The impact of squamous cell transformation on the prognosis of patients treated with radical nephroureterectomy.

BACKGROUND: Limited information is available for guiding the management of upper urinary tract (UUT) urothelial carcinoma with squamous differentiation (UC-SqD). We did not even know about the difference between pure urothelial carcinoma (UC) and UC-SqD in the UUT regardless of treatment policy and prognosis. Instead of direct comparisons against each other, we included the third UUT malignancy, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). This three-way-race model allows us to more clearly demonstrate the impact of squamous cell transformation on patient outcomes in UUT malignancy. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed 327 patients with UC, UC-SqD, or SCC who underwent radical nephroureterectomy with bladder cuff excision (RNU) at Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, between January 2006 and December 2013. A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between patient outcomes and histology. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards modelling was also used to predict patient prognoses. RESULTS: The five-year postoperative cancer-specific survival (CSS) rates were 83.6% (UC), 74.4% (UC-SqD), and 55.6% (SCC), and the 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were 87.7% (UC), 61.5% (UC-SqD), and 51.9% (SCC). UC patients had significantly better 5-year RFS than UC-SqD and SCC patients (P = 0.001 and P < 0.0001, respectively). Patients with pure UC had significantly better 5-year CSS than SCC patients (P = 0.0045). SCC or UC-SqD did not independently predict disease-specific mortality (HR 0.999, p = 0.999; HR 0.775, p = 0.632, respectively) or disease recurrence compared to pure UC (HR 2.934, p = 0.239; HR 1.422, p = 0.525, respectively). Age, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), and lymph node (LN) status independently predicted CSS, while pathological tumour stage, LN status, and LVI predicted RFS. CONCLUSIONS: SCC and UC-SqD are not independent predictors of survival outcomes in patients with UUT tumours. However, they are associated with other worse prognostic factors. Hence, different treatments are needed for these two conditions, especially for SCC.

WWOX Polymorphisms as Predictors of the Biochemical Recurrence of Localized Prostate Cancer after Radical Prostatectomy.

The downregulation of WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX), a tumor suppressor gene, is associated with the tumorigenesis and poor prognosis of various cancers. In this study, we investigated the associations between the polymorphisms of WWOX, clinicopathologic features of prostate cancer (PCa), and risk of postoperative biochemical recurrence (BCR). We evaluated the effects of five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of WWOX on the clinicopathologic features of 578 patients with PCa. The risk of postoperative BCR was 2.053-fold higher in patients carrying at least one "A" allele in WWOX rs12918952 than in those with homozygous G/G. Furthermore, patients with at least one polymorphic "T" allele in WWOX rs11545028 had an elevated (1.504-fold) risk of PCa with seminal vesicle invasion. In patients with postoperative BCR, the risks of an advanced Gleason grade and clinical metastasis were 3.317- and 5.259-fold higher in patients carrying at least one "G" allele in WWOX rs3764340 than in other patients. Our findings indicate the WWOX SNPs are significantly associated with highly aggressive pathologic features of PCa and an elevated risk of post-RP biochemical recurrence.

The Immunological Microenvironment and the Emerging Role of Stem Cells Therapy in Peyronie's Disease: A Systematic Narrative Review.

Current literature has indicated that Peyronie's disease (PD) could be initiated by microtrauma and the subsequent inflammation episodes that follow. PD could be sorted into acute or chronic status, and it can differ when selecting the clinical therapeutics. PD would cause pain and penile deformity to diseased men and impair their erectile function. Occasionally, surgical revision of the penis might be needed to correct the penile curvature. We find that there are limited effective options of intra-lesion injections for the PD plaques. By searching the databases and screening the literature with the PRISMA 2020 guideline, we observed that several preclinical studies that applied stem cell therapy in treating PD were fruitful in the acute phase. Although in the chronic phase of PD, erectile parameters were not significantly improved, and therefore, future studies might be better elevated in certain aspects, such as the sites selected for harvesting stem cells or changing the centrifugation forces. In this review, we concluded the contemporary understanding of inflammatory microenvironments in PD, the stem cell therapy in PD, and our perspectives on future studies. We concluded that there may be great potential in stem cell therapy for treating both acute and chronic phases PD.

