Tumor initiating cells (TICs) possessing cancer stemness were shown to be enriched after therapy, resulting in the relapse and metastasis of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNC). An effective therapeutic approach suppressing the HNC-TICs would be a potential method to improve the treatments for HNC. We observed that the treatment of silibinin (SB) dose dependently down-regulated the ALD...

Therapy of choice in obese children and adolescents is lifestyle intervention based on nutrition education, behavioural treatment and exercise treatment. Its efficacy even after the end of intervention has been proven by several randomised-controlled trials and meta-analyses including a recent Cochrane review. However, randomised-controlled trials are likely to overestimate the effectiveness. S...

MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate posttranscriptional gene expression. Several microRNAs have been described to regulate the process of angiogenesis. Previously, we have shown that bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) increased the pro-angiogenic activity of endothelial cells. In this project, we now investigated how the pro-angiogenic BMP4 effect is mediated by microR...

Background: A suboptimal vitamin D and calcium status has been associated with higher risk of type 2 diabetes in observational studies, but evidence from trials is lacking. Objective: We determined whether vitamin D supplementation, with or without calcium, improved glucose homeostasis in adults at high risk of diabetes. Design: Ninety-two adults were randomly assigned in a 2-by-2 factorial-des...

SLC26A3 [downregulated in adenoma (DRA)] is a Cl(-)/HCO3(-) exchanger involved in electroneutral NaCl absorption in the mammalian intestine. Altered DRA expression levels are associated with infectious and inflammatory diarrheal diseases. Therefore, it is critical to understand the regulation of DRA expression. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, small RNAs that regulate protein expression via b...

UNLABELLED Vascular invasion provides a direct route for tumor metastasis. The degree to which microRNA (miRNA) expression plays a role in tumor vascular invasion is unclear. Here, we report that miR-494 is up-regulated in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumors with vascular invasion and can promote HCC cell invasiveness by gene inactivation of multiple invasion-suppressor miRNAs. Our resu...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important posttranscriptional regulators of various biological pathways. In this study, we focused on the role of miRNAs during mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle. The expression of miR-494 was markedly decreased in murine myoblast C₂C₁₂ cells during myogenic differentiation, accompanied by an increase in mtDNA. Furthermore, the expression of predicted target gen...

BACKGROUND The antianxiety effects of ethanol appear to be a crucial factor in promoting alcohol intake. Regulation of gene expression by microRNA (miRNA) is an important epigenetic mechanism that affects neuronal pathways and behaviors. We investigated the role of miRNAs underlying the mechanisms of ethanol-induced anxiolysis. METHODS Acute ethanol-induced anxiolysis was measured in adult ra...

Hinokitiol (β-thujaplicin) is a tropolone-related compound that has anti-microbe, anti-inflammation, and anti-tumor effects. Cancer stem/progenitor cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation of cancer cells with tumor initiation, chemoresistant, and metastatic properties and have been considered the important therapeutic target in future cancer therapy. Previous studies reported that hinokitiol exhibits ...