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Effects of short-term step aerobics exercise on bone metabolism and functional fitness in postmenopausal women with low bone mass

Wen HJ, Huang TH, Li TL, Chong PN, Ang BS

Osteoporos Int, 2017 02;28(2):539-547.
PMID: 27613719 DOI: 10.1007/s00198-016-3759-4

Measurement of bone turnover markers is an alternative way to determine the effects of exercise on bone health. A 10-week group-based step aerobics exercise significantly improved functional fitness in postmenopausal women with low bone mass, and showed a positive trend in reducing resorption activity via bone turnover markers.
INTRODUCTION: The major goal of this study was to determine the effects of short-term group-based step aerobics (GBSA) exercise on the bone metabolism, bone mineral density (BMD), and functional fitness of postmenopausal women (PMW) with low bone mass.
METHODS: Forty-eight PMW (aged 58.2 ± 3.5 years) with low bone mass (lumbar spine BMD T-score of -2.00 ± 0.67) were recruited and randomly assigned to an exercise group (EG) or to a control group (CG). Participants from the EG attended a progressive 10-week GBSA exercise at an intensity of 75-85 % of heart rate reserve, 90 min per session, and three sessions per week. Serum bone metabolic markers (C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen [CTX] and osteocalcin), BMD, and functional fitness components were measured before and after the training program. Mixed-models repeated measures method was used to compare differences between the groups (α = 0.05).
RESULTS: After the 10-week intervention period, there was no significant exercise program by time interaction for CTX; however, the percent change for CTX was significantly different between the groups (EG = -13.1 ± 24.4 % vs. CG = 11.0 ± 51.5 %, P
Fulltext Synergistic Effect of Static Magnetic Fields and 3D-Printed Iron-Oxide-Nanoparticle-Containing Calcium Silicate/Poly-ε-Caprolactone Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering

Kao CY, Lin TL, Lin YH, Lee AK, Ng SY, Huang TH, et al.

Cells, 2022 Dec 08;11(24).
PMID: 36552731 DOI: 10.3390/cells11243967

In scaffold-regulated bone regeneration, most three-dimensional (3D)-printed scaffolds do not provide physical stimulation to stem cells. In this study, a magnetic scaffold was fabricated using fused deposition modeling with calcium silicate (CS), iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4), and poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) as the matrix for internal magnetic sources. A static magnetic field was used as an external magnetic source. It was observed that 5% Fe3O4 provided a favorable combination of compressive strength (9.6 ± 0.9 MPa) and degradation rate (21.6 ± 1.9% for four weeks). Furthermore, the Fe3O4-containing scaffold increased in vitro bioactivity and Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells' (WJMSCs) adhesion. Moreover, it was shown that the Fe3O4-containing scaffold enhanced WJMSCs' proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, and the osteogenic-related proteins of the scaffold. Under the synergistic effect of the static magnetic field, the CS scaffold containing Fe3O4 can not only enhance cell activity but also stimulate the simultaneous secretion of collagen I and osteocalcin. Overall, our results demonstrated that Fe3O4-containing CS/PCL scaffolds could be fabricated three dimensionally and combined with a static magnetic field to affect cell behaviors, potentially increasing the likelihood of clinical applications for bone tissue engineering.
Antrodia cinnamomea extract alleviates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice by inhibiting the mTOR pathway

Lan YW, Chen CE, Huang TT, Huang TH, Chen CM, Chong KY

Biomed J, 2024 Apr 26.
PMID: 38679198 DOI: 10.1016/j.bj.2024.100720

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive diffuse parenchymal lung disorder with a high mortality rate. Studies have indicated that injured lung tissues release various pro-inflammatory factors, and produce a large amount of nitric oxide. There is also accumulation of collagen and oxidative stress-induced injury, collectively leading to pulmonary fibrosis. Antrodia cinnamomea is an endemic fungal growth in Taiwan, and its fermented extracts exert anti-inflammatory effects to alleviate liver damages. Hence, we hypothesized and tested the feasibility of using A. cinnamomea extracts for treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.
METHODS: The TGF-β1-induced human lung fibroblast cells (MRC-5) in vitro cell assay were used to evaluate the effects of A. cinnamomea extracts on the collagen production in MRC-5. Eight-week-old ICR mice were intratracheally administered bleomycin and then fed with an A. cinnamomea extract on day 3 post-administration of bleomycin. At day 21 post-bleomycin administration, the pulmonary functional test, the expression level of inflammation- and fibrosis-related genes in the lung tissue, and the histopathological change were examined.
RESULTS: The A. cinnamomea extract significantly attenuated the expression level of collagen in the TGF-β1-induced MRC-5 cells. In the A. cinnamome-treated bleomycin-induced lung fibrotic mice, the bodyweight increased, pulmonary functions improved, the lung tissues expression level of inflammatory factor and the fibrotic indicator were decreased, and the histopathological results showed the reduction of thickening of the inter-alveolar septa.
CONCLUSIONS: The Antrodia cinnamomea extract significant protects mice against bleomycin-induced lung injuries through improvement of body weight gain and lung functions, and attenuation of expression of inflammatory and fibrotic indicators.
Fulltext E7050 Suppresses the Growth of Multidrug-Resistant Human Uterine Sarcoma by Inhibiting Angiogenesis via Targeting of VEGFR2-Mediated Signaling Pathways

Huang TT, Chen CM, Lin SS, Lan YW, Cheng HC, Choo KB, et al.

Int J Mol Sci, 2023 May 31;24(11).
PMID: 37298555 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24119606

E7050 is an inhibitor of VEGFR2 with anti-tumor activity; however, its therapeutic mechanism remains incompletely understood. In the present study, we aim to evaluate the anti-angiogenic activity of E7050 in vitro and in vivo and define the underlying molecular mechanism. It was observed that treatment with E7050 markedly inhibited proliferation, migration, and capillary-like tube formation in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). E7050 exposure in the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) also reduced the amount of neovessel formation in chick embryos. To understand the molecular basis, E7050 was found to suppress the phosphorylation of VEGFR2 and its downstream signaling pathway components, including PLCγ1, FAK, Src, Akt, JNK, and p38 MAPK in VEGF-stimulated HUVECs. Moreover, E7050 suppressed the phosphorylation of VEGFR2, FAK, Src, Akt, JNK, and p38 MAPK in HUVECs exposed to MES-SA/Dx5 cells-derived conditioned medium (CM). The multidrug-resistant human uterine sarcoma xenograft study revealed that E7050 significantly attenuated the growth of MES-SA/Dx5 tumor xenografts, which was associated with inhibition of tumor angiogenesis. E7050 treatment also decreased the expression of CD31 and p-VEGFR2 in MES-SA/Dx5 tumor tissue sections in comparison with the vehicle control. Collectively, E7050 may serve as a potential agent for the treatment of cancer and angiogenesis-related disorders.