779 research outputs found

    YC-1 enhances the anti-tumor activity of sorafenib through inhibition of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in hepatocellular carcinoma

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    Background: Traditional systemic chemotherapy does not provide survival benefits in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Molecular targeted therapy shows promise for HCC treatment, however, the duration of effectiveness for targeted therapies is finite and combination therapies offer the potential for improved effectiveness. Methods: Sorafenib, a multikinase inhibitor, and YC-1, a soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) activator, were tested in HCC by proliferation assay, cell cycle analysis and western blot in vitro and orthotopic and ectopic HCC models in vivo. Results: In vitro, combination of sorafenib and YC-1 synergistically inhibited proliferation and colony formation of HepG2, BEL-7402 and HCCLM3 cells. The combination also induced S cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, as observed by activated PARP and caspase 8. Sorafenib and YC-1 respectively suppressed the expression of phosphorylated STAT3 (p-STAT3) (Y705) in a dose-and time-dependent manner. Combination of sorafenib and YC-1 significantly inhibited the expression of p-STAT3 (Y705) (S727), p-ERK1/2, cyclin D1 and survivin and SHP-1 activity compared with sorafenib or YC-1 used alone in all tested HCC cell lines. In vivo, sorafenib-YC-1 combination significantly suppressed the growth of HepG2 tumor xenografts with decreased cell proliferation and increased apoptosis observed by PCNA and PARP. Similar results were also confirmed in a HCCLM3 orthotopic model. There was a reduction in CD31-positive blood vessels and reduced VEGF expression, which suggested a combinational effect of sorafenib and YC-1 on angiogenesis. The reduced expression of p-STAT3, cyclin D1 and survivin was also observed with the combination of sorafenib and YC-1. Conclusions: Our data show that sorafenib-YC-1 combination is a novel potent therapeutic agent that can target the STAT3 signaling pathway to inhibit HCC tumor growth.Biochemistry & Molecular BiologyOncologySCI(E)[email protected]; [email protected]

    Cultural adaptation of the young children's participation and environment measure (YC-PEM) for use by Hispanic families of young children with special health care needs (CSHCN)

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    Includes bibliographical references.2016 Summer.Culture informs the occupations in which children engage as well as how they are enacted. Hence, occupational therapists need assessments that are culturally relevant in order to deliver culturally competent practice. Current approaches to cultural adaptation of assessments present with three major limitations: (a) use of inconsistent translation process; (b) current processes assess for some, but not all, elements of cultural equivalence; and (c) limited evidence to guide decision making about whether to undertake cultural adaptation with and without language translation. To our knowledge, this is the first study to systematically develop and compare multiple versions of a culturally adapted questionnaire for potential use by a Hispanic population of young children with special health care needs (CSHCN). The purpose of this study is two-fold: (a) to examine similarities and differences of culturally adapting an occupation-centered pediatric assessment with and without translation; and (b) to examine the feasibility of developing a culturally adapted assessment with and without translation. The Young Children’s Participation and Environment Measure (YC-PEM) underwent cultural adaptation processes (i.e., language translation and cognitive testing) to establish Spanish and English pilot versions for potential use by caregivers of young CSHCN of Mexican descent. Following language translation to develop a Spanish YC-PEM pilot version, 7 caregivers (4 with Spanish as their primary language; 3 with English as their primary language) completed cognitive testing to inform decisions regarding content revisions to the YC-PEM Spanish and English pilot versions. Participant responses were content coded to established cultural equivalencies (i.e., semantic/idiomatic, item, conceptual). Coded data were then summed to draw comparisons on the number of revisions needed to achieve cultural equivalence between the two pilot versions. Feasibility was assessed according to resources required, data collection procedures, and data quality. Results suggest that a greater number of revisions are required to achieve cultural equivalence for the translated (Spanish) version of the YC-PEM. However, issues concerning conceptual equivalence were identified in both the Spanish and English versions. Feasibility results indicate that language translation processes require high resource investment, but may increase translation quality. However, use of questionnaire (i.e., paper, PDF) cognitive testing versus interview methods (e.g., phone, face-to-face) may have limited data saturation. Study results lend preliminary support to the need for and feasibility of pursuing cultural adaptation of the YC-PEM with and without language translation. Larger and more diverse samples are needed to examine the effects of acculturation status on revisions needed to achieve cultural equivalence. Also, interview methods may help improve data quality and confirm study findings
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