Development of a prognostic signature for immune-associated genes in bladder cancer and exploring potential drug findings

BACKGROUND

Bladder cancer, predominantly affecting men, is a prevalent malignancy of the urinary system. Although platinum-based chemotherapy has demonstrated certain enhancements in overall survival when compared to surgery alone, the efficacy of treatments is impeded by the unfavorable side effects of conventional chemotherapy medications. Nonetheless, immunotherapy exhibits potential in the treatment of bladder cancer.

METHODS

To create an immune-associated prognostic signature for bladder cancer, bioinformatics analyses were performed utilizing The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database in this study. By identifying differential gene expressions between the high-risk and low-risk groups, a potential therapeutic drug was predicted using the Connectivity Map database. Subsequently, the impact of this drug on the growth of T24 cells was validated through MTT assay and 3D cell culture techniques.

RESULTS

The signature included 1 immune-associated LncRNA (NR2F1-AS1) and 16 immune-associated mRNAs (DEFB133, RBP7, PDGFRA, CGB3, PDGFD, SCG2, ADCYAP1R1, OPRL1, PGR, PSMD1, TANK, PRDX1, ADIPOR2, S100A8, AHNAK, EGFR). Based on the assessment of risk scores, the patients were classified into cohorts of low-risk and high-risk individuals. The cohort with low risk demonstrated a considerably higher likelihood of survival in comparison to the group with high risk. Furthermore, variations in immune infiltration were noted among the two categories. Cephaeline, a possible medication, was discovered by analyzing variations in gene expression. It exhibited promise in suppressing the viability and growth of T24 bladder cancer cells.

CONCLUSION

The novel predictive pattern allows for efficient categorization of patients with bladder cancer, enabling focused and rigorous treatment for those expected to have a worse prognosis. The discovery of a possible curative medication establishes a basis for forthcoming immunotherapy trials in bladder cancer.

SOX4 as a potential therapeutic target for pathological cardiac hypertrophy

Pathological cardiac hypertrophy can lead to heart failure, making its prevention crucial. SOX4, a SOX transcription factor, regulates tissue growth and development, although its role in pathological cardiac hypertrophy is unclear. We found that the SOX4 expression was elevated in hypertrophic hearts and angiotensin II (Ang II)-treated neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs), and knocking down the SOX4 expression in NRCMs and mouse hearts significantly reduced the hypertrophic response. Mechanistically, SOX4 can bind to the SIRT3 promoter, inhibit SIRT3 transcription and expression, and thus affect downstream MnSOD acetylation levels, leading to abnormal increases in ROS and oxidative stress levels and promoting the occurrence of cardiac hypertrophy. In conclusion, this study identified a new role for SOX4 in regulating cardiac hypertrophy, and decreasing SOX4 expression may be a potential treatment for pathological cardiac hypertrophy.

Apocynin ameliorates cognitive deficits in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

AIMS

The aim was to investigate the improvement properties of apocynin and its potential mechanism on diabetes-associated cognitive decline.

METHODS

In this study, the model of diabetic rat was established by STZ (50 mg/kg) and treated with apocynin (16 mg/kg/d for 12 weeks). The cognitive ability was evaluated by Morris water maze test. The indicators of oxidative stress (SOD and MDA) were analyzed by spectrophotometer. The inflammatory cytokines were measured by real time-PCR and ELISA. The protein expressions of Nrf-2, HO-1, Bcl-2 and Bax were determined by Western blot.

RESULTS

Treatment with apocynin ameliorated diabetes-related learning and memory injury, as represented by decreasing escape latency and enhancement of the number of times of crossing platform, in the Morris water maze test. In hippocampus, apocynin markedly augmented SOD activity and inhibited MDA level to alleviate oxidative stress. Moreover, apocynin obviously relieved inflammatory reaction by suppressing TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 concentrations. Concomitantly, apocynin also statistically enhanced Nrf-2 and HO-1 protein expression to improve DACD. Lastly, apocynin notably ameliorated Bax/Bcl-2 ratio by regulating Bax and Bcl-2 protein expression to mitigate apoptosis.

CONCLUSION

Our results have shown that apocynin may be a valid therapeutic agent against DACD via modulation of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptosis (Tab. 1, Fig. 18, Ref. 35).

[Familial sarcoidosis: 3 cases in the same family]

Familial sarcoidosis is uncommon, representing less than 5% of the cases. We reported three cases of sarcoidosis in the same family (two sisters and a brother) with different clinical presentation in spite of the presence in each patient of HLA B8 DR3. These HLA phenotype may be related with favourable sarcoidosis. Until the two sisters had articular and benign lymph nodes diseases, the brother had multivisceral sarcoidosis involving the liver, the lung and the mediastinum. Corticosteroid were used during 6 month with favourable evolution. There is 16 years between the three sarcoidosis history but the disease appeared till the third decade. The two sisters and the brother did not live in the same city. These suggest than genetic predisposition is more effective than environmental basis.