Publications by authors named "Zito E"

Background: "Patient Voices" is a software developed to promote the systematic collection of electronic patient-reported outcome measures (ePROMs) in routine oncology clinical practice.

Objective: This study aimed to assess compliance with and feasibility of the Patient Voices ePROM system and analyze patient-related barriers in an Italian comprehensive cancer center.

Methods: Consecutive patients with cancer attending 3 outpatient clinics and 3 inpatient wards were screened for eligibility (adults, native speakers, and being able to fill in the ePROMs) and enrolled in a quantitative and qualitative multimethod study.

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Background: Nursing care plans document the nursing process, displaying actions, and illustrating expected outcomes. Their integration into electronic health records (EHRs) is critical for accurate documentation, enhanced by standardized nursing terminologies that promote communication, critical reasoning, and patient safety through consistent language for information.

Objective: This study aimed to identify appropriate standardized nursing terminology tailored to the context of a Northern Italian Cancer Center and research facility for developing nursing care plans and starting their integration into institutional EHRs.

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  • Pulsed field ablation (PFA) shows promise for treating ventricular tachycardia (VT) in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy, potentially overcoming limitations of traditional radiofrequency (RF) methods.
  • Two case studies demonstrated that PFA effectively halted VT and restored normal heart rhythm in one patient, while the other experienced VT recurrences after discharge, necessitating a follow-up RF procedure.
  • Results indicated that while PFA can treat large areas of damaged heart tissue quickly, challenges with catheter control may impact the effectiveness of the treatment.
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  • The study compares the effectiveness and safety of hybrid-convergent radiofrequency (RF) ablation and extensive pulsed field ablation (PFA) for treating long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation (LSPAF).
  • Both methods showed similar effectiveness in preventing atrial tachyarrhythmias after one year, with approximately 36.7% in the hybrid group and 40.9% in the PFA group experiencing recurrences.
  • However, PFA had a better safety profile, with a significantly lower rate of major complications (0% for PFA compared to 12% for hybrid), indicating it may be a safer option for patients.*
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Changes in the oxidative (redox) environment accompany idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). S-glutathionylation of reactive protein cysteines is a post-translational event that transduces oxidant signals into biological responses. We recently demonstrated that increases in S-glutathionylation promote pulmonary fibrosis, which was mitigated by the deglutathionylating enzyme glutaredoxin (GLRX).

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Chemical chaperones are small molecules that improve protein folding, alleviating aberrant pathological phenotypes due to protein misfolding. Recent reports suggest that, in parallel with their role in relieving endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, chemical chaperones rescue mitochondrial function and insulin signaling. These effects may underlie their pharmacological action on metabolically demanding tissues.

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  • * ERO1A depletion in SEPN1 knockout cells enhances ER redox balance, improves mitochondrial function, and combats diaphragmatic weakness in mice, while ERO1A knockout shows beneficial effects on ER stress and MAM functionality.
  • * ERO1A overexpression is observed in muscle biopsies from SEPN1-RM patients, and the ER stress inhibitor tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) improves bio
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Introduction: Despite several therapeutic efforts, lung cancer remains a highly lethal disease. Novel therapeutic approaches encompass immune-checkpoint inhibitors, targeted therapeutics and antibody-drug conjugates, with different results. Several studies have been aimed at identifying biomarkers able to predict benefit from these therapies and create a prediction model of response, despite this there is a lack of information to help clinicians in the choice of therapy for lung cancer patients with advanced disease.

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Endoplasmic reticulum oxidoreductin 1 (ERO1) alpha (ERO1A) is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-localized protein disulfide oxidoreductase, involved in the disulfide bond formation of proteins. ERO1's activity in oxidative protein folding is redundant in higher eukaryotes and its loss is well compensated. Although it is dispensable in non-cancer cells, high ERO1 levels are seen with different cancers and predict their malignant phenotype.

