Malignancy-related 67kDa laminin receptor in adenoid cystic carcinoma. Effect on migration and beta-catenin expression

Adenoid cystic carcinoma is a malignant salivary gland neoplasm with recurrence and metastasis. We studied the expression of a malignancy-related non-integrin laminin receptor, the 67LR, in this neoplasm. Immunohistochemistry showed 67LR in adenoid cystic carcinoma. This receptor binds a sequence of laminin β1 chain, the YIGSR peptide. We studied the effect of 67LR and YIGSR in cells (CAC2) from adenoid cystic carcinoma. Three-dimensional cultures of cells embedded into either laminin-111 gel (controls) or YIGSR-enriched laminin-111 (treated) were prepared and studied by light microscopy. CAC2 cells treated with YIGSR appeared fibroblast-like, while control cells were epithelioid. Blockage of 67LR by antibody abolished YIGSR effect in three-dimensional cultures. We analysed the relevance of 67LR and YIGSR on β-catenin expression in CAC2 cells. Immunofluorescence and immunoblot showed that YIGSR decreased β-catenin, while blockage of 67LR restored the presence of this molecule. The 67LR and YIGSR induced fibroblast-like morphology in CAC2 cells, with disruption of cell–cell contacts and decrease of β-catenin. These features resemble epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). EMT also increases cell migration. In monolayer assays YIGSR increased migration of CAC2 cells. We conclude that 67LR and YIGSR are involved in epithelial–mesenchymal transition, modulation of β-catenin expression, and migratory activity of CAC2 cells.     

Serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in schizophrenia on a hypocaloric diet

Dietary factors influence BDNF in animal studies, but there is no comparable data in clinical populations. We examined the effect of a dietary intervention on BDNF serum levels in 67 DSM-IV schizophrenic outpatients (51 males and 16 females). Two groups were assessed in a cross-sectional study: one on a hypocaloric diet (HD) and the other not on a hypocaloric diet. Weight, height and BMI data were collected concurrently with 5-ml blood sampling of each subject. BDNF levels were measured with a sandwich-ELISA. The blood sample was obtained a minimum of one month after the exposure to dietary intervention. Serum BDNF levels were significantly higher in patients on the HD (p=0.023). Additional research examining the interaction among patterns of nutritional food behavior and underlying physiopathology may result in insights upon which evidence-based decisions regarding dietary interventions can be made in people identified with major psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia.     

Benefits of the use of the CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> laser in orthodontics

Esthetics is an important factor for patients seeking orthodontic treatment, and not always is the orthodontist able to make adjustments on the gingival contour, and this aspect is neglected. Many orthodontists are familiar with the name laser. However, there is a lack of information regarding their application on the orthodontic practice. There are several options for the use of CO₂ lasers on surgical procedures of interest to orthodontists, especially on soft tissues. There is no evidence that the use of the CO₂ laser has any side effect or contraindication on surgical procedures. This paper reports a series of surgical procedures carried out on orthodontic patients. It is concluded that the carbon dioxide laser not only allows surgeons to enhance current surgical options for treatment but also have contributed to the evolution of a variety of new procedures that are now commonplace in oral surgery, and its use shows several benefits for the orthodontic patient.     

Acupuncture stimulation at Sanyinjiao: effect on the sodium pertechnetate bioavailability in rats

