With support from a three-year, $1.85 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (“Role of TBX2 in the establishment of the Prostate Cancer Pre-Metastatic Niche (PMN) in the Bone”), Srinivas Nandana, Ph.D., and Manisha Tripathi, Ph.D., from the Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry at the TTUHSC School of Medicine seek to advance the understanding of prostate cancer metastasis by investigating the role of TBX2 in establishing the prostate cancer premetastatic niche in bone.

A new study reveals that probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. Lactis A6 alleviates depression symptoms in patients with comorbid constipation and depression, while also uncovering its role in regulating gut-brain interactions through tryptophan metabolism.

Researchers from Fujita Health University have found that chronic hyponatremia (CHN), a condition of prolonged low blood sodium, induces anxiety-like behaviors in mice. CHN disrupts serotonin and dopamine levels and reduces extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation in the amygdala, a key brain region for emotion. These changes are reversible with sodium level correction. The findings suggest that CHN directly affects brain function and support early diagnosis and treatment to improve mental well-being in affected individuals.

Hyperthermia, a cancer treatment using controlled heat to kill tumor cells, shows promise but faces limitations due to some tumor cells' unexpected heat resistance. Researchers from Japan have now discovered that high cholesterol levels in cancer cell membranes act as a protective barrier, shielding against heat-induced membrane breakdown. When cholesterol was depleted using drugs, previously heat-resistant tumors became vulnerable to hyperthermia treatment, opening new possibilities for personalized cancer therapy targeting cholesterol levels to improve outcomes.