Apoptosis is one mechanism by which cancer cells can be eliminated. Therefore, understanding the signaling pathways that transduce apoptotic signals in cancer cells is an indispensable component of cancer research. Rac, a member of the Rho family of proteins, has been implicated in the regulation of cell survival and apoptosis. However, the mechanisms underlying this process remain to be elucidated. To understand the role of Rac in oral squamous cancer, we inhibited its activity by a Rac-specific small molecule inhibitor, NSC23766, or transfection of dominant negative Rac (Rac-DN), and discovered that inhibition of Rac activity elicits apoptosis in highly malignant oral squamous carcinoma (OSC-19) cells. Upon suppression of Rac, we observed up-regulation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), leading to caspase-dependent apoptosis. Furthermore, stimulation of protein phosphatase (PP5) rescued apoptosis caused by Rac inhibition by dephosphorylating JNK. Taken together, inhibition of Rac activity leads to the suppression of PP5 activity, which results in extensive activation of JNK and caspase-dependent apoptosis. In conclusion, Rac inhibition may represent a novel therapeutic approach for oral squamous carcinoma.

Objective: The influence of depression, anxiety, and family function in breast cancer patients on the quality of life of their children was investigated from the perspective of the participants’ demographic characteristics after controlling for their attributes. Methods: The demographic characteristics and confounding factors were divided into two subgroups, and two-factor analysis of variance was conducted with depression, anxiety, and family function as the independent variables, and the children’s quality of life scores as the dependent variable. Results: The quality of life of children in each characteristic demographic-subgroup was significantly lower when their mother had high depressed. Moreover, the quality of life in children of the subgroup with mothers receiving chemotherapy varied according to the quality of family function regardless of having siblings. Conclusion: It is necessary to focus on the conditions of children in addition to the psychological status of breast cancer patients. This investigation suggested that understanding mothers’ psychological status helps to identify children’s psychosocial problems. Moreover, it is suggested that the demographic characteristics of families with breast cancer patients should be considered when approaching mothers’ psychological status and family function.