IntroductionParafunctions (harmful habits) play a crucial role in the formation of temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction syndrome with disc displacement. Disorder symptoms in temporo-mandibular joints manifest themselves in the eye and ear but are usually not associated with the dysfunction of temporo-mandibular joints and that might lead to errors in diagnosis. The aim of the study was to examine the influence of missing teeth and parafunctions on the occurrence of ear and eye symptoms in patients treated in the Department of Prosthodontics of the Medical University of Lublin.Material and methodsThe patient group consisted of 753 women and 253 men aged 10 to 82 years who had been treated in the Department of Prosthodontics, Medical University of Lublin in the years 2003-2008 due to various symptoms associated with temporo-mandibular joint dysfunction.ResultsEye (24.84%, n = 785) and ear (33.38%, n = 785) syndromes occur on average more often in patients with parafunctions than without them (15.98%, n = 219 and 23.29%, n = 219). However, only parafunctions involving tooth contact should be taken into consideration when diagnosing eye and ear syndromes. The data presented here show that the number of missing teeth does not have a significant influence on the frequency of occurrence of parafunctions. Parafunctions have become a very important factor in the diagnosis of diseases and pathological symptoms of eye and ear as the rate at which they occur is growing.ConclusionsThe kind of parafunction is very important. Only those involving tooth contact should be taken into consideration when diagnosing eye and ear syndromes.

Proteins carried by tumor-derived ectosomes play an important role in cancer progression, and are considered promising diagnostic markers. In the present study, a shotgun nanoLC–MS/MS proteomic approach was applied to profile and compare the protein content of ectosomes released in vitro by normal human thyroid follicular epithelial Nthy-ori 3-1 cells and human anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (TC) 8305C cells. Additionally, the pro-migratory and pro-proliferative effects of Nthy-ori 3-1- and 8305C-derived ectosomes exerted on the recipient cells were assessed in wound closure and Alamar Blue assays. A total of 919 proteins were identified in all replicates of 8305C-derived ectosomes, while Nthy-ori 3-1-derived ectosomes contained a significantly lower number of 420 identified proteins. Qualitative analysis revealed 568 proteins present uniquely in 8305C-derived ectosomes, suggesting their applicability in TC diagnosis and management. In addition, 8305C-derived ectosomes were able to increase the proliferation and motility rates of the recipient cells, likely due to the ectosomal transfer of the identified cancer-promoting molecules. Our description of ectosome protein content and its related functions provides the first insight into the role of ectosomes in TC development and progression. The results also indicate the applicability of some of these ectosomal proteins for further investigation regarding their potential as circulating TC biomarkers.

Bladder cancer is a malignancy that remains a therapeutic challenge and requires the identification of new biomarkers and mechanisms of progression. Several studies showed that extracellular vesicles promote angiogenesis, migration and metastasis, and inhibit apoptosis in bladder cancer. This effect may depend on their glycosylation status. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare glycosylation profiles of T-24 urothelial bladder cancer cells, HCV-29 normal ureter epithelial cells, and ectosomes released by both cell lines using lectin blotting and flow cytometry. Ectosomes displayed distinct total and surface glycosylation profiles with abundance of β-1,6-branched glycans and sialilated structures. Then, it was investigated whether the glycosylation status of the T-24 and HCV-29 cells is responsible for the effect exerted by ectosomes on the proliferation and migration of recipient cells. Stronger proproliferative and promigratory activity of T-24-derived ectosomes was observed in comparison to ectosomes from HCV-29 cells. When ectosomes were isolated from DMJ-treated cells, the aforementioned effects were diminished, suggesting that glycans carried by ectosomes were involved in modulation of recipient cell function. HCV-29- and T-24-derived ectosomes also increased the viability and motility of endothelial HUVEC cells and Hs27 fibroblasts. This supports the hypothesis that ectosomes can modulate the function of various cells present in the tumor microenvironment.

Bladder cancer (BC) is the 10th most common malignancy worldwide, with an estimated 573,000 new cases and 213,000 deaths in 2020. Available therapeutic approaches are still unable to reduce the incidence of BC metastasis and the high mortality rates of BC patients. Therefore, there is a need to deepen our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying BC progression to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic tools. One such mechanism is protein glycosylation. Numerous studies reported changes in glycan biosynthesis during neoplastic transformation, resulting in the appearance of the so-called tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs) on the cell surface. TACAs affect a wide range of key biological processes, including tumor cell survival and proliferation, invasion and metastasis, induction of chronic inflammation, angiogenesis, immune evasion, and insensitivity to apoptosis. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current information on how altered glycosylation of bladder cancer cells promotes disease progression and to present the potential use of glycans for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

Intercellular transport of proteins mediated by extracellular vesicles (EVs)—exosomes and ectosomes—is one of the factors facilitating carcinogenesis. Therefore, the research on protein cargo of melanoma-derived EVs may provide a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in melanoma progression and contribute to the development of alternative biomarkers. Proteomic data on melanoma-derived EVs are very limited. The shotgun nanoLC-MS/MS approach was applied to analyze the protein composition of primary (WM115, WM793) and metastatic (WM266-4, WM1205Lu) cutaneous melanoma cells and exosomes released by them. All cells secreted homogeneous populations of exosomes that shared a characteristic set of proteins. In total, 3514 and 1234 unique proteins were identified in melanoma cells and exosomes, respectively. Gene ontology analysis showed enrichment in several cancer-related categories, including cell proliferation, migration, negative regulation of apoptosis, and angiogenesis. The obtained results broaden our knowledge on the role of selected proteins in exosome biology, as well as their functional role in the development and progression of cutaneous melanoma. The results may also inspire future studies on the clinical potential of exosomes.