[ ABSTRACT] AIM: To study the influences of tangeretin ( TGN) on the growth and invasion of non-small-cell lung cancer ( NSCLC) cells, and to explore the molecular mechanisms.METHODS: The A549 cells were treated with different concentrations of TGN in vitro.The relative cell activity was determined by MTT assay.The apoptotic rate was an-alyzed by flow cytometry with Annexin V-FITC/PI staining.The number of the invasive cells was measured by Transwell as-say.The mRNA expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 was detected by RT-PCR, and the protein levels of Ki67, Cyt C, caspase-3, cleaved caspase-3, MMP-2, MMP-9, Akt, p-Akt and p-PI3K were determined by Western blotting analysis. RESULTS:TGN inhibited the proliferation of A549 cells in a dose-dependent manner ( P<0.05) along with the low ex-pression level of proliferation biomarker Ki67.TGN up-regulated the protein levels of Cyt C, caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-3 (P<0.01) and promoted the apoptosis of A549 cells in a dose-dependent manner.Moreover, TGN down-regu-lated the invasion-related molecules MMP-2 and MMP-9 at the mRNA and protein levels, and the number of invasive cells reduced with the increase in the concentration of TGN.The protein levels of p-Akt and p-PI3K in the A549 cells was re-duced (P<0.05), and no difference of the cell viability in the cells treated with different concentrations of TGN was ob-served after blocking PI3K/Akt signaling pathway using LY294002.CONCLUSION: TGN inhibits the growth and inva-sion of A549 cells and promotes the cell apoptosis by potentially inhibiting PI3K/Akt signaling pathway activation.There-fore, this study will provide a new target for the prevention and control of NSCLC.

Animals ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Idarubicin ; administration & dosage ; Leupeptins ; administration & dosage ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Neoplastic Stem Cells ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; physiology

Tumors are classified into two major categories,benign and malignant.One main difference between malignant and benign tumors is their tendency to metastasize and recur.The metastasis itself is an ominous sign for prognosis and responsible for most cancer deaths.The metastatic "cascade" comprises a lot of steps,including escape from the primary tumor site,penetration of local stroma,entry of local vascular or lymphatic vessels,aggregation with platelets,interaction with and adhesion to distant endothelia,extravasation,recolonization,and expansion,all the time avoiding effective immune clearance and being able to survive.It has now been shown to contain stem cell-like cells called cancer stem cells(CSC) in several solid tumors.Although generally rare,these cells appear to be highly tumorigenic and may drive tumor formation and mediate tumor metastasis.

Angiogenesis is an important feature of malignant neoplasm and plays an essential role in the genesis,growth and metastasis of tumors. CT perfusion imaging (CTPI),as one of the functional imaging techniques reflecting neovascularity of neoplasm,perfectly combines anatomical imaging with physiological information and can be used in a range of clinical areas,such as differentiation between benign and malignant lesions,early detection of malignancy or metastasis,prediction of tumor behavior and the assessment of responses to therapies. Many researches have been done on perfusion CT in tumors of the brain,thyroid gland,salivary gland,mammary gland,lungs,liver,esophagus,kidney,colorectum,and so on. The present article reviews the basic principles of perfusion CT and its clinical application in tumors.

Objective To observe the therapeutic effect of hyper-laser irradiation combined with acupuncture for the treatment of temporomandibular joint disturbance syndrome(TMJDS).Methods Sixty TMJDS patients were equally randomized into two groups: the treatment group was given hyper-laser irradiation combined with acupuncture,and the control group given acupuncture alone.The treatment lasted 10 days.After treatment,the improvement of symptoms and signs in both groups was evaluated.Results The total effective rate was 93.3% in the treatment group and 80.0% in the control group,the therapeutic effect in the treatment group being superior to that in the control group(P

It has been proved that severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is caused by a novel coronavirus. Detecting disease in its early stage, understanding its pathways of transmission and implementing specific prevention measures for the disease are very important in the course of disease control. China has established the definitions of suspected and confirmed cases of SARS. But the laboratory tests and definitions for the diagnosis are limited.Now the primary measures for SARS include isolation, therapeutics application with ribavirin and corticosteroid, mechanical ventilation, etc. Convalescent plasma is being explored.There still are many problems to be solved in the course of conquering SARS.

Bone morphogenetic protein is a key regulation factor in osteoplast cell differentiation and bone formation.It takes a role of differentiation inducting and orientating by modulating the transcription factor and through some unknown signal transduction pathway,and its expression and function can be adjusted by signal transducting system and specific acceptor inhibiter.This article reviews the research progresses on the aspects.

Matrix metallopmteinase(MMP),a family of proteolytic enzymes,can degradate the composition of extracellular matrix.Its structure,regulatory function and physiopathology have been deeply studied,and its role in tumor metastasis has received more attention.The tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase(TIMP),as an endogenous MMP inhibitor,suppresses both the form and course of MMP activation.The function zone of its C-end accords with some other parts of MMP,forming an MMP-TIMP compound,to block the combination of MMP with the substrate,suppress the activation of MMP,and slow down or block the invasion and metastasis of osteosarcoma.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae(MP) is a common pathogen found in respiratory tract infections of children and is susceptible to macrolides, tetracycline, aminogly-cosides, and quinoloines . Of all these antibiotics, macrolides is the frist choice for children. However,in recent years, strains which are resistant to common drugs have been selected in vitro and isolated from patients Point mutation at antibitics target site of these 8trains is one of the molecular mechanisms.The study of MP resistance can provide theoretical guidance for rational choice of antibiotics and application.

The data of autism in online question and answer communities of Zhidao.baidu.com and Yahoo!Answers were analyzed, which showed that the understanding of online question and answer communities users in China and USA was quite different.The users in USA mastered the basic knowledge of diseases much better than those in China and more detailed questions were asked by users in USA than by those in China.The clarity, completeness, accuracy and operability are the most important factors for selection of answers.Autism and its countermeasures have been well and widely accepted in American society.