Fine-Tuned Expression of Evolutionarily Conserved Signaling Molecules in the Notochord.

The notochord is an axial structure required for the development of all chordate embryos, from sea squirts to humans. Over the course of more than half a billion years of chordate evolution, in addition to its structural function, the notochord has acquired increasingly relevant patterning roles for its surrounding tissues. This process has involved the co-option of signaling pathways and the acquisition of novel molecular mechanisms responsible for the precise timing and modalities of their deployment.

Targeted palliative endovascular embolization of a glomus jugulotympanicum tumor for refractory Jacobson's neuralgia: A case report.

Background: Glomus tumors around the jugular foramen and inner ear can have variable presentations, including lower cranial nerve palsies, tinnitus, hearing loss, or palpable neck mass. In general, these tumors are benign paragangliomas with the definitive treatment consisting of radiosurgery or surgery. Endovascular embolization can be added as a critical adjunctive therapy to reduce the tumor vascularity before surgical resection.

The Synergistic Combination of Curcumin and Polydatin Improves Temozolomide Efficacy on Glioblastoma Cells.

Glioblastoma (GBL) is one of the more malignant primary brain tumors; it is currently treated by a multimodality strategy including surgery, and radio- and chemotherapy, mainly consisting of temozolomide (TMZ)-based chemotherapy. Tumor relapse often occurs due to the establishment of TMZ resistance, with a patient median survival time of <2 years. The identification of natural molecules with strong anti-tumor activity led to the combination of these compounds with conventional chemotherapeutic agents, developing protocols for integrated anticancer therapies.

Hop leaves: From waste to a valuable source of bioactive compounds - A multidisciplinary approach to investigating potential applications.

After harvesting of cones used for beer production, the remaining hop vegetative biomass requires disposal. The hop plant contains bioactive compounds in all its parts-cones, leaves, and roots-exhibiting interesting antioxidant, antiviral, and antibacterial properties. In this work, extracts obtained from hop leaves, a plant material often neglected in the hop cultivation, have been investigated; the qualitative UHPLC-MS/MS and GC-TOF-MS characterization revealed the presence of bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, α- and β-acids and terpenes are present.

Diaphragmatic rupture due to massive gastric volvulus after robotic-assisted diaphragm plication.

Gastric volvulus has been rarely associated with diaphragmatic paralysis or eventration. In this article, we present the case of a patient with idiopathic paralysis of the left hemidiaphragm that underwent treatment with a robotic thoracoscopic diaphragm plication, which was complicated by massive gastric volvulus resulting in such significant intra-abdominal hypertension that the ipsilateral diaphragm ruptured anterior to the plication suture line.

In-beam PET treatment monitoring of carbon therapy patients: Results of a clinical trial at CNAO.

Purpose: Carbon ion therapy treatments can be monitored non-invasively with in-beam Positron Emission Tomography (PET). At CNAO the INSIDE in-beam PET scanner has been used in a clinical trial (NCT03662373) to monitor cancer treatments with proton and carbon therapy. In this work we present the analysis results of carbon therapy data, acquired during the first phase of the clinical trial, analyzing data of nine patients treated at CNAO for various malignant tumors in the head-and-neck region.

Single-cell Transcriptomic Studies Unveil Potential Nodes of the Notochord Gene Regulatory Network.

Transcription factors (TFs) are DNA-binding proteins able to modulate the timing, location, and levels of gene expression by binding to regulatory DNA regions. Therefore, the repertoire of TFs present in the genome of a multicellular organism and the expression of variable constellations of TFs in different cellular cohorts determine the distinctive characteristics of developing tissues and organs. The information on tissue-specific assortments of TFs, their cross-regulatory interactions, and the genes/regulatory regions targeted by each TF is summarized in gene regulatory networks (GRNs), which provide genetic blueprints for the specification, development, and differentiation of multicellular structures.

IOeRT conventional and FLASH treatment planning system implementation exploiting fast GPU Monte Carlo: The case of breast cancer.

Partial breast irradiation for the treatment of early-stage breast cancer patients can be performed by means of Intra Operative electron Radiation Therapy (IOeRT). One of the main limitations of this technique is the absence of a treatment planning system (TPS) that could greatly help in ensuring a proper coverage of the target volume during irradiation. An IOeRT TPS has been developed using a fast Monte Carlo (MC) and an ultrasound imaging system to provide the best irradiation strategy (electron beam energy, applicator position and bevel angle) and to facilitate the optimisation of dose prescription and delivery to the target volume while maximising the organs at risk sparing.

Cis-regulatory interfaces reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying the notochord gene regulatory network of Ciona.

Tissue-specific gene expression is fundamental in development and evolution, and is mediated by transcription factors and by the cis-regulatory regions (enhancers) that they control. Transcription factors and their respective tissue-specific enhancers are essential components of gene regulatory networks responsible for the development of tissues and organs. Although numerous transcription factors have been characterized from different organisms, the knowledge of the enhancers responsible for their tissue-specific expression remains fragmentary.

Persistence and evolution of linezolid- and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis ST2 and ST5 clones in an Italian hospital.

Objectives: Staphylococcus epidermidis is a member of the human skin microbiome. However, in recent decades, multidrug-resistant and hospital-adapted S. epidermidis clones are increasingly involved in severe human infections associated with medical devices and in immunocompromised patients.

