Evaluation of vilazodone for the treatment of depressive and anxiety disorders

Introduction: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) significantly contribute to the global burden of disease. Vilazodone, a combined serotonin reuptake inhibitor and 5-HT1A partial agonist, is an approved therapy for the treatment of MDD and which has been further investigated for GAD.

Areas covered: This article covers the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of vilazodone and provides an evaluation of the clinical usefulness of vilazodone for the treatment of MDD and anxiety disorders. A literature search was performed using PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library.

Expert opinion: Studies have shown that vilazodone is significantly superior to placebo. However, vilazodone cannot as yet be recommended as a first-line treatment option for MDD as it is unclear whether the drug’s dual mechanism of action provides greater efficacy than prevailing treatment options. Moreover, more phase IV studies are needed to establish its efficacy and long-term safety in larger and more diverse populations. Although vilazodone may have an additional advantage for the treatment of anxiety symptoms in MDD, here also additional studies are required to confirm its efficacy over and above SSRI alternatives and other antidepressant treatments. Therefore, presently, vilazodone should be considered as a second- or third-line treatment option for MDD and GAD.     

Profilin 1, negatively regulated by microRNA-19a-3p,serves as a tumor suppressor in human hepatocellular carcinoma

Profilin 1 (PFN1) is a critical actin-regulatory protein; however, its functional role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression remains to be further elucidated. In the present study, we observed that the expression levels of PFN1 were significantly decreased in HCC tissues and cell lines. Low PFN1 expression was significantly correlated with aggressive clinicopathological characteristics and poor prognosis of HCC patients. Further in vitro experiments demonstrated that overexpression of PFN1 remarkably inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT of HCC cells. Moreover, we also found that PFN1 was a direct target gene of miR-19a-3p, and in HCC tissues, and there was a significantly inverse correlation between PFN1 mRNA and miR-19a-3p expression. Collectively, our results showed that PFN1 functions as a tumor suppressor in HCC, and might serve as a diagnostic and therapeutic target for HCC patients.     

3D打印制备不同重量比例的n-HA/PLA/PVA复合膜性能比较

目的:通过3D打印的方法制备的不同重量比例的纳米羟基磷灰石/聚乳酸/聚乙烯醇(n-HA/PLA/PVA)复合膜,并对其相关性能检测。方法:采用3D打印技术制备不同重量比例的n-HA/PLA/PVA复合膜,分别为PLA/PVA复合膜、15%n-HA/PLA/PVA复合膜、50%n-HA/PLA/PVA复合膜、75%n-HA/PLA/PVA复合膜。扫描电镜下观察各组膜形态,对其力学性能、细胞毒性及动物实验相应指标进行检测。结果:扫描电镜下观察,n-HA/PLA/PVA复合膜呈现三维网状结构,各材料间相互结合,孔隙分布不均,大小不一。随着n-HA质量浓度的提高,电镜下见各材料间孔隙逐渐减小,形成结构均匀的复合膜。力学性能及吸水率检测中,随着nHA含量的增加,n-HA/PLA/PVA复合膜的拉伸强度及吸水率呈下降趋势;细胞毒性检测,不同比例复合膜的细胞增殖率无明显差别,无细胞毒性。动物实验测量牙周菌斑指数及龈沟出血指数未发现不同比例n-HA/PLA/PVA复合膜有统计学差异。结论:3D打印不同比例的n-HA/PLA/PVA复合膜具有良好的物理性能和细胞生物相容性,n-HA比例更高的复合膜可能具有更好的物理性能及良好的生物相容性。     

SMYD3 promotes implant metastasis of ovarian cancer via H3K4 trimethylation of integrin promoters

Detachment of cancer cells from the primary tumor and formation of spheroids in ascites is required for implantation metastasis in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), but the underlying mechanism of this process has not been thoroughly elucidated. To mimic this process, ovarian cancer cells were grown in 3D and 2D culture. Hey and OVCA433 spheroids exhibited decreased cell proliferation and enhanced adhesion and invasion. SMYD3 expression was elevated in ovarian carcinoma spheroids in association with increased H3K4 methylation. Depletion of SMYD3 by transient siRNA, stable shRNA knockdown and the SMYD3 inhibitor BCI-121 all decreased spheroid invasion and adhesion. Gene expression arrays revealed downregulation of integrin family members. Inhibition assays confirmed that invasion and adhesion of spheroids are mediated by ITGB6 and ITGAM. SMYD3-deficient cells regained the ability to invade and adhere after forced overexpression of SMYD3, ITGB6 and ITGAM. However, this biological ability was not restored by forced overexpression of SMYD3 in ITGB6- and/or ITGAM-deficient cancer cells. SMYD3 and H3K4me3 binding at the ITGB6 and ITGAM promoters was increased in spheroids compared to that in monolayer cells, and the binding was decreased when SMYD3 expression was inhibited, consistent with the expression changes in integrins. SMYD3 expression and integrin-mediated adhesion were also activated in an intraperitoneal xenograft model and in EOC patient spheroids. In vivo, SMYD3 knockdown inhibited tumor metastasis and reduced ascites volume in both the intraperitoneal xenograft model and a PDX model. Overall, our results suggest that the SMYD3-H3K4me3-integrin pathway plays a crucial role in ovarian cancer metastasis to the peritoneal surface.     

