Oncolytic virus (OV) therapy utilizes replication-competent viruses to kill cancer cells, leaving non-malignant cells unharmed. With the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved OV, dozens of clinical trials ongoing, and an abundance of translational research in the field, OV therapy is poised to be one of the leading treatments for cancer. A number of recombinant OVs expressing a trans...

It has been demonstrated that tumor protein p53 (TP53) mutation in maxillary squamous cell carcinoma, is more treatment-resistant compared with the carcinoma without TP53 mutation. However, the association between TP53 mutation and treatment resistance remains unclear. As a first step in understanding the biological differences between tumors with and without TP53 mutation, a comprehensive gene...

Engineered model substrates are powerful tools for examining interactions between stem cells and their microenvironment. Using this approach, we have previously shown that restricted cell adhesion promotes terminal differentiation of human epidermal stem cells via activation of serum response factor (SRF) and transcription of AP-1 genes. Here we investigate the roles of p38 MAPK and histone ace...

Nephrolithiasis, secondary hyperparathyroidism (sHPT), and cardiovascular complications are associated with disturbances in Ca handling and contribute to morbidity/mortality during haemodialysis (HD). Calcimimetics, activators of the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR), provide an effective means of reducing parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion in sHPT. Polymorphism in CaSR gene (CASR) influences Ca...

The p53-related transcription factor p63 is critically important for basic cellular functions during development of the ectoderm and derived structure and tissues, including skin, limb, palate, and hair. On the one side, p63 is required to sustain the proliferation of keratinocyte progenitors, while on the other side it is required for cell stratification, commitment to differentiate, cell adhe...

Aberrant activation of Notch receptors has been implicated in breast cancer; however, the mechanisms contributing to Notch-dependent transformation remain elusive because Notch displays dichotomous functional activities, promoting both proliferation and growth arrest. We investigated the cellular basis for the heterogeneous responses to Notch pathway activation in 3D cultures of MCF-10A mammary...

The effect of protein calorie malnutrition (PCM) on the pharmacokinetics of ketamine (KET) enantiomers has been investigated. Six control and six PCM rats were administered 85 mg/kg racemic KET by intramuscular injection, and plasma concentrations of (S)- and (R)-KET, norketamine (NKET), and 5,6-dehydronorketamine (DNK) were measured using enantioselective gas chromatography. Pharmacokinetic pr...

The molecular mechanisms that regulate survival of embryonic neural precursors are still relatively ill-defined. Here, we have asked whether the p53 family member p63 plays any role during this developmental window, focusing on the embryonic cerebral cortex. We show that genetic knockdown of p63 either in culture or in the embryonic telencephalon causes apoptosis of cortical precursors and newl...

The calculation of an amplitude involving resonance production is presented. This calculation employs for the resonance state a relativistic Gamow vector. It is used for investigating the question of compatibility of the relativistic Gamow vectors kinematics, defined by real 4-velocities and complex mass, with the stable particle kinematics; or in other words, the integration of the Gamow vecto...