Curcumin Inhibits TGF-β1-Induced MMP-9 and Invasion through ERK and Smad Signaling in Breast Cancer MDA-MB-231 Cells

Mo, Na,Li, Zheng-Qian,Li, Jing,Cao, You-De Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.11

Objective: To evaluate the effects of curcumin on matrixmetalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and invasion ability induced by transforming growth factor-${\beta}1$ (TGF-${\beta}1$) in MDA-MB-231 cells and potential mechanisms. Methods: Human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells were used with the CCK-8 assay to measure the cytotoxicity of curcumin. After treatment with 10 ng/ml TGF-${\beta}1$, with or without curcumin (${\leq}10{\mu}M$), cell invasion was checked by transwell chamber. The effects of curcumin on TGF-${\beta}1$-stimulated MMP-9 and phosphorylation of Smad2, extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK), and p38 mitogen activated protein kinases (p38MAPK) were examined by Western blotting. Supernatant liquid were collected to analyze the activity of MMP-9 via zymography. Following treatment with PD98059, a specific inhibitor of ERK, and SB203580, a specific inhibitor of p38MAPK, Western blotting and zymography were employed to examine MMP-9 expression and activity, respectively. Results: Low dose curcumin (${\leq}10{\mu}M$) did not show any obvious toxicity to the cells, while $0{\sim}10{\mu}mol/L$ caused a concentration-dependent reduction in cell invasion provoked by TGF-${\beta}1$. Curcumin also markedly inhibited TGF-${\beta}1$-regulated MMP-9 and activation of Smad2, ERK1/2 and p38 in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Additionally, PD98059, but not SB203580, showed a similar pattern of inhibition of MMP-9 expression. Conclusion: Curcumin inhibited TGF-${\beta}1$-stimulated MMP-9 and the invasive phenotype in MDA-MB-231 cells, possibly associated with TGF-${\beta}$/Smad and TGF-${\beta}$/ERK signaling.

Tracking the Sufi presence in Jerusalem

Mona Farouk M. Ahmed(Mona Farouk M. Ahmed ) 한국이슬람학회 2022 한국이슬람학회논총 Vol.32 No.3

Tracing Sufism in the Islamic world, Jerusalem was one of the Sufis’ centers attracting many of them to settle in this holy city known for its significant spirituality for Muslims. This study traces the Sufi presence in Jerusalem from the past until the present to give an overview of the history of Sufism in this holy city. Through examining the remaining Sufi lodges in Jerusalem today, the study introduces the main Sufi orders and the development of their role and activities in the Jerusalemite society throughout history. The study showed that the golden era of the Sufi role ended with the end of Ottoman rule. Then, there was a decline in this role which faced many challenges including the economic difficulties worsened under the Israeli occupation. Being a part of the Palestinian society, the Sufis of Jerusalem had their contributions to the Arab-Israeli conflict struggling for defending their lands and properties till today. Introducing the development of the Sufi orders in Jerusalem, the study showed that despite the decline of the Sufi activities in the modern era, the Sufi presence continued, which was seen in their remaining buildings including zawiyas, ribats, and shrines covered by this study. Though many of them lost their Sufi function, there are still some Sufi families continuing to maintain Sufi traditions at present in Jerusalem.

The influence of nanoparticles on gas transport properties of mixed matrix membranes: An experimental investigation and modeling

Mona Jamshidi,Vahid Pirouzfar,Reza Abedini,Mona Zamani Pedram 한국화학공학회 2017 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.34 No.3

Mixed matrix membranes were made of polysulfone and Matrimid® polymers, and SiO2 and TiO2 nanoparticles in order to improve the efficiency of polymeric membrane in gas separation and review the efficiency of membrane separation process, laboratory. The modeling results of selectivity and permeability of gases O2, N2, CO2 and CH4 were discussed for different membranes. Another objective of this study was to submit a report on the importance of the statistical analysis and modeling in design and optimizing mixed matrix membranes to separate gas. The D-optimal method was applied to model and optimize the selectivity and permeability due to the main parameters. The obtained results indicated that the permeability of all gases demonstrated an ascending trend when the nanoparticles were increased. Under optimized conditions, the permeability of the gases O2, N2, CO2, CH4 in the membrane of PSF (12)/SiO2 (13.82) was 2.49, 1.113, 12.82 and 0.885 Barrer, respectively. A statistical method was practiced in the current research to design, optimize and separate gas membranes through effective efficiency for different applications.

