Maspin is a unique serine proteinase inhibitor that has tumor suppressor activity. It has been reported that maspin is expressed in normal human mammary epithelial cells and it is down-regulated during the progression of cancer. However, to date, there is very limited data on the clinical significance of maspin expression in human breast cancer. In this study, maspin expression was assessed immunohistochemically from 80 invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) specimens of the breast. Also, maspin expression was compared with the clinicopathological factors (age, grade, tumor size and lymph node status), the expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and p53, DNA ploidy and the overall survival in an attempt to assess its prognostic value. The maspin expression was positive in 25 IDC cases (31.3%). The maspin expression in IDC was significantly correlated with a higher histologic grade, a larger tumor size, a positive p53 status and shorter survival. There was an inverse association with maspin expression and the PR status. These findings suggest that maspin expression is not down-regulated with the progression of cancer and maspin expression may be associated with a poor prognosis. The immunohistochemical detection of maspin in breast cancers may be helpful for predicting an aggressive phenotype.
Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most aggressive malignancies in the world. Gemcitabine (Gem), a nucleoside pyrimidine analogue, is a first-line chemotherapeutic drug for PC, but the tumor response rate of Gem is very low and resistance to Gem has emerged as a major problem in the treatment of PC. Oat bran, used as animal and human food, has been found to be beneficial to health. In this study, effects of oat bran ethanol extract (OBE) on PC cells and Gem-resistant PC cells were investigated in vitro. OBE decreased cell survival and colony forming ability of PC cells, without any cytotoxicity on the normal pancreatic cells. Flow cytometry analysis and TUNEL assay showed that the OBE reduced G1/S phase transition and induced death in PC cells through AMPK activation and downregulation of JNK. Additionally, OBE could overcome Gem resistance through reduction in RRM1/2 expression and showed synergistic effect by combinatorial treatment with Gem on Gem-resistant PC cells. Additionally, LC-MS data showed that avenacoside A was a component of OBE. Thus, this study elucidated the anti-proliferative effect of OBE and synergistic effect of OBE with Gem on PC cells and Gem-resistant cells.
Barley sprouts are 5- to 20-day-old grown whole plants that are widely consumed as a functional vegetable due to their health-promoting compounds such as saponarin, γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), and policosanols. Recent plasma applications have been a promising approach in the agricultural and food industries to produce bioactive phytochemicals in sprouted crops. Therefore, this study investigated the plasma effects on the whole plant and its bioactive phytochemicals compared with those of an untreated control in barley sprouts. The optimal plasma exposure during seed germination can change physical and chemical properties of fully hydrated seeds of barley, accelerate the early growth of its sprouts and enhance bioactive phytochemicals in the sprouts. Thus, a single 6-min exposure of the plasma enhanced the fresh weight of whole barley seedlings by 137.5% of the untreated control at 9 days after the exposure and enhanced the contents of the primary metabolites including soluble sugars and free amino acids, and secondary metabolites including special phytochemicals such as saponarin, GABA, and policosanols. Therefore, our results suggest that the optimal plasma exposure can be used as a promising seed priming technique for the whole plant and the bioactive phytochemicals of barley sprouts.
The number of patients with bone metabolic disorders including osteoporosis is increasing worldwide. These disorders often facilitate bone fractures, which seriously impact the patient’s quality of life and could lead to further health complications. Bone homeostasis is tightly regulated to balance bone resorption and formation. However, many anti-osteoporotic agents are broadly categorized as either bone forming or anti-resorptive, and their therapeutic use is often limited due to unwanted side effects. Therefore, safe and effective therapeutic agents are needed for osteoporosis. This study aims to clarify the bone protecting effects of oat bran water extract (OBWE) and its mode of action. OBWE inhibited RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation by blocking c-Fos/NFATc1 through the alteration of I-κB. Furthermore, we found that OBWE enhanced BMP-2-stimulated osteoblast differentiation by the induction of Runx2 via Smad signaling molecules. In addition, the anti-osteoporotic activity of OBWE was also evaluated using an in vivo model. OBWE significantly restored ovariectomy-induced bone loss. These in vitro and in vivo results showed that OBWE has the potential to combat bone metabolic disorders including osteoporosis
벼 수확동시 보리조파 전 적정 낙수시기는 배수가 불량한 전북통인 미사질양토에서 1. 토양수분이 많을수록 입모율이 감소하였다. 2. 토양수분이 많을 경우 콤바인 작업시 궤도의 침하로 작업시간이 길어졌으며, 수분함량이 적을 경우에는 작구부에 부하가 가중되어(경도증가) 작업시간이 길어지는 것으로 나타났다. 3. 낙수시기에 따른 보리생육 및 수량 등은 차이가 없었으나 수수는 낙수시기가 늦을수록 적었다. 4. 벼 수량과 천립중은 통계적인 차이는 인정되지 않았으나, 낙수시기별 현미 천립중이 21.7~22.2 g 범위로 낙수가 빠를수록 가벼워지는 경향을 나타내었다. 5. 이상의 결과에서 배수가 불량한 미사질양토에서는 토양경도와 작업시간을 감안한 적정 토양수분 함량은 33% 정도로 입모율 확보 및 수량증대에 좋을 것으로 판단되었다. We have carried out the experiment to investigate optimal drainage time of barley seeding synchronized with rice harvesting in paddy field. Number of emerged barley seedling on moist paddy field was less than that of common paddy field. It is very hard to plow using combine owing to long time to work on wet condition compared to drying condition of paddy field. According to the drainage time, growth and yield of barley were not significantly different. However, late drainage time decreased the spikes per $m^2$. Rice yield and 1,000 husked rice grain weight were not significant depending on drainage times at 15 days, 20 days and 25 days before barley seeding. The range of 1,000 husked rice grain weight was 21.7~22.2 g on different drainage conditions. In results, on considering of soil hardness and time of labor, the optimal contents of soil moisture was about 33%. This study reveals that drainage time at 20 days before barley seeding is proper to increase seedlings and yield.
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