Benefits of applying virtual reality in pelvic movement training through a Wii Fit: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Pelvic movement training has become compulsory for part of medical students. An increasing amount of research has focused on the influence of virtual reality (VR) on learning effectiveness. However, its application to pelvic floor muscles or pelvic movement training is still in its infancy. We compared the effectiveness of conventional pelvic movement training with or without VR-assisted pelvic movement training for student learning. METHODS: We recruited 44 university students (16 male and 28 female participants; average age = 19.7 ± 0.31 years) who had not previously received pelvic movement education or training. The participants were randomly assigned into traditional and experimental groups to acquire pelvic movements and relevant knowledge. The traditional group received conventional classes (about 15 min), whereas the experimental group received both conventional classes and VR-assisted teaching (additional VR session took approximately 25-45 min depending on the speed of movement of each participant). The participants were asked to control the trajectory of the centre of pressure on the Wii Fit balance board and build-in games to learn pelvic movements. We conducted evaluations before, immediately after, and 2 weeks after the experiment, based on the scores of written and practical examinations. The experimental group was also asked to complete a questionnaire during the posttest. RESULTS: We carried out two-way repeated measures ANOVA and discovered that the written examination scores indicated a significant Time × Group interaction (p=0.015). In each group, the written and practical examinations in the posttest and follow-up test exhibited significantly improved results compared with the baseline value (p <0.001, except for traditional group of written exam in follow up test vs. baseline p=0.001). The written examination in the follow-up test did not decline significantly compared with those in the posttest, but the practical examination in the follow-up test was decline significantly compared with those in the posttest (p=0.033). The experimental group had superior overall performance in the practical examinations than the traditional group (experimental group: mean = 76.27, 95% confidence level [CI] = 70.84-81.71; traditional group: mean = 64.21, 95% CI = 58.78-69.65). No significant difference in the written examination between two groups. The percentage for agreement ratio on the usefulness, ease of use, users' intention to continue using the VR-assisted teaching is high (95.5-100%). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggested that conventional and conventional + VR teaching were both effective. However, the incorporation of VR stimulated learning motivation and facilitated precise performance of pelvic movements. It is recommended that pelvic floor muscles training could be supplemented with VR or games to increase students' motivation and understanding how to perform pelvic movements.

Role of Remote Monitoring in Detection of Atrial Arrhythmia, Stroke Reduction, and Use of Anticoagulation Therapy　- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The effect of remote monitoring (RM) in atrial arrhythmia detection, stroke reduction, and anticoagulation therapy remains unknown, particularly for patients with implantable or wearable cardiac devices.Methods and Results:We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the role of RM in atrial arrhythmia detection, stroke reduction and anticoagulation therapeutic intervention. Online databases were queried to include randomized controlled trials comparing detection of atrial arrhythmia and stroke risk between patients undergoing RM and those receiving in-office (IO) follow-up. Outcomes and complications of RM-guided anticoagulation therapy and conventional therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation were also reviewed. A total of 16 studies were included. Compared with patients receiving IO follow-up, patients undergoing RM had a significantly higher detection rate of atrial arrhythmia (risk ratio [RR], 1.363; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.147-1.619), and a lower risk of stroke (RR, 0.539; 95% CI, 0.301-0.936). The higher rate of atrial arrhythmia was only noted in patients with wearable devices (RR, 4.070; 95% CI, 2.408-6.877), and the lower risk of stroke was only noted in patients with cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIED) (RR, 0.513; 95% CI, 0.265-0.996). CONCLUSIONS: RM is effective for atrial arrhythmia detection in patients using wearable devices and for reducing the risk of stroke in patients with CIED.

Effects of pilates on patients with chronic non-specific low back pain: a systematic review.

[Purpose] To evaluate the effects of Pilates on patients with chronic low back pain through a systematic review of high-quality articles on randomized controlled trials. [Subjects and Methods] Keywords and synonyms for "Pilates" and "Chronic low back pain" were used in database searches. The databases included PubMed, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), Medline, and the Cochrane Library. Articles involving randomized controlled trials with higher than 5 points on the PEDro scale were reviewed for suitability and inclusion. The methodological quality of the included randomized controlled trials was evaluated using the PEDro scale. Relevant information was extracted by 3 reviewers. [Results] Eight randomized controlled trial articles were included. Patients with chronic low back pain showed statistically significant improvement in pain relief and functional ability compared to patients who only performed usual or routine health care. However, other forms of exercise were similar to Pilates in the improvement of pain relief and functional capacity. [Conclusion] In patients with chronic low back pain, Pilates showed significant improvement in pain relief and functional enhancement. Other exercises showed effects similar to those of Pilates, if waist or torso movement was included and the exercises were performed for 20 cumulative hours.

