LAP2 Is Widely Overexpressed in Diverse Digestive Tract Cancers and Regulates Motility of Cancer Cells

BACKGROUND: Lamina-associated polypeptides 2 (LAP2) is a nuclear protein that connects the nuclear lamina with chromatin. Although its critical roles in genetic disorders and hematopoietic malignancies have been described, its expression and roles in digestive tract cancers have been poorly characterized. METHODS: To examine the expression of LAP2 in patient tissues, we performed immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR. To examine motility of cancer cells, we employed Boyden chamber, wound healing and Matrigel invasion assays. To reveal its roles in metastasis in vivo, we used a liver metastasis xenograft model. To investigate the underlying mechanism, a cDNA microarray was conducted. RESULTS: Immunohistochemistry in patient tissues showed widespread expression of LAP2 in diverse digestive tract cancers including stomach, pancreas, liver, and bile duct cancers. Real-time PCR confirmed that LAP2β is over-expressed in gastric cancer tissues. Knockdown of LAP2β did not affect proliferation of most digestive tract cancer cells except pancreatic cancer cells. However, knockdown of LAP2β decreased motility of all tested cancer cells. Moreover, overexpression of LAP2β increased motility of gastric and pancreatic cancer cells. In the liver metastasis xenograft model, LAP2β increased metastatic efficacy of gastric cancer cells and mortality in tested mice. cDNA microarrays showed the possibility that myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate (MARCKS) and interleukin6 (IL6) may mediate LAP2β-regulated motility of cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: From the above results, we conclude that LAP2 is widely overexpressed in diverse digestive tract cancers and LAP2β regulates motility of cancer cells and suggest that LAP2β may have utility for diagnostics and therapeutics in digestive tract cancers

Stereotactic body radiation therapy with or without transarterial chemoembolization for patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma: preliminary analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The objectives of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for small non-resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and SBRT combined with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for advanced HCC with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Thirty one patients with HCC who were treated with SBRT were used for the study. We studied 32 HCC lesions, where 23 lesions (22 patients) were treated targeting small non-resectable primary HCC, and 9 lesions (9 patients) targeting PVTT using the Cyberknife. All the 9 patients targeting PVTT received TACE for the advanced HCC. Tumor volume was 3.6–57.3 cc (median, 25.2 cc) and SBRT dose was 30–39 Gy (median, 36 Gy) in 3 fractions for consecutive days for 70–85% of the planned target volume.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The median follow up was 10.5 months. The overall response rate was 71.9% [small HCC: 82.6% (19/23), advanced HCC with PVTT: 44.4% (4/9)], with the complete and partial response rates of 31.3% [small HCC: 26.1% (6/23), advanced HCC with PVTT: 11.1% (1/9)], and 50.0% [small HCC: 56.5% (13/23), advanced HCC with PVTT: 33.3% (3/9)], respectively. The median survival period of small HCC and advanced HCC with PVTT patients was 12 months and 8 months, respectively. No patient experienced Grade 4 toxicity.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>SBRT for small HCC and SBRT combined with TACE for advanced HCC with PVTT showed feasible treatment modalities with minimal side effects in selected patients with primary HCC.</p

Dietary Polyphenols, Berries, and Age-Related Bone Loss: A Review Based on Human, Animal, and Cell Studies

Bone loss during aging has become an increasing public health concern as average life expectancy has increased. One of the most prevalent forms of age-related bone disease today is osteoporosis in which the body slows down bone formation and existing bone is increasingly being resorbed by the body to maintain the calcium balance. Some causes of this bone loss can be attributed to dysregulation of osteoblast and osteoclast activity mediated by increased oxidative stress through the aging process. Due to certain serious adverse effects of the currently available therapeutic agents that limit their efficacy, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has garnered interest as a natural means for the prevention of this debilitating disease. Natural antioxidant supplementation, a type of CAM, has been researched to aid in reducing bone loss caused by oxidative stress. Naturally occurring polyphenols, such as anthocyanins rich in berries, are known to have anti-oxidative properties. Several studies have been reviewed to determine the impact polyphenol intake—particularly that of berries—has on bone health. Studies reveal a positive association of high berry intake and higher bone mass, implicating berries as possible inexpensive alternatives in reducing the risk of age related bone loss

