Management of B3 breast lesions: Potential clinical implications from a retrospective study conducted in an accredited Breast Unit following the 2024 EUSOMA guidelines.

B3 breast lesions present significant challenge in breast surgery. Despite their relatively low risk of malignancy without cellular atypia, overtreatment remains common. We retrospectively evaluate the management of B3 lesions in an accredited-EUSOMA Breast Unit, comparing 10-years practices with 2016 and 2019 international Consensus Conferences and with 2024 EUSOMA guidelines.

Exploring the anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin encapsulated within ferritin nanocages: a comprehensive in vivo and in vitro study in Alzheimer's disease.

Background: The global demographic shift towards an aging population is generating a rise in neurodegenerative conditions, with Alzheimer's disease (AD) as the most prominent problem. In this landscape, the use of natural supplements has garnered attention for their potential in dementia prevention. Curcumin (Cur), derived from Curcuma longa, has demonstrated promising pharmacological effects against AD by reducing the levels of inflammatory mediators.

Raman spectroscopy on dried blood plasma allows diagnosis and monitoring of colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains challenging to diagnose, necessitating the identification of a noninvasive biomarker that can differentiate it from other conditions such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and diverticular disease (DD). Raman spectroscopy (RS) stands out as a promising technique for monitoring blood biochemical profiles, with the potential to identify distinct signatures identifying CRC subjects. We performed RS analysis on dried plasma from 120 subjects: 32 CRC patients, 37 IBD patients, 20 DD patients, and 31 healthy controls.

Ferritin nanoconjugates guide trastuzumab brain delivery to promote an antitumor response in murine HER2 + breast cancer brain metastasis.

Brain metastasis (BM) represents a clinical challenge for patients with advanced HER2 + breast cancer (BC). The monoclonal anti-HER2 antibody trastuzumab (TZ) improves survival of BC patients, but it has low central nervous system penetrance, being ineffective in treating BM. Previous studies showed that ferritin nanoparticles (HFn) may cross the blood brain barrier (BBB) through binding to the transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1).

Low neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and pan-immune-inflammation-value predict nodal pathologic complete response in 1274 breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy: a multicenter analysis.

Background: Systemic inflammatory markers draw great interest as potential blood-based prognostic factors in several oncological settings.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate whether neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and pan-immune-inflammation value (PIV) predict nodal pathologic complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in node-positive (cN+) breast cancer (BC) patients.

Design: Clinically, cN+ BC patients undergoing NAC followed by breast and axillary surgery were enrolled in a multicentric study from 11 Breast Units.

A three-gene signature marks the time to locoregional recurrence in luminal-like breast cancer.

Background: Gene expression profiling (GEP)-based prognostic signatures are being rapidly integrated into clinical decision making for systemic management of breast cancer patients. However, GEP remains relatively underdeveloped for locoregional risk assessment. Yet, locoregional recurrence (LRR), especially early after surgery, is associated with poor survival.

Quantification and prospective evaluation of serum NfL and GFAP as blood-derived biomarkers of outcome in acute ischemic stroke patients.

Identification of reliable and accessible biomarkers to characterize ischemic stroke patients' prognosis remains a clinical challenge. Neurofilament light chain (NfL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) are markers of brain injury, detectable in blood by high-sensitive technologies. Our aim was to measure serum NfL and GFAP after stroke, and to evaluate their correlation with functional outcome and the scores in rehabilitation scales at 3-month follow-up.

Determination of the quality of lipoproteins by Raman spectroscopy in obese and healthy subjects.

Lipoproteins (LPs) are multimolecular complexes of lipids and proteins responsible for transporting fatty acids, cholesterol, and micronutrients (carotenoids) through the body. The quantification of triglycerides and cholesterol carried by lipoproteins is a leading clinical parameter to assess the increased risk of cardiovascular events. However, in recent times, the study of the overall "quality" of lipoproteins, defined by their biochemical composition and oxidation state, has emerged as necessary to improve the definition of the cardiovascular risk.

Neurofilament-light chain quantification by Simoa and Ella in plasma from patients with dementia: a comparative study.

Neurofilament light chains (NfL) are neuron-specific cytoskeletal proteins whose plasmatic concentrations have been explored as a clinically useful marker in several types of dementia. Plasma concentrations of NfL are extremely low, and just two assays are commercially available for their study: one based on the SiMoA technology and one based on Ella. We thus studied plasma levels of NfL with both platforms to check the correlation between them and to assess their potential in the diagnosis of neurodegeneration.

Novel Bioengineering Strategies to Improve Bioavailability and Circulation of H-Ferritin Nanocages by Surface Functionalization.

Due to its unique architecture and innate capability to specifically target cancer cells, ferritin has emerged as an attractive class of biomaterials for drug delivery. In many studies, various chemotherapeutics have been loaded into ferritin nanocages constituted by H-chains of ferritin (HFn), and their related anti-tumor efficacy has been explored by employing different strategies. Despite the multiple advantages and the versatility of HFn-based nanocages, there are still many challenges to face for their reliable implementation as drug nanocarriers in the process of clinical translation.