Significant predictors of contralateral upper tract recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the significant predictors of contralateral upper tract recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma. METHODS: Between January 2001 and December 2015, 548 patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma who underwent radical nephroureterectomy in a single institution were included in this retrospective cohort study. Several clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes were explored. The crucial end-point was the diagnosis of contralateral upper tract recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy. RESULTS: Of the 548 patients, the median age was 68 years (range 24-93 years), and the median follow-up time after radical nephroureterectomy was 41 months (range 8-191 months). Contralateral upper tract recurrence occurred in 28 patients (5.1%). The median time period between radical nephroureterectomy and contralateral upper tract recurrence was 15.4 months (range 3.4-52.4 months). In the multivariate analysis, preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate <30 mL/min/1.73 m2 (hazard ratio 3.08, P = 0.003) and tumor multifocality (hazard ratio 2.16, P = 0.043) were independent risk factors. CONCLUSION: Preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate <30 and tumor multifocality are significant predictors of contralateral upper tract recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma.

Radium-223 for metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer: A retrospective chart review study of real-world use in a tertiary hospital in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Radium-223 is an alpha-emitting, bone-targeting radiopharmaceutical that confers a survival benefit in patients with confirmed bone-metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer with no visceral metastases. We studied real-world use of radium-223 in eligible patients from a tertiary hospital. METHODS: We retrospectively collected clinical data of patients treated with radium-223 in Tungs' Taichung MetroHarbor Hospital by chart review. Data included biochemical parameters, pain scores, other prostate cancer treatments received and adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: Of 36 patients included in the study, 12 patients received radium-223 as first-line therapy, 11 as second-line treatment and 13 as third-line treatment. Prostate-specific antigen significantly increased from baseline in patients who received radium-223 as third-line treatment and in patients who received radium-223 post-chemotherapy. Pain scores significantly decreased when radium-223 was given as second-line and as third-line treatment. In the patients who were naive to novel anti-hormone (NAH) therapy and chemotherapy, mean alkaline phosphatase level significantly decreased from baseline. The most common AE was anemia, found in 16.7% of patients. CONCLUSION: Radium-223 had early biochemical benefits, while in the later stages of the disease, it reduced bone pain in this real-world cohort of chemotherapy-naive, NAH-naive patients, and patients with prior therapy, from a tertiary institution in Taiwan.

Metformin Mitigated Obesity-Driven Cancer Aggressiveness in Tumor-Bearing Mice.

Metformin may offer benefits to certain cancer populations experiencing metabolic abnormalities. To extend the anticancer studies of metformin, a tumor model was established through the implantation of murine Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LLC) cells to Normal Diet (ND)-fed and High-Fat Diet (HFD)-fed C57BL/6 mice. The HFD-fed mice displayed metabolic and pro-inflammatory alterations together with accompanying aggressive tumor growth. Metformin mitigated tumor growth in HFD-fed mice, paralleled by reductions in circulating glucose, insulin, soluble P-selectin, TGF-ß1 and High Mobility Group Box-1 (HMGB1), as well as tumor expression of cell proliferation, aerobic glycolysis, glutaminolysis, platelets and neutrophils molecules. The suppressive effects of metformin on cell proliferation, migration and oncogenic signaling molecules were confirmed in cell study. Moreover, tumor-bearing HFD-fed mice had higher contents of circulating and tumor immunopositivity of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs)-associated molecules, with a suppressive effect from metformin. Data taken from neutrophil studies confirmed the inhibitory effect that metformin has on NET formation induced by HMGB1. Furthermore, HMGB1 was identified as a promoting molecule to boost the transition process towards NETs. The current study shows that metabolic, pro-inflammatory and NET alterations appear to play roles in the obesity-driven aggressiveness of cancer, while also representing candidate targets for anticancer potential of metformin.

