Impact of DEHP exposure on female reproductive health: Insights into uterine effects.

Several endocrine disrupting compounds released from plastics, including polyfluoroalkyl substances, bisphenols, flame retardants, phthalates and others, are of great concern to human health due to their high toxicity. This review discusses the effects of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), the most common member of the phthalate family, on female reproduction. In vitro and in vivo studies link DEHP exposure to impaired hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian s (HPO) axis function, alteration of steroid-hormone levels and dysregulation of their receptors, and changes in uterine morphophysiology. In addition, high urinary DEPH levels have been associated with several reproductive disorders in women, including endometriosis, fibromyoma, fetal growth restriction and pregnancy loss. These data suggest that DEHP may be involved in the pathophysiology of various female reproductive diseases. Therefore, exposure to these compounds should be considered a concern in clinician surveillance practices for women at reproductive age and should be regulated to protect their health and that of their progeny.

Unraveling the Role of EV-Derived miR-150-5p in Prostate Cancer Metastasis and Its Association with High-Grade Gleason Scores: Implications for Diagnosis.

Metastasis remains the leading cause of mortality in prostate cancer patients. The presence of tumor cells in lymph nodes is an established prognostic indicator for several cancer types, such as melanoma, breast, oral, pancreatic, and cervical cancers. Emerging evidence highlights the role of microRNAs enclosed within extracellular vesicles as facilitators of molecular communication between tumors and metastatic sites in the lymph nodes. This study aims to investigate the potential diagnostic utility of EV-derived microRNAs in liquid biopsies for prostate cancer. By employing microarrays on paraffin-embedded samples, we characterized the microRNA expression profiles in metastatic lymph nodes, non-metastatic lymph nodes, and primary tumor tissues of prostate cancer. Differential expression of microRNAs was observed in metastatic lymph nodes compared to prostate tumors and non-metastatic lymph node tissues. Three microRNAs (miR-140-3p, miR-150-5p, and miR-23b-3p) were identified as differentially expressed between tissue and plasma samples. Furthermore, we evaluated the expression of these microRNAs in exosomes derived from prostate cancer cells and plasma samples. Intriguingly, high Gleason score samples exhibited the lowest expression of miR-150-5p compared to control samples. Pathway analysis suggested a potential regulatory role for miR-150-5p in the Wnt pathway and bone metastasis. Our findings suggest EV-derived miR-150-5p as a promising diagnostic marker for identifying patients with high-grade Gleason scores and detecting metastasis at an early stage.

Transcriptome-Wide Analysis of Low-Concentration Exposure to Bisphenol A, S, and F in Prostate Cancer Cells.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a ubiquitous synthetic compound used as a monomer in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Even at low doses, BPA has been associated with the molecular progression of diseases such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, and hormone-regulated cancers due to its activity as an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC). Consequently, the use of BPA has been regulated worldwide by different health agencies. BPA structural analogs such as bisphenol S and bisphenol F (BPS and BPF) have emerged as industrial alternatives, but their biological activity in the molecular progression of cancer remains unclear. Prostate cancer (PCa) is a hormone-dependent cancer, and the role of BPA structural analogs in PCa progression is still undescribed. In this work, we use an in vitro model to characterize the transcriptomic effect of low-concentration exposure to bisphenol A, S, or F in the two main stages of the disease: androgen dependency (LNCaP) and resistance (PC-3). Our findings demonstrated that the low concentration exposure to each bisphenol induced a differential effect over PCa cell lines, which marks the relevance of studying the effect of EDC compounds through all the stages of the disease.

SFRP1 induces a stem cell phenotype in prostate cancer cells.

Prostate cancer (PCa) ranks second in incidence and sixth in deaths globally. The treatment of patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) continues to be a significant clinical problem. Emerging evidence suggests that prostate cancer progression toward castration resistance is associated with paracrine signals from the stroma. SFRP1 is one of the extracellular proteins that modulate the WNT pathway, and it has been identified as a mediator of stromal epithelium communication. The WNT pathway is involved in processes such as cell proliferation, differentiation, cell anchoring, apoptosis, and cell cycle regulation as well as the regulation of stem cell populations in the prostatic epithelium. In the present study, we explored the role of exogenous SFRP1 on the stem cell phenotype in prostate cancer. The results reveal that cancer stem cell markers are significantly increased by exogenous SFRP1 treatments, as well as the downstream target genes of the Wnt/-catenin pathway. The pluripotent transcription factors SOX2, NANOG, and OCT4 were also up-regulated. Furthermore, SFRP1 promoted prostate cancer stem cell (PCSC) properties in vitro, including tumorsphere formation, migration, bicalutamide resistance, and decreased apoptosis. Taken together, our results indicate that SFRP1 participates in the paracrine signaling of epithelial cells, influencing them and positively regulating the stem cell phenotype through deregulation of the WNT/ß-catenin pathway, which could contribute to disease progression and therapeutic failure. This research increases our molecular understanding of how CRPC progresses, which could help us find new ways to diagnose and treat the disease.

