Targeting z-Crystallin by aspirin restores the sensitivity to cisplatin in resistant A2780 ovarian cancer cells.

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynaecologic malignancies worldwide. Platinum based chemotherapy is the mainstay treatment for ovarian cancer; however, frequent recurrence and chemoresistance onset in patients with advanced diseases remain a therapeutic challenge. Although mechanisms underlying the development of chemoresistance are still ambiguous, the B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) family is closely associated with chemoresistance in ovarian cancer.

Ejaculation sparing of classic and minimally invasive surgical treatments of LUTS/BPH.

Background: The surgical landscape for Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS) and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) has evolved with the introduction of Minimally Invasive Surgical Therapies (MISTs), recognizing the impact of sexual function on patients' well-being, and prioritizing ejaculation-sparing approaches.

Methods: This systematic review explored ejaculation sparing after classic endoscopic procedures and MISTs (iTind, Rezūm, Urolift, Aquablation, and TPLA) and a literature search yielded 41 studies.

Results: While all procedures demonstrated efficacy in improving LUTS/BPH symptoms (IPSS, QoL, Qmax), a subset of studies evaluated ejaculatory function.

Predicting Falls in Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation: A Retrospective Multisite Study.

Background: Fall represents one of the highest concerns in the healthcare system, especially in medical rehabilitation settings. However, there is a lack of instruments for the assessment of risk falls in the context of musculoskeletal rehabilitation.

Methods: This retrospective multisite study aimed to assess the sensitivity and specificity of four fall risk assessment tools (the Functional Independence Measure, the Fall Risk Assessment, the Schmid Fall Risk Assessment Tool, and the ePA-AC) in predicting falls in patients admitted to musculoskeletal rehabilitation in Swiss inpatient facilities.

The Protective Role of Oleuropein Aglycone against Pesticide-Induced Toxicity in a Human Keratinocytes Cell Model.

The extensive use of agricultural pesticides to improve crop quality and yield significantly increased the risk to the public of exposure to small but repeated doses of pesticides over time through various routes, including skin, by increasing the risk of disease outbreaks. Although much work was conducted to reduce the use of pesticides in agriculture, little attention was paid to prevention, which could reduce the toxicity of pesticide exposure by reducing its impact on human health. Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), a major component of the Mediterranean diet, exerts numerous health-promoting properties, many of which are attributed to oleuropein aglycone (OleA), the deglycosylated form of oleuropein, which is the main polyphenolic component of EVOO.

The CAIX inhibitor SLC-0111 exerts anti-cancer activity on gastric cancer cell lines and resensitizes resistant cells to 5-Fluorouracil, taxane-derived, and platinum-based drugs.

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most frequent malignancy and the fourth leading cause of worldwide cancer-related death. Despite the usage of multimodal perioperative chemotherapy (pCT), GC progressively gains chemoresistance, thereby, the identification of suitable targets to overcome drug resistance is fundamental. Amongst the potential biomarkers, carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) - associated with a poor prognosis of several solid cancers - has gained the most attention.

Thermal, Morphological and Mechanical Properties of a BioPE Matrix Composite: Case of Shell, Pulp, and Argan Cake as Biofillers.

Extrusion and hot compressing molding processes were used to create bio-polyethylene (BioPE) composites reinforced with argan byproducts (shell, pulp, and argan cake) as bio-fillers. The thermal stability of the composites wass analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Dynamical mechanical analysis and rheological testing were used to investigate their mechanical properties.

Evaluation of the predictive factors of the short-term effects of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation in COVID-19 survivors.

Objective: Functional impairments after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) constitute a major concern in rehabilitative settings; however, evidence assessing the efficacy of rehabilitation programs is lacking. The aim of this study was to verify the clinical characteristics that may represent useful predictors of the short-term effectiveness of multidisciplinary rehabilitation.

Methods: In this real-practice retrospective pre-post intervention cohort study, the short-term effectiveness of a multidisciplinary patient-tailored rehabilitation program was assessed through normalized variations in the Functional Independence Measure in post-acute care patients who had overcome severe COVID-19.

Development and Characterization of PBSA-Based Green Composites in 3D-Printing by Fused Deposition Modelling.

Fused deposition modelling is a rapidly growing additive manufacturing technology due to its ability to build functional parts with complex geometries. The mechanical properties of a built part depend on several process parameters. The effect of wood content on the properties of 3D printed parts has been studied.

Enhanced Vasculogenic Capacity Induced by 5-Fluorouracil Chemoresistance in a Gastric Cancer Cell Line.

Chemotherapy is still widely used as a coadjutant in gastric cancer when surgery is not possible or in presence of metastasis. During tumor evolution, gatekeeper mutations provide a selective growth advantage to a subpopulation of cancer cells that become resistant to chemotherapy. When this phenomenon happens, patients experience tumor recurrence and treatment failure.

High-Density Bio-PE and Pozzolan Based Composites: Formulation and Prototype Design for Control of Low Water Flow.