Influenza A(H6N1) Virus in Dogs, Taiwan.

We determined the prevalence of influenza A virus in dogs in Taiwan and isolated A/canine/Taiwan/E01/2014. Molecular analysis indicated that this isolate was closely related to influenza A(H6N1) viruses circulating in Taiwan and harbored the E627K substitution in the polymerase basic 2 protein, which indicated its ability to replicate in mammalian species.

Natural A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza virus infection case in a pet ferret in Taiwan.

Ferrets have demonstrated high susceptibility to the influenza virus. This study discusses a natural 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) (A(H1N1)pdm09) virus infection in a pet ferret (Mustela putorius furo) identified in Taiwan in 2013. The ferret was in close contact with family members who had recently experienced an influenza-like illness (ILI). The ferret nasal swab showed positive results for influenza A virus using one-step RT-PCR. The virus was isolated and the phylogenetic analysis indicated that all of the eight segmented genes were closely related to the human A(H1N1)pdm09 virus linage isolated in Taiwan. This study may provide a perspective view on natural influenza A virus transmission from the local human population into pet ferrets.

Changes in Combined Lifestyle Risks and the Transition of Activities of Daily Living in the Elderly Population of Taiwan: Evidence from the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Functional ability decline occurs with age. This study aims to investigate the associations between the lifestyle factors-exercising, food consumption, and smoking-and the functional ability of the activities of daily living (ADL) by gender. The data were obtained from the Taiwan longitudinal study on aging, a national cohort study. The cross-sectional results demonstrated that the frequency of exercising was negatively associated with ADL in both men and women. Dairy products were positively associated with ADL in men. The longitudinal results illustrated that current and consistent exercising were negatively associated with changes in ADL scores over 4- and 8-year periods in both men and women. Seafood consumption was negatively associated with changes in the subsequent 4-year ADL scores. Past smoking was positively associated with changes in subsequent 4-year ADL scores in men, while current smoking was positively associated with changes in subsequent 8-year ADL scores in women. Therefore, consistent exercising, food consumption, and smoking were associated with ADL functional ability in elderly people, and the associations differed by gender. Elders exercising consistently had good ADL performance and maintained their ADL ability better, especially women. Seafood consumption decreased the risk of ADL decline, while smoking increased the risk of ADL decline.

Differential diagnostic value of magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient for renal clear cell carcinoma and non-clear cell carcinoma.

Accurate identification of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) subtypes before surgery is important to determine appropriate surgical methods and clinical prognosis. The objective of the present study was to investigate the differential diagnostic value of magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging (MRI-DWI) and the measured apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in clear cell (cc) RCC and non-ccRCC. Imaging data (DWI and ADC) from 100 patients with pathologically confirmed RCC from March 2018 to March 2021 in Affiliated Hospital of Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, (Lanzhou, China) were retrospectively analyzed, including 32 cases of non-ccRCC (21 cases of chromophobe and 11 cases of papillary cell carcinoma) and 68 cases of ccRCC. Patients underwent MRI examination, including high and low B-value DWI, to compare the imaging features of the two RCC subtypes and the ADC values of tumor sites were measured. The results of the DWI and ADC were statistically different between the two RCC subtypes (P<0.01). The DWI of ccRCC was primarily low, equal or slightly high signal. ADC of ccRCC was mainly equal or slightly high signal and the high B-value DWI signal was lower than the low B-value DWI. DWI of non-ccRCC was mostly obviously high signal. ADC of non-ccRCC was mostly uniform, obviously low signal and the high B-value DWI signal was markedly higher than the low B-value DWI. The ADC values of non-ccRCC were lower than those of ccRCC, and the ADC values <1.42±0.48×10-3 mm2/s were mostly non-ccRCC. In conclusion, MRI-DWI and ADC can be used to differentiate subtypes of RCC to determine appropriate surgical methods and clinical prognosis.

