Cold atmospheric plasma activated media selectively affects human head and neck cancer cell lines.

Objective: Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a novel approach for cancer treatment. It can be used to treat liquids-plasma-activated media (PAM)-which are then transferred to the target as an exogenous source of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS). The present study aimed at chemically characterizing different PAM and assessing their in vitro selectivity against head and neck cancer cells (HNC).

Antimicrobial efficacy of direct air gas soft jet plasma for the in vitro reduction of oral bacterial biofilms.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of an air gas soft jet CAP for its potential use in removing oral biofilms, given that plasma-based technologies have emerged as promising methods in periodontology. Two types of biofilms were developed, one by Streptococcus mutans UA 159 bacterial strain and the other by a complex mixture of saliva microorganisms isolated from a patient with periodontitis. This latter biofilm was characterized via Next Generation Sequencing to determine the main bacterial phyla.

A Narrative Review on Non-Cirrohotic Portal Hypertension: Not All Portal Hypertensions Mean Cirrhosis.

Non-cirrhotic portal hypertension (NCPH), also known as idiopathic non-cirrhotic portal hypertension (INCPH) and porto-sinusoidal vascular disorder (PSVD), is a rare disease characterized by intrahepatic portal hypertension (IPH) in the absence of cirrhosis. The precise etiopathogenesis of IPH is an area of ongoing research. NCPH diagnosis is challenging, as there are no specific tests available to confirm the disease, and a high-quality liver biopsy, detailed clinical information, and an expert pathologist are necessary for diagnosis.

PDAC, the Influencer Cancer: Cross-Talk with Tumor Microenvironment and Connected Potential Therapy Strategies.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is among the leading causes of death by cancer in the world. What makes this pathological condition particularly lethal is a combination of clinical and molecular heterogeneity, lack of early diagnostic indexes, and underwhelming results from current therapeutic protocols. A major cause of PDAC chemoresistance seems to lie in the ability of cancer cells to spread out and fill the pancreatic parenchyma, exchanging nutrients, substrates, and even genetic material with cells from the surrounding tumor microenvironment (TME).

Open Questions in Cold Atmospheric Plasma Treatment in Head and Neck Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Over the past decade, we witnessed a promising application of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) in cancer therapy. The aim of this systematic review was to provide an exhaustive state of the art of CAP employed for the treatment of head and neck cancer (HNC), a tumor whose late diagnosis, local recurrence, distant metastases, and treatment failure are the main causes of patients' death. Specifically, the characteristics and settings of the CAP devices and the in vitro and in vivo treatment protocols were summarized to meet the urgent need for standardization.

Effects of HO Treatment Combined With PI3K Inhibitor and MEK Inhibitor in AGS Cells: Oxidative Stress Outcomes in a Model of Gastric Cancer.

Gastric cancer is worldwide the fifth and third cancer for incidence and mortality, respectively. Stomach wall is daily exposed to oxidative stress and BER system has a key role in the defense from oxidation-induced DNA damage, whilst ErbB receptors have important roles in the pathogenesis of cancer. We used AGS cells as an aggressive gastric carcinoma cell model, treated with HO alone or combined with ErbB signaling pathway inhibitors, to evaluate the effects of oxidative stress in gastric cancer, focusing on the modulation of ErbB signaling pathways and their eventual cross-talk with BER system.

Emerging Role of Oxidative Stress on EGFR and OGG1-BER Cross-Regulation: Implications in Thyroid Physiopathology.

Thyroid diseases have a complex and multifactorial aetiology. Despite the numerous studies on the signals referable to the malignant transition, the molecular mechanisms concerning the role of oxidative stress remain elusive. Based on its strong oxidative power, HO could be responsible for the high level of oxidative DNA damage observed in cancerous thyroid tissue and hyperactivation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and PI3K/Akt, which mediate ErbB signaling.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Thymol-Based Synthetic Derivatives as Dual-Action Inhibitors against Different Strains of and AGS Cell Line.

