297 results match your criteria: "Department of Gastroenterology of National Institute of Gastroenterology "S. de Bellis"[Affiliation]"

Identifying novel SMYD3 interactors on the trail of cancer hallmarks.

Comput Struct Biotechnol J

April 2022

Medical Genetics, National Institute for Gastroenterology, IRCCS 'S. de Bellis' Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), Italy.

SMYD3 overexpression in several human cancers highlights its crucial role in carcinogenesis. Nonetheless, SMYD3 specific activity in cancer development and progression is currently under debate. Taking advantage of a library of rare tripeptides, which we first tested for their binding affinity to SMYD3 and then used as probes, we recently identified BRCA2, ATM, and CHK2 as direct SMYD3 interactors.

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The Tumor Microenvironment Drives Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Progression.

Int J Mol Sci

April 2022

National Institute of Gastroenterology “S. De Bellis”, IRCCS Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is a highly aggressive cancer with limited therapeutic options and short overall survival. iCCA is characterized by a strong desmoplastic reaction in the surrounding ecosystem that likely affects tumoral progression. Overexpression of the Notch pathway is implicated in iCCA development and progression.

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Genetic variants located in non-coding regions can affect processes that regulate protein expression, functionally contributing to human disease. Germline heterozygous mutations in the non-coding region of the gene have been previously identified in patients with hamartoma tumor syndrome (PHTS) diagnosed with breast, thyroid, and/or endometrial cancer. In this study, we report a promoter variant (rs34149102 A allele) that was identified by direct sequencing in an Italian family with a history of gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma and breast cancer.

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Dietary Customs and Social Deprivation in an Aging Population From Southern Italy: A Machine Learning Approach.

Front Nutr

March 2022

Unit of Digital Health and Health Technology Assessment for "Salus in Apulia Study," National Institute of Gastroenterology, "S. de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, Italy.

Background: Diet and social determinants influence the state of human health. In older adults, the presence of social, physical and psychological barriers increases the probability of deprivation. This study investigated the relationship between social deprivation and eating habits in non-institutionalized older adults from Southern Italy, and identified foods and dietary habits associated with social deprivation.

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Exosomal FZD-7 Expression Is Modulated by Different Lifestyle Interventions in Patients with NAFLD.

Nutrients

March 2022

Scientific Direction, National Institute of Gastroenterology "S. de Bellis", Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy.

Article Synopsis
  • NAFLD is a liver condition caused by fat accumulation without alcohol use, progressing from initial fat buildup (steatosis) to inflammation and possible liver cancer.
  • Modifications in Wnt/Frizzled signaling, particularly the increased expression of the FZD7 receptor, play a role in liver degeneration associated with NAFLD.
  • A study found that FZD7 levels in exosomes from NAFLD patients were significantly higher than in healthy individuals, but levels normalized after lifestyle changes, suggesting FZD7 could be a useful biomarker for diagnosing and monitoring NAFLD.
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Interleukin 1β Blockade Reduces Intestinal Inflammation in a Murine Model of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Independent Ulcerative Colitis.

Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol

June 2022

National Institute of Gastroenterology "S. de Bellis," Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (BA), Italy; Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Laboratory, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies (DiSTeBA), University of Salento, via Monteroni, Lecce, Italy. Electronic address:

Background & Aims: Inflammatory bowel diseases are multifactorial diseases commonly treated with either immunomodulatory drugs or anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Currently, failure to respond to anti-TNF therapy (assessed no earlier than 8-12 weeks after starting treatment) occurs in 20%-40% of patients enrolled in clinical trials and in 10%-20% in clinical practice. Murine models of inflammatory bowel disease provide important tools to better understand disease mechanism(s).

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Background: It is still a matter of debate if neuromuscular alterations reflect a primary event in diverticular disease (DD).

Aims: This study aimed to assess colonic wall layers from both stenotic and non-stenotic complicated DD, bio-phenotypic alterations, inflammatory and oxidative status.

Methods: A systematic analysis of colonic specimens obtained from stenotic and non-stenotic DD specimens was conducted and compared with controls.

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Purpose: With the aim of characterizing the gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota and contextually determine how different prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal factors affected its composition in early childhood, infants were enrolled in a longitudinal-prospective study named "A.MA.MI.

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Conjunctival swabs (CS) are the most promising non-invasive samples for the diagnosis and the regular screening of infection in dogs although knowledge on their diagnostic performance is still inconclusive. This study evaluates CS real time-PCR (PCR) analysis for the diagnosis of canine leishmaniosis (CanL) and its prognostic value in seropositive dogs from an endemic area. In October 2020 (T0), 26 dogs were enrolled, divided in two groups according to anti- antibody titres ( = 13, group low titre (LT) and = 13, group high titre (HT)), and followed-up in August 2021.

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The Ketogenic Diet Improves Gut-Brain Axis in a Rat Model of Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Impact on 5-HT and BDNF Systems.

Int J Mol Sci

January 2022

Laboratory of Nutritional Pathophysiology, National Institute of Gastroenterology “S. de Bellis”, IRCCS Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy.

