Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced as normal products of cellular metabolism, which are essential for numerous cell biological functions. Due to aberrant metabolism, oncogenic signaling ...activation and mitochondrial dysfunction, cancer cells generate excessive ROS that cause severe oxidative damage, finally leading to tumor cell death. Thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), as an important ROS-scavenging enzyme, is overexpressed in various human tumors and plays an important role in regulating intracellular redox homeostasis to protect cancer cells from cell death induced by substantial ROS. Hence, TrxR has emerged as a promising target for anticancer agent development. Currently, metallodrugs with anticancer activity, especially gold- and platinum-complexes, have an enormous impact on clinical cancer chemotherapy. This review provides a comprehensive overview of various metal complexes (gold, platinum, ruthenium, rhodium, iridium, iron, palladium, silver, antimony, bismuth, tin) targeting mammalian TrxR and discusses their cytotoxicity in tumor cells.
Background:
Leukoencephalopathy and visual impairment have been linked to loss-of-function mutations in the
CLCN2
gene (MIM #600570). However, the ocular features caused by the
CLCN2
mutations remain ...poorly understood and seldom reported. This study aims to present a novel mutation and characterize the ocular phenotype in a Chinese female diagnosed with
CLCN2
-related leukoencephalopathy (CC2L), also known as leukoencephalopathy with ataxia (LKPAT; MIM #615651).
Case presentation:
A 20-year-old Chinese female presented with bilateral blurred vision persisting for 2 years, which had worsened over the past 6 months. Ophthalmologic examination revealed bilateral post-capsular cataracts, macular retinal atrophy, and peripheral retinal pigmentation. Swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) showed bilateral choroidal capillary atrophy, loss of the outer retinal layer, and a novel noteworthy sign of vacuole-like vitreoretinopathy. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging confirmed leukoencephalopathy. Genetic testing identified a novel homozygous pathogenic c.1382_1386del (p.P461Lfs*13) mutation in exon 13 of the CLCN2 gene.
Conclusion:
This case report expands the knowledge of CLCN2 mutations and their associated ocular manifestations in patients with CC2L. The identified ophthalmic features may serve as crucial indicators for early diagnosis in individuals with CC2L, especially in the absence of evident neurological symptoms.
Multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS)-like features is a rare condition triggered by a macular disease or iatrogenic injury, exhibiting MEWDS changes in the fundus. This study aims to ...describe the multimodal imaging features and outcomes of multifocal choroiditis/punctate inner choroidopathy (MFC/PIC) lesions with MEWDS-like features.
Six cases were studied retrospectively. All cases were given regional and oral corticosteroids.
All cases showed an isolated juxtafoveal yellowish-white MFC/PIC lesion with disruption of RPE-Bruch's membrane-choriocapillaris complex (RPE-BM-CC), subretinal hyperreflective materials and choroidal thickening on optical coherence tomography. Two weeks after presentation, the grayish-white dots disappeared spontaneously and the corticosteroids were given. After four weeks, the ellipsoid zone (EZ) around the lesion and hyper-autofluorescence resolved. After 13 weeks, five cases showed shrinkage of the juxtafoveal lesion and restoration of foveal EZ. After six months, the juxtafoveal lesion became pigmented. Only one case developed type 2 choroidal neovascularization.
The clinical course of MEWDS-like manifestations is still evanescent in our cases. The yellowish-white juxtafoveal MFC/PIC lesions with disruption of RPE-BM-CC and choroidal thickening showed a well-controlled prognosis after corticosteroid treatment.