Marginal Bone Level Evaluation of Fixed Partial Dental Prostheses Using Preformed Stock versus CAD/CAM Customized Abutments.

Background: The maintenance of marginal bone levels around dental implants is an important criterion for evaluating the success of implants. Although computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) customized abutments (CAs) provide more flexible solutions, compared with the original preformed stock abutments (PAs), there are dimensional tolerances and underlying drawbacks in the production of CAD/CAM CAs, which may change the tightness and seamless connection between fixtures and abutments set by the manufacturer and then affect the long-term stability of the abutments. This study aimed to examine the change in both mesial and distal bone levels using digital periapical radiographs to evaluate the difference between CAD/CAM CAs and original PAs.Material and methods: Radiographs were taken before delivery; after functional loading for 1 month; and after 3, 6, and 12 months; and the vertical marginal bone levels (vMBLs) of both the mesial and distal surrounding implant bones were measured. All data are presented as means ± standard errors and were analyzed using Student's t-test. A p-value < 0.05 was judged to represent a significant difference. Results: A total of 57 implants in 50 patients were divided into 22 CAD/CAM CAs and 35 original stock abutments. The PAs appeared to have a more stable bone level. By contrast, the amount of bone level change in the CAs was higher than that in the PAs. The change in the vMBL of the CAs was significantly more than that of the PAs after functional loading for 1 month (p = 0.006), 3 months (p = 0.013), 6 months (p = 0.014), and 12 months (p = 0.002). In contrast, the distal marginal bone level was lower than the mesial marginal bone level in any period. Nevertheless, the bone levels of the CAs and PAs in any period were comparable with no significant difference. Conclusions: Significant differences were found between the mesial and distal bone levels in the PAs. The CAD/CAM CAs showed a significantly greater bone level change than the original stock abutments after functional loading.

Differential regulation of the human CYP11A1 promoter in mouse brain and adrenals.

CYP11A1 encodes the first enzyme of steroid biosynthesis, cytochrome P450scc. The expression of CYP11A1 in the nervous system allows neurosteroids to be synthesized de novo. In the classic steroidogenic tissues, adrenals and gonads, the key regulator controlling CYP11A1 expression is steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1), but the transcriptional regulation of CYP11A1 in the brain is unclear. We recently used the 4.4-kb regulatory region of the human CYP11A1 gene to drive Cre recombinase expression in the diencephalon and midbrain. In this study, we characterized the regional-specific expression of Cre reporter in the SCC-Cre transgenic brain using a transient Cre/ROSA26R transgenic system. Mutation of either the upstream or proximal SF-1 binding site did not affect brain CYP11A1 promoter activity. The upstream SF-1 binding site, however, is required for CYP11A1 promoter function in the embryonic adrenals. The 3.8-kb promoter, like the 4.4-kb length promoter, directed Cre expression in the diencephalon, midbrain and olfactory epithelium, whereas Cre expression controlled by the 2.7-kb promoter was only observed in the caudal part of midbrain. This suggests that the 5'-flanking region between 3.8 and 2.7 kb contains a crucial element for activation of CYP11A1 promoter in the diencephalon, olfactory epithelium and the anterior part of midbrain. Thus we have identified regions of the promoter that control CYP11A1 expression in the brain and embryonic adrenals.

Aqueous Mulberry Leaf Extract Ameliorates Alcoholic Liver Injury Associating with Upregulation of Ethanol Metabolism and Suppression of Hepatic Lipogenesis.

Excessive alcohol intake is a major cause of chronic liver damage and is highly associated with the development of a spectrum of hepatic disorders, including steatohepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Thus, we aimed to explore the hepatoprotective effects of an aqueous mulberry leaf extract (AME) on alcoholic fatty liver disorder (AFLD) by using a mouse model fed with excessive ethanol. Compared with the normal diet, the ethanol diet significantly increased the body weight of the mice, while the AME supplement reduced the weight gain caused by the ethanol diet. The ethanol diet also attenuated the activity of alcohol dehydrogenase and antioxidant enzymes but increased lipid peroxidation in the liver, which were reversed by AME supplementation. Additionally, AME supplementation diminished the ethanol diet-induced hepatic leukocyte infiltration and expressions of IL-6 and TNFα. Moreover, AME supplementation also reduced the ethanol-diet-induced lipid accumulation and expression of 1-acylglycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase, acetyl-CoA carboxylase, low-density lipoprotein receptor, and sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1/2 in the liver. Collectively, AME supplementation improved liver lipid accumulation and proinflammatory response in mice induced by the ethanol diet, which was associated with the upregulation of ethanol-metabolizing enzymes and the downregulation of lipogenesis components.

