Covalently bridged pillararene-based polymers: structures, synthesis, and applications.

Covalently bridged pillararene-based polymers (CBPPs) are a special class of macrocycle-based polymers in which multiple pillararene monomers are attached to the polymer structures by covalent bonds. Owing to the unique molecular structures including the connection components or the spatial structures, CBPPs have become increasingly popular in applications ranging from environmental science to biomedical science. In this review, CBPPs are divided into three types (linear polymers, grafted polymers, and cross-linked polymers) according to their structural characteristics and described from the perspective of synthesis methods comprehensively. In addition, the applications of CBPPs are presented, including selective adsorption and separation, fluorescence sensing and detection, construction of supramolecular gels, anticancer drug delivery, artificial light-harvesting, catalysis, and others. Finally, the current challenging issues and comprehensive prospects of CBPPs are discussed.

Low-dose bisphenol A impairs the function of mouse decidual stromal cells by activating LUMAN-mediated unfolded protein response.

The nonsteroidal estrogenic compound bisphenol A (BPA) is widely present in several industrial and medical products including plastic food containers and sealants in dentistry. There are growing concerns on the toxic effects of this compounds since BPA is known to have reproductive toxicity. This study evaluated the effects of low-dose BPA exposure on decidual stromal cells (DSCs) of mice. The results showed that although 10 nM of BPA have no significant effect on the cell viability, it alters the expression of decidualization-related genes including Prl8a2, Prl3c1, Ptgs2, and Mmp2. Moreover, we found that low-dose BPA exposure induces UPR response in DSCs. However, the expression of the three major UPR receptors (Perk, Ire 1, and Xbp1) did not change significantly. Interestingly, the expression of Luman, a novel receptor of UPR, was significantly upregulated in a dose-dependent manner. Lentivirus containing shLuman sequence was used to generate stable Luman silencing DSCs. It's showed that Luman knockdown could affect the expression of decidualization-related genes in decidual cells after BPA treatment. In summary, these results suggest that Luman plays a key role in low dose BPA-induced decidual toxicity of DSCs in mouse.

The oncogenic role of SOX8 in endometrial carcinoma.

Endometrial carcinoma (EC) remains one of the most prevalent forms of cancer to impact the female reproductive system, yet the mechanisms governing its development and progression are incompletely understood. We, therefore, sought to assess the relevance of SOX8 to EC progression and patient prognosis. Array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) was performed using samples from 50 patients with EC. Samples were separated based upon whether patients were positive for lymph node metastasis (LN+ and LN-, respectively). Based on our initial results, the SOX8 gene was selected for further analysis. Immunohistochemical staining of 630 endometrial tissue samples was conducted to understand how SOX8 expression relates to specific EC clinicopathological characteristics. In addition, we explored the impact of SOX8 expression on the growth, invasion, and migration of EC cells through knockdown and overexpression experiments. In our initial aCGH analysis, SOX family proteins and the Wnt and Notch signaling pathways were significantly associated with EC LN metastasis. SOX8 expression was markedly increased in EC tumor samples relative to normal endometrial tissue (P= .003), and higher SOX8 expression was linked to a high tumor histological grade (P= .032), LN metastasis (P= .027), and shorter patient overall survival (P= .031). When SOX8 was knocked down, this further impaired the proliferative, invasive, and migratory activity of EC cells, whereas overexpressing this gene had the opposite effect. SOX8 may function in an oncogenic manner to drive EC development and progression, and higher SOX8 expression is associated with a poor EC patient prognosis.

Sex-determining region Y box-containing genes: regulators and biomarkers in gynecological cancers.

Sex-determining region Y box-containing genes are transcription factors with roles in multiple biological processes, including cell differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis. Sex-determining region Y box-containing genes have also been shown to act as regulators and biomarkers in the progression of many different cancers, including gynecological cancers such as ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancer. In this review, we summarize the contrasting regulatory roles of Sex-determining region Y box-containing genes in different gynecological cancers, as promotors with high expression levels or as suppressors with low expression levels. Expression levels of Sex-determining region Y box-containing genes were also identified as biomarkers of clinical features, including International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, histopathologic grade together with disease-free survival, and treatment efficacy in patients with gynecological cancers. An understanding of the mechanisms whereby Sex-determining region Y box-containing genes regulate the progression of gynecological cancers will aid in the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, while analysis of Sex-determining region Y box-containing expression levels will help to predict the prognosis of patients with gynecological cancers.