Subcutaneous Infliximab (CT-P13) as Maintenance Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease: 2 Randomized Phase 3 Trials.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: CT-P13 subcutaneous (SC), an SC formulation of the intravenous (IV) infliximab biosimilar CT-P13 IV, creates a unique exposure profile. We aimed to demonstrate superiority of CT-P13 SC vs placebo as maintenance therapy in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). METHODS: Two randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind studies were conducted in patients with moderately to severely active CD or UC and inadequate response or intolerance to corticosteroids and immunomodulators. All patients received open-label CT-P13 IV 5 mg/kg at weeks 0, 2, and 6. At week 10, clinical responders were randomized (2:1) to CT-P13 SC 120 mg or placebo every 2 weeks until week 54 (maintenance phase) using prefilled syringes. Co-primary end points were clinical remission and endoscopic response (CD) and clinical remission (UC) at week 54 (all-randomized population). RESULTS: Overall, 396 patients with CD and 548 patients with UC received induction treatment. At week 54 in the CD study, statistically significant higher proportions of CT-P13 SC-treated patients vs placebo-treated patients achieved clinical remission (62.3% vs 32.1%; P < .0001) and endoscopic response (51.1% vs 17.9%; P < .0001). In the UC study, clinical remission rates at week 54 were statistically significantly higher with CT-P13 SC vs placebo (43.2% vs 20.8%; P < .0001). Achievement of key secondary end points was significantly higher with CT-P13 SC vs placebo across both studies. CT-P13 SC was well tolerated, with no new safety signals identified. CONCLUSIONS: CT-P13 SC was more effective than placebo as maintenance therapy and was well tolerated in patients with moderately to severely active CD or UC who responded to CT-P13 IV induction. CLINICALTRIALS: gov, Numbers: NCT03945019 (CD) and NCT04205643 (UC).

Superior outcomes and high-risk features with carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone combination therapy for patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma: Results of the multicenter KMMWP2201 study.

Carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (KRd) combination therapy improves the survival of patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). Nonetheless, evidence on the use of KRd in Asian populations remains scarce. Accordingly, this study aimed at investigating this regimen's efficacy in a large group of patients. This retrospective study included patients with RRMM who were treated with KRd at 21 centers between February 2018 and October 2020. Overall, 364 patients were included (median age: 63 years). The overall response rate was 90% in responseevaluable patients, including 69% who achieved a very good partial response or deeper responses. With a median follow-up duration of 34.8 months, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 23.4 months and overall survival (OS) was 59.5 months. Among adverse factors affecting PFS, highrisk cytogenetics, extramedullary disease, and doubling of monoclonal protein within 2 to 3 months prior to start of KRd treatment significantly decreased PFS and overall survival (OS) in multivariate analyses. Patients who underwent post-KRd stem cell transplantation (i.e.delayed transplant) showed prolonged PFS and OS. Grade 3 or higher adverse events (AEs) were observed in 56% of the patients, and non-fatal or fatal AE's that resulted in discontinuation of KRd were reported in 7% and 2% of patients, respectively. Cardiovascular toxicity was comparable to that reported in the ASPIRE study. In summary, KRd was effective in a large real-world cohort of patients with RRMM with long-term follow-up. These findings may further inform treatment choices in the treatment of patients with RRMM.

Boosting of tau protein aggregation by CD40 and CD48 gene expression in Alzheimer's disease.

