C(6)H(4)PR(2))(2)](-); R = Ph, (i)Pr, Cy; E = NH, O, S; R' = Ph, (t)Bu) featuring unsupported, covalently bound pi-donor ligands have been prepared and characterized. The metathetical reactions of [R-PNP]NiCl (R = Ph, (i)Pr, Cy) with LiNHPh, NaOPh, or NaSPh, respectively, produced the corresponding anilide [R-PNP]Ni(NHPh), phenolate [R-PNP]Ni(OPh), and thiophenolate [R-PNP]Ni(SPh) derivatives. Treatment of [Ph-PNP]NiCl with either LiNH(t)Bu or NaO(t)Bu generated tert-butyl amide [Ph-PNP]Ni(NH(t)Bu) and tert-butoxide [Ph-PNP]Ni(O(t)Bu), respectively. In contrast, attempts to prepare analogous tert-butyl amide and tert-butoxide complexes of [(i)Pr-PNP](-) or [Cy-PNP](-) were not successful. Protonolysis studies of these nickel(ii)-heteroatom complexes revealed the basic reactivity of these pi-donor ligands. The basicity follows the order NH(t)BuO(t)BuNHPhOPhSPh. In addition to solution NMR spectroscopic data for all new compounds, X-ray structures of [(i)Pr-PNP]Ni(NHPh) and [(i)Pr-PNP]Ni(OPh) are presented.

In the paper, a hydrodynamic numerical model for predicting the ROV motion with anti-pitch control is presented. The six degrees of freedom of equations of motions are formulated, which includes the coupled effect due to the current and the umbilical cable. Because of the umbilical cable on the ROV, the two-point boundary value problem with respect to a set of first order ordinary differential equation system arises and a multi-step shooting method is suggested to solve this problem. The anti-pitch technique including the depth keeping, either by PD control or PID control, is proposed to maintain the attitude of ROV in the current to reduce the resistance and other disturbance. The results reveal that both controlled techniques can indeed reduce the pitch motion and keep the desired depth for the ROV even in strong current. The hydrodynamic model developed here can therefore serve as a useful tool to improve the performance of the ROV operated in uniform current.

A team of researchers including computer scientists, electrical and control engineers, architects, industrial designers, human factor engineers, and cognitive scientists in the National Chiao Tung University (NCTU), Taiwan, along with their overseas collaborators launched the project Kannon, a multi-disciplinary effort to develop Adaptive Assistive Technologies that can be deployed incrementally into existing private/public spaces and collaborate opportunistically to offer monitoring, assisting, communicating and rejuvenating services to healthy elders. The team combined the state-of-art information, communication and robotic know-how with the activity oriented method for product design and the modular functional approach in modern architecture in order to devise a holistic support for successful aging. This paper presents the philosophy, approach and first fruits of this project.

Hepatoma up-regulated protein (HURP) is a recently identified novel cell-cycle-regulated gene. The HURP gene is overexpressed in human hepatocellular carcinoma and transitional cell carcinoma. The cellular function of HURP is not fully understood. In this study, the NIH3T3 cells transduced with the exogenous HURP gene manifested the general characteristics of tumor cells, which had higher growth rate in low-serum media and advanced ability of colony formation on agarose-based plates. Transduced HURP was capable of specifically enhancing the chemosensitivity of deoxycytosine analogs, such as gemcitabine, ARA-C, and 5-AZA-CdR, but neither had an effect on the response of DNA intercalating agents, such as cisplatin, carboplatin, and doxorubicin, nor on the response of microtubule stabilizers, such as paclitaxel, docetaxel, and vinblastine. These results indicate that the HURP gene might be a potential oncogenic gene and capable of enhancing the chemosensitivity of deoxycytosine analogs in NIH3T3 cells.

Typhoid fever complicated by multiple organ involvement has been rarely mentioned in the literature. We reported two cases of typhoid fever with several unusual manifestations, including acute renal failure, acute hepatitis, acute pancreatitis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and lower gastrointestinal bleeding. A renal biopsy in the first case showed no pathological change. Bone marrow biopsy showed focal necrosis of matrix, which might have been due to severe illness. A liver biopsy in the second case showed a predominantly histiocytic proliferation with occasional neutrophilic infiltration in the portal areas and hepatic sinusoids. Focal necrosis, bile duct injury, and multiple eosinophilic bodies were also noted. After appropriate antimicrobial therapy, both patients recovered without any sequelae. The potential of multiple organ involvement is highlighted in typhoid fever, which, on rare occasions, may occur simultaneously in the same patient.

