KIRREL promotes the proliferation of gastric cancer cells and angiogenesis through the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.

Anti-angiogenesis is a promising therapeutic strategy for delaying tumour progression that offers, new hope for gastric cancer targeted therapy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the precise mechanism by which Kin of IRRE-like protein 1 (KIRREL) contributes to the development of gastric cancer, particularly in terms of tumour angiogenesis. Differential expression of KIRREL in tissues and cells was detected using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, western blotting and immunohistochemistry. A bioinformatics analysis was conducted to screen for the function and pathway enrichment of KIRREL in gastric cancer. Lentivirus-induced KIRREL silencing in SNU-5 cells and lentivirus-induced KIRREL overexpression in AGS cells were used to study the effect of KIRREL on the proliferation, cell cycle and angiogenesis of gastric cancer cells. Moreover, the expressions of PI3K, P-PI3K, AKT, P-AKT, mTOR, P-mTOR, HIF-1α and VEGF were also detected. Gastric cancer tissues and cells had high levels of KIRREL expression, which is associated with the proliferation, cell cycle and angiogenesis of gastric cancer cells. After silencing and overexpressing KIRREL in SNU-5 and AGS cells, respectively, the proliferation and angiogenesis of SNU-5 cells were inhibited, while the proliferation and angiogenesis of AGS cells were promoted. According to a bioinformatics analysis of the KIRREL gene, angiogenesis regulation and the PI3K/AKT pathway were highly connected. The PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway was repressed and stimulated by KIRREL silencing and overexpression, respectively. IGF-1, an AKT agonist, and LY294002, an inhibitor, reversed the effects of KIRREL silencing and overexpression on the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and on gastric cancer cell proliferation and angiogenesis. KIRREL may mediate the proliferation and angiogenesis of gastric cancer cells through the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway. These findings could help in the further development of potential anti-angiogenesis targets.

Ventral tegmental area dopaminergic circuits participates in stress-induced chronic postsurgical pain in male mice.

BACKGROUND: Chronic postsurgical pain (CPP) markedly impairs patients' quality of life. Research has shown that chronic stress may extend incisional nociception in male mice. Dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) are integral to stress-related mental disorders (including major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, and PTSD) and pain. However, the impact of chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) on mesolimbic dopamine (DA) transmission in the development of CPP is yet to be established. It remains uncertain whether the dopamine signals in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC), which regulate pain, derive from the VTA. This study aims to explore the role of VTA-rACC dopaminergic circuits in a mouse model of CPP induced by CSDS. METHODS: We conducted CSDS on C57BL/6 J wild-type male mice (n = 12-16 mice/group) and DAT-cre male mice (n = 10-12 mice/group). After 10 days of CSDS, a left posterior plantar incision was made to establish a mouse model of CPP. Paw withdrawal thresholds (PWTs) were evaluated using Von-Frey fibre stimulation. The open field test (OFT) and elevated plus maze test (EPM) were used to assess pain-related negative emotions. We used immunofluorescence staining and Western Blot to analyse D1, D2, c-Fos, and TH expression. DAergic fibre projections in the VTA-rACC neural pathway were traced using retrograde tracing and immunofluorescence staining. Optogenetics and Chemogenetics were employed to manipulate DAergic neurons in the VTA and their axons in the rACC. RESULTS: The ipsilateral PWTs in male C57BL/6 J mice significantly decreased after surgery, returning to baseline after seven days. Conversely, in CSDS mice, ipsilateral PWTs remained reduced for at least 30 days post-incision. A significant reduction in TH-positive neurons expressing c-Fos in the VTA of CPP mice was observed 15 days post-incision. Activating DAergic neurons significantly improved ipsilateral PWTs and locomotor performance in the OFT and EPM in CPP mice post-incision. Additionally, D1 expression in the rACC was found to decrease in CPP mice, and this reduction counteracted the increase in PWTs caused by activating DAergic neuron axon terminals in the rACC. CONCLUSION: CSDS results in chronicity of postsurgical nociception and anxiety-like negative emotions, with alterations in DA transmission playing a role in CPP. Specific activation of DAergic neurons mitigates nociceptive responses and anxiety-like bahaviors, possibly mediated by D1 receptors in the rACC.

Electrochemically Driven para-Selective C(sp2)-H Alkylation Enabled by Activation of Alkyl Halides without Sacrificial Anodes.

