Fibrosis and cancer

Chemokine receptors are important components of cellular signaling and play a critical role in directing leukocytes during inflammatory reactions. Their importance extends to numerous pathological processes, including tumor differentiation, angiogenesis, metastasis, and associations with multiple inflammatory disorders. The necessity to monitor the in vivo interactions of cellular chemokine receptors has been driven the recent development of novel positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agents. This imaging modality provides non-invasive localization and quantitation of these receptors that cannot be provided through blood or tissue-based assays...

Systemic sclerosis, a severe inflammatory autoimmune disease, shares a common thread with cancer through the underlying mechanism of inflammation. This inflammatory milieu not only drives the immune dysregulation characteristic of autoimmune diseases but also plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of cancer. Among the cellular components involved, B cells have emerged as key players in hematologic tumor and autoimmune disease, contributing to immune dysregulation and persistent tissue fibrosis in systemic sclerosis, as well as tumor progression and immune evasion in cancer...

Radiation-induced heart disease (RIHD), characterized by severe oxidative stress and immune dysregulation, is a serious condition affecting cancer patients undergoing thoracic radiation. Unfortunately, clinical interventions for RIHD are lacking. Selenium (Se) is a trace element with excellent antioxidant and immune-modulatory properties. However, its application in heart radioprotection remains challenging. Herein, we developed a novel bioactive Cordyceps militaris -based Se oral delivery system (Se@ CM ), which demonstrated superior radioprotection effects in vitro against X-ray-induced damage in H9C2 cells through suppressing excessive ROS generation, compared to the radioprotectant Amifostine...

BACKGROUND/AIM: Capecitabine plus oxaliplatin (CapeOX) therapy is used as an adjuvant chemotherapy regimen for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Although oxaliplatin induces thrombocytopenia, the risk factors for thrombocytopenia in oxaliplatin-treated patients with CRC are not well established. We aimed to investigate the risk factors for thrombocytopenia in CapeOX-treated patients with CRC. In addition, we evaluated platelet counts and non-invasive liver fibrosis indices, specifically the aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) and the fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4), during CapeOX therapy in these patients...

BACKGROUND: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a precancerous lesion, with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) being the most prevalent malignancy affecting the oral mucosa. The malignant transformation of OSF into OSCC is estimated to occur in 7-13% of cases. Myofibroblasts (MFs) play pivotal roles in both physiological and pathological processes, such as wound healing and tumorigenesis, respectively. This study aimed to explore the involvement of MFs in the progression of OSF and its malignant transformation...

Pegfilgrastim dramatically reduces febrile neutropenia (FN) caused by high-risk chemotherapy. This report details the presentation of a 72-year-old female who developed a fatal infection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia that occurred during preoperative chemotherapy despite pegfilgrastim administration. She was brought to the hospital with symptoms of high fever and general fatigue during chemotherapy, but her respiratory symptoms were minimal, and a chest computed tomography (CT) showed no obvious signs of pneumonia...

Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4RD) is a relatively new disease concept that is most common in Asia. It is a systemic chronic lymphoproliferative disease that is diagnosed by mass formation or thickened lesion, a high serum IgG4 level (≥135 mg/dL), and confirmation of lymphocytes and plasma cells by histopathological examination. The precise mechanism of this disease remains elusive; however, distinguishing IgG4RD from malignancy proves challenging due to its manifestation of swollen lymph nodes and retroperitoneal thickening and fibrosis...

This case report describes a rare case of intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL), initially presenting with nonspecific symptoms of fever and fatigue, and tentatively diagnosed as disseminated carcinomatosis of the bone marrow originating from urothelial cancer in an 80-year-old woman. The patient's journey began with symptoms treated as common ailments and progressed through multiple differential diagnoses, including giant cell arteritis, TAFRO (thrombocytopenia, anasarca, fever, reticulin fibrosis, and organomegaly) syndrome, and disseminated carcinomatosis of the bone marrow originating from urothelial cancer due to the presence of systemic inflammation, anasarca, and elevated soluble interleukin 2 receptor levels, indicative of an intense immunological response...

BACKGROUND: MiR-136-5p plays a vital function in regulating developmental processes as well as in the pathophysiology of diseases, with a notable record in tumor suppression. METHODS: This article summarizes the latest findings on the physiological and pathophysiological processes of miR-136-5p in diseases. We searched for relevant studies and selected research articles from the last five years on PubMed with miR-136-5p as the keyword. RESULTS: MiR-136-5p represents a class of microRNAs (miRNAs) that are involved in various human maladies, encompassing cancers, cardio-cerebrovascular disease, diabetes, inflammatory disease, tuberous sclerosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and polycystic ovary syndrome...