Neurodegenerative diseases result from the interplay of abnormal gene expression and various pathological factors. Therefore, a disease-specific integrative genetic approach is required to understand the complexities and causes of target diseases. Recent studies have identified the correlation between genes encoding several transmembrane proteins, such as the cluster of differentiation (CD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. In this study, CD48 and CD40 gene expression in AD, a neurodegenerative disease, was analyzed to infer this link. Total RNA sequencing was performed using an Alzheimer's disease mouse model brain and blood, and gene expression was determined using a genome-wide association study (GWAS). We observed a marked elevation of CD48 and CD40 genes in Alzheimer's disease. Indeed, the upregulation of both CD48 and CD40 genes was significantly increased in the severe Alzheimer's disease group. With the elevation of CD48 and CD40 genes in Alzheimer's disease, associations of protein levels were also markedly increased in tissues. In addition, overexpression of CD48 and CD40 genes triggered tau aggregation, and co-expression of these genes accelerated aggregation. The nuclear factor kappa B (NF-ĸB) signaling pathway was enriched by CD48 and CD40 gene expression: it was also associated with tau pathology. Our data suggested that the CD48 and CD40 genes are novel AD-related genes, and this approach may be useful as a diagnostic or therapeutic target for the disease.

Influence of cutoff radius and tip atomic structure on energy barriers encountered during tip sliding on 2D monolayers.

In computational studies using the Lennard-Jones (LJ) potential, the widely adopted 2.5σ cutoff radius effectively truncates pairwise interactions across diverse systems [1-7]. Here, we assess its adequacy in determining energy barriers encountered by atomic force microscopy (AFM) tips interacting with various two-dimensional (2D) monolayers, which is crucial for understanding nanoscale friction. Our findings emphasize the necessity of a cutoff radius of at least 3.5σ to achieve consistent energy barrier values across different 2D monolayers. Specifically, 3.5σ corresponds to 12.70 Å in graphene, 12.99 Å in MoS2, and 13.25 Å in MoSe2. This cutoff effectively predicts direction-dependent friction in graphene and the frictional differences between graphene and MoS2, corroborating previous experimental observations [8, 9]. Furthermore, we demonstrate the applicability of the 3.5σ cutoff for graphene on an Au substrate and bilayer graphene. Additionally, we investigate how the atomic configuration of the tip influences the energy barrier. Comparing a Si(001) tip composed of seven Si atoms to a monoatomic Si tip, we observe a nearly threefold increase in the energy barrier along the zigzag direction of graphene.

Cryptic mutations of PLC family members in brain disorders: recent discoveries and a deep-learning-based approach.

Phospholipase C (PLC) is an essential isozyme involved in the phosphoinositide signalling pathway, which maintains cellular homeostasis. Gain- and loss-of-function mutations in PLC affect enzymatic activity and are therefore associated with several disorders. Alternative splicing variants of PLC can interfere with complex signalling networks associated with oncogenic transformation and other diseases, including brain disorders. Cells and tissues with various mutations in PLC contribute different phosphoinositide signalling pathways and disease progression, however, identifying cryptic mutations in PLC remains challenging. Herein, we review both the mechanisms underlying PLC regulation of the phosphoinositide signalling pathway and the genetic variation of PLC in several brain disorders. In addition, we discuss the present challenges associated with the potential of deep-learning-based analysis for the identification of PLC mutations in brain disorders.

Prediction of Alzheimer's disease-specific phospholipase c gamma-1 SNV by deep learning-based approach for high-throughput screening.

Exon splicing triggered by unpredicted genetic mutation can cause translational variations in neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, we discover Alzheimer's disease (AD)-specific single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) and abnormal exon splicing of phospholipase c gamma-1 (PLCγ1) gene, using genome-wide association study (GWAS) and a deep learning-based exon splicing prediction tool. GWAS revealed that the identified single-nucleotide variations were mainly distributed in the H3K27ac-enriched region of PLCγ1 gene body during brain development in an AD mouse model. A deep learning analysis, trained with human genome sequences, predicted 14 splicing sites in human PLCγ1 gene, and one of these completely matched with an SNV in exon 27 of PLCγ1 gene in an AD mouse model. In particular, the SNV in exon 27 of PLCγ1 gene is associated with abnormal splicing during messenger RNA maturation. Taken together, our findings suggest that this approach, which combines in silico and deep learning-based analyses, has potential for identifying the clinical utility of critical SNVs in AD prediction.