An eco-friendly solution to produce new material for the material extrusion process is to use quarry waste as filler for biopolymer composites. A quarry waste that is still studied little as a filler for polymer composites is pozzolan. In this study, the optimization of the formulations and processing parameters of composites produced with pozzolan and bio-based polyethylene for 3D printing technology was performed.

Streptomycin sulphate loaded solid lipid nanoparticles show enhanced uptake in macrophage, lower MIC in Mycobacterium and improved oral bioavailability.

Present study addresses the challenge of incorporating hydrophilic streptomycin sulphate (STRS; log P -6.4) with high dose (1 g/day) into a lipid matrix of SLNs. Cold high-pressure homogenization technique used for SLN preparation achieved 30% drug loading and 51.

Lipo-PEG nano-ocular formulation successfully encapsulates hydrophilic fluconazole and traverses corneal and non-corneal path to reach posterior eye segment.

The present study describes a special lipid-polyethylene glycol matrix solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs; 138 nm; -2.07 mV) for ocular delivery. Success of this matrix to encapsulate (entrapment efficiency - 62.

Pozzolan Based 3D Printing Composites: From the Formulation Till the Final Application in the Precision Irrigation Field.

A new eco-composite polymer for material extrusion fabrication based on fine fraction pozzolan waste was developed. In addition, the composite materials obtained were used to produce a self-watering pot with complex geometry and a permeable porous part to regulate the passage of water from the storage area to the roots of the plant. Moreover, the system was devised with a cover characterized by a UV-B barrier film.

Effect of 3D Printing Temperature Profile on Polymer Materials Behavior.

This article presents the effect analysis of the printing time sequences on the mechanical properties in correlation with the crystallization kinetics and rheological behavior. For this purpose, two printing order of 3D printed samples (printed simultaneously or in sequence) were chosen. In addition, two different infill patterns (line and gyroid) and building directions (horizontal and vertical) have been used.

5-Fluorouracil Conversion Pathway Mutations in Gastric Cancer.

To date, 5-Fluorouracil (5FU) is a major component of several chemotherapy regimens, thus its study is of fundamental importance to better understand all the causes that may lead to chemoresistance and treatment failure. Given the evident differences between prognosis in Asian and Caucasian populations, triggered by clear genetic discordances and given the extreme genetic heterogeneity of gastric cancer (GC), the evaluation of the most frequent mutations in every single member of the 5FU conversion and activation pathway might reveal several important results. Here, we exploited the cBioPortal analysis software to query a large databank of clinical and wide-genome studies to evaluate the components of the three major 5FU transformation pathways.

Correction to: Atorvastatin-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles as eye drops: proposed treatment option for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

In the original version of this article Ana Guzman-Aranguez's name appeared incorrect.

MAP Kinases Pathways in Gastric Cancer.

Gastric cancer (GC) is turning out today to be one of the most important welfare issues for both Asian and European countries. Indeed, while the vast majority of the disease burden is located in China and in Pacific and East Asia, GC in European countries still account for about 100,000 deaths per year. With this review article, we aim to focus the attention on one of the most complex cellular pathways involved in GC proliferation, invasion, migration, and metastasis: the MAP kinases.

Atorvastatin-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles as eye drops: proposed treatment option for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Statins, widely prescribed for cardiovascular diseases, are also being eyed for management of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Poor bioavailability and blood-aqueous barrier may however limit significant ocular concentration of statins following oral administration. We for the first time propose and investigate local application of atorvastatin (ATS; representative statin) loaded into solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), as self-administrable eye drops.

Zeta-crystallin: a moonlighting player in cancer.

Crystallins were firstly found as structural proteins of the eye lens. To this family belong proteins, such as ζ-crystallin, expressed ubiquitously, and endowed with enzyme activity. ζ-crystallin is a moonlighting protein endowed with two main different functions: (1) mRNA binding with stabilizing activity; (2) NADPH:quinone oxidoreductase.

Update on gastric cancer treatments and gene therapies.

Gastric cancer is an active topic of clinical and basic research due to high morbidity and mortality. To date, gastrectomy and chemotherapy are the only therapeutic options for gastric cancer patients, but drug resistance, either acquired or primary, is the main cause for treatment failure. Differences in development and response to cancer treatments have been observed among ethnically diverse GC patient populations.

Minimum Clinically Important Difference in 30-s Sit-to-Stand Test After Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Subjects With COPD.

Background: The sit-to-stand (STS) test is a feasible tool for measuring peripheral muscle strength of the lower limbs. There is evidence of increasing use of STS tests in patients with COPD. We sought to evaluate in subjects with COPD the minimum clinically important difference in 30-s STS test after pulmonary rehabilitation.

An Easy Route to Wettability Changes of Polyethylene Terephthalate⁻Silicon Oxide Substrate Films for High Barrier Applications, Surface-Modified with a Self-Assembled Monolayer of Fluoroalkylsilanes.

Inorganic⁻organic multilayer films consisting of polymers coated with thin inorganic oxidic layers (e.g., SiOx) ensure very high barrier performances against gas and vapor permeation, what makes them packaging materials suitable for sophisticated technical applications, including the encapsulation of photovoltaic devices or quantum dots, barrier films for optical displays, and transparent greenhouse screens.