Search

Background Opioid receptors are implicated in cancer progression and long-term patient outcomes. However, the prognostic significance, underlying mechanisms, and therapeutic value of mu-opioid receptor (MOP) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. Methods MOP expression in human biopsy HCC samples was evaluated using RNA microarrays, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and immunochemical analyses. Molecular and cellular techniques, including siRNA-mediated depletion and lentiviral vector-mediated overexpression, were used to elucidate the functions and mechanisms of MOP. The effect of the MOP agonist morphine in HCC was evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. The therapeutic value of MOP inhibitors in HCC progression and metastasis was investigated with in vitro experiments and subcutaneous and orthotopic HCC mouse models in vivo. Results Through microarray analysis and qRT-PCR, we identified that MOP is highly expressed in human HCC tumours. High MOP expression in HCC tumours was confirmed by immunocytochemistry and correlated with aggressive clinicopathological features and a worse prognosis. Depletion of MOP suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, whereas overexpression of MOP promoted cell growth and metastasis in human HCC cell lines. Both clinical and biological evidence revealed that MOP-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition promotes HCC metastasis and poor prognosis. Morphine promotes cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro and in vivo in mouse models. More importantly, MOP inhibitors suppressed cell growth, invasion, and metastasis in vitro and in the subcutaneous and orthotopic xenograft models. Conclusions MOP plays a key oncogenic function in hepatocarcinogenesis. Its overexpression is associated with poor prognosis in patients with HCC. Furthermore, MOP inhibitors may be a promising strategy for HCC therapy.

Researchers analyzed and presented volume data from the Visible Human Project (VHP) and data from high-resolution 3D ion-abrasion scanning electron microscopy (IA-SEM). They acquired the VHP data using cryosectioning, a destructive approach to 3D human anatomical imaging resulting in whole-body images with a field of view approaching 2 meters and a minimum resolvable feature size of 300 microns. IA-SEM is a type of block-face imaging microscopy, a destructive approach to microscopic 3D imaging of cells. The field of view of IA-SEM data is on the order of 10 microns (whole cell) with a minimum resolvable feature size of 15 nanometers (single-slice thickness). Despite the difference in subject and scale, the analysis and modeling methods were remarkably similar. They are derived from image processing, computer vision, and computer graphics techniques. Moreover, together we are employing medical illustration, visualization, and rapid prototyping to inform and inspire biomedical science. By combining graphics and biology, we are imaging across nine orders of magnitude of space to better promote public health through research.

Meta-analyses of bipolar disorder (BD) genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several genome-wide significant signals in European-ancestry samples, but so far account for little of the inherited risk. We performed a meta-analysis of ∼750,000 high-quality genetic markers on a combined sample of ∼14,000 subjects of European and Asian-ancestry (phase I). The most significant findings were further tested in an extended sample of ∼17,700 cases and controls (phase II). The results suggest novel association findings near the genes TRANK1 (LBA1), LMAN2L and PTGFR. In phase I, the most significant single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs9834970 near TRANK1, was significant at the P=2.4 × 10(-11) level, with no heterogeneity. Supportive evidence for prior association findings near ANK3 and a locus on chromosome 3p21.1 was also observed. The phase II results were similar, although the heterogeneity test became significant for several SNPs. On the basis of these results and other established risk loci, we used the method developed by Park et al. to estimate the number, and the effect size distribution, of BD risk loci that could still be found by GWAS methods. We estimate that63,000 case-control samples would be needed to identify the ∼105 BD risk loci discoverable by GWAS, and that these will together explain6% of the inherited risk. These results support previous GWAS findings and identify three new candidate genes for BD. Further studies are needed to replicate these findings and may potentially lead to identification of functional variants. Sample size will remain a limiting factor in the discovery of common alleles associated with BD.

Drug absorption in the human body depends on the dissolution rate of the drug. Suitable dissolution characteristics are important to ensure that the drug will achieve the desired therapeutic effects. To assess the similarity of dissolution rates of several drug lots, we apply a general growth curve model with different covariance structures. The Box-Cox power transformation and the naive log transformation are applied to a function of the dissolution rate. The predictive sample-reuse, or cross-validation, method is employed in selecting an appropriate model with best predictive accuracy. A testing procedure for examining the similarity among the drug lots is also conducted. A partially Bayesian approach is used for the assessment of dissolution equivalence.

The reversible monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) inhibitors were developed by researchers in response to safety concerns about the old irreversible MAO inhibitors. Scientists devised this new class of MAO-A inhibitors with the hope that selectivity for the MAO-A receptor and reversibility of the inhibition would result in efficacy in depression with improved safety. Moclobemide is the first reversible MAO-A inhibitor to be widely marketed and is currently approved for marketing in approximately 50 countries. In determining the safety profile of a drug, the following strategy is generally employed by a manufacturer: (a) comparison of the drug to placebo in clinical trials to identify the more commonly occurring adverse reactions; (b) comparison of the drug to other known drugs in clinical trials to determine relative frequencies of adverse reactions; (c) examination of reports from practitioners, the so-called spontaneously reported adverse event reports to confirm that what is seen under the experimental conditions of clinical trials is also seen in "real life" and to generate hypotheses about rare adverse reactions to the drug; (d) identification of further adverse reactions from overdose reports; and (e) the conduct of postmarketing studies to further determine drug-drug interactions. Such a strategy was employed by the manufacturer for moclobemide, and this article reviews the results of data accumulated concerning moclobemide safety.

The reversible monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) inhibitors were developed by researchers in response to safety concerns about the old irreversible MAO inhibitors. Scientists devised this new class of MAO-A inhibitors with the hope that selectivity for the MAO-A receptor and reversibility of the inhibition would result in efficacy in depression with improved safety. Moclobemide is the first reversible MAO-A inhibitor to be widely marketed and is currently approved for marketing in approximately 50 countries. In determining the safety profile of a drug, the following strategy is generally employed by a manufacturer: (a) comparison of the drug to placebo in clinical trials to identify the more commonly occurring adverse reactions; (b) comparison of the drug to other known drugs in clinical trials to determine relative frequencies of adverse reactions; (c) examination of reports from practitioners, the so-called spontaneously reported adverse event reports to confirm that what is seen under the experimental conditions of clinical trials is also seen in "real life" and to generate hypotheses about rare adverse reactions to the drug; (d) identification of further adverse reactions from overdose reports; and (e) the conduct of postmarketing studies to further determine drug-drug interactions. Such a strategy was employed by the manufacturer for moclobemide, and this article reviews the results of data accumulated concerning moclobemide safety.