Hydro-mechanical Behavior of Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Expansive Soils

Mona Malekzadeh,Huriye Bilsel 대한토목학회 2014 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.18 No.7

This paper presents a series of laboratory tests and evaluates the effect of polypropylene fiber inclusion on volume change behavior and soil-water characteristics of expansive soils. Specimens were statically compacted at maximum Proctor dry density and optimum moisture content with 0%, 0.5% and 1% polypropylene fiber inclusions by dry weight of the soil, and their volume change behavior was studied through swell-shrinkage and consolidation tests. The soil-water characteristic behavior, which is the most significant aspect of soils, was also obtained by a series of matric suction measurements using filter paper technique. It was concluded that polypropylene fiber inclusion is very effective in reducing the compression and swell indices and swell pressures as well as one- dimensional swell amount in saturated condition. Upon desiccation, shrinkage of reinforced soil reduced considerably, as the shrinkage limit increased by more than 50%. Therefore, fiber reinforcement can effectively reduce swell-shrink movement of expansive soils.

Discourses of Hybrid Democracy: The Case of Cambodia

Mona Lilja 서울대학교행정대학원 2010 Asian Journal of Political Science Vol.18 No.3

When implementing democracy, local discourses of decision-making affect the ways inwhich the liberal democracy is comprehended, realized and practiced. One problem withthe so-called ‘transition paradigm’ is then the neglect of local cultures and institutionsand their impact on implemented democratic systems. Given this, the aim of the article istherefore to give a deep(er) understanding of the processes of change in implementeddemocracies through a close empirical reading of interviews with Cambodian politiciansand non-governmental organizations (NGOs). A critical examination of the conditionsin Cambodia reveals how liberal democracy is not only re-interpreted and hybridized butalso occasionally resisted in line with the local discourses of power.

Polymorphism in Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor -173GC in Pediatric Patients with Autoimmune Hepatitis

Mona Abdel Latif Alsayed,Shymaa Mohsen Elbeah,Manal M. El-Desoky,Shereen Magdy Elziny,Ahmed Megahed 대한소아소화기영양학회 2020 Pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology & nutrition Vol.23 No.1

Purpose: Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic disease that may lead to cirrhosis. The immunopathogenesis of AIH is not fully understood and it mainly involves T-cell mediated mechanism. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that promotes T cell response and its polymorphism may serve as a severity marker of AIH. No previous study has considered investigating MIF polymorphism in children with AIH. Methods: Forty-two children with definite diagnosis of AIH were enrolled along with 100 age and sex matched controls. All participants were tested for polymorphism at -173GC (rs755622) of MIF gene. All patients received the standard protocol of steroid plus azathioprine to achieve remission. Liver biopsy was performed at time of diagnosis for all patients and only 18 of them underwent a second biopsy after treatment. Results: No statistically significant differences in the frequency of the genotypes GG and GC or in allele distribution were found in both patient and control groups (p=0.590, 0.640 respectively). Initial alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels at the time of presentation was significantly higher in the GC group than GG group (p=0.020). GC genotype significantly correlated with disease relapse (r=0.41, p=0.007). Regression of necroinflammation and the fibrosis score in the second liver biopsy was statistically significant in the GG group (p<0.0001, p=0.010 respectively). Conclusion: MIF -173GC polymorphism is associated with clinically significant markers of pediatric AIH, including increased initial serum ALT levels, may help predict necroinflammatory/fibrosis regression effectively, following immunosuppressive treatment.