To study the inhibition effect of celastrol on neovascularization.The effect of celastrol on the in vitro proliferation of endothelial cell of vessel (ECV) was examined by MTT assay. The effect of celastrol on endothelial cell migration, tube formation on Matrigel and Chick chorioallantoic membrane angiogenesis was also examined. Matrigel plug assay was used to evaluate the effect of celastrol on angiogenesis in vivo.The proliferation of ECV was inhibited significantly by celastrol with IC(50) being 1.33 microg/ml. Celastrol inhibited endothelial cell migration and tube formation in a dose-dependent manner. Celastrol also inhibited angiogenesis both in Matrigel plug of mouse model and in chick chorioallantoic membranes.Celastrol, which can inhibit angiogenesis, could be developed as an antiangiogenic drug.

We recently found a urinary molecular marker, Hepatoma-Up-Regulated Protein (HURP), for the detection of urinary bladder transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). In this study, the expression of HURP in 57 voided urine specimens was determined by semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. HURP value was correlated with a variety of clinical parameters, including sex, age, tumor grade, stage, multiplicity, tumor shape and recurrence/metastasis during the follow-up period. The detection rate of HURP was 60.7% (17 out of 28) in voided urine of patients with TCC, 5.9% (1 out of 17) in non-TCC urological benign disease and 0% (0 out of 12) in healthy volunteers. HURP positivity (defined as above 0.1 cut-off value) was detected in 83.6% (92 out of 110) TCC specimens, 4.3% (1 out of 23) of non-TCC urinary cancer and 0% (0 out of 15) of benign urological disease. No relationship was found between the level of HURP and the above-mentioned clinical parameters other than recurrence of TCC patients. A higher level of tissue HURP was found in the patients having recurrence (Mann-Whitney U-test, p = 0.027).

Purpose: To determine the changes in the expression of transcripts of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their tissue inhibitor (TIMP) in the conjunctiva following glaucoma filtration surgery (GFS). Methods: The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction method was performed on tissue specimens obtained from adult rabbits undergoing GFS at various postoperative time points. Results: MMP 1 decreased more than 7-fold from its baseline level during the first 2 weeks following surgery. MMP 2 decreased on the 1st postoperative day, but increased on day 2, and remained elevated for 2 weeks. The postoperative level of MMP 14 did not change much from baseline except that noted on day 9. The TIMP 1 expression showed an early biphasic pattern. MMP 3 and MMP 9 were not detected in all the specimens. Conclusions: The transcript expression of MMPs and TIMP 1 in the conjunctiva is altered following GFS, with each gene product demonstrating a unique temporal pattern.

Researches indicated that Tripterygium wilfordii possess antitumor activity. The current study was designed to investigate inhibitive effect of several monomes of Tripterygium wilfordii on the proliferation of glioma cells.The effect of three monomes from Tripterygium wilfordii on the proliferation of glioma cell lines SHG44, C6, and U251 in vitro was examined by using MTT assay. Immunohistochemistry was used to examine the expression of Bax, Bcl-2 after treatment of triptolide and celastrol.The proliferation of glioma cells was remarkably inhibited by triptolide and celastrol. They both increased expression of Bax and decreased expression of Bcl-2 in the SHG44 cells.Triptolide and celastrol inhibit the proliferation of glioma cells in vitro, which was associated with promoting the expression of Bax and inhibiting the expression of Bcl-2 and accelerating cell apotosis.

The paper presents three key distribution schemes for channel protection. With the proposed schemes, encryption keys of the ordered programs can be distributed to the authorized subscribers efficiently and securely. In these schemes, for key updates, at most two messages are transmitted and simpler computation functions, including one-way hash function and XOR operation, are used to reduce the computation cost compared to existing solutions. With our key distribution schemes, only the authorized subscribers can decrypt the ordered programs. Thus, the service provider in a Pay-TV system can charge his subscribers according to their subscriptions and the intelligent property rights of TV programs can be protected by the proposed schemes.

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) has been shown to induce apoptosis on normal hepatocytes and hepatoma cells both in vitro and in vivo. However, how the TGF-beta induces apoptosis is still not clear. We examined the expression of anti-apoptosis proteins and sensitivity to TGF-beta in three well differentiated human hepatoma cell lines. Two TGF-beta sensitive cell lines Hep3B and HuH7 totally lacked Bcl-2. In contrast, the TGF-beta resistant HepG2 cells expressed a substantial amount of Bcl-2. All three cell lines expressed equal amounts of Bcl-X(L), Bcl-X(S) and Bax. Overexpression of Bcl-2 in Hep3B and HuH7 cells protected them from TGF-beta-induced apoptosis. TGF-beta treatment increased intracellular peroxide production and suppressed the expression of glutathione-S-transferase in the Hep3B cells, and these effects were partially suppressed by the overexpression of Bcl-2. These results suggest that Bcl-2 may protect cell from TGF-beta-F-induced apoptosis by interfering TGF-beta generated signals leading to induce reactive oxygen species production.

