Reprogrammed lipid metabolism in advanced resistant cancers: an upcoming therapeutic opportunity.

Resistance of cancer to therapy is the main challenge to its therapeutic management and is still an unsolved problem. Rearranged lipid metabolism is a strategy adopted by cancer cells to counteract adversity during their evolution toward aggressiveness and immune evasion. This relies on several mechanisms, ranging from altered metabolic pathways within cancer cells to evolved dynamic crosstalk between cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME), with some cell populations at the forefront of metabolic reprogramming, thereby contributing to the resistance of the whole ecosystem during therapy.

Insulin Resistance/Hyperinsulinemia as an Independent Risk Factor That Has Been Overlooked for Too Long.

Unfortunately, cardiovascular diseases and cancers are still the leading causes of death in developed and developing countries despite the considerable progress made in the prevention and treatment of diseases. Maybe we missed something? Insulin resistance (IR) with associated hyperinsulinemia (Hypein) is a silent pandemic whose prevalence is continually growing in developed and developing countries, now exceeding 51% of the general population. IR/Hypein, despite the vast scientific literature supporting its adverse action on the development of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular alterations, tumors, neurological disorders, and cellular senescence, is not yet considered an independent risk factor and, therefore, is not screened in the general population and adequately treated.

Effects of Silencing on NRF2 and NOTCH Pathways in SCLC Cell Lines.

The KEAP1/NRF2 pathway is a master regulator of several redox-sensitive genes implicated in the resistance of tumor cells against therapeutic drugs. The dysfunction of the KEAP1/NRF2 system has been correlated with neoplastic patients' outcomes and responses to conventional therapies. In lung tumors, the growth and the progression of cancer cells may also involve the intersection between the molecular NRF2/KEAP1 axis and other pathways, including NOTCH, with implications for antioxidant protection, survival of cancer cells, and drug resistance to therapies.

Mesothelioma-Associated Fibroblasts Modulate the Response of Mesothelioma Patient-Derived Organoids to Chemotherapy via Interleukin-6.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) remains an incurable disease. This is partly due to the lack of experimental models that fully recapitulate the complexity and heterogeneity of MPM, a major challenge for therapeutic management of the disease. In addition, the contribution of the MPM microenvironment is relevant for the adaptive response to therapy.

Insulin Resistance/Hyperinsulinemia, Neglected Risk Factor for the Development and Worsening of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction.

Heart failure (HF) has become a subject of continuous interest since it was declared a new pandemic in 1997 because of the exponential increase in hospitalizations for HF in the latest years. HF is the final state to which all heart diseases of different etiologies lead if not adequately treated. It is highly prevalent worldwide, with a progressive increase with age, reaching a prevalence of 10% in subjects over the age of 65 years.

The impact of menopause on antidepressant response: an explorative analysis from a real-world study.

This study endeavors to deepen our understanding of the subject matter by exploring, within a real-world sample, the impact of menopausal status on the antidepressant treatments response. The whole sample included a total of 447 patients, 156 male and 291 female, 110 pre-menopause and 181 post-menopause. In our sample post-menopause women showed a worse response to antidepressants than pre-menopause women (p = 0.

How different definition criteria may predict clinical outcome in treatment resistant depression: Results from a prospective real-world study.

Management of treatment-resistant depression (TRD) remains a major public health challenge, also due to the lack of a consensus around TRD definition. We investigated the impact of different definitions of TRD on identifying patients with distinct features in terms of baseline characteristics, treatment strategies, and clinical outcome. We conducted a prospective naturalistic study on 538 depressed inpatients.

Safety and Feasibility of Opening Tamsulosin Capsules for Enteral Feeding Tube Administration.

Tamsulosin is formulated as sustained release beads within a capsule to prevent rapid absorption and associated hypotension. The package insert advises the capsule is swallowed whole; not crushed, chewed, or opened. To our knowledge, there are no current data on opening capsules for adults with enteral tube feeds.

Multidomain Predictors of Protracted Recovery following Concussion Among 5- to 9-Year-Old Patients: A Preliminary Study.

Objective: To determine which components from a multidomain assessment best predict protracted recovery in pediatric patients with a concussion.

Study Design: A prospective cohort of patients aged 5-9 years who presented within 21 days of concussion to a specialty clinic were categorized into normal (≤30 days) and protracted (>30 days) recovery. Participants provided demographic and medical history information, and completed the Child Sport Concussion Assessment Tool-5 symptom report and balance assessment, the Vestibular/Ocular Motor Screen-Child (VOMS-C), and the Pediatric Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing.

Congenital Zika Virus Syndrome: Microcephaly and Orofacial Anomalies.

The progressive reappearance of Zika virus (ZIKV) infections since October 2013 and its circulation in >70 countries and territories (from French Polynesia to Brazil and other countries in the Americas, with sporadic spread in Europe and the East) has long been reported as a global public health emergency. ZIKV is a virus transmitted by arthropods (arboviruses), mainly by Aedes mosquitoes. ZIKV can also be transmitted to humans through mechanisms other than vector infection such as sexual intercourse, blood transfusions, and mother-to-child transmission.

Harnessing the value of TCTP in breast cancer treatment resistance: an opportunity for personalized therapy.

Early identification of breast cancer (BC) patients at a high risk of progression may aid in therapeutic and prognostic aims. This is especially true for metastatic disease, which is responsible for most cancer-related deaths. Growing evidence indicates that the translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) may be a clinically relevant marker for identifying poorly differentiated aggressive BC tumors.

