Pyroptosis and the tumor immune microenvironment: A new battlefield in ovarian cancer treatment.

Ovarian cancer is a less common tumor in women compared to cervical or breast cancer, however it is more malignant and has worse outcomes. Ovarian cancer patients still have a five-year survival rate < 50% despite advances in therapy. Due to recent developments in immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), cancer immunotherapy has attracted increased interest. Pyroptosis is a highly inflammatory form of cell death, which is essential for bridging innate and adaptive immunity, and is involved in immune regulation within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Recent research has shown that pyroptosis can promote immunotherapy of ovarian cancer, including treatment with chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CAR-T) or ICIs. Moreover, inflammasomes, various signaling pathways and lncRNAs can all affect pyroptosis in ovarian cancer. Here we discuss how pyroptosis affects the development and progression of ovarian cancer as well as the TME. We also provide a summary of small molecule drugs that could target pyroptotic cell death processes and may be useful in ovarian cancer therapy.

MicroRNA-9 affects isolated ovarian granulosa cells proliferation and apoptosis via targeting vitamin D receptor.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs)-9 expression was reported to be upregulated in the follicular fluid of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). However, whether miR-9 affects ovarian dysfunction of PCOS and the related mechanisms are still unclear. Here we detected miR-9 and vitamin D receptor (VDR) expression in women with PCOS and controls, and investigated whether miR-9 affects ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) proliferation and apoptosis by targeting VDR. We found increased miR-9 and decreased VDR in the blood and isolated ovarian GCs of women with PCOS compared with the controls. MiR-9 promoted GCs proliferation and inhibited GCs apoptosis in vitro, and these effects were attenuated by its target VDR. High concentrations of insulin upregulated miR-9 expression in GCs. In conclusion this study firstly proved miR-9 affects ovarian GCs proliferation and apoptosis through targeting VDR. MiR-9 might be a potential molecular target for improving the dysfunction of GCs in PCOS.

A Prospective Study of Maternal Plasma Concentrations of Retinol-Binding Protein 4 and Risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate whether retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) concentrations, measured at the first prenatal visit, are associated with risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). METHODS: From July 2015 to June 2016, consecutive women who admitted to the obstetrics center of our hospital were included. At the first prenatal visit (the median gestational age was 6 [interquartile range 4-10] weeks) in the hospital, involved subjects were tested for fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and RBP4 using venous plasma samples collected after at least 8 h of fasting in the morning. Data for FPG and RBP4 concentrations at the first prenatal visit and one-step GDM screening with 75-g oral glucose tolerance test performed between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Blood at first prenatal visit was available for 827 women, among whom GDM developed in 101 (12.2%). In multivariate models comparing the second (Q2), third, and fourth quartiles against the first quartile of RBP4, concentrations of RBP4 in Q2, Q3, and Q4 were associated with GDM later developed, and increased risk of GDM by 54, 205, and 536%. There was a significant statistical difference in the area under the curve between the established risk factors alone and the addition of RBP4 concentrations (difference, 0.039 [95% CI 0.030-0.052]; p = 0.03). In the subgroup of women combined with obesity and FABP4 ≥median, the measured OR was 9.83 (95% CI [4.76-16.13]; p < 0.001) for GDM compared to those without obesity and FABP4

Long Noncoding RNA ANRIL Promotes Cervical Cancer Development by Acting as a Sponge of miR-186.

Cervical cancer is a common malignancy of the female reproductive system. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to modulate tumor progression in multiple cancers. The lncRNA antisense noncoding RNA in the INK4 locus (ANRIL) has been identified as an oncogenic molecular target in several tumors; however, the function and underlying mechanism involved in cervical cancer oncogenesis are still unclear. In the present study, RT-PCR showed that ANRIL expression was significantly upregulated in cervical cancer tumors and cell lines. Nevertheless, ANRIL knockdown transfected with interference oligonucleotide inhibited the proliferation activity and invasive ability, and promoted apoptosis of cervical cancer cell lines. The bioinformatics prediction program and luciferase assay predicted and validated that miR-186 directly targeted ANRIL. The expression level of miR-186 was downregulated in cervical cancer tumors and cell lines and was negatively correlated to that of ANRIL. Moreover, rescue experiments showed that miR-186 inhibitor could reverse the suppression of ANRIL knockdown. In summary, our study demonstrated that the ANRIL/miR-186 axis might play a vital role in cervical cancer tumorigenesis.

[Characteristic ultrasonographic features of the encapsulated papillary thyroid carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the ultrasound (US) features of the encapsulated papillary thyroid carcinoma (EPTC). METHODS: Based on ultrasonographic features including shape, size, border, echogenicity, hypoechoic halo and microcalcification, 33 cases of EPTC were classified into two groups: 21 cases in irregular shape group and 12 cases in spherical or oval shape group. RESULTS: EPTC in the irregular shape group showed some ultrasonographic features including jagged border, irregular tumor shape and marked hypoechogenicity, while the ultrasonographic features of EPTC in the spherical or oval shape group included smooth border, regular shape, isoechogenicity and hypoechoic halo. Hypoechoic halo and isoechogenicity were found more frequently in EPTC of spherical or oval shape group than those in EPTC of irregular shape group. The size of EPTC in the spherical or oval group was commonly larger than that of EPTC in the irregular shape group. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that EPTC have some ultrasonographic features similar to benign follicular thyroid tumors.