Prognostic feature based on androgen-responsive genes in bladder cancer and screening for potential targeted drugs.

Objectives: Bladder cancer (BLCA) is a tumor that affects men more than women. The biological function and prognostic value of androgen-responsive genes (ARGs) in BLCA are currently unknown. To address this, we established an androgen signature to determine the prognosis of BLCA.

Natural compound Alternol exerts a broad anti-cancer spectrum and a superior therapeutic safety index .

Introduction: Alternol is a natural compound isolated from the fermentation of a mutated fungus. We have demonstrated its potent anti-cancer effect the accumulation of radical oxygen species (ROS) in prostate cancer cells and . In this study, we tested its anti-cancer spectrum in multiple platforms.

Natural compound Alternol actives multiple endoplasmic reticulum stress-responding pathways contributing to cell death.

Alternol is a small molecular compound isolated from the fermentation of a mutant fungus obtained from Taxus brevifolia bark. Our previous studies showed that Alternol treatment induced reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent immunogenic cell death. This study conducted a comprehensive investigation to explore the mechanisms involved in Alternol-induced immunogenic cell death.

Aberrant expression of multiple glycolytic enzyme genes is significantly associated with disease progression and survival outcomes in prostate cancers.

Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer death after lung cancer in men. Recent studies showed that aberrant metabolic pathways are involved in prostate cancer development and progression. In this study, we performed a systemic analysis of glycolytic enzyme gene expression using the TCGA-PRAD RNAseq dataset.

Expressions of glucose transporter genes are diversely attenuated and significantly associated with prostate cancer progression.

Prostate cancer is a health-threaten disease in men worldwide, however, lacking is the reliable biomarkers for patient management. Aberrant metabolic events including glucose metabolism are involved in prostate cancer progression. To examine the involvement of glucose metabolic pathways in prostate cancer, we analyzed the expression profiles of glucose transporter family genes using multiple RNA-seq datasets.

Red blood cell membrane-coated functionalized Au nanocage as a biomimetic platform for improved MicroRNA delivery in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) expression is closely related to cancers and managing miRNA expression holds great promise for cancer therapy. However, their wide clinical application has been hampered by their poor stability, short half-life and non-specific biodistribution in vivo. Herein, a novel biomimetic platform designated as RHAuNCs-miRNA for improved miRNA delivery was prepared through wrapping miRNA-loaded functionalized Au nanocages (AuNCs) with red blood cell (RBC) membrane.

Jumonji domain-containing protein RIOX2 is overexpressed and associated with worse survival outcomes in prostate cancers.

Background: Histone demethylase RIOX2 was cloned as a c-Myc downstream gene involved in cell proliferation and has been implicated as an oncogenic factor in multiple tumor types. Its expression profiles and correlation with disease progression in prostate cancers are unknown.

Methods: Transcriptomic profiles of Jumanji domain-containing protein genes were assessed using multiple public expression datasets generated from RNA-seq and cDNA microarray assays.

The iron-modulating hormone hepcidin is upregulated and associated with poor survival outcomes in renal clear cell carcinoma.

Reliable biomarkers are rare for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) treatment selection. We aimed to discover novel biomarkers for precision medicine. The iron-regulating hormone hepcidin (HAMP) was reportedly increased in RCC patient sera and tissues.

Idarubicin combats abiraterone and enzalutamide resistance in prostate cells via targeting XPA protein.

Although second-generation therapies like abiraterone (ABI) and enzalutamide (ENZ) benefit patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), drug resistance frequently occurs, eventually resulting in therapy failure. In this study, we used two libraries, FDA-approved drug library and CRISP/Cas9 knockout (GeCKO) library to screen for drugs that overcome treatment resistance and to identify the potential drug-resistant genes involved in treatment resistance. Our screening results showed that the DNA-damaging agent idarubicin (IDA) overcame abiraterone and enzalutamide resistance in prostate cancer cells.

TMEM158 expression is negatively regulated by AR signaling and associated with favorite survival outcomes in prostate cancers.

Background: Membrane protein TMEM158 was initially reported as a Ras-induced gene during senescence and has been implicated as either an oncogenic factor or tumor suppressor, depending on tumor types. It is unknown if TMEM158 expression is altered in prostate cancers.

Methods: Multiple public gene expression datasets from RNA-seq and cDNA microarray assays were utilized to analyze candidate gene expression profiles.

Scaffold protein MAPK8IP2 expression is a robust prognostic factor in prostate cancer associated with AR signaling activity.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase-8-interacting protein 2 (MAPK8IP2) is a scaffold protein that modulates MAPK signal cascades. Although MAPK pathways were heavily implicated in prostate cancer progression, the regulation of MAPK8IP2 expression in prostate cancer is not yet reported. We assessed MAPK8IP2 gene expression in prostate cancer related to disease progression and patient survival outcomes.

