miRNA- and Cell Line-Specific Constraints on Precursor miRNA Processing of Stably Transfected Pancreatic Cancer and Other Mammalian Cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate approximately one-third of all human genes. The dysregulation of miRNAs has been implicated in the development of numerous human diseases, including cancers. In our investigation focusing on altering specific miRNA expression in human pancreatic cancer cells, we encountered an interesting finding. While two expression vector designs effectively enhanced miR-708 levels, they were unable to elevate mature forms of miR-29b, -1290, -2467, and -6831 in pancreatic cancer cell lines. This finding was also observed in a panel of other non-pancreatic cancer cell lines, suggesting that miRNA processing efficiency was cell line specific. Using a step-by-step approach in each step of miRNA processing, we ruled out alternative strand selection by the RISC complex and transcriptional interference at the primary miRNA (pri-miRNA) level. DROSHA processing and pri-miRNA export from the nucleus also appeared to be occurring normally. We observed precursor (pre-miRNA) accumulation only in cell lines where mature miRNA expression was not achieved, suggesting that the block was occurring at the pre-miRNA stage. To further confirm this, synthetic pre-miRNA mimics that bypass DICER processing were processed into mature miRNAs in all cases. This study has demonstrated the distinct behaviours of different miRNAs with the same vector in the same cell line, the same miRNA between the two vector designs, and with the same miRNA across different cell lines. We identified a stable vector pre-miRNA processing block. Our findings on the structural and sequence differences between successful and non-successful vector designs could help to inform future chimeric miRNA design strategies and act as a guide to other researchers on the intricate processing dynamics that can impact vector efficiency. Our research confirms the potential of miRNA mimics to surmount some of these complexities.

Cold Plasma Deposition of Tobramycin as an Approach to Localized Antibiotic Delivery to Combat Biofilm Formation.

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) remain a significant factor in hospitals, with implant surfaces often becoming contaminated by highly resistant strains of bacteria. Recent studies have shown that electrical plasma discharges can reduce bacterial load on surfaces, and this approach may help augment traditional antibiotic treatments. To investigate this, a cold atmospheric plasma was used to deposit tobramycin sulphate onto various surfaces, and the bacterial growth rate of K. pneumoniae in its planktonic and biofilm form was observed to probe the interactions between the plasma discharge and the antibiotic and to determine if there were any synergistic effects on the growth rate. The plasma-deposited tobramycin was still active after passing through the plasma field and being deposited onto titanium or polystyrene. This led to the significant inhibition of K. pneumoniae, with predictable antibiotic dose dependence. Separate studies have shown that the plasma treatment of the biofilm had a weak antimicrobial effect and reduced the amount of biofilm by around 50%. Combining a plasma pre-treatment on exposed biofilm followed by deposited tobramycin application proved to be somewhat effective in further reducing biofilm growth. The plasma discharge pre-treatment produced a further reduction in the biofilm load beyond that expected from just the antibiotic alone. However, the effect was not additive, and the results suggest that a complex interaction between plasma and antibiotic may be at play, with increasing plasma power producing a non-linear effect. This study may contribute to the treatment of infected surgical sites, with the coating of biomaterial surfaces with antibiotics reducing overall antibiotic use through the targeted delivery of therapeutics.

Molecular species determination of cyathostomins from horses in Ireland.

Cyathostomins are globally important equine parasites, responsible for both chronic and acute pathogenic effects. The occurrence of mixed infections with numerous cyathostomin species hinders our understanding of parasite epidemiology, host-parasite dynamics, and species pathogenicity. There have been few studies of cyathostomin species occurring in horses in Ireland, where temperate climatic conditions with year-round rainfall provide suitable conditions for infection of grazing animals with bursate nematodes. Here, we amplified and sequenced the ITS-2 region of adult worms harvested at post-mortem from eleven adult horses between August 2018 and June 2020, and recorded species prevalence and abundance of worms recovered from the caecum, right ventral colon and left dorsal colon, using both BLAST and IDTAXA for taxonomic attribution. Phylogenetic relationships and community composition were also recorded and compared with other relevant studies, including a global meta-analysis. Overall, our results agree with previous studies that there does not seem to be a major difference in cyathostomin species occurrence in equids in different geographical regions. We confirmed the results of other workers in relation to the difficulties in discriminating between Cylicostephanus calicatus and Coronocyclus coronatus on the basis of ITS-2 sequences.