Dose-escalated radiotherapy for clinically localized and locally advanced prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Treatments for clinically localized prostate cancer include radical prostatectomy, external beam radiation therapy, brachytherapy, active surveillance, hormonal therapy, and watchful waiting. For external beam radiation therapy, oncological outcomes may be expected to improve as the dose of radiotherapy (RT) increases. However, radiation-mediated side effects on surrounding critical organs may also increase. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of dose-escalated RT in comparison with conventional dose RT for curative treatment of clinically localized and locally advanced prostate cancer. SEARCH METHODS: We performed a comprehensive search using multiple databases including trial registries and other sources of grey literature, up until 20 July 2022. We applied no restrictions on publication language or status. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included parallel-arm randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of definitive RT in men with clinically localized and locally advanced prostate adenocarcinoma. RT was dose-escalated RT (equivalent dose in 2 Gy [EQD2] ≥ 74 Gy, lesser than 2.5 Gy per fraction) versus conventional RT (EQD2 < 74 Gy, 1.8 Gy or 2.0 Gy per fraction). Two review authors independently classified studies for inclusion or exclusion. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently abstracted data from the included studies. We performed statistical analyses by using a random-effects model and interpreted them according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. We used GRADE guidance to rate the certainty of the evidence of RCTs. MAIN RESULTS: We included nine studies with 5437 men in an analysis comparing dose-escalated RT versus conventional dose RT for the treatment of prostate cancer. The mean participant age ranged from 67 to 71 years. Almost all men had localized prostate cancer (cT1-3N0M0). Primary outcomes Dose-escalated RT probably results in little to no difference in time to death from prostate cancer (hazard ratio [HR] 0.83, 95% CI 0.66 to 1.04; I2 = 0%; 8 studies; 5231 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). Assuming a risk of death from prostate cancer of 4 per 1000 at 10 years in the conventional dose RT group, this corresponds to 1 fewer men per 1000 (1 fewer to 0 more) dying of prostate cancer in the dose-escalated RT group. Dose-escalated RT probably results in little to no difference in severe RT toxicity of grade 3 or higher late gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity (RR 1.72, 95% CI 1.32 to 2.25; I2 = 0%; 8 studies; 4992 participants; moderate-certainty evidence); 23 more men per 1000 (10 more to 40 more) in the dose-escalated RT group assuming severe late GI toxicity as 32 per 1000 in the conventional dose RT group. Dose-escalated RT probably results in little to no difference in severe late genitourinary (GU) toxicity (RR 1.25, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.63; I2 = 0%; 8 studies; 4962 participants; moderate-certainty evidence); 9 more men per 1000 (2 fewer to 23 more) in the dose-escalated RT group assuming severe late GU toxicity as 37 per 1000 in the conventional dose RT group. Secondary outcomes Dose-escalated RT probably results in little to no difference in time to death from any cause (HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.09; I2 = 0%; 9 studies; 5437 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). Assuming a risk of death from any cause of 101 per 1000 at 10 years in the conventional dose RT group, this corresponds to 2 fewer men per 1000 (11 fewer to 9 more) in the dose-escalated RT group dying of any cause. Dose-escalated RT probably results in little to no difference in time to distant metastasis (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.57 to 1.22; I2 = 45%; 7 studies; 3499 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). Assuming a risk of distant metastasis of 29 per 1000 in the conventional dose RT group at 10 years, this corresponds to 5 fewer men per 1000 (12 fewer to 6 more) in the dose-escalated RT group developing distant metastases. Dose-escalated RT may increase overall late GI toxicity (RR 1.27, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.55; I2 = 85%; 7 studies; 4328 participants; low-certainty evidence); 92 more men per 1000 (14 more to 188 more) in the dose-escalated RT group assuming overall late GI toxicity as 342 per 1000 in the conventional dose RT group. However, dose-escalated RT may result in little to no difference in overall late GU toxicity (RR 1.12, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.29; I2 = 51%; 7 studies; 4298 participants; low-certainty evidence); 34 more men per 1000 (9 fewer to 82 more) in the dose-escalated RT group assuming overall late GU toxicity as 283 per 1000 in the conventional dose RT group. Based on long-term follow-up (up to 36 months), dose-escalated RT may result or probably results in little to no difference in the quality of life using 36-Item Short Form Survey; physical health (MD -3.9, 95% CI -12.78 to 4.98; 1 study; 300 participants; moderate-certainty evidence) and mental health (MD -3.6, 95% CI -83.85 to 76.65; 1 study; 300 participants; low-certainty evidence), respectively. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Compared to conventional dose RT, dose-escalated RT probably results in little to no difference in time to death from prostate cancer, time to death from any cause, time to distant metastasis, and RT toxicities (except overall late GI toxicity). While dose-escalated RT may increase overall late GI toxicity, it may result, or probably results, in little to no difference in physical and mental quality of life, respectively.

