Reaction of LnI2 (Ln = Sm, Yb) with two equivalents of NaTp(Me2) or reduction of Eu(Tp(Me2))2OTf gives good yields of the highly insoluble homoleptic Ln(II) complexes, Ln(Tp(Me2))2 (Ln = Sm (1a), Yb (2a), Eu (3a)). Use of the additionally 4-ethyl substituted Tp(Me2,4Et) ligand produces the analogous, but soluble Ln(Tp(Me2,4Et))2 (1-3b) complexes. Soluble compounds are also obtained with the Tp(Ph) and Tp(Tn) ligands (Tn = thienyl), Ln(Tp(Ph))2 (Ln = Sm, 1c; Yb, 2c) and Ln(Tp(Tn))2 (Ln = Sm, 1d; Yb, 2d). To provide benchmark parameters for structural comparison the series of Sm(Tp(Me2))2X complexes (X = F, 1e; Cl, 1f; Br, 1g; I, 1h; BPh4, 1j) were prepared either via oxidation of the Sm(Tp(Me2))2 or salt metathesis from SmX3 (X = Cl, Br, I). The solid-state structures of 1-3a, 1b, 1-2c and 1e, 1f, 1h, and 1j were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The homoleptic bis-Tp complexes are all six-coordinate with trigonal antiprismatic geometries, planes of the kappa(3)-Tp ligands are parallel to one another. In the series of Sm(Tp(Me2))2X complexes the structure changes from seven-coordinate molecular compounds, with intact Sm-X bonds, for X = F, Cl, to six-coordinate ionic structures [Sm(Tp(Me2))2]X (X = I, BPh4), suitable crystals of the bromide compound could not be obtained. The dependence of the structures on the size of X is understandable in terms of the interplay between the size of the cleft that the [Sm(Tp(Me2))2](+) fragment can make available and the donor ability of the anionic group toward the hard Sm(III) center.

Aim: Present study aimed to elucidate the suppression of serum lipids by gamma-and delta-tocotrienol ( T3).Methods: The lipid-lowering effects of T3 were investigated using HepG2 liver cell line, hypercholesterolemic mice and borderline-high cholesterol patients. Results:In-vitro results demonstrated two modes of action. First, T3 suppressed the upstream regulators of lipid homeostasis genes (DGAT2, APOB100, SREBP1/2 and HMGCR) leading to the suppression of triglycerides, cholesterol and VLDL biosyntheses. Second, T3 enhanced LDL efflux through induction of LDL receptor (LDLr) expression. Treatment of LDLr-deficient mice with 1 mg/day (50 mg/kg/day) T3 for one-month showed 28%, 19% reduction in cholesterol and triglyceride levels respectively, whereas HDL level was unaltered. The lipid-lowering effects were not affected by alpha-tocopherol ( TP). In a placebo-controlled human trial using 120 mg/day T3, only serum triglycerides were lowered by 28% followed by concomitant reduction in the triglyceriderich VLDL and chylomicrons. In contrast, total cholesterol, LDL and HDL remained unchanged in treated and placebo groups. The discrepancies between in-vitro, in-vivo and human studies may be attributed to the differential rates of post-absorptive T3 degradation and LDL metabolism. Conclusion: Reduction in triglycerides synthesis and transport may be the primary benefit caused by ingesting T3 in human.

Significant levels of estrogen and androgens circulate in men and women, and both play an important role in bone metabolism. While it is well established that either estrogen or androgen replacement therapy is effective at ameliorating bone loss associated with hypogonadism, recent evidence nevertheless suggests that estrogen and androgens have distinct molecular actions on the skeleton. In this study, we have employed normal rat calvarial osteoblast cultures to characterize relative expression profiles of estrogen (ER and ER ) and androgen receptors (AR) during osteoblast differentiation. Normal osteoblast cultures can proceed through in vitro differentiation with distinct stages of proliferation, matrix maturation and mineralization in the appropriate differentiation medium containing ascorbic acid. Expression profiles of AR, ER and ER in primary cultures during osteoblast differentiation were characterized both by semi-quantitative relative RT-PCR and by Western analysis. In cultures induced to differentiate by growth in the presence of ascorbic acid, the expression profile for each receptor was unique during the course of differentiation. ER levels were elevated during matrix maturation and then declined during mineralization. ER expression was relatively constant throughout differentiation, exhibiting more constitutive expression. In contrast, AR levels were lowest during proliferation, and then increased throughout differentiation with highest levels in the most mature mineralizing cultures. Since steroid hormone action is generally mediated by specific cognate receptors, these results suggest that androgen actions may target cells during the mineralization stage of osteoblast differentiation, while estrogen action through either receptor isoform is more likely to affect osteoblasts earlier during matrix maturation. Interestingly, sex steroid receptor expression profiles did not exhibit the same patterns of regulation if osteoblast cultures were grown without ascorbic acid in medium that did not support extracellular matrix deposition. Thus, sex steroids may distinctly influence skeletal health by differential modulation of function during osteoblast differentiation.

