scholarly journals Neuropsychiatric manifestations of depression in multiple sclerosis: neuroinflammatory, neuroendocrine, and neurotrophic mechanisms in the pathogenesis of immune-mediated depression

2007 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-139

Evidence suggests that depression in multiple sclerosis (MS) is largely biologically mediated by some of the same processes involved in the immunopathogenesis of this neurologic disease. In particular, the increase in proinflammatory cytokines, activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and reduction in neurotrophic factors that occur in MS may each account for the increased rate of depression seen in MS. The possible contributions of these neuroinflammatory, neuroendocrine, and neurotrophic mechanisms suggest a diverse array of novel treatment strategies for depression, both in the context of inflammatory conditions as well as in idiopathic depression. Furthermore, if such processes in MS play a causative role in the pathogenesis of depression, and depression in turn has affects on neurophysiological processes related to immune function, then treatment of depression might have a positive effect on MS disease progression. This makes treating MS depression a neuropsychiatric imperative.

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 1061-1077 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Luessi ◽  
Volker Siffrin ◽  
Frauke Zipp

2020 ◽  
pp. 972-987
Author(s):  
Ramez N. Eskander ◽  
Julia Elvin ◽  
Laurie Gay ◽  
Jeffrey S. Ross ◽  
Vincent A. Miller ◽  
...  

PURPOSE High-grade neuroendocrine cervical cancer (HGNECC) is an uncommon malignancy with limited therapeutic options; treatment is patterned after the histologically similar small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). To better understand HGNECC biology, we report its genomic landscape. PATIENTS AND METHODS Ninety-seven patients with HGNECC underwent comprehensive genomic profiling (182-315 genes). These results were subsequently compared with a cohort of 1,800 SCLCs. RESULTS The median age of patients with HGNECC was 40.5 years; 83 patients (85.6%) harbored high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV). Overall, 294 genomic alterations (GAs) were identified (median, 2 GAs/sample; average, 3.0 GAs/sample, range, 0-25 GAs/sample) in 109 distinct genes. The most frequently altered genes were PIK3CA (19.6% of cohort), MYC (15.5%), TP53 (15.5%), and PTEN (14.4%). RB1 GAs occurred in 4% versus 32% of HPV-positive versus HPV-negative tumors ( P < .0001). GAs in HGNECC involved the following pathways: PI3K/AKT/mTOR (41.2%); RAS/MEK (11.3%); homologous recombination (9.3%); and ERBB (7.2%). Two tumors (2.1%) had high tumor mutational burden (TMB; both with MSH2 alterations); 16 (16.5%) had intermediate TMB. Seventy-one patients (73%) had ≥ 1 alteration that was theoretically druggable. Comparing HGNECC with SCLC, significant differences in TMB, microsatellite instability, HPV-positive status, and in PIK3CA, MYC, PTEN, TP53, ARID1A, and RB1 alteration rates were found. CONCLUSION This large cohort of patients with HGNECC demonstrated a genomic landscape distinct from SCLC, calling into question the biologic and therapeutic relevance of the histologic similarities between the entities. Furthermore, 73% of HGNECC tumors had potentially actionable alterations, suggesting novel treatment strategies for this aggressive malignancy.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-Louis Hollier ◽  
Sarah Guimbal ◽  
Pierre Mora ◽  
Aïssata Diop ◽  
Lauriane Cornuault ◽  
...  

AbstractRecent work demonstrated that Central Nervous System (CNS) inflammation induces endothelial Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) opening as well as the formation of a tight junction barrier between reactive astrocytes at the Glia Limitans. We hypothesized that these two barriers may be reciprocally regulated by each other state and further, that the CNS parenchyma may acquire protection from the reactive astrocytic Glia Limitans not only in neuro-inflammation but also when BBB integrity is compromised under resting condition, without pathology. Previous studies identified Sonic hedgehog (Shh) astrocytic secretion as implicated in stabilizing the BBB during neuropathology and we recently demonstrated that desert hedgehog (Dhh) is expressed at the BBB in adults.Here we unraveled the role of the morphogen Dhh in maintaining BBB tightness and, using endothelial Dhh knockdown as a model of permeable BBB, we demonstrated that a double barrier system comprising both the BBB and Glia Limitans, is implemented in the CNS and regulated by a crosstalk going from endothelial cell to astrocytes.First, we showed that, under neuro-inflammatory conditions, Dhh expression is severely down regulated at the BBB and that Dhh is necessary for endothelial intercellular junction integrity as Dhh knockdown leads to CNS vascular leakage. We then demonstrated that, in Dhh endothelial knockout (DhhECKO) mice which display an open BBB, astrocytes are reactive and express the tight junction Claudin 4 (Cldn4) and showed that astrocytes can respond to signals secreted by the permeable endothelial BBB by becoming reactive and expressing Cldn4. To examine the consequences of the above results on disease severity, we finally induced multiple sclerosis in DhhECKO mice versus control littermates and showed that the pathology is less severe in the knockout animals due to Glia Limitans tightening, in response to BBB leakage, which drives inflammatory infiltrate entrapment into the perivascular space. Altogether these results suggest that genetic disruption of the BBB generates endothelial signals capable of driving the implementation of a secondary barrier at the Glia Limitans to protect the parenchyma. The concept of a reciprocally regulated CNS double barrier system has implications for treatment strategies in both the acute and chronic phases of multiple sclerosis pathophysiology.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 5435
Author(s):  
Maiko Matsushita

Introduction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has improved the prognosis of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), and treatment-free remission (TFR) is now a treatment goal. However, about half of the patients experience molecular relapse after cessation of TKIs, suggesting that leukemic stem cells (LSCs) are resistant to TKIs. Eradication of the remaining LSCs using immunotherapies including interferon-alpha, vaccinations, CAR-T cells, and other drugs would be a key strategy to achieve TFR.


2021 ◽  
Vol 135 (10) ◽  
pp. 1289-1293
Author(s):  
Gregor Werba ◽  
Tamas A. Gonda

Abstract Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) features a hostile tumor microenvironment (TME) that renders it remarkably resistant to most therapeutic interventions. Consequently, survival remains among the poorest compared with other gastrointestinal cancers. Concerted efforts are underway to decipher the complex PDAC TME, break down barriers to efficacious therapies and identify novel treatment strategies. In the recent Clinical Science, Li and colleagues identify the long noncoding RNA KLHDC7B-DT as a crucial epigenetic regulator of IL-6 transcription in PDAC and illustrate its potent influences on the pancreatic TME. In this commentary, we introduce epigenetics in pancreatic cancer and put the findings by Li et al. in context with current knowledge.


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