Antioxidation and Antiapoptosis Characteristics of Heme Oxygenase-1 Enhance Tumorigenesis of Human Prostate Carcinoma Cells.

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) has antiinflammatory and antioxidant properties and is deemed as a tissue protector. However, effects of HO-1 in prostate cancer remain in controversy. We evaluated the role of HO-1 in prostate carcinoma in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of HO-1 did not affect prostate cell proliferation in the normal condition but enhanced cell proliferation under serum starvation. HO-1 overexpression enhanced cell invasion of PC-3 cells through epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) induction, which was supported by increased Slug, N-cadherin, and vimentin expressions. In the xenograft animal study, HO-1 overexpression enhanced PC-3 cell tumor growth in vivo. HO-1 attenuated reactive oxygen species induced by H2O2 or pyocyanin treatment in PC-3 and DU145 cells. HO-1 further reduced PC-3 and DU145 cell apoptosis induced by H2O2 or serum starvation. Our results suggested that HO-1 was able to increase prostate carcinoma cell invasion in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. The EMT induction and antioxidant and antiapoptotic effects of HO-1 in the prostate carcinoma cells may be responsible for these findings.

Metallothionein 3 Is a Hypoxia-Upregulated Oncogene Enhancing Cell Invasion and Tumorigenesis in Human Bladder Carcinoma Cells.

Metallothioneins have been viewed as modulators in a number of biological regulations regarding cancerous development; however, the function of metallothionein 3 (MT3) in bladder cancer is unexplored. We determined the regulatory mechanisms and potential function of MT3 in bladder carcinoma cells. Real-Time Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) assays revealed that TSGH-8301 cells expressed more MT3 levels than RT-4, HT1376, and T24 cells. Immunoblot and RT-qPCR assays showed that arsenic (AS2O3) treatments enhanced the gene expression of MT3. Hypoxia induced HIF-1α, HIF-2α, and MT3 expression; furthermore, HIF-2α-knockdown attenuated hypoxic activation on MT3 expression. Ectopic overexpression of MT3 increased cell proliferation, invasion, and tumorigenesis significantly in T24 and HT1376 cells in vitro and in vivo; however, MT3-knockdown in TSGH-8301 cells had the reverse effect. Moreover, knockdown of MT3 enhanced arsenic-induced apoptosis determined by the Annexin V-FITC apoptosis assay. MT3-overexpression downregulated the gene expressions of N-myc downstream regulated gene 1 (NDRG1), N-myc downstream regulated gene 2 (NDRG2), and the mammary serine protease inhibitor (MASPIN) in HT1376 and T24 cells, whereas MT3-knockdown in TSGH-8301 cells had the opposite effect. The experiments indicated that MT3 is an arsenic- and hypoxia-upregulated oncogene that promotes cell growth and invasion of bladder carcinoma cells via downregulation of NDRG1, NDRG2, and MASPIN expressions.

Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester Induces N-myc Downstream Regulated Gene 1 to Inhibit Cell Proliferation and Invasion of Human Nasopharyngeal Cancer Cells.

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), a bioactive component extracted from propolis, is widely studied due to its anti-cancer effect. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is distinct from other head and neck carcinomas and has a high risk of distant metastases. N-myc downstream regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) is demonstrated as a tumor suppressor gene in several cancers. Our result showed that CAPE treatment could repress NPC cell growth, through induction of S phase cell cycle arrest, and invasion. CAPE treatment stimulated NDRG1 expression in NPC cells. NDRG1 knockdown increased NPC cell proliferation and invasion and rendered NPC cells less responsive to CAPE growth-inhibiting effect, indicating CAPE repressed NPC cell growth partly through NDRG1indcution. CAPE treatment increased phosphorylation of ERK, JNK, and p38 in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Pre-treatments by inhibitors of ERK (PD0325901), JNK (SP600125), or p38 (SB201290), respectively, all could partly inhibit the CAPE effect on NDRG1 induction in NPC cells. Further, STAT3 activity was also repressed by CAPE in NPC cells. In summary, CAPE attenuates NPC cell proliferation and invasion by upregulating NDRG1 expression via MAPK pathway and by inhibiting phosphorylation of STAT3. Considering the poor prognosis of NPC patients with metastasis, CAPE could be a promising agent against NPC.

[A project to reduce the incidence of intubation care errors among foreign health aides].

BACKGROUND & PROBLEMS: Foreign health aides are the main providers of care for the elderly and the physically disabled in Taiwan. Correct care skills improve patient safety. In 2010, the incidence of mistakes among foreign health aides in our hospital unit was 58% for nasogastric tube care and 57% for tracheostomy tube care. A survey of foreign health aides and nurses in the unit identified the main causes of these mistakes as: communication difficulties, inaccurate instructions given to patients, and a lack of standard operating procedures given to the foreign health aides. PURPOSE: This project was designed to reduce the rates of improper nasogastric tube care and improper tracheostomy tube care to 20%, respectively. METHODS: This project implemented several appropriate measures. We produced patient instruction hand-outs in Bahasa Indonesia, established a dedicated file holder for Bahasa Indonesian tube care reference information, produced Bahasa Indonesian tube-care-related posters, produced a short film about tube care in Bahasa Indonesian, and established a standardized operating procedure for tube care in our unit. RESULTS: Between December 15th and 31st, 2011, we audited the performance of a total of 32 foreign health aides for proper execution of nasogastric tube care (21 aides) and of proper execution of tracheostomy tube care (11 aides). Patients with concurrent nasogastric and tracheostomy tubes were inspected separately for each care group. The incidence of improper care decreased from 58% to 18% nasogastric intubation and 57% to 18% for tracheostomy intubation. CONCLUSIONS: This project decreased significantly the incidence of improper tube care by the foreign health aides in our unit. Furthermore, the foreign health aides improved their tube nursing care skills. Therefore, this project improved the quality of patient care.

Hostility trait and vascular dilatory functions in healthy Taiwanese.

Aim It has been demonstrated that brief episodes of mental stress can cause transient endothelial dysfunction, which is an important early event in atherogenesis. The purpose of this study is to examine the independent effect of hostility trait on resting endothelial function. Objective A total of 89 healthy adults were recruited. Hostility was measured by the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory- Chinese Version- Short Form. Vascular dilatory functions were measured by using ultrasound imaging of the brachial artery before and after cuff occlusion, before and after sublingual nitroglycerin. Conclusion Multiple regression analyses revealed the independent negative effect of hostility on flow-mediated dilation (FMD). And this association is independent from biomedical risk factors and other psychological factors, specifically anxiety and depression. With respect to Nitroglycerin-induced dilation, none of the psychological risk factors were found to have statistically significant contribution.