Aptamers as Theragnostic Tools in Prostate Cancer.

Despite of the capacity that several drugs have for specific inhibition of the androgen receptor (AR), in most cases, PCa progresses to an androgen-independent stage. In this context, the development of new targeted therapies for prostate cancer (PCa) has remained as a challenge. To overcome this issue, new tools, based on nucleic acids technology, have been developed. Aptamers are small oligonucleotides with a three-dimensional structure capable of interacting with practically any desired target, even large targets such as mammalian cells or viruses. Recently, aptamers have been studied for treatment and detection of many diseases including cancer. In PCa, numerous works have reported their use in the development of new approaches in diagnostics and treatment strategies. Aptamers have been joined with drugs or other specific molecules such as silencing RNAs (aptamer-siRNA chimeras) to specifically reduce the expression of oncogenes in PCa cells. Even though these studies have shown good results in the early stages, more research is still needed to demonstrate the clinical value of aptamers in PCa. The aim of this review was to compile the existing scientific literature regarding the use of aptamers in PCa in both diagnosis and treatment studies. Since Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) aptamers are the most studied type of aptamers in this field, special emphasis was given to these aptamers.

New Approaches in Oncology for Repositioning Drugs: The Case of PDE5 Inhibitor Sildenafil.

The use of already-approved drugs to treat new or alternative diseases has proved to be beneficial in medicine, because it reduces both drug development costs and timelines. Most drugs can be used to treat different illnesses, due their mechanisms of action are not restricted to one molecular target, organ or illness. Diverging from its original intent offers an opportunity to repurpose previously approved drugs to treat other ailments. This is the case of sildenafil (Viagra), a phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitor, which was originally designed to treat systemic hypertension and angina but is currently commercialized as erectile dysfunction treatment. Sildenafil, tadalafil, and vardenafil are PDE5 inhibitors and potent vasodilators, that extend the physiological effects of nitric oxide and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) signaling. Although most of the biological implications of these signaling regulations remain unknown, they offer a large therapeutic potential for several diseases. In addition, some PDE5 inhibitors' molecular effects seem to play a key role in different illnesses such as kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, and cancer. In this review, we discuss the molecular effects of PDE5 inhibitors and their therapeutic repurposing in different types of cancer.

Evaluación del estado nutricional en estudiantes de escuelas privadas y públicas en el municipio de Tehuacán, Puebla / Nutritional study on students of private and public schools in Tehuacán Puebla

Introducción: La obesidad se ha convertido en un problema de salud pública a nivel mundial. Los niños y adolescentes con sobrepeso y obesidad tienen un mayor riesgo de presentar enfermedades crónicas en la vida adulta, por lo tanto es necesario un diagnóstico oportuno así como la corrección y prevención de este padecimiento. Objetivos: Estimar el estado nutricional en adolescentes que cursan el nivel medio superior en la ciudad de Tehuacán Puebla y su posible relación entre el tipo de escuela a la que asisten (privadas o públicas) Métodos: A un total de 112 estudiantes se les realizaron diferentes mediciones antropométricas como: peso, talla, pliegue cutáneo tricipital y circunferencia de brazo, para después determinar las dimensiones corporales siguientes: índice de masa corporal, área muscular del brazo y área grasa del brazo. Resultados: Al estudiar la prevalencia de sobrepeso más obesidad se mostró que las mujeres que asisten a escuelas privadas tienen un porcentaje mayor 34.77% comparado con el 16.66% de aquellas que asisten a escuelas públicas, para el caso de los hombres el porcentaje es muy parecido entre ambos grupos de estudio con un 31% para las escuelas privadas y 33.33% en escuelas públicas. Respecto a la reserva calórica por arriba de la norma se mostro mayor prevalencia en estudiantes de escuelas privadas para ambos sexos. Discusión: Los resultados sugieren una prevalencia de sobrepeso y obesidad en estudiantes de ambos sexos, aunque este padecimiento es mayor en los estudiantes que asisten a escuelas privadas. Conclusiones: Los alumnos que asisten a escuelas privadas presentan valores por encima de la norma en cuanto al índice de masa corporal y área grasa del brazo, pudiendo de esta manera influir el factor socioeconómico