A Scoping Review of The Efficacy of Virtual Reality and Exergaming on Patients of Musculoskeletal System Disorder.

To assess the effects of virtual reality on patients with musculoskeletal disorders by means of a scoping review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The databases included PubMed, IEEE, and the MEDLINE database. Articles involving RCTs with higher than five points on the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale were reviewed for suitability and inclusion. The methodological quality of the included RCT was evaluated using the PEDro scale. The three reviewers extracted relevant information from the included studies. Fourteen RCT articles were included. When compared with simple usual care or other forms of treatment, there was significant pain relief, increased functional capacity, reduced symptoms of the disorder, and increased joint angles for the virtual reality treatment of chronic musculoskeletal disorders. Furthermore, burn patients with acute pain were able to experience a significant therapeutic effect on pain relief. However, virtual reality treatment of patients with non-chronic pain such as total knee replacement, ankle sprains, as well as those who went through very short virtual reality treatments, did not show a significant difference in parameters, as compared with simple usual care and other forms of treatment. Current evidence supports VR treatment as having a significant effect on pain relief, increased joint mobility, or motor function of patients with chronic musculoskeletal disorders. VR seems quite effective in relieving the pain of patients with acute burns as well.

Comparison of EMG activity between maximal manual muscle testing and cybex maximal isometric testing of the quadriceps femoris.

Two methods have been used to produce a maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) of the superficial quadriceps femoris muscles for normalization of electromyographic (EMG) data. The purposes of this study were to compare the myoelectic activity of MVIC of manual muscle testing (MMT) versus Cybex maximal isometric testing. Eighteen normal subjects were recruited. MMT and Cybex testing for MVIC of the dominant leg were performed. EMG activities of the vastus medialis, vastus lateralis and rectus femoris were recorded during MMT and Cybex trials. EMG amplitude and median frequency obtained from the two methods (MMT and Cybex testing) were used for statistical analysis of these three muscles. Statistically, the difference in the mean of the EMG signal amplitude and median frequency between MMT and Cybex testing were not significant. Considering cost and time, MMT for MVIC technique appears to be reliable and highly valuable.

Muscle Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients with Various Clinical Subtypes of LMNA-Related Muscular Dystrophy.

BACKGROUND: LMNA-related muscular dystrophy can manifest in a wide variety of disorders, including Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD), limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD), and LMNA-associated congenital muscular dystrophy (L-CMD). Muscle magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become a useful tool in the diagnostic workup of patients with muscle dystrophies. This study aimed to investigate whether there is a consistent pattern of MRI changes in patients with LMNA mutations in various muscle subtypes. METHODS: Twenty-two patients with LMNA-related muscular dystrophies were enrolled in this study. MRI of the thigh and/or calf muscles was performed in them. The muscle MRI features of the three subtypes were compared by the Mann-Whitney U-test. The relationship between the clinical and MRI findings was also investigated by Spearman's rank analyses. RESULTS: The present study included five EDMD, nine LGMD, and eight L-CMD patients. The thigh muscle MRI revealed that the fatty infiltration of the adductor magnus, semimembranosus, long and short heads of the biceps femoris, and vasti muscles, with relative sparing of the rectus femoris, was the predominant change observed in the EDMD, LGMD, and advanced-stage L-CMD phenotypes, although the involvement of the vasti muscles was not prominent in the early stage of L-CMD. At the level of the calf, six patients (one EDMD, four LGMD, and one L-CMD) also showed a similar pattern, in which the soleus and the medial and lateral gastrocnemius muscles were most frequently observed to have fatty infiltration. The fatty infiltration severity demonstrated higher scores associated with disease progression, with a corresponding rate of 1.483 + 0.075 × disease duration (X) (r = 0.444, P = 0.026). It was noteworthy that in six L-CMD patients with massive inflammatory cell infiltration in muscle pathology, no remarkable edema-like signals were observed in muscle MRI. CONCLUSIONS: EDMD, LGMD and advanced-staged L-CMD subtypes showed similar pattern of muscle MRI changes, while early-staged L-CMD showed somewhat different changes. Muscle MRI of L-CMD with a muscular dystrophy pattern in MRI provided important clues for differentiating it from childhood inflammatory myopathy. The fatty infiltration score could be used as a reliable biomarker for outcome measure of disease progression.

