Expression of Toll-Like Receptors on Breast Tumors: Taking a Toll on Tumor Microenvironment

Breast cancer remains a major cause of death in women in the developed world. As Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are widely expressed on tumor cells and play important roles in the initiation and progression of cancer, they may thus serve as important targets and have an effective perspective on breast cancer treatment. Expression of TLRs on breast cancer cells and mononuclear inflammatory cells can promote inflammation and cell survival in the tumor microenvironment. Inflammation and cancer are related. It is well known that persistent inflammatory conditions can induce cancer formation, due to production of cytokines and chemokines, which play a crucial role in promoting angiogenesis, metastasis, and subversion of adaptive immunity. TLR signaling in tumor cells can mediate tumor cell immune escape and tumor progression, and it is regarded as one of the mechanisms for chronic inflammation in tumorigenesis and progression. This paper delineates the expression of various TLRs in promotion of inflammation and development of mammary tumors. Understanding the mechanisms through which TLRs on breast cancer cells and inflammatory cells regulate growth, survival, and metastatic progression can make them potential targets for breast cancer therapy

IL-17 Mediated Inflammation Promotes Tumor Growth and Progression in the Skin

The mechanism for inflammation associated tumor development is a central issue for tumor biology and immunology and remains to be fully elucidated. Although IL-17 is implicated in association with inflammation mediated carcinogenesis, mechanisms are largely elusive. In the current studies, we showed that IL-17 receptor-A gene deficient (IL-17R-/-) mice were resistant to chemical carcinogen-induced cutaneous carcinogenesis, a well-established inflammation associated tumor model in the skin. The deficiency in IL-17R increased the infiltration of CD8+ T cells whereas it inhibited the infiltration of CD11b+ myeloid cells and development of myeloid derived suppressor cells. Inflammation induced skin hyperplasia and production of pro-tumor inflammatory molecules were inhibited in IL-17R-/- mice. We found that pre-existing inflammation in the skin increased the susceptibility to tumor growth, which was associated with increased development of tumor specific IL-17 producing T cells. This inflammation induced susceptibility to tumor growth was abrogated in IL-17R-/- mice. Finally, neutralizing IL-17 in mice that had already developed chemical carcinogen induced skin tumors could inhibit inflammation mediated tumor progression at late stages. These results demonstrate that IL-17 mediated inflammation is an important mechanism for inflammation mediated promotion of tumor development. The study has major implications for targeting IL-17 in prevention and treatment of tumors

Akselerasi Gaya Hidup Sehat dan Halal Melalui Kelompok Masyarakat Terintegrasi di Desa Pagelaran

Mitra yang terlibat dalam kerjasama pengabdian masyarakat ini adalah mitra dengan kategori kelompok masyarakat non produktif (masyarakat umum) yaitu Pemerintah desa Pagelaran dengan sasaran, meliputi kader posyandu, pondok pesantren dan karang taruna. Pondok pesantren yang akan menjadi bagian dari kegiatan adalah Pondok Pesantren Jam’iyyatul Mubtadi Tsani. Secara historis Pondok Pesantren Jam’iyyatul Mubtadi Tsani Kp. Simpang POM Desa cilangkahan Kecamatan Malingping Kabupaten Lebak-Banten, telah memberikan kontribusi yang cukup besar dalam dunia pendidikan untuk skala Kabupaten Lebak, sehingga berpotensi besar untuk dilibatkan sebagai kader dari kegiatan ini. Berdasarkan permasalahan mitra yang ada saat ini, solusi yang ditawarkan untuk pemecahannya adalah dengan pola pemberdayaan kelompok masyarakat terintegrasi yang melibatkan karang taruna, kader posyandu, dan santri/santriwati pondok pesantren untuk mewujudkan desa sehat dan mandiri secara ekonomi. Pendekatan pemberdayaan kelompok masyarakat terintegrasi ini dipilih karena melihat prioritas masalah yang lintas sektoral baik itu pada bidang kesehatan, wirausaha dan akses informasi terhadap kesehatan dan gizi. Solusi yang akan diterapkan adalah pelatihan emo demo, pelatihan pengukuran status gizi serta penyuluhan gizi dan kesehatan, penyuluhan standar produksi pangan yang halal dan thoyyib, serta pembuatan media edukasi berupa video. Kegiatan diselenggarakan selama 8 bulan dengan luaran berupa artikel jurnal, publikasi pada media massa. Program pengabdian masyarakat di Desa Pagelaran ini telah dilaksanakan dengan menjalankan program terkait edukasi, yaitu edukasi mengenai pengukuran serta edukasi antropometri dan anemia untuk santri dan santriwati di Pondok Pesantren, edukasi halal untuk karang taruna dan UMKM, serta emo demo untuk Ibu Kader Posyandu. Dari ke-3 kegiatan yang dilakukan dapat dilihat dari hasil pre-test dan post-test menunjukkan terdapat peningkatan pengetahuan dari 3 kelompok sasaran. Kemudian ke-3 kelompok sasaran pada saat diberikannya edukasi memiliki respon yang sangat positif dan responsif sehingga kegiatan dapat berjalan dengan lancar. Adapun saran yang dapat dilakukan untuk kegiatan selanjutnya yaitu iharapkan kegiatan pengabdian masyarakat ini dapat dilakukan di desa lainnya. Selain itu, juga diharapkan jangka waktu kegiatan dapat diperpanjang mengingat adanya kendala teknis yang dapat terjadi dalam pelaksanaan program yang berkelanjutan.Kata kunci: Halal, Media Edukasi, Pagelaran, Seha

