Involvement in Prostate Cancer Progression.

Prostate cancer (PC) is polygenic disease involving many genes, and more importantly a host of gene-gene interactions, including transcriptional factors. The gene is a transcriptional target of numerous oncoproteins, and its dysregulation can contribute to tumor progression by abnormal activation of targeted oncogenes. Using data from the Cancer Genome Atlas, we tested the possible involvement of in PC progression.

Steroid Hormones as Modulators of Emotional Regulation in Male Urogenital Cancers.

Background: Tumors develop within an organism operating in a specific social and physical environment. Cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), two of the most abundant steroid hormones in humans, are involved in both emotional regulation and the tumor progression. Several studies reported preclinical findings that DHEA can have preventive and therapeutic efficacy in treating major age-associated diseases, including cancer, although the mechanisms of action are not yet defined.

Proposal for a New Diagnostic Histopathological Approach in the Evaluation of Ki-67 in GEP-NETs.

Introduction: Studies have shown that the Ki-67 index is a valuable biomarker for the diagnosis, and classification of gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs). We re-evaluated the expression of Ki-67 based on the intensity of the stain, basing our hypothesis on the fact that the Ki-67 protein is continuously degraded.

Background: The aim was to evaluate whether a new scoring method would be more effective in classifying NETs by reducing staining heterogeneity.

Multi-Dimensional Scaling Analysis of Key Regulatory Genes in Prostate Cancer Using the TCGA Database.

Prostate cancer (PC) is a polygenic disease with multiple gene interactions. Therefore, a detailed analysis of its epidemiology and evaluation of risk factors can help to identify more accurate predictors of aggressive disease. We used the transcriptome data from a cohort of 243 patients from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database.

Back to nature: herbal treatment, environmental enrichment, and social play can protect against unpredictable chronic stress in Long-Evans rats (Rattus norvegicus).

The importance of integrative biobehavioral responses to complex challenges cannot be overlooked. In this study, the synergetic effects of icariin (a flavonoid present in the plant Epimedium brevicornum), natural enrichment (NaEn), and play behavior were investigated. Rats (n = 60) were assigned to standard housing or NaEn; these two groups were subsequently divided into controls, rats receiving icariin treatments, and rats receiving icariin and allowed to play with an individual from another cage.

Gastrin-Releasing Peptide Receptor in Low Grade Prostate Cancer: Can It Be a Better Predictor Than Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen?

The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether prostate cancer (PC) patients can be accurately classified on the bases of tissue expression of gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR) and prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA). This retrospective study included 28 patients with PC. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples were used for diagnosis.

Environmental enrichment modulates inflammation during development in long-evans rats (Rattus norvegicus).

It is unknown whether increased production of pro-inflammatory mediators during the life span is caused by aging per se or via the combination of a cumulative allostatic load due to life challenges. This study aimed to investigate the long-term effects of stress and environmental enrichment on the inflammatory status associated with aging in rats. Animals were assigned to the following five treatment groups: chronic stress with and without environmental enrichment; acute stress with and without environmental enrichment; control animals.

Postpartum environmental challenges alter maternal responsiveness and offspring development.

Because many threats exist in an animal's natural habitat, it is important to understand the impact of environmental challenges on maternal-offspring interactions and outcomes. In the current study, a rodent model incorporating the presence of restricted resources and an environmental threat (e.g.

What makes a long tail short? Testing Allen's rule in the toque macaques of Sri Lanka.

Allen's rule (1877) predicts ecogeographical anatomical variation in appendage proportions as a function of body temperature regulation. This phenomenon has been tested in a variety of animal species. In macaques, relative tail length (RTL) is one of the most frequently measured appendages to test Allen's rule.

Forest fragments become farmland: Dietary Response of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) to fast-changing anthropogenic landscapes.

Behavioral flexibility, including an ability to modify feeding behavior, is a key trait enabling primates to survive in forest fragments. In human-dominated landscapes, unprotected forest fragments can become progressively degraded, and may be cleared entirely, challenging the capacity of primates to adjust to the changes. We examined responses of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) to major habitat change: that is, clearance of forest fragments for agriculture.

Immunomodulatory Effects of Stress and Environmental Enrichment in Long-Evans Rats ().

Stress can influence the secretion of neuroendocrine mediators, thereby exposing immune cells to altered signaling and interactions. Here we investigated the synergetic effect of stress and environmental enrichment on the immune response of Long-Evans rats. Subjects ( = 46) were assigned to 5 treatment groups: acute compared with chronic stress with or without environmental enrichment, plus an unmanipulated control group.

Physiologic Correlates of Interactions between Adult Male and Immature Long-tailed Macaques ().

Interactions between adult males and immature members of the same species are rare in most mammals; in contrast, an estimated 40% of primate species are characterized by an involvement of males in the social life of infants and juveniles. The proximate mechanisms of male-infant interactions are largely unstudied, and very few direct benefits for males have been proposed, especially in uniparental species in which the identity of the male parent is uncertain. In this study, we aimed to assess the relationship among behavioral and physiologic stress, health, and various affiliative behaviors initiated by adult males toward infants and juveniles in long-tailed macaques.

Profiling coping strategies in male and female rats: Potential neurobehavioral markers of increased resilience to depressive symptoms.