Anti-Androgen Receptor Therapies in Prostate Cancer: A Brief Update and Perspective.

Prostate cancer is a major health issue in western countries and is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men. Prostate cancer depends on the androgen receptor (AR), a transcriptional factor critical for prostate cancer growth and progression. Castration by surgery or medical treatment reduces androgen levels, resulting in prostatic atrophy and prostate cancer regression.

PAQR5 Expression Is Suppressed by TGFβ1 and Associated With a Poor Survival Outcome in Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma.

Background: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) was sex-hormone responsive, and clinical trials using progesterone significantly reduced the incidence of distal metastasis after radical nephrectomy. Recently membrane-bound progesterone receptors (mPRs) were discovered to mediate the non-genomic effect of progesterone. Aberrant expressions of these mPRs were reported in human breast, ovarian, urinary bladder, brain, uterine, and prostate cancers.

Sleep Quality Improvement Enhances Neuropsychological Recovery and Reduces Blood Aβ Ratio in Patients with Mild-Moderate Cognitive Impairment.

: Alzheimer's disease is a progressive brain degeneration and is associated with a high prevalence of sleep disorders. Amyloid β peptide-42/40 (Aβ) and Tau-pT181 are the core biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid and blood. Accumulated data from studies in mouse models and humans demonstrated an aberrant elevation of these biomarkers due to sleep disturbance, especially sleep-disordered breathing (SDB).

PAQR6 Upregulation Is Associated with AR Signaling and Unfavorite Prognosis in Prostate Cancers.

Progesterone-induced rapid non-genomic signaling events have been confirmed through several membrane progesterone receptors (mPR). Some mPRs were reported to correlate with cancer progression and patient prognosis. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of all progesterone receptor (PGR)-related genes in prostate cancer tissues and examined the correlations of their expression levels with disease progression and patient survival outcomes.

Alternol triggers immunogenic cell death reactive oxygen species generation.

Alternol is a naturally occurring compound that exerts antitumor activity in several cancers. However, whether Alternol induces antitumor immune response remains unknown. In this study, we investigated whether Alternol induced immunogenic cell death (ICD) in prostate cancer cells.

Hepcidin Downregulation Correlates With Disease Aggressiveness And Immune Infiltration in Liver Cancers.

Background: Hepcidin is a polypeptide hormone mainly produced by hepatocytes to modulate systemic iron balance. A drastic downregulation of the hepcidin gene was found in liver cancers. However, there is a paucity of information about the clinical significance of hepcidin gene downregulation in liver cancers.

The Orphan Nuclear Receptor Gene NR0B2 Is a Favorite Prognosis Factor Modulated by Multiple Cellular Signal Pathways in Human Liver Cancers.

Background: Liver cancer is a leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and novel prognostic factor is needed for early detection and therapeutic responsiveness monitoring. The orphan nuclear receptor NR0B2 was reported to suppress liver cancer development in a mouse model, and its expression levels were reduced in liver cancer tissues and cell lines due to hypermethylation within its promoter region. However, it is not clear if NR0B2 expression is associated with cancer survival or disease progression and how NR0B2 gene expression is regulated at the molecular level.

Antisolvent engineering on low-temperature processed CsPbI inorganic perovskites for improved performances of solar cells.

CsPbI inorganic perovskites with ideal bandgap and much enhanced thermal stability compared with organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites, have attracted much interest in the field of solar cells. The performances of solar cells highly depend on the quality of perovskite films, yet the research on fabrication methods of inorganic perovskites is far below that of organic-inorganic hybrid counterparts. Antisolvent engineering is a widely used method in controlling the morphology and crystallinity of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites.

Alternol/Alteronol: Potent Anti-cancer Compounds With Multiple Mechanistic Actions.

Alternol and its oxidate isomer Alteronol are small compounds isolated from the fermentation of a mutant fungus obtained from bark. Preclinical studies showed their potent anti-cancer activities, including attenuating cellular survival pathways, altering protein levels of cell cycle regulators, activating xanthine dehydrogenase to cause accumulation of cellular reactive oxygen species and disrupting cell metabolism by disturbing four Krebs cycle enzymes specifically in malignant cells while having no significant effect on benign cells. In cancer cell culture models, Alternol or Alteronol exert their anti-cancer effect by inducing cell cycle arrest and triggering apoptotic cell death.

Mitoxantrone triggers immunogenic prostate cancer cell death via p53-dependent PERK expression.

Background: Mitoxantrone (MTX) is a synthetic compound used as a second line chemotherapeutic drug for prostate cancer. It has been reported to trigger immunogenic cell death (ICD) in animal model studies, but the underlying mechanism is not fully understood yet, especially not in prostate cancer cells.

Methods: ICD was determined by assessing the release of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) in the prostate cancer-derived cell lines LNCaP, 22RV1 and PC-3.