Advancing multimodal medical image fusion: an adaptive image decomposition approach based on multilevel Guided filtering.

With the rapid development of medical imaging methods, multimodal medical image fusion techniques have caught the interest of researchers. The aim is to preserve information from diverse sensors using various models to generate a single informative image. The main challenge is to derive a trade-off between the spatial and spectral qualities of the resulting fused image and the computing efficiency.

Endoscopic Image Enhancement: Wavelet Transform and Guided Filter Decomposition-Based Fusion Approach.

Endoscopies are helpful for examining internal organs, including the gastrointestinal tract. The endoscope device consists of a flexible tube to which a camera and light source are attached. The diagnostic process heavily depends on the quality of the endoscopic images.

Smart and low-cost fluorometer for identifying breast cancer malignancy based on lipid droplets accumulation.

The most common cause of breast cancer-related death is tumor recurrence. To develop more effective treatments, the identification of cancer cell specific malignancy indicators is therefore critical. Lipid droplets are known as an emerging hallmark in aggressive breast tumors.

Seeking a better understanding of the non-receptor tyrosine kinase, SRMS.

SRMS (Src-Related kinase lacking C-terminal regulatory tyrosine and N-terminal Myristoylation Sites) is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase first reported in a 1994 screen for genes regulating murine neural precursor cells. SRMS, pronounced "Shrims", lacks the C-terminal regulatory tyrosine critical for the regulation of the enzymatic activity of Src-family kinases (SFKs). Another remarkable characteristic of SRMS is its localization into distinct SRMS cytoplasmic punctae (SCPs) or GREL (Goel Raghuveera-Erique Lukong) bodies, a pattern not observed in the SFKs.

BRK confers tamoxifen-resistance in breast cancer via regulation of tyrosine phosphorylation of CDK1.

Tamoxifen (Tam) has been the first-line therapy for estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer since its FDA-approval in 1998. Tam-resistance, however, presents a challenge and the mechanisms that drive it have yet to be fully elucidated. The non-receptor tyrosine kinase BRK/PTK6 is a promising candidate as previous research has shown that BRK knockdown resensitizes Tam-resistant breast cancer cells to the drug.

Triple negative breast cancer: approved treatment options and their mechanisms of action.

Purpose: Breast cancer, the most prevalent cancer worldwide, consists of 4 main subtypes, namely, Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2-positive, and Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Triple-negative breast tumors, which do not express estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors, account for approximately 15-20% of breast cancer cases. The lack of traditional receptor targets contributes to the heterogenous, aggressive, and refractory nature of these tumors, resulting in limited therapeutic strategies.

Breast Cancer Stem-Like Cells in Drug Resistance: A Review of Mechanisms and Novel Therapeutic Strategies to Overcome Drug Resistance.

Breast cancer is the most frequent type of malignancy in women worldwide, and drug resistance to the available systemic therapies remains a major challenge. At the molecular level, breast cancer is heterogeneous, where the cancer-initiating stem-like cells (bCSCs) comprise a small yet distinct population of cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME) that can differentiate into cells of multiple lineages, displaying varying degrees of cellular differentiation, enhanced metastatic potential, invasiveness, and resistance to radio- and chemotherapy. Based on the expression of estrogen and progesterone hormone receptors, expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and/or BRCA mutations, the breast cancer molecular subtypes are identified as TNBC, HER2 enriched, luminal A, and luminal B.

Tumor Microenvironment Uses a Reversible Reprogramming of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells to Mediate Pro-tumorigenic Effects.

The role of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in the tumor microenvironment is well described. Available data support that MSCs display anticancer activities, and that their reprogramming by cancer cells in the tumor microenvironment induces their switch toward pro-tumorigenic activities. Here we discuss the recent evidence of pro-tumorigenic effects of stromal cells, in particular (i) MSC support to cancer cells through the metabolic reprogramming necessary to maintain their malignant behavior and stemness, and (ii) MSC role in cancer cell immunosenescence and in the establishment and maintenance of immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment.

