Transcriptional repression of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-b type II receptor (TbRII) gene appears to be a major mechanism to inactivate TGF-b responsiveness in many human cancers. Because histone acetylation/deacetylation plays a role in transcriptional regulation, we have examined the effect of MS-275, a synthetic inhibitor of histone deacetylase, in human breast cancer cell lines. MS...

Tobacco plants were transformed with a Nhap type Na /H antiporter gene, SynnhaP1 (slr1595), from a cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Two kinds of promoters, Arabidopsis alcohol dehydrogenase gene promoter (Adh promoter) and CaMV 35S promoter (35S promoter), were used. The transgenic plants driven by Adh promoter accumulated SynNhaP1 proteins only in root whereas the transgenic plants d...

33 Recent data suggest that the Val66Met polymorphism of the BDNF gene can alter cortical 34 plasticity within the motor cortex of carriers, which exhibits abnormally low rates of cortical 35 reorganization following repetitive motor tasks. To verify if long-term retention of a motor skill 36 is also modulated by the presence of the polymorphism, 20 participants (10 Val66Val; 10 37 Val66Met) we...

Purpose: Individuals complaining of tinnitus often attribute hearing problems to the tinnitus. In such cases some (or all) of their reported “tinnitus distress” may in fact be caused by trouble communicating due to hearing problems. We developed the Tinnitus and Hearing Survey (THS) as a tool to rapidly differentiate hearing problems from tinnitus problems. Method: For 2 of our research studies...

The amplification of distinct neural stem/progenitor cell subtypes during embryogenesis is essential for the intricate brain structures present in various vertebrate species. For example, in both mammals and birds, proliferative neuronal progenitors transiently appear on the basal side of the ventricular zone of the telencephalon (basal progenitors), where they contribute to the enlargement of ...

BACKGROUND New strategies for the treatment of alcohol dependence are a pressing need, and recent evidence suggests that targeting enzymes involved in epigenetic mechanisms seems to have great potential. Among these mechanisms, alteration of histone acetylation by histone deacetylases is of great importance for gene expression and has also been implicated in addiction. Here, we examined whether...

An epidemiological cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine the endemicity of malaria among the Orang Asli population of Raub, Pahang. Malaria endemicity was measured in terms of the prevalence of parasitaemia and splenomegaly. A total of 520 Orang Asli were examined. The point prevalence of malaria was 24.2% (95% CI 20.7-25.1), with Plasmodium falciparum (67.5%) being the predominant ...

Birth asphyxia is a leading cause of neonatal mortality in India. At present there is no reliable early marker to predict the outcome in these cases. We conducted this study to evaluate 8-hydroxy 2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) as a biochemical marker for predicting outcome in perinatal asphyxia. Term neonates fulfilling the inclusion criteria were recruited in the study. Cord blood was collected imm...