Click-Capable Phenanthriplatin Derivatives as Tools to Study Pt(II)-Induced Nucleolar Stress.

It is well established that oxaliplatin, one of the three Pt(II) anticancer drugs approved worldwide, and phenanthriplatin, an important preclinical monofunctional Pt(II) anticancer drug, possess a different mode of action from that of cisplatin and carboplatin, namely, the induction of nucleolar stress. The exact mechanisms that lead to Pt-induced nucleolar stress are, however, still poorly understood. As such, studies aimed at better understanding the biological targets of both oxaliplatin and phenanthriplatin are urgently needed to expand our understanding of Pt-induced nucleolar stress and guide the future design of Pt chemotherapeutics. One approach that has seen great success in the past is the use of Pt-click complexes to study the biological targets of Pt drugs. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of the first examples of click-capable phenanthriplatin complexes. Furthermore, through monitoring the relocalization of nucleolar proteins, RNA transcription levels, and DNA damage repair biomarker γH2AX, and by investigating their in vitro cytotoxicity, we show that these complexes successfully mimic the cellular responses observed for phenanthriplatin treatment in the same experiments. The click-capable phenanthriplatin derivatives described here expand the existing library of Pt-click complexes. Significantly they are suitable for studying nucleolar stress mechanisms and further elucidating the biological targets of Pt complexes.

Adapting the Client Priority Rating Scale to better fit the sexual health counselling setting: a quality improvement study.

BACKGROUND: When demand for counselling in community-based clinics exceeds capacity, waiting lists are typically formed. Determining allocation priority solely on wait time can overlook client risk factors that can elevate priority. We undertook to rigorously adapt the only existing validated counselling triage tool, to better fit the sexual health setting. METHODS: Sexual health counsellors were surveyed about aspects of client presentations that flagged increased priority. The revised Client Priority Rating Scale (CPRS-R) was created through systematic analysis and decision making, informed by survey results and literature review. Four expert sexual health counsellors independently rated the priority of 14 hypothetical clinical vignettes using the CPRS and CPRS-R. RESULTS: Criterion (concurrent), content and face validity are evidenced in the revised scale. Average interrater agreement was higher on the CPRS-R (28%) than the CPRS (11%); however, this difference was marginal (P =0.06). According to Gwet's Agreement Coefficient (AC) and Krippendorff's Alpha, both the CPRS and the CPRS-R demonstrate comparable interrater reliability, substantial and moderate, respectively. Kendall's W indicates the CPRS yielded higher reliability. However, the difference is not substantial. CONCLUSIONS: The CPRS-R is a triage tool designed for the sexual health counselling setting. This tool has demonstrated criterion, content and face validity, as well as moderate to substantial inter-rater reliability. It can be used in sexual health settings to inform assessments about client priority, along with clinical judgement and peer consultation.

Alteration in Levels of Specific miRNAs and Their Potential Protein Targets between Human Pancreatic Cancer Samples, Adjacent Normal Tissue, and Xenografts Derived from These Tumors.

Herein, we describe the global comparison of miRNAs in human pancreatic cancer tumors, adjacent normal tissue, and matched patient-derived xenograft models using microarray screening. RNA was extracted from seven tumor, five adjacent normal, and eight FI PDX tumor samples and analyzed by Affymetrix GeneChip miRNA 4.0 array. A transcriptome analysis console (TAC) was used to generate comparative lists of up- and downregulated miRNAs for the comparisons, tumor vs. normal and F1 PDX vs. tumor. Particular attention was paid to miRNAs that were changed in the same direction in both comparisons. We identified the involvement in pancreatic tumor tissue of several miRNAs, including miR4534, miR3154, and miR4742, not previously highlighted as being involved in this type of cancer. Investigation in the parallel mRNA and protein lists from the same samples allowed the elimination of proteins where altered expression correlated with corresponding mRNA levels and was thus less likely to be miRNA regulated. Using the remaining differential expression protein lists for proteins predicted to be targeted for differentially expressed miRNA on our list, we were able to tentatively ascribe specific protein changes to individual miRNA. Particularly interesting target proteins for miRs 615-3p, 2467-3p, 4742-5p, 509-5p, and 605-3p were identified. Prominent among the protein targets are enzymes involved in aldehyde metabolism and membrane transport and trafficking. These results may help to uncover vulnerabilities that could enable novel approaches to treating pancreatic cancer.

