BACKGROUND Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is an aggressive cancer with poor overall survival. New therapeutic strategies that target specific molecular lesions driving advanced disease are needed. Herein we demonstrate the utility of the chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay for in vivo human HNSCC tumor growth and metastasis and the tumor suppressive effects of a new chem...

Background Portugal has a strong tradition of conventional western healthcare. So it provides a natural case study for the relationship between Complementary/Alternative Medicine (CAM) and Western Medicine (WM). This work aims to test the relationship between CAM and WM users in the diagnosis and treatment stages and to estimate the determinants of CAM choice.   Methods The forth Portuguese Nat...

To explore the structural basis for the essential role of calmodulin (CaM) in Aspergillus nidulans, we have compared the biochemical and in vivo properties of A. nidulans CaM (AnCaM) with those of heterologous CaMs. Neither Saccharomyces cerevisiae CaM (ScCaM) nor a Ca2+ binding mutant of A. nidulans CaM (1234) interacts appreciably with A. nidulans CaM binding proteins by an overlay assay or a...

We have recently demonstrated that hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an extremely potent stimulus of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) gene expression. The present study was designed to identify the signaling mechanisms mediating this response. Induction of eNOS expression by H2O2 was found to be Ca 21 dependent, inasmuch as it was blocked by BAPTA-AM. Further studies have indicated that Ca/calmodulin-d...

We developed a high-throughput yeast-based assay to screen for chemical inhibitors of Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent kinase pathways. After screening two small libraries, we identified the novel antagonist 125-C9, a substituted ethyleneamine. In vitro kinase assays confirmed that 125-C9 inhibited several calmodulin-dependent kinases (CaMKs) competitively with Ca(2+)/calmodulin (Ca(2+)/CaM). This s...

We have recently demonstrated that hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) is an extremely potent stimulus of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) gene expression. The present study was designed to identify the signaling mechanisms mediating this response. Induction of eNOS expression by H(2)O(2) was found to be Ca(2+) dependent, inasmuch as it was blocked by BAPTA-AM. Further studies have indicated that Ca(2+)...

Previous studies in this laboratory have led to the identification of the neural cell adhesion molecule, N-CAM, a homophilic ligand that mediates adhesion between neurons as well as between neurons and striated muscle precursors. By means of a similar immunological approach but with different assays, we have now identified a cell adhesion molecule on neurons (Ng-CAM) that mediates the heterotyp...

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is frequently used in Portugal and it contributes to the improvement of people’s health. CAM and Western Medicine (WM) are taken as complements both in the diagnosis and the treatment stage. The Portuguese health system is able to generate certified CAM professionals but the provision of CAM care and services is not included in the national health sy...

Qualitative and quantitative changes in neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM) protein and mRNA forms were measured during myogenesis in G8-1 and C2 cell lines. Indirect immunofluorescence assay showed that N-CAM was constitutively expressed by myoblasts in culture and that myotubes appeared to be stained more strongly. These changes were quantified using a dot blot assay. N-CAM levels increased...