Ramucirumab plus docetaxel versus placebo plus docetaxel in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma after platinum-based therapy (RANGE): overall survival and updated results of a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND: Ramucirumab-an IgG1 vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 antagonist-plus docetaxel was previously reported to improve progression-free survival in platinum-refractory, advanced urothelial carcinoma. Here, we report the secondary endpoint of overall survival results for the RANGE trial. METHODS: We did a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial in patients with advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who progressed during or after platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients were enrolled from 124 investigative sites (hospitals, clinics, and academic centres) in 23 countries. Previous treatment with one immune checkpoint inhibitor was permitted. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) using an interactive web response system to receive intravenous ramucirumab 10 mg/kg or placebo 10 mg/kg volume equivalent followed by intravenous docetaxel 75 mg/m2 (60 mg/m2 in Korea, Taiwan, and Japan) on day 1 of a 21-day cycle. Treatment continued until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or other discontinuation criteria were met. Randomisation was stratified by geographical region, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status at baseline, and visceral metastasis. Progression-free survival (the primary endpoint) and overall survival (a key secondary endpoint) were assessed in the intention-to-treat population. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02426125; patient enrolment is complete and the last patient on treatment is being followed up for safety issues. FINDINGS: Between July 20, 2015, and April 4, 2017, 530 patients were randomly allocated to ramucirumab plus docetaxel (n=263) or placebo plus docetaxel (n=267) and comprised the intention-to-treat population. At database lock (March 21, 2018) for the final overall survival analysis, median follow-up was 7·4 months (IQR 3·5-13·9). In our sensitivity analysis of investigator-assessed progression-free survival at the overall survival database lock, median progression-free survival remained significantly improved with ramucirumab compared with placebo (4·1 months [95% CI 3·3-4·8] vs 2·8 months [2·6-2·9]; HR 0·696 [95% CI 0·573-0·845]; p=0·0002). Median overall survival was 9·4 months (95% CI 7·9-11·4) in the ramucirumab group versus 7·9 months (7·0-9·3) in the placebo group (stratified HR 0·887 [95% CI 0·724-1·086]; p=0·25). Grade 3 or worse treatment-related treatment-emergent adverse events in 5% or more of patients and with an incidence more than 2% higher with ramucirumab than with placebo were febrile neutropenia (24 [9%] of 258 patients in the ramucirumab group vs 16 [6%] of 265 patients in the placebo group) and neutropenia (17 [7%] of 258 vs six [2%] of 265). Serious adverse events were similar between groups (112 [43%] of 258 patients in the ramucirumab group vs 107 [40%] of 265 patients in the placebo group). Adverse events related to study treatment and leading to death occurred in eight (3%) patients in the ramucirumab group versus five (2%) patients in the placebo group. INTERPRETATION: Additional follow-up supports that ramucirumab plus docetaxel significantly improves progression-free survival, without a significant improvement in overall survival, for patients with platinum-refractory advanced urothelial carcinoma. Clinically meaningful benefit might be restricted in an unselected population. FUNDING: Eli Lilly and Company.

p-Cresol Sulfate Caused Behavior Disorders and Neurodegeneration in Mice with Unilateral Nephrectomy Involving Oxidative Stress and Neuroinflammation.

