Interactions among four parasite species in an amphipod population from Patagonia.

Parasites commonly share their hosts with specimens of the same or different parasite species, resulting in multiple parasites obtaining resources from the same host. This could potentially lead to conflicts between co-infecting parasites, especially at high infection intensities. In Pool Los Juncos (Patagonia, Argentina), the amphipod Hyalella patagonica is an intermediate host to three parasites that mature in birds (the acanthocephalan Pseudocorynosoma sp., and larval stages of two Cyclophyllidea cestodes), in addition to a microsporidian (Thelohania sp.), whose life cycle is unknown, but very likely to be monoxenous. The aim of this study was to describe interactions between these parasite species in their amphipod host population. Amphipods were collected monthly between June 2002 to January 2004 to assess parasite infection. Infection prevalence and mean intensity was greatest in larger male amphipods for all parasites species. We also found a positive association between Thelohania sp., and both Pseudocorynosoma sp. and Cyclophyllidea sp. 1 infections, though Pseudocorynosoma sp. and Cyclophyllidea sp. 1were negatively associated with each other. We conclude that contrasting associations between parasites species may be associated with competition for both, food intake and space in the haemocoel.Fil: Rauque Perez, Carlos Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; ArgentinaFil: Semenas, L.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentin

Enzalutamide as a second generation antiandrogen for treatment of advanced prostate cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common malignancy, and the third leading cancer-related cause of death among men of the Western world. Upon PCa progression into metastatic disease, androgen deprivation therapy is applied as the first-line treatment, and has been shown to be effective in most patients, leading to a decrease in serum prostate-specific antigen and relief of disease-related symptoms. However, advanced PCa almost inevitably progresses to a castration-resistant state, and is currently regarded as incurable. The large body of evidence indicates that PCa cells remain dependent on androgen receptor (AR) signaling even in an androgen-deprived environment. As such, development of drugs that target AR and AR signaling pathways have become one of the major milestones in treatment of castration-resistant PCa (CRPC). Nevertheless, currently available therapies that target AR signaling are still regarded as palliative and more potent therapies are in great need. Over the past few years, a wide range of novel therapies has entered clinical trial for treatment of CRPC, including androgen synthesis inhibitors (abiraterone acetate), chemotherapeutic agents (docetaxel and cabazitaxel), and immunotherapies (sipuleucel-T). In this context, enzalutamide (previously referred to as MDV3100) is a novel second generation antiandrogen that has been demonstrated to significantly improve survival in men with metastatic CRPC in several clinical trials. In this paper we summarize recently completed and ongoing clinical trials of enzalutamide, and briefly discuss the efficacy of the novel antiandrogen therapy and its limitations for treatment of CRPC

From Hoax as Crisis to Crisis as Hoax: Fake News and Information Disorder as Disruptions to the Discourse of Renewal

Hoaxes have long been a reputational threat to organizations. For example, false claims that syringes had been found in bottles of Pepsi-Cola products, that a portion of a finger had been found in Wendy’s chili, and that Domino’s employees had intentionally served contaminated food to customers have topped the media’s agenda. More recently, the hoax phenomenon has been tactically reversed. Heavily trafficked Internet sites and controversial television personalities frequently argue that well-documented crises themselves are hoaxes. The potential for claims of crisis as hoax to disrupt the discourse of crisis renewal is examined through an analysis of three cases. We argue that overcoming such disruptions requires corporate social responsibility, a focus on the issues rather than the hoaxers, and continued efforts to improve media literacy for all audiences

Overcoming Drug Resistance and Treating Advanced Prostate Cancer.

Most of the prostate cancers (PCa) in advanced stage will progress to castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Within CRPC group, 50-70% of the patients will develop bone metastasis in axial and other regions of the skeleton. Once PCa cells spread to the bone, currently, no treatment regimens are available to eradicate the metastasis, and cancer- related death becomes inevitable. In 2012, it is estimated that there will be 28,170 PCa deaths in the United States. Thus, PCa bone metastasis-associated clinical complications and treatment resistance pose major clinical challenges. In this review, we will present recent findings on the molecular and cellular pathways that are responsible for bone metastasis of PCa. We will address several novel mechanisms with a focus on the role of bone and bone marrow microenvironment in promoting PCa metastasis, and will further discuss why prostate cancer cells preferentially metastasize to the bone. Additionally, we will discuss novel roles of several key pathways, including angiogenesis and extracellular matrix remodeling in bone marrow and stem cell niches with their relationship to PCa bone metastasis and poor treatment response. We will evaluate how various chemotherapeutic drugs and radiation therapies may allow aggressive PCa cells to gain advantageous mutations leading to increased survival and rendering the cancer cells to become resistant to treatment. The novel concept relating several key survival and invasion signaling pathways to stem cell niches and treatment resistance will be reviewed. Lastly, we will provide an update of several recently developed novel drug candidates that target metastatic cancer microenvironments or niches, and discuss the advantages and significance provided by such therapeutic approaches in pursuit of overcoming drug resistance and treating advanced PCa

Cyclin A1 and P450 aromatase promote metastatic homing and growth of stem-like prostate cancer cells in the bone marrow

Bone metastasis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in prostate cancer (PCa). While cancer stem-like cells have been implicated as a cell of origin for PCa metastases, the pathways which enable metastatic development at distal sites remain largely unknown. In this study, we illuminate pathways relevant to bone metastasis in this disease. We observed that cyclin A1 (CCNA1) protein expression was relatively higher in PCa metastatic lesions in lymph node, lung, and bone/bone marrow. In both primary and metastatic tissues, cyclin A1 expression was also correlated with aromatase (CYP19A1), a key enzyme that directly regulates the local balance of androgens to estrogens. Cyclin A1 overexpression in the stem-like ALDHhigh subpopulation of PC3M cells, one model of PCa, enabled bone marrow integration and metastatic growth. Further, cells obtained from bone marrow metastatic lesions displayed self-renewal capability in colony forming assays. In the bone marrow, Cyclin A1 and aromatase enhanced local bone marrow-releasing factors, including androgen receptor, estrogen and matrix metalloproteinase MMP9 and promoted hte metastatic growth of PCa cells. Moreover, ALDHhigh tumor cells expressing elevated levels of aromatase stimulated tumor/host estrogen production and acquired a growth advantage in the presence of host bone marrow cells. Overall, these findings suggest that local production of steroids and MMPs in the bone marrow may provide a suitable microenvironment for ALDHhigh PCa cells to establish metastatic growths, offering new approaches to therapeutically target bone metastases