COVID-19 and Oral Lichen Planus: Between an "Intriguing Plot" and the "Fata Morgana Effect".

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has led to significant morbidity and mortality worldwide since its declaration as a global pandemic in March 2020. Alongside the typical respiratory symptoms, unusual clinical manifestations such as oral lichen planus (OLP) have been observed. OLP is a chronic inflammatory mucocutaneous dermatosis that results from a cell-mediated reaction, and its pathogenesis involves the loss of immunological tolerance.

Interrogating colorectal cancer metastasis to liver: a search for clinically viable compounds and mechanistic insights in colorectal cancer Patient Derived Organoids.

Background: Approximately 20-50% of patients presenting with localized colorectal cancer progress to stage IV metastatic disease (mCRC) following initial treatment and this is a major prognostic determinant. Here, we have interrogated a heterogeneous set of primary colorectal cancer (CRC), liver CRC metastases and adjacent liver tissue to identify molecular determinants of the colon to liver spreading. Screening Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs for their ability to interfere with an identified colon to liver metastasis signature may help filling an unmet therapeutic need.

Mapping Non-Coding RNAs in Space and Time: Another Weapon to Dissect Intra-Tumor Heterogeneity in Cancer Progression.

It is increasingly clear that Intratumor heterogeneity (ITH) fuels tumor evolution, matching the concept of cancer as a heterogeneous ecosystem of spatially and temporally modulated cell subpopulations, which exploits dynamic strategies to hijack local and systemic resources and tissue(s) space [...

Add-On Treatment with during Benzodiazepine Tapering in Patients with Depression and Anxiety: A Real-World Study.

Chronic and inappropriate benzodiazepine intake represents an important health and social concern worldwide. The aim of our study was to investigate the effectiveness of in reducing benzodiazepine misuse in a real-world population of depressed and anxious patients in a long-term treatment with benzodiazepines. We conducted a retrospective naturalistic study on 186 patients undergoing benzodiazepine downtitration, 93 with the addition of a dry extract of (Group A), and 93 without any add-on treatment (Group B).

Effects of pendulum appliance versus clear aligners in the vertical dimension during Class II malocclusion treatment: a randomized prospective clinical trial.

Background: The aim of the present study was to compare the effects on vertical dentoskeletal dimension produced by Pendulum appliance and Clear Aligners in patients with Class II malocclusion.

Trial Design: This is a prospective two-arm parallel group randomized clinical trial with 1:1 allocation ratio.

Methods: The Pendulum Group (PG) consisted of 20 patients (15F, 5 M) with a mean age of 17.

Butein-instigated miR-186-5p-dependent modulation of TWIST1 affects resistance to cisplatin and bioenergetics of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma cells.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a chemoresistant tumor, and biphasic and sarcomatoid histologies portend the worst prognosis for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) patients. We obtained the microRNA expression profile of three biphasic-sarcomatoid MPM cell lines to identify commonly expressed microRNAs and evaluate the effect of butein, a chemo-sensitizing compound, on this microRNA subset. Nanostring-based microRNA profiling and analysis through the ROSALIND platform were employed to identify the commonly modulated microRNAs and their targets.

Combined Use of Flubromazepam and Stimulants: Blood and Oral Fluid Concentrations and Impact on Driving Ability.

"Designer" benzodiazepines (DBZDs) are becoming increasingly available in Europe, with the European Monitoring Centre of Drugs and Drug Addiction currently monitoring ∼30 new benzodiazepines. The following driving under the influence of drug (DUID) case describes the oral fluid (OF) and blood concentrations, as well as the observed effects after the combined use of stimulants and flubromazepam. Both OF, collected via the Intercept i2 collector (Immunalysis, Pomona, CA, USA), and blood (collected in containers with various stabilizers) were screened using a liquid chromatographic (LC) time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometric (MS-MS) method.

Design and experimental validation of OPERA_MET-A panel for deep methylation analysis by next generation sequencing.

DNA methylation is the most recognized epigenetic mark that leads to a massive distortion in cancer cells. It has been observed that a large number of DNA aberrant methylation events occur simultaneously in a group of genes, thus providing a growth advantage to the cell in promoting cell differentiation and neoplastic transformation. Due to this reason, methylation profiles have been suggested as promising cancer biomarkers.

Subjective sleep alterations in healthy subjects worldwide during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression.

Objective: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to provide an update on sleep quality in different world areas and better characterize subjective sleep alterations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering gender distribution and specific pandemic-related parameters, we also intend to identify significant predictors of sleep problems.

Methods: Six electronic databases were searched from December 2019 to November 2021 for studies investigating sleep during COVID-19 employing the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Medical Outcomes Study Sleep, the Insomnia Severity Index or the Epworth Sleepiness Scale.

Breast cancer metastasis: Is it a matter of OMICS and proper ex-vivo models?

Genomics has greatly increased the understanding of the study of breast cancer (BC) and has shaped the concept of intra-tumor heterogeneity, currently recognized as a propelling force for cancer progression. In this context, knowledge and understanding of metastatic breast cancer (mBC) has somehow lagged behind that of primary breast cancer. This may be explained by the relative scarcity of matched mBC samples, however it is possible that the mutation spectrum obtained from primary BC does not capture the full complexity of the metastatic disease.