Comparison of Impedance Based and Travelling Waves Based Fault Location Methods for Power Distribution Systems Tested in a Real 205-Nodes Distribution feeder

Mona Hosseinikia,Vahid Talavat 한국전기전자재료학회 2018 Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Material Vol.19 No.2

In this paper, two fault location methods in a real 205-nodes distribution feeder have been compared. The applied fault locationalgorithms are impedance and travelling based methods. The investigated algorithms have some meaningful diff erenceswhich researchers fi nd interesting. Most importantly the number and types of measuring devices for logging the voltage/current at a set relay point and at a particular sampling rate. Due to the fundamental component of voltage and current duringa post-fault impedance based algorithm, both voltage and current recorders have been installed with a low sampling rate. Ina travelling wave based algorithm, they voltage recorder uses high sampling rate. The accuracy of the algorithms have beenvalidated by several simulated fault studies carried out in EMTP-RV software on a 205-nodes 20 kV real radial distributionfeeder. In order to show the capabilities of each method, the simulation results have been presented in diff erent cases suchas fault type, fault resistance, fault inception angle and existence of distributed generation.

Anti-inflammatory Effect of Atorvastatin on Vascular Reactivity and Insulin Resistance in Fructose Fed Rats

Mona F. Mahmoud,Mohamed El-Nagar,Hany M. El-Bassossy 대한약학회 2012 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.35 No.1

We investigated the possible protective effect of atorvastatin against vascular dysfunction associated with insulin resistance (IR) in fructose-fed model rats. The effect of atorvastatin (10 mg/kg/day for 8 weeks) on vascular reactivity, glucose, cholesterol, insulin, and the IR index in a well-established model of dietary hypertriglyceridemia, the fructose-fed rat, was investigated. Fructose feeding (10% fructose in drinking water for 8 weeks) induced hypercholesterolemia and hyperinsulinemia without any change in blood glucose levels. Fructose feeding also elevated serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), the insulin resistance index, leukocyte infiltration, and endothelial cell pyknosis. Fructose feeding induced hyper-responsiveness to both phenylephrine (PE), KCl, and hyporesponsiveness to acetylcholine (Ach) but not to sodium nitroprusside-induced relaxation. Atorvastatin, given concurrently with fructose, reduced hypercholesterolemia, hyperinsulinemia, TNF-α level, and the IR index. It also reduced leukocyte infiltration and endothelial cell pyknosis and decreased hyper-responsiveness to both PE and KCl but did not affect hyporesponsiveness to Ach relaxation. In conclusion, atorvastatin protected against impairment in aortic vascular reactivity associated with insulin resistance, particularly increased contractility, but not reduced endothelium-dependent relaxation, by a mechanism involving a reduction in cholesterol and IR in addition to anti-inflammatory effects.

Synthesis and characterization of diethanolamine-impregnated cross-linked polyvinylalcohol/glutaraldehyde membranes for CO2/CH4 separation

Mona Zamani Pedram,Mohammad Reza Omidkhah,Abtin Ebadi Amooghin 한국공업화학회 2014 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.20 No.1

In this research, the cross-linking of diethanolamine (DEA) impregnated poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) onpolytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) by glutaraldehyde (GA) with different blend compositions (GA/PVA: 0.5,1, 3, 5, 7 ratio%) was performed in the absence of an acid catalyst and organic solvents in order to avoidany interference in CO2 facilitation reaction with DEA. The fabricated membranes were characterized bydifferential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and scanning electronmicroscopy (SEM). Furthermore, the effects of cross-linking agent content, feed pressure andcomposition as well as stability on CO2/CH4 transport properties were investigated in both pure andmixed gas experiments. The cross-linked membranes showed reasonable CO2/CH4 permselectivities incomparison with uncross-linked membranes. The best-yield CO2-selective membranes (DEA-PVA/GA(1 wt%)/PTFE) represented the best CO2/CH4 selectivity of 91.13 and 665 for pure and mixed gasexperiments, respectively.

Oncoplastic to Onco-Aesthetic Surgery: A Movement toward Overtreatment?

Mona P Tan 대한성형외과학회 2017 Archives of Plastic Surgery Vol.44 No.1