Additive effect of TRAIL and p53 gene transfer on apoptosis of human lung cancer cell lines

TRAIL is a cytokine that can induce tumor-specific apoptosis through its specific death receptors (DR4 and DR5) and p53 has been proven to increase the expression of death receptors. To examine their interaction in tumor suppression, p53 and TRAIL genes were inserted in recombinant adenovirus vectors and transferred simultaneously into non-small cell lung cancer cell lines (NCI-H157, NCI-H358, NCI-H460 and A549). Western blot assay demonstrated production of TRAIL protein in NCI-H157 and A549 cell lines. Increased expressions of DR4 and DR5 of NCI-H157 and DR4 of A549 after p53 overexpression were confirmed by flow cytometry. p53 or TRAIL gene transfer increased sub-G1 fraction in cell cycle analysis and inhibited the tumor growth dose-dependently and the degree was potentiated by co-transfer. But isobologram analysis indicated an additive effect. Together, these data indicate that p53 and TRAIL interact additively on tumor apoptosis despite theoretical synergism.     

A new dimeric neolignan from Magnolia grandiflora L. seeds

Archives of Pharmacal Research - Bioassay-guided fractionation of the MeOH extract of Magnolia grandiflora seeds resulted in the isolation of a new dimeric neolignan, named bishonokiol A (1), as...     

Effect of Strengthening Methods on Two-Way Slab under Low-Velocity Impact Loading

In this study, the performance of reinforced concrete slabs strengthened using four methods was investigated under impact loads transferred from the top side to bottom side. The top and bottom sides of test slabs were strengthened by no-slump high-strength, high-ductility concrete (NSHSDC), fiber-reinforced-polymer (FRP) sheet, and sprayed FRP, respectively. The test results indicated that the test specimens strengthened with FRP series showed a 4% increase in reaction force and a decrease in deflection by more than 20% compared to the non-strengthened specimens. However, the specimen enhanced by the NSHSDC jacket at both the top and bottom sides exhibited the highest reaction force and energy dissipation as well as the above measurements because it contains two types of fibers in the NSHSDC. In addition, the weight loss rate was improved by approximately 0.12% for the NSHSDC specimen, which was the lowest among the specimens when measuring the weight before and after the impact load. Therefore, a linear relationship between the top and bottom strengthening of the NSHSDC and the impact resistance was confirmed, concluding that the NSHSDC is effective for impact resistance when the top and bottom sides are strengthened. The results of the analysis of the existing research show that the NSHSDC is considered to have high impact resistance, even though it has lower resistance than the steel fiber reinforced concrete and ultra-high-performance-concrete, it can be expected to further studies on strengthening of NSHSDC.     

Investigation of poststroke epilepsy (INPOSE) study: a multicenter prospective study for prediction of poststroke epilepsy

Journal of Neurology - Poststroke epilepsy is a common problem in clinical practice. This study aimed to determine the predictors of poststroke epilepsy and to identify the risk factors. A total of...     

A comparative study of a nerve block therapy with and without a deeply inserted acupotomy applied to hyeopcheok points for lumbosacral radiculopathy: Safety,effectiveness, cost-effectiveness (a randomized controlled,two-arm,parallel study,pilot study,assessor-blind)