Determining the resting position of the glenohumeral joint in subjects who are healthy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The resting position is frequently used by clinicians in the examination and early treatment of patients with joint impairments. However, there is a lack of research on the kinematic characteristics of the resting position of the glenohumeral (GH) joint. The aim of this study was to define the resting position of the GH joint by quantifying the humeral head translation and axial rotational range of motion (ROM). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The anterior and posterior translation of the humeral head and the rotational ROM of the dominant arm were assessed in the seated position at multiple abduction positions in 15 subjects who were healthy by use of an electromagnetic tracking device. A force of 80 N and a torque of 4 N.m were applied during the measurement procedures for the translation of the humeral head and the rotational ROM, respectively. RESULTS: The mean resting position determined by rotational movement was located at 49.8 degrees of GH abduction. However, the mean resting position determined by translational movement was located at 23.7 degrees of GH abduction and was significantly lower than the resting position determined by rotational movement (t=5.45, P=.000). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The mean resting position for rotational movement is consistent with the already accepted range of 30 to 60 degrees for a "loosely packed" position of the GH joint. The mean resting position for translational movement appears to be lower than 30 to 60 degrees. The results of this study suggest that, at least for the GH joint, different resting positions should be assessed with different movement criteria (accessory or physiological movement).

The Combination of Computational and Biosensing Technologies for Selecting Aptamer against Prostate Specific Antigen.

Herein, we report a method of combining bioinformatics and biosensing technologies to select aptamers against prostate specific antigen (PSA). The main objective of this study is to select DNA aptamers with higher binding affinity for PSA by using the proposed method. Based on the five known sequences of PSA-binding aptamers, we adopted the functions of reproduction and crossover in the genetic algorithm to produce next-generation sequences for the computational and experimental analysis. RNAfold web server was utilized to analyze the secondary structures, and the 3-dimensional molecular models of aptamer sequences were generated by using RNAComposer web server. ZRANK scoring function was used to rerank the docking predictions from ZDOCK. The biosensors, the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) instrument, were used to verify the binding ability of selected aptamer for PSA. By carrying out the simulations and experiments after two generations, we obtain one aptamer that can have the highest binding affinity with PSA, which generates almost 2-fold and 3-fold greater measured signals than the responses produced by the best known DNA sequence in the QCM and SPR experiments, respectively.

The nutraceutical benefits of subfractions of Abelmoschus esculentus in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Abelmoschus esculentus (AE), a commonly consumed vegetable, is well-known for its anti-hyperglycemic effects. However, few scientific reports have identified its targets because mucilage increases the difficulty of manipulation. We recently reported extraction steps to obtain subfractions of AE, which were found to attenuate the adverse effects of high glucose and fatty acid in vitro. In this study, we used modified extraction steps and type 2 diabetic rats to explore whether AE subfractions can improve the metabolic disturbances caused by insulin resistance in vivo. AE subfractions (F1, F2, and FR) were prepared. The type 2 diabetes model was induced by feeding male Sprague-Dawley rats with a high-fat diet and injecting them with 35 mg/kgbw streptozotocin when their body weight reached 475 ± 15 g. After a hyperglycemic status had been confirmed, the rats were tube-fed with or without different doses of AE subfractions. Serum glucose, lipid markers, insulin, HbA1c and HOMA-IR were measured in the following 12 weeks. Serum glucose promptly increased and insulin resistance was noted in the diabetic rats (glucose: 360-500 mg/dl, HOMA-IR 9.8-13.8). F2, rich in polysaccharides and carbohydrates, was most effective in attenuating hyperglycemia and insulin resistance (glucose: 200 mg/dl; HOMA-IR: 5.3) and especially HbA1C (from 8.0% to 6.5%). All of the AE subfractions lowered the level of triglycerides and free fatty acid, but not the level of total cholesterol. FR significantly increased the high-density lipoprotein/low-density lipoprotein ratio, indicating its benefits for lipoprotein profiles. While F2 and FR were associated with weight gain, F1 possessed an anti-obese effect. In conclusion, whether it is consumed as a vegetable or as a nutraceutical, AE has the potential to be an adjuvant therapy for diabetes. AE subfractions could be developed individually and deserve further investigation.