Protein-bound uremic toxins, such as p-cresol sulfate (PCS), can be accumulated with declined renal function and aging and is closely linked with central nervous system (CNS) diseases. In the periphery, PCS has effects on oxidative stress and inflammation. Since oxidative stress and inflammation have substantial roles in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders, the CNS effects of PCS were investigated in unilateral nephrectomized C57/BL/6 mice. Unlike intact mice, unilateral nephrectomized mice showed increased circulating levels of PCS after exogenous administration. Upon PCS exposure, the unilateral nephrectomized mice developed depression-like, anxiety-like, and cognitive impairment behaviors with brain PCS accumulation in comparison with the nephrectomy-only group. In the prefrontal cortical tissues, neuronal cell survival and neurogenesis were impaired along with increased apoptosis, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation. Circulating brain-derived neurotrophic factors (BDNF) and serotonin were decreased in association with increased corticosterone and repressor element-1 silencing transcription factor (REST), regulators involved in neurological disorders. On the contrary, these PCS-induced changes were alleviated by uremic toxin absorbent AST-120. Taken together, PCS administration in mice with nephrectomy contributed to neurological disorders with increased oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, which were alleviated by PCS chelation. It is suggested that PCS may be a therapeutic target for chronic kidney disease-associated CNS diseases.

Aspirin Induced Glioma Apoptosis through Noxa Upregulation.

Clinically, high cyclooxygenase-2 expression in malignant glioma correlates well with poor prognosis and the use of aspirin is associated with a reduced risk of glioma. To extend the current understanding of the apoptotic potential of aspirin in most cell types, this study provides evidence showing that aspirin induced glioma cell apoptosis and inhibited tumor growth, in vitro and in vivo. We found that the human H4 glioma cell-killing effects of aspirin involved mitochondria-mediated apoptosis accompanied by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, Noxa upregulation, Mcl-1 downregulation, Bax mitochondrial distribution and oligomerization, and caspase 3/caspase 8/caspase 9 activation. Genetic silencing of Noxa or Bax attenuated aspirin-induced viability loss and apoptosis, while silencing Mcl-1 augmented the effects of aspirin. Data from genetic and pharmacological studies revealed that the axis of ER stress comprised an apoptotic cascade leading to Noxa upregulation and apoptosis. The apoptotic programs and mediators triggered by aspirin in H4 cells were duplicated in human U87 glioma cell line as well as in tumor-bearing BALB/c nude mice. The involvement of ER stress in indomethacin-induced Mcl-1 downregulation was reported in our previous study on glioma cells. Therefore, the aforementioned phenomena indicate that ER stress may be a valuable target for intervention in glioma apoptosis.

Ischemic preconditioning improved renal ischemia/reperfusion injury and hyperglycemia.

Renal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) is an alternation of renal hemodynamics, which results in diverse postischemic responses and eventually acute kidney injury. Although renal ischemic preconditioning (IPC) is known to protect the kidney from I/R injury, the precise renoprotective mechanisms are not completely understood. The multiple renoprotective effects of IPC underscore the importance in understanding molecular mechanisms and the targets of action involved. This study aimed to identify the biochemical changes in renal I/R injury and investigate the renoprotective mechanisms of IPC. Herein, renal I/R was produced in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats through the bilateral ligation of renal pedicles for 45 min, followed by reperfusion for 24 h. For the IPC group, rats were subjected to three cycles of 2-min ischemia, followed by a 5-min reperfusion, 15 min prior to renal I/R. Our data confirmed the beneficial effects that IPC has on renal I/R injury. IPC-mediated renoprotection was associated with the resolution of oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and hyperglycemia. Among the numerous signaling molecules involved in the renoprotective mechanisms of IPC, an elevated protein expression of Nrf2, HO-1, LC3 II conversion, along with Atg12 and protein phosphorylation of AMPK, as well as a decreased protein phosphorylation of ERK, p38 MAPK, and Akt and NF-κB DNA binding activity were identified. Importantly, the post renal I/R overproduction of counter-regulatory hormones, impaired hepatic insulin action, and augmented hepatic gluconeogenesis were improved through IPC. As counter-regulatory hormones have been implicated in the induction of oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, impaired insulin action, hyperglycemia, and tissue destruction, our findings suggest that counter-regulatory hormones may well be valuable targets of IPC for combatting renal I/R injury. © 2018 IUBMB Life, 71(3):321-329, 2019.