Emerging data supporting stromal cell therapeutic potential in cancer: reprogramming stromal cells of the tumor microenvironment for anti-cancer effects.

After more than a decade of controversy on the role of stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment, the emerging data shed light on pro-tumorigenic and potential anti-cancer factors, as well as on the roots of the discrepancies. We discuss the pro-tumorigenic effects of stromal cells, considering the effects of tumor drivers like hypoxia and tumor stiffness on these cells, as well as stromal cell-mediated adiposity and immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment, and cancer initiating cells' cellular senescence and adaptive metabolism. We summarize the emerging data supporting stromal cell therapeutic potential in cancer, discuss the possibility to reprogram stromal cells of the tumor microenvironment for anti-cancer effects, and explore some causes of discrepancies on the roles of stromal cells in cancer in the available literature.

Bibliometric analysis of personalized humanized mouse and Drosophila models for effective combinational therapy in cancer patients.

Research performed using model organisms such as mice and the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster has significantly enhanced our knowledge about cancer biology and the fundamental processes of cancer. This is because the major biological properties and genes associated with cancer including signaling pathways, oncogenes, tumor suppressors, and other regulators of cell growth and proliferation are evolutionary conserved. This review provides bibliometric analysis of research productivity, and performance of authors, institutions, countries, and journals associated with personalized animal cancer models, focussing on the role of Drosophila in cancer research, thus highlighting emerging trends in the field.

Possible involvement of transcriptional activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in the protective effect of caffeic acid on paraquat-induced oxidative damage in Drosophila melanogaster.

Paraquat (PQ) is a widely used herbicide with no antidote which is implicated in the pathogenesis of the Parkinson's disease. The present study then investigated the potential of caffeic acid (CA), a known antioxidant, cardioprotective and neuroprotective molecule to counteract oxidative stress mediated by PQ. In addition, molecular docking was performed to understand the mechanism underlying the inhibitory effect of CA against PQ poisoning.

Development of a low-cost and portable smart fluorometer for detecting breast cancer cells.

Instruments that allow the detection of fluorescence signal are invaluable tools for biomedical and clinical researchers. The technique is widely used in cell biology to microscopically detect target proteins of interest in mammalian cells. Importantly, fluorescence microscopy finds major applications in cancer biology where cancer cells are chemically labelled for detection.

Estrogen receptor signaling regulates the expression of the breast tumor kinase in breast cancer cells.

Background: BRK is, a non-receptor tyrosine kinase, overexpressed in approximately 85% of human invasive ductal breast tumors. It is not clear whether BRK expression correlates with breast cancer subtypes, or the expression has prognostic or diagnostic significance. Herein, we investigated the correlation of BRK with any breast cancer subtypes and clinicopathological significance of BRK expression in breast cancer.

Global phosphoproteomic analysis identifies SRMS-regulated secondary signaling intermediates.

Background: The non-receptor tyrosine kinase, SRMS (Src-related kinase lacking C-terminal regulatory tyrosine and N-terminal myristoylation sites) is a member of the BRK family kinases (BFKs) which represents an evolutionarily conserved relative of the Src family kinases (SFKs). Tyrosine kinases are known to regulate a number of cellular processes and pathways via phosphorylating substrate proteins directly and/or by partaking in signaling cross-talks leading to the indirect modulation of various signaling intermediates. In a previous study, we profiled the tyrosine-phosphoproteome of SRMS and identified multiple candidate substrates of the kinase.

Simulated Microgravity Reduces Focal Adhesions and Alters Cytoskeleton and Nuclear Positioning Leading to Enhanced Apoptosis via Suppressing FAK/RhoA-Mediated mTORC1/NF-κB and ERK1/2 Pathways.

Simulated-microgravity (SMG) promotes cell-apoptosis. We demonstrated that SMG inhibited cell proliferation/metastasis via FAK/RhoA-regulated mTORC1 pathway. Since mTORC1, NF-κB, and ERK1/2 signaling are important in cell apoptosis, we examined whether SMG-enhanced apoptosis is regulated via these signals controlled by FAK/RhoA in BL6-10 melanoma cells under clinostat-modelled SMG-condition.

