Current Signal Transduction Therapy - Volume 9, Issue 2, 2014

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is regarded as one of the air pollutants with a rotten egg smell. However, it is recently discovered that endogenous H2S has important physiological and pathological functions. Cystathionine- β synthase (CBS) and cystathionine- γ lyase (CSE) play key roles in the synthesis of H2S, and CSE is also a major H2S-formation enzyme in the cardiovascular system. Vascular inflammation is one of the most importan Read More

The maintenance of pancreatic β-cells normal functioning is crucial for insulin production and glucose homeostasis. Inadequate insulin secretion due to β-cell dysfunction can lead to different types of diabetes mellitus. Though it is widely recognized that both environmental and genetic factors play important roles, the exact molecular mechanism that leads to β -cell failure is still unclear. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate numerous Read More

Glioblastoma, a highly lethal brain tumor, features extensive heterogeneity at the cellular and molecular levels. The discovery of glioma stem cells (GSCs) supports a new paradigm in tumor biology and therapeutic targeting. GSCs contribute to the cellular origin of primary gliomas and the recurrence of malignant gliomas after traditional treatments. A growing body of evidence suggests that GSCs, just as the bulk tumor cell Read More

Signal transduction has been acknowledged to be involved in various cell biological processes. And it is proved that multiple signaling pathways have been associated with the development and progression of pancreatic cancer, which remains one of the most devastating human diseases. Newly developed drugs targeting these aberrant signaling pathways show bright prospect in improving the therapeutic efficacy and outc Read More

Background: The association between gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and hemodialysis (HD) is unclear. We aimed to determine the prevalence of GERD in HD patients and to identify the risk factors and effects of GERD in this patient population. Methods: This retrospective study involved 432 HD patients who completed a questionnaire including a GERD symptom assessment scale (QUEST). Clinical data were obtai Read More

Objectives: As a selective matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor, MMI-166 specifically inhibits MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity and represses tumor invasion and metastasis. Previous studies show that MMI-166 has an anti-metastatic role in a variety of tumors. However, it still remains unclear about the exact effect of MMI-166 on human pancreatic cancer. Methods: In this study, we showed firstly MMI-166 induced proliferation inhibition Read More

Cancer cell metabolism plays an important role in the progression of lung cancer. It is characterized through a shift from an oxidative to a glycolytic bioenergetics pathway, a phenomenon referred to as the warburg effect. However, the deregulation of miRNAs contributing to the warburg effect and to cancer cell metabolism is still unknown. In the present study, the results demonstrate that the expression of miR-202 is significant Read More

Background: To evaluate the effects of aqueous Cortex Lycii Radicis (CLR) extracts on diabetic nephrology in a streptozotocin-induced diabetic nephropathy rat model, and to explore the underlying mechanisms of CLR action. Methods: We induced diabetes mellitus via a single intravenous streptozotocin injection (30 mg/kg) and subsequent high-fat diet for 3 weeks in male Sprague Dawley rats. Rats that developed diabetes Read More