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Background. Multiple genes have been associated with IBD, and many of these can be linked to alterations in autophagy, UPR, ubiquitination, and metabolic and immune response pathways. The aim of this study was to analyze a transcriptomic panel of mediators associated with the inflammatory pathways in the colonic mucosa of UC patients. Patients and Methods. We studied a total of 100 patients with definitive diagnosis of UC (50 active and 50 in remission) and a control group (50 subjects) without endoscopic evidence of intestinal inflammation. Colonic mucosal biopsies were taken by colonoscopy and preserved in RNA later. Gene expression were measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results. The gene expressions of XBP1, AGR2, HSPA5, UBE2L3, TNFRSF14, LAMP3, FCGR2A, LSP1, CTLA4, SOD2, TDO2, and ALDOB mRNA levels were significantly higher in the colonic mucosa from UC patients (both quiescent and active) as compared to the control group (P<0.05). Conversely, IRGM, ORDML3, UBD, CUL2, CYLD, FOXC2, FOXO4, DOK3, and SNX20 mRNA levels were found to be significantly lower in patients with active disease, as compared to those with active disease (P<0.05). Gene expressions of IRGM, CTLA4, FOXO4, SLC26A3, SLC39A4, SOD2, TDO2, and ALDOB were associated with clinical outcomes, such as medical treatment in response to aminosalicylates, histological remission, clinical course, and evolution. Conclusions: The gene expressions of FOXO4, ALDOB, SOD2, TOD2, SLC26A3, and SLC39A4 were associated with the clinical course and histological activity and are of relevance since these provide the utility of new prognostic markers in IBD. Gene expression signature showed dysregulation in mediators associated with autophagy, ubiquitination, ER stress, oxidative stress, carbohydrate metabolism, solute transport, and T cell regulation in the colonic mucosa from patients with UC, suggesting that these genes could be involved in the pathogenesis of UC.

Aptamers are single-stranded DNA or RNA oligonucleotides that are currently used in clinical trials due to their selectivity and specificity to bind small molecules such as proteins, peptides, viral particles, vitamins, metal ions and even whole cells. Aptamers are highly specific to their targets, they are smaller than antibodies and fragment antibodies, they can be easily conjugated to multiple surfaces and ions and controllable post-production modifications can be performed. Aptamers have been therapeutically used for age-related macular degeneration, cancer, thrombosis and inflammatory diseases. The aim of this review is to highlight the therapeutic, diagnostic and prognostic possibilities associated with aptamers, focusing on eye pathological angiogenesis.

Corneal neovascularization (CNV) is a common sight-threatening pathology that can be induced by a variety of inflammatory and angiogenic stimuli. Current CNV treatments include anti-inflammatory drugs and antibody-based inhibitors of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). However, these are not always effective and novel therapeutic approaches are needed. Previous work has indicated a role for nucleolin (NCL) in VEGF-mediated neoangiogenesis in a suture-induced CNV model. The major goal for this current study is to test the effect of AS1411, a NCL-binding DNA aptamer that has reached human clinical trials, on neovascularization in a murine model of VEGF-mediated CNV. Our results show that topical administration of AS1411 can significantly inhibit corneal neovascularization in this model. Mechanistic studies indicate that AS1411 reduces the VEGF-stimulated proliferation, migration, and tube formation of primary cells obtained from human limbus stroma (HLSC). AS1411 treatment also significantly reduced VEGF-stimulated induction of miR-21 and miR-221 in HLSC, suggesting a role for these pro-angiogenic miRNAs in mediating the effects of AS1411 in this system. In sum, this new research further supports a role for NCL in the molecular etiology of CNV and identifies AS1411 as a potential anti-angiogenic CNV treatment that works by a novel mechanism of action.

ANTECEDENTES: en resecciones repetidas en cáncer de vejiga existe una alta tasa de tumor residual. En la actualidad, la verdadera utilidad y el efecto de este tratamiento son inciertos.OBJETIVO: describir los resultados de la segunda revisión en pacientes con cáncer de vejiga no invasor al músculo, según la tasa de re-estadificación y coexistencia de tumor residual.MATERIALES Y METODOS: estudio retrospectivo y observacional, efectuado en pacientes con resección transuretral de vejiga por carcinoma urotelial vesical no invasor al músculo, de 1984 a 2017, en el Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán. Se analizó la tasa de tumor residual y re-estadificación en la segunda revisión.RESULTADOS: de 556 expedientes, se incluyeron para el análisis final 117 casos, de los que solo 43 (37.7%) formaron parte del grupo de pacientes con segunda revisión. El diámetro del tumor primario fue mayor en el grupo de estudio (3 ± 2 vs 2.3 ± 1.5 cm, p=0.03), al igual que el tumor residual en 17 (39.5%) casos y 1 (2.3%) expresó tumor con invasión al músculo. En los pacientes con tumor residual, 2 (11.7%) tuvieron un incremento en estadio y 3 (17.64%) un cambio de grado bajo a grado alto.CONCLUSIONES: existe un alto porcentaje de tumor residual en pacientes con diagnóstico de cáncer de vejiga no invasor al músculo, inicialmente tratados con resección transuretral de vejiga, además de una tasa re-estadificación considerable.PALABRAS CLAVE: cáncer de vejiga, segunda revisión, tumor residual, re-estadificación.

Exposure to arsenic is associated with increased risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. The proteases calpain-1 (CAPN1), calpain-2 (CAPN2) and calpain-10 (CAPN10) and their endogenous inhibitor calpastatin (CAST) regulate glucose uptake in skeletal muscle and adipocytes. We investigated whether arsenic disrupts GLUT1 trafficking and function through calpain inhibition, using lymphocytes as a cell model. Lymphocytes from healthy subjects were treated with 0.1 or 1 μM of sodium arsenite for 72 h and challenged with 3.9 or 11.1 mM of glucose. Our results showed that arsenite inhibited GLUT1 trafficking, glucose uptake, and calpain activity in the presence of 11.1 mM of glucose. These correlated with a decrease in the autolytical fragment of 50 kDa of CAPN1 and increased levels of CAST, but there were no changes in CAPN2 and CAPN10. We used a cell-free system to evaluate the effect of arsenite over CAPN1, finding that arsenite induced CAPN1 autolysis. To confirm that calpains are involved in GLUT1 trafficking and glucose uptake in lymphocytes, we generated stable CAPN1 or CAPN10 knockdowns in Jurkat cells using short hairpin RNA (shRNA). CAPN1 knockdown induced glucose uptake, while CAPN10 knockdown diminished glucose uptake, which correlated with a significant reduction of calpain activity after the pulse with 11.1 mM of glucose. These data showed that CAPN10 was responsible for the induction of calpain activity after the challenge with 11.1 mM of glucose and that CAPN1 and CAPN10 regulate glucose uptake in lymphocytes. Altogether, our results suggest that arsenite impairs GLUT1 trafficking and function through calpain dysregulation.