A cancer stem cell-like phenotype is associated with miR-10b expression in aggressive squamous cell carcinomas

Background Cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (cSCC) are the primary cause of premature deaths in patients suffering from the rare skin-fragility disorder recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB), which is in marked contrast to the rarely metastasizing nature of these carcinomas in the general population. This remarkable difference is attributed to the frequent development of chronic wounds caused by impaired skin integrity. However, the specific molecular and cellular changes to malignancy, and whether there are common players in different types of aggressive cSCCs, remain relatively undefined. Methods MiRNA expression profiling was performed across various cell types isolated from skin and cSCCs. Microarray results were confirmed by qPCR and by an optimized in situ hybridization protocol. Functional impact of overexpression or knock-out of a dysregulated miRNA was assessed in migration and 3D-spheroid assays. Sample-matched transcriptome data was generated to support the identification of disease relevant miRNA targets. Results Several miRNAs were identified as dysregulated in cSCCs compared to control skin. These included the metastasis-linked miR-10b, which was significantly upregulated in primary cell cultures and in archival biopsies. At the functional level, overexpression of miR-10b conferred the stem cell-characteristic of 3D-spheroid formation capacity to keratinocytes. Analysis of miR-10b downstream effects identified a novel putative target of miR-10b, the actin- and tubulin cytoskeleton-associated protein DIAPH2. Conclusion The discovery that miR-10b mediates an aspect of cancer stemness – that of enhanced tumor cell adhesion, known to facilitate metastatic colonization – provides an important avenue for future development of novel therapies targeting this metastasis-linked miRNA

STUDI CITRA KOTA JAYAPURA PENDEKATAN PADA ASPEK FISIK ELEMEN-ELEMEN CITRA KOTA - KEVIN LYNCH

Sebuah kota sudah seharusnya mempunyai image yang mewakili keberadaannya. Image ini menjadi penting sebagai pembeda dari kota-kota lainnya. Image yang dibentuk akan menjadi identitas dan daya tarik serta memberikan positioning bagi kota tersebut yang bisa ‘dijual’. Citra kota yang jelas dapat meningkatkan kualitas lingkungan dan membantu orang untuk memaharni lingkungannya, mudah berorientasi dan tidak tersesat. Untuk itu diperlukan elemen-elemen fisik yang mudah dikenali dalam lingkungan kota. Penulisan ini mengacu pada pemikiran Kevin Lynch mengenai elemen-elemen fisik pembentuk citra kota. Hal yang ingin diketahui adalah bagaimana citra kota Jayapura menurut elemen-elemen fisik tersebut terbentuk. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode deskriptif kualitatif, dengan instrumen penelitian menggunakan interview terstruktur dalam bentuk kuesioner pada penduduk kota yang cukup lama tidak mengunjungi kota dan pendatang/ pengunjung kota. Sumber sampling yang berbeda diharapkan memberikan variasi jawaban yang dapat menambah keobjektifan penilaian. Hasil akhir penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kelima elemen (path, edges, district, node, dan landmark telah terbentuk, baik berupa elemen fisik bangunan, monumen/tugu, jalan dan ruang terbuka. Elemen yang mudah digambarkan masyarakat/ responden adalah path, nodes dan landmark, sedangkan edges adalah elemen yang sulit digambarkan oleh masyarakat/ responde

What do Patients Experience between Group Sessions during Inpatient Psychotherapy? An Application of the Inter-Session-Questionnaire in Psychotherapeutic Hospitals

The study describes an application of the Inter-Session-Questionnaire (ISF) related to inpatient group psychotherapy. The instrument should be tested with the extension of differentiating intersession experiences related to the person of the therapist as well as the group. In a cross sectional study performed in 13 different hospitals, 702 patients were assessed. These patients were treated in rehab hospitals, acute hospitals as well as special hospitals providing treatment for eating disorders. The sample should be relatively representative for psychosomatic and psychotherapeutic hospitals in Germany. Besides the type of the hospital, we also analysed the influence of group characteristics (size of group, type of group and number of completed sessions) as well as the patients' sex. Surprisingly, there were almost no marked differences of inter-session-experiences related to the the therapist or the group. The profiles of the item judgements of the ISF were similar to those reported for outpatient and day treatment samples. Inter-session-experiences differed in part according to our expectation depending on the variables mentioned above which suggests to use the ISF in specific studies dealing with the process and outcome of inpatient group psychotherapy as well as the differentiation of relevant subgroups