RNAscope

Bladder cancer (BC) is the most frequent type of urinary tumor and a barely treatable disease. Although extensive efforts have been invested in the research of BC, the underlying etiology and pathophysiology remain unclear. CircLONP2 is a circular RNA implicated in the development of many cancers, and miR-584-5p and YAP1 have been reported to contribute to the progression of BC. In this research, we presented novel evidence supporting circLONP2/miR-584-5p/YAP1 axis as a novel regulatory module in the progression of BC.

A Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy can result in severe birth defects such as microcephaly. To date, it is incompletely understood how ZIKV can cross the human placenta. Furthermore, results from studies in pregnant mice and non-human primates are conflicting regarding the role of cross-reactive dengue virus (DENV) antibodies on transplacental ZIKV transmission. Elucidating how ZIKV can cross the placenta and which risk factors contribute to this is important for risk assessment and for potential intervention strategies for transplacental ZIKV transmission.

The lateral habenula (LHb) is a tiny structure that acts as a hub, relaying signals from the limbic forebrain structures and basal ganglia to the brainstem modulatory area. Facilitated by updated knowledge and more precise manipulation of circuits, the progress in figuring out the neural circuits and functions of the LHb has increased dramatically over the past decade.

Type-2 cannabinoid receptors (CB2, encoded by the Cnr2 gene) are mainly expressed in immune cells, and CB2 agonists normally have no analgesic effect. However, nerve injury upregulates CB2 in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG), following which CB2 stimulation reduces neuropathic pain. It is unclear how nerve injury increases CB2 expression or how CB2 activity is transformed in neuropathic pain. In this study, immunoblotting showed that spinal nerve ligation (SNL) induced a delayed and sustained increase in CB2 expression in the DRG and dorsal spinal cord synaptosomes.

The tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) is an important player in breast cancer pathophysiology. Surrogates for antitumor immune response have been explored as predictive biomarkers to immunotherapy, though with several limitations. Immunohistochemistry for programmed death ligand 1 suffers from analytical problems, immune signatures are devoid of spatial information and histopathological evaluation of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes exhibits interobserver variability.

Models of heart disease and drug responses are increasingly based on human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) since their ability to capture human heart (dys-)function is often better than animal models. Simple monolayer cultures of hPSC-derived cardiomyocytes, however, have shortcomings. Some of these can be overcome using more complex, multi cell-type models in 3D.

Microglia, the resident immune cells in the retina and nervous system, make irreplaceable contributions to the maintenance of normal homeostasis and immune surveillance of these systems. Recently, great progress has been made in determining the origin, distribution, features and functions of retinal microglia and in identifying their roles in retinal diseases. In the retinal microenvironment, microglia constantly monitor changes in their surroundings and maintain balanced functions by communicating with other retinal cells.

The effect of SARS-CoV-2 severity or the trimester of infection in pregnant mothers, placentas, and infants is not fully understood.A retrospective, observational cohort study in Chapel Hill, NC of 115 mothers with SARS-CoV-2 and singleton pregnancies from December 1, 2019 to May 31, 2021 via chart review to document the infants' weight, length, head circumference, survival, congenital abnormalities, hearing loss, maternal complications, and placental pathology classified by the Amsterdam criteria.Of the 115 mothers, 85.2% were asymptomatic (n = 37) or had mild (n = 61) symptoms, 13.0% had

The present study was to identify abnormal methylation genes implicated in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Genomic methylation alterations in ESCC tissues were analyzed using laser-microdissection and whole-genome bisulfite sequencing. CXCL14 promoter was frequently hypermethylated in ESCC tissues. The correlation of CXCL14 hypermethylation status and the mRNA and protein expression levels were validated using nested methylation-specific PCR (nMS-PCR), RNAscope in situ hybridization (RISH) and Western blot.

Finding the link between behaviors and their regulatory molecular pathways is a major obstacle in treating neuropsychiatric disorders. The immediate early gene (IEG) EGR1 is implicated in the etiology of neuropsychiatric disorders, and is linked to gene pathways associated with social behavior. Despite extensive knowledge of EGR1 gene regulation at the molecular level, it remains unclear how EGR1 deficits might affect the social component of these disorders.