Phosphoproteomics Analysis Identifies Novel Candidate Substrates of the Nonreceptor Tyrosine Kinase, rc-elated Kinase Lacking C-terminal Regulatory Tyrosine and N-terminal yristoylation ites (SRMS).

SRMS (rc-related kinase lacking C-terminal egulatory tyrosine and N-terminal yristoylation ites), also known as PTK 70 (Protein tyrosine kinase 70), is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase that belongs to the BRK family of kinases (BFKs). To date less is known about the cellular role of SRMS primarily because of the unidentified substrates or signaling intermediates regulated by the kinase. In this study, we used phosphotyrosine antibody-based immunoaffinity purification in large-scale label-free quantitative phosphoproteomics to identify novel candidate substrates of SRMS.

FRK inhibits breast cancer cell migration and invasion by suppressing epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

The human fyn-related kinase (FRK) is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase known to have tumor suppressor activity in breast cancer cells. However, its mechanism of action has not been fully characterized. We generated FRK-stable MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines and analyzed the effect on cell proliferation, migration, and invasiveness.

Caffeine-supplemented diet modulates oxidative stress markers and improves locomotor behavior in the lobster cockroach Nauphoeta cinerea.

The effects of caffeine supplementation is well documented in conventional animal models, however, in the lobster cockroaches Nauphoeta cinerea, they have not been reported. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the locomotor behavior and biochemical endpoints in the head of the nymphs of N. cinerea following 60 days exposure to food supplemented with 0, 0.

Breast cancer in Africa: prevalence, treatment options, herbal medicines, and socioeconomic determinants.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women worldwide. GLOBOCAN estimated about 1.7 million new cases of breast cancer diagnoses worldwide and about 522,000 deaths in 2012.

The DEAD-box protein DDX43 (HAGE) is a dual RNA-DNA helicase and has a K-homology domain required for full nucleic acid unwinding activity.

The K-homology (KH) domain is a nucleic acid-binding domain present in many proteins but has not been reported in helicases. DDX43, also known as (elicase ntigen ne), is a member of the DEAD-box protein family. It contains a helicase core domain in its C terminus and a potential KH domain in its N terminus.

Understanding breast cancer - The long and winding road.

Background: Despite a remarkable increase in the depth of our understanding and management of breast cancer in the past 50 years, the disease is still a major public health problem worldwide and poses significant challenges. The palpability of breast tumors has facilitated diagnosis and documentation since ancient times. The earliest descriptions of breast cancer date back to around 3500 BCE.

A Low-Cost Digital Microscope with Real-Time Fluorescent Imaging Capability.

This paper describes the development of a prototype of a low-cost digital fluorescent microscope built from commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components. The prototype was tested to detect malignant tumor cells taken from a living organism in a preclinical setting. This experiment was accomplished by using Alexa Fluor 488 conjugate dye attached to the cancer cells.

Understanding the cellular roles of Fyn-related kinase (FRK): implications in cancer biology.

The non-receptor tyrosine kinase Fyn-related kinase (FRK) is a member of the BRK family kinases (BFKs) and is distantly related to the Src family kinases (SFKs). FRK was first discovered in 1993, and studies pursued thereafter attributed a potential tumour-suppressive function to the enzyme. In recent years, however, further functional characterization of the tyrosine kinase in diverse cancer types suggests that FRK may potentially play an oncogenic role as well.

Tracing the footprints of the breast cancer oncogene BRK - Past till present.

Twenty years have passed since the non-receptor tyrosine kinase, Breast tumor kinase (BRK) was cloned. While BRK is evolutionarily related to the Src family kinases it forms its own distinct sub-family referred here to as the BRK family kinases. The detection of BRK in over 60% of breast carcinomas two decades ago and more remarkably, its absence in the normal mammary gland attributed to its recognition as a mammary gland-specific potent oncogene and led BRK researchers on a wild chase to characterize the role of the enzyme in breast cancer.