Long-Term Efficacy and Safety of Eculizumab in Patients With Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria and High Disease Burden: Real-World Data From Korea.

BACKGROUND: Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a rare hematologic disorder characterized by uncontrolled terminal complement activation. Eculizumab, a monoclonal antibody C5 inhibitor was introduced in Korea in 2009 and has been the standard treatment option for PNH. METHODS: This study assessed the long-term efficacy/safety of eculizumab in PNH using real-world data from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Eighty patients who initiated eculizumab from 2009-2020 were enrolled. RESULTS: At eculizumab initiation, the median age was 51.5 years, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) 6.8 × upper limit of normal, and granulocyte clone size 93.0%. All patients had at least one PNH-related complication before eculizumab initiation, including renal failure (n = 36), smooth muscle spasm (n = 24), thromboembolism (n = 20), and pulmonary hypertension (n = 15). The median (range) duration of eculizumab treatment was 52.7 (1.0, 127.3) months (338.6 total treated patient-years). Despite high disease activity in the study population before treatment initiation, overall survival was 96.2% and LDH levels were stabilized in most patients during treatment. PNH-related complications at treatment initiation were resolved in 44.4% of patients with renal failure, 95.8% with smooth muscle spasm, 70.0% with thromboembolism, and 26.7% with pulmonary hypertension. Extravascular hemolysis occurred in 28.8% of patients (n = 23; 0.09 per patient-year) and breakthrough hemolysis in 18.8% (n = 15; 0.06 per patient-year). No treatment discontinuation cases related to eculizumab were observed. CONCLUSION: These data provided evidence for the long-term efficacy and safety of eculizumab in Korean PNH patients with high disease burdens.

Rhein Induces Oral Cancer Cell Apoptosis and ROS via Suppresse AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathway In Vitro and In Vivo.

Oral cancer remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Rhein is a natural compound extracted from the traditional Chinese herbal medicine rhubarb, which has demonstrated therapeutic effects in various cancers. However, the specific effects of rhein on oral cancer are still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the potential anticancer activity and underlying mechanisms of rhein in oral cancer cells. The antigrowth effect of rhein in oral cancer cells was estimated by cell proliferation, soft agar colony formation, migration, and invasion assay. The cell cycle and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry. The underlying mechanism of rhein in oral cancer cells was explored by immunoblotting. The in vivo anticancer effect was evaluated by oral cancer xenografts. Rhein significantly inhibited oral cancer cell growth by inducing apoptosis and S-phase cell cycle arrest. Rhein inhibited oral cancer cell migration and invasion through the regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related proteins. Rhein induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in oral cancer cells to inhibit the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Rhein exerted anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo by inducing oral cancer cell apoptosis and ROS via the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in oral cancer. Rhein is a potential therapeutic drug for oral cancer treatment.

Promotion of tumorigenesis by miR-1260b-targeting CASP8: Potential diagnostic and prognostic marker for breast cancer.

