Singapore will soon submit a national report to and subsequently appear before the UN Human Rights Council for a universal periodic review of its human rights laws and practices. This review will elicit a rare and unprecedented expression of whether and how Singapore feels it has adhered to international human rights law, and ways in which it may further refine or calibrate its domestic practices. This article seeks to identify Singapore’s human rights achievements; highlight challenges it should be prepared to address; and recommend measures it should adopt to promote human rights.

Few would dispute that good health is fundamental to a full and active life. It is the key to wealth and prosperity. Good health contributes directly to economic growth while poor health drives poverty. The right to health is considered directly in many international instruments including the World Health Organization. Every single country in the world is now a member of at least one of the many international instruments where health is treated as a human right. Sound health is a precondition to enjoy right to live peaceful. This right to health is guaranteed by the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. If anybody in Bangladesh is deprived of enjoying his life then he can go to the court in order enforce his right. This paper aims at giving an overview of legal and regulatory framework of different international legal instruments and national laws of Bangladesh relating to healthcare and shares the response of Bangladesh Government in relation to the framework.

In the previous molecular cloning study from human salivary gland cDNA l ibrary a novel clone (C77-091) was known as a candidate gene for antimicrobial protein by GenBank database search and RNA in situ hybridization. This study is aimed to identify the molecular characteristics of C77-091 protein, which showed an antimicrobial activity on E.coli, thereby named as salivary antimicrobial protein (SAMP). SAMP consisted of a typical hydrophobic amino acid rich domain in the N-terminus, a cluster of basic amino acids, carbohydrate attachment site, a possible transglutaminase catalyzed cross-linking site, and multiple consensus sequences of phosphorylation site in the C-terminus. Western blot analysis of human organs and tissue with the monospecific antibody to the synthetic SAMP peptide showed strong interacting protein from the extracts from submandibular gland and parotid saliva but absent in the mixed saliva, and the immunohistochemical staining detected a strong positive regions in the secretory granules in the luminal cytoplasm of interlobular ductal cells of salivary gland. The SAMP was also distributed in the human sebaceous gland and prostate. These data suggest that C77-091 named SAMP gene is a novel antimicrobial protein in human salivary gland, which may play a role for the innate immunity by protecting and stabilizing the mucosal epithelium to maintain homeostasis of oral mucosa.

Many methods have been developed for more efficient gene delivery and expression in human cells. A number of studies have been performed in achieving successful gene delivery and expression conditions. We investigated differential gene expression patterns after delivery adenoviral vector containing green fluorescent protein(GFP) gene into human cancer cell lines. We constructed recombinant adenoviral Ad-CMV-GFP containing CMV promoter and GFP gene. The efficiency of gene expression was assessed by observation GFP expressing cells using fluorescent microscopy after transfer of Ad-CMV-GFP in concentrations of 0.1μl. 1μl. 10μl. At first, we evaluated expression patterns of gene in several human cancer cell lines, gastric adenocarcinoma cell line AGS was showed high level of GFP expression compared with colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line HT-29. After transfer 0.1μl of Ad-CMV-GFP in AGS, we could found that GFP expression cells were observed in next day and highly increased 2 days. While, small number of GFP expressing cells were examined in HT-29 and SNU-C4. Therefore, these data showed that AGS was expressed the highest level of GFP and almost AGS cells seems to express GFP in concentration of 1μl of Ad-CMV-GFP. GFP expression pattern in HT-29 reveal that expression was low in next day after gene transfer but significantly increase expression level in 2 days. In case of SNU-C4, GFP expression increased with increasing concentration of Ad-CMV-GFP and t ransfer times. For examine effects of transfer times in small amount gene, we transfer in concentration of 0.1μl Ad-CMV-GFP and detected GFP expression patterns after 2 days or 4 days. As a result, expression level of GFP in AGS was increase about 2 fold after 4 days compared with 2 days, but any difference of GFP expression levels were not showed in HT-29 and SNU-C4. Our study suggested that adenovirus was very efficient gene transfer vector for gene expression in human cancer cell lines. In addition to, we also demonstrated that gene expression patterns was dependent on each human cell lines. Therefore, further studies will be needed to confirm the optimum conditions for efficient gene delivery and expression in each target cell lines with consideration to cellular properties.

Metastasis is the primary cause of from breast cancer mortality. Cell migration and invasion play important roles in neoplastic metastasis. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), which degrades the extracellular matrix (ECM), plays an important role in cancer cell invasion. NF-κB is transcription factor important in the regulation of MMP-9, as the promoter of MMP-9 gene contains binding sites for NF-κB. Brazilin, an active component of sappan wood (Caesalpinia sappan), decreases TPA-induced MMP-9 expression and invasion in MCF-7 cells. Also, brazilin suppressed NF-κB activation in TPA-treated MCF-7 cells. Taken together, we demonstrated that the inhibition of TPA-induced MMP-9 expression and cell invasion by brazilin is mediated by the suppression of the NF-κB pathway in MCF-7 cells. This result suggest brazilin provide a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of breast cancer.

