Dopamine is used to treat heart failure, particularly after cardiac surgery in infants, but the mechanisms of action are unclear. We investigated differences in the effect of dopamine on L-type calcium current (I(Ca)) between newborn (NB, 1-4 days) and adult (AD, 3-4 mo) rabbit ventricular myocytes. Myocytes were enzymatically dissociated from NB and AD rabbit hearts. I(Ca) was recorded by usin...

Neuroblastoma originates from neural crest cells and is the most common extracranial solid tumor in childhood. Bone metastasis in neuroblastoma is an unfavorable prognostic factor even with intensive therapy. In the present study, we screened four cell lines of human neuroblastoma (NB-1, NB-16, NB-19, and NH-6) for tumorigenicity and metastatic capacity in nude mice and found that NB-19 cells c...

Rearranged during transfection (RET) is widely expressed in neuroblastoma (NB) and partly contributes to high metastatic potential and survival of NB. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether vandetanib (a RET inhibitor) inhibits proliferation, migration and invasion of NB cells in vitro. The effects of vandetanib on the proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle and on RET phosphor...

BACKGROUND Narrowband NB-UVB phototherapy (NB-UVB) is an effective treatment for psoriasis, as demonstrated by clinical trials. However, due to required infrastructure and need for treatment attendance opinions on the value of offering this treatment in routine practice vary. AIMS: To provide high quality large-scale and long-term data on the efficacy of NB-UVB for psoriasis under real-world co...

BACKGROUND Oral 8-methoxypsoralen-UV-A (PUVA) and Narrowband UV-B (NB-UVB or UVB TL-01) are well established treatments for chronic plaque psoriasis but there is limited evidence regarding their respective efficacy. OBJECTIVES To prepare for evidence-based recommendations concerning the practical use of oral 8-methoxypsoralen-UV-A and Narrowband UV-B in psoriasis, a systematic review to asses...

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extracranial solid tumor in childhood. Our previous studies have shown that hypoxia-inducible factor 2 alpha (HIF-2α), one member of the bHLH-PAS transcription factor family, facilitates the progression of NB under non-hypoxic conditions. However, the mechanisms underlying HIF-2α expression in NB still remain largely unknown. Herein, through analyzing the c...

We present a technology based on Nb/NbxSi1−x/Nb junctions, with barriers near the metal-insulator transition, for applications in superconducting electronics (SCE) as an alternative to Nb/AlOx/Nb tunnel junctions. Josephson junctions with co-sputtered amorphous Nb-Si barriers can be made with a wide variety of electrical properties: critical current density (Jc), capacitance (C), and normal res...

Neuroblastoma (NB), the most common extracranial solid tumor of childhood, is responsible for approximately 15% of cancer-related mortality in children. Aberrant activation of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) has been shown to contribute to tumor cell progression in many cancers including NB. Therefore, small molecule inhibitors of CDKs comprise a strategic option in cancer therapy. Here we show...

Selenocystine (SeC) has been identified as a novel compound with broad-spectrum anticancer activities. Natural borneol (NB) is a monoterpenoid compound that has been used as a promoter of drug absorption. In the present study, we demonstrated that NB significantly enhanced the cellular uptake of SeC and potentiated its antiproliferative activity on HepG2 cells by induction of apoptosis. NB effe...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this preliminary study is to evaluate the effect of various wavelengths of light on nanobacteria (NB). BACKGROUND DATA NB and mitochondria use light for biological processes. NB have been described as multifunctional primordial nanovesicles with the potential to utilize solar energy for replication. NB produce slime, a process common to living bacteria. Slime release ...