Public Dialogue in Disaster Situations and Physical Planning Inadequacies: Focus on the Devastating June 16, 2018 Bauchi Rainstorm

Bauchi experienced a catastrophic disaster event on 16 June, 2018. Consequently, there have been public discussions and irritations about the event and the inadequacies of public-sector town planning practitioners. 130  residents of Bauchi metropolis were sampled randomly and their concerns documented. The study revealed that poor housing conditions, urban poverty, corruption in planning authorities, substandard infrastructural provision and the non-adherence to development control regulations were the major human and administrative contributions to the catastrophic outcome of the disaster. Keywords: Disaster, Physical planning, Rainstorm, Public, Dialogue, Inadequacies

Type I Interferons: Key Players in Normal Skin and Select Cutaneous Malignancies

Interferons (IFNs) are a family of naturally existing glycoproteins known for their antiviral activity and their ability to influence the behavior of normal and transformed cell types. Type I Interferons include IFN-and IFN-. Currently, IFN-has numerous approved antitumor applications, including malignant melanoma, in which IFN-has been shown to increase relapse free survival. Moreover, IFN-has been successfully used in the intralesional treatment of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC). In spite of these promising clinical results; however, there exists a paucity of knowledge on the precise antitumor action of IFN-/ at the cellular and molecular levels in cutaneous malignancies such as SCC, BCC, and melanoma. This review summarizes current knowledge on the extent to which Type I IFN influences proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and immune function in normal skin, cutaneous SCC, BCC, and melanoma

Type I Interferons: Key Players in Normal Skin and Select Cutaneous Malignancies

Interferons (IFNs) are a family of naturally existing glycoproteins known for their antiviral activity and their ability to influence the behavior of normal and transformed cell types. Type I Interferons include IFN-α and IFN-β. Currently, IFN-α has numerous approved antitumor applications, including malignant melanoma, in which IFN-α has been shown to increase relapse free survival. Moreover, IFN-α has been successfully used in the intralesional treatment of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC). In spite of these promising clinical results; however, there exists a paucity of knowledge on the precise anti-tumor action of IFN-α/β at the cellular and molecular levels in cutaneous malignancies such as SCC, BCC, and melanoma. This review summarizes current knowledge on the extent to which Type I IFN influences proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and immune function in normal skin, cutaneous SCC, BCC, and melanoma

Bacterial Metabolites and Inflammatory Skin Diseases

The microbiome and gut-skin axis are popular areas of interest in recent years concerning inflammatory skin diseases. While many bacterial species have been associated with commensalism of both the skin and gastrointestinal tract in certain disease states, less is known about specific bacterial metabolites that regulate host pathways and contribute to inflammation. Some of these metabolites include short chain fatty acids, amine, and tryptophan derivatives, and more that when dysregulated, have deleterious effects on cutaneous disease burden. This review aims to summarize the knowledge of wealth surrounding bacterial metabolites of the skin and gut and their role in immune homeostasis in inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and hidradenitis suppurativa

An update on clinical trials for chemoprevention of human skin cancer

The pathophysiology of skin cancer is complex, with multiple factors contributing to its development. The proactive treatment of skin cancer has been investigated in the form of chemoprevention of cutaneous malignancies in clinical trials. Chemoprevention is the use of natural or pharmacologic agents that prevent or reverse skin cancer development. Multiple trials have arisen over the past decades to explore the efficacy of specific agents to halt the progression of UV radiation damage. This comprehensive review article aims to assess clinical trials performed with chemopreventive agents for melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers. The following compounds were most often used in these trials: nicotinamide, retinoids, polyphenolic antioxidants, COX-2 selective inhibitors, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, difluoromethylornithine, and 5-fluorouracil. Many agents show promise in their ability to prevent nonmelanoma skin cancer formation, with few melanoma trials demonstrating efficacy. The chemoprevention efforts aimed at skin cancer are complex; current and future trials will be instrumental in identifying therapeutic agents that pose efficacy in halting cancer development and assessing whether long-term administration is tolerable

Extracorporeal Photopheresis in Dermatological Diseases

Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) is an apheresis procedure that is conventionally used as a first-line treatment for cutaneous and leukemic subtypes of T-cell lymphoma, such as Sezary’s syndrome and mycosis fungoides. Over the past three decades, its immunotherapeutic properties have been tested on a variety of autoimmune conditions, including many dermatologic diseases. There is ample evidence of ECP’s ability to modify leukocytes and alter cytokine production for certain dermatologic diseases that have been refractory to first-line treatments, such as atopic dermatitis. However, the evidence on the efficacy of ECP for the treatment of these dermatologic diseases is unclear and/or lacks sufficient evidence. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on the utilization and clinical efficacy of ECP in the treatment of several [autoimmune] dermatologic diseases and discuss its applications, guidelines, recommendations, and future implementation for dermatologic diseases