Preclinical evaluation of Insulin-like growth factor receptor 1 (IGF1R) and Insulin Receptor (IR) as a therapeutic targets in triple negative breast cancer.

Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC), a subtype of breast cancer, has fewer successful therapeutic therapies than other types of breast cancer. Insulin-like growth factor receptor 1 (IGF1R) and the Insulin receptor (IR) are associated with poor outcomes in TNBC. Targeting IGF1R has failed clinically. We aimed to test if inhibiting both IR/IGF1R was a rationale therapeutic approach to treat TNBC. We showed that despite IGF1R and IR being expressed in TNBC, their expression is not associated with a negative survival outcome. Furthermore, targeting both IR/IGF1R with inhibitors in multiple TNBC cell lines did not inhibit cell growth. Linsitinib, a small molecule inhibitor of both IGF1R and IR, did not block tumour formation and had no effect on tumour growth in vivo. Cumulatively these data suggest that while IGF1R and IR are expressed in TNBC, they are not good therapeutic targets. A potential reason for the limited anti-cancer impact when IR/IGF1R was targeted may be because multiple signalling pathways are altered in TNBC. Therefore, targeting individual signalling pathways may not be sufficient to inhibit cancer growth.

The impact of developmental language disorder in a defendant's description on mock jurors' perceptions and judgements.

BACKGROUND: While it has been posited that young people with language needs may be viewed more negatively (e.g., as more rude, less cooperative) than those without language needs, the impact of knowing about a person's language needs on others' perceptions has yet to experimentally tested. AIMS: To examine whether the presence of a developmental language disorder (DLD) diagnosis in a defendant's information would affect mock juror ratings of guilt, sentence length, credibility and blameworthiness. METHODS & PROCEDURES: A total of 143 jury eligible participants read a vignette of a non-violent crime. Half of the participants (N = 73) were told the defendant has a diagnosis of DLD, while half (N = 70) were not told. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: Preregistered analyses found that DLD information affected ratings of credibility and blameworthiness, though not judgements of guilt or sentence length. Unregistered content analyses were applied to the justifications participants gave for their ratings: these suggested that participants who did not have the DLD information judged the defendant more on his personality and attitude, and drew more links to his (perceived) background, while participants who received the DLD information condition made more reference to him having cognitive problems. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: Unlike in previous studies of the impact of autism information, information about a defendant's DLD did not affect mock jurors' likelihood of finding them guilty, or lead participants to give longer sentences. However, our findings suggest knowing a person has DLD does affect others' perceptions of credibility and blameworthiness. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject There is already evidence that some conditions that affect communication, specifically autism, also affect juror perceptions. Research also shows that knowing whether or not a defendant has autism influences how jurors rate defendants. However, autism is not the only condition that is relevant to juror perceptions, as we also know that a high rate of young offenders have language needs, and many have language profiles like DLD. What this paper adds to existing knowledge There is little research on how behaviours associated with DLD impact others' perceptions. This study reports the impact of knowing about a defendant's DLD on juror perceptions, investigating whether knowing about DLD improves judgements on guilt, sentencing lengths, credibility and culpability. Beyond the content of youth offending, this study suggests behaviours associated with DLD lead people to form more negative judgements about youth with DLD. This is important because there is still a lack of awareness of DLD both in- and outside the criminal justice system. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? This study shows that knowing about a person's DLD has largely positive effects on others' perceptions of them. This implies that recognizing undetected language needs in young offenders, and supporting colleagues and members of the public to know what DLD is and how it affects people, is critical for youth with DLD to be judged fairly. This study will support the case for raising awareness of vulnerability within the youth justice population, and will assist in clinicians evidencing the need for our roles in justice settings.

A novel assay to isolate and quantify third-stage Dirofilaria immitis and Brugia malayi larvae emerging from individual Aedes aegypti.

