The effects of a mindfulness-based family psychoeducation intervention for the caregivers of young adults with first-episode psychosis: A randomized controlled trial

Objective: In this study, we investigated the effects of a mindfulness-based family psychoeducation (MBFPE) program on the mental-health outcomes of both caregivers and young adults with first-episode psychosis with an onset in the past three years through a multi-site randomized controlled trial. We also studied the outcomes of three potential mediating effects of interpersonal mindfulness, expressed emotions, and non-attachment on the program. Method: We randomly assigned 65 caregivers of young adults with psychosis to MBFPE (n = 33) or an ordinary family psychoeducation (FPE) program (n = 32); among them, 18 young adults in recovery also participated in the evaluation of outcomes. Results: Intent-to-treat analyses were conducted. No significant time × group interaction effects of MBFPE and FPE programs were found in any of the caregivers’ outcomes. However, the young adults with psychosis reported higher levels of recovery after the MBFPE program than after the ordinary FPE program (F = 8.268, p = 0.012, d = 1.484). They also reported a larger reduction in over-involvement of their caregivers (F = 4.846, p = 0.044, d = 1.136), showing that MBFPE had a superior effect to FPE in promoting recovery and reducing over-involvement. Conclusions: A brief psychoeducation program may not reduce the burden on or improve the mental-health outcome of caregivers of individuals with recent-onset psychosis. However, integrating mindfulness into a conventional family psychoeducation program may reduce the expressed emotions of caregivers, especially over-involvement. Further studies should explore how psychoeducation programs can reduce the impact of psychosis on family through sustainable effects in terms of reducing their burden and expressed emotions, using a rigorous study and adequate sample size

Variation in Gene Expression Patterns in Human Gastric Cancers

Gastric cancer is the world's second most common cause of cancer death. We analyzed gene expression patterns in 90 primary gastric cancers, 14 metastatic gastric cancers, and 22 nonneoplastic gastric tissues, using cDNA microarrays representing ∼30,300 genes. Gastric cancers were distinguished from nonneoplastic gastric tissues by characteristic differences in their gene expression patterns. We found a diversity of gene expression patterns in gastric cancer, reflecting variation in intrinsic properties of tumor and normal cells and variation in the cellular composition of these complex tissues. We identified several genes whose expression levels were significantly correlated with patient survival. The variations in gene expression patterns among cancers in different patients suggest differences in pathogenetic pathways and potential therapeutic strategies

A Comprehensive Human Gastric Cancer Organoid Biobank Captures Tumor Subtype Heterogeneity and Enables Therapeutic Screening

Leung and colleagues established a biobank of patient-derived gastric cancer organoids that encompasses a diverse array of subtypes and maintained long-term similarity to the original tumors. They used the organoids to perform large-scale drug screening that identified potential target drugs and could guide patient drug selection

Overexpression of NANOG in Gestational Trophoblastic Diseases : Effect on Apoptosis, Cell Invasion, and Clinical Outcome

Gestational trophoblastic disease includes choriocarcinoma, a frankly malignant tumor, and hydatidiform mole (HM), which often leads to the development of persistent gestational trophoblastic neoplasia and requires chemotherapy. NANOG is an important transcription factor that is crucial for maintaining embryonic stem cell self-renewal and pluripotency. We postulated that NANOG is involved in the pathogenesis of gestational trophoblastic disease. In this study, significantly higher NANOG mRNA and protein expression levels, by quantitative PCR and immunoblotting, respectively, were demonstrated in HMs, particularly those that developed persistent disease, when compared with normal placentas. In addition, significantly increased nuclear NANOG immunoreactivity was found by immunohistochemistry in HMs (P < 0.001) and choriocarcinoma (P = 0.002). Higher NANOG expression levels were demonstrated in HMs that developed persistent disease, as compared with those that regressed (P = 0.025). Nuclear localization of NANOG was confirmed by confocal microscopy and immunoblotting in choriocarcinoma cell lines. There was a significant inverse correlation between NANOG immunoreactivity and apoptotic index assessed by M30 CytoDeath antibody (P = 0.012). After stable knockdown of NANOG in the choriocarcinoma cell line JEG-3 by an shRNA approach, increased apoptosis was observed in relation to with enhanced caspases and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activities. NANOG knockdown was also associated with decreased mobility and invasion of JEG-3 and down-regulation of matrix metalloproteases 2 and 9. These findings suggest that NANOG is involved in the pathogenesis and clinical progress of gestational trophoblastic disease, likely through its effect on apoptosis, cell migration, and invasion

A Comprehensive Human Gastric Cancer Organoid Biobank Captures Tumor Subtype Heterogeneity and Enables Therapeutic Screening

Gastric cancer displays marked molecular heterogeneity with aggressive behavior and treatment resistance. Therefore, good in vitro models that encompass unique subtypes are urgently needed for precision medicine development. Here, we have established a primary gastric cancer organoid (GCO) biobank that comprises normal, dysplastic, cancer, and lymph node metastases (n = 63) from 34 patients, including detailed whole-exome and transcriptome analysis. The cohort encompasses most known molecular subtypes (including EBV, MSI, intestinal/CIN, and diffuse/GS, with CLDN18-ARHGAP6 or CTNND1-ARHGAP26 fusions or RHOA mutations), capturing regional heterogeneity and subclonal architecture, while their morphology, transcriptome, and genomic profiles remain closely similar to in vivo tumors, even after long-term culture. Large-scale drug screening revealed sensitivity to unexpected drugs that were recently approved or in clinical trials, including Napabucasin, Abemaciclib, and the ATR inhibitor VE-822. Overall, this new GCO biobank, with linked genomic data, provides a useful resource for studying both cancer cell biology and precision cancer therapy