Search results for "JUNCTION"

Efficacy of Sequential Ipilimumab Monotherapy versus Best Supportive Care for Unresectable Locally Advanced/Metastatic Gastric or Gastroesophageal Ju…

2017

Abstract Purpose: Ipilimumab, a monoclonal antibody that blocks cytotoxic T-lymphocyte–associated protein-4 interactions, enhances T-cell activation and promotes tumor immunity. This phase II study evaluated the safety and efficacy of ipilimumab monotherapy versus best supportive care (BSC) among patients with advanced/metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer who achieved at least stable disease with first-line chemotherapy. Experimental Design: Eligible patients were randomized to ipilimumab 10 mg/kg every 3 weeks for four doses, then 10 mg/kg every 12 weeks for up to 3 years, or BSC, which could include continuation of fluoropyrimidine until progression or toxicity. The prim…

A randomized, open-label, two-arm phase II trial comparing the efficacy of sequential ipilimumab (ipi) versus best supportive care (BSC) following fi…

2016

4011Background: Pts with advanced gastric cancer have a poor prognosis with median overall survival (OS) of ~1 yr. Ipi is a monoclonal antibody that enhances T-cell activation and T-effector cell t...

Immunotherapy is not for all comers in chemotherapy-refractory advanced gastric cancer. Better predictive biomarkers are needed

2018

Towards precision oncology for HER2 blockade in gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma

2019

Gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA) represents a very heterogeneous disease and patients in advanced stages have a very poor prognosis. Although several molecular classifications have been proposed, precision medicine for HER2-amplified GEA patients still represents a challenge. Despite improvement in clinical outcomes obtained by adding trastuzumab to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy, no other anti-HER2 agents used first-line or beyond progression have demonstrated any benefit. Several factors contribute to this failure. Among them, variable HER2 amplification assessment, tumour heterogeneity, molecular mechanisms of resistance and microenvironmental factors could limit the effecti…

A catch-22: Interleukin-22 and cancer.

2017

Barrier surfaces of multicellular organisms are in constant contact with the environment and infractions to the integrity of epithelial surfaces is likely a frequent event. Interestingly, components of the immune system, that can be activated by environmental compounds such as the microbiota or nutrients, are interspersed among epithelial cells or directly underlie the epithelium. It is now appreciated that immune cells continuously receive and integrate signals from the environment. Curiously, such continuous reception of stimulation does not normally trigger an inflammatory response but mediators produced by immune cells in response to such signals seem to rather promote barrier integrity…

Aquaporins and Brain Tumors

2016

Brain primary tumors are among the most diverse and complex human cancers, and they are normally classified on the basis of the cell-type and/or the grade of malignancy (the most malignant being glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), grade IV). Glioma cells are able to migrate throughout the brain and to stimulate angiogenesis, by inducing brain capillary endothelial cell proliferation. This in turn causes loss of tight junctions and fragility of the blood–brain barrier, which becomes leaky. As a consequence, the most serious clinical complication of glioblastoma is the vasogenic brain edema. Both glioma cell migration and edema have been correlated with modification of the expression/localization …

Expression of claudin-5, claudin-7 and occludin in oral squamous cell carcinoma and their clinico-pathological significance

2015

Background: Claudin and occludin are the important tight junctions protein in human. The downregulation or upregulation of claudins and occludin might have a role in cancer development. The objective of this study was to investigate the expression of claudin-5, claudin-7 and occludin in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and their relationships with the prognostically-related clinico-pathologic features. Material and Methods: Standard indirect immunohistochemical technique using anti-claudin-5, anti-claudin-7 and anti-occludin was performed in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections of 66 OSCC samples from Faculty of Dentistry, Chulalongkorn University. The positive cases were div…

Bioelectrical coupling in multicellular domains regulated by gap junctions: A conceptual approach.

2018

We review the basic concepts involved in bioelectrically-coupled multicellular domains, focusing on the role of membrane potentials (Vmem). In the first model, single-cell Vmem is modulated by two generic polarizing and depolarizing ion channels, while intercellular coupling is implemented via voltage-gated gap junctions. Biochemical and bioelectrical signals are integrated via a feedback loop between Vmem and the transcription and translation of a protein forming an ion channel. The effective rate constants depend on the single-cell Vmem because these potentials modulate the local concentrations of signaling molecules and ions. This electrochemically-based idealization of the complex bioph…

MicroRNA Intercellular Transfer and Bioelectrical Regulation of Model Multicellular Ensembles by the Gap Junction Connectivity.

2017

We have studied theoretically the microRNA (miRNA) intercellular transfer through voltage-gated gap junctions in terms of a biophysically grounded system of coupled differential equations. Instead of modeling a specific system, we use a general approach describing the interplay between the genetic mechanisms and the single-cell electric potentials. The dynamics of the multicellular ensemble are simulated under different conditions including spatially inhomogeneous transcription rates and local intercellular transfer of miRNAs. These processes result in spatiotemporal changes of miRNA, mRNA, and ion channel protein concentrations that eventually modify the bioelectrical states of small multi…

Influenza virus damages the alveolar barrier by disrupting epithelial cell tight junctions

2016

A major cause of respiratory failure during influenza A virus (IAV) infection is damage to the epithelial–endothelial barrier of the pulmonary alveolus. Damage to this barrier results in flooding of the alveolar lumen with proteinaceous oedema fluid, erythrocytes and inflammatory cells. To date, the exact roles of pulmonary epithelial and endothelial cells in this process remain unclear.Here, we used an in vitro co-culture model to understand how IAV damages the pulmonary epithelial–endothelial barrier. Human epithelial cells were seeded on the upper half of a transwell membrane while human endothelial cells were seeded on the lower half. These cells were then grown in co-culture and IAV wa…