Synergistic Treatment with Antiretrovirals and Laser Interstitial Thermal ThErapy (STARLITE) for unresectable glioblastoma: A phase 1 study protocol.

This clinical trial is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06428045). The authors confirm that all ongoing and related trials for this intervention are registered.

Elucidating the association between TLR-4 expression and the clinical course of glioblastoma leptomeningeal disease.

Background: No treatment exists for leptomeningeal disease (LMD) occurring in a subset of glioblastoma (GBM) patients and portends to a very poor prognosis. This study investigated the association of the Toll-Like Receptor 4 (TLR-4) pro-inflammatory pathway in LMD secondary to GBM.

Methods: We interrogated relevant transcriptomic and proteomic datasets, and primary patient tissue and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens.

Activating antiviral immune responses potentiates immune checkpoint inhibition in glioblastoma models.

Viral mimicry refers to the activation of innate antiviral immune responses due to the induction of endogenous retroelements (REs). Viral mimicry augments antitumor immune responses and sensitizes solid tumors to immunotherapy. Here, we found that targeting what we believe to be a novel, master epigenetic regulator, Zinc Finger Protein 638 (ZNF638), induces viral mimicry in glioblastoma (GBM) preclinical models and potentiates immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI).

Targeting ZNF638 activates antiviral immune responses and potentiates immune checkpoint inhibition in glioblastoma.

Viral mimicry refers to the activation of innate anti-viral immune responses due to the induction of endogenous retroelement (RE) expression. Viral mimicry has been previously described to augment anti-tumor immune responses and sensitize solid tumors to immunotherapy including colorectal cancer, melanoma, and clear renal cell carcinoma. Here, we found that targeting a novel, master epigenetic regulator, Zinc Finger Protein 638 (ZNF638), induces viral mimicry in glioblastoma (GBM) preclinical models and potentiates immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI).

Antiretroviral Drug Repositioning for Glioblastoma.

Outcomes for glioblastoma (GBM) remain poor despite standard-of-care treatments including surgical resection, radiation, and chemotherapy. Intratumoral heterogeneity contributes to treatment resistance and poor prognosis, thus demanding novel therapeutic approaches. Drug repositioning studies on antiretroviral therapy (ART) have shown promising potent antineoplastic effects in multiple cancers; however, its efficacy in GBM remains unclear.

Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy Induces Robust Local Immune Response for Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma With Long-term Survival and Disease Control.

Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is a minimally invasive neurosurgical technique used to ablate intra-axial brain tumors. The impact of LITT on the tumor microenvironment is scarcely reported. Nonablative LITT-induced hyperthermia (33-43˚C) increases intra-tumoral mutational burden and neoantigen production, promoting immunogenic cell death.

The Role of HERV-K in Cancer Stemness.

Human endogenous retrovirus-K (HERV-K) is the most recently integrated retrovirus in the human genome, with implications for multiple disorders, including cancer. Although typically transcriptionally silenced in normal adult cells, dysregulation of HERV-K (HML-2) elements has been observed in cancer, including breast, germ cell tumors, pancreatic, melanoma, and brain cancer. While multiple methods of carcinogenesis have been proposed, here we discuss the role of HERV-K (HML-2) in the promotion and maintenance of the stem-cell in cancer.

Exposure of carbon nanotubes affects testis and brain of common carp.

Carbon nanotubes production has been rapidly increasing for many potential applications, however, the environmental impact of this nanomaterial needs to be comprehended. The present work focused on unraveling the effects of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) in the common carp, Cyprinus carpio. The physicochemical properties of SWCNT were analyzed with X-ray diffraction, Fourier transforms infra-red, UV-Vis absorption, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Raman spectroscopy before testing for exposure impact.

Leptin secreted from testicular microenvironment modulates hedgehog signaling to augment the endogenous function of Leydig cells.

Although testosterone deficiency (TD) may be present in one out of five men 40 years or older, the factors responsible for TD remain largely unknown. Leydig stem cells (LSCs) differentiate into adult Leydig cells (ALC) and produce testosterone in the testes under the pulsatile control of luteinizing hormone (LH) from the pituitary gland. However, recent studies have suggested that the testicular microenvironment (TME), which is comprised of Sertoli and peritubular myoid cells (PMC), plays an instrumental role in LSC differentiation and testosterone production under the regulation of the desert hedgehog signaling pathway (DHH).

The role of leptin and low testosterone in obesity.

Obesity is a medical condition associated with metabolic disorders and low-grade systemic inflammation. Another characterizing feature of obesity is high circulating levels of leptin (a hormone predominantly made by adipose cells and enterocytes in the small intestine that helps to regulate energy balance), a phenomenon termed hyperleptinemia. Hyperleptinemia is associated with both low-grade systemic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction in obese human beings.

SARS-CoV-2 in the Prostate: Immunohistochemical and Ultrastructural Studies.

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 was discovered in 2019 and has proven to be a significant public health challenge. While viruses from the coronavirus family have been established as causes of respiratory tract infections, SARS-CoV-2 has also been found in the heart, kidney, testes, and penis. This paper investigates whether SARS-CoV-2 can linger in the prostate by examining the histopathological, ultrastructural, and immunofluorescent elements of prostatic tissue from a patient who was infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus prior to having a holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) procedure.

Whole Exome Sequencing Identifies a Rare Mutation in NACAD as a Possible Cause of COVID Orchitis in Brothers.

COVID orchitis (testicular pain) is reported in 10-15% of men with long COVID. We identified 2 siblings with COVID orchitis and hypothesized that genetic mutations are associated with susceptibility. Blood samples from 5 COVID-19 (+) men, three of whom had orchitis were evaluated by whole-exome-sequencing.

Lactoferrin nanoparticles coencapsulated with curcumin and tenofovir improve vaginal defense against HIV-1 infection.

We report here the development of tenofovir- and curcumin-loaded lactoferrin nanoparticles (TCNPs) as an HIV-microbicide. TCNPs were subjected to various physicochemical characterization experiments, followed by and experiments to assess their efficacy. TCNPs had a diameter of 74.

Interactive role of Wnt signaling and Zn in regulating testicular function of the common carp, Cyprinus carpio.

Wnt signaling is conserved among all species and plays a significant role in various cellular processes including reproduction. The present study identified significant involvement of wnt4a, wnt5b, and wnt8a signaling in the testicular growth of common carp,Cyprinus carpio. Predominant expression of wnt4a, wnt5b, and wnt8a was found in the gonads and Wnt4a was localized in spermatocytes and interstitial cells.

Effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles and zinc sulfate on the testis of common carp, Cyprinus carpio.

The present study analyzed the effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) and zinc sulfate (ZnSO) in the testis of six-month-old common carp Cyprinus carpio exposed to three different doses, viz., 10, 50, and 100 μg/L for 21 days. Characterization of ZnO-NPs was done after sonication, the size and shape of ZnO-NPs were determined as ∼20-30 nm spherical structure measured zeta potential of +26.

Gonadal transcriptome analysis of the common carp, Cyprinus carpio: Identification of differentially expressed genes and SSRs.

Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) is a world-wide freshwater fish of eutrophic waters. C. carpio, have various reproductive traits, including early sexual maturity, that may make them excellent, large, realistic, aquaculture model species.