The claudin family of proteins in human malignancy: A clinical perspective

Tight junctions, or zonula occludens, are the most apical component of the junctional complex and provide one form of cell–cell adhesion in epithelial and endothelial cells. Nearly 90% of malignant tumors are derived from the epithelium. Loss of cell–cell adhesion is one of the steps in the progression of cancer to metastasis. At least three main tight junction family proteins have been discovered: occludin, claudin, and junctional adhesion molecule (JAM). Claudins are the most important structural and functional components of tight junction integral membrane proteins, with at least 24 members in mammals. They are crucial for the paracellular flux of ions and small molecules. Overexpression or downregulation of claudins is frequently observed in epithelial-derived cancers. However, molecular mechanisms by which claudins affect tumorigenesis remain largely unknown. As the pivotal proteins in epithelial cells, altered expression and distribution of different claudins have been reported in a wide variety of human malignancies, including pancreatic, colonic, lung, ovarian, thyroid, prostate, esophageal, and breast cancers. In this review, we will give the readers an overall picture of the changes in claudin expression observed in various cancers and their mechanisms of regulation. Downregulation of claudins contributes to epithelial transformation by increasing the paracellular permeability of nutrients and growth factors to cancerous cells. In the cases of upregulation of claudin expression, the barrier function of the cancerous epithelia changes, as they often display a disorganized arrangement of tight junction strands with increased permeability to paracellular markers. Finally, we will summarize the literature suggesting that claudins may become useful biomarkers for cancer detection and diagnosis as well as possible therapeutic targets for cancer treatment

Method of detecting cancer using delta-catenin

The present invention provides a method for detecting or screening for the presence of cancer in a subject. The method comprises obtaining, providing or collecting a tissue or fluid sample (such as a urine sample) from said subject, and then determining the presence or absence of delta-catenin in said sample, or increased levels of delta-catenin in said sample as compared to a normal or control subject. The presence of delta-catentin in said sample, or increased levels of delta-catenin in said sample, indicating said subject is afflicted with or at least at risk of developing cancer

1-{1-[(2-Chloro­thia­zol-5-yl)meth­yl]-5-methyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl}ethanone

In the title compound, C9H9ClN4OS, the two rings enclose a dihedral angle of 84.67 (11)°. Inter­molecular C—H⋯O and C—H⋯N hydrogen bonds stabilize the crystal packing

Global quark polarization in non-central A+AA+A collisions

Partons produced in the early stage of non-central heavy-ion collisions can develop a longitudinal fluid shear because of unequal local number densities of participant target and projectile nucleons. Under such fluid shear, local parton pairs with non-vanishing impact parameter have finite local relative orbital angular momentum along the direction opposite to the reaction plane. Such finite relative orbital angular momentum among locally interacting quark pairs can lead to global quark polarization along the same direction due to spin-orbital coupling. Local longitudinal fluid shear is estimated within both Landau fireball and Bjorken scaling model of initial parton production. Quark polarization through quark-quark scatterings with the exchange of a thermal gluon is calculated beyond small-angle scattering approximation in a quark-gluon plasma. The polarization is shown to have a non-monotonic dependence on the local relative orbital angular momentum dictated by the interplay between electric and magnetic interaction. It peaks at a value of relative orbital angular momentum which scales with the magnetic mass of the exchanged gluons. With the estimated small longitudinal fluid shear in semi-peripheral $Au+Au$ collisions at the RHIC energy, the final quark polarization is found to be small $|P_q|<0.04$ in the weak coupling limit. Possible behavior of the quark polarization in the strong coupling limit and implications on the experimental detection of such global quark polarization at RHIC and LHC are also discussed.Comment: 28 pages,11 figure

Guidezilla extension catheter for percutaneous interventional therapy of complex lesions via a transradial approach: Case series from a single-center experience