Reagentless Vis-NIR Spectroscopy Point-of-Care for Feline Total White Blood Cell Counts.

Spectral point-of-care technology is reagentless with minimal sampling (<10 μL) and can be performed in real-time. White blood cells are non-dominant in blood and in spectral information, suffering significant interferences from dominant constituents such as red blood cells, hemoglobin and billirubin. White blood cells of a bigger size can account for 0.

Inhibition of polymorphic MexXY-OprM efflux system in Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates by Berberine derivatives.

The MexXY-OprM multidrug efflux pump (EP) in aminoglycosides resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the major resistance mechanisms, which is often overexpressed in strains isolated from pulmonary chronic disease such as cystic fibrosis. In this research, we focused on the design of potential efflux pumps inhibitors, targeting MexY, the inner membrane component, in an allosteric site. Berberine has been considered as lead molecule since we previously demonstrated its effectiveness in targeting MexY in laboratory reference strains.

Mutation of p53 increases the competitive ability of pluripotent stem cells.

During development, the rate of tissue growth is determined by the relative balance of cell division and cell death. Cell competition is a fitness quality-control mechanism that contributes to this balance by eliminating viable cells that are less fit than their neighbours. The mutations that confer cells with a competitive advantage and the dynamics of the interactions between winner and loser cells are not well understood.

Effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccine mandates in raising vaccination rates among the elderly and general population in Europe: Controlled interrupted time series analysis.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, three European countries (Austria, Greece, Italy) announced and/or implemented mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for high-risk groups in the general population. Besides the ethical justification for this policy, it is important to assess and quantify the effectiveness of the mandate in raising vaccination rates.

Methods: Controlled interrupted time series analysis of first-dose vaccination rates in the targeted age groups (Greece: ≥60 years; Italy: ≥50 years) relative to a control group (Greece: 50-59 years; Italy: 25-49 years) between week 35/2021 and week 50/2022.

Women in tunicate research: Pioneers of the past and their present legacy.

The search for female scientists who pioneered the research on tunicates is hindered by the tradition of reporting only the first initials of authors' names on scientific publications using only the initials of their first names. While this practice has the theoretical merit of broadening the readership by preventing the possible bias that could be caused by the gender of the author(s) in some of the readers, it rendered the identification of female researchers active in, or before, the first half of the 20th century quite challenging. Sifting through several dozen electronic records, and with the help of references and/or quotes found online, we have stitched together the information that we were able to retrieve on the life of female scientists who authored some of the earliest publications on tunicates, and we have organized them in (approximate) chronological order.

Gene expression in notochord and nuclei pulposi: a study of gene families across the chordate phylum.

The transition from notochord to vertebral column is a crucial milestone in chordate evolution and in prenatal development of all vertebrates. As ossification of the vertebral bodies proceeds, involutions of residual notochord cells into the intervertebral discs form the nuclei pulposi, shock-absorbing structures that confer flexibility to the spine. Numerous studies have outlined the developmental and evolutionary relationship between notochord and nuclei pulposi.

Catheter-directed hemorrhoidal embolization for rectal bleeding due to hemorrhoids (Goligher grade I-III): prospective outcomes from a Spanish emborrhoid registry.

Objectives: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of catheter-directed hemorrhoidal embolization (CDHE) by microcoil embolization for rectal bleeding due to hemorrhoids classified as Goligher grade I-III.

Methods: Eighty patients (62.5% males) with a mean age of 48 ± 9 years were recruited prospectively.

Protective Effect of ME-3 against the Increase in Paracellular Permeability Induced by Chemotherapy or Inflammatory Conditions in Caco-2 Cell Models.

Chemotherapy- or inflammation-induced increase in intestinal permeability represents a severe element in disease evolution in patients suffering from colorectal cancer and gut inflammatory conditions. Emerging data strongly support the gut microbiota's role in preserving intestinal barrier integrity, whilst both chemotherapy and gut inflammation alter microbiota composition. Some probiotics might have a strong re-balancing effect on the gut microbiota, also positively affecting intestinal barrier integrity.

Genotoxicity and cytotoxicity of textile production effluents, before and after Bacillus subitilis bioremediation, in Astyanax lacustris (Pisces, Characidae).

Textile effluents may be highly toxic and mutagenic. Monitoring studies are important for sustaining the aquatic ecosystems contaminated by these materials, which can cause damage to organisms and loss of biodiversity. We have evaluated the cyto- and genotoxicity of textile effluents on erythrocytes of Astyanax lacustris, before and after bioremediation by Bacillus subitilis treatment.

Microscopic corneal epithelial changes and clinical outcomes in simple limbal epithelial transplantation surgery after treatment with amniotic membrane eye drops (AMED): A case report.

Purpose: To describe the microscopic epithelial changes and the clinical outcomes of a patient treated with amniotic membrane eye drops (AMED) because of a persistent epithelial defect (PED) and a partial limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) after simple limbal epithelial transplantation (SLET) and deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK).

Observations: A 72-year-old patient, who had previously undergone SLET and DALK due to a total LSCD, presented with a PED related to a partial LSCD, and was treated with AMED for one month. We evaluated the patient's visual acuity, the Oxford grading scale, the Wong-Baker Pain Rating Scale, and in vivo confocal microscopy, both at baseline and 3 months after the end of treatment.