Publications by authors named "Torsiello M"

The tumor microenvironment (TME) significantly influences cancer progression, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play a crucial role in interacting with tumor cells via paracrine signaling, affecting behaviors such as proliferation, migration, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. While conventional 2D culture models have provided valuable insights, they cannot fully replicate the complexity and diversity of the TME. Therefore, developing 3D culture systems that better mimic in vivo conditions is essential.

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Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) significantly influence tumor progression within the tumor microenvironment (TME). This review examines the pro-tumorigenic roles of ASCs, focusing on paracrine signaling, direct cell-cell interactions, and immunomodulation. ASC-mediated mitochondrial transfer through tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) and gap junctions (GJs) plays a significant role in enhancing cancer cell survival and metabolism.

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Mitochondrial transfer (MT) is a biological process that allows a donor cell to horizontally share its own mitochondria with a recipient cell. Mitochondria are highly dynamic membrane-bound sub-cellular organelles prominently involved in the regulation of the cell energy balance, calcium homeostasis, and apoptotic machinery activation. They physiologically undergo fusion and fission processes in response to the cell requirement, with a continuous morphological re-arrangement.

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Background: Breast cancer (BC) is a complex disease, showing heterogeneity in the genetic background, molecular subtype, and treatment algorithm. Historically, treatment strategies have been directed towards cancer cells, but these are not the unique components of the tumor bulk, where a key role is played by the tumor microenvironment (TME), whose better understanding could be crucial to obtain better outcomes.

Methods: We evaluated mitochondrial transfer (MT) by co-culturing Adipose stem cells with different Breast cancer cells (BCCs), through MitoTracker assay, Mitoception, confocal and immunofluorescence analyses.

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Hand-Foot syndrome (HFS) and diarrhoea are dose-limiting Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) of capecitabine-based chemotherapy. Four polymorphisms in the () gene, encoding the DPD enzyme responsible for the metabolism of fluoropyrimidines, such as capecitabine, are strongly associated with severe ADRs, and their screening should be performed before starting treatment. Moreover, capecitabine-related toxicity may worsen due to drug-drug and drug-supplement interactions.

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Aim: "Antimicrobial stewardship" (AMS) is defined as a healthcare-system-wide approach to promoting and monitoring the judicious use of antimicrobials to preserve their future effectiveness. Therefore, we structured an observational study to monitor the hospital trend of antibiotic consumption and related expenditure before the COVID-19 pandemic and to evaluate how much AMS could affect this trend.

Methods: The research covered the antibiotic prescriptions at the University Hospital (U.

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Importance: During the COVID-19 pandemic, urgent clinical management of patients has mainly included drugs currently administered for other diseases, referred to as repositioned drugs. As a result, some of these drugs have proved to be not only ineffective but also harmful because of adverse events associated with drug-drug interactions (DDIs).

Objective: To identify DDIs that led to adverse clinical outcomes and/or adverse drug reactions in patients with COVID-19 by systematically reviewing the literature and assessing the value of drug interaction checkers in identifying such events.

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Article Synopsis
  • Heart Failure (HF) is categorized into three types based on ejection fraction: preserved (HFpEF), mid-range (HFmrEF), and reduced (HFrEF), but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain under-explored.
  • This study investigated Sirt1 activity in relation to ejection fraction and other parameters in 70 patients across these HF categories, measuring Sirt1 in blood cells and various biomarkers in plasma.
  • Results showed that HFpEF had lower Sirt1 and ACE2 activities compared to HFmrEF and HFrEF, with strong positive correlations between Sirt1 activity and ejection fraction in the latter two groups, suggesting that Sirt1 activity can help differentiate HF phenotypes effectively.
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Fluoropyrimidines (FP) are mainly metabolised by dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), encoded by the gene. FP pharmacogenetics, including four polymorphisms (-PGx), is recommended to tailor the FP-based chemotherapy. These polymorphisms increase the risk of severe toxicity; thus, the -PGx should be performed prior to starting FP.

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Fluorescence sensing of oxalate has garnered some attention in the past two decades as a result of this anion's prominence and impact on society. Previous work on oxalate sensors and other divalent anion sensors has led to the conclusion that the sensors are selective for the anion under investigation. However, sensor selectivity is often determined by testing against a relatively small array of "guest" molecules or analytes and studies often exclude potentially interfering compounds.

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ClopHensor, a fluorescent fusion protein, is a dual function biosensor that has been utilized as a tool for the simultaneous measurement of intracellular chloride and pH in cells. ClopHensor has traditionally been used in conjunction with fluorescence microscopy for single cell measurements. Here, we present a promising multi-well format advancement for the use of ClopHensor as a potential high-throughput method capable of measuring fluorescence signal intensity across a well of confluent cells with highly reproducible results.

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