In clinical acupuncture, when acupuncture points are stimulated, several types of reflex responses can be evoked. Consequently, different categories of physiological responses are induced, which include changes in the activities of internal organs and tissues. The acupuncture point Sanyinjiao (SP6) has been used successfully to treat different human gastrointestinal conditions. The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of end-organ response induced by acupuncture point SP6 on the bioavailability of the radiopharmaceutical sodium pertechnetate (Na99mTcO4) in Wistar rats. Healthy rats were allocated into 2 groups, control-CG and treated-TG. TG was bilaterally stimulated at acupuncture point SP6 with stainless steel needles. Ocular plexus administration of Na99mTcO4 (3.7MBq) was carried out 10 min after every needle insertion in all animals. Ten minutes later, the animals were killed, the organs were isolated, the radioactivity was determined in a well gamma counter, and the percentage of injected dose per gram of tissue (%ID/g) was determined for each organ. The %ID/g was significantly altered (p < 0.05) in the small intestine of TG (0.56 +/- 0.09) when compared to CG (0.82 +/- 0.18). These results may suggest that this stimulation might induce physiological responses capable of altering the bioavailability of the radiopharmaceutical sodium pertechnetate. These findings aid in providing a better understanding of acupuncture and its effects on various organs and tissues.     

Transforming growth factor-beta, estrogen, and progesterone converge on the regulation of p27Kip1 in the normal and malignant endometrium

Hormones and growth factors regulate endometrial cell growth. Disrupted transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) signaling in primary endometrial carcinoma (ECA) cells leads to loss of TGF-beta-mediated growth inhibition, which we show herein results in lack of up-regulation of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27(Kip1) (p27) to arrest cells in G(1) phase of the cell cycle. Conversely, in normal primary endometrial epithelial cells (EECs), TGF-beta induces a dose-dependent increase in p27 protein, with a total 3.6-fold maximal increase at 100 pmol/L TGF-beta, which was 2-fold higher in the nuclear fraction; mRNA levels were unaffected. In addition, ECA tissue lysates show a high rate of ubiquitin-mediated degradation of p27 compared with normal secretory-phase endometrial tissue (SE) such that 4% and 89% of recombinant p27 added to the lysates remains after 3 and 20 h, respectively. These results are reflected in vivo as ECA tissue lacks p27 compared with high expression of p27 in SE (P < or = 0.001). Furthermore, we show that estrogen treatment of EECs causes mitogen-activated protein kinase-driven proteasomal degradation of p27 whereas progesterone induces a marked increase in p27 in both normal EECs and ECA cells. Therefore, these data suggest that TGF-beta induces accumulation of p27 for normal growth regulation of EECs. However, in ECA, in addition to enhanced proteasomal degradation of p27, TGF-beta cannot induce p27 levels due to dysregulated TGF-beta signaling, thereby causing 17beta-estradiol-driven p27 degradation to proceed unchecked for cell cycle progression. Thus, p27 may be a central target for growth regulation of normal endometrium and in the pathogenesis of ECA.     

Temporal patterns and trends of particulate matter over Portugal: a long-term analysis of background concentrations

Air quality management regarding PM concentrations in the atmosphere is a complex problem to tackle. In this paper, we aim to characterize the temporal patterns and trends of aerosol background levels over Portugal. Hourly data from the national air quality monitoring network, gathered from 2007 to 2016, is analyzed using statistical methods. Data from 20 monitoring stations was processed to prepare datasets with different time scales, and results were grouped by their type of surrounding area (urban, suburban, or rural). Urban and suburban background sites are characterized by strong seasonal patterns, with higher monthly mean concentrations in winter than in summer. In contrast, rural background PM10 concentrations are highest during August and September. This study suggests that urban background concentrations are significantly influenced by anthropogenic non-combustion sources, which contribute to the coarser aerosol fraction (PMc). PMc is about 3 μg m^?3 higher during weekdays than during Sundays, at urban sites. However, there is no clear relationship between the value of the PM2.5/PMc ratio and the type of monitoring station. During the 10-year period of study, a decrease of 1.83, 3.58, and 4.89%/year was registered in PM10 concentrations at Portuguese rural, urban, and suburban areas, respectively. Despite the higher decrease at suburban monitoring stations, those sites present the highest 10-year mean PM10 concentrations. This work provides an import insight on temporal variations of PM10, PM2.5, and PMc concentrations over Portugal and summarizes trends through the last decade, contributing to the discussion on sources and processes influencing those concentrations.