Publications by authors named "Verrienti A"
Article Synopsis
- * Research is exploring how vitamin deficiencies disrupt communication between the liver and adipose (fat) tissue, potentially contributing to conditions like non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
- * Recent studies highlight the connection between vitamin deficiency, energy balance regulation, and inflammation, indicating a need for further investigation into these relationships.
Article Synopsis
- Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common type of thyroid cancer, and this study examined the potential of two microRNAs, miR-146a-5p and miR-221-3p, as biomarkers for diagnosing and monitoring PTC.
- The researchers conducted an observational study with PTC patients and healthy controls, analyzing levels of these microRNAs through digital PCR before and after surgery.
- Results showed that both microRNAs are effective in differentiating PTC patients from healthy individuals, with specific fold changes indicating disease progression, making them useful for ongoing patient monitoring.
Bone is the second most common site of metastasis for differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). Bone metastasis (BMs) occur in about 10% of patients with DTC and is observed more often in follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) (7-28%) than papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) (1-7%). Bone metastasis is associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes mainly including skeletal-related events (SREs), such as pathologic fractures, bone pain, spinal cord compressions, and hypercalcemia, which negatively impact the quality of life of patients and reduce their life expectancy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Multitarget kinase inhibitors (MKIs) are effective options in the treatment of cancer, significantly increasing the progression-free survival (PFS) of many tumors. Data about severity and prevalence of metabolic adverse events is scarce and may be significant in patients with a better survival. The aim of this study was to investigate glucose and lipids values of patients treated with lenvatinib.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFResistance to thyroid hormone (RTH) is a rare autosomal dominant disease characterized by an alteration of thyroid hormone negative feedback, usually as a consequence of a mutation in the thyroid hormone receptor-b gene (THRβ). It is characterized by high variability of clinical manifestations, ranging from isolated abnormal thyroid function tests without symptoms to severe and impaired clinical conditions. Here we report the case of a woman who was diagnosed with RTHβ when she was 35 years old and was treated with 3,5,3-triiodiothyroacetic acid (TRIAC) because of the onset of clinical symptoms of hyperthyroidism.
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- Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma (MTC) is a rare type of cancer that can be diagnosed by checking calcitonin levels, which may not be reliable indicators on their own.
- Researchers studied cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from MTC patients to examine DNA fragmentation and methylation changes as possible biomarkers for better diagnosis.
- They found significant differences in cfDNA fragmentation and methylation levels in patients at diagnosis compared to healthy individuals, suggesting these traits could improve MTC patient management.
Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a malignant tumor with challenging management. Multi-targeted kinase inhibitors (MKI) and tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKI) with high specificity for RET protein are approved for advanced MTC treatment. However, their efficacy is hindered by evasion mechanisms of tumor cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose/methods: The determination of tumour biomarkers is paramount to advancing personalized medicine, more so in rare tumours like medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), whose diagnosis is still challenging. The aim of this study was to identify non-invasive circulating biomarkers in MTC. To achieve this goal, paired MTC tissue and plasma extracellular vesicle samples were collected from multiple centres and microRNA (miRNA) expression levels were evaluated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Radioiodine I-131 (RAI) is the therapy of choice for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Between 5% and 15% of DTC patients become RAI refractory, due to the loss of expression/function of iodide metabolism components, especially the Na/I symporter (NIS). We searched for a miRNA profile associated with RAI-refractory DTC to identify novel biomarkers that could be potential targets for redifferentiation therapy.
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- This study investigates the role of miRNA-31-5p in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) by analyzing its expression levels in tumor tissues and cell lines.
- Researchers used various assays to determine the effects of miRNA-31-5p on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, highlighting its impact on cancer cell behavior.
- The results indicate that miRNA-31-5p is oncogenic, particularly in cells with the BRAF p.V600E mutation, and its overexpression may contribute to PTC progression and invasiveness.
Article Synopsis
- * While multikinase inhibitors for RET mutations initially showed limited effectiveness and high toxicity, newer selective inhibitors like selpercatinib and pralsetinib demonstrate better efficacy and tolerability, although direct comparisons with older multikinase drugs are lacking.
- * Advancements in high-throughput technology have uncovered rare cancer alterations, such as deletions and insertions, prompting further investigation into their functional impact and potential responsiveness to RET inhibitors. *
Article Synopsis
- Researchers studied exosomal microRNAs from thyroid cancer cells (TPC-1 and K1) and compared them with non-cancerous cells (Nthy-ori-3-1) to understand their roles in tumor growth.
- They used advanced techniques to extract and analyze exosomes and their microRNA profiles, focusing on how these microRNAs interact with their target genes.
- Five specific microRNAs were found to be significantly altered in tumor exosomes, with some being more deregulated in the aggressive K1 cells, highlighting potential targets for future cancer treatments.
Article Synopsis
- A protocol is outlined for creating organoids from human thyroid cancer cells using patient-derived cells.
- Both organoids and primary cell lines are established, with the organoid medium enhanced by conditioned medium from the primary line.
- This approach allows organoids to be cultured for up to 10 months while preserving their original genetic and phenotypic traits.
Article Synopsis
- The study explored the profiles of microRNAs found in exosomes from the serum of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) patients to understand their potential role in cancer diagnosis or progression.
- Researchers isolated exosomes and used advanced techniques to analyze the presence and levels of specific miRNAs, identifying four miRNAs (miR24-3p, miR146a-5p, miR181a-5p, and miR382-5p) that were differently expressed compared to healthy controls.
- The findings indicate that while certain miRNAs are secreted in exosomes from PTC patients, they may not reliably indicate lymph node metastasis, highlighting the need for further studies on how
Article Synopsis
- - The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has led to urgent efforts for effective COVID-19 treatments, with drug repurposing seen as a quicker and cheaper alternative to creating new drugs from scratch.
- - This study explored three network-based methods to find existing medications that could potentially treat COVID-19 by analyzing blood cell transcriptomic data from COVID-19 patients and other related conditions.
- - Alongside familiar medications like anticoagulants and corticosteroids, the research also highlighted unconventional drugs, including SCN5A inhibitors and central nervous system agents, but emphasized the need for clinical trials to validate their use.
Article Synopsis
- Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs), especially glioblastoma stem-like cells, drive cancer growth, treatment resistance, and metastasis due to their self-renewal abilities.
- A study found that four transcription factors (SOX2, SALL2, OLIG2, and POU3F2) are essential for reprogramming differentiated glioblastoma cells into a stem-like state, with FOSL1 identified as a potential regulator of these factors.
- Experiments using NTERA-2 and HEK293T cells showed that FOSL1 can directly influence the four transcription factors, alter stemness markers, and affect the cells' ability to form aggregates, indicating its role in stemness reprogram
Article Synopsis
- The Cancer Genome Atlas database enables analysis of RNA-Seq cancer data by comparing paired samples of normal and cancer cells from the same person.
- The paper highlights a "regulation-correlation bias," which creates a misleading link between a gene's expression status and the correlation coefficient in RNA-Seq data.
- It introduces a bias-removal algorithm called SEaCorAl, which improves the detection of meaningful correlations in gene expression studies, leading to a more accurate understanding of biological relationships.
Article Synopsis
- Researchers studied papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) to uncover the molecular mechanisms that could aid in diagnosis and treatment, focusing on genetic variants involved in the disease.
- By analyzing 42 primary PTC tissue samples with a specialized sequencing technique, they found 57 point mutations in 78.5% of the samples, with notable mutations in key thyroid cancer genes.
- A significant portion of the mutations discovered were germline (45%), primarily affecting DNA repair genes, hinting that these rare genetic variants may increase the risk of developing PTC, and further research is needed to understand their implications for prognosis and treatment.
Article Synopsis
- Despite significant advances in epigenetic research over the past five decades, most clinical applications remain limited, with only a few hospitals utilizing epigenetic biomarkers for patient care.
- The concept of precision medicine, which tailors treatment based on individual genetic and epigenetic profiles, is not widely adopted in everyday medical practices, as many still rely on a more traditional, reductionist approach.
- The paper highlights the progress in understanding epigenetic biomarkers and emphasizes the need to shift towards network medicine, where molecular diagnostics can inform more personalized treatment strategies, particularly for diseases like cancer.
Article Synopsis
- Hürthle cell carcinomas (HCC) are uncommon thyroid cancers that have poor responses to treatments like radioactive iodine and kinase inhibitors.
- This study analyzed the mutations present in primary and metastatic HCC tissues from two patients, discovering the SETD2 mutation associated with decreased activity of both the H3K36me3 methylation and the p53 protein.
- The findings indicate that mutations in SETD2 may contribute to HCC progression by destabilizing p53 and promoting characteristics of cancer stem cells, suggesting a need for more research into their prevalence and potential treatments.