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Studies demonstrated that oxidized fish oil (OFO) promoted oxidative stress and induced mitochondrial dysfunction and lipotoxicity, which attenuated beneficial effects of fish oil supplements in the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The current study was performed on yellow catfish, a good model to study NAFLD, and its hepatocytes to explore whether selenium (Se) could alleviate OFO-induced lipotoxicity the inhibition of oxidative stress and determine its potential mechanism. The analysis of triglycerides content, oxidative stress parameters, and histological and transmission electronic microscopy observation showed that high dietary Se supplementation alleviated OFO-induced lipotoxicity, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial injury and dysfunction.

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Excessive copper (Cu) intake leads to hepatic lipotoxicity disease, which has adverse effects on health, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. We found that Cu increased lipotoxicity by promoting Nrf2 recruitment to the ARE site in the promoters of five lipogenic genes (g6pd, 6pgd, me, icdh and pparγ). We also found that Cu affected the Nrf2 expression via different pathways: metal regulatory transcription factor 1 (MTF-1) mediated the Cu-induced Nrf2 transcriptional activation; Cu also enhanced the expression of Nrf2 by inhibiting the SP1 expression, which was achieved by inhibiting the negative regulator Fyn of Nrf2.

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Arsenite is a potent carcinogen and toxic compound inducing an array of deleterious effects via different mechanisms, which include the Ca-dependent formation of reactive oxygen species. The mechanism whereby the metalloid affects Ca homeostasis involves an initial stimulation of the inositol 1, 4, 5-triphosphate receptor, an event associated with an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress leading to increased ERO1α expression, and ERO1α dependent activation of the ryanodine receptor (RyR). Ca release from the RyR is then critically connected with the mitochondrial accumulation of Ca.

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Excessive phosphorus (Pi) contributes to eutrophication in an aquatic environment, which threatens human and fish health. However, the mechanisms by which Pi overload influences aquatic animals remain largely unexplored. In the present study, Pi supplementation increased the Pi content, inhibited lipid accumulation and lipogenesis, and stimulated lipolysis in the liver.

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Article Synopsis
  • The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) maintains its balance through molecular regulators that adjust mitochondrial energy use depending on protein folding needs.
  • Calnexin plays a role in this process by managing mitochondrial metabolism and their connections to the ER via reactive oxygen species from NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4).
  • A newly discovered interaction between the proteins ERO1⍺ and PERK is crucial for quickly adapting mitochondrial functions to ER stress, enhancing calcium flow between ER and mitochondria, and reducing oxidative stress.
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RYR1 is the gene encoding the ryanodine receptor 1, a calcium release channel of the endo/sarcoplasmic reticulum. I4898T in RYR1 is one of the most common mutations that give rise to central core disease (CCD), with a variable phenotype ranging from mild to severe myopathy to lethal early-onset core-rod myopathy. Mice with the corresponding I4895T mutation in Ryr1 present mild myopathy when the mutation is heterozygous while I4895T homozygous is perinatal-lethal.

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Tumors can survive environmental and metabolic stress by triggering homeostatic responses that re-establish the pre-stress status and permit them to grow and thrive. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the organelle where proteins undergo post-translational modifications and are folded and exported to the secretory pathway. Its environment and activity are therefore fundamental for proteostasis, i.

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N-glycosylation and disulfide bond formation are two essential steps in protein folding that occur in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and reciprocally influence each other. Here, to analyze crosstalk between N-glycosylation and oxidation, we investigated how the protein disulfide oxidase ERO1-alpha affects glycosylation of the angiogenic VEGF, a key regulator of vascular homeostasis. ERO1 deficiency, while retarding disulfide bond formation in VEGF, increased utilization of its single N-glycosylation sequon, which lies close to an intra-polypeptide disulfide bridge, and concomitantly slowed its secretion.