BACKGROUND: Mosquitoes transmit filarial nematodes to both human and animal hosts, with worldwide health and economic consequences. Transmission to a vertebrate host requires that ingested microfilariae develop into infective third-stage larvae capable of emerging from the mosquito proboscis onto the skin of the host during blood-feeding. Determining the number of microfilariae that successfully develop to infective third-stage larvae in the mosquito host is key to understanding parasite transmission potential and to developing new strategies to block these worms in their vector. METHODS: We developed a novel method to efficiently assess the number of infective third-stage filarial larvae that emerge from experimentally infected mosquitoes. Following infection, individual mosquitoes were placed in wells of a multi-well culture plate and warmed to 37 °C to stimulate parasite emergence. Aedes aegypti infected with Dirofilaria immitis were used to determine infection conditions and assay timing. The assay was also tested with Brugia malayi-infected Ae. aegypti. RESULTS: Approximately 30% of Ae. aegypti infected with D. immitis and 50% of those infected with B. malayi produced emerging third-stage larvae. Once D. immitis third-stage larvae emerged at 13 days post infection, the proportion of mosquitoes producing them and the number produced per mosquito remained stable until at least day 21. The prevalence and intensity of emerging third-stage B. malayi were similar on days 12-14 post infection. Increased uptake of D. immitis microfilariae increased the fitness cost to the mosquito but did not increase the number of emerging third-stage larvae. CONCLUSIONS: We provide a new assay with an associated set of infection conditions that will facilitate assessment of the filarial transmission potential of mosquito vectors and promote preparation of uniformly infectious third-stage larvae for functional assays. The ability to quantify infection outcome will facilitate analyses of molecular interactions between vectors and filariae, ultimately allowing for the establishment of novel methods to block disease transmission.

Gene expression profiling of copper-resistant Caco-2 clones.

The Caco-2 cell line is composed of a heterogeneous mix of cells; isolation of individual clonal populations from this mix allows for specific mechanisms and phenotypes to be further explored. Previously we exposed Caco-2 cells to inorganic copper sulphate or organic copper proteinate to generate resistant variant populations. Here we describe the isolation and characterisation of clonal subpopulations from these resistant variants to organic (clone Or1, Or2, Or3) or inorganic (clone In1 and In2) copper. The clones show considerable homogeneity in response to Cu-induced toxicity and heterogeneity in morphology with variations in level of cross-resistance to other metals and doxorubicin. Population growth was reduced for Cu-resistant clones In2 and Or3 in selective pressure relative to parental Caco-2 cells. Gene expression analysis identified 4026 total (2102 unique and 1924 shared) differentially expressed genes including those involved in the MAP Kinase and Rap1 signalling pathways, and in the focal adhesion and ECM-receptor contact pathways. Gene expression changes common to all clones included upregulation of ANXA13 and GPx2. Our analysis additionally identified differential expression of multiple genes specific to copper proteinate exposure (including overexpressed UPK1B) in isolated clones Or1, Or2 and Or3 and CuSO4 exposure (including decreased AIFM2 expression) in isolated clones In1 and In2. The adaptive transcriptional responses established in this study indicate a cohort of genes, which may be involved in copper resistance regulation and chronic copper exposure.

Proteomic Analysis of Cell Lines and Primary Tumors in Pancreatic Cancer Identifies Proteins Expressed Only In Vitro and Only In Vivo.

OBJECTIVES: A limited repertoire of good pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) models is one of the main barriers in developing effective new PDAC treatments. We aimed to characterize 6 commonly used PDAC cell lines and compare them with PDAC patient tumor samples using proteomics. METHODS: Proteomic methods were used to generate an extensive catalog of proteins from 10 PDAC surgical specimens, 9 biopsies of adjacent normal tissue, and 6 PDAC cell lines. Protein lists were interrogated to determine what extent the proteome of the cell lines reflects the proteome of primary pancreatic tumors. RESULTS: We identified 7973 proteins from the cell lines, 5680 proteins from the tumor tissues, and 4943 proteins from the adjacent normal tissues. We identified 324 proteins unique to the cell lines, some of which may play a role in survival of cells in culture. Conversely, a list of 63 proteins expressed only in the patient samples, whose expression is lost in culture, may place limitations on the degree to which these model systems reflect tumor biology in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Our work offers a catalog of proteins detected in each of the PDAC cell lines, providing a useful guide for researchers seeking model systems for PDAC functional studies.