With alkyl halides (I, Br, Cl) as a coupling partner, an electrochemically driven strategy for para-selective C(sp2)-H alkylation of electron-deficient arenes (aryl esters, aldehydes, nitriles, and ketones) has been achieved to access diverse alkylated arenes in one step. The reaction enables the activation of alkyl halides in the absence of sacrificial anodes, achieving the formation of C(sp2)-C(sp3) bonds under mild electrolytic conditions. The utility of this protocol is reflected in high site selectivity, broad substrate scope, and scalable.

Liraglutide Reduces Alcohol Consumption, Anxiety, Memory Impairment, and Synapse Loss in Alcohol Dependent Mice.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) analogues have been commercialized for the management of type 2 diabetes. Recent studies have underscored GLP-1's role as a modulator of alcohol-related behavior. However, the role of the GLP-1 analogue liraglutide on alcohol-withdrawal responses have not been fully elucidated. Liraglutide binds to the G-protein-coupled receptor and activates an adenylyl cyclase and the associated classic growth factor signaling pathway, which acts growth factor-like and neuroprotective properties. The underlying neurobiological mechanisms of liraglutide on alcohol withdrawal remains unknown. This study endeavored to explore the effects of liraglutide on the emotion and memory ability of alcohol-withdrawal mice, and synaptic morphology in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the hippocampus (HP), and thus affects the relapse-like drinking of alcohol-withdrawal mice. The alcohol-withdrawal group was reintroduced to a 20% v/v alcohol and water through the two-bottle choice for four consecutive days, a period referred to as alcohol re-drinking. Male C57BL/6J mice were exposed to a regimen of 20% alcohol and water for a duration of 6 weeks. This regimen established the two-bottle choice model of alcohol exposure. Learning capabilities, memory proficiency, and anxiety-like behavior were evaluated using the Morris water maze, open field, and elevated plus maze paradigms. Furthermore, synaptic morphology and the levels of synaptic transport-related proteins were assessed via Golgi staining and Western Blot analysis after a two-week alcohol deprivation period. Alcohol re-drinking of alcohol-withdrawal mice was also evaluated using a two-bottle choice paradigm. Our findings indicate that liraglutide can substantially decrease alcohol consumption and preference (p < 0.05) in the alcohol group and enhance learning and memory performance (p < 0.01), as well as alleviate anxiety-like behavior (p < 0.01) of alcohol-withdrawal mice. Alcohol consumption led to a reduction in dendritic spine density in the mPFC and HP, which was restored to normal levels by liraglutide (p < 0.001). Furthermore, liraglutide was found to augment the levels of synaptic transport-related proteins in mice subjected to alcohol withdrawal (p < 0.01). The study findings corroborate that liraglutide has the potential to mitigate alcohol consumption and ameliorate the memory impairments and anxiety induced by alcohol withdrawal. The therapeutic efficacy of liraglutide might be attributed to its role in counteracting synapse loss in the mPFC and HP regions and thus prevented relapse-like drinking in alcohol-withdrawal mice.

The Role of Placental DNA Methylation at Reproduction-Related Genes in Associations between Prenatal Bisphenol Analogues Exposure and the Digit Ratio in Children at Age 4: A Birth Cohort Study.

Placental DNA methylation (DNAm) may be a potential mechanism underlying the effects of prenatal bisphenol analogues (BPs) exposure on reproductive health. Based on the Shanghai-Minhang Birth Cohort Study (S-MBCS), this study investigated associations of placental DNAm at reproduction-related genes with prenatal BPs exposure and children's digit ratios at age 4 using multiple linear regression models, and mediation analysis was further used to examine the mediating role of placental DNAm in the associations between prenatal BPs exposure and digit ratios among 345 mother-child pairs. Prenatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) was associated with hypermethylation at Protocadherin 8 (PCDH8), RBMX Like 2 (RBMXL2), and Sperm Acrosome Associated 1 (SPACA1), while bisphenol F (BPF) exposure was associated with higher methylation levels of Fibroblast Growth Factor 13 (FGF13). Consistent patterns were found in associations between higher DNAm at the 4 genes and increased digit ratios. Further mediation analysis showed that about 15% of the effect of BPF exposure on increased digit ratios was mediated by placental FGF13 methylation. In conclusion, the altered placental DNAm status might be a mediator underlying the feminizing effect of prenatal BPs exposure.