MicroRNAs are reported as promising biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. miR-1260b is identified as a tumor-associated noncoding microRNA in other cancers, although the role of miR-1260b and its clinical relevance in breast cancer remain unclear. In this study, miR-1260b as a potential prognostic biomarker was observed by univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses in 102 breast tumor tissues. The tumorigenic role of miR-1260b in terms of proliferation, apoptosis, and migration of breast cancer cells was investigated using gain- and loss-of-function assays in vitro. Additionally, the potential early diagnosis and treatment monitoring marker of miR-1260b was validated in 129 plasma samples. We found that high miR-1260b expression was markedly associated with bulky tumor size, advanced stage, and lymph node invasion. Particularly, the high-miR-1260b-expression group showed shorter overall survival than the low-miR-1260b-expression group. The inhibition of oncogenic miR-1260b induced apoptosis and decreased migration and invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells. CASP8 was revealed as a direct target gene of miR-1260b, which is closely related to apoptosis. Furthermore, miR-1260b expression levels in plasma were significantly higher in patients with breast cancer than in healthy controls. The patients who tested positive for miR-1260b showed 16.3- and 18.2-fold higher risks in the early stage and locally advanced stage, respectively, compared with healthy controls, and the risk was decreased 6.2-fold after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Taken together, miR-1260b may be a potential novel diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic target in breast cancer.

Purification of Therapeutic Antibodies Using the Ca2+-Dependent Phase-Transition Properties of Calsequestrin.

Affinity chromatography utilizing specific interactions between therapeutic proteins and bead-immobilized capturing agents is a standard method for protein purification, but its scalability is limited by long purification times, activity loss by the capturing molecules and/or purified protein, and high costs. Here, we report a platform for purifying therapeutic antibodies via affinity precipitation using the endogenous calcium ion-binding protein, calsequestrin (CSQ), which undergoes a calcium ion-dependent phase transition. In this method, ZZ-CSQ fusion proteins with CSQ and an affinity protein (Z domain of protein A) capture antibodies and undergo multimerization and subsequent aggregation in response to calcium ions, enabling the antibody to be collected by affinity precipitation. After robustly validating and optimizing the performance of the platform, the ZZ-CSQ platform can rapidly purify therapeutic antibodies from industrial harvest feedstock with high purity (>97%) and recovery yield (95% ± 3%). In addition, the ZZ-CSQ platform outperforms protein A-based affinity chromatography (PAC) in removing impurities, yielding ∼20-fold less DNA and ∼4.8-fold less host cell protein (HCP) contamination. Taken together, this platform is rapid, recyclable, scalable, and cost-effective, and it shows antibody-purification performance superior or comparable to that of the standard affinity chromatography method.

Long-read sequencing reveals intra-species tolerance of substantial structural variations and new subtelomere formation in C. elegans.

Long-read sequencing technologies have contributed greatly to comparative genomics among species and can also be applied to study genomics within a species. In this study, to determine how substantial genomic changes are generated and tolerated within a species, we sequenced a C. elegans strain, CB4856, which is one of the most genetically divergent strains compared to the N2 reference strain. For this comparison, we used the Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) RSII platform (80×, N50 read length 11.8 kb) and generated de novo genome assembly to the level of pseudochromosomes containing 76 contigs (N50 contig = 2.8 Mb). We identified structural variations that affected as many as 2694 genes, most of which are at chromosome arms. Subtelomeric regions contained the most extensive genomic rearrangements, which even created new subtelomeres in some cases. The subtelomere structure of Chromosome VR implies that ancestral telomere damage was repaired by alternative lengthening of telomeres even in the presence of a functional telomerase gene and that a new subtelomere was formed by break-induced replication. Our study demonstrates that substantial genomic changes including structural variations and new subtelomeres can be tolerated within a species, and that these changes may accumulate genetic diversity within a species.

Biomedical Applications of a Novel Class of High-Affinity Peptides.

