Safety of a novel 1L-polyethylene glycol-ascorbate solution for colonoscopy cleansing (REAL Study).

Background And Aim: Very low-volume bowel preparation (BP) for colonoscopy with 1-liter polyethylene glycol plus ascorbate (1L-PEG-Asc) has displayed high tolerability and quality of bowel cleansing. Concerns have been raised regarding its safety. We aimed to evaluate the incidence of adverse events (AEs) following BP with 1L-PEG-Asc or 2L-PEG-Asc.

Dynamic angiopoietin-2 assessment predicts survival and chronic course in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

This study examined the association between dynamic angiopoietin-2 assessment and COVID-19 short- and long-term clinical course. We included consecutive hospitalized patients from 1 February to 31 May 2020 with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from 2 Italian tertiary referral centers (derivation cohort, n = 187 patients; validation cohort, n = 62 patients). Serum biomarker levels were measured by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Computed tomography or contrast-enhanced ultrasonography for follow-up of liver metastases after Cyberknife therapy?: A prospective pilot study.

Objectives: Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) allows the study of vascularization of secondary liver lesions. The Cyberknife (Accuray, Inc, Sunnyvale, CA) is a therapeutic method that allows a tumor target to be subjected to a high radiant dose gradient. This prospective pilot study aimed to demonstrate the concordance of CEUS versus contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) in determining the stability or disease progression of secondary liver lesions after treatment with the Cyberknife.

A reverse transcriptase-dependent mechanism is essential for murine preimplantation development.

LINE-1 (Long Interspersed Nuclear elements) and HERVs (Human Endogenous Retroviruses) are two families of retrotransposons which together account for about 28% of the human genome. Genes harbored within LINE-1 and HERV retrotransposons, particularly that encoding the reverse transcriptase (RT) enzyme, are generally expressed at low levels in differentiated cells, but their expression is up-regulated in embryonic tissues and transformed cells. Here we review evidence indicating that the LINE-1-encoded RT plays regulatory roles in early embryonic development.

Retrotransposons, reverse transcriptase and the genesis of new genetic information.

Spermatozoa of virtually all species can take up exogenous DNA or RNA molecules and internalize them into nuclei. A sperm endogenous reverse transcriptase activity can reverse-transcribe the internalized molecules in cDNA copies: exogenous RNA is reverse-transcribed in a one-step reaction, whereas DNA is first transcribed into RNA and subsequently reverse-transcribed. In either case, the newly synthesized cDNAs are delivered from sperm cells to oocytes at fertilization and are further propagated throughout embryogenesis and in tissues of adult animals.

Transcriptional profiling of genes at the human common fragile site FRA1H in tumor-derived cell lines.

Common fragile sites (CFSs) are chromosome regions that exhibit gaps and breaks when the cells are exposed to replication stress and to some DNA-binding compounds. In cancer cells, the CFSs are frequently involved in recurrent chromosome rearrangements. Furthermore, altered expression of associated genes, known or potential oncogenes, and tumor-suppressor genes has often been observed.

Molecular characterization of the human common fragile site FRA1H.

The molecular basis of the fragility of common fragile sites (CFS) and their role in chromosome instability and in altered expression of associated genes in cancer cells have not yet been clarified. In the present work we analyzed the human CFS FRA1H. FRA1H is the first characterized CFS the expression of which is not induced by aphidicolin but instead by DAPI.

Biallelic deletion and loss of expression analysis of genes at FRA2G common fragile site in tumor-derived cell lines.

Common fragile sites (CFS) are regions of chromosome instability that show gaps or breaks when cells are exposed to particular culture condition. Much evidence suggests that CFSs are causally related to cancer as breakpoints in recurrent chromosome mutations and as sites of viral integration. We investigated the FRA2G CFS (2q31) for biallelic deletions and loss of expression in a panel of 19 tumor-derived cell lines.