Prenatal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances exposure and gut microbiota of infants: A prospective cohort study.

Prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) has been reported to be linked to a series of adverse health outcomes in mothers and their children. As the gut microbiota is a sensitive biomarker for assessing the toxicity of environmental contaminants, this study attempted to investigate whether prenatal PFASs exposure was associated with the gut microbiota of infants. Based on the Shanghai-Minhang Birth Cohort Study, this prospective cohort study included 69 mother-infant pairs. Fasting blood samples were collected from pregnant women for the PFASs assay. We collected fecal samples of infants at 1 year of age and analyzed the V3-V4 hypervariable region of the bacterial 16 S rRNA gene by high-throughput sequencing. Among the detected 11 PFASs, the concentration of perfluorooctanoic acid (22.19 ng/mL) was the highest, followed by perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (12.08 ng/mL). Compared with infants whose mothers' total PFASs concentrations during pregnancy were at the 40th percentile or lower (reference group), the species richness and diversity of microbiota were lower in infants prenatally exposed to a high level of PFASs (the sum of PFASs concentrations above the 60th percentile). Prenatal exposure to PFASs was associated with a higher proportion of Acidaminococcaceae, Acidaminococcus, Megamonas, Megasphaera micronuciformis and Megamonas funiformis in infants. The changes of the species have been suggested to be associated with immune and metabolic dysfunction in humans. Functional alterations of gut microbiota due to PFASs exposure were dominated by an enrichment of butanoate metabolism. Our preliminary findings may shed light on the potential role of the microbiota underlying the well-known impact of prenatal PFASs exposure on health outcomes of humans in later life.

The function and mechanisms of action of circular RNAs in Urologic Cancer.

Kidney, bladder, and prostate cancer are the three major tumor types of the urologic system that seriously threaten human health. Circular RNAs (CircRNAs), special non-coding RNAs with a stabile structure and a unique back-splicing loop-forming ability, have received recent scientific attention. CircRNAs are widely distributed within the body, with important biologic functions such as sponges for microRNAs, as RNA binding proteins, and as templates for regulation of transcription and protein translation. The abnormal expression of circRNAs in vivo is significantly associated with the development of urologic tumors. CircRNAs have now emerged as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of urologic tumors, as well as targets for the development of new therapies. Although we have gained a better understanding of circRNA, there are still many questions to be answered. In this review, we summarize the properties of circRNAs and detail their function, focusing on the effects of circRNA on proliferation, metastasis, apoptosis, metabolism, and drug resistance in kidney, bladder, and prostate cancers.

Prenatal Exposure to Perfluoroalkyl Substances and Cognitive and Neurobehavioral Development in Children at 6 Years of Age.

Epidemiological evidence regarding the effects of prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) on neurodevelopment in children is inconclusive. In 449 mother-child pairs from the Shanghai-Minhang Birth Cohort Study, we measured the concentrations of 11 PFASs in maternal plasma samples obtained at 12-16 weeks of gestation. We assessed children's neurodevelopment at 6 years of age by the fourth edition of the Chinese Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children and Child Behavior Checklist for ages 6-18. We evaluated the association between prenatal exposure to PFASs and children's neurodevelopment and the effect modification of maternal dietary factors during pregnancy and the child's sex. We found that prenatal exposure to multiple PFASs was associated with increased scores for attention problems, and the individual effect of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was statistically significant. However, no statistically significant association between PFASs and cognitive development was observed. Additionally, we found the effect modification of maternal nut intake and child's sex. In conclusion, this study suggests that prenatal exposure to PFASs was associated with more attention problems, and maternal nut intake during pregnancy may alter the potential effect of PFASs. However, these findings were exploratory because of multiple testing and the relatively small sample size.

A potential primary method for peptide purity analysis by gas chromatography-isotope dilution infrared spectrometry.

