Coping and communication-enhancing intervention versus supportive counseling for women diagnosed with gynecological cancers

This study compared the efficacy of 2 psychological interventions, a coping and communication-enhancing intervention (CCI) and supportive counseling (SC), in reducing depressive symptoms and cancer-specific distress of women diagnosed with gynecological cancer. Demographic, medical, and psychological moderators of intervention effects were evaluated. Three hundred fifty-three women with gynecological cancer were randomly assigned to 7 sessions of CCI, 7 sessions of SC, or usual care. Intent-to-treat growth curve analyses indicated that participants assigned to CCI and SC reported lower depressive symptoms than participants assigned to usual care at the 6- and 9-month follow-ups. Women with greater than average increases in physician-rated physical symptoms and/or women who were more expressive of positive emotions benefited more from SC than women with lower than average increases in symptom scores and/or women who were less expressive of positive emotions. These findings suggest that both interventions may be effective in treating depressive symptoms among patients with gynecological cancer. Future research should evaluate whether bolstering both psychological interventions with additional intervention sessions and topics in the disease trajectory will result in persistent long-term effects.     

c‐Jun activating binding protein 1 binds to the IgA receptor and modulates protein levels of FcαRI and FcRγ‐chain

The receptor for IgA, FcαRI or CD89, is expressed on myeloid cells and can trigger phagocytosis, tumor cell lysis, and release of inflammatory mediators. These functions critically depend on the associated FcR γ‐chain; however, some biological functions, like receptor internalization, are solely mediated by FcαRI α‐chain. Little is known as to how FcαRI regulates these processes and the FcαRI intracellular domain does not contain recognized signalling motifs. We searched for associating proteins and identified c‐Jun activating binding protein 1 (JAB1) as a binding partner specifically for FcαRI. We found increased FcαRI surface expression after ectopic expression of JAB1 as well as diminished protein levels of total FcR γ‐chain levels after JAB1 knock‐down. These data functionally link JAB1 with controlling protein expression levels of FcαRI‐FcR γ‐chain protein complex.     

Mesenchymal stem cell-dependent formation of heterotopic tendon-bone insertions (osteotendinous junctions)

Ligament-to-bone and tendon-to-bone interfaces (entheses, osteotendinous junctions [OTJs]) serve to dissipate stress between soft tissue and bone. Surgical reconstruction of these interfaces is an issue of considerable importance as they are prone to injury and the integration of bone and tendon/ligament is in general not satisfactory. We report here the stem cell-dependent spontaneous formation of fibrocartilaginous and fibrous entheses in heterotopic locations of the mouse if progenitors possess a tenogenic and osteo-/chondrogenic capacity. This study followed the hypothesis that enhanced Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP)-signaling in adult mesenchymal stem cells that are induced for tendon formation may overcome the tendon-inherent interference with bone formation and may thus allow the stem cell-dependent formation of tendon-bone interfaces. The tenogenic and osteo-/chondrogenic competence was mediated by the adeno- and/or lentiviral expression of the biologically active Smad8 signaling mediator (Smad8ca) and of Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 (BMP2). Modified mesenchymal progenitors were implanted in subcutaneous or intramuscular sites of the mouse. The stem cell-dependent enthesis formation was characterized histologically by immunohistological approaches and by in situ hybridization. Transplantation of modified murine stem cells resulted in the formation of tendinous and osseous structures exhibiting fibrocartilage-type OTJs, while, in contrast, the viral modification of primary human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal/stem cells showed evidence of fibrous tendon-bone interface formation. Moreover, it could be demonstrated that Smad8ca expression alone was sufficient for the formation of tendon/ligament-like structures. These findings may contribute to the establishment of stem cell-dependent regenerative therapies involving tendon/ligaments and to the improvement of the insertion of tendon grafts at bony attachment sites, eventually.