Differences of lumbosacral kinematics between degenerative and induced spondylolisthetic spine.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the differences of lumbosacral kinematics between degenerative and induced spondylolisthetic subjects. DESIGN: Translations and angulations of spondylolisthetic spine from L1-L2 to L5-S1 were documented by taking X-ray films at flexion, standing and extension positions. BACKGROUND: The unstable mechanism of spondylolisthesis leads to lower back pain. It is important to determine the kinematics and the process of spondylolisthesis. METHODS: Nineteen subjects with spondylolisthesis participated in this research, seven subjects with diagnosis of degenerative and 12 with induced spondylolisthesis, were taken lateral radiographs at three positions including flexion, standing and extension. RESULTS: The differences of angulation among three positions (flexion, standing, and extension) at different levels were statistically significant (P<0.05) in both spondylolisthetic groups. The differences of translation among three different positions in induced spondylolisthetic group had a statistical significance (P<0.05) except at the level of L5-S1 (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Segmental total translation and angulation at each level of induced spondylolisthetic spine were greater than those of degenerative spondylolisthetic spine except L5-S1 level, which illustrated the evolution of spondylolisthesis from unstable to less unstable. RELEVANCE: The results showed induced spondylolisthesis may link to degenerative spondylolisthesis. It provided essential knowledge to detect the evolution of degenerative spondylolisthesis clinically earlier.

An interchangeable scanning Hall probe/scanning SQUID microscope.

We have constructed a scanning probe microscope for magnetic imaging, which can function as a scanning Hall probe microscope (SHPM) and as a scanning SQUID microscope (SSM). The scanning scheme, applicable to SHPM and SSM, consists of a mechanical positioning (sub) micron-XY stage and a flexible direct contact to the sample without a feedback control system for the Z-axis. With the interchangeable capability of operating two distinct scanning modes, our microscope can incorporate the advantageous functionalities of the SHPM and SSM with large scan range up to millimeter, high spatial resolution (⩽4 µm), and high field sensitivity in a wide range of temperature (4.2 K-300 K) and magnetic field (10(-7) T-1 T). To demonstrate the capabilities of the system, we present magnetic images scanned with SHPM and SSM, including a RbFeB magnet and a nickel grid pattern at room temperature, surface magnetic domain structures of a La(2/3)Ca(1/3)MnO3 thin film at 77 K, and superconducting vortices in a striped niobium film at 4.2 K.

Tomatidine inhibits invasion of human lung adenocarcinoma cell A549 by reducing matrix metalloproteinases expression.

Tomatidine is an aglycone of glycoalkaloid tomatine in tomato. Tomatidine is found to possess anti-inflammatory properties and may serve as a chemosensitizer in multidrug-resistant tumor cells. However, the effect of tomatidine on cancer cell metastasis remains unclear. This study examines the effect of tomatidine on the migration and invasion of human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cell in vitro. The data demonstrates that tomatidine does not effectively inhibit the viability of A549 cells. When treated with non-toxic doses of tomatidine, cell invasion is markedly suppressed by Boyden chamber invasion assay, while cell migration is not affected. Tomatidine reduces the mRNA level of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), MMP-9 and increases the expression of reversion-inducing cysteine-rich protein with kazal motifs (RECK), as well as tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1). The immunoblotting assays indicate that tomatidine is very effective in suppressing the phosphorylation of Akt and extracellular signal regulating kinase (ERK). In addition, tomatidine significantly decreases the nuclear level of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), which suggests that tomatidine inhibits NF-κB activity. Furthermore, the treatment of inhibitors specific for PI3K/Akt (LY294002), ERK (U0126), or NF-κB (pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate) to A549 cells reduced cell invasion and MMP-2/9 expression. The results suggest that tomatidine inhibits the invasion of A549 cells by reducing the expression of MMPs. It also inhibits ERK and Akt signaling pathways and NF-κB activity. These findings demonstrate a new therapeutic potential for tomatidine in anti-metastatic therapy.