The present paper deals with an analysis of relationship among technical human resources management as a precursor, technology innovation activity and achievements of technical innovation on the basis of preceding empirical studies on technology innovation activities of manufacturing corporations. The analysis shows that First, the technical human resources management is found to have influence upon technology innovation activity in various ways, implying that the role of technical human resources management as a key to technical innovation is most important of all to enable manufacturing companies to gain edge in competition by means of technology innovation activity; and Second, technology innovation activity exercises impacts on the achievements of exploitative technology innovation as well as on the achievements of exploratory technology innovation on the part of manufacturing industry. The above findings prove that the level of technology innovation activity may be a source for superior competitiveness of manufacturing business as a result of technology innovation performance. Manufacturing corporations, thus, need to place more weight on stepping up their executive level of technology innovation activity factors than on increasing simply the level of technical investment.

Pluripotency and self-renewal capacity of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are retained by hESCs related genes as OCT4, SOX2 and NANOG. These genes are shown high expression level in diverse cancer cells and have potential role in the carcinogenesis. On the contrary to this, several genes which are up-regulated in the differentiated hESCs are involved to suppress the carcinogenesis or proliferation of cells. We discovered several genes in immortalized lung fibroblast (WI-38 VA13) by suppression subtractive hybridization. Among them, we focused chromosome 6 open reading frame 62 (C6orf62) which is uncharacterized, mapped to 6p22.3 and generated to Hepatitis B virus X-transactivated proteins (HBVx-transactivated proteins, XTP). Aim of this study was to characterize C6orf62 through analyzing of expression pattern in various cell lines. Expression of C6orf62 was significantly up- regulated in diverse normal cell lines than cancer cell lines. And C6orf62 was up-regulated in differentiated hESCs (endothelial cells, neural cells) compared to those of undifferentiated hESCs. Also, C6orf62 in WI-38 cells was highly up-regulated during G1/S transition of the cell cycle. Taken together, C6orf62 is shown expression pattern similar to differentiated hESCs-associated genes which down-regulated in cancer cells. Therefore, we assume that C6orf62 may participate to suppress the proliferation and to induce differentiation through regulating the cell cycle.

Embryoid bodies (EBs) generated from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) include spontaneously induced endodermal lineage cells (ELCs). Activin-A plays important roles in the endoderm differentiation of hESCs. Despite studies on the generation of ELCs from hESCs with treatment of Actvin-A, it was unclear for localization and pattern of ELCs by Activin-A during differentiation of hESCs. Accordingly in this study, we knew that Actvin-A increased the cystic EBs formation, including the highly enriched AFP (endoderm lineage specific marker)-expressing cells in the surface of cystic EBs. To induce the EBs formation from undifferentiated hESCs, cells were transferred onto petri-dish and cultured in suspension condition without bFGF removed hESC media (EB media) for 3 days. Next to investigate the effect of Activin-A, EBs were subsequently cultured in EB media supplement with 100 ng/ml Activin-A for 3 days. After 5～7 days of Activin-A treatment, cystic EBs began to appear which increased in numbers reaching ～60% of initially formed EBs over 5 days. Endoderm lineage marker, AFP were highly expressed and specifically localized at the surface region of cystic EBs comparison with normal EBs. We next attached the cystic EBs onto gelatin-coated plates and cultured for 5 days. In the results of real-time PCR and immunocytochemistry analysis, AFP-expressing cells migrated and localized at the outgrowth region of attached cystic EBs. To obtain the AFP-expressing cells of the outgrowth region, we manually isolated by using micro- dissection and cultured them. These cells strongly express AFP over 70% of isolated cells post re-plating. Here, we first showed an expression pattern of specifically localized ELCs by Activin-A during differentiation of hESCs. From this observation, we could highly purified ELCs from undifferentiated hESCs. Taken together, our system will provide a novel and efficient option to generate ELCs from hESCs.

In order to unravel unidentified genes from human salivary gland, a cDNA library of human submandibular gland was constructed in the Uni‐ZAP XR vector by use of mRNA from human submandibular gland and ZAP‐cDNA® Gigapack® III Gold Cloning Kit. cDNA of salivary gland was subtracted with cDNA of immortalized human keratinocyte cell line, Rhim Human Epithelial Keratinocyte cell line. The phage cDNA library was converted into a pBluescript phagemid cDNA library, which was subsequently plated on LB plates with ampicillin, IPTG, and X‐gal, and white colonies were selected for sequencing. Among 200 clones analyzed, four clones containing C77‐091, C75‐014, C76‐022, and C76‐012 designated orphan genes that are intensely expressed in the interlobular ductal and serous acinar cells of human submandibular gland. Particularly C77‐091 gene expresses 46 amino acids peptide (pI=9.45). C75‐014 and C76‐022 genes were characterized as those expressing excretory basic proteins primarily consist of alanine, proline, and leucine residues, mimicking a basic proline‐rich protein (bPRP) showing helical structures and having multiple consensus sequences of phosphorylation sites. The strong expression of C76‐012 mRNA in the nuclei of salivary ductal and acinar cells suggests a role of C76‐012 gene as a DNA binding RNA/protein. These data suggest that the identification of four orphan genes from the human salivary glands may add further understanding of greater role of salivary proteins providing innate immunity by protecting and stabilizing the mucosal epithelium in the maintaining homeostasis of oral mucosa.

