Mammary derived growth inhibitor (MDGI) is a member of the family of cytoplasmic fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs), which bind hydrophobic ligands such as fatty acids, retinoids, eicosanoids and prostaglandines. MDGI and an 11 amino acid MDGI-derived conserved Cterminal peptide (P108) inhibits growth of normal mammary epithelial cells in tissue and organ culture, but fails to inhibit proliferation of many breast cancer cell lines in vitro. Here, the e ects of peptide P108 on tumor growth of MCF-7, MDA-MB468 and MDA-MB231 human breast cancer cell lines in nude mice were tested. To deliver P108 into tumors, a novel peptide production system was applied for expression and secretion of small bioactive peptides in mammalian cells. Functional di erentiation was observed in MCF-7 and MDA-MB468 cells upon P108 expression. In addition, EGF-dependent colony formation in soft agar by MDA-MB468 cells was inhibited by secreted P108. Tumor growth in athymic nude mice was suppressed in all three cell lines tested. Furthermore, P108 expressed by MCF-7/P108 cells caused paracrine tumor growth inhibition of MDA-MB231 cells. These results indicate that breast cancer inhibition by P108 is independent of binding to hydrophobic ligands and is perhaps mediated by interference with EGF-dependent signaling pathways.

The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with smoking cessation behavior among male adult smokers hospitalized for a cardiac event in Taiwan during the three-month period following their discharge from hospital. A longitudinal correlational design using two structured questionnaires and two phone interviews was employed to collect data. A convenient sampling was adopted. Among the 250 potential participants recruited, 148 provided completed data and were included as study subjects. Three months after hospital discharge, 43.9% of subjects were defined as "continuous abstainers" (i.e., not a single cigarette puff taken during this period), 33.8% were "non-continuous abstainers" (i.e., abstained for at least 1 day, but had smoked at some point during this period), and 22.3% were "continuous smokers" (i.e., had not abstained from smoking for any period equal to or exceeding 24 hours during this period). Multivariate analysis (hierarchical logistic regression) revealed that subjects with higher self-efficacy in not smoking and greater perceived positive family support were more likely to quit smoking for at least 24 hours (i.e., "attempters"). Attempters who stayed in hospital for longer periods of time, had higher self-efficacy in not smoking or perceived more positive and fewer negative family support behaviors were more likely to become continuous abstainers. These results suggest that self-efficacy and family support should be addressed in any intervention program targeting smoking cessation in male patients with coronary heart disease.