Evaluation of superficial xenograft volume estimation by ultrasound and caliper against MRI in a longitudinal pre-clinical radiotherapeutic setting.

Background: Accurate tumor volume estimation is important for evaluating the response to radionuclide therapy and external beam radiotherapy as well as to other pharmaceuticals. A common method for monitoring the growth of subcutaneous tumors in pre-clinical models and assessing the treatment response is to measure the tumor length and width by external calipers to estimate its volume. This procedure relies on an assumption of a spheroidal tumor shape wherein the tumor depth equals the width and can yield considerably inaccuracies.

Pancreatic Cancer Organoids: An Emerging Platform for Precision Medicine?

Despite recent therapeutic advances, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains one of the most aggressive malignancies, with remarkable resistance to treatment, poor prognosis, and poor clinical outcome. More efficient therapeutic approaches are urgently needed to improve patients' survival. Recently, the development of organoid culture systems has gained substantial attention as an emerging preclinical research model.

P90 ribosomal S6 kinases: A bona fide target for novel targeted anticancer therapies?

The 90 kDa ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK) family of proteins is a group of highly conserved Ser/Thr kinases. They are downstream effectors of the Ras/ERK/MAPK signaling cascade. ERK1/2 activation directly results in the phosphorylation of RSKs, which further, through interaction with a variety of different downstream substrates, activate various signaling events.

Increased Expression of the Mitochondrial Glucocorticoid Receptor Enhances Tumor Aggressiveness in a Mouse Xenograft Model.

Mitochondria are important organelles for cellular physiology as they generate most of the energy requirements of the cell and orchestrate many biological functions. Dysregulation of mitochondrial function is associated with many pathological conditions, including cancer development. Mitochondrial glucocorticoid receptor (mtGR) is proposed as a crucial regulator of mitochondrial functions via its direct involvement in the regulation of mitochondrial transcription, oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), enzymes biosynthesis, energy production, mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis, and regulation of oxidative stress.

Chimeric Stimuli-Responsive Liposomes as Nanocarriers for the Delivery of the Anti-Glioma Agent TRAM-34.

Nanocarriers are delivery platforms of drugs, peptides, nucleic acids and other therapeutic molecules that are indicated for severe human diseases. Gliomas are the most frequent type of brain tumor, with glioblastoma being the most common and malignant type. The current state of glioma treatment requires innovative approaches that will lead to efficient and safe therapies.

Study of the Relationship between Sigma Receptor Expression Levels and Some Common Sigma Ligand Activity in Cancer Using Human Cancer Cell Lines of the NCI-60 Cell Line Panel.

Sigma (σ) receptors have attracted great interest since they are implicated in various cellular functions and biological processes and diseases, including various types of cancer. The receptor family consists of two subtypes: sigma-1 (σ1) and sigma-2 (σ2). Both σ receptor subtypes have been proposed as therapeutic targets for various types of cancers, and many studies have provided evidence that their selective ligands (agonists and antagonists) exhibit antiproliferative and cytotoxic activity.

mTORC2 deploys the mRNA binding protein IGF2BP1 to regulate c-MYC expression and promote cell survival.

mTORC2 promotes cell survival by phosphorylating AKT and enhancing its activity. Inactivation of mTORC2 reduces viability through down-regulation of E2F1 caused by up-regulation of c-MYC. An additional target of mTORC2 is IGF2BP1, an oncofetal RNA binding protein expressed de novo in a wide array of malignancies.

Hypertension: An immune related disorder?

Hypertension is a multifactorial disorder with serious complications and unknown etiology. Among potential contributors, immune dysregulation has been also proposed. The study population included 61 consecutive hypertensive patients and 55 healthy individuals of similar age and sex distribution.

Self-Healing pH- and Enzyme Stimuli-Responsive Hydrogels for Targeted Delivery of Gemcitabine To Treat Pancreatic Cancer.

A novel, multifunctional hydrogel that exhibits a unique set of properties for the effective treatment of pancreatic cancer (PC) is presented. The material is composed of a pentablock terpolypeptide of the type PLys- b-(PHIS- co-PBLG)-PLys- b-(PHIS- co-PBLG)- b-PLys, which is a noncytotoxic polypeptide. It can be implanted via the least invasive route and selectively delivers gemcitabine to efficiently treat PC.