Following a similar approach on carvacrol-based derivatives, we investigated the synthesis and the microbiological screening against eight strains of , and the cytotoxic activity against human gastric adenocarcinoma (AGS) cells of a new series of ether compounds based on the structure of thymol. Structural analysis comprehended elemental analysis and H/C/F NMR spectra. The analysis of structure-activity relationships within this molecular library of 38 structurally-related compounds reported that some chemical modifications of the OH group of thymol led to broad-spectrum growth inhibition on all isolates.

Eradication of and Gastric Cancer: A Controversial Relationship.

Worldwide, gastric cancer (GC) represents the fifth cancer for incidence, and the third as cause of death in developed countries. Indeed, it resulted in more than 780,000 deaths in 2018. appears to be responsible for the majority of these cancers.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Carvacrol-Based Derivatives as Dual Inhibitors of Strains and AGS Cell Proliferation.

This study reports on the synthesis, structural assessment, microbiological screening against several strains of and antiproliferative activity against human gastric adenocarcinoma (AGS) cells of a large series of carvacrol-based compounds. Structural analyses consisted of elemental analysis, H/C/F NMR spectra and crystallographic studies. The structure-activity relationships evidenced that among ether derivatives the substitution with specific electron-withdrawing groups (CF and NO) especially in the para position of the benzyl ring led to an improvement of the antimicrobial activity, whereas electron-donating groups on the benzyl ring and ethereal alkyl chains were not tolerated with respect to the parent compound (MIC/MBC = 64/64 µg/mL).

Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activities of New Synthesized Silver Ultra-NanoClusters (SUNCs) Against .

colonizes approximately 50% of the world's population, and it is the cause of chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, and gastric cancer. The increase of antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest challenges of our century due to its constant increase. In order to identify an alternative or adjuvant strategy to the standard antibiotic therapy, the activity of newly synthesized Silver Ultra-NanoClusters (SUNCs), characterized by an average size inferior to 5 nm, against clinical strains of , with different antibiotic susceptibilities, was evaluated in this study.

Doxorubicin‑induced oxidative and nitrosative stress: Mitochondrial connexin 43 is at the crossroads.

Oxidative stress is widely accepted as a key factor of doxorubicin (Doxo)‑induced cardiotoxicity. There is evidence to indicate that nitrosative stress is involved in this process, and that Doxo interacts by amplifying cell damage. Mitochondrial connexin 43 (mitoCx43) can confer cardioprotective effects through the reduction of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production during Doxo‑induced cardiotoxicity.

Detection and Quantification of eDNA-Associated Bacterial Membrane Vesicles by Flow Cytometry.

Bacteria generate membrane vesicles, which are structures known as extracellular vesicles (EVs), reported to be involved in different pathogenic mechanisms, as it has been demonstrated that EVs participate in biofilm formation, cell-to-cell communication, bacteria-host interactions, and nutrients supply. EVs deliver nucleic acids, proteins, and polysaccharides. It has been reported that and , of both planktonic and biofilm phenotypes, produce EVs carrying extracellular DNA (eDNA).

The Antibiofilm Effect of a Medical Device Containing TIAB on Microorganisms Associated with Surgical Site Infection.

Surgical site infections (SSIs) represent the most common nosocomial infections, and surgical sutures are optimal surfaces for bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. spp., spp.

Identification and characterization of the α-CA in the outer membrane vesicles produced by Helicobacter pylori.

The genome of Helicobacter pylori encodes for carbonic anhydrases (CAs, EC 4.2.1.

BK channels blockage inhibits hypoxia-induced migration and chemoresistance to cisplatin in human glioblastoma cells.

Glioblastoma (GBM) cells express large-conductance, calcium-activated potassium (BK) channels, whose activity is important for several critical aspects of the tumor, such as migration/invasion and cell death. GBMs are also characterized by a heavy hypoxic microenvironment that exacerbates tumor aggressiveness. Since hypoxia modulates the activity of BK channels in many tissues, we hypothesized that a hypoxia-induced modulation of these channels may contribute to the hypoxia-induced GBM aggressiveness.

Detection and Physicochemical Characterization of Membrane Vesicles (MVs) of DSM 17938.