Most therapeutic peptides available on the market today are naturally occurring hormones or protein fragments that were serendipitously discovered to possess therapeutic effects. However, the limited repertoire of available natural resources presents difficulties for the development of new peptide drug candidates. Traditional peptides possess several shortcomings that must be addressed for biomedical applications, including relatively low affinity or specificity toward biological targets compared to antibody- and protein scaffold-based affinity molecules, poor in vivo stability owing to rapid enzymatic degradation, and rapid clearance from circulation owing to their small size. Going forward, it will be increasingly important for scientists to develop novel classes of high-affinity and -specificity peptides against desired targets that mitigate these limitations while remaining compatible with pharmaceutical manufacturing processes. Recently, several highly constrained, artificial cyclic peptides have emerged as platforms capable of generating high-affinity peptide binders against various disease-associated protein targets by combining with phage or mRNA display method, some of which have entered clinical trials. In contrast, although linear peptides are relatively easy to synthesize cost-effectively and modify site-specifically at either N- or C-termini compared to cyclic peptides, there have been few linear peptide-based platforms that can provide high-affinity and -specificity peptide binders.In this Account, we describe the creation and development of a novel class of high-affinity peptides, termed "aptide"-from the Latin word "aptus" meaning "to fit" and "peptide"-and summarize their biomedical applications. In the first part, we consider the design and creation of aptides, with a focus on their unique structural features and binding mode, and address screening and identification of target protein-specific aptides. We also discuss advantages of the aptide platform over ordinary linear peptides lacking preorganized structures in terms of the affinity and specificity of identified peptide binders against target molecules. In the second part, we describe the potential biomedical applications of various target-specific aptides, ranging from imaging and therapy to theranostics, according to the types of aptides and diseases. We show that certain aptides can not only bind to a target protein but also inhibit its biological function, thereby showing potential as therapeutics per se. Further, aptides specific for cancer-associated protein antigens can be used as escort molecules or targeting ligands for delivery of chemotherapeutics, cytokine proteins, and nanomedicines, such as liposomes and magnetic particles, to tumors, thereby substantially improving therapeutic effects. Finally, we present a strategy capable of overcoming the critical issue of short blood circulation time associated with most peptides by constructing a hybrid system between an aptide and a hapten cotinine-specific antibody.

Phosphorylation of GluA1-Ser831 by CaMKII Activation in the Caudate and Putamen Is Required for Behavioral Sensitization After Challenge Nicotine in Rats.

BACKGROUND: Phosphorylation of the glutamate receptor (GluA1) subunit of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor plays a crucial role in behavioral sensitization after exposure to psychostimulants. The present study determined the potential role of serine 831 (Ser831) phosphorylation in the GluA1 subunit of the caudate and putamen (CPu) in behavioral sensitization after challenge nicotine. METHODS: Challenge nicotine (0.4 mg/kg) was administered subcutaneously (s.c.) after 7 days of repeated exposure to nicotine (0.4 mg/kg, s.c.) followed by 3 days of withdrawal in rats. Bilateral intra-CPu infusions of drugs were mainly performed to test this hypothesis. RESULTS: Challenge nicotine increased both phosphorylated (p)Ser831 immunoreactivity (IR) and pCa2+/calmodulin-dependentprotein kinases II (pCaMKII)-IR in the medium spiny neurons (MSNs) of the CPu. These increases were prevented by bilateral intra-CPu infusion of the metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) antagonist MPEP (0.5 nmol/side) and the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist MK801 (2 nmol/side). However, the dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) antagonist SCH23390 (7.5 nmol/side) prevented only pSer831-IR alone. Bilateral intra-CPu infusion of the Tat-GluA1D peptide (25 pmol/side), which interferes with the binding of pCaMKII to GluA1-Ser831, decreased the challenge nicotine-induced increase in locomotor activity. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the GluA1-Ser831 phosphorylation in the MSNs of the CPu is required for the challenge nicotine-induced behavioral sensitization in rats. CaMKII activation linked to mGluR5 and NMDA receptors, but not to D1R, is essential for inducing the CaMKII-Ser831 interaction.

Molecular landscape of long noncoding RNAs in brain disorders.

