Background: Direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertisements are thought to induce "boomerang effects," meaning they reduce the perceived effectiveness of a potential alternative option: non-pharmaceutical treatment via lifestyle change. Past research has observed such effects using artificially created, text-only advertisements that may not adequate capture the complex, conflicting po...

UVB light promotes survival of initiated keratinocytes, in part, by the direct activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway. Novel chemopreventative agents targeting UVB-induced signaling pathways are needed to reduce the incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer. Quercetin (Qu) is a dietary flavonoid and a known inhibitor of PI3K. We determined that Qu degrades rapidly w...

UVB light promotes survival of initiated keratinocytes, in part, by the direct activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway. Novel chemopreventative agents targeting UVB-induced signaling pathways are needed to reduce the incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer. Quercetin (Qu) is a dietary flavonoid and a known inhibitor of PI3K. We determined that Qu degrades rapidly w...

Dysregulated blood pressure control leading to hypertension is prevalent and is a risk factor for several common diseases. Fully understanding blood pressure regulation offers the possibility of developing rationale therapies to alleviate hypertension and associated disease risks. Although hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a well-established endogenous vasodilator, the molecular basis of its blood-pres...

National Institute of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, National Health Research Institutes, No. 35, Keyan Road, Miaoli County, Zhunan, 35053, Taiwan; Divisions of Infectious Diseases, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No. 201, Sec. 2, Shipai Road, Beitou District, Taipei, 11217, Taiwan; Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, No. 35, Keyan Road, Miaoli ...

It is increasingly clear that there are caspase-dependent and -independent mechanisms for the execution of cell death and that the utilization of these mechanisms is stimulus- and cell type-dependent. Intriguingly, broad-spectrum caspase inhibition enhances death receptor agonist-induced cell death in a few transformed cell lines. Endogenously produced oxidants are causally linked to necroticli...

controlled trials, observational studies, and the hierarchy of research designs. N Engl J Med 2000; 342:1887–92. 8. Hill AB. A short textbook of medical statistics. Vol 11. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1984. 9. Muto CA, Jernigan JA, Ostrowksy BE, et al. SHEA guideline for preventing nosocomial transmission of multidrug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus. Infect Control...

Glutathione (GSH), a major antioxidant in most aerobic organisms, is perceived to be particularly important in plant chloroplasts because it helps to protect the photosynthetic apparatus from oxidative damage. In transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing a chloroplast-targeted gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (gamma-ECS), foliar levels of GSH were raised threefold. Paradoxically, increased GSH ...

Introduction Damage via generation of free radicals has been implicated in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Numerous studies demonstrate both direct and surrogate evidence for a high burden of oxidative and nitrative stress which parallels disease activity. Antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) function to protect against oxidative damage by neutralizing free ra...

Chronic treatment with glucocorticoids increases the mass of adipose tissue and promotes metabolic syndrome. However little is known about the molecular effects of dexamethasone on adipose biology. Here, we demonstrated that dexamethasone induces progenitor cells to undergo adipogenesis. In the adipogenic pathway, at least two cell types are found: cells with the susceptibility to undergo staur...