Exploring the Endothelin-1 pathway in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension microvasculopathy.

Targeted vasopeptide therapies have significantly advanced the management of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). However, due to insufficient preclinical evidence regarding the involvement of the endothelin-1 (ET-1) pathway in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) pathophysiology, the potential of ET-1 receptor antagonism in treating CTEPH remains uncertain. In this study, we investigated the role of the ET-1 pathway in CTEPH microvasculopathy using a multifaceted approach.

Effect of sotatercept on circulating proteomics in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

https://bit.ly/3Z5AZJ3

Disrupted BMP-9 Signaling Impairs Pulmonary Vascular Integrity in Hepatopulmonary Syndrome.

Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a severe complication of liver diseases characterized by abnormal dilation of pulmonary vessels, resulting in impaired oxygenation. Recent research highlights the pivotal role of liver-produced BMP-9 (bone morphogenetic protein-9) in maintaining pulmonary vascular integrity. This study aimed to investigate the involvement of BMP-9 in human and experimental HPS.

Circulating tumor DNA is a prognostic marker of tumor recurrence in stage II and III colorectal cancer: multicentric, prospective cohort study (ALGECOLS).

Background: In non-metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC), we evaluated prospectively the pertinence of longitudinal detection and quantification of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) as a prognostic marker of recurrence.

Method: The presence of ctDNA was assessed from plasma collected before and after surgery for 184 patients classified as stage II or III and at each visit during 3-4 years of follow-up. The ctDNA analysis was performed by droplet-based digital polymerase chain reaction, targeting mutation and methylation markers, blindly from the clinical outcomes.

High expression of spliced X-Box Binding Protein 1 in lung tumors is associated with cancer aggressiveness and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.

Proteostasis imbalance is emerging as a major hallmark of cancer, driving tumor growth and aggressiveness. Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress has been documented in most major cancers, and the ability to tolerate persistent ER stress through an effective unfolded protein response enhances cancer cell survival, angiogenesis, metastasis, drug resistance and immunosuppression. The ER stress sensor IRE1α contributes to tumor progression through XBP1 mRNA splicing and regulated IRE1α-dependent decay of mRNA and miRNA.

Mutation Status in Circulating Tumor DNA from Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Extended Mutation Analysis from the AGEO RASANC Study.

In patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), and mutations are currently determined by tumor sample analysis. Here, we report mutation status analysis in paired tumor tissue and plasma samples of mCRC patients included in the AGEO RASANC prospective cohort study. Four hundred and twenty-five patients were enrolled.

Mutation and Methylation Analysis of Circulating Tumor DNA Can Be Used for Follow-up of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients.

Background: Targeted therapies, although contributing to survival improvement in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), are expensive and may cause adverse effects. Therefore, confirming that patients are responding to these therapies is extremely important. Currently, follow-up is performed using radiographic evaluation, which has its limitations.

Circulating cell-free BRAF as a biomarker in children with Langerhans cell histiocytosis.

The BRAF mutation is reported in half of patients with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH). This study investigated the detection of the BRAF allele in circulating cell-free (ccf) DNA in a paediatric LCH cohort. Children with BRAF -mutated LCH were investigated to detect ccf BRAF at diagnosis (n = 48) and during follow-up (n = 17) using a picolitre-droplet digital PCR assay.

A Study of Hypermethylated Circulating Tumor DNA as a Universal Colorectal Cancer Biomarker.

Background: Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has emerged as a good candidate for tracking tumor dynamics in different cancer types, potentially avoiding repeated tumor biopsies. Many different genes can be mutated within a tumor, complicating procedures for tumor monitoring, even with highly sensitive next-generation sequencing (NGS) strategies. Droplet-based digital PCR (dPCR) is a highly sensitive and quantitative procedure, allowing detection of very low amounts of circulating tumor genetic material, but can be limited in the total number of target loci monitored.

Clinical relevance of KRAS-mutated subclones detected with picodroplet digital PCR in advanced colorectal cancer treated with anti-EGFR therapy.

Purpose: KRAS mutations are predictive of nonresponse to anti-EGFR therapies in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, only 50% of nonmutated patients benefit from them. KRAS-mutated subclonal populations nondetectable by conventional methods have been suggested as the cause of early progression.