Preretinal deposits (PDs) are a rare condition among fundus diseases. We found that preretinal deposits have some features in common that can provide clinical information. This review affords an ...overview of PDs in different but related ocular diseases and events, and summarizes the clinical features and possible origin of PDs in related conditions, providing diagnostic clues for ophthalmologists when facing PDs. A literature search was performed using three major electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar) to identify potentially relevant articles published on or before June 4, 2022. Most of the cases in the enrolled articles had optical coherence tomography (OCT) images to confirm the preretinal location of the deposits. Thirty-two publications reported PD-related conditions, including ocular toxoplasmosis (OT), syphilitic uveitis, vitreoretinal lymphoma, human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-I) associated uveitis or HTLV-I carriers, acute retinal necrosis, endogenous fungal endophthalmitis, idiopathic uveitis, and exogenous materials. Based on our review, OT is the most frequent infectious disease to exhibit PDs, and silicone oil tamponade is the most common exogenous cause of preretinal deposits. PDs in inflammatory diseases are highly suggestive of active infectious disease and are preferentially accompanied by a retinitis area. However, PDs will largely resolve after etiological treatment in either inflammatory or exogenous conditions.
Abstract
Purpose
To describe and analyze the clinical prognosis of infants diagnosed of familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR) with single gene mutation in long-term follow-up.
Methods
A ...retrospective case study was conducted on 355 FEVR infants with single positive gene.
Result
Of the 335 single-gene positive infant FEVR cases (under 3 years old), 20% (
n
= 67) was diagnosed of strabismus at first visit. Staging of various genotypes was different (
P
< 0.001). Patients with NDP mutations presented the most severe clinical phenotypes and patients with ZNF408 mutations presented the mildest clinical phenotypes. Most infants underwent surgery under 1 year old (5
th
stage 75 of 108 69.44%). The axial length of different genotypes showed no significant difference (
P
= 0.2891). The 1
st
to 3
rd
stage cases were given intravitreal injection and/or retina photocoagulation with the last follow-up vision above 20/67. The 4
th
to 5
th
stage cases received the transcorneal vitrectomy with lensectomy or lens sparing vitrectomy (LSV), whose lens maintained transparent after LSV (11/1478.58%). After 2 to 10 years of follow-up, 37.96% (41/108) of post-surgery cases showed retinal funnel-like unfold and posterior pole unfold, 69.57% (16/ 23) of which received second surgery for closure of pupil with good prognosis. At the last follow-up, 20% (60/300) were with vision above 20/200.
Conclusion
LRP5 gene mutation was the most common mutation in FEVR patients. The severity of the clinical phenotype varied with different gene mutations. The main surgical methods for cases at Stage 4–5 were transcorneal vitrectomy with lensectomy or LSV. The earlier FEVR occurred, the worse prognosis would be. Active surgical intervention and lens sparing were necessary for cases at Stage 4–5.
Progranulin (PGRN) is a crucial secreted growth factor involved in various kinds of physiologic and disease processes and often has a protective role in inflammatory diseases. This study was designed ...to investigate the protective effects of PGRN on endotoxic shock in a mouse model of PGRN deficiency. After lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection to induce endotoxic shock in mice, PGRN levels were induced in wild‐type (WT) mice at 6 and 24 hrs. Survival rate analysis, haematoxylin and eosin staining, immunohistochemical staining, enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and in situ terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase–mediated uridine triphosphate nick‐end labelling assay were used to reveal the susceptibility, lung injury, inflammatory cell infiltration, production of inflammatory mediators and lung cell death in mice after LPS injection. PGRN‐deficient (Grn−/−) mice were highly susceptible to LPS‐induced endotoxic shock, with decreased survival, severe lung injury, increased production of pro‐inflammatory mediators, and inflammatory cell infiltration and apoptotic death in the lung. Additionally, recombinant PGRN (rPGRN) administration before LPS stimulation ameliorated the survival of and abnormalities in both WT and Grn−/− mice. Altogether, these findings indicate that PGRN may be a novel biologic agent with therapeutic potential for endotoxic shock probably by inhibiting LPS‐induced systemic and local inflammation in mice for treating endotoxic shock.
