Publications by authors named "Valentina Frusca"

Article Synopsis
  • Gliomas, a severe type of brain tumor, frequently recur and can metastasize, with limited existing treatments for reducing metastasis, highlighting a need for new anti-metastatic agents.
  • Copper complexes have shown potential as effective anti-metastatic agents, but their use may disrupt healthy tissue balance; thus, incorporating these complexes into nano-architectures can enhance targeted delivery and minimize side effects.
  • Newly developed copper complex-loaded nano-architectures (CuLNAs) significantly reduce glioma cell migration without negatively affecting cell growth, and they modulate key genes involved in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, presenting a promising strategy for anticancer therapies.
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Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas are characterized by a high incidence of recurrence, especially in patients with locally advanced disease. Standard treatment strategies can be associated with severe side effects to healthy tissues that can negatively impact the patient's quality of life. Hyperthermia (HT) is a noninvasive treatment modality that has improved the effectiveness of chemotherapy (CT) and/or radiotherapy (RT) for the management of some solid neoplasms.

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Cisplatin chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is the established standard of care for managing locally advanced human papillomavirus-positive head/neck carcinoma. The typically young patients may suffer serious and long-time side effects caused by the treatment, such as dysphagia, and hearing loss. Thus, ensuring a satisfactory post-treatment quality of life is paramount.

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Locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC) is characterized by high rate of recurrence, resulting in a poor survival. Standard treatments are associated with significant toxicities that impact the patient's quality of life, highlighting the urgent need for novel therapies to improve patient outcomes. On this regard, noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) are emerging as promising agents as both drug carriers and radiosensitizers.

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Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) cells reprogram both mitochondrial and lysosomal functions to support growth. At the same time, this causes significant dishomeostasis of free radicals. While this is compensated by the upregulation of detoxification mechanisms, it also represents a potential vulnerability.

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Skin burns are debilitating injuries with significant morbidity and mortality associated with infections and sepsis, particularly in immunocompromised patients. In this context, nanotechnology can provide pioneering approaches for the topical treatment of burnt skin. Herein, the significant recovery of radiation-damaged skin by exploiting copper ultrasmall-in-nano architectures (CuNAs) dispersed in a home-made cosmetic cream is described and compared to other noble metals (such as gold).

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Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are a complex group of malignancies that affect different body sites pertaining to the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx. Current chemotherapy relies on platinum complexes, the major exponent being cisplatin, which exert severe side effects that can negatively affect prognosis. For this reason, other metal complexes with less severe side effects are being investigated as alternatives or adjuvants to platinum complexes.

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Article Synopsis
  • Intranasal drug delivery is a promising method for treating respiratory issues, especially given the rise of antimicrobial resistance that requires innovative treatment strategies for lung infections.
  • The study focuses on assessing the safety and effectiveness of silver nanomaterials (specifically silver ultrasmall-in-nano architectures, or AgNAs) after administering a single dose, revealing important insights about their distribution and interactions in the body.
  • The findings suggest that carefully designed nanomaterials could pave the way for new treatments for both communicable and non-communicable diseases affecting the respiratory system.
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