Sorafenib-based combined molecule targeting in treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Sorafenib is the only and standard systematic chemotherapy drug for treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) at the current stage. Although sorafenib showed survival benefits in large randomized phase Ⅲ studies, its clinical benefits remain modest and most often consist of temporary tumor stabilization, indicating that more effective first-line treatment regimens or second-line salvage therapies are required. The molecular pathogenesis of HCC is very complex, involving hyperactivated signal transduction pathways such as RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT/m TOR and aberrant expression of molecules such as receptor tyrosine kinases and histone deacetylases. Simultaneous or sequential abrogation of these critical pathways or the functions of these key molecules involved in angiogenesis, proliferation, and apoptosis may yield major improvements in the management of HCC. In this review, we summarize the emerging sorafenib-based combined molecule targeting for HCC treatment and analyze the rationales of these combinations.

MEMS Inductor Consisting of Suspended Thick Crystalline Silicon Spiral with Copper Surface Coating

A novel MEMS inductor consisting of a planar single crystalline silicon spiral with a copper surface coating as the conductor is presented. Using a silicon-glass anodic bonding and deep etching formation-and-release process,a 40μm-thick silicon spiral is formed, which is suspended on a glass substrate to eliminate substrate loss. The surfaces of the silicon spiral are coated with highly conformal copper by electroless plating to reduce the resis- tive loss in the conductor,with thin nickel film plated on the surface of the copper layer for final surface passivation. The fabricated inductor exhibits a self-resonance frequency higher than 15GHz,with a quality factor of about 40 and an inductance of over 5nil at 11.3GHz. Simulations based on a compact equivalent circuit model of the inductor and parameter extraction using a characteristic-function approach are carried out,and good agreement with measurements is obtained.

Roots extracts of Adenophora triphylla var.japonica improve obesity in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and high-fat diet-induced obese mice

Objective:To investigate the anti-obesity activity and the action mechanism of the roots of Adenophora triphylla var.japonica extract(ATE) in high-fat diet(HFD)-induced obese mice and 3T3-LI adipocytes.Methods:The roots of Ademption triphylla were extracted with 70%ethanol.To demonstrate the compounds,linoleic acid was analyzed by using gas chromatography:and the anti-obesity effects and possible mechanisms of ATE were examined in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and HFD-induced obese mice.Results:Treatment with ATE inhibited the lipid accumulation without cytotoxicity in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.Furthermore,200 and 400 mg/kg ATE treatment significantly decreased the body weight gain,white adipose tissues(WATs) weight and plasma triglyceride level,while 100 and 200 mg/kg ATE treatment increased the plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level in the HFD-induced obese mice,as compared with the HFD group.Treatment with 200 and 400 mg/kg ATE also lowered the size of adipocytes in adipose tissue and reduced the lipid accumulation in liver.ATE treatment showed significantly lower expression level of adipogenesis-relatcd proteins,such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor y,fatty acid binding protein(aP2),fatty acid synthase in 3T3-L1 adipocytes;and furthermore,decreased peroxisome proliferatoractivated receptor γ,aP2,fatty acid synthase,sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c,and lipoprotein lipase mRNA expression levels in WAT of the HFD-induced obese mice.Conclusions:These results suggested that the ATE has an anti-obesity effect,which may be elicited by regulating the expression of adipogenesis and lipogenesis-related genes and proteins in adipocytes and WAT of the HFD-induced obese mice.

Anticancer activity of Cyanothece sp. strain extracts from Egypt: First record

Objective:To assess the anticancer activity of eight cyanobacterial hydrophilic extracts on Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cell line.Methods:The cyanobacterial strains used in the investigation were collected from diverse habitats in Egypt.The initial cytotoxicity test of cyanobacterial hydrophilic extracts was carried out by MTT assay.The in vitro anticancer activity of the four most active extracts was performed on MCF-7 cells using sulforhodamine B assay.Morphological and molecular techniques were used to characterise identity of the isolate from which the most potent cytotoxic extract was obtained.Results:Extracts from four cyanobacterial strains had higher cytotoxic activities scoring76.68%,77.70%,76.70%and 74.45%,respectively.A considerable anticancer effect was only detected when the concentrated extracts were used.One cyanobacterial extract gave the highest anticancer activity on human breast adenocarcinoma cell line(57.6%of inhibition)as compared to control.The isolate was best-matched to Cyanothece sp.with sequence resemblance 98%to Cyanothece sp.strain PCC7564 and the phylogenetic analysis confirmed its close identity to the Cyanothece genus.Conclusions:This is the first study to report the anticancer effect of aqueous extracts derived from the unicellular Cyanothece sp.from Egypt and its potential as a plausible candidate for future mass biotechnological applications.