Modulation of ACE-2 mRNA by inflammatory cytokines in human thyroid cells: a pilot study.

Introduction: Angiotensin-converting-enzyme-2 (ACE-2) was demonstrated to be the receptor for cellular entry of SARS-CoV-2. ACE-2 mRNA was identified in several human tissues and recently also in thyroid cells in vitro.

Purpose: Aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of pro-inflammatory cytokines on the ACE-2 mRNA levels in human thyroid cells in primary cultures.

Inhibition of mitochondrial translation suppresses glioblastoma stem cell growth.

Glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) resist current glioblastoma (GBM) therapies. GSCs rely highly on oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), whose function requires mitochondrial translation. Here we explore the therapeutic potential of targeting mitochondrial translation and report the results of high-content screening with putative blockers of mitochondrial ribosomes.

The cytokine storm in COVID-19: Further advances in our understanding the role of specific chemokines involved.

SARS-COV-2 infection represents the greatest pandemic of the world, counting daily increasing number of subjects positive to the virus and, sadly, increasing number of deaths. Current studies reported that the cytokine/chemokine network is crucial in the onset and maintenance of the "cytokine storm", the event occurring in those patients in whom the progression of COVID-19 will progress, in most cases, to a very severe and potentially threatening disease. Detecting a possible "immune signature" in patients, as assessed by chemokines status in patients with COVID-19, could be helpful for individual risk stratification for developing a more or less severe clinical course of the disease.

Thyroid Disrupting Effects of Old and New Generation PFAS.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) represent a group of synthetic compounds widely used in industry plants due to their low grade of degradation, surfactant properties, thermic and flame resistance. These characteristics are useful for the industrial production, however they are also potentially dangerous for human health and for the environment. PFAS are persistent pollutants accumulating in waters and soil and recoverable in foods due to their release by food packaging.

TrkA is amplified in malignant melanoma patients and induces an anti-proliferative response in cell lines.

Background: The nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor tyrosine-kinase TrkA is a well-known determinant of the melanocytic lineage, through modulation of the MAPK and AKT cascades. While TrkA gene is frequently rearranged in cancers, its involvement in malignant melanoma (MM) development is still unclear.

Methods: We analyzed a dataset of primary cutaneous MM (n = 31) by array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH), to identify genomic amplifications associated with tumor progression.

The purinergic P2×7 receptor is expressed on monocytes in Behçet's disease and is modulated by TNF-α.

The P2×7 receptor (P2×7r) is expressed in innate immune cells (e.g. monocyte/macrophages), playing a key role in IL-1β release.

Adenosine A2A receptor activation stimulates collagen production in sclerodermic dermal fibroblasts either directly and through a cross-talk with the cannabinoid system.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease characterised by exaggerated collagen deposition in the skin and visceral organs. Adenosine A2A receptor stimulation (A2Ar) promotes dermal fibrosis, while the cannabinoid system modulates fibrogenesis in vitro and in animal models of SSc. Moreover, evidence in central nervous system suggests that A2A and cannabinoid (CB1) receptors may physically and functionally interact.