Increased Immune Activation by Pathologic α-Synuclein in Parkinson's Disease.

Objective: Excessive inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS) and the periphery can result in neurodegeneration and parkinsonism. Recent evidence suggests that immune responses in Parkinson disease patients are dysregulated, leading to an increased inflammatory reaction to unspecific triggers. Although α-synuclein pathology is the hallmark of Parkinson disease, it has not been investigated whether pathologic α-synuclein is a specific trigger for excessive inflammatory responses in Parkinson disease.

Sensitization of chondrosarcoma cells with PARP inhibitor and high-LET radiation.

Chondrosarcoma is a malignant tumor that arises from cartilaginous tissue and is radioresistant and chemoresistant to conventional treatments. The preferred treatment consists of surgical resection, which might cause severe disabilities for the patient; in addition, this procedure might be impossible for inoperable locations, such as the skull base. Carbon ion irradiation (hadron therapy) has been proposed as an alternative treatment, primarily due to its greater biological effectiveness and improved ballistic properties compared with conventional radiotherapy with X-rays.

Biological functions of mesenchymal stem cells and clinical implications.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are isolated from multiple biological tissues-adult bone marrow and adipose tissues and neonatal tissues such as umbilical cord and placenta. In vitro, MSCs show biological features of extensive proliferation ability and multipotency. Moreover, MSCs have trophic, homing/migration and immunosuppression functions that have been demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo.

Bystander effectors of chondrosarcoma cells irradiated at different LET impair proliferation of chondrocytes.

While the dose-response relationship of radiation-induced bystander effect (RIBE) is controversial at low and high linear energy transfer (LET), mechanisms and effectors of cell-to-cell communication stay unclear and highly dependent of cell type. In the present study, we investigated the capacity of chondrocytes in responding to bystander factors released by chondrosarcoma cells irradiated at different doses (0.05 to 8 Gy) with X-rays and C-ions.

Investigation of candidate gene copy number identifies FCGR3B as a potential biomarker for rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: Copy number variants (CNVs) could explain a part of the missing heritability in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our goal is to investigate the association of RA with CNVs of three functional candidate genes, Glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1), Glutathione S-transferase T1 (GSTT1) and Fcγ receptor type IIIAB (FCGR3B).

Methods: We quantified the absolute copy number of GSTM1, GSTT1 and FCGR3B genes using droplet digital PCR.

A novel nonsense variant in SUPT20H gene associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis identified by Whole Exome Sequencing of multiplex families.

The triggering and development of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is conditioned by environmental and genetic factors. Despite the identification of more than one hundred genetic variants associated with the disease, not all the cases can be explained. Here, we performed Whole Exome Sequencing in 9 multiplex families (N = 30) to identify rare variants susceptible to play a role in the disease pathogenesis.

Studying the in Silico Effect of Ellagic Acid on HIF-2α to Improve Efficacy of Anticancer Therapy.

The hypoxic tumor microenvironment is one of the major causes of the enhanced chemoresistant and radioresistant behavior of cancer cells. Therefore, the hypoxia-induced factor (HIF) pathway can be endorsed, for not only the malignant phenotype of the cells, but also its metastatic potential. Many drugs targeting the HIF pathways have failed in the clinical setting to demonstrate therapeutic efficacy.

Combining PARP inhibition, radiation, and immunotherapy: A possible strategy to improve the treatment of cancer?

Immunotherapy has revolutionized the practice of oncology, improving survival in certain groups of patients with cancer. Immunotherapy can synergize with radiation therapy, increase locoregional control, and have abscopal effects. Combining it with other treatments, such as targeted therapies, is a promising means of improving the efficacy of immunotherapy.

Prediction of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer recurrence by measurement of checkpoint HLAG's receptor ILT2 on peripheral CD8 T cells.

Background And Objective: Recurrence of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) after initial management occurs in 60-70% of patients. Predictive criteria for recurrence remain only clinical and pathological. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of the proportion of checkpoint HLA-G's receptor ILT2-expressing peripheral CD8 T cells.

Radiosensitization Effect of Talazoparib, a Parp Inhibitor, on Glioblastoma Stem Cells Exposed to Low and High Linear Energy Transfer Radiation.

Despite continuous improvements in treatment of glioblastoma, tumor recurrence and therapy resistance still occur in a high proportion of patients. One underlying reason for this radioresistance might be the presence of glioblastoma cancer stem cells (GSCs), which feature high DNA repair capability. PARP protein plays an important cellular role by detecting the presence of damaged DNA and then activating signaling pathways that promote appropriate cellular responses.