Membrane vesicles (MVs) are bilayer structures which bleb from bacteria, and are important in trafficking biomolecules to other bacteria or host cells. There are few data about MVs produced by the Gram-positive commensal-derived probiotic ; however, MVs from this species may have potential therapeutic benefit. The aim of this study was to detect and characterize MVs produced from biofilm (bMVs), and planktonic (pMVs) phenotypes of DSM 17938.

Effects of PPARα inhibition in head and neck paraganglioma cells.

Head and neck paragangliomas (HNPGLs) are rare tumors that may cause important morbidity, because of their tendency to infiltrate the skull base. At present, surgery is the only therapeutic option, but radical removal may be difficult or impossible. Thus, effective targets and molecules for HNPGL treatment need to be identified.

Identification of the zinc finger 216 (ZNF216) in human carcinoma cells: a potential regulator of EGFR activity.

Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR), a member of the ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) proteins, is aberrantly expressed or deregulated in tumors and plays pivotal roles in cancer onset and metastatic progression. ZNF216 gene has been identified as one of Immediate Early Genes (IEGs) induced by RTKs. Overexpression of ZNF216 protein sensitizes 293 cell line to TNF-α induced apoptosis.

Helicobacter pylori ATCC 43629/NCTC 11639 Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMVs) from Biofilm and Planktonic Phase Associated with Extracellular DNA (eDNA).

Helicobacter pylori persistence is associated with its capacity to develop biofilms as a response to changing environmental conditions and stress. Extracellular DNA (eDNA) is a component of H. pylori biofilm matrix but the lack of DNase I activity supports the hypothesis that eDNA might be protected by other extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and/or Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMVs), which bleb from the bacteria surface during growth.

Nuclear fractal dimension in oral squamous cell carcinoma: a novel method for the evaluation of grading, staging, and survival.

Fractal dimension (FD) in tissue specimens from patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) was evaluated. FD values in different stages of OSCC, and the correlations with clinicopathological variables and patient survival were investigated. Histological sections from OSCC and control non-neoplastic mucosa specimens were stained with hematoxylin-eosin for pathological analysis and with Feulgen for nuclear evaluation.

Mutual regulation of TGF-β1, TβRII and ErbB receptors expression in human thyroid carcinomas.

The role of EGF and TGF-β1 in thyroid cancer is still not clearly defined. TGF-β1 inhibited the cellular growth and migration of follicular (FTC-133) and papillary (B-CPAP) thyroid carcinoma cell lines. Co-treatments of TGF-β1 and EGF inhibited proliferation in both cell lines, but displayed opposite effect on their migratory capability, leading to inhibition in B-CPAP and promotion in FTC-133 cells, by a MAPK-dependent mechanism.

The antitumor potential of Interleukin-27 in prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is of increasing significance worldwide as a consequence of the population ageing. Fragile elderly patients may particularly benefit from noninvasive and well tolerable immunotherapeutic approaches. Preclinical studies have revealed that the immune-regulatory cytokine IL-27 may exert anti-tumor activities in a variety of tumor types without discernable toxicity.

PRDX1 and PRDX6 are repressed in papillary thyroid carcinomas via BRAF V600E-dependent and -independent mechanisms.

Many clinical studies highlight the dichotomous role of PRDXs in human cancers, where they can exhibit strong tumor-suppressive or tumor-promoting functions. Recent evidence suggests that lower expression of PRDXs correlates with cancer progression in colorectal cancer (CRC) or in esophageal squamous carcinoma. In the thyroid, increased levels of PRDX1 has been described in follicular adenomas and carcinomas, as well as in thyroiditis, while reduced levels of PRDX6 has been found in follicular adenomas.

EGF and TGF-β1 Effects on Thyroid Function.

Normal epithelial thyroid cells in culture are inhibited by TGF-β1. Instead, transformed thyroid cell lines are frequently resistant to its growth inhibitory effect. Loss of TGF-β responsiveness could be due to a reduced expression of TGF-β receptors, as shown in transformed rat thyroid cell lines and in human thyroid tumors, or to alterations of other genes controlling TGF-β signal transduction pathway.