Settlements originate from the inhabitancy of people in a region. The formation of its spatial form is caused by the natural conditions of the environment where the people are situated, and results from the mutual influence among the factors of community relationship, cultural concepts, construction technology, and so on of the inhabiting people. Settlement always varies with the change of these factors in their development process. This paper studies the case of a settlement in the form of a fishing village in Hongmao Harbour, which is located at the western side of Kaohsiung City with a history of development of over three centuries, and is formed by several single-last-name villages. By collecting the historical information, comparing the ancient maps with the current situation, and referring the ownership of land with the kinship, this paper clarifies the development and change of the settlements in Hongmao Harbour through the 100 years and more since the end of the Ching Dynasty, and analyzes the main factors affecting the formation of the existing style and features of the settlements, including the erosion of sea tides, cultural concepts, pressure of population growth, community relationship and land inheritance system. Moreover, through the distribution of ethnic groups in each single-last-name village and the overlapping of worshipping circles of temples, the paper induces the characteristics of the worshipping circles of Hongmao Harbour that takes kinship as the main axis.
Inflammatory pseudotumour (IPT) of the spleen is a very rare benign entity that can clinically and radiologically be misconstrued as malignant. We describe a case in a 62-year-old woman who was incidentally found to have a 5.3 cm mass on abdominal ultrasound. On MRI, the mass had irregular margins and internal necrosis, raising suspicion for a malignancy. The woman then underwent a splenectomy. Histology showed a well circumscribed lesion characterised by a proliferation of bland uniform spindle cells in a background dense mixed inflammatory infiltrate consisting of lymphocytes, plasma cells and eosinophils. Immunohistochemistry showed positivity of the spindle cells for SMA and focally for CD68. There was a background predominant CD3 positive T lymphocyte population. An extensive follicular dendritic cell network was not identified on CD21. EBER in situ hybridisation was positive. The findings were consistent with an inflammatory pseudotumour of the spleen.
Objectives
Colon cancer is affluent among many people, and having cancer greatly impacts their lives. Ginger is a common food, particularly in Asian cuisine. However, the health benefits of ginger and 6-gingerol, as its bioactive component in the prevention of colon cancer, have not been fully addressed. This experiment investigated the effects of ginger juice and 6-gingerol on colon cancer cell growth and death.
Methods
Colon cancer SW480 cells and CCD-18Co normal colon epithelial cells were purchased from ATCC.SW480 cells were grown in DMEM with 4.5 g/L glucose supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), penicillin, and streptomycin, and normal colon CCD-18Co cells were maintained in EMEM with 4.5 g/L glucose and glutamine with 10% FBS. 6-gingerol was dissolved in DMSO in a stock of 100 mmol/L. Ginger roots were homogenized and the juice was collected through 3 layers of cheesecloth filtering, followed by centrifugation and 0.2 μm filter sterilization. About 5000 cells were seeded in a 24-well plate and treated with various amounts of ginger juice and/or 6-gingerol for up to 72 hours. Cell growth was examined using Trypan blue stain, and cell cycle arrest was determined by immunoblotting using antibodies against key proteins in cell cycles. Data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA with a Tukey posthoc test and statistical significance was set at P < 0.05.
Results
Time course and dosage curve experiments showed that 6-gingerol significantly inhibited SW480 cell numbers starting at 0.5 μM (P < 0.005). More than 1 μM 6-gingerol did not give more power to inhibit SW480 cell growth. The results also showed that CCD-18Co cell numbers were not changed after 6-gingerol treatments (P > 0.1). Low dosages of ginger juice (2,000 x- to 100 x- fold dilutions) didn't affect the growth of both cell types. Immunoblotting results revealed that the elevation of pSer10-CDC2 levels and decreases in p21 Wafl/Cip1 and pSer642-Wee1 only occurred in SW480 but not CCD-18Co cells when treated with 1 μM 6-gingerol for 40 hrs.
Conclusions
Through this experiment, it can be concluded that 6-gingerol can kill SW480 cancer cells without killing normal CCD-18Co cells through cell cycle arrest. Further experiments could be run to discover more properties of 6-gingerol, how it works, and how it could be used in the medical world.
Funding Sources
Oklahoma State University internal funds to support high school student research.
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