Current Molecular Medicine - Volume 18, Issue 1, 2018

Background: Vascular network formation induced by angiogenesis plays an important role in many physiological and pathological processes. However, the role of blood flow and underlying mechanisms in vascular network formation, for example for the development of the caudal vein plexus (CVP), is poorly understood. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the role of ERK5-klf2a-nos2b signaling in the CVP angi Read More

Background: Hesperetin, a natural component of citrus fruits, is indicated to have beneficial anti-inflammatory effects on injury and various cancers as a transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) inhibitor. However, little evidence associates hesperetin with liver fibrosis. Objective: Work from our laboratory aims at finding the mechanism by which hesperetin attenuates liver fibrosis. Methods: Bile duct ligation (BDL) was used to ind Read More

Background: Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of 12p12-13 has been frequently found in various types of cancer. LOH12CR1 is one of the seven critical genes located within the 12p12-13 region. The protein encoded by LOH12CR1 is involved in the function of lysosomes and its other functions are still unclear. Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the potential roles of LOH12CR1 in the development of colorectal cancer. M Read More

Background: Ranolazine is generally used to treat anginal symptoms for patients with symptomatic chronic stable angina pectoris. By improving ischemiareperfusion, ranolazine is also observed to have protective effects on myocardial ischemic injury in animal models. It is noteworthy to find interventions that can decrease adverse effects of this drug and thereby increase its clinical application. Methods: In this report, we use Read More

Cancer remains a deadly disease for effective treatment. Although anomalous tumor microenvironment is now widely exploited for targeted chemotherapy, safe and efficacious drug delivery to tumor cells is not still warranted. Liposomes are promising biodegradable and biocompatible nanocarriers having potential amenability for surface and internal modifications, and extraordinary capability to carry both hydrophilic a Read More

Generation of patient-specific stem cells has been a long-held aim of many developmental biologists. Apart from providing a source for stem cell therapies, these cells have the potential to be utilized in a number of scenarios like disease modeling, drug screening and studying normal development. Various approaches have been used to reprogram terminally differentiated cells to a pluripotent state with varying efficie Read More

Background: Dopamine physiological functions make dopaminergic genes suitable candidates for association studies in eating disorders (ED). A Val158Met polymorphism in the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene, which is involved in dopamine degradation, has been studied in relation to ED. Objective: We aimed to analyze the association between this polymorphism and general psychopathological symptoms th Read More