Search results for "Neoplasms"
showing 10 items of 7988 documents
Extracellular matrix composition defines an ultra-high-risk group of neuroblastoma within the high-risk patient cohort
2016
Background: Although survival for neuroblastoma patients has dramatically improved in recent years, a substantial number of children in the high-risk subgroup still die. Methods: We aimed to define a subgroup of ultra-high-risk patients from within the high-risk cohort. We used advanced morphometric approaches to quantify and characterise blood vessels, reticulin fibre networks, collagen type I bundles, elastic fibres and glycosaminoglycans in 102 high-risk neuroblastomas specimens. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to correlate the analysed elements with survival. Results: The organisation of blood vessels and reticulin fibres in neuroblastic tumours defined an ultra-high-risk patient subgr…
Molecular evolution of antioxidant and hypoxia response in long-lived, cancer-resistant blind mole rats: The Nrf2-Keap1 pathway.
2015
The Nrf2-Keap1 pathway is crucial for the cellular antioxidant and hypoxia response in vertebrates. Deciphering its modifications in hypoxia-adapted animals will help understand its functionality under environmental stress and possibly allow for knowledge transfer into biomedical research. The blind mole rat Spalax, a long-lived cancer-resistant rodent, lives in burrows underground and is adapted to severely hypoxic conditions. Here we have conducted a bioinformatical survey of Spalax core genes from the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway on the coding sequence level in comparison to other hypoxia-tolerant and -sensitive rodents. We find strong sequence conservation across all genes, illustrating the pathw…
Role of glutathione in the regulation of epigenetic mechanisms in disease
2017
Epigenetics is a rapidly growing field that studies gene expression modifications not involving changes in the DNA sequence. Histone H3, one of the basic proteins in the nucleosomes that make up chromatin, is S-glutathionylated in mammalian cells and tissues, making Gamma-L-glutamyl-L-cysteinylglycine, glutathione (GSH), a physiological antioxidant and second messenger in cells, a new post-translational modifier of the histone code that alters the structure of the nucleosome. However, the role of GSH in the epigenetic mechanisms likely goes beyond a mere structural function. Evidence supports the hypothesis that there is a link between GSH metabolism and the control of epigenetic mechanisms…
Cytoplasmic localization of the cell polarity factor scribble supports liver tumor formation and tumor cell invasiveness
2018
The loss of epithelial cell polarity plays an important role in the development and progression of liver cancer. However, the specific molecular mechanisms supporting tumor initiation and progression are poorly understood. In this study, transcriptome data and immunofluorescence stains of tissue samples derived from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients revealed that overexpression associated with cytoplasmic localization of the baso-lateral cell polarity complex protein Scribble (Scrib) correlated with poor prognosis of HCC patients. In comparison to HCC cells stably expressing wildtype Scrib (ScribWT), mutated Scrib with enforced cytoplasmic enrichment (ScribP305L) induced AKT signaling…
Molecular chaperones in tumors of salivary glands.
2020
The salivary glands are key components of the mouth and play a central role in its physiology. Their importance may be appreciated considering their number, occurrence in pairs, and distribution in the mouth: two parotids, two submandibular, two sublingual, and many other small ones scattered throughout the mouth. They produce saliva, without which ingestion of non-liquid nutrients and speech would be practically impossible. Nevertheless, the physiology and pathology of salivary glands are poorly understood. For instance, tumors of salivary glands occur, and their incidence is on the rise, but their etiology and pathogenesis are virtually unknown, although some risk factors have been identi…
Chemotherapy accelerates immune-senescence and functional impairments of Vδ2pos T cells in elderly patients affected by liver metastatic colorectal c…
2019
Abstract Human (gamma delta) γδ T cells are unconventional innate-like lymphocytes displaying a broad array of anti-tumor activities with promising perspectives in cancer immunotherapy. In this context, Vδ2pos T cells represent the preferential target of several immunotherapy protocols against solid tumors. However, the impact of both aging and chemotherapy (CHT) on Vδ2pos T cells is still unknown. The present study evaluates with multi-parametric flow cytometry the frequencies, terminal differentiation, senescence and effector-functions of peripheral blood and tumor infiltrating Vδ2pos T cells purified from liver metastases (CLM) of patients affected by colorectal cancer (CRC) compared to …
An RNA toolbox for cancer immunotherapy.
2018
Cancer immunotherapy has revolutionized oncology practice. However, current protein and cell therapy tools used in cancer immunotherapy are far from perfect, and there is room for improvement regarding their efficacy and safety. RNA-based structures have diverse functions, ranging from gene expression and gene regulation to pro-inflammatory effects and the ability to specifically bind different molecules. These functions make them versatile tools that may advance cancer vaccines and immunomodulation, surpassing existing approaches. These technologies should not be considered as competitors of current immunotherapies but as partners in synergistic combinations and as a clear opportunity to r…
Gut microbiota and cancer: How gut microbiota modulates activity, efficacy and toxicity of antitumoral therapy
2019
Gut microbiota is involved in gastrointestinal carcinogenesis. Also, it modulates the activity, efficacy and toxicity of several chemotherapy agents, such as gemcitabine, cyclophosphamide, irinotecan, cisplatin and 5-Fluorouracil, and target therapy, such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors. More recently, accumulating data suggest that the composition of gut microbiota may also affect efficacy and toxicity of cancer immunotherapy. Therefore, the manipulation of gut microbiota through antibiotics, probiotics, prebiotics or fecal transplantation has been investigating with the aim to improve efficacy and mitigate toxicity of anticancer drugs.
Molecular profiling of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETS) and the clinical potential
2018
Abstract: Introduction: Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) represent a small part of pancreatic neoplasms, and the knowledge about their indolent clinical course remains a subject of investigation. They occur sporadically or as part of familial cancer syndromes and are classified by WHO in 3 categories. There is ongoing research to understand their molecular profiling and leading mutations.Areas covered: The aim of this review is to clarify the overall aspects of tumorigenesis, to expose the latest developments in understanding the course of the disease and the possible therapeutic implications of these. The review also discusses functional and non-functional pNETs and associated inhe…
Helicobacter pylori and Epstein–Barr Virus Infection in Gastric Diseases: Correlation with IL-10 and IL1RN Polymorphism
2019
Introduction. Helicobacter pylori and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection have recently been shown to be associated with gastric diseases. Polymorphisms in genes encoding cytokines such as interleukin 10 (IL-10) and interleukin 1 Receptor (IL-1RN) influence cytokine secretion levels and appear to contribute to the risk of developing gastroduodenal diseases. To our knowledge, this is the first preliminary study to address the association of coinfection with H. pylori and EBV and their correlation with genetic predisposition in the development of gastric diseases. Methods. Gastric biopsy samples of 96 patients with different gastric diseases were used. Results. Our results showed that the rate…