IMMUNEPOTENT CRP plus doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide chemotherapy remodel the tumor microenvironment in an air pouch triple-negative breast cancer murine model.

In 1889, Steven Paget postulated the theory that cancer cells require a permissive environment to grow. This permissive environment is known as the tumor microenvironment (TME) and nowadays it is evident that the TME is involved in the progression and response to therapy of solid cancer tumors. Triple-negative breast cancer is one of the most lethal types of cancer for women worldwide and chemotherapy remains the standard treatment for these patients.

Soluble fas and the -670 polymorphism of fas in lupus nephritis.

This study was performed to clarify the role of soluble Fas (sFas) in lupus nephritis (LN) and establish a potential relationship between LN and the -670 polymorphism of Fas in 67 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), including a subset of 24 LN patients with proteinuria. Additionally, a group of 54 healthy subjects (HS) was included. The allelic frequency of the -670 polymorphism of Fas was determined using PCR-RFLP analysis, and sFas levels were assessed by ELISA.

An Activin Receptor IA/Activin-Like Kinase-2 (R206H) Mutation in Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva.

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is an exceptionally rare genetic disease that is characterised by congenital malformations of the great toes and progressive heterotopic ossification (HO) in specific anatomical areas. This disease is caused by a mutation in activin receptor IA/activin-like kinase-2 (ACVR1/ALK2). A Mexican family with one member affected by FOP was studied.

Posttranslational Protein Modification in the Salivary Glands of Sjögren's Syndrome Patients.

The present study investigated posttranslational reactions in the salivary glands of patients with Sjögren's syndrome. We analysed the biopsies of primary Sjögren's patients using immunohistochemistry and a tag-purified anticyclic citrullinated protein (CCP) antibody to detect citrullinated peptides, and the presence of peptidylarginine deiminase 2 (PAD2) was assessed simultaneously. The present work demonstrated the weak presence of the PAD2 enzyme in some normal salivary glands, although PAD2 expression was increased considerably in Sjögren's patients.