Combined targeting EGFR and SRC as a potential novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of triple negative breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer with limited therapeutic options. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been shown to be over-expressed in TNBC and represents a rational treatment target. METHODS: We examined single agent and combination effects for afatinib and dasatinib in TNBC. We then determined IC50 and combination index values using Calcusyn. Functional analysis of single and combination treatments was performed using reverse phase protein array and cell cycle analysis. Finally, we determined the anticancer effects of the combination in vivo. RESULTS: A total of 14 TNBC cell lines responded to afatinib with IC50 values ranging from 0.008 to 5.0 µM. Three cell lines, belonging to the basal-like subtype of TNBC, were sensitive to afatinib. The addition of afatinib enhanced response to the five other targeted therapies in HCC1937 and HDQP1 cells. The combination of afatinib with dasatinib caused the greatest growth inhibition in both cell lines. The afatinib/dasatinib combination was synergistic and/or additive in 13/14 TNBC cell lines. Combined afatinib/dasatinib treatment induced G1 cell cycle arrest. Reverse phase protein array results showed the afatinib/dasatinib combination resulted in efficient inhibition of both pERK(T202/T204) and pAkt(S473) signalling in BT20 cells, which was associated with the greatest antiproliferative effects. High baseline levels of pSrc(Y416) and pMAPK(p38) correlated with sensitivity to afatinib, whereas low levels of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) correlated with synergistic growth inhibition by combined afatinib and dasatinib treatment. In vivo, the combination treatment inhibited tumour growth in a HCC1806 xenograft model. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that afatinib combined with dasatinib has potential clinical activity in TNBC but warrants further preclinical investigation.

Modelling of pancreatic cancer biology: transcriptomic signature for 3D PDX-derived organoids and primary cell line organoid development.

With a five-year survival rate of 9%, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the deadliest of all cancers. The rapid mortality makes PDAC difficult to research, and inspires a resolve to create reliable, tractable cellular models for preclinical cancer research. Organoids are increasingly used to model PDAC as they maintain the differentiation status, molecular and genomic signatures of the original tumour. In this paper, we present novel methodologies and experimental approaches to develop PDAC organoids from PDX tumours, and the simultaneous development of matched primary cell lines. Moreover, we also present a method of recapitulating primary cell line cultures to organoids (CLOs). We highlight the usefulness of CLOs as PDAC organoid models, as they maintain similar transcriptomic signatures as their matched patient-derived organoids and patient derived xenografts (PDX)s. These models provide a manageable, expandable in vitro resource for downstream applications such as high throughput screening, functional genomics, and tumour microenvironment studies.

Altered gene expression in CHO cells following polyamine starvation.

AIM: To investigate the impact of polyamine deprivation on the transcriptome of CHO cells RESULTS: Polyamines play a central but poorly-understood role in cell proliferation. Most studies to date have utilised chemical inhibitors to probe polyamine function. Here we exploit the fact that CHO cells grown in serum-free medium have an absolute requirement for putrescine supplementation due to their deficiency in activity of the enzyme arginase. A gene expression microarray (Affymetrix) analysis of CHO-K1 cells starved of polyamines for 3 days showed that cessation of growth, associated with increased G1/S transition and inhibition of M/G1 transition was accompanied by increased mRNA levels of mitotic complex checkpoint genes (Mad2l1, Tkk, Bub1b) and in the transition of G1- to S-phase (such as Skp2 and Tfdp1). mRNAs associated with DNA homologous recombination and repair (including Fanconi's anaemia-related genes) and with RNA splicing were consistently increased. Alterations in mRNA levels for genes related to protein processing in the ER, to ER stress, and to p53-related and apoptosis pathways were also observed. mRNAs showing highest levels of fold-change included several which code for membrane-localised proteins and receptors (Thbs1, Tfrc1, Ackr3, Extl1). CONCLUSIONS: Growth-arrest induced by polyamine deprivation was associated with significant alterations in levels of mRNAs associated with cell cycle progression, DNA repair, RNA splicing, ER trafficking and membrane signalling as well as p53 and apoptosis-related pathways.

Establishment and Characterisation by Expression Microarray of Patient-Derived Xenograft Panel of Human Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Patients.

