Role of thyroid stimulating hormone in the maintenance and functioning of the human corpus luteum.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of high thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels on human granulosa-luteal (hGL) cells.

Methods: hGL cells were isolated from follicular aspirates derived from patients undergoing IVF treatment without any thyroid disorder (serum TSH 0.5-2 mU/L).

Prognostic role of XTP1/DEPDC1B and SDP35/DEPDC1A in high grade soft-tissue sarcomas.

Background: The outcome of patients with metastatic soft tissue sarcoma (STS) remains unfavourable and new therapeutic strategies are needed. The aim of this study was to determine the role of RhoGAP, XTP1/DEPDC1B and SDP35/DEPDC1A, as possible prognostic markers, to be used to identify candidate patients for more effective and personalized therapies.

Materials-methods: SDP35/DEPDC1A and XTP1/DEPDC1B transcriptional levels were evaluated by Real-Time PCR in 86 primary STS and 22 paired lung metastasis.

Prognostic modeling of oral cancer by gene profiles and clinicopathological co-variables.

Accurate staging and outcome prediction is a major problem in clinical management of oral cancer patients, hampering high precision treatment and adjuvant therapy planning. Here, we have built and validated multivariable models that integrate gene signatures with clinical and pathological variables to improve staging and survival prediction of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Gene expression profiles from 249 human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative OSCCs were explored to identify a 22-gene lymph node metastasis signature (LNMsig) and a 40-gene overall survival signature (OSsig).

Proteoglycan-based diversification of disease outcome in head and neck cancer patients identifies NG2/CSPG4 and syndecan-2 as unique relapse and overall survival predicting factors.

Background: Tumour relapse is recognized to be the prime fatal burden in patients affected by head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), but no discrete molecular trait has yet been identified to make reliable early predictions of tumour recurrence. Expression of cell surface proteoglycans (PGs) is frequently altered in carcinomas and several of them are gradually emerging as key prognostic factors.

Methods: A PG expression analysis at both mRNA and protein level, was pursued on primary lesions derived from 173 HNSCC patients from whom full clinical history and 2 years post-surgical follow-up was accessible.

Neurogenic potential of human mesenchymal stem cells revisited: analysis by immunostaining, time-lapse video and microarray.

The possibility of generating neural cells from human bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) by simple in vitro treatments is appealing both conceptually and practically. However, whether phenotypic modulations observed after chemical manipulation of such stem cells truly represent a genuine trans-lineage differentiation remains to be established. We have re-evaluated the effects of a frequently reported biochemical approach, based on treatment with butylated hydroxyanisole and dimethylsulphoxide, to bring about such phenotypic conversion by monitoring the morphological changes induced by the treatment in real time, by analysing the expression of phenotype-specific protein markers and by assessing the modulation of transcriptome.