In Vitro Immunoreactivity Evaluation of H-Ferritin-Based Nanodrugs.

Biological nanoparticles, such as proteins and extracellular vesicles, are rapidly growing as nanobased drug-delivery agents due to their biocompatibility, high loading efficiency, and bioavailability. However, most of the candidates emerging preclinically hardly confirm their potential when entering clinical trials. Among other reasons, this is due to the low control of synthesis processes and the limited characterization of their potential immunoreactivity profiles.

Extensive Intraductal Component in Breast Cancer: What Role in Disease-Free Survival?

Introduction: Extensive intraductal component (EIC) associated to early breast cancer could increase the risk locoregional recurrence, but its impact on distant metastases is still unclear. The aim of the present study was to assess the role of EIC on 5-year survival outcomes in patients affected by early breast cancer treated with breast-conserving surgery.

Methods: A total of 414 consecutive patients with a minimum follow-up of 60 mo were collected from January 2007 to December 2015.

Prognostic Potential of Immune Inflammatory Biomarkers in Breast Cancer Patients Treated with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy.

Immune inflammatory biomarkers are easily obtained and inexpensive blood-based parameters that recently showed prognostic and predictive value in many solid tumors. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of these biomarkers in predicting distant relapse in breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). All breast cancer patients who referred to our Breast Unit and underwent NACT were retrospectively reviewed.

Bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDC)-Loaded H-Ferritin-Nanocages Mediate the Regulation of Inflammation in Alzheimer's Disease Patients.

Background: Bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDC) might be an inflammation inhibitor in Alzheimer's Disease (AD). However, BDC is almost insoluble in water, poorly absorbed by the organism, and degrades rapidly. We thus developed a new nanoformulation of BDC based on H-Ferritin nanocages (BDC-HFn).

Protein-Based Nanoparticles for the Imaging and Treatment of Solid Tumors: The Case of Ferritin Nanocages, a Narrative Review.

Protein nanocages have been studied extensively, due to their unique architecture, exceptional biocompatibility and highly customization capabilities. In particular, ferritin nanocages (FNs) have been employed for the delivery of a vast array of molecules, ranging from chemotherapeutics to imaging agents, among others. One of the main favorable characteristics of FNs is their intrinsic targeting efficiency toward the Transferrin Receptor 1, which is overexpressed in many tumors.

Fast quantification of extracellular vesicles levels in early breast cancer patients by Single Molecule Detection Array (SiMoA).

Purpose: Preliminary reports suggest that extracellular vesicles (EVs) might be a promising biomarker for breast cancer (BC). However, the quantification of plasmatic levels of EVs is a complex task. To overcome these limitations, we developed a new, fast, and easy to use assay for the quantification of EVs directly in plasma based on the use of Single-Molecule Array (SiMoA).

Preoperative Systemic Inflammatory Biomarkers Are Independent Predictors of Disease Recurrence in ER+ HER2- Early Breast Cancer.

The host's immune system plays a crucial role in determining the clinical outcome of many cancers, including breast cancer. Peripheral blood neutrophils and lymphocytes counts may be surrogate markers of systemic inflammation and potentially reflect survival outcomes. The aim of the present study is to assess the role of preoperative systemic inflammatory biomarkers to predict local or distant relapse in breast cancer.

Circulating Fibroblast Activation Protein as Potential Biomarker in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

A major concern in the management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is the absence of accurate and specific biomarkers to drive diagnosis and monitor disease status timely and non-invasively. Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) represents a hallmark of IBD bowel strictures, being overexpressed in stenotic intestinal myofibroblasts. The present study aimed at evaluating the potential of circulating FAP (cFAP) as an accessible blood biomarker of IBD.

Full-Length Recombinant hSP-D Binds and Inhibits SARS-CoV-2.

SARS-CoV-2 infection of host cells is driven by binding of the SARS-CoV-2 spike-(S)-protein to lung type II pneumocytes, followed by virus replication. Surfactant protein SP-D, member of the front-line immune defense of the lungs, binds glycosylated structures on invading pathogens such as viruses to induce their clearance from the lungs. The objective of this study is to measure the pulmonary SP-D levels in COVID-19 patients and demonstrate the activity of SP-D against SARS-CoV-2, opening the possibility of using SP-D as potential therapy for COVID-19 patients.

Raman analysis of microcalcifications in male breast cancer.

Microcalcifications (MCs) are important disease markers for breast cancer. Many studies were conducted on their characterization in female breast cancer (FBC), but no information is available on their composition in male breast cancer (MBC). Raman spectroscopy (RS) is a molecular spectroscopy that can rapidly explore the biochemical composition of MCs without requiring any staining protocol.

Isolation of Primary Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts from a Syngeneic Murine Model of Breast Cancer for the Study of Targeted Nanoparticles.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are key actors in the context of the tumor microenvironment. Despite being reduced in number as compared to tumor cells, CAFs regulate tumor progression and provide protection from antitumor immunity. Emerging anticancer strategies aim to remodel the tumor microenvironment through the ablation of pro-tumorigenic CAFs or reprogramming of CAFs functions and their activation status.