Coping strategies have been associated with differential stress responsivity, perhaps providing a valuable neurobiological marker for susceptibility to the emergence of depressogenic symptoms or vulnerability to other anxiety-related disorders. Rats profiled with a flexible coping phenotype, for example, exhibit increased neurobiological markers of emotional regulation compared to active and passive copers (Bardi et al., 2012; Lambert et al.

Gastrointestinal parasite infections and self-medication in wild chimpanzees surviving in degraded forest fragments within an agricultural landscape mosaic in Uganda.

Monitoring health in wild great apes is integral to their conservation and is especially important where they share habitats with humans, given the potential for zoonotic pathogen exchange. We studied the intestinal parasites of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) inhabiting degraded forest fragments amid farmland and villages in Bulindi, Uganda. We first identified protozoan and helminth parasites infecting this population.

Natural-enriched environments lead to enhanced environmental engagement and altered neurobiological resilience.

The mammalian brain has evolved in close synchrony with the natural environment; consequently, trends toward disengagement from natural environments in today's industrialized societies may compromise adaptive neural responses and lead to psychiatric illness. Investigations of rodents housed in enriched environments indicate enhanced neurobiological complexity; yet, the origin of these stimuli, natural vs. manufactured, has not been sufficiently explored.

Reproductive experiential regulation of cognitive and emotional resilience.

Adaptation virtually defines survival. For mammals, arguably, no other developmental milestone is exemplified by--nor more reliant on--the sudden and dramatic behavioral alterations observed in the maternal female, which rapidly must undergo change in order to express a large suite of proper and effective maternal behaviors. As pregnancy progresses, as well as during lactation, when pup cues are rich and rampant, the female is literally transformed from an organism that actively avoided offspring-related signals, to one highly motivated by those same cues to build nests, be attracted to pups and to retrieve, group, groom, crouch-over, care for, and protect, the young.

Paternal retrievals increase testosterone levels in both male and female California mouse (Peromyscus californicus) offspring.

The importance of maternal care on offspring development has received considerable attention, although more recently, researchers have begun to focus on the significance of paternal contributions. In the monogamous and bi-parental California mouse, fathers provide high levels of care, and therefore serve as a model system for studying paternal effects on behavior and underlying neuroendocrine mechanisms. Paternal retrievals in this species influence long term changes in brain (expression of arginine vasopressin-AVP) and behavior (aggression and parenting) in adult male offspring.

Parity modifies endocrine hormones in urine and problem-solving strategies of captive owl monkeys (Aotus spp.).

Parental behavior modifies neural, physiologic, and behavioral characteristics of both maternal and paternal mammals. These parenting-induced modifications extend to brain regions not typically associated with parental responses themselves but that enhance ancillary responses, such as foraging efficiency and predator avoidance. Here we hypothesized that male and female owl monkeys (Aotus spp.

Contingency-based emotional resilience: effort-based reward training and flexible coping lead to adaptive responses to uncertainty in male rats.

Emotional resilience enhances an animal's ability to maintain physiological allostasis and adaptive responses in the midst of challenges ranging from cognitive uncertainty to chronic stress. In the current study, neurobiological factors related to strategic responses to uncertainty produced by prediction errors were investigated by initially profiling male rats as passive, active or flexible copers (n = 12 each group) and assigning to either a contingency-trained or non-contingency trained group. Animals were subsequently trained in a spatial learning task so that problem solving strategies in the final probe task, as well-various biomarkers of brain activation and plasticity in brain areas associated with cognition and emotional regulation, could be assessed.

Problematic drinking and physiological responses among female college students.

Problematic drinking is a widespread problem among college students, and can contribute to alcohol dependence during later adulthood, particularly among females. The current study assessed vulnerability for alcohol-related consequences by comparing self-reported drinking with coping styles and physiological and behavioral stress responses during a challenging task. Cardiovascular measurements and saliva samples were taken from 88 female students at the beginning of the experiment and after the task.

Effort-Based Reward (EBR) training enhances neurobiological efficiency in a problem-solving task: insights for depression therapies.

Effort-Based Reward (EBR) training strengthens associations between effort and rewards, leading to increased persistence in an unsolvable task when compared to control animals. EBR training involves placing animals in a test apparatus in which they are trained to dig in mounds to retrieve froot loop rewards (contingent group); these animals are compared to control animals that are given the same number of rewards, regardless of expended effort (noncontingent group). In the current study, the effect of EBR training on performance in a spatial task (Dry Land Maze) was explored to determine cognitive resilience during behavioral testing.

Reproductive experience facilitates recovery from kainic acid-induced neural insult in female Long-Evans rats.

The hormones of pregnancy and lactation (e.g., estrogen, progesterone, and oxytocin) have been shown to modulate learning, memory, and the restructuring of brain areas not traditionally associated with maternal behavior.

Behavioral training and predisposed coping strategies interact to influence resilience in male Long-Evans rats: implications for depression.

Effective coping strategies and adaptive behavioral training build resilience against stress-induced pathology. Both predisposed and acquired coping strategies were investigated in rats to determine their impact on stress responsiveness and emotional resilience. Male Long-Evans rats were assigned to one of the three coping groups: passive, active, or variable copers.