Pancreatic cancer remains among the most lethal cancers worldwide, with poor early detection rates and poor survival rates. Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models have increasingly been used in preclinical and clinical research of solid cancers to fulfil unmet need. Fresh tumour samples from human pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients were implanted in severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice. Samples from 78% of treatment-naïve pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients grew as PDX tumours and were confirmed by histopathology. Frozen samples from F1 PDX tumours could be later successfully passaged in SCID mice to F2 PDX tumours. The human origin of the PDX was confirmed using human-specific antibodies; however, the stromal component was replaced by murine cells. Cell lines were successfully developed from three PDX tumours. RNA was extracted from eight PDX tumours and where possible, corresponding primary tumour (T) and adjacent normal tissues (N). mRNA profiles of tumour vs. F1 PDX and normal vs. tumour were compared by Affymetrix microarray analysis. Differential gene expression showed over 5000 genes changed across the N vs. T and T vs. PDX samples. Gene ontology analysis of a subset of genes demonstrated genes upregulated in normal vs. tumour vs. PDX were linked with cell cycle, cycles cell process and mitotic cell cycle. Amongst the mRNA candidates elevated in the PDX and tumour vs. normal were SERPINB5, FERMT1, AGR2, SLC6A14 and TOP2A. These genes have been associated with growth, proliferation, invasion and metastasis in pancreatic cancer previously. Cumulatively, this demonstrates the applicability of PDX models and transcriptomic array to identify genes associated with growth and proliferation of pancreatic cancer.

Genomic Profiling and Functional Analysis of let-7c miRNA-mRNA Interactions Identify SOX13 to Be Involved in Invasion and Progression of Pancreatic Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease; its lethality is related to rapid growth and tendency to invade adjacent organs and metastasize at an early stage. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify miRNAs and their gene targets involved in the invasive phenotype in pancreatic cancer to better understand the biological behaviour and the rapid progression of this disease. METHODS: miRNA profiling was performed in isogenic matched high invasive and low-invasive subclones derived from the MiaPaCa-2 cell line and validated in a panel of pancreatic cancer cell lines, tumour, and normal pancreas. Online miRNA target prediction algorithms and gene expression arrays were used to predict the target genes of the differentially expressed miRNAs. miRNAs and potential target genes were subjected to overexpression and knockdown approaches and downstream functional assays to determine their pathological role in pancreatic cancer. RESULTS: Differential expression analysis revealed 10 significantly dysregulated miRNAs associated with invasive capacity (Student's t-tests; P value <0.05; fold change = ±2). The expression of top upregulated miR-135b and downregulated let-7c miRNAs correlated with the invasive abilities of eight pancreatic cancer cell lines and displayed differential expression in pancreatic cancer and adjacent normal tissue specimens. Ectopic overexpression of let-7c decreased proliferation, invasion, and colony formation. Integrated analysis of miRNA-mRNA using in silico algorithms and experimental validation databases identified four putative gene targets of let-7c. One of these targets, SOX13, was found to be upregulated in PDAC tumour compared with normal tissue in TCGA and an independent data set by qPCR and immunohistochemistry. RNAi knockdown of SOX13 reduced the invasion and colony formation ability of pancreatic cancer cells. CONCLUSION: The identification of key miRNA-mRNA gene interactions and networks provide potential diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for better treatment options for pancreatic cancer patients.

Identifying and exploring linguistic expertise of psychiatrists in interviews with patients with thought disorder.

OBJECTIVE: To identify and understand the linguistic expertise of psychiatrists in clinical interviews with patients experiencing thought disorder (TD). METHOD: Qualitative analysis of 24 routine clinical interviews between psychiatrists and inpatients with TD. RESULTS: Psychiatrists demonstrated the expertise with which they navigated clinical interviews and accomplished shared goals with patients experiencing TD. These findings highlight the need to rethink the notion that such patients are incapable of productive communication. Capturing and describing psychiatrists' tacit expertise provides a foundation for documenting an under-recognised skill set. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding such expertise could enhance the care of patients with TD, repositioning them as active participants in the accomplishment of shared therapeutic goals. Teaching these skills to mental health clinicians during their training would improve their ability to establish effective therapeutic relationships with these patients.

Stabilization of Plasma Glucose: The Use of Newer Technology and Pragmatic Laboratory Practice.