Here we proposed a method for peptide purity analysis using gas chromatography-isotope dilution infrared spectroscopy. The principle and feasibility of the proposed measurement method were investigated. The derivatization, separation, and infrared detection conditions for amino acids were optimized, and the performance of the method was investigated. Then, the proposed method was used for assessment of [Glu1]-fibrinopeptide B purity, and the results were compared with those obtained by high performance liquid chromatography-isotope dilution mass spectrometry. The average purity of six sub-samples using the proposed method was (0.755 ± 0.017) g/g, which agreed well with that obtained by isotope dilution mass spectrometry (0.754 ± 0.012) g/g. The repeatability of the proposed method was 2.2%, which was similar to that of isotope dilution mass spectrometry (1.7%). The proposed method has a similar principle and had similar accuracy, precision, and linearity to isotope dilution mass spectrometry; however, the developed method had higher limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) values because of the low sensitivity of infrared detection. The results were also Système International d'Unités (SI) traceable. The developed method has the advantage of lower cost compared with isotope dilution mass spectrometry because only one isotope-labeled atom in an analog is required, and several infrared spectra can be extracted, averaged, and used for an amino acid calculation during one run, potentially leading to higher accuracy. This method could be easily expanded to the accurate quantitation of other organic compounds, including proteins. It is expected that the proposed method will be widely used in chemical and biological measurements as a new primary method.

Emotional bias modification weakens game-related compulsivity and reshapes frontostriatal pathways.

Addiction is characterized by compulsive engagement despite adverse consequences. Psychobehavioural interventions targeting compulsivity in addictions are relatively rare, particularly for behavioural addictions like internet gaming disorder (IGD). Free from confounding drug-on-brain effects, IGD provides a promising model for understanding neuropsychological processes of addictions. IGD is a global concern in the setting of increasing internet use worldwide. Thus, developing interventions and understanding their mechanisms of action are important. Positive emotional association biases (EABs) towards addiction cues based on reward conditioning may underlie addiction-associated compulsivity. Here, we developed an EAB modification (EABM) protocol and examined whether modifying EABs via cognitive training would alter neurocognitive aspects of addiction-associated compulsivity in IGD. We recruited 90 IGD participants who were randomly assigned to receive EABM or sham training in a 1:1 ratio (clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT04068064). The EABM intervention involved six consecutive days of exposure to negative emotional terms linked to gaming stimuli and positive terms linked to non-gaming healthy-alternative stimuli. The sham training involved similar stimuli linked to neutral words. Participants underwent event-related functional MRI while performing a regulation-of-craving task and received several behavioural assessments pretraining and post-training. Primary efficacy measures were changes in gaming-related positive EABs, and compulsive gaming thoughts and behaviours. Behaviourally, EABM (versus sham) training decreased gaming-related positive EABs and compulsive gaming thoughts and behaviours. Neurally, EABM training involved decreased activation in the bilateral dorsal striatum in the regulation-of-craving task and altered left dorsal striatum-centric functional connectivity with ventral prefrontal cortical regions, which correlated with decreases in gaming-related EABs or compulsive gaming thoughts and behaviours. EABM training also implicated activation changes in the right medial frontal gyrus and posterior insula. EABM may reduce compulsive gaming thoughts and behaviours via reshaping functional organization of frontostriatal pathways and insular activity in IGD. The therapeutic potential of EABM should be examined in larger, longer-term studies, as should its application to other addictive disorders.

Prenatal exposures to isoflavones and neurobehavioral development in children at 2 and 4 years of age: A birth cohort study.

Isoflavones (ISOs) are plant-derived estrogen-like compounds, which were already proved with cognition benefits on elderly people. However, studies assessing the associations between prenatal ISOs exposure and children's neurodevelopment are scarce. This study aimed to examine the associations between maternal urinary ISOs concentrations, including genistein (GEN), daidzein (DAD), glycitein (GLY), and metabolite equol (EQU), and children's neurodevelopment, based on a Chinese cohort study. Participants in this study were pregnant women recruited at 12-16 weeks of gestation, and they provided a single spot urine sample for the ISOs assay. Neurodevelopment was measured using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) at 2 and 4 years of age. Negative binomial regression analysis and Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) were performed to examine the associations between maternal urinary ISOs concentrations and CBCL scores. Associations were observed between moderate levels of prenatal ISOs exposure and decreased risks of childhood neurobehavioral problems, while the highest level of prenatal ISOs exposure was associated with increased risks of neurobehavioral problems among children. The neuroprotective effects were consistently between moderate DAD exposure and specific neurobehavioral problems, across different ages and sexes. For example, compared with the lowest exposure level, the third quartile group was associated with less Anxious/Depressed problems in boys at 2 years of age (RR=0.72 (95%CI: 0.52, 0.99)), girls at 2 years of age (RR=0.70 (95%CI: 0.46, 1.06)), boys at 4 years of age (RR=0.73 (95%CI: 0.55, 0.96)), and girls at 4 years of age (RR=0.95 (95%CI: 0.68, 1.31)).

