Toxin and species identification of toxic octopus implicated into food poisoning in Taiwan.

A food poisoning incident due to ingestion of unknown octopus occurred in Taipei in December, 2010. The serum and urine from victims (male 38 and 43 years old) were collected, determined the toxicity, and identified tetrodotoxin (TTX) by high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). It was found that only urine contained the trace of TTX.

Sodium valproate induces mitochondria-dependent apoptosis in human hepatoblastoma cells.

Background: Sodium valproate inhibits proliferation in neuroblastoma and glioma cells, and inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in hepatoblastoma cells. Information describing the molecular pathways of the antitumor effects of sodium valproate is limited; therefore, we explored the mechanisms of action of sodium valproate in the human hepatoblastoma cell line, HepG2.

Methods: The effects of sodium valproate on the proliferation of HepG2 cells were evaluated by the Walsh-schema transform and colony formation assays.

[Antisense oligonucleotides targeting protein kinase C alpha inhibits the proliferation of A549 cells].

Objective: To investigate the effects of antisense oligonucleotides (ASODN) targeting protein kinase C alpha (PKCalpha) on the proliferation of A549 cells.

Methods: PKCalpha ASODN and random oligonucleotides (RODN) were transfected into A549 cells mediated by polyethyleneimine, and the proliferation and clone formation of A549 cells were detected by CCK-8 and clone formation assay, respectively. The expression of PKCalpha in the transfected cells was analyzed by RT-PCR and Western blotting.