Isoforms of the orphan nuclear receptor COUP‑TFII differentially modulate pancreatic cancer progression.

The expression of the nuclear receptor transcription factor (TF) COUP‑TFII is broadly associated with cell differentiation and cancer development, including of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a devastating disease with one of the poorest prognoses among cancers worldwide. Recent studies have started to investigate the pathological and physiological roles of a novel COUP‑TFII isoform (COUP‑TFII_V2) that lacks the DNA‑binding domain. As the role of the canonical COUP‑TFII in PDAC was previously demonstrated, the present study evaluated whether COUP‑TFII_V2 may have a functional role in PDAC.

Effects of low extracellular sodium on proliferation and invasive activity of cancer cells in vitro.

Purpose: Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte disorder in hospitalized patients, and its etiopathogenesis is related to an underlying tumor in 14% of cases. Hyponatremia has been associated with a worse outcome in several pathologies, including cancer, in which the leading cause of this electrolyte alteration is the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis. The aim of this study was to analyze in vitro the effects of low extracellular [Na] in cancer progression.

Metabolomic analysis with H-NMR for non-invasive diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis degree in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Background: The assessment of fibrosis degree in liver diseases is based on several non-invasive techniques, but none has been accurate.

Aim: This study employed proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to identify metabolic profiles in serum and urine, specific for different fibrosis degree in chronic hepatitis C patients.

Method: 71 plasma, 73 serum, and 578 urine samples were collected.

Oxidative stress stimulates proliferation and invasiveness of hepatic stellate cells via a MMP2-mediated mechanism.

Experimental evidence indicates that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in the development of hepatic fibrosis; they induce hepatic stellate cells (HSC) proliferation and collagen synthesis. To address the role of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 in promoting HSC proliferation during hepatic injury, we investigated whether oxidative stress modulates the growth and invasiveness of HSC by influencing MMP-2 activation. Cell invasiveness and proliferation, which were studied using Boyden chambers and by counting cells under a microscope, were evaluated after treatment with a superoxide-producing system, xanthine plus xanthine oxidase (X/XO), in the presence or absence of antioxidants and MMP inhibitors.

Thiazolidinediones inhibit growth and invasiveness of the human adrenocortical cancer cell line H295R.

Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are a new class of antidiabetic drugs that have also been shown to possess antitumoral properties in different human cancers. TZDs bind and activate the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma, which is a nuclear receptor acting as a transcription factor in several tissues. In the present study, we evaluated PPARgamma mRNA and protein expression in tissue samples of human adrenocortical carcinomas (ACCs), normal adrenal glands, and the human ACC cell line H295R.

Spatial and temporal pattern of expression of interstitial collagenase, stromelysin/transin, gelatinase A, and TIMP-1 during experimental gastric ulcer healing.

Background/aim: Controlled proteolysis is a prerequisite for cell migration, angiogenesis, and matrix remodelling during gastric ulcer healing. We studied the temporal and spatial expression of three matrix metalloproteinases, gelatinase A (MMP-2), interstitial collagenase (MMP-13), stromelysin (MMP-3), and their major inhibitor, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) during experimental gastric ulcer healing induced in rats by acetic acid injection.

Methods: Gastric tissue specimens were hybridized with antisense (35)S-labelled RNA probes and the autoradiographic signal was analyzed by a computer aided image system.

Up-regulated expression of fractalkine and its receptor CX3CR1 during liver injury in humans.

Background/aims: Little is known about the role of fractalkine (CX3CL1) in the liver. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression patterns of fractalkine and its receptor CX3CR1 in normal human liver and in conditions of injury.

Methods: Distribution and expression of fractalkine and its receptor were investigated using immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, flow cytometry and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.