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Fermented Soybean-Lettuce Powder for Improving Menopausal Symptoms

Menopause syndrome causes a decline in the quality of life of postmenopausal women. Hormone therapy is recommended for the treatment of menopausal syndromes. However, it has several side effects. Soybean has been safely used to relieve the symptoms of menopause. Lettuce has antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory effects and improves sleep quality. Natural nitric oxide metabolites are produced through fermentation, which increases the effectiveness of the functional substances. This study assessed the alleviation of menopausal syndrome symptoms by natural nitric oxide-containing soybean lettuce extract using the Kupperman index. This study included adult women with menopausal syndrome and a Kupperman index of &ge;15. After a four-week study with 40 participants, the final analysis included 39 participants in the experimental group (n = 19) and the placebo group (n = 20). Body mass index, waist circumference, and the total cholesterol, low-density and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels were not altered before and after treatment in both groups. There was a significant decrease in the Kupperman index after treatment in the experimental group, but no significant change was observed in the placebo group. Soybean lettuce extract alleviates menopause syndrome without any special side effects

Estimation of Years Lived with Disability Using a Prevalence-Based Approach: Application to Major Psychiatric Disease in Korea

To help develop policies concerning the prevention of psychiatric disease in Korea, we reviewed the literature on this topic in different countries and used a prevalence-based approach to estimate the years lived with disability (YLDs) in Korean patients with major psychiatric diseases. We calculated YLDs by extracting data on the number of patients with mild, moderate, and severe cases of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder, as classified by International Statistical Classification of Disease (ICD) codes. YLDs were highest for patients with major depressive disorder (1190.6; 73.9%), schizophrenia (303.3; 18.8%) and bipolar disorder (117.9; 7.3%). Men had higher YLDs for schizophrenia, 2502 (20–24 years); bipolar disorder, 477 (40–44 years); and major depressive disorder, 2034 (75–79 years). Women had higher YLDs for schizophrenia, 484 (45–49 years); bipolar disorder, 214 (≥80 years); and major depressive disorder, 3541 (75–79 years). The prevalence-based approach and severity distribution is useful for estimating long-term psychiatric disease burden and YLDs. However, YLD-estimation studies must compensate for the shortcomings of the ICD-10 by referencing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th edition, as well as updating the disability weight score according to disease severity

Characterization of Enlarged Tongues in Cloned Piglets

Although the efficiency of cloning remains very low, this technique has become the most reliable way to produce transgenic pigs. However, the high rate of abnormal offspring such as an enlarged tongue lowers the cloning efficiency by reducing the early survivability of piglets. Thus, the present study was conducted to identify the characteristics of the enlarged tongue from cloned piglets by histologic and transcriptomic analysis. As a result, it was observed that the tissues from enlarged tongues (n = 3) showed isolated and broken muscle bundles with wide spaces while the tissues from normal tongues (n = 3) showed the tight connection of muscle bundles without space by histological analysis. Additionally, transmission electron microscopy results also showed the formation of isolated and broken muscle bundles in enlarged tongues. The transcriptome analysis showed a total of 197 upregulated and 139 downregulated genes with more than 2-fold changes in enlarged tongues. Moreover, there was clear evidence for the difference between groups in the muscle system process with high relation in the biological process by gene ontology analysis. The analysis of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genomes pathway of differentially expressed genes indicated that the pentose phosphate pathway, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, and glucagon signaling pathway were also involved. Conclusively, our results could suggest that the abnormal glycolytic regulation may result in the formation of an enlarged tongue. These findings might have the potential to understand the underlying mechanisms, abnormal development, and disease diagnosis in cloned pigs