   Background: Guide catheter extension systems have become one of the most powerful tools for address­ing complex lesions during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), but data on a new-generation rapid exchange extension catheter — the Guidezilla catheter — are limited. Summarized herein reports on experience using the Guidezilla catheter for complex coronary lesions via a transradial approach at the documented institution an evaluation of its safety and efficacy. Methods: A total of 25 patients (19 males and 6 females) who underwent PCI via the radial approach with the Guidezilla catheter for adequate back-up support and to facilitate equipment delivery were enrolled. The clinical, angiographic and procedural data of all 26 procedures in 25 patients (1 patient underwent two PCI procedures on different lesions) were collected to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this novel equipment. Results: The mean age of the enrolled patients was 67.7 ± 8.41 years old. The mean depth of intuba­tion was 27.90 ± 12.23 mm. Stent implantation was successful in 23 out of 26 procedures (88.5%) and failed in 3 cases: 1 case of tortuosity and severe angulation in a chronic total occlusion lesion; 1 case of an existing type B dissection (NHLBI classification system for coronary artery dissection types); and 1 case in which a stent was stripped off its balloon. None of the patients experienced coronary dissection, perforation, air embolism, pressure dampening or other major complications during the procedure. Conclusions: The Guidezilla extension catheter is an effective and safe tool that provides improved back-up support and increases the success rate of PCI for complex coronary lesion by radial access

Increased nucleotide polymorphic changes in the 5'-untranslated region of δ-catenin (CTNND2) gene in prostate cancer

Cancer pathogenesis involves multiple genetic and epigenetic alterations, which result in oncogenic changes in gene expression. δ-Catenin (CTNND2) is overexpressed in cancer although the mechanisms of its upregulation are highly variable. Here we report that in prostate cancer the methylation of CpG islands in δ-catenin promoter was not a primary regulatory event. There was also no δ-catenin gene amplification. However, using Single-Strand onformation Polymorphism analysis, we observed the increased nucleotide changes in the 5'-untranslated region of δ-catenin gene in human prostate cancer. At least one such change (-9 G>A) is a true somatic point mutation associated with a high Gleason score, poorly differentiated prostatic adenocarcinoma. Laser capture microdissection coupled with PCR analyses detected the mutation only in cancerous but not in the adjacent benign prostatic tissues. Using chimeric genes encoding the luciferase reporter, we found that this mutation, but not a random mutation or a mutation that disrupts an upstream open reading frame, resulted in a remarkably higher expression and enzyme activity. This mutation did not affect transcriptional efficiency, suggesting that it promotes δ-catenin translation. This is the first report of δ-catenin gene mutation in cancer and supports the notion that multiple mechanisms contribute to its increased expression in carcinogenesis. Originally published ncogene, Vol. 28, No. 4, Jan 200

Prevalence of Sarcoptes scabiei

Little is known about the prevalence of Sarcoptes scabiei infection in pet dogs in China. In the present study, the prevalence of S. scabiei infection in pet dogs in Guangzhou, southern China, was investigated between January and December, 2009. A total of 3,977 pet dogs admitted to animal hospitals were examined for the presence of S. scabiei using a parasitological approach. The average prevalence of S. scabiei infection in pet dogs is 1.18% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.85–1.52%). The prevalence of S. scabiei was higher in winter (1.42%; 95% CI: 0.29–2.55%), summer (1.39%; 95% CI: 0.83–1.96%), and autumn (1.1%; 95% CI: 0.53–1.68%) than in spring (0.63%; 95% CI: 0.02–1.25%). Furthermore, the prevalence of S. scabiei was the highest in Pekingese (21.88%; 95% CI: 7.55–36.2%), followed by Papillon (5.26%; 95% CI: 0–11.06%) and Bichon Frise (3.19%; 95% CI: 0–6.75%). The results of the present investigation indicate that S. scabiei infection is prevalent in pet dogs in Guangzhou, China, which provides relevant “baseline” data for conducting control strategies and measures against scabies in this region and elsewhere in China. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive report of S. scabiei prevalence in pet dogs in China