Non-aromatizable androgens have significant beneficial effects on skeletal homeostasis independently of conversion to estradiol, but the effects of androgens on bone cell metabolism and cell proliferation are still poorly understood. Using an osteoblastic model with enhanced androgen responsiveness, MC3T3-E1 cells stably transfected with androgen receptor (AR) under the control of the type I collagen promoter (colAR-MC3T3), the effects of androgens on mitogenic signaling were characterized. Cultures were treated with the non-aromatizable androgen 5 -dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and the effects on osteoblast viability were determined as measured by an MTT assay. A complex response was observed in that continuous short-term DHT treatment enhanced osteoblast viability, but with longer-term DHT treatment inhibition was observed. The inhibition by DHT was prevented by the specific AR antagonist hydroxyflutamide, and was also observed in primary cultures of normal rat calvarial osteoblasts. In order to identify potential mediators of this effect, mitogenic pathway-specific cDNA microarrays were interrogated. Reduced hybridization of several genes important in MAP kinase-mediated signaling was observed, with the most dramatic effect on Elk-1 expression. Analysis of phosphorylation cascades demonstrated that DHT treatment inhibited phosphoERK1/2 levels, MAP kinase activation of Elk-1, Elk-1 protein and phosphoElk-1 levels, and downstream AP-1/luciferase reporter activity. Together, these data provide the first evidence that androgen inhibition of the MAP kinase signaling pathway is a potential mediator of osteoblast growth, and are consistent with the hypothesis that the MAP cascade may be a specific downstream target of DHT.

These results suggest that neonatal CI stimulates the production of IL-1β and TNF-α through the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signalling pathway in the spinal cord, which contributed to visceral hypersensitivity induced by neonatal CI in rats.

BackgroundThe goal of this study was to investigate ERBB2(HER2) and EGFR gene amplification and protein expression in gastric cancer. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry were used to analyze ERBB2 and EGFR gene amplification and protein expression in 69 cases of gastric cancer.ResultsFISH analysis revealed that 20.3% of the cases exhibited ERBB2 gene amplification. Increases in ERBB2 copy number and gene amplification were present in 52.2% of the samples. Expression of the ERBB2 protein was observed in 42.0% of cases. FISH analysis detected EGFR gene amplification in 29.0% of samples. Increases in EGFR copy number and gene amplification occurred in 57.9% of samples, and EGFR protein expression was present in 52.2% of samples. Both ERBB2 and EGFR gene amplification were 3 cases (4.3%), but abnormalities in both ERBB2 and EGFR gene copy number were present 36.2% of samples. ERBB2 and EGFR gene amplification were significantly associated with the depth of tumor invasion (P < 0.05) and lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05), but not with sex, age, or histological type (P > 0.05).ConclusionsOur data indicated that ERBB2 and EGFR genetic abnormalities were associated with the prognosis of gastric cancer. Clinical assessment of ERBB2 and EGFR amplification may represent an important factor for the development of personalized treatment programs for gastic cancer.

High cell density cultivation of Haematococcus pluvialis for astaxanthin production was carried out in batch and fed-batch modes in 3.7-L bioreactors with stepwise increased light intensity control mode. A high cell density of 2.65 g x L(-1) (batch culture) or 2.74 g x L(-1) (fed-batch culture) was obtained, and total astaxanthin production in the fed-batch culture (64.36 mg x L(-1)) was about 20.5% higher than in the batch culture (53.43 mg x L(-1)). An unstructured kinetic model to describe the microalga culture system including cell growth, astaxanthin formation, as well as sodium acetate consumption was proposed. Good agreement was found between the model predictions and experimental data. The models demonstrated that the optimal light intensity for mixotrophic growth of H. pluvialis in batch or fed-batch cultures in a 3.7-L bioreactor was 90-360 micromol x m(-2) x s(-1), and that the stepwise increased light intensity mode could be replaced by a constant light intensity mode.

Background/Objectives:Effects of vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy have been associated with some adverse pregnancy outcomes. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between vitamin D deficiency in childbearing aged women and pregnancy loss (PL) in the first trimester.Subjects/Methods:This is a cross-sectional study. Plasma was collected from 60 nulliparous women with singleton at 7–9 weeks of gestation (30 with viable gestation and 30 with PL) and 60 non-gravid childbearing aged women (30 with a successful pregnancy history, and 30 with one or more spontaneous first-trimester PL history). Quantitation of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D-1 alpha hydroxylase (CYP27B1) was assayed.Results:By pregnancy/non-gravid, normal pregnant women had higher 25(OH)D (49.32 μg/l) and CYP27B1 (82.00 pg/ml) than PL women (34.49 μg/l and 37.87 pg/ml, both P<0.01); the non-gravid women with a successful pregnancy history also had higher 25(OH)D (39.56 μg/l) and CYP27B1 (39.04 pg/ml) than women with PL history (12.30 μg/l and 12.35 pg/ml, both P<0.01). The 96.7% of non-gravid women with PL history and 43.3% of PL women had serum 25(OH)D concentrations below 30 μg/l. There was a strong association between low vitamin D levels and PL (odds ratio 1.71; 95% confidence interval: 1.2–2.4, P<0.001). The regression analyses showed that PL was significantly inversely correlated with 25(OH)D (P<0.01) and CYP27B1 levels (P<0.01).Conclusions:Vitamin D deficiency associated with PL in the first trimester of pregnancy. Decreased serum vitamin D levels among childbearing aged women with the failed clinical pregnancies history may predispose to increased risk for PL.