According to current paradigms, various risk factors, such as genetic mutations, oxidative stress, neural network dysfunction, and abnormal protein degradation, contribute to the progression of brain disorders. Through the cooperation of gene transcripts in biological processes, the study of noncoding RNAs can lead to insights into the cause and treatment of brain disorders. Recently, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) which are longer than 200 nucleotides in length have been suggested as key factors in various brain disorders. Accumulating evidence suggests the potential of lncRNAs as diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. High-throughput screening-based sequencing has been instrumental in identification of lncRNAs that demand new approaches to understanding the progression of brain disorders. In this review, we discuss the recent progress in the study of lncRNAs, and addresses the pathogenesis of brain disorders that involve lncRNAs and describes the associations of lncRNAs with neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer disease (AD), Parkinson disease (PD), and neurodevelopmental disorders. We also discuss potential targets of lncRNAs and their promise as novel therapeutics and biomarkers in brain disorders.

Nicotine Rather Than Non-Nicotine Substances in 3R4F WCSC Increases Behavioral Sensitization and Drug-Taking Behavior in Rats.

INTRODUCTION: Nicotine increases reinforcing effects of cigarette smoking by upregulating glutamate and dopamine releases via stimulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the dorsal striatum (CPu). The present study was conducted to evaluate whether non-nicotine substances in cigarette smoke potentiate nicotine-induced behaviors by increasing glutamate and dopamine concentrations in the CPu. AIMS AND METHODS: Changes in the levels of glutamate and dopamine in the CPu were analyzed using a glutamate colorimetric assay and dopamine enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively, after repeated administration of nicotine or whole cigarette smoke condensate (WCSC) in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Changes in locomotion and drug-taking behavior were analyzed using the measurements of locomotor activity and self-administration under a fixed ratio 1 schedule in response to repeated administration of nicotine or WCSC. RESULTS: Repeated subcutaneous (s.c.) injections of nicotine (0.25 mg/kg/day) for 7 consecutive days significantly increased the levels of glutamate and dopamine in the CPu. Similar results were obtained from repeated injections of WCSC (0.25 mg/kg nicotine/day, s.c.) extracted from 3R4F Kentucky reference cigarettes. Parallel with the increases in the neurotransmitter levels in the CPu, both nicotine and WCSC increased locomotor activity and self-administration (0.03 mg/kg nicotine/infusion). However, repeated injections of WCSC did not change the nicotine-induced increases in neurotransmitter levels, locomotor activity, and self-administration. CONCLUSIONS: Nicotine rather than non-nicotine substances in WCSC play a major role in potentiating behavioral sensitization and drug-taking behavior via elevation of glutamate and dopamine concentrations in the CPu of rats. IMPLICATIONS: WCSC does not augment the nicotine-induced increases in behavioral sensitization, drug-taking behavior, and glutamate and dopamine concentrations, suggesting that non-nicotine substances do not potentiate the nicotine-induced behaviors by increasing the concentrations of the neurotransmitters in the CPu. These findings imply that nicotine, but not non-nicotine substances in WCSC, may be a major contributor that induces tobacco dependence in rats.

Linking of NMDA receptors and mGluR5 in the nucleus accumbens core to repeated cocaine-induced 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalization in rats.

Rats express a positive emotional state by emitting 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalization (USV) calls in response to drug exposure. This study demonstrated the linking of glutamate receptors in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) to vocal expression of 50-kHz USV calls after repeated cocaine administration in freely moving rats. Repeated systemic injections of cocaine (20 mg/kg/day, i.p.) for seven consecutive days increased the number of 50-kHz USV calls. Intra-NAc core infusion of the broad-glutamate receptor antagonist, γDGG (50 nmol/side), decreased the repeated cocaine-induced increase in the number of 50-kHz USV calls. Intra-NAc core infusion of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, MK801 (2 nmol/side), but not α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid or kainic acid receptor antagonist, CNQX disodium salt (2 nmol/side), decreased the number of 50-kHz USV calls that had been elevated by repeated exposure to cocaine. Intra-NAc core infusion of the group I metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGluR5), MPEP (0.5 nmol/side), MTEP (15 nmol/side) and inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor blocker, xestospongin C (0.004 nmol/side) decreased the cocaine-induced increase in the number of USV calls. These data suggest that the NMDA receptor- and mGluR5-dependent increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentrations in the NAc core is linked to a positive emotional state after repeated exposure to cocaine in rats.