AIM: The response rate to pioglitazone and the predictive factors for its effects on improving liver biochemistry in patients with steatotic liver disease (SLD) remain elusive, so we aimed to investigate these issues. METHODS: A 3-year prospective cohort study of 126 Taiwanese patients with SLD treated with pioglitazone (15-30 mg/day) was conducted. Phospholipase domain-containing protein 3 I148M rs738409, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase rs1801133, aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) rs671 and lipoprotein lipase rs10099160 single nucleotide polymorphisms were assessed in the patients...

PURPOSE OF STUDY: The objective of this research is to present our firsthand experience and provide up-to-date data for the further study of cases involving simultaneous breast irradiation using helical Tomotherapy, ©Accuray Inc. METHODS: The radical treatment options for bilateral breast cancer are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Being that radiotherapy for bilateral breast cancer is challenging due to limitations in the geometry of modern radiotherapy equipment, helical Tomotherapy was chosen as an appropriate technique of irradiation...

Epithelial-mesenchymal transitions (EMTs) are the epitome of cell plasticity in embryonic development and cancer; during EMT, epithelial cells undergo dramatic phenotypic changes and become able to migrate to form different tissues or give rise to metastases, respectively. The importance of EMTs in other contexts, such as tissue repair and fibrosis in the adult, has become increasingly recognized and studied. In this Review, we discuss the function of EMT in the adult after tissue damage and compare features of embryonic and adult EMT...

Liver fibrosis is a common pathological condition marked by excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins, resulting in irreversible cirrhosis and cancer. Dendritic cells (DCs) act as the crucial component of hepatic immunity and are believed to affect fibrosis by regulating the proliferation and differentiation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), a key mediator of fibrogenesis, and by interplaying with immune cells in the liver. This review concisely describes the process of fibrogenesis, and the phenotypic and functional characteristics of DCs in the liver...

In this editorial we comment on the article by Jaber et al . Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) represents a distinct form of pancreatitis, categorized into AIP-1 and AIP-2, characterized by obstructive jaundice, lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate, and fibrosis. AIP-1, associated with elevated immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) levels, exhibits higher relapse rates, affecting older males, while AIP-2 is less common and linked to inflammatory bowel disease. AIP is considered a manifestation of IgG4-related systemic disease, sharing characteristic histological findings...

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Emerging evidence suggests that maternal obesity negatively impacts the health of offspring. Additionally, obesity is a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our study aims to investigate the impact of maternal obesity on the risk for HCC development in offspring and elucidate the underlying transmission mechanisms. METHODS: Female mice were fed either a high-fat diet (HFD) or a normal diet (ND). All offspring received a ND after weaning...

The rat sarcoma virus (RAS) protein family plays a crucial role in facilitating communication both within and between cells, thereby governing fundamental cellular processes such as growth, survival, and differentiation. The RAS family comprises four members of small GTPases, namely Harvey RAS (H-RAS), Kirsten RAS (K-RAS, two splice variants, 4A and 4B), and Neuroblastoma RAS (N-RAS), and these are encoded by three cellular RAS genes. Mutations in these genes play a significant role in cancer development and progression...

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In the realm of respiratory illnesses, despite the immense costs and efforts invested in diagnosis and treatment, numerous patients with chronic respiratory conditions or malignancies do not respond well to existing therapies. Delayed diagnoses and inadequate treatments contribute to these challenges, along with adverse reactions or treatment limitations due to side-effects. However, recent advancements in understanding respiratory diseases have paved the way for personalized medical treatments, considering individual genetic, molecular and environmental factors...

Cyclophosphamide (CPM) is a well-established antineoplastic drug with marked clinical outcomes in various types of cancers. Despite being a promising drug, its use is associated with significant renal toxicity and often limits its use, leading to compromised clinical outcomes. Therefore, this study explored the renal protective effect of bergapten (BGP), a natural bioactive compound that showed marked antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and neuroprotective effects. Till now, BGP has not been studied for its renal protective effect in an in vivo model...

BACKGROUND: Baicalin is a flavonoid obtained from the Chinese herb Scutellaria baicalensis, which has a wide varieties of health benefits and scope to be studied for its therapeutic potential in oral fibrosis. AIM: The aim of the study was to investigate the antifibrotic effect of a Baicalin in arecoline induced human oral fibroblast in vitro setting. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Arecoline and ethanolic extracts of Baicalin were commercially purchased from Sigma-Aldrich...