Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain TGF-beta/Smad inhibitor reaction and Western blot were used to assay the expression level of Notch-1 and Jagged-1. The predictive value of this expression for prognosis was investigated by Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards analysis in a multivariate

model.

Results: All 5 kinds of Notch factors were intensively stained in normal bladder transitional epithelium immunohistochemically but expression was significantly decreased in tumor tissues. Moreover, expression of the 5 genes in papillary tumors was lower than in invasive tumors but only Notch-1 and Jagged-1 showed a statistically significant difference. Postoperative disease-free survival time in patients with low Notch-1 plus Jagged-1 expression was significantly shorter than that in patients with other expression patterns in papillary tumors (p = 0.014). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards model analysis identified Jagged-1 expression as an independent prognostic factor for disease-free survival (RR 3.09, p = 0.011).

Conclusions: The Notch family expression pattern in papillary bladder transitional cell carcinoma is different from that in invasive bladder transitional cell carcinoma. Low expression of Notch-1 as well as Jagged-1 is potentially a useful marker for survival in patients with papillary bladder transitional cell carcinoma.”
“Oligl

is a transcription factor that is essential for oligodendrogenesis. It is important to understand PCI-32765 in vitro the upstream regulation of Oligi expression because of its critical role in remyelination repair. A mouse oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (OPC) differentiation model was established to explore Oligl transcriptional activity during OPC differentiation. Using an Oligl promoter-luciferase reporter plasmid, we found that Oligl transcription is dramatically decreased during OPC differentiation in response to 0.5% fetal bovine serum. Oligl protein expression is also remarkably decreased as revealed by immunostaining

and western blotting. Thus, Oligl is downregulated SCH772984 order during OPC differentiation, suggesting that Oligl is not actively required in differentiated oligodendrocytes.”
“Purpose: The profound decrease in serum dihydrotestosterone observed with the dual 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor dutasteride makes it an attractive agent for prostate cancer therapy. To our knowledge we compared for the first time the antitumor effect of dutasteride with that of the specific 5 alpha-reductase-1 inhibitor MK386 and the specific 5 alpha-reductase-2 inhibitor finasteride in human prostate primary cultures.

Materials and Methods: Biochemical markers of the cellular response to 5 alpha-reductase inhibitors were evaluated in primary cultures of prostate epithelial cancer cells from 54 patients with prostate carcinoma.