Interaction of JNK and mGluR5 in the regulation of psychomotor behaviours after repeated cocaine administration.

Activation of protein kinases after cocaine administration controls psychomotor behaviours by interacting with metabotropic receptors in the brain. This study identified how c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) interacts with metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) in vitro and in the caudate and putamen (CPu). The potential role of this interaction in the regulation of psychomotor behaviour was also evaluated after administration of cocaine. Active JNK phosphorylates a threonine residue at position 1055 in the carboxyl terminus (CT) of mGluR5 in vitro. The binding of active JNK to the D-motif within CT2 is necessary for that phosphorylation. Interaction of phosphorylated JNK and mGluR5 occurs in the CPu. Unilateral interference of the interaction decreases the repeated cocaine-induced increases in locomotor activity and conditioned place preference. These findings suggest that activation of JNK has the capability to interact with mGluR5 in the CPu. Phosphorylation of mGluR5 following the JNK-mGluR5 interaction may be responsible for the potentiation of behavioural sensitisation and cocaine-wanting behaviour in response to cocaine administration.

Six-well plate-based colony-forming efficacy assay and Co-Culture application to assess toxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles.

The development of a universal, label-free, and reliable in vitro toxicity testing method for nanoparticles is urgent because most nanoparticles can interfere with toxicity assays. In this regard, the colony-forming efficacy (CFE) assay has been suggested as a suitable in vitro toxicity assay for testing nanoparticles without such interference. Recently, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) developed a 60 × 15 mm Petri dish-based CFE assay for testing nanoparticles in MDCK-1 cells. However, further investigations are needed, including testing with other cell types, at a smaller scale for greater efficiency, and the application of the co-culture technique. In this study, we selected TiO2, CuO, CeO2, and SiO2 as test nanoparticles and successfully developed a 6-well plate-based CFE assay using HepG2 and A549 cells and a co-culture assay for combinations of HepG2 cells and THP-1 macrophages or A549 cells and THP-1 monocytes. The results suggest that the 6-wellplate-based CFE assay for HepG2 and A549 cells can be applied to nanoparticles, but the co-culture CFE assay has limitations in that it is not different from the single culture study, and it inhibits colony-formation by A549 cells in the presence of macrophages; this warrant further study.

Diminishing sensitivity and absolute difference in value-driven attention.

Kim and Beck (2020b) demonstrated that value-driven attention is based on relative value rather than absolute value, suggesting that prospect theory is relevant to our understanding of value-driven attention. To further this understanding, the present study investigated the impacts of diminishing sensitivity on value-driven attention. According to diminishing sensitivity, changes in outcomes have greater impacts nearer the reference point of 0 than farther from the point. Thus, the difference between $1 and $100 looms larger than that between $901 and $1000, due to their different ratios (100/1 > 1000/901). However, according to the absolute difference hypothesis, the differences should have similar impacts due to the absolute differences being the same (100 - 1 = 1000 - 901). Experiment 1 investigated whether diminishing sensitivity operates in the modified value-driven attention paradigm while controlling the impact of absolute differences. In the training phase, 100-point and 1000-point color targets had references of 1-point and 901-point color targets, respectively. In the test phase, 100-point color distractors attracted attention more than 1000-point color distractors, supporting the diminishing sensitivity hypothesis. Experiment 2 examined the absolute difference hypothesis while controlling the impact of diminishing sensitivity. Contrary to the absolute difference hypothesis, the test phase showed that 1000-point color distractors (compared with 10-point colors for a 990 absolute difference in the training phase) failed to attract attention more than 100-point color distractors (compared with 1-point colors, for a 99 absolute difference). These results suggest that diminishing sensitivity rather than absolute difference influences value-driven attention, further supporting the relevance of prospect theory to value-driven attention.