Introduction: Obesity has become a public health problem worldwide. Children and adolescents with overweight and obesity have a higher risk of developing chronic diseases in adulthood, therefore early diagnosis; to correct and prevent this condition is necessary. Objectives: To estimate the nutritional status of adolescents who attend high school level in the city of Tehuacán Puebla and the possible association of the school they attend (public or private) Methods: A total of 112 students were analyzed by different anthropometric measurements such as: weight, height, triceps skinfold, arm circumference, and determine the following body dimensions: body mass index, arm muscle area and arm fat area Results: By studying the prevalence of overweight and obesity, the results showed that women who goes to private schools have a higher percentage 34.77% compared to 16.66% of those who goes to public schools, about man the percentage is very similar between the two group of study with 31% for private schools and 33.33% in public schools. Regarding to above the norm caloric reserve showed highest prevalence in students from private schools for both genders. Discussion: The results suggest a prevalence of overweight and obesity in students of both genders, although this disease is higher in students attending private schools. Conclusions: The higher Values above the norm in terms of body mass index and fat arm area was from Students that attends private schools, and it can have an impact to the socioeconomic factor

Evaluación del estado nutricional en estudiantes de escuelas privadas y públicas en el municipio de Tehuacán, Puebla / Nutritional study on students of private and public schools in Tehuacán Puebla

Introducción: La obesidad se ha convertido en un problema de salud pública a nivel mundial. Los niños y adolescentes con sobrepeso y obesidad tienen un mayor riesgo de presentar enfermedades crónicas en la vida adulta, por lo tanto es necesario un diagnóstico oportuno así como la corrección y prevención de este padecimiento. Objetivos: Estimar el estado nutricional en adolescentes que cursan el nivel medio superior en la ciudad de Tehuacán Puebla y su posible relación entre el tipo de escuela a la que asisten (privadas o públicas) Métodos: A un total de 112 estudiantes se les realizaron diferentes mediciones antropométricas como: peso, talla, pliegue cutáneo tricipital y circunferencia de brazo, para después determinar las dimensiones corporales siguientes: índice de masa corporal, área muscular del brazo y área grasa del brazo. Resultados: Al estudiar la prevalencia de sobrepeso más obesidad se mostró que las mujeres que asisten a escuelas privadas tienen un porcentaje mayor 34.77% comparado con el 16.66% de aquellas que asisten a escuelas públicas, para el caso de los hombres el porcentaje es muy parecido entre ambos grupos de estudio con un 31% para las escuelas privadas y 33.33% en escuelas públicas. Respecto a la reserva calórica por arriba de la norma se mostró mayor prevalencia en estudiantes de escuelas privadas para ambos sexos. Discusión: Los resultados sugieren una prevalencia de sobrepeso y obesidad en estudiantes de ambos sexos, aunque este padecimiento es mayor en los estudiantes que asisten a escuelas privadas. Conclusiones: Los alumnos que asisten a escuelas privadas presentan valores por encima de la norma en cuanto al índice de masa corporal y área grasa del brazo, pudiendo de esta manera influir el factor socioeconómico (AU)

Introduction: Obesity has become a public health problem worldwide. Children and adolescents with overweight and obesity have a higher risk of developing chronic diseases in adulthood, therefore early diagnosis; to correct and prevent this condition is necessary. Objectives: To estimate the nutritional status of adolescents who attend high school level in the city of Tehuacán Puebla and the possible association of the school they attend (public or private) Methods: A total of 112 students were analyzed by different anthropometric measurements such as: weight, height, triceps skinfold, arm circumference, and determine the following body dimensions: body mass index, arm muscle area and arm fat area. Results: By studying the prevalence of overweight and obesity, the results showed that women who goes to private schools have a higher percentage 34.77% compared to 16.66% of those who goes to public schools, about man the percentage is very similar between the two group of study with 31% for private schools and 33.33% in public schools. Regarding to above the norm caloric reserve showed highest prevalence in students from private schools for both genders. Discussion: The results suggest a prevalence of overweight and obesity in students of both genders, although this disease is higher in students attending private schools. Conclusions: The higher Values above the norm in terms of body mass index and fat arm area was from Students that attends private schools, and it can have an impact to the socioeconomic factor (AU)