The TeV and X-ray data obtained by the imaging Cherenkov telescope CAT and X-ray satellite BeppoSAX during the remarkable flare of Mkn 501 in April 16, 1997 are used to constrain the flux of the Cosmic Infrared Background (CIB) using different CIB models. We show that a non-negligible absorption of γ-rays due to the CIB could take place already in the low-energy (sub-TeV) domain of the spectrum...

We have performed observations of the blazar S5 0716+714 with INTEGRAL on 2-6 April 2004. In the first months of 2004, the source had increased steadily in optical brightness and had undergone two outbursts. During the latter, occurred in March, it reached the extreme level of R = 12.1 mag, which triggered our INTEGRAL program. The target has been detected with IBIS/ISGRI up to 60 keV, with a f...

The TeV-emitting BL Lac object Mkn 421 was observed with very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) at three closely-spaced epochs one-month apart in March–April 1998. The source was also monitored at very-high γ-ray energies (TeV measurements) during the same period in an attempt to search for correlations between TeV variability and the evolution of the radio morphology on parsec scales. While ...

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) can infect into the epithelial cell to cause benign or malignant disorders. Under stressful environment, a spiral form of H. pylori is transformed into a coccoid form. The infectivity of the coccoid form is still controversial. Since spiral forms are transformed into two types of coccoid forms via different mechanisms, the infectivity of the two types of coccoid ...

The variable flux of TeV gamma-rays detected from Mkn 421 and Mkn 501 requires the presence of high energy electrons, which could in principle produce large numbers of electron/positron pairs, leading to an electromagnetic cascade. We point out that this scenario can be avoided if electrons are accelerated to high energy rectilinearly, rather than being injected isotropically into a blob, as in...

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), upregulated in gastric cancer patients, is an oncogene of interest in the development of targeted cancer nanomedicines. This study demonstrates in silico modeling of monoclonal antibody cetuximab (CET MAb)-conjugated docetaxel (DOCT)-loaded poly(γ-glutamic acid) (γ-PGA) nanoparticles (Nps) and evaluates the in vitro/in vivo effects on EGFR-overexpressing...

We present a preliminary analysis of the first high-resolution X-ray spectrum of a Seyfert 2 galaxy, Mkn 3, obtained with the High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer onboard the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The high-energy spectrum (λ . 4 Å) is dominated by reflection of the AGN continuum radiation in a cold optically thick medium and contains bright Kα fluorescent lines from iron and silic...

BACKGROUND Up-regulation of the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), its transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor (c-Met), and urokinase type plasminogen activator (uPA), is associated with the development and metastasis of various types of cancers. However, the mechanisms by which HGF/c-Met signaling mediates cancer progression and metastasis are unclear. METHODS We investigated the roles of HGF/c-...

Epigenetic alterations of the histone acetylation play an important role in the regulation of gene expression associated with cell cycles and apoptosis that may affect the chemosensitivity of gastric carcinomas. Recently, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, trichostatin A (TSA), was proven to be a chemo-sensitizer on human erythroleukemia cells. With the aim of improving the chemotherapeutic effic...