Engineered Biomaterials and Model Systems to Study YAP/TAZ in Cancer.

The transcriptional coactivators yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) are master regulators involved in a multitude of cancer types and a wide range of tumorigenic events, including cancer stem cell renewal, invasion, metastasis, tumor precursor emergence, and drug resistance. YAP/TAZ are known to be regulated by several external cues and stimuli, such as extracellular matrix stiffness, cell spreading, cell geometry, and shear stress. Therefore, there is a need in the field of cancer research to develop and design relevant models that can accurately reflect the complex biochemical and biophysical cues of the tumor microenvironment central to the YAP/TAZ signaling nexus.

Structural alerts for predicting clastogenic activity of pro-oxidant flavonoid compounds: quantitative structure-activity relationship study.

Flavonoids have been reported to exert multiple biological effects that include acting as pro-oxidants at very high doses. The authors determined a structural alert to identify the clastogenic activity of a series of flavonoids with pro-oxidant activity. The methodology was based on a quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) study.

[Benign intracranial hypertension in childhood (author's transl)].

Eight patients with clinic manifestations of benign intracranial hypertension are reported. Every patient was studied to the point where all other causes were ruled out. Epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical picture and complementary studies are analysed.