The associations between concentrations of gestational bisphenol analogues and thyroid related hormones in cord blood: A prospective cohort study.

Animal studies indicated that Bisphenol analogues (BPs) exhibited potential thyroid toxicity. However, little is known of the associations between maternal BPs exposure and offspring's thyroid related hormones in humans. On the basis of Shanghai-Minhang Birth Cohort study, we analyzed BPs in maternal urine collected at the third trimester of pregnancy. Thyroid related hormones (THs), including total triiodothyronine (TT3), free triiodothyronine (FT3), total thyroxine (TT4), free thyroxine (FT4), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) were measured in cord blood samples. We performed multiple linear regression and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models to explore the single and joint effects of gestational BPs exposure on thyroid related hormones in cord blood among 258 mother-child pairs. Statistically significant inverse associations of categorized BPA with FT3 and TT4 concentrations were observed. We also found a significant association between the mixture of BPs in maternal urine and increased concentration of TT3 in cord blood and a marginally significant association between BPs mixture and increased FT3 concentrations. Further associations of BPA with lower TT4/FT4 and of Bisphenol AF (BPAF) with higher TT3/FT3 were also suggestive, by BKMR model, when other BPs were fixed at 25th percentiles. It was concluded that prenatal BPs exposure was associated with THs in cord blood. Exposure to BPA and BPAF might have large contributions to the effects on thyroid function than other bisphenols.

Comparison of Synthetic Methods and Identification of Several Artificial Antigens of Deoxynivalenol.

The purpose of this experiment was to study the design and modification of hapten molecules and artificial antigen molecules of deoxynivalenol (DON), and to compare the preparation and identification methods of four artificial antigens. According to the characteristics of the molecular structure of DON, four artificial antigen coupling methods were designed-namely, N,N'-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI), 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC), isobutyl chloroformate (IBCF), and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS)-to prepare artificial antigens and detection antigens. Through ultraviolet (UV), infrared (IR), and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), along with other physical and chemical identification methods and animal immunisation, the best artificial antigen coupling method was screened. The results showed that the CDI method achieved the best effect among the synthesis methods. The titre of anti-DON polyclonal antibody (pAb) produced by animal immunisation reached 1: (6.4 × 103). The half inhibitory concentration (IC50) was 47.75 ng/mL, the cross-reaction rate with 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3-AcDON) was slightly higher at 35.3%, and there was no cross-reaction with other compounds; therefore, four artificial antigens were successfully prepared by using the molecular structure of DON. Through identification, the CDI method was screened as the best artificial antigen synthesis method, with the highest DON pAb titre, the best sensitivity, and the strongest specificity. This will lay a solid antigenic foundation for the preparation of better anti-DON monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in the future.

Spinal microglial activation promotes perioperative social defeat stress-induced prolonged postoperative pain in a sex-dependent manner.

Prolonged postsurgical pain, which is associated with multiple risk factors in the perioperative stage, is a common medical and social problem worldwide. Suitable animal models should be established to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the perioperative prolonged postsurgical pain. In this study, standard and modified social defeat stress mice models, including chronic social defeat stress (CSDS), chronic nondiscriminatory social defeat stress (CNSDS) and vicarious social defeat stress (VSDS), were applied to explore the effect of perioperative social defeat stress on postsurgical pain in male and female mice. Our results showed that exposure to preoperative CSDS could induce prolonged postsurgical pain in defeated mice regardless of susceptibility or resilience differentiated by the social interaction test. Similar prolongation of incision-induced mechanical hypersensitivity was also observed in both sexes upon exposing to CNSDS or VSDS in the preoperative period. Moreover, we found that using the modified CNSDS or VSDS models at different recovery stages after surgery could still promote abnormal pain without sex differences. Further studies revealed the key role of spinal microglial activation in the stress-induced transition from acute to prolonged postoperative pain in male but not female mice. Together, these data indicate that perioperative social defeat stress is a vital risk factor for developing prolonged postoperative pain in both sexes, but the promotion of stress-induced prolonged postoperative pain by spinal microglial activation is sexually dimorphic in mice.