Introduction:The prevalence of lumbosacral radiculopathy is estimated to be approximately 3% to 5% in patient populations. Lumbosacral radiculopathy is largely caused by a complex interaction between biomechanical and biochemical factors. Nerve block therapy (NBT) mainly treats lumbosacral radiculopathy by improving the biochemical factors, whereas acupotomy mainly focuses on improving the biomechanical factors. Therefore, it is thought that synergistic effects may be obtained for the treatment of lumbosacral radiculopathy when both NBT and acupotomy are combined. However, no study in China and Korea, where acupotomy is majorly provided, has reported the effects of such a combination treatment. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the safety, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of the concurrent use of a deeply inserted acupotomy and NBT for the treatment of lumbosacral radiculopathy.Methods/design:This is an open-label, parallel, assessor-blinded, randomized controlled trial, which will include 50 patients with lumbosacral radiculopathy. After patients voluntarily agree to participate in the study, they will be screened, and will undergo necessary examinations and tests according to the protocol. Those who satisfy the selection criteria will be randomly assigned to either the NBT + acupotomy or NBT groups in a 1:1 ratio. Both groups will undergo 2 NBTs once every 2 weeks from 1 week after the screening test. The treatment group will receive additional acupotomy twice a week for 4 weeks. The primary endpoint is the Oswestry Disability Index, whereas the secondary endpoints are the Numeral Rating Scale, European Quality of Life 5-dimension, McGill pain Questionnaire, Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire, safety assessment, and economic feasibility evaluation. The measurements will be made at 0, 2, 4, and 8 weeks.Ethics and dissemination:This trial has received complete ethical approval from the Ethics Committee of Catholic Kwandong University International St. Mary''s Hospital (IS20OISE0085). We intend to submit the results of the trial to a peer-reviewed journal and/or conferences.     

Pseudoaneurysm of the abdominal aorta caused by acupuncture therapy

Acupuncture is a major treatment modality used in Oriental medicine to control chronic pain. However, several complications have been reported, including spinal cord injury, pneumothorax, and subcutaneous pseudoaneurysm, according to the puncture sites. We report the case of a pseudoaneurysm of the abdominal aorta caused by acupuncture. Received: September 25, 2001 / Accepted: March 5, 2002     

Plasma levels of D-dimer and soluble fibrin polymer in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a possible predictor of tumor thrombosis

INTRODUCTION: Fibrin formation and removal occurs continuously during the development of malignancy. Moreover, plasma D-dimer is indicative of ongoing fibrinolysis, and soluble fibrin polymer (Thrombus precursor protein, TpP) represents thrombogenic activity. We evaluated the relationship between the levels of plasma D-dimer and TpP and tumor thrombosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and examined these markers as possible predictors of tumor thrombus in the portal or the hepatic vein. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Plasma levels of D-dimer and TpP were measured in 66 HCC patients (38 without tumor thrombosis, 28 with tumor thrombosis) and 29 healthy controls, by enzyme immunoassay using an Asserachrom D-Di kit (Diagnostica Stago, France) and a TpP kit (American Biogenetic Sciences, USA). RESULTS: The plasma levels of D-dimer and TpP in HCC patients were found to be significantly higher than those in healthy controls, and these values were also significantly higher in patients with tumor thrombosis than those without tumor thrombosis. Positive D-dimer (>367 ng/ml) correlated weakly with the presence of tumor thrombosis, whereas positive TpP (>5.4 microg/ml) correlated strongly with the presence of tumor thrombosis. By multivariant logistic analysis, positive TpP level was found to be a significant predictor of the presence of tumor thrombosis. In contrast, positive D-dimer level was not found to be a significant predictor for predicting tumor thrombosis. CONCLUSIONS: Increased D-dimer and TpP levels in HCC may suggest that fibrinolysis and coagulation occur continuously during tumor progression. This study shows that a positive TpP level is a predictor of tumor thrombosis in HCC, which suggests that TpP may be useful for identifying tumor thrombus in the portal and hepatic veins.     

Serum ethanol levels after alcohol sclerotherapy of arteriovenous malformations

We analyzed the effects of several factors on the serum ethanol levels after alcohol sclerotherapy in the arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) retrospectively. Blood ethanol level, amounts of given alcohol, location of lesions, methods of flow control, and Doppler resistive index (RI) were analyzed. The results of linear regression analysis showed that the amount of alcohol administered was the predictor of serum ethanol level (r2=0.75, p<0.001). The average amount of injected alcohol was 0.89 mL/kg in the patients with the serum levels above the legal intoxication level (>80 mg/dL). Location of the lesions was not related with the serum ethanol level (p=0.643), and other variables such as forms of flow control and RI were not related to the serum ethanol level after controlling for injected amounts of alcohol (analysis of covariance). It is recommended to keep an eye on the possibility of intoxication when using the amounts of alcohol exceeding 0.89 mL/kg in the sclerotherapy of AVMs.