Impact of GAS5 genetic polymorphism on prostate cancer susceptibility and clinicopathologic characteristics.

Down-regulation of Growth arrest-specific 5 (GAS5) is correlated with enhanced cell proliferation and poorer prognosis of prostate cancer. We aimed to investigate the effect of variant rs145204276 of GAS5 on the prostate cancer susceptibility and clinicopathologic characteristics. In this study, 579 prostate cancer patients who underwent robot-assisted radical prostatectomy and 579 healthy controls were included. The frequency of the allele del of rs145204276 were compared between the patients and the controls to evaluate the impact of tumor susceptibility and the correlation of clinicopathological variables. The results shown that patients who carries genotype ins/del or del/del at SNP rs145204276 showed decreased risk of pathological lymph node metastasis disease (OR=0.545, p=0.043) and risk of seminal vesicle invasion (OR=0.632, p=0.022) comparing to with genotype ins/ins. In the subgroup analysis of age, more significant risk reduction effects were noted over lymph node metastasis disease (OR=0.426, p=0.032) and lymphovascular invasion (OR=0.521, p=0.025). In conclusion, the rs145204276 polymorphic genotype of GAS5 can predict the risk of lymph node metastasis. This is the first study to report the correlation between GAS5 gene polymorphism and prostate cancer prognosis.

Fibronectin Promotes Cell Growth and Migration in Human Renal Cell Carcinoma Cells.

The prognostic and therapeutic values of fibronectin have been reported in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, the underlying mechanisms of malignancy in RCC are not completely understood. We found that silencing of fibronectin expression attenuated human RCC 786-O and Caki-1 cell growth and migration. Silencing of potential fibronectin receptor integrin α5 and integrin ß1 decreased 786-O cell ability in movement and chemotactic migration. Biochemical examination revealed a reduction of cyclin D1 and vimentin expression, transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) production, as well as Src and Smad phosphorylation in fibronectin-silenced 786-O and Caki-1 cells. Pharmacological inhibition of Src decreased 786-O cell growth and migration accompanied by a reduction of cyclin D1, fibronectin, vimentin, and TGF-ß1 expression, as well as Src and Smad phosphorylation. In 786-O cells, higher activities in cell growth and migration than in Caki-1 cells were noted, along with elevated fibronectin and TGF-ß1 expression. The additions of exogenous fibronectin and TGF-ß1 promoted Caki-1 cell growth and migration, and increased cyclin D1, fibronectin, vimentin, and TGF-ß1 expression, as well as Src and Smad phosphorylation. These findings highlight the role of fibronectin in RCC cell growth and migration involving Src and TGF-ß1 signaling.