Human gingival fibroblasts (hGFs) were reported to play an important role in inflammatory reactions to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from P.gingivalis in the periodontal connective tissue. Although the biostimulatory effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, such as anti-inflammatory activity, have been reported, the pathological mechanism is not completely understood. This study examined the changes in the inflammatory cytokine profiles, which are produced after exposure to hyperbaric oxygen in P.gingivalis LPS-treated human gingival fibroblasts, and subsequently to examine the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway involved in cytokine production. Gingival fibroblasts with or without P.gingivalis LPS were exposed to hyperbaric oxygen, and the cytokine profiles in the supernatant were observed using a human inflammation antibody array. The expression of cyclooxyginase-2 (COX-2) protein, phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2), p38, and c-Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) MAPK by western blot analysis, and the amount of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in the supernatant by an enzyme-linked immunoassay were determined. COX-2 protein expression and PGE2productionwereincreasedsignificantlyintheP. gingivalis LPS-treated group, and were decreased by treating P. gingivalis LPS with hyperbaric oxygen. Treatment of P. gingivalis LPS in the gingival fibroblasts led an increase in the amount of pro-inflammatory-related cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-8 released, whereas hyperbaric oxygen inhibits the irrelease. Ananalysis of the MAPK signal transduction showed that hyperbaric oxygen induced a significant decrease in the level of P38 phosphorylation regardless of the presence or absence of LPS. In addition, hyperbaric oxygen promoted JNK phosphorylation, significantly in the presence of LPS. Hyperbaric oxygen can inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokines and mediate the MAPK signal pathway, and appears to be useful as an anti-inflammatory tool.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the biological characteristic of deproteinized freeze dried bovine bone(DFDBB) through grafting to maxillary sinus as following time lapsed. Nine patients who were needed of sinus elevation procedure because of severe resorption of maxillary edentulous alveolar bone were selected. patients were divided into three group. Firstly sinus lifting procedure was performed and then the implantation procedure was performed after 6 months in first group, 12 months in second group and 18 months in third group and simutaneously tissues of sinus were obtained by trephine. 18 sections are made from every obtained tissue. 9 sections were stained by Masson's trichrome method and were taken a photo at 100 times of magnification. Relative area of newly formed bone were obtained by IPTK(image processing tool kit) version 5.0 program and mean values and standard deviations were produced from obtained data by using SPSS version 17 program and significance tests were conducted by ANOVA method. This study revealed that DFDBB stimulated new bone formation in maxillary sinus and did not have osteoinductive capacity but osteoconductive capacity, and DFDBB was exceedingly slowly resorbed.

Chronic exposure to Arsenic (As) causes significant human health effects including various cancers. Total As concentrations from 300 polished rice samples cultivated near the mining areas in Korea were analyzed to estimate a probabilistic assessment of human health risk from As-contaminated rice. The mean of total As concentrations in rice was 0.09 mg/kg and lognormal distribution model was set for total As concentrations. Human health risk for As in rice was estimated using gender-specific rice consumption data and average daily dose (ADD). While cancer risk (CR) and hazard quotient (HQ) were calculated using oral cancer slope factor (OCSF) and Reference dose (RfD) suggested by the U.S. EPA. Mean of CR posed by total As was 2.16 (for male) and 1.83 (for female) per 10,000. The HQ for general population from rice cultivated near the mining areas in Korea was below 1 as the 50th percentile of general population. However, less than 10% of general population consuming rice cultivated near the mining areas would exceed 1.0. This result is similar with those from each gender-specific group.

Chronic inflammatory diseases such as Crohn′s disease and ulcerative colitis are associated with increased risk of colon adenocarcinoma. Apoptic induction of colon cancer cells by cytokines and death receptors is an important anti-cancer therapy. We observed that co-administration of TNFα and IFNγ in human colon cancer cell line, HCT116, resulted in cell death and expression of IL-32. Cleavage forms of caspase-3, caspase-9, and PARP were increased in TNFα / IFNγ-treated HCT116. mRNA expression of death receptors, including TNFR1 and Fas were not changed and NO generation was not induced by combination of TNFα and IFNγ. However, mRNA expression of IL-32α, β, and γ was increased in TNFα / IFNγ-treated HCT116. To determine the effect of IL-32 in HCT116 cell apoptosis by TNFα / IFNγ stimulation, IL-32 siRNA-transfected HCT116 cells were cultured with TNFα / IFNγ and cell proliferation was measured. IL-32 siRNA induced slight recovery of cell viability of TNFα / IFNγ-stimulated HCT116. These results suggest that IL-32 is not directly related to apoptosis of HCT116 by TNFα / IFNγ stimulation. However, IL-32 expression by TNFα or TNFα / IFNγ in a colon cancer cell line is very interesting because of the unknown effect of IL-32 in colon cancer. Our study will contribute to development of studies for IL-32 function in human colon cancer and anti-cancer therapies using cytokines.