Anti-Tumorigenic Effect of a Novel Derivative of 2-Hydroxyoleic Acid and the Endocannabinoid Anandamide on Neuroblastoma Cells.

Modulation of the endogenous cannabinoid system has been suggested as a potential anticancer strategy. In the search for novel and less toxic therapeutic options, structural modifications of the endocannabinoid anandamide and the synthetic derivative of oleic acid, Minerval (HU-600), were done to obtain 2-hydroxy oleic acid ethanolamide (HU-585), which is an HU-600 derivative with the anandamide side chain. We showed that treatment of SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells with HU-585 induced a better anti-tumorigenic effect in comparison to HU-600 as evidenced by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, colony-forming assay, and migration assay.

Role of Klotho Protein in Tumor Genesis, Cancer Progression, and Prognosis in Patients with High-Grade Glioma.

Background: Klotho, a single-pass transmembrane protein associated with premature aging, acts as a tumor suppressor gene by inhibiting insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 and fibroblast growth factor pathways. Downregulated Klotho expression is reported in melanoma, mesothelioma, bladder, breast, gastric, cervix, lung, and kidney cancers and is associated with a poor prognosis. Klotho expression and Klotho promoter hypermethylation are predictive factors for patient prognosis.

Sustained Response to Imatinib in a Pediatric Patient with Concurrent Myeloproliferative Disease and Lymphoblastic Lymphoma Associated with a CCDC88C-PDGFRB Fusion Gene.

Background: The WHO defined myeloid and lymphoid neoplasms (MLN) with eosinophilia associated with PDGFRB, PDGFRA, FGFR1 rearrangements as a new entity in 2016. PDGFRB-rearranged MLN sensitive to imatinib were described in adult patients. We report the first pediatric patient with PDGFRB-rearranged myeloproliferative disorder associated with T-lymphoblastic lymphoma bearing the t(5; 14)(q33;q32) translocation who was successfully treated with imatinib only.

Zinc enhances temozolomide cytotoxicity in glioblastoma multiforme model systems.

Temozolomide (TMZ) is an alkylating agent that has become the mainstay treatment of the most malignant brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Unfortunately only a limited number of patients positively respond to it. It has been shown that zinc metal reestablishes chemosensitivity but this effect has not been tested with TMZ.

Related to testes-specific, vespid and pathogenesis protein-1 is regulated by methylation in glioblastoma.

Related to testes-specific, vespid and pathogenesis protein-1 (RTVP-1), also known as glioma pathogenesis-related protein 1, is highly expressed and has oncogenic features in glioblastoma (GBM; World Health Organization class IV). Promoter methylation has been found to control RTVP-1 expression in prostate carcinoma, Wilms' tumor, acute myeloid leukemia and melanoma. In this bi-institutional study, the methylation status of RTVP-1 in astrocytic brain malignancies (GBM and oligodendroglioma) was examined.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia in early childhood as the presenting sign of ataxia-telangiectasia variant.

Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T), an autosomal recessive disorder is characterized by progressive neurodegeneration, immunodeficiency, sensitivity to ionizing radiation, and predisposition to cancer, especially to lymphoid malignancies. A-T variant is characterized by a milder clinical phenotype and is caused by missense or leaky splice site mutations that produce residual ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase activity. Lymphoid malignancy can precede the diagnosis of A-T, particularly in young children with mild neurological symptoms.

Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol inhibits cell cycle progression by downregulation of E2F1 in human glioblastoma multiforme cells.

Background: The active components of Cannabis sativa L., Cannabinoids, traditionally used in the field of cancer for alleviation of pain, nausea, wasting and improvement of well-being have received renewed interest in recent years due to their diverse pharmacologic activities such as cell growth inhibition, anti-inflammatory activity and induction of tumor regression. Here we used several experimental approaches, which identified delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta(9)-THC) as an essential mediator of cannabinoid antitumoral action.

Mechanisms operative in the antitumor activity of temozolomide in glioblastoma multiforme.

Purpose: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most frequent and incurable brain tumor in adults. Although temozolomide (TMZ) does not cure GBM, it has demonstrated anti-GBM activity and has improved survival (8-14 months) and quality of life. We studied the mechanisms by which TMZ affects 2 human GBM cell lines; U251-MG and U87-MG, aiming to unravel the drug-activated cascades to enable the development of combination therapies that will improve the efficacy of TMZ.

CD133-positive hematopoietic stem cell "stemness" genes contain many genes mutated or abnormally expressed in leukemia.

Affymetrix human Hu133A oligonucleotide arrays were used to study the expression profile of CD133+ cord blood (CB) and peripheral blood (PB) using CD133 cell-surface marker. An unsupervised hierarchical clustering of 14,025 valid probe sets showed a clear distinction between the CD133+ cells representing the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) population and CD133-differentiated cells. Two hundred forty-four genes were found to be upregulated by at least twofold in the CD133-positive cells of both CB and PB compared with the CD133-negative cells.

Design principle of gene expression used by human stem cells: implication for pluripotency.

Human embryonic stem cells (ESC) are undifferentiated and are endowed with the capacities of self-renewal and pluripotential differentiation. Adult stem cells renew their own tissue, but whether they can transdifferentiate to other tissues is still controversial. To understand the genetic program that underlies the pluripotency of stem cells, we compared the transcription profile of ESC with that of progenitor/stem cells of human hematopoietic and keratinocytic origins, along with their mature cells to be viewed as snapshots along tissue differentiation.