Improved Reductive Catalytic Fractionation of Lignocellulosic Biomass through the Application of a Recyclable Magnetic Catalyst.

The reductive catalytic fractionation (RCF) of second generation lignocellulosic biomass is an elegant one-pot process to obtain a highly delignified cellulose pulp, sugar-derived polyols, and depolymerized and stabilized lignin oils. However, the need of noble metal catalysts to prompt the reactions may impact the economic sustainability of the overall "lignin-first" biorefinery if the catalyst recovery and recyclability are not guaranteed. Herein, the use of a novel catalyst based on supported ruthenium over maghemite for the RCF of poplar sawdust is reported for the first time.

Improving the production efficiency and sustainability of lignin-alcohol fuel processed at ambient temperature.

Lignin represents a promising source of renewable energy. The development of CLEO (Cold processed Lignin Ethanol Oil) fuel introduces a novel lignin valorization approach, proposing its potential as maritime biofuel. However, its industrial success depends on enhancing fractionation yields and reducing solvent evaporation, which necessitates a detailed analysis of lignin properties, solvent types, and process parameters.

Lignin-Derived Sustainable Nano-Platforms: A Multifunctional Solution for an Efficient Dye Removal.

In contrast to conventional non-biobased adsorbents, lignin emerges as a cost-effective and environmentally benign alternative for water treatment. This study identifies unexpected and unpredicted multifunctional properties of lignin nanoparticles (LNPs). LNPs, which are prepared by simple physical processes, demonstrated for the first time to behave as multifunctional materials able to adsorb and photodegrade methylene blue (MB) in aqueous medium upon UV irradiation.

Multifunctional polymer-based nanocomposites for synergistic adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of mixed pollutants in water.

Water pollution is a growing concern for mankind due to its harmful effects on humans, animals and plants. Usually, several pollutants are present in wastewater. For example, dyes and antibiotics are found in wastewater because of their widespread use in factories and hospitals.

Aberrant MET activation impairs perinuclear actin cap organization with YAP1 cytosolic relocation.

Little is known about the signaling network responsible for the organization of the perinuclear actin cap, a recently identified structure holding unique roles in the regulation of nuclear shape and cell directionality. In cancer cells expressing a constitutively active MET, we show a rearrangement of the actin cap filaments, which crash into perinuclear patches associated with spherical nuclei, meandering cell motility and inactivation of the mechano-transducer YAP1. MET ablation is sufficient to reactivate YAP1 and restore the cap, leading to enhanced directionality and flattened nuclei.

Extracellular Vesicles and Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Activation: Interplay of Drivers in Cancer Progression.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are of great interest to study the cellular mechanisms of cancer development and to diagnose and monitor cancer progression. EVs are a highly heterogeneous population of cell derived particles, which include microvesicles (MVs) and exosomes (EXOs). EVs deliver intercellular messages transferring proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and metabolites with implications for tumour progression, invasiveness, and metastasis.

IL-1 and senescence: Friends and foe of EGFR neutralization and immunotherapy.

Historically, senescence has been considered a safe program in response to multiple stresses in which cells undergo irreversible growth arrest. This process is characterized by morphological and metabolic changes, heterochromatin formation, and secretion of inflammatory components, known as senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). However, recent reports demonstrated that anti-cancer therapy itself can stimulate a senescence response in tumor cells, the so-called therapy-induced senescence (TIS), which may represent a temporary bypass pathway that promotes drug resistance.

Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue at nanostructured ZnO thin films.

The photocatalytic degradation of the wastewater dye pollutant methylene blue (MB) at ZnO nanostructured porous thin films, deposited by direct current reactive magnetron sputtering on Si substrates, was studied. It was observed that over 4 photocatalytic cycles (0.3 mg · lMB solution, 540 minUV irradiation), the rate constantof MB degradation decreased by ∼50%, varying in the range (1.

Lignin-based nano-enabled agriculture: A mini-review.

Nowadays sustainable nanotechnological strategies to improve the efficiency of conventional agricultural practices are of utmost importance. As a matter of fact, the increasing use of productive factors in response to the growing food demand plays an important role in determining the environmental impact of agriculture. In this respect, low-efficiency conventional practices are becoming obsolete.

Reusable and Antibacterial Polymer-Based Nanocomposites for the Adsorption of Dyes and the Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Degradation of Antibiotics.

Adsorption and advanced oxidation processes, especially photocatalysis, are amongst the most common water treatment methodologies. Unfortunately, using each of these techniques independently does not fully eliminate the pollutants of diverse nature, which are present in wastewater. Here, an avenue for multifunctional materials for water treatment is opened by reporting for the first time the preparation, characterization, and study of the properties of a novel multifunctional nanocomposite with both adsorption and visible-light-driven photocatalysis abilities.

Synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic properties of nanostructured lanthanide doped β-NaYF/TiO composite films.

The photocatalytic approach is known to be one of the most promising advanced oxidation processes for the tertiary treatment of polluted water. In this paper, β-NaYF/TiO composite films have been synthetized through a novel sol-gel/spin-coating approach using a mixture of β-diketonate complexes of Na and Y, and Yb, Tm, Gd, Eu as doping ions, together with the TiO P25 nanoparticles. The herein pioneering approach represents an easy, straightforward and industrially appealing method for the fabrication of doped β-NaYF/TiO composites.

Neuregulin 4 Boosts the Efficacy of Anti-ERBB2 Neutralizing Antibodies.

