A Novel , , , , , and NGS Assay: A Non-Invasive Tool to Monitor Resistance Mechanisms to Hormonal Therapy and CDK4/6 Inhibitors.

: Patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/HER2- metastatic breast cancer (mBC) generally receive hormonal therapy (HT) combined with CDK4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i). Despite this treatment, resistance mechanisms to CDK4/6i emerge and the majority of these patients experience disease progression (PD). This highlight the necessity to uncover the resistance mechanism to CDK4/6i through the identification of specific biomarkers.

Dynamic Monitoring of Circulating Tumor DNA in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

Purpose: Plasma circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is a valuable resource for tumor characterization and for monitoring of residual disease during treatment; however, it is not yet introduced in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) routine clinical practice. In this retrospective exploratory study, we evaluated the role of ctDNA in patients with mCRC treated with chemotherapy plus bevacizumab.

Materials And Methods: Fifty-three patients were characterized for and status on tumor tissue before the start of treatment.

Impact of Somatic DNA Repair Mutations on the Clinical Outcomes of Bone Metastases from Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.

Up to 80% of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients develop bone metastases during the natural history of disease and about 25% harbor mutations in DNA damage repair (DDR) genes. This retrospective observational study evaluated the prevalence of DDR alterations in CRPC patients and their effect on the clinical outcomes associated with bone metastases. The mutational status of CRPC patients was analyzed per FoundationOne analysis in tissue biopsy or, when it was not possible, in liquid biopsy performed at the onset of metastatic CRPC (mCRPC).

Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy for luminal breast tumors: State of the art, challenges and future perspectives.

Neoadjuvant endocrine treatment (NET) associates to satisfactory rates of breast conservative surgery and conversions from inoperable to operable hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/HER2-negative breast cancer (BC), with less toxicities than neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and similar outcomes. Hence, it has been proposed as a logical alternative to NACT in patients with HR+/HER2- BC candidate to a neoadjuvant approach. Nevertheless, potential barriers to the widespread use of NET include the heterogeneous nature of patient response coupled with the long duration needed to achieve a clinical response.

Clinical Impact of Next-Generation Sequencing Multi-Gene Panel Highlighting the Landscape of Germline Alterations in Ovarian Cancer Patients.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 are the most frequently mutated genes in ovarian cancer (OC) crucial both for the identification of cancer predisposition and therapeutic choices. However, germline variants in other genes could be involved in OC susceptibility. We characterized OC patients to detect mutations in genes other than BRCA1/2 that could be associated with a high risk of developing OC and permit patients to enter the most appropriate treatment and surveillance program.

Cell-Free DNA Fragmentomics: A Promising Biomarker for Diagnosis, Prognosis and Prediction of Response in Breast Cancer.

Identifying novel circulating biomarkers predictive of response and informative about the mechanisms of resistance, is the new challenge for breast cancer (BC) management. The integration of omics information will gradually revolutionize the clinical approach. Liquid biopsy is being incorporated into the diagnostic and decision-making process for the treatment of BC, in particular with the analysis of circulating tumor DNA, although with some relevant limitations, including costs.

Picosecond energy transfer in a transition metal dichalcogenide-graphene heterostructure revealed by transient Raman spectroscopy.

Intense light–matter interactions and unique structural and electrical properties make van der Waals heterostructures composed by graphene (Gr) and monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD) promising building blocks for tunneling transistors and flexible electronics, as well as optoelectronic devices, including photodetectors, photovoltaics, and quantum light emitting devices (QLEDs), bright and narrow-line emitters using minimal amounts of active absorber material. The performance of such devices is critically ruled by interlayer interactions which are still poorly understood in many respects. Specifically, two classes of coupling mechanisms have been proposed, charge transfer (CT) and energy transfer (ET), but their relative efficiency and the underlying physics are open questions.

Primary Mediastinal and Testicular Germ Cell Tumors in Adolescents and Adults: A Comparison of Genomic Alterations and Clinical Implications.

Mediastinal germ cell tumors (MGCTs) share histologic, molecular and biomarkers features with testicular GCTs; however, nonseminomatous MGCTs are usually more aggressive and have poorer prognosis than nonseminomatous TGCTs. Most nonseminomatous MGCT cases show early resistance to platinum-based therapies and seldom have been associated with the onset of one or more concomitant somatic malignancies, in particular myeloid neoplasms with recent findings supporting a common, shared genetic precursor with the primary MGCT. Genomic, transcriptomic and epigenetic features of testicular GCTs have been extensively studied, allowing for the understanding of GCT development and transformation of seminomatous and nonseminomatous histologies.

Melphalan as a Promising Treatment for BRCA-Related Ovarian Carcinoma.

Introduction: Melphalan, as a bifunctional alkylating agent has been shown to be selectively efficient in BRCA-deficient case reports of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). The clinical benefit of melphalan on unselected platinum-resistant EOC population and stratified by BRCA status has not been clearly elucidated. We aimed to determine the response to melphalan in patients with recurrent EOC after platinum-based therapy.

Moving beyond PARP Inhibition: Current State and Future Perspectives in Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer is the most frequent and lethal tumor in women and finding the best therapeutic strategy for each patient is an important challenge. PARP inhibitors (PARPis) are the first, clinically approved drugs designed to exploit synthetic lethality in tumors harboring mutations. Recent evidence indicates that PARPis have the potential to be used both in monotherapy and combination strategies in breast cancer treatment.

Non-linear self-driven spectral tuning of Extreme Ultraviolet Femtosecond Pulses in monoatomic materials.

Self-action nonlinearity is a key aspect - either as a foundational element or a detrimental factor - of several optical spectroscopies and photonic devices. Supercontinuum generation, wavelength converters, and chirped pulse amplification are just a few examples. The recent advent of Free Electron Lasers (FEL) fostered building on nonlinearity to propose new concepts and extend optical wavelengths paradigms for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and X-ray regimes.

Immunosenescence in Testicular Cancer Survivors: Potential Implications of Cancer Therapies and Psychological Distress.

Testicular cancer (TC) is the most frequent solid tumor diagnosed in young adult males. Although it is a curable tumor, it is frequently associated with considerable short-term and long-term morbidity. Both biological and psychological stress experienced during cancer therapy may be responsible for stimulating molecular processes that induce premature aging and deterioration of immune system (immunosenescence) in TC survivors, leading to an increased susceptibility to infections, cancer, and autoimmune diseases.

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus directly attacks Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus Cystic fibrosis isolates.

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is a predator bacterial species found in the environment and within the human gut, able to attack Gram-negative prey. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease which usually presents lung colonization by Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Staphylococcus aureus biofilms. Here, we investigated the predatory behavior of B.

Microbiological and host factors are involved in promoting the periodontal failure of metaloceramic crowns.

This study was aimed at looking into the microbiological/inflammatory parameters predicting the periodontal success/failure of fixed prostheses. Microbiological and inflammatory patterns were studied at 102 sites having metaloceramic crowns in place from 3 to 6 years and divided in healthy sites (HS), gingivitis affected (MG), and periodontitis affected (PB). Total bacterial flora and selected indicator species in subgingival plaque were quantified by quantitative real-time PCR.