Gene Expression Analysis of Aggressive Clinical T1 Stage Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma for Identifying Potential Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers.

The molecular characteristics of early-stage clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs) measuring ≤7 cm associated with poor clinical outcomes remain poorly understood. Here, we sought to validate genes associated with ccRCC progression and identify candidate genes to predict ccRCC aggressiveness. From among 1069 nephrectomies performed on patients, RNA sequencing was performed for 12 ccRCC patients with aggressive characteristics and matched pairs of 12 ccRCC patients without aggressive characteristics. Using a prospective cohort (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03694912), the expression levels of nine genes (PBRM1, BAP1, SETD2, KDM5C, FOXC2, CLIP4, AQP1, DDX11, and BAIAP2L1) were measured by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction from frozen tissues, and their relation to Fuhrman grade was investigated in 70 patients with small ccRCC (≤4 cm). In total, 251 genes were differentially expressed and presented fold changes with p-values < 0.05; moreover, 10 genes with the greatest upregulation or downregulation in aggressive ccRCC remained significant even after adjustment. We validated previously identified genes that were associated with ccRCC progression and identified new candidate genes that reflected the aggressiveness of ccRCC. Our study provides new insight into the tumor biology of ccRCC and will help stratify patients with early-stage ccRCC by molecular subtyping.

In vivo efficacy of combination of colistin with fosfomycin or minocycline in a mouse model of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii pneumonia.

Unfortunately, the options for treating multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) infections are extremely limited. Recently, fosfomycin and minocycline were newly introduced as a treatment option for MDR A. baumannii infection. Therefore, we investigated the efficacy of the combination of colistin with fosfomycin and minocycline, respectively, as therapeutic options in MDR A. baumannii pneumonia. We examined a carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii isolated from clinical specimens at Severance Hospital, Seoul, Korea. The effect of colistin with fosfomycin, and colistin with minocycline on the bacterial counts in lung tissue was investigated in a mouse model of pneumonia caused by MDR A. baumannii. In vivo, colistin with fosfomycin or minocycline significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the bacterial load in the lungs compared with the controls at 24 and 48 h. In the combination groups, the bacterial loads differed significantly (p < 0.05) from that with the more active antimicrobial alone. Moreover, the combination regimens of colistin with fosfomycin and colistin with minocycline showed bactericidal and synergistic effects compared with the more active antimicrobial alone at 24 and 48 h. This study demonstrated the synergistic effects of combination regimens of colistin with fosfomycin and minocycline, respectively, as therapeutic options in pneumonia caused by MDR A. baumannii.

Comparison of genotypic resistance mutations in treatment-naive HIV type 1-infected patients in Korea and China.

Seventy-six treatment-naive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1-infected patients were recruited from Korea and China to evaluate transmitted drug resistance (TDR). Although no major TDR was observed within the study population, some resistance-associated mutations in the reverse transcriptase region were observed (V118I 9.2%, V179D 7.9%). The frequencies of resistance-associated mutations in NNRTI (V179D) and PI minor mutations were higher in Korean patients compared with Chinese patients (13.6% vs. 0%, 45.5% vs. 12.5%, p < 0.05). Although unique clustering was observed in phylogenetic analyses according to geographic sources, cautious monitoring is recommended due to increasing TDR reports in this area where the population shares close geographic and cultural aspects.

Transcriptional activation of HIF-1 by RORalpha and its role in hypoxia signaling.

OBJECTIVE: Hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1alpha) is primarily involved in the adapting of cells to changes in oxygen levels, which is essential for normal vascular function. Recently, physiological roles for retinoic acid-related orphan receptor alpha (RORalpha) have been implicated in cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis. In this study, we have investigated the potential roles of RORalpha in the hypoxia signaling pathway in connection with activation of HIF-1alpha. METHODS AND RESULTS: Under hypoxic conditions, expression of RORalpha was induced. When RORalpha was introduced exogenously, protein level as well as transcriptional activity of HIF-1alpha was enhanced. Putative ligands of RORalpha, such as melatonin and cholesterol sulfate, induced transcriptional activity for HIF-1alpha, which was abolished by RNA interference against RORalpha. RORalpha was physically associated with HIF-1alpha through DNA binding domain, which was required to the RORalpha-induced stabilization and transcriptional activation of HIF-1alpha. Finally, either infection with adenovirus encoding RORalpha or treatment with ROR ligands enhanced the formation of capillary tubes by human umbilical vascular endothelial cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide a new insight for the function of RORalpha in amplification of hypoxia signaling and suggest a potential application of RORalpha ligands for the therapy of hypoxia-associated vascular diseases.