Many studies have established gene expression-based prognostic signatures for lung cancer. All of these signatures were built from training data sets by learning the correlation of gene expression with the patients' survival time. They require all new sample data to be normalized to the training data, ultimately resulting in common problems of low reproducibility and impracticality. To overcome...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of Yinchen Shufu Decoction on hepatocyte apoptosis and the expression of its apoptosis-regulating gene Bcl-2 and Bax in Yin-jaundice rats. METHODS Forty-eight rats were divided randomly into 4 groups: the normal control group, Yin-jaundice model group, Yang-jaundice model group, Yinchen Shufu Decoction treatment group. The TUNEL assay and the immunohistoch...

The study of protein aggregation saw a renaissance in the last decade, when it was discovered that aggregation is the cause of several human diseases, making this field of research one of the most exciting frontiers in science today. Building on knowledge about protein folding energy landscapes, determined using an array of biophysical methods, theory and simulation, new light is now being shed...

he recent wave of enthusiasm for including inflammation s one of the primary pathophysiologic processes in cardioascular disease has substantial merit (1). Arterial inflamation is central to plaque progression and plaque rupture. mong clinical markers of inflammation, C-reactive protein CRP), a complex pentameric protein largely of hepatic rigin, is the current gold standard (2,3). In a variety...

The purpose of this study was to explore correlations among constitution, stress, and discomfort symptoms during the first trimester of pregnancy. We adopted a descriptive and correlational research design and collected data from 261 pregnant women during their first trimester in southern Taiwan using structured questionnaires. Results showed that (1) stress was significantly and positively cor...

In this paper, we develop a philosophical foundation for qualitative modeling and reasoning methodologies . First, we introduce the Yin and Yang principle and briefly review its origins in Chinese philosophy . We analyze the classical Western science model from a Yin-Yang perspective, and compare Eastern and Western approaches to methods of scientific inquiry. We show that traditional dichotomi...

Microglia, the resident immune cells of the mammalian central nervous system (CNS), play a pivotal role in both physiological and pathological conditions such as the restoration of CNS integrity and the progression of neurodegenerative disorders. Extensive data have been published that describe neuroinflammation by microglial activation to have detrimental consequences on the developing and mat...

Lenalidomide is one of a series of immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) that have been tested in a variety of malignant and nonmalignant disorders. The history and application of this family of drugs dates back to the 1950s when thalidomide, a synthetic glutamic acid derivative, was initially developed as an anticonvulsant for the treatment of epilepsy. The IMiDs exhibit a multitude of biologic effec...