ERBB4 is a tyrosine kinase receptor reported to exert both oncogenic and tumor suppressor activities. These paradoxical effects were suggested to stem from different ERBB4 homo-/hetero-dimers and/or isoforms. By stratifying breast cancer patients for clinical and molecular subtypes and ERBB4 mRNA abundance, we here report that higher ERBB4 levels correlate with longer relapse-free survival in breast cancer patients of HER2-enriched and luminal A molecular subtypes, proposing a cancer-protecting role for this receptor in these specific subgroups.

Enhanced visible-light photodegradation of fluoroquinolone-based antibiotics and growth inhibition using Ag-TiO nanoparticles.

Antibiotics in wastewater represent a growing and worrying menace for environmental and human health fostering the spread of antimicrobial resistance. Titanium dioxide (TiO) is a well-studied and well-performing photocatalyst for wastewater treatment. However, it presents drawbacks linked with the high energy needed for its activation and the fast electron-hole pair recombination.

NRG1/ERBB3/ERBB2 Axis Triggers Anchorage-Independent Growth of Basal-like/Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells.

ERBB3, also known as HER3, is a tyrosine kinase transmembrane receptor of the ERBB family. Upon binding to neuregulin 1 (NRG1), ERBB3 preferentially dimerizes with HER2 (ERBB2), in turn inducing aggressive features in several cancer types. The analysis of a dataset of breast cancer patients unveiled that higher mRNA expression correlates with shorter relapse-free survival in basal-like breast cancers, despite low expression in this breast cancer subtype.

The autocrine loop of ALK receptor and ALKAL2 ligand is an actionable target in consensus molecular subtype 1 colon cancer.

Background: In the last years, several efforts have been made to classify colorectal cancer (CRC) into well-defined molecular subgroups, representing the intrinsic inter-patient heterogeneity, known as Consensus Molecular Subtypes (CMSs).

Methods: In this work, we performed a meta-analysis of CRC patients stratified into four CMSs. We identified a negative correlation between a high level of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) expression and relapse-free survival, exclusively in CMS1 subtype.

Simple Strategies to Modulate the pH-Responsiveness of Lignosulfonate-Based Delivery Systems.

The extensive use of non-degradable microplastics in a wide plethora of daily life products is causing serious pollution problems. More ecofriendly solutions are therefore urgently needed. In this context, the use of lignin, a largely available aromatic polymer, may represent a viable option.

Senescence-associated reprogramming induced by interleukin-1 impairs response to EGFR neutralization.

Background: EGFR targeting is currently the main treatment strategy for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Results of different clinical trials show that patients with wild-type KRAS and BRAF benefit from anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies (moAbs) cetuximab (CTX) or panitumumab. Unfortunately, despite initial response, patients soon became refractory.

Thermoelectric Energy Harvesting from Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Alkali-Activated Nanocomposites Produced from Industrial Waste Materials.

A waste-originated one-part alkali-activated nanocomposite is introduced herein as a novel thermoelectric material. For this purpose, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were utilized as nanoinclusions to create an electrically conductive network within the investigated alkali-activated construction material. Thermoelectric and microstructure characteristics of SWCNT-alkali-activated nanocomposites were assessed after 28 days.

The Roadmap of Colorectal Cancer Screening.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common form of cancer in terms of incidence and the second in terms of mortality worldwide. CRC develops over several years, thus highlighting the importance of early diagnosis. National screening programs based on fecal occult blood tests and subsequent colonoscopy have reduced the incidence and mortality, however improvements are needed since the participation rate remains low and the tests present a high number of false positive results.

Neurologic manifestations in 1760 COVID-19 patients admitted to Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, Bergamo, Italy.

Objectives: Evidences from either small series or spontaneous reporting are accumulating that SARS-CoV-2 involves the Nervous Systems. The aim of this study is to provide an extensive overview on the major neurological complications in a large cohort of COVID-19 patients.

Methods: Retrospective, observational analysis on all COVID-19 patients admitted from February 23rd to April 30th, 2020 to ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo, Italy for whom a neurological consultation/neurophysiological assessment/neuroradiologic investigation was requested.

Roles of IL-1 in Cancer: From Tumor Progression to Resistance to Targeted Therapies.

IL-1 belongs to a family of 11 members and is one of the seven receptor-agonists with pro-inflammatory activity. Beyond its biological role as a regulator of the innate immune response, IL-1 is involved in stress and chronic inflammation, therefore it is responsible for several pathological conditions. In particular, IL-1 is known to exert a critical function in malignancies, influencing the tumor microenvironment and promoting cancer initiation and progression.

Colorectal cancer screening: Assessment of , , and as blood markers in faecal immunochemical test negative subjects.

Prevention is essential to reduce Colorectal Cancer (CRC) mortality. We previously reported a panel of four genes: able to discriminate patients with CRC. Here, we assessed the CELTiC panel by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, in the blood of 174 healthy subjects, who resulted negative to the faecal immunochemical test (FITN).

Glucocorticoid Receptor Modulates EGFR Feedback upon Acquisition of Resistance to Monoclonal Antibodies.

Evidences of a crosstalk between Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) and Glucocorticoid Receptor (GR) has been reported, ranging from the modulation of receptor levels or GR mediated transcriptional repression of EGFR target genes, with modifications of epigenetic markers. The present study focuses on the involvement of EGFR positive and negative feedback genes in the establishment of cetuximab (CTX) resistance in metastatic Colorectal Cancer (CRC) patients. We evaluated the expression profile of the EGFR ligands TGFA and HBEGF, along with the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1B and IL-8, which were previously reported to be negatively associated with monoclonal antibody response, both in mice and patient specimens.