Ramucirumab plus docetaxel versus placebo plus docetaxel in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma after platinum-based therapy (RANGE): a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND: Few treatments with a distinct mechanism of action are available for patients with platinum-refractory advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma. We assessed the efficacy and safety of treatment with docetaxel plus either ramucirumab-a human IgG1 VEGFR-2 antagonist-or placebo in this patient population. METHODS: We did a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial in patients with advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who progressed during or after platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients were enrolled from 124 sites in 23 countries. Previous treatment with one immune-checkpoint inhibitor was permitted. Patients were randomised (1:1) using an interactive web response system to receive intravenous docetaxel 75 mg/m2 plus either intravenous ramucirumab 10 mg/kg or matching placebo on day 1 of repeating 21-day cycles, until disease progression or other discontinuation criteria were met. The primary endpoint was investigator-assessed progression-free survival, analysed by intention-to-treat in the first 437 randomised patients. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02426125. FINDINGS: Between July, 2015, and April, 2017, 530 patients were randomly allocated either ramucirumab plus docetaxel (n=263) or placebo plus docetaxel (n=267). Progression-free survival was prolonged significantly in patients allocated ramucirumab plus docetaxel versus placebo plus docetaxel (median 4·07 months [95% CI 2·96-4·47] vs 2·76 months [2·60-2·96]; hazard ratio [HR] 0·757, 95% CI 0·607-0·943; p=0·0118). A blinded independent central analysis was consistent with these results. An objective response was achieved by 53 (24·5%, 95% CI 18·8-30·3) of 216 patients allocated ramucirumab and 31 (14·0%, 9·4-18·6) of 221 assigned placebo. The most frequently reported treatment-emergent adverse events, regardless of causality, in either treatment group (any grade) were fatigue, alopecia, diarrhoea, decreased appetite, and nausea. These events occurred predominantly at grade 1-2 severity. The frequency of grade 3 or worse adverse events was similar for patients allocated ramucirumab and placebo (156 [60%] of 258 vs 163 [62%] of 265 had an adverse event), with no unexpected toxic effects. 63 (24%) of 258 patients allocated ramucirumab and 54 (20%) of 265 assigned placebo had a serious adverse event that was judged by the investigator to be related to treatment. 38 (15%) of 258 patients allocated ramucirumab and 43 (16%) of 265 assigned placebo died on treatment or within 30 days of discontinuation, of which eight (3%) and five (2%) deaths were deemed related to treatment by the investigator. Sepsis was the most common adverse event leading to death on treatment (four [2%] vs none [0%]). One fatal event of neutropenic sepsis was reported in a patient allocated ramucirumab. INTERPRETATION: To the best of our knowledge, ramucirumab plus docetaxel is the first regimen in a phase 3 study to show superior progression-free survival over chemotherapy in patients with platinum-refractory advanced urothelial carcinoma. These data validate inhibition of VEGFR-2 signalling as a potential new therapeutic treatment option for patients with urothelial carcinoma. FUNDING: Eli Lilly and Company.

Aspirin restores ABT-737-mediated apoptosis in human renal carcinoma cells.

Aspirin is a novel chemopreventive agent against malignancy. However, outcomes of aspirin monotherapy of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are inconsistent across studies. ABT-737, an BH3 mimetic inhibitor, is also a promising antitumor drug. Cancer cells including those from RCC, that have high levels of Mcl-1, are refractory to ABT-737-induced apoptosis. We here investigated how aspirin treatment modulates the ABT-737-induced apoptosis. Using the in vitro model of human 786-O cells, we showed that aspirin had sensitized cells to ABT-737 induced apoptosis. Such aspirin-induced changes of ABT-737 resistance was accompanied by a host of biochemical events like protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activation, AKT dephosphorylation, Mcl-1/FLICE inhibiting protein (FLIP)/XIAP downregulation, and Bax mitochondrial redistribution. The PP2A inhibitor, okadaic acid, was able to reverse the apirin-induced apoptotic changes. Apart from the aspirin treatment, Mcl-1 silencing also rendered cells vulnerable to ABT-737 induced apoptosis. Since PP2A, Akt, and Mcl-1 play critical roles in RCC malignancy and treatment resistance, our present study showed that aspirin, an alternative adjuvant agent, had recalled ABT-737 sensitivity in the RCC cells through processes involving the PP2A/Akt/Mcl-1 axis.

Effect of HMGB1 Polymorphisms on Urothelial Cell Carcinoma Susceptibility and Clinicopathological Characteristics.