Altered gut-brain communication can contribute to intestinal dysfunctions in the intestinal bowel syndrome. The neuroprotective high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet (KD) modulates the levels of different neurotransmitters and neurotrophins. The aim was to evaluate the effects of KD on levels of 5-HT, the receptors 5-HT and 5-HT, the 5-HT transporter SERT, the neurotrophin BDNF, and its receptor TrkB in the colon and brain of a rat model of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

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The eradication of () may be difficult due to antibiotic resistance. Indeed, after one failure, a second-line therapy is needed and a bismuth containing quadruple therapy (BQT) with a three-in-one capsule formulation is becoming very popular. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate effectiveness and safety of BQT as a second-line therapy.

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Article Synopsis
  • Antioxidants could enhance the effectiveness of treatments for chronic inflammatory diseases, especially in IBD by acting as adjuvants.
  • A study explored the effects of a purple corn supplement on patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis receiving Infliximab infusions.
  • Results indicated that the purple corn supplement improved treatment responses among Crohn's disease patients but not ulcerative colitis, suggesting the potential for further larger-scale studies.
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Worldwide prevalence, genotype distribution and management of hepatitis C.

Acta Gastroenterol Belg

December 2021

National Institute of Gastroenterology S. De Bellis, IRCCS Research Hospital, Via Turi 27, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the leading causes of chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, resulting in major global public health concerns. The HCV infection is unevenly distributed worldwide, with variations in prevalence across and within countries. The studies on molecular epidemiology conducted in several countries provide an essential supplement for a comprehensive knowledge of HCV epidemiology, genotypes, and subtypes, along with providing information on the impact of current and earlier migratory flows.

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Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) currently affects a quarter of the global population. Systemic inflammation, metabolic syndrome, and coronary artery disease, all conditions associated with NAFLD, have also been related to cognitive dysfunction in older age. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between NAFLD risk and a dementia diagnosis in a large population-based sample aged > 65 years.

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The diagnostic accuracy of late-life depression is influenced by subjective memory complaints and educational level in an older population in Southern Italy.

Psychiatry Res

February 2022

Population Health Unit - "Salus in Apulia Study", National Institute of Gastroenterology and Research Hospital IRCCS "S. De Bellis", Castellana Grotte, Bari, Italy; Dipartimento di Psicologia, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; Laboratorio di Neuropsicologia dell'Attenzione, Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Neurorehabilitation Hospital, Rome, Italy. Electronic address:

The prevalence of late-life depression (LLD) depends on the study sample, measurements, and diagnostic approaches. We estimated the 30 item-Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-30) accuracy against the gold standard LLD diagnosis made with the Semi-structured Clinical Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders, focusing on the prevalence of a late-life major depressive disorder (MDD), in a population-based sample of 843 subjects aged>65 years, subdivided into three groups: normal cognition, subjective memory complaints, and mild cognitive impairment. At the optimal cut-off score (≥4), the GDS-30 showed 65.

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Aim: To compare perioperative parameters of one-handed rotational phacoemulsification technique (one-handed phaco-roll) with each of other two techniques, "Divide et Conquer" and femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS).

Methods: In this retrospective and comparative cohort study, eyes with uncomplicated cataract (nuclear density grade 2 to 3) treated routinely with one-handed phaco-roll (=23; Group 1) or "Divide et Conquer" (=23; Group 2) or FLACS (=23; Group 3) were enrolled. Intraoperative parameters including effective phaco-time (EPt), ultrasound time (USt), aspiration time, surgical time, phacoemulsification (phaco)-power, balanced salt solution (BSS) use, cumulative dissipated energy (CDE) were recorded and compared.

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Dendritic cells (DCs) represent a heterogeneous family of immune cells that link innate and adaptive immunity and their activation is linked to metabolic changes that are essential to support their activity and function. Hence, targeting the metabolism of DCs represents an opportunity to modify the inflammatory and immune response. Among the natural matrices, (Hop) compounds have recently been shown to exhibit immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activity.

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Background: Despite the use of current standard therapy, the prognosis of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is poor, with median survival times of 40 mo for intermediate HCC (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer [BCLC] stage B) and 6-8 mo for advanced HCC (BCLC stage C). Although patients with early-stage HCC are usually suitable for therapies with curative intention, up to 70% of patients experience relapse within 5 years. In the past decade, the United States Food and Drug Administration has approved different immunogenic treatment options for advanced HCC, the most common type of liver cancer among adults.

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The balance between anti-tumor and tumor-promoting immune cells, such as CD4+ Th1 and regulatory T cells (Tregs), respectively, is assumed to dictate the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) markedly shapes the HCC microenvironment, regulating the activation state of multiple leukocyte subsets and driving the differentiation of cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs). The fibrotic (desmoplastic) reaction in HCC tissue strongly depends on CAFs activity.

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Introduction: The aim of this multicenter comparison of balloon-occluded transarterial chemoembolization (B-TACE) versus conventional TACE (cTACE) in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was to assess in which size range the 2 techniques offered higher complete response (CR) and objective response (OR) rates in a single session, and to evaluate the possibility of using B-TACE to reduce the need for re-treatment.

Methods: 325 patients were retrospectively evaluated: 91 patients in the B-TACE group (22 with cTACE [B-cTACE] and 69 with drug-eluting microsphere TACE [B-DEM-TACE]) and 234 in the cTACE group. The results were compared according to tumor size: (A) <30 mm, (B) 30-50 mm, and (C) >50 mm; OR and CR rates after the first session and the number of TACE re-interventions within a 6-month period were also evaluated using propensity score