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Our recent studies suggest that arsenite stimulates the crosstalk between the inositol 1, 4, 5-triphosphate receptor (IPR) and the ryanodine receptor (RyR) via a mechanism dependent on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) oxidoreductin1α (ERO1α) up-regulation. Under these conditions, the fraction of Ca released by the RyR via an ERO1α-dependent mechanism was promptly cleared by the mitochondria and critically mediated O formation, responsible for the triggering of time-dependent events associated with strand scission of genomic DNA and delayed mitochondrial apoptosis. We herein report that, in differentiated C2C12 cells, this sequence of events can be intercepted by genetic deletion of ERO1α as well as by EN460, an inhibitor of ERO1α activity.

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Background And Purpose: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress triggers an adaptive response in tumours which fosters cell survival and resilience to stress. Activation of the ER stress response, through its PERK branch, promotes phosphorylation of the α-subunit of the translation initiation factor eIF2, thereby repressing general protein translation and augmenting the translation of ATF4 with the downstream CHOP transcription factor and the protein disulfide oxidase, ERO1-alpha EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Here, we show that ISRIB, a small molecule that inhibits the action of phosphorylated eIF2alpha, activating protein translation, synergistically interacts with the genetic deficiency of protein disulfide oxidase ERO1-alpha, enfeebling breast tumour growth and spread.

Key Results: ISRIB represses the CHOP signal, but does not inhibit ERO1.

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Objectives: During the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine (TM) emerged as an important mean to reduce risks of transmission, yet delivering the necessary care to patients. Our aim was to evaluate feasibility, characteristics and satisfaction for a TM service based on phone/video consultations for patients with cancer attending an outpatient palliative care clinic during COVID-19 pandemics.

Methods: A longitudinal observational study was conducted from April to December 2020.

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The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic still represents a global public health emergency, despite the availability of different types of vaccines that reduced the number of severe cases, the hospitalization rate and mortality. The Italian Vaccine Distribution Plan identified healthcare workers (HCWs) as the top-priority category to receive access to a vaccine and different studies on HCWs have been implemented to clarify the duration and kinetics of antibody response. The aim of this paper is to perform a literature review across a total of 44 studies of the serologic response to COVID-19 vaccines in HCWs in Italy and to report the results obtained in a prospective longitudinal study implemented at the Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori (INT) of Milan on 1565 HCWs.

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Long-term ingestion of arsenicals, a heterogeneous group of toxic compounds, has been associated with a wide spectrum of human pathologies, which include various malignancies. Although their mechanism of toxicity remains largely unknown, it is generally believed that arsenicals mainly produce their effects via direct binding to protein thiols and ROS formation in different subcellular compartments. The generality of these mechanisms most probably accounts for the different effects mediated by different forms of the metalloid in a variety of cells and tissues.

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Background: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is common in patients with advanced solid tumors and several risk factors are described. The possible role of depression is reported by clinicians despite the association with CRF being unclear.

Material And Methods: In this monocentric, cross-sectional, prospective study we recruited patients with advanced solid tumors who were hospitalized at Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori of Milan.

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Arsenite, a well-established human carcinogen and toxic compound, promotes the formation of mitochondrial superoxide (mitoO) via a Ca-dependent mechanism, in which an initial stimulation of the inositol 1, 4, 5-trisphosphate receptor (IPR) is followed by the activation of the ryanodine receptor (RyR), critical for providing Ca to the mitochondria. We now report that, under the same conditions, arsenite triggers endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and a threefold increase in ER oxidoreductin 1α (ERO1 α) levels in proliferating U937 cells. EN460, an inhibitor of ERO1 α, recapitulated all the effects associated with RyR inhibition or downregulation, including prevention of RyR-induced Ca accumulation in mitochondria and the resulting O formation.

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Background: Despite evidence of the positive impact of routine assessment of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), their systematic collection is not widely implemented in cancer care.

Aim: To assess the knowledge, use and attitudes of healthcare professionals (HCPs) towards PROMs and electronically collected PROMs (ePROMs) in clinical practice and research and to explore respondent-related factors associated with the above dimensions.

Method: An ad hoc developed online survey was administered to all HCPs employed in clinical activity in an Italian comprehensive cancer center.

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