The high mobility group box 1 gene (HMGB1) plays a prominent role in cancer progression, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. This study explored the effect of HMGB1 polymorphisms on clinicopathological characteristics of urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC). In total, 1293 participants (431 patients with UCC and 862 healthy controls) were recruited. Four single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of HMGB1 (rs1412125, rs1360485, rs1045411, and rs2249825) were assessed using TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction assay. The results indicated that individuals carrying at least one T allele at rs1045411 had a lower risk of UCC than those with the wild-type allele [adjusted odds ratio = 0.722, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.565-0.924]. Furthermore, female patients with UCC carrying at least one T allele at rs1045411 were at a lower invasive tumor stage than those with the wild-type allele [odds ratio (OR) = 0.396, 95% CI = 0.169-0.929], similar to nonsmoking patients (OR = 0.607, 95% CI = 0.374-0.985). In conclusion, this is the first report on correlation between HMGB1 polymorphisms and UCC risk. Individuals carrying at least one T allele at rs1045411 are associated with a lower risk of UCC and a less invasive disease in women and nonsmokers.

Susceptibility of naïve and differentiated PC12 cells to Japanese encephalitis virus infection.

Japanese encephalitis is a mosquito-borne disease caused by Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infection. Although JEV infects and replicates in cells with multiple tissue origins, neurons are the preferential cells for JEV infection. Currently, the identities of JEV cell tropism are largely unclear. To gain better insight into the underlying identities of JEV cell tropism, this study was designed to compare the JEV cell tropism with naïve or differentiated PC12 cells. Through nerve growth factor-differentiated PC12 cells, we discovered that JEV efficiently replicated in differentiated PC12 cells rather than naïve cells. Mechanistic studies revealed that viral adsorption/attachment seemed not to be a crucial factor. Supporting data showed that antagonizing postreceptor intracellular signaling of interferons, along with the activation of suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 (SOCS3) expression and protein tyrosine phosphatase activity, were apparent in differentiated PC12 cells after JEV infection. Independent of differentiating inducing agents, the upregulation of SOCS3 expression and protein tyrosine phosphatase activity, as well as preferential JEV tropism, were common in JEV-infected differentiated PC12 cells. Using cultured primary neurons, JEV efficiently replicated in embryonic neurons rather than adult neurons, and the preference was accompanied by higher SOCS3 expression and protein tyrosine phosphatase activity. Given that both SOCS3 and protein tyrosine phosphatases have been implicated in the process of neuronal differentiation, JEV infection seems to not only create an antagonizing strategy to escape host's interferon antiviral response but also takes advantage of cellular machinery to favor its replication. Taken together, current findings imply that dynamic changes within cellular regulators of antiviral machinery could be accompanied by events of neuronal differentiation, thus concurrently playing roles in the control of JEV cell tropism and replication. © 2017 IUBMB Life, 69(2):79-87, 2017.

Interplay of inflammatory gene expression in pericytes following Japanese encephalitis virus infection.

Neuroinflammation is a pathological hallmark and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Japanese encephalitis. Although brain pericytes show regulatory effects on neuroinflammation, their involvement in Japanese encephalitis-associated neuroinflammation is not understood. Here, we demonstrated that brain microvascular pericytes could be an alternative cellular source for the induction and/or amplification of neuroinflammation caused by Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infection. Infection of cultured pericytes with JEV caused profound production of IL-6, RANTES, and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Mechanistic studies revealed that JEV infection elicited an elevation of the toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7)/MyD88 signaling axis, leading to the activation of NF-κB through IKK signaling and p65 phosphorylation as well as cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) via phosphorylation. We further demonstrated that extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) could be an alternative regulator in transducing signals to NF-κB, CREB, and cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) through the phosphorylation mechanism. Released IL-6 and RANTES played an active role in the disruption of endothelial barrier integrity and leukocyte chemotaxis, respectively. cPLA2/PGE2 had a role in activating NF-κB and CREB DNA-binding activities and inflammatory cytokine transcription via the EP2/cAMP/PKA mechanism in an autocrine loop. These inflammatory responses and biochemical events were also detected in the brain of JEV-infected mice. The current findings suggest that pericytes might have pathological relevance in Japanese encephalitis-associated neuroinflammation through a TLR7-related mechanism. The consequences of pericyte activation are their ability to initiate and/or amplify inflammatory cytokine expression by which cellular function of endothelial cells and leukocytes are regulated in favor of CNS infiltration by leukocytes.

