Human SCs play a primary role in SWN, a rare genetic disorder in which patients develop multiple schwannomas. So that, their isolation and immortalization could represent an irreplaceable tool to investigate the disease etiopathology. Although few clones of tumoural SCs have been obtained, unfortunately they present genetic, morphological and biological characteristics that do not fully represent the original cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSchwannomas are benign tumors of the peripheral nervous system arising from the transformation of Schwann cells (SCs). On the whole, these tumors are related to alterations of the neurofibromin type 2 gene, coding for the oncosuppressor merlin, a cytoskeleton-associated protein belonging to the ezrin-radixin-moesin family. However, the underlying mechanisms of schwannoma onset and progression are not fully elucidated, whereas one of the challenges might be the environment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHearing loss (HL) is the most common and heterogeneous disorder of the sensory system, with a large morbidity in the worldwide population. Among cells of the acoustic nerve (VIII cranial nerve), in the cochlea are present the hair cells, the spiral ganglion neurons, the glia-like supporting cells, and the Schwann cells (SCs), which alterations have been considered cause of HL. Notably, a benign SC-derived tumor of the acoustic nerve, named vestibular schwannoma (VS), has been indicated as cause of HL.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Protein kinase type C-ε (PKCε) plays an important role in the sensitization of primary afferent nociceptors, promoting mechanical hyperalgesia. In accordance, we showed that PKCε is present in sensory neurons of the peripheral nervous system (PNS), participating in the control of pain onset and chronification. Recently, it was found that PKCε is also implicated in the control of cell proliferation, promoting mitogenesis and metastatic invasion in some types of cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAsymmetric effects across sectors are the distinctive features of the Covid-19 shock. An Epidemiological-Industry Dynamic model with heterogeneous firms and endogenous firms dynamics mimics the deep recession suffered by sectors characterized by high exposure, the reallocation of entry and exit opportunities across sectors, and the dynamics of aggregate productivity during the first wave of the pandemic. The cleansing effect induced by the Covid-19 crisis is sector-specific.
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