Annonacin promotes selective cancer cell death via NKA-dependent and SERCA-dependent pathways.

In the healthcare sector, phytocompounds are known to be beneficial by contributing or alleviating a variety of diseases. Studies have demonstrated the progressive effects of phytocompounds on immune-related diseases and to exhibit anticancer effects. Graviola tree is an evergreen tree with its extracts (leafs and seeds) been reported having anticancer properties, but the precise target of action is not clear.

Potential of the dual mTOR kinase inhibitor AZD2014 to overcome paclitaxel resistance in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma.

Purpose: Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is an aggressive, chemo-resistant malignancy. Chemo-resistance is often associated with changes in activity of the RAS/MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways and/or a high expression of ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters, such as P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP). To assess the therapeutic efficacy in ATC of a combination of the dual mTOR kinase inhibitor vistusertib (AZD2014) and paclitaxel (PTX), we generated a new cell line (Rho-) via the selection of human thyroid carcinoma 8505C cells that exhibit a low accumulation of rhodamine 123, which serves as a P-gp and BCRP substrate.

Patient Derived Xenografts (PDX) for personalized treatment of pancreatic cancer: emerging allies in the war on a devastating cancer?

Unlabelled: The prognosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the eighth most lethal cancer for men and ninth for women worldwide, remains dismal. The increasing rates of deaths by PDAC indicate that the overall management of the disease in 21st century is still insufficient. Thus it is obvious that there is an unmet need to improve management of PDAC by finding new biomarkers to screen high risk patients, confirm diagnosis, and predict response to treatment as well more efficacious and safer treatments.

A promising natural product, pristimerin, results in cytotoxicity against breast cancer stem cells in vitro and xenografts in vivo through apoptosis and an incomplete autopaghy in breast cancer.

Several natural products have been suggested as effective agents for the treatment of cancer. Given the important role of CSCs (Cancer Stem Cells) in cancer, which is a trendy hypothesis, it is worth investigating the effects of pristimerin on CSCs as well as on the other malignant cells (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) of breast cancer. The anti-growth activity of pristimerin against MCF-7 and MCF-7s (cancer stem cell enriched population) cells was investigated by real time viability monitorization (xCELLigence System) and ATP assay, respectively.

Anti-invasive effects of CXCR4 and FAK inhibitors in non-small cell lung carcinomas with mutually inactivated p53 and PTEN tumor suppressors.

Non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer. At the time of diagnosis, a large percentage of NSCLC patients have already developed metastasis, responsible for extremely high mortality rates. CXCR4 receptor and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) are known to regulate such invasive cancer behavior.

Humoral immune activation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients.

There is evidence that immunological factors may involved in the pathogenetic mechanisms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Few studies to date have explored the status of the humoral immune response in patients with ALS. We examined the presence of humoral immune activation in ALS patients, serum immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA and IgM) levels were measured in 36 patients with ALS and 35 normal controls.

Alterations of T cell subsets in ALS: a systemic immune activation?

Introduction: There is evidence that immunological factors may involved in pathogenetic mechanisms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Few studies to date have explored the status of the systemic immune response in patients with ALS.

Patients And Methods: In order to examine whether systemic immune activation is observed in patients with ALS, we measured the number of T cell subsets by flow cytometry in 36 patients with ALS and 35 normal controls.

Two doses of a lipid formulation of amphotericin B for the treatment of Mediterranean visceral leishmaniasis.

To evaluate the efficacy of a short course of a lipid formulation of amphotericin B (L-AmB) for the treatment of Mediterranean visceral leishmaniasis (VL), an open prospective study was conducted. Forty-one children with parasitologically confirmed leishmaniasis received L-AmB, 10 mg/kg daily for 2 days. The comparison groups were 30 children who, in a previous study, were treated with L-AmB, 4 mg/kg daily for 5 days, and 52 children who were treated with meglumine antimoniate.

Immunoelectron study of somatostatin, gastrin and glucagon in human colorectal adenocarcinomas and liver metastases.

The aim of this study was to investigate the role and function of somatostatin, glucagon and gastrin in 35 colorectal adenocarcinoma and 25 liver metastases. The investigation was carried out at the electron immunocytochemistry level. Our results showed that well-differentiated tissues have the highest somatostatin levels compared to poorly-differentiated tumors while glucagon levels remain high.