BACKGROUND: The target values for plasma glucose concentrations for the investigation and diagnosis of diabetes and impaired fasting glucose, and the realization that small incremental changes in glucose concentration increase the risk of adverse events, has led to greater focus on laboratory glucose results. Although analytical methods show acceptable precision, the control of preanalytical error due to the stability of glucose remains problematic. The aim of this study was to compare glucose concentrations in 3 different and commercially available blood tubes, with analysis and storage under current practices and conditions. METHODS: Blood samples for glucose were obtained from consenting patients attending the Diabetic Clinic at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast. Blood was collected into BD Vacutainer® Barricor™ Lithium Heparin tubes, BD Vacutainer Fluoride EDTA tubes, and Greiner Vacuette® FC-Mix (sodium fluoride/citrate/Na2EDTA) tubes in that order. The Barricor tubes were immediately centrifuged at 4000g for 3 min. All samples were then sent to the Biochemistry Laboratory for analysis on the same day, and again the following day after storage at 4 °C. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in mean glucose concentrations between immediately centrifuged Barricor and FC-Mix tubes when analyzed on day 0. Both tube types demonstrated higher mean glucose concentrations than traditional fluoride EDTA (F/EDTA) samples. CONCLUSIONS: Both immediately separated Barricor and citrated FC-Mix plasma preserve glucose concentrations to the same extent, and better than F/EDTA preservative. These newer technologies involved offer pragmatic solutions to improved glucose analysis, allowing laboratories to choose the best option given the source of their samples.

KH-Type Splicing Regulatory Protein Controls Colorectal Cancer Cell Growth and Modulates the Tumor Microenvironment.

KH-type splicing regulatory protein (KHSRP) is a multifunctional nucleic acid binding protein implicated in key aspects of cancer cell biology: inflammation and cell-fate determination. However, the role KHSRP plays in colorectal cancer (CRC) tumorigenesis remains largely unknown. Using a combination of in silico analysis of large data sets, ex vivo analysis of protein expression in patients, and mechanistic studies using in vitro models of CRC, we investigated the oncogenic role of KHSRP. We demonstrated KHSRP expression in the epithelial and stromal compartments of both primary and metastatic tumors. Elevated expression was found in tumor versus matched normal tissue, and these findings were validated in larger independent cohorts in silico. KHSRP expression was a prognostic indicator of worse overall survival (hazard ratio, 3.74; 95% CI, 1.43-22.97; P = 0.0138). Mechanistic data in CRC cell line models supported a role of KHSRP in driving epithelial cell proliferation in both a primary and metastatic setting, through control of the G1/S transition. In addition, KHSRP promoted a proangiogenic extracellular environment by regulating the secretion of oncogenic proteins involved in diverse cellular processes, such as migration and response to cellular stress. Our study provides novel mechanistic insight into the tumor-promoting effects of KHSRP in CRC.

A Comparative Quantitative LC-MS/MS Profiling Analysis of Human Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma, Adjacent-Normal Tissue, and Patient-Derived Tumour Xenografts.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide; it develops in a relatively symptom-free manner, leading to rapid disease progression and metastasis, leading to a 5-year survival rate of less than 5%. A lack of dependable diagnostic markers and rapid development of resistance to conventional therapies are among the problems associated with management of the disease. A better understanding of pancreatic tumour biology and discovery of new potential therapeutic targets are important goals in pancreatic cancer research. This study describes the comparative quantitative LC-MS/MS proteomic analysis of the membrane-enriched proteome of 10 human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas, 9 matched adjacent-normal pancreas and patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) in mice (10 at F1 generation and 10 F2). Quantitative label-free LC-MS/MS data analysis identified 129 proteins upregulated, and 109 downregulated, in PDAC, compared to adjacent-normal tissue. In this study, analysing peptide MS/MS data from the xenografts, great care was taken to distinguish species-specific peptides definitively derived from human sequences, or from mice, which could not be distinguished. The human-only peptides from the PDXs are of particular value, since only human tumour cells survive, and stromal cells are replaced during engraftment in the mouse; this list is, therefore, enriched in tumour-associated proteins, some of which might be potential therapeutic or diagnostic targets. Using human-specific sequences, 32 proteins were found to be upregulated, and 113 downregulated in PDX F1 tumours, compared to primary PDAC. Differential expression of CD55 between PDAC and normal pancreas, and expression across PDX generations, was confirmed by Western blotting. These data indicate the value of using PDX models in PDAC research. This study is the first comparative proteomic analysis of PDAC which employs PDX models to identify patient tumour cell-associated proteins, in an effort to find robust targets for therapeutic treatment of PDAC.