Helicase-like transcription factor (HLTF) belongs to the family of SWI/SNF proteins, which has been reported to exert oncogenic function in several human cancers. However, to date, its functional ...role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been revealed. Here, we found that HLTF was highly expressed in HCC tissues compared to nontumor tissues. Additionally, upregulation of HLTF was significantly associated with poor prognosis of patients with HCC. Functional experiments demonstrated that knockdown of HLTF expression significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells in vitro, and suppressed tumor growth in vivo. In conclusion, our results suggest that upregulation of HLTF is associated with the development of HCC, and HLTF may be a potential therapeutic target for HCC treatment.
Background
Uveitis is a disease presenting with varied clinical symptoms and potentially devastates visual function. Here, we report a patient with uveitis exhibiting a rare appearance of preretinal ...deposits (PDs).
Case presentation
A 49-year-old female showed vitreous opacity and perivascular white PDs involving veins and arteries. The interferon-gamma release assay was strongly positive and chest computed tomography showed signs of calcified nodules; other tests were unremarkable. The patient was diagnosed with uveitis and tubercular infection. The patient was given systemic anti-tubercular therapy and steroids, which were subsequently combined with immunosuppressants. The shrinkage of HRD was more sensitively observed with OCT than on photographs during follow-up visits. The right eye was relieved subsequently, but the left eye showed vitreous opacity and responded poorly to the treatment. Three months after the dexamethasone intravitreal implant, the perivascular deposits in the left eye disappeared and the vitreous opacity was relieved.
Conclusion
PDs can appear as spotted deposits in the posterior pole and segmental deposits in the periphery in patients with uveitis, which mainly involves the vitreous cavity and is easily confused with retinal vasculitis. OCT can more sensitively observe the response than other examinations.
Particle‐based pulmonary delivery has great potential for delivering inhalable therapeutics for local or systemic applications. The design of particles with enhanced aerodynamic properties can ...improve lung distribution and deposition, and hence the efficacy of encapsulated inhaled drugs. This study describes the nanoengineering and nebulization of metal–phenolic capsules as pulmonary carriers of small molecule drugs and macromolecular drugs in lung cell lines, a human lung model, and mice. Tuning the aerodynamic diameter by increasing the capsule shell thickness (from ≈100 to 200 nm in increments of ≈50 nm) through repeated film deposition on a sacrificial template allows precise control of capsule deposition in a human lung model, corresponding to a shift from the alveolar region to the bronchi as aerodynamic diameter increases. The capsules are biocompatible and biodegradable, as assessed following intratracheal administration in mice, showing >85% of the capsules in the lung after 20 h, but <4% remaining after 30 days without causing lung inflammation or toxicity. Single‐cell analysis from lung digests using mass cytometry shows association primarily with alveolar macrophages, with >90% of capsules remaining nonassociated with cells. The amenability to nebulization, capacity for loading, tunable aerodynamic properties, high biocompatibility, and biodegradability make these capsules attractive for controlled pulmonary delivery.
The aerodynamic diameters of metal–phenolic capsules are nanoengineered by increasing their shell thickness, which facilitates tailored capsule deposition in a mechanical lung model. The engineered capsules are promising for pulmonary delivery owing to their robustness for nebulization, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and their capacity for cargo loading and surface functionalization.
HSPA13, an important member of the heat shock protein family, plays an essential role in the oncogenesis of many organs, but the mechanism and function in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still ...unclear. In the present study, we found that HSPA13 was highly expressed in HCC and predicted poor clinical prognosis. Upregulation of HSPA13 was significantly associated with vascular invasion in HCC patients. Functionally, knockdown experiments demonstrated that HSPA13 promoted HCC proliferation, migration, and invasion. Mechanistic investigation showed that HSPA13 could interact with TANK to inhibit its ubiquitination and degradation. In addition, the expression of HSPA13 and TANK were positively correlated in HCC tissues. To conclude, the present study uncovers the oncogenic function of HSPA13 in the progression of HCC by regulating the stability of TANK. These findings suggest that HSPA13 and TANK may serve as promising targets for the diagnosis and treatment of HCC.
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