Design of a medical decision-supporting system for the identification of brain tumors using entropy-based thresholding and non-local texture features.

Introduction: Brain tumors arise due to abnormal growth of cells at any brain location with uneven boundaries and shapes. Usually, they proliferate rapidly, and their size increases by approximately 1.4% a day, resulting in invisible illness and psychological and behavioral changes in the human body.

IL-10 Signaling in the Tumor Microenvironment of Ovarian Cancer.

Unlike other malignancies, ovarian cancer (OC) creates a complex tumor microenvironment with distinctive peritoneal ascites consisting of a mixture of several immunosuppressive cells which impair the ability of the patient's immune system to fight the disease. The poor survival rates observed in advanced stage OC patients and the lack of effective conventional therapeutic options have been attributed in large part to the immature dendritic cells (DCs), IL-10 secreting regulatory T cells, tumor-associated macrophages, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and cancer stem cells that secrete inhibitory cytokines. This review highlights the critical role played by the intraperitoneal presence of IL-10 in the generation of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

Multifactorial Genetic and Environmental Hedgehog Pathway Disruption Sensitizes Embryos to Alcohol-Induced Craniofacial Defects.

Background: Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is perhaps the most common environmental cause of human birth defects. These exposures cause a range of structural and neurological defects, including facial dysmorphologies, collectively known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). While PAE causes FASD, phenotypic outcomes vary widely.

Engraftment of mesothelin chimeric antigen receptor using a hybrid Sleeping Beauty/minicircle vector into NK-92MI cells for treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Background: We have previously demonstrated in vitro cytotoxicity of mesothelin-chimeric antigen receptor autologous T cells against pancreatic cancer cells using lentiviral vectors, but these vectors pose safety concerns. Here, we incorporated Sleeping Beauty and minicircle design enhancements into interleukin-2-secreting natural NK-92MI cells to eliminate both bacterial and viral components and address inhibition by the tumor microenvironment.

Methods: Parental (conventional deoxyribonucleic acid)-mesothelin-chimeric antigen receptor and minicircle-mesothelin-chimeric antigen receptor vectors were electroporated into NK-92MI cells and engraftment was visualized by immunofluorescence analysis with protein-L staining.