Optimal usage of radium-223 in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Radium-223 is a first-in-class α-emitting radiopharmaceutical that targets bone metastases associated with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). In the pivotal phase III trial ALSYMPCA, radium-223 significantly increased overall survival (OS), compared with placebo (median 14.9 vs 11.3 months; hazard ratio 0.70; 95% CI 0.58-0.83; p < 0.001), in patients with mCRPC and symptomatic bone metastases-with a comparable safety profile. To optimize treatment outcomes, selection of appropriate patients is important. As well as osteoblastic bone metastases, mCRPC patients should be well enough to receive six doses of radium-223 as this treatment duration has been shown to greatly improve OS outcomes compared with administration of four or fewer doses. Additionally, alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase are emerging as important biomarkers during radium-223 treatment. Optimal concomitant standard-of-care therapies (such as abiraterone or enzalutamide) to be administered with radium-223 have yet to be defined as does the most efficacious dose and duration of radium-223 treatment. In conclusion, radium-223 is an important addition to the mCRPC treatment landscape and marks a paradigm shift in the treatment of bone metastases.

Urologic cancer in Taiwan.

For the past three decades, cancer is the number one cause of death in Taiwan. An increasing trend in the incidence of urologic cancers has also been noticed since 1979. In 2012, urologic cancer accounted for 10.0% of all the new malignant cases. Prostate, bladder and kidney cancers are the most common types. Metastatic prostate cancer still accounted for nearly 30% of new cases in Taiwan between 2004 and 2012. There are several specifically noticeable characteristics of urothelial carcinoma in Taiwan, associated with arseniasis and aristolochic acid. The diagnosis and treatment of urologic cancer mainly follows the current international guidelines. The development of minimal invasive surgery, especially DaVinci robotic surgical system, has made a marked change in the surgical treatment of urologic cancer. Meanwhile, newer systemic agents also commence and improve our standard of care. However, treatment decisions are greatly influenced by the National Health Insurance coverage. The current national cancer registry system should be renovated more comprehensively in order to gain better insight into specific features of urologic cancer in Taiwan.

Disruption of in vitro endothelial barrier integrity by Japanese encephalitis virus-Infected astrocytes.

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) characteristics are induced and maintained by crosstalk between brain microvascular endothelial cells and neighboring cells. Using in vitro cell models, we previously found that a bystander effect was a cause for Japanese encephalitis-associated endothelial barrier disruption. Brain astrocytes, which neighbor BBB endothelial cells, play roles in the maintenance of BBB integrity. By extending the scope of relevant studies, a potential mechanism has been shown that the activation of neighboring astrocytes could be a cause of disruption of endothelial barrier integrity during the course of Japanese encephalitis viral (JEV) infection. JEV-infected astrocytes were found to release biologically active molecules that activated ubiquitin proteasome, degraded zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and claudin-5, and disrupted endothelial barrier integrity in cultured brain microvascular endothelial cells. JEV infection caused astrocytes to release vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2/MMP-9). Our data demonstrated that VEGF and IL-6 released by JEV-infected astrocytes were critical for the proteasomal degradation of ZO-1 and the accompanying disruption of endothelial barrier integrity through the activation of Janus kinase-2 (Jak2)/signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3) signaling as well as the induction of ubiquitin-protein ligase E3 component, n-recognin-1 (Ubr 1) in endothelial cells. MMP-induced endothelial barrier disruption was accompanied by MMP-mediated proteolytic degradation of claudin-5 and ubiquitin proteasome-mediated degradation of ZO-1 via extracellular VEGF release. Collectively, these data suggest that JEV infection could activate astrocytes and cause release of VEGF, IL-6, and MMP-2/MMP-9, thereby contributing, in a concerted action, to the induction of Japanese encephalitis-associated BBB breakdown. GLIA 2015;63:1915-1932.