Plos One
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We previously demonstrated the pro-metastasis effect of sorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is mediated by down-regulation of tumor suppressor HTATIP2. The aim of the present study was to determine whether aspirin minimizes this effect and improves survival. ⋯ Aspirin minimized the pro-metastasis effect of sorafenib by up-regulating the tumor suppressor HTATIP2; this mechanism is mediated through inhibition of COX2.
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We analyze the online response to the preprint publication of a cohort of 4,606 scientific articles submitted to the preprint database arXiv.org between October 2010 and May 2011. We study three forms of responses to these preprints: downloads on the arXiv.org site, mentions on the social media site Twitter, and early citations in the scholarly record. We perform two analyses. ⋯ Second, we run regression and correlation tests to investigate the relationship between Twitter mentions, arXiv downloads, and article citations. We find that Twitter mentions and arXiv downloads of scholarly articles follow two distinct temporal patterns of activity, with Twitter mentions having shorter delays and narrower time spans than arXiv downloads. We also find that the volume of Twitter mentions is statistically correlated with arXiv downloads and early citations just months after the publication of a preprint, with a possible bias that favors highly mentioned articles.
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Culture is becoming increasingly important in relation to end of life (EoL) care in a context of globalization, migration and European integration. We explore and compare socio-cultural issues that shape EoL care in seven European countries and critically appraise the existing research evidence on cultural issues in EoL care generated in the different countries. ⋯ This scoping review is the first comparative exploration of the cultural differences in the understanding of EoL care in these countries. The diverse body of evidence that was identified on socio-cultural issues in EoL care, reflects clearly distinguishable national cultures of EoL care, with differences in meaning, priorities, and expertise in each country. The diverse ways that EoL care is understood and practised forms a necessary part of what constitutes best evidence for the improvement of EoL care in the future.
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Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb), remains the leading cause of mortality from a single infectious agent. Each year around 9 million individuals newly develop active TB disease, and over 2 billion individuals are latently infected with M.tb worldwide, thus being at risk of developing TB reactivation disease later in life. The underlying mechanisms and pathways of protection against TB in humans, as well as the dynamics of the host response to M.tb infection, are incompletely understood. ⋯ In patients, the regulated gene expression-signature normalized during treatment, including the type-1 interferon mediated signaling and a concurrent opposite regulation of interferon-gamma. Further analysis revealed IL15RA, UBE2L6 and GBP4 as molecules involved in the type-I interferon response in all three experimental models. Our data is highly suggestive that the innate immune type-I interferon signaling cascade could be used as a quantitative tool for monitoring active TB disease, and provide evidence that components of the patient's blood gene expression signature bear similarities to the pulmonary and macrophage response to mycobacterial infection.
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Neurodegenerative disorders are growing burdens in modern societies because of increased life expectancy. Most neurodegenerative disorders commonly possess a similar neuropathological feature--the accumulation of abnormal protein aggregates or inclusions (misfolded proteins) in the brain. One of the main functions of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is to initiate proper protein folding to facilitate protein secretion through the induction of unfolded protein response (UPR). ⋯ Compared with wild type mice, CHOP-/- mice showed an enhanced hippocampal cell apoptosis, worse performance in memory-related behavioral tests, and attenuated IRE-1 expression under tunicamycin treatment. The aggravated cell apoptosis and worse memory performance in CHOP-/- mice might be due to the deficiency of CHOP protein resulted in the impaired adaptive/pathological transcriptional response, the decreased IRE-1 and XBP-1 expressions, and the increased JNK phosphorylation to cope with ER stress. Taken together, these results suggest that CHOP may play a protective role in the hippocampal cell apoptosis and impairment of memory performance.