Intermolecular arene C-H activation mediated by a divalent nickel species under extremely mild conditions is described. The reactions of either Ni(COD)2 with H[N(o-C6H4PR2)2] (H[R-PNP]; R = iPr, Cy) in benzene at room temperature or [R-PNP]NiCl with LiBHEt3 in THF at -35 degrees C produced the corresponding [R-PNP]NiH in high yield. Addition of 1 equiv of B(C6F5)3 to a benzene solution of [R-PNP]NiH at room temperature led to the formation of a mixture that contains [R-PNP]NiPh and [R-PNP]Ni(C6F5), both of which are proposed to evolve from zwitterionic [R-PNP]Ni(mu-H)B(C6F5)3. In contrast, the reaction of [R-PNP]NiH with AlMe3 in benzene at room temperature afforded exclusively the corresponding [R-PNP]NiPh. Similar results were also observed for intermolecular toluene and m-xylene C-H activation by [R-PNP]NiH. A parallel study involving [R-PNP]NiMe (R = Ph, iPr, Cy) on the reactivity of intermolecular arene activation reveals the significance of pi basicity of Ni(II) in these molecules. The remarkable reactivity of inexpensive Ni(II) species established in this study is attractive, particularly from an economic viewpoint, as compared to the current alternatives of 4d and 5d metals.

It has been suggested that Phyllanthus amarus may be helpful in the treatment of hepatitis B virus infection. We studied the effect of an aqueous extract of P. amarus on the cultured hepatoma cell line HepA2. This cell line had been transfected with tandemly arranged HBV DNA and continued to synthesize and secrete both HBsAg and HBeAg. Extract of P. amarus reversibly inhibited cellular proliferation and suppressed HBsAg production but not HBeAg production in HepA2 cells. We also found that P. amarus suppressed HBsAg gene expression at mRNA level in a time-dependent manner, and selectively abolished the HBsAg gene promoter driven CAT activity. Our results demonstrate that P. amarus contains some active components which can suppress the HBsAg gene expression in human hepatoma cells. Such suppression may contribute the antiviral activity of P. amarus in vivo.

The possible mechanism of the immunosuppressive effect of scoparone (6,7-dimethoxycoumarin) was investigated. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (10(6) cells/ml) were stimulated with 0.25% phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and the proliferative response was determined from the uptake of tritiated thymidine. Scoparone (10(-6) to 3 x 10(-4) M) reduced the proliferative response in a dose-dependent manner. The proliferative response of mononuclear cells to mixed lymphocyte reaction was also reduced by scoparone (10(-5) to 10(-4) M). Interleukin-1, interleukin-2 production and interleukin-2 receptor expression were all reduced in the presence of scoparone. Scoparone (10 and 30 microM) significantly reduced the suppression elicited by the diabetogenic drug, alloxan (10 mM). The suppressive activity of scoparone was significantly reduced by quinacrine (a phospholipase A2 inhibitor), indomethacin (a cyclooxygenase inhibitor) and nordihydroguaiaretic acid (a lipoxygenase inhibitor). The levels of prostaglandin E2, prostaglandin F2 alpha, leukotriene B4 and 2,3-dinor-thromboxane B2 in culture medium of PHA-stimulated mononuclear cells, measured with an enzyme immunoassay, were elevated by scoparone treatment. We compared the effect of scoparone on the mononuclear cell response to genistein, a specific inhibitor of protein tyrosine kinase and demonstrated the non-additivity and cross-desensitization of the two compounds. Our results suggest that the immunosuppressive effect of scoparone may be exerted in part through inhibition of protein tyrosine kinase and release of arachidonic acid metabolites.

Objective Nitric oxide synthase is the key enzyme of the conversion of L-arginine to L-citrulline and nitric oxide. We conducted a study to investigate the association between positive inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA expression and recurrence of bladder cancer. Materials and Methods Seventy-one patients with primary non-muscleinvasive bladder cancer were enrolled in this study. Tumor tissues were harvested during transurethral resection of bladder tumors. All operations were performed at the same hospital. Recurrence-free patients were followed up for at least 1 year unless tumors recurred during that time. The median intervals of follow-up were 34 months in the recurrence-free group and 12 months in the recurrence group. iNOS mRNA was detected using the RT-PCR-based method. Results Bladder cancer patients with positive iNOS mRNA expression had a higher recurrence risk (18.7% vs. 2.6%; p = 0.04). After adjusting for other risk factors, a statistical significance remained ( p = 0.04; hazards ratio = 13.27; 95% CI = 1.07–164.36). The patients also had reduced recurrence-free survival ( p = 0.019). Conclusion The positive expression of iNOS mRNA may be a useful prognostic indicator of bladder cancer.