Pharmacological Inhibition of NOS Activates ASK1/JNK Pathway Augmenting Docetaxel-Mediated Apoptosis in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Chemoresistance in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is associated with the activation of a survival mechanism orchestrated by the endoplasmic reticulum (EnR) stress response and by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Our aim was to determine the effects of pharmacologic NOS inhibition on TNBC. TNBC cell lines, SUM-159PT, MDA-MB-436, and MDA-MB-468, were treated with docetaxel and NOS inhibitor (L-NMMA) for 24, 48, and 72 hours.

Genetics of vestibular syndromes.

Purpose Of Review: The increased availability of next generation sequencing has enabled a rapid progress in the discovery of genetic variants associated with vestibular disorders. We have summarized molecular genetics finding in vestibular syndromes during the last 18 months.

Recent Findings: Genetic studies continue to shed light on the genetic background of vestibular disorders.

Epigenetic Variability in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: What We Learned from Genome-Wide DNA Methylation Studies.

Purpose Of Review: DNA methylation has emerged as an important contributing factor in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Here, we describe the DNA methylation patterns identified in SLE and how these epigenetic changes can influence disease susceptibility, clinical heterogeneity, and disease flares.

Recent Findings: Several genome-wide DNA methylation studies have been recently completed in SLE.

A plasma metabolomic signature discloses human breast cancer.

Purpose: Metabolomics is the comprehensive global study of metabolites in biological samples. In this retrospective pilot study we explored whether serum metabolomic profile can discriminate the presence of human breast cancer irrespective of the cancer subtype.

Methods: Plasma samples were analyzed from healthy women (n = 20) and patients with breast cancer after diagnosis (n = 91) using a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry platform.

Resistance to Targeted Therapies in Renal Cancer: The Importance of Changing the Mechanism of Action.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a complex disease characterized by mutations in several genes. Loss of function of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumour suppressor gene is a very common finding in RCC and leads to up-regulation of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-responsive genes accountable for angiogenesis and cell growth, such as platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Binding of these proteins to their cognate tyrosine kinase receptors on endothelial cells promotes angiogenesis.

Genetics of systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren's syndrome: an update.

Purpose Of Review: To describe the recent studies on the genetics of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Sjögren's syndrome.

Recent Findings: We overview the most recent findings on the genetic susceptibility of the diseases and provide information on their genetic similarities and differences.

Summary: SLE and Sjögren's syndrome are two closely related systemic autoimmune diseases that share multiple clinical and molecular aspects, including a significant number of susceptibility genes.

Circulating Tumor Cells Identify Early Recurrence in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Undergoing Radical Resection.

Background: Surgery is the treatment of choice for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) stages I-IIIA. However, more than 20% of these patients develop recurrence and die due to their disease. The release of tumor cells into peripheral blood (CTCs) is one of the main causes of recurrence of cancer.

Fast-proliferating adipose tissue mesenchymal-stromal-like cells for therapy.

Human mesenchymal stromal cells, whether from the bone marrow or adipose tissue (hASCs), are promising cell therapy agents. However, generation of abundant cells for therapy remains to be a challenge, due to the need of lengthy expansion and the risk of accumulating genomic defects during the process. We show that hASCs can be easily induced to a reversible fast-proliferating phenotype (FP-ASCs) that allows rapid generation of a clinically useful quantity of cells in <2 weeks of culture.

A chimeric HS4-SAR insulator (IS2) that prevents silencing and enhances expression of lentiviral vectors in pluripotent stem cells.

Chromatin insulators, such as the chicken β-globin locus control region hypersensitive site 4 (HS4), and scaffold/matrix attachment regions (SARs/MARs) have been incorporated separately or in combination into retroviral vectors (RVs) in order to increase transgene expression levels, avoid silencing and reduce expression variability. However, their incorporation into RVs either produces a reduction on titer and/or expression levels or do not have sufficient effect on stem cells. In order to develop an improved insulator we decided to combine SAR elements with HS4 insulators.