Combinatorial Inhibition of Myostatin and Activin A Improves Femoral Bone Properties in the G610C Mouse Model of Osteogenesis Imperfecta

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a collagen-related bone disorder characterized by fragile osteopenic bone and muscle weakness. We have previously shown that the soluble activin receptor type IIB decoy (sActRIIB) molecule increases muscle mass and improves bone strength in the mild to moderate G610C mouse model of OI. The sActRIIB molecule binds multiple transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) ligands, including myostatin and activin A. Here, we investigate the musculoskeletal effects of inhibiting activin A alone, myostatin alone, or both myostatin and activin A in wild-type (Wt) and heterozygous G610C (+/G610C) mice using specific monoclonal antibodies. Male and female Wt and +/G610C mice were treated twice weekly with intraperitoneal injections of monoclonal control antibody (Ctrl-Ab, Regn1945), anti-activin A antibody (ActA-Ab, Regn2476), anti-myostatin antibody (Mstn-Ab, Regn647), or both ActA-Ab and Mstn-Ab (Combo, Regn2476, and Regn647) from 5 to 16 weeks of age. Prior to euthanasia, whole body composition, metabolism and muscle force generation assessments were performed. Post euthanasia, hindlimb muscles were evaluated for mass, and femurs were evaluated for changes in microarchitecture and biomechanical strength using micro–computed tomography (μCT) and three-point bend analyses. ActA-Ab treatment minimally impacted the +/G610C musculoskeleton, and was detrimental to bone strength in male +/G610C mice. Mstn-Ab treatment, as previously reported, resulted in substantial increases in hindlimb muscle weights and overall body weights in Wt and male +/G610C mice, but had minimal skeletal impact in +/G610C mice. Conversely, the Combo treatment outperformed ActA-Ab alone or Mstn-Ab alone, consistently increasing hindlimb muscle and body weights regardless of sex or genotype and improving bone microarchitecture and strength in both male and female +/G610C and Wt mice. Combinatorial inhibition of activin A and myostatin more potently increased muscle mass and bone microarchitecture and strength than either antibody alone, recapturing most of the observed benefits of sActRIIB treatment in +/G610C mice. © 2022 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).     

De novo truncating mutation in SCN1A as a cause of febrile seizures plus (FS+)

SCN1A is one of the most relevant epilepsy genes. In general, de novo severe mutations, such as truncating mutations, lead to a classic form of Dravet syndrome (DS), while missense mutations are associated with both DS and milder phenotypes within the GEFS+ spectrum, however, these phenotype‐genotype correlations are not entirely consistent. Case report. We report an 18‐year‐old woman with a history of recurrent febrile generalized tonic‐clonic seizures (GTCS) starting at age four months and afebrile asymmetric GTCS and episodes of arrest, suggestive of focal impaired awareness seizures, starting at nine months. Her psychomotor development was normal. Sequencing of SCN1A revealed a heterozygous de novo truncating mutation (c.5734C>T, p.Arg1912X) in exon 26. Conclusion. Truncating mutations in SCN1A may be associated with milder phenotypes within the GEFS+ spectrum. Accordingly, SCN1A gene testing should be performed as part of the assessment for sporadic patients with mild phenotypes that fit within the GEFS+ spectrum, since the finding of a mutation has diagnostic, therapeutic and genetic counselling implications.     

The roles of prostaglandin E2 and D2 in lipopolysaccharide-mediated changes in sleep

When living organisms become sick as a result of a bacterial infection, a suite of brain-mediated responses occur, including fever, anorexia and sleepiness. Systemic administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a common constituent of bacterial cell walls, increases body temperature and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep in animals and induces the production of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins (PGs). PGE₂ is the principal mediator of fever, and both PGE₂ and PGD₂ regulate sleep–wake behavior. The extent to which PGE₂ and PGD₂ are involved in the effect of LPS on NREM sleep remains to be clarified. Therefore, we examined LPS-induced changes in body temperature and NREM sleep in mice with nervous system-specific knockouts (KO) for the PGE₂ receptors type EP₃ or EP₄, in mice with total body KO of microsomal PGE synthase-1 or the PGD₂ receptor type DP, and in mice treated with the cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor meloxicam. We observed that LPS-induced NREM sleep was slightly attenuated in mice lacking EP₄ receptors in the nervous system, but was not affected in any of the other KO mice or in mice pretreated with the COX inhibitor. These results suggest that the effect of LPS on NREM sleep is partially dependent on PGs and is likely mediated mainly by other pro-inflammatory substances. In addition, our data show that the main effect of LPS on body temperature is hypothermia in the absence of nervous system EP₃ receptors or in the presence of a COX inhibitor.