BACKGROUND Betulinic acid (BA) is a novel antineoplastic agent under evaluation for tumor therapy. Because of the selective cytotoxic effects of BA in tumor cells (including gliomas), the combination of this agent with conservative therapies (such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy) may be useful. Previously, the combination of BA with irradiation under hypoxic conditions had never been studied. ...

This study evaluated the effects of mitoxantrone (MX) as a sensitizer following combined treatment with ionizing radiation and photodynamic therapy in the MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line. Cells were incubated with MX at different concentrations for 90min and exposed to different fluence rates of non-coherent light and different dose rates of ionizing X-ray radiation in independent treatment...

Cancer is a hyperproliferative disorder that involves transformation, dysregulation of apoptosis, proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis and metastasis. During the last 30 years, extensive research has revealed much about the biology of cancer. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are the mainstays of cancer treatment, particularly for patients who do not respond to surgical resection. However, cancer ...

Resistance or insensitivity to radiation therapy is one of the hallmarks of hepatocellular carcinoma. Sensitizing radioresistant cancer by combining radiation with other therapeutics to induce apoptosis has been widely investigated. Our previous study showed that chicken anaemia virus-derived apoptin protein induced the apoptosis of hepatic carcinoma HepG2 cells. In the present study, we demons...

The peripheral mechanism of hyperalgesia is considered to be the result of nociceptor sensitization. As possible agents causing nociceptor sensitization, bradykinin, histamine, prostaglandin (PG)s, protons and nerve growth factor are evaluated with respect to their release into the injured tissue, their sensitizing potencies. Whether blocking these agents suppresses sensitization was also evalu...

A challenge of X-ray radiation therapy is that high dose X-ray under therapeutic conditions damages normal cells. This paper describes a nanoparticle-based method to enhance X-ray radiation therapy by delivering radio-sensitizing gold nanoparticles into cancer cells. The nanoparticles have been modified with cationic polyelectrolytes to allow internalization. Upon X-ray irradiation of nanoparti...

BACKGROUND 1-{4-[Bis(2-chloroethyl)amino]phenyl}-3-[2-methyl-5-(4-methylacridin-9-ylamino)phenyl]urea (BO-1051) is an N-mustard DNA alkylating agent reported to exhibit antitumor activity. Here we further investigate the effects of this compound on radiation responses of human gliomas, which are notorious for the high resistance to radiotherapy. METHODS The clonogenic assay was used to determ...

OBJECTIVES To detect common skin-sensitizing agents among patients experiencing allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). Methods: This was a retrospective study of 152 patients with clinically suspected ACD who underwent patch testing in an allergy clinic at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between January 2012 and February 2015. Of these patients, only 74 (48%) patien...

Cancer cells acquire drug resistance via various mechanisms including enhanced cellular cytoprotective and antioxidant activities. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is a key enzyme exerting potent cytoprotection, cell proliferation and drug resistance. We aimed to investigate roles of HO-1 in human cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) cells for cytoprotection against chemotherapeutic agents. KKU-100 and KKU-M214 CCA...

Polycystic ovary syndrome is a condition present in approximately 5 to 10 percent of women of childbearing age. Diagnosis can be difficult because the signs and symptoms can be subtle and varied. These may include hirsutism, infertility, menstrual irregularities, and biochemical abnormalities, most notably insulin resistance. Treatment should target specific manifestations and individualized pa...