Long non-coding RNA CTSLP8 mediates ovarian cancer progression and chemotherapy resistance by modulating cellular glycolysis and regulating c-Myc expression through PKM2.

PURPOSE: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play vital roles in tumor progression and resistance. Ovarian cancer (OC), a common gynecological cancer, is associated with poor prognosis as it can progress to peritoneal metastasis and develop resistance to chemotherapy. This study aimed to examine the role of lncRNAs in the development of chemotherapy resistance in OC. METHODS: The clinical samples were divided into chemotherapy-sensitive and chemotherapy-resistant groups based on the chemotherapy response at follow-up. The glycolysis levels in the two groups were analyzed using positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scanning and immunohistochemistry. GEO dataset analysis revealed the expression of CTSLP8 in chemotherapy-resistant patients with OC. Two pairs of normal and diamminodichloroplatinum (DDP)-resistant cells were transfected with CTSLP8 overexpression and knockdown constructs to examine the functions of CTSLP8 in the OC cells and elucidate the underlying mechanisms. The in vivo effect of CTSLP8 overexpression and knockdown on the chemotherapy response of tumors was examined using a mouse subcutaneous tumor model. The tissue chips were subjected to fluorescence in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining to examine the correlation among CTSLP8 expression, DDP resistance, and prognosis in OC. RESULTS: The dataset analysis demonstrated that CTSLP8 was upregulated in chemotherapy-resistant tumor tissues. CTSLP8 promoted the proliferation and development of DDP resistance in the OC cells. Moreover, CTSLP8 promoted c-Myc expression by facilitating the binding of PKM2 to the promoter region of c-Myc, thereby upregulating glycolysis. The analysis of tissue chips revealed that the upregulation of CTSLP8 was associated with the development of DDP resistance and poor prognosis in patients with OC. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that CTSLP8 forms a complex with PKM2 to regulate c-Myc, and this action results in the upregulation of cellular glycolysis, consequently promoting OC progression and development of chemotherapy resistance. HEADLIGHTS: 1. CTSLP8 was upregulated in the chemotherapy-resistant tumor tissues. 2. CTSLP8 promoted the proliferation and cisplatin resistance in the OC cells. 3. CTSLP8 promoted glycolysis by facilitating the binding of PKM2 to the promoter region of c-Myc. 4. Inhibition of CTSLP8 or the combination of c-Myc inhibitors with cisplatin were potential therapeutic strategies for chemotherapy-resistant of OC.

Stanniocalcin-2 promotes cell EMT and glycolysis via activating ITGB2/FAK/SOX6 signaling pathway in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Stanniocalcin-2 (STC2) has been proved to regulate a variety of signaling pathways including cell growth, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. However, the role of STC2 in the regulation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the regulatory function of STC2 on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and glycolysis traits in NPC and revealed the underlying molecular mechanisms. We found that STC2 was highly expressed in primary nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues and lymph node metastatic tissues. Silencing of STC2 inhibited cell proliferation, invasion, and glycolysis. Further analyses for the clinical samples demonstrated that STC2 expression was associated with the poor clinical progression. Moreover, we demonstrated the interaction of ITGB2 with STC2 and its involvement in STC2-mediated ITGB2/FAK/SOX6 axis. Collectively, our results provide new insights into understanding the regulatory mechanism of STC2 and suggest that the STC2/ITGB2/FAK/SOX6 signaling axis may be a potential therapeutic target for NPC.

Connectome-based prediction of craving for gaming in internet gaming disorder.

BACKGROUND: Craving-related brain responses have been associated with the emergence and maintenance of addictions. However, little is known about brain network organizations underlying cravings in internet gaming disorder (IGD). METHODS: Sixty-six IGD subjects and 61 matched individuals with recreational game use (RGU) were scanned while performing a cue-craving task. A recently developed whole-brain analysis approach, connectome-based predictive modelling (CPM) with leave-one-out cross-validation was conducted to identify networks that predicted craving responses in IGD. Then, the craving network was tested in different brain states (cue-craving under deprivation) to investigate replicability. RESULTS: CPM identified an IGD craving network, as indicated by a significant correspondence between predicted and actual craving values (r = 0.49, p < 0.001), characterized by within-network default mode (DMN) connectivity and connectivity between canonical networks implicated in executive/cognitive control (frontoparietal, medial frontal, DMN) and reward responsiveness (subcortical, motor/sensory). Network strength in the cue-craving task during gaming deprivation also predicted IGD craving scores (r = 0.43, p = 0.017), indicating network replication across brain states. CONCLUSIONS: The CPM results demonstrate that individual differences in cognitive, attention, and control network function can predict craving intensities in IGD subjects. These networks may be targets for potential interventions using brain modulation.

Ovarian cancer: epigenetics, drug resistance, and progression.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in women. OC is associated with the activation of oncogenes, the inactivation of tumor suppressor genes, and the activation of abnormal cell signaling pathways. Moreover, epigenetic processes have been found to play an important role in OC tumorigenesis. Epigenetic processes do not change DNA sequences but regulate gene expression through DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNA. This review comprehensively considers the importance of epigenetics in OC, with a focus on microRNA and long non-coding RNA. These types of RNA are promising molecular markers and therapeutic targets that may support precision medicine in OC. DNA methylation inhibitors and histone deacetylase inhibitors may be useful for such targeting, with a possible novel approach combining these two therapies. Currently, the clinical application of such epigenetic approaches is limited by multiple obstacles, including the heterogeneity of OC, insufficient sample sizes in reported studies, and non-optimized methods for detecting potential tumor markers. Nonetheless, the application of epigenetic approaches to OC patient diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis is a promising area for future clinical investigation.

Disrupted prefrontal regulation of striatum-related craving in Internet gaming disorder revealed by dynamic causal modeling: results from a cue-reactivity task.

BACKGROUND: Studies of Internet gaming disorder (IGD) suggest an imbalanced relationship between cognitive control and reward processing in people with IGD. However, it remains unclear how these two systems interact with each other, and whether they could serve as neurobiological markers for IGD. METHODS: Fifty IGD subjects and matched individuals with recreational game use (RGU) were selected and compared when they were performing a cue-craving task. Regions of interests [anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), lentiform nucleus] were selected based on the comparison between brain responses to gaming-related cues and neutral cues. Directional connectivities among these brain regions were determined using Bayesian estimation. We additionally examined the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) in a separate analysis based on data implicating the PCC in craving in addiction. RESULTS: During fixed-connectivity analyses, IGD subjects showed blunted ACC-to-lentiform and lentiform-to-ACC connectivity relative to RGU subjects, especially in the left hemisphere. When facing gaming cues, IGD subjects trended toward lower left-hemispheric modulatory effects in ACC-to-lentiform connectivity than RGU subjects. Self-reported cue-related craving prior to scanning correlated inversely with left-hemispheric modulatory effects in ACC-to-lentiform connectivity. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggesting that prefrontal-to-lentiform connectivity is impaired in IGD provides a possible neurobiological mechanism for difficulties in controlling gaming-cue-elicited cravings. Reduced connectivity ACC-lentiform connectivity may be a useful neurobiological marker for IGD.

Short-form RON (sf-RON) enhances glucose metabolism to promote cell proliferation via activating ß-catenin/SIX1 signaling pathway in gastric cancer.

Recepteur d'origine nantais (RON) has been implicated in cell proliferation, metastasis, and chemoresistance of various human malignancies. The short-form RON (sf-RON) encoded by RON transcripts was overexpressed in gastric cancer tissues, but its regulatory functions remain illustrated. Here, we found that sf-RON promoted gastric cancer cell proliferation by enhancing glucose metabolism. Furthermore, sf-RON was proved to induce the ß-catenin expression level through the AKT1/GSK3ß signaling pathway. Meanwhile, the binding sites of ß-catenin were identified in the promoter region of SIX1 and it was also demonstrated that ß-catenin positively regulated SIX1 expression. SIX1 enhanced the promoter activity of key proteins in glucose metabolism, such as GLUT1 and LDHA. Results indicated that sf-RON regulated the cell proliferation and glucose metabolism of gastric cancer by participating in a sf-RON/ß-catenin/SIX1 signaling axis and had significant implications for choosing the therapeutic target of gastric cancer.