Oncological patients' reactions to COVID-19 pandemic: A single institution prospective study.

Background: The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rapid reorganization in all human and hospital activities, with impact on cancer patients.

Aim: An analysis of cancer patients fears, and awareness of COVID-19 has been done in this study.

Methods And Results: We analyzed cancer patients' reactions to the pandemic and their perception of oncological care reorganization, through a 12-item survey, proposed at the peak of pandemic and 3 months later.

P2X1: a unique platelet receptor with a key role in thromboinflammation.

Thromboinflammation involves complex interactions between actors of inflammation and immunity and components of the hemostatic system, which are elicited upon infection or tissue injury. In this context, the interplay between platelets and innate immune cells has been intensively investigated. The ATP-gated P2X1 ion channel, expressed on both platelets and neutrophils is of particular interest.

Solute carrier family 12 member 2 as a proteomic and histological biomarker of dysplasia and neoplasia in ulcerative colitis.

Background And Aims: Ulcerative colitis (UC) patients have a greater risk of developing colorectal cancer through inflammation-dysplasia-carcinoma sequence of transformation. The histopathological diagnosis of dysplasia is therefore of critical clinical relevance, but dysplasia may be difficult to distinguish from inflammatory changes.

Methods: A proteomic pilot study on 5 UC colorectal dysplastic patients highlighted proteins differentially distributed between paired dysplastic, inflammatory and normal tissues.

Neutrophil Phenotypes in Coronary Artery Disease.

Clinical evidence indicates that innate immune cells may contribute to acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Our prospective study aimed at investigating the association of neutrophil phenotypes with ACS. 108 patients were categorized into chronic stable coronary artery disease ( = 37), unstable angina (UA) ( = 19), Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (NSTEMI) ( = 25), and ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) ( = 27).

Platelet Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase Phosphorylation: A Risk Stratification Marker That Reveals Platelet-Lipid Interplay in Coronary Artery Disease Patients.

Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) signaling is activated in platelets by atherogenic lipids, particularly by oxidized low-density lipoproteins, through a CD36-dependent pathway. More interestingly, increased platelet AMPK-induced ACC phosphorylation is associated with the severity of coronary artery calcification as well as acute coronary events in coronary artery disease patients. Therefore, AMPK-induced ACC phosphorylation is a potential marker for risk stratification in suspected coronary artery disease patients.

P2X1 ion channel deficiency causes massive bleeding in inflamed intestine and increases thrombosis.

Background: Intestinal inflammation is associated with bleeding and thrombosis, two processes that may involve both platelets and neutrophils. However, the mechanisms and the respective contribution of these cells to intestinal bleeding and extra-intestinal thrombosis remain largely unknown.

Objective: Our study aimed at investigating the mechanisms underlying the maintenance of vascular integrity and thrombosis in intestinal inflammation.

AMPK-ACC signaling modulates platelet phospholipids and potentiates thrombus formation.

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) α1 is activated in platelets on thrombin or collagen stimulation, and as a consequence, phosphorylates and inhibits acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC). Because ACC is crucial for the synthesis of fatty acids, which are essential for platelet activation, we hypothesized that this enzyme plays a central regulatory role in platelet function. To investigate this, we used a double knock-in (DKI) mouse model in which the AMPK phosphorylation sites Ser79 on ACC1 and Ser212 on ACC2 were mutated to prevent AMPK signaling to ACC.

Platelets contribute to the initiation of colitis-associated cancer by promoting immunosuppression.

Unlabelled: Essentials Inflammation plays a key role in the development of colorectal cancer. Understanding mechanisms of cancer initiation might reveal new anticancer preventive strategy. Hyperactive platelets promote tumor formation by fostering immune evasion of cancer.

Comparison of nanofluidic and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for high sensitive pharmacokinetic studies of estrogens starting from whole blood microsampling.

Pharmacokinetic (PK) studies on small animals are challenging as only small volumes of samples are available, in which the analyte is present at low concentration in a complex matrix. In this context, the use of miniaturized analytical techniques may provide undeniable advantages in terms of sensitivity, sample and solvent consumption compared to the reference UHPLC-MS/MS methods In this study, we present the development of a nanofluidic-LC-MS/MS method to analyze two model analytes of therapeutic interest, namely estradiol (E2) and estetrol (E4) after microsampling with volumetric absorptive microsampling (VAMS) devices, an innovative sampling technique to collect small volumes of whole blood. The nanofluidic LC-MS/MS method was developed using an experimental design to find the optimal conditions to analyze both E2 and E4 with the highest sensitivity.

Targeting of C-type lectin-like receptor 2 or P2Y12 for the prevention of platelet activation by immunotherapeutic CpG oligodeoxynucleotides.

Unlabelled: Essentials CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) immuotherapeutics cause undesired platelet activating effects. It is crucial to understand the mechanisms of these effects to identify protective strategies. CpG ODN-induced platelet activation depends on C-type lectin-like receptor 2 (CLEC-2) and P2Y12.

The Dual Role of Neutrophils in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, are characterised by aberrant immunological responses leading to chronic inflammation without tissue regeneration. These two diseases are considered distinct entities, and there is some evidence that neutrophil behaviour, above all other aspects of immunity, clearly separate them. Neutrophils are the first immune cells recruited to the site of inflammation, and their action is crucial to limit invasion by microorganisms.

Functional Analysis of Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases in Thrombosis and Hemostasis.

Platelets are small blood cells derived from cytoplasmic fragments of megakaryocytes and play an essential role in thrombosis and hemostasis. Platelet activation depends on the rapid phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of key signaling molecules, and a number of kinases and phosphatases have been identified as major regulators of platelet function. However, the investigation of novel signaling proteins has suffered from technical limitations due to the anucleate nature of platelets and their very limited levels of mRNA and de novo protein synthesis.

Purinergic control of inflammation and thrombosis: Role of P2X1 receptors.

Inflammation shifts the hemostatic mechanisms in favor of thrombosis. Upon tissue damage or infection, a sudden increase of extracellular ATP occurs, that might contribute to the crosstalk between inflammation and thrombosis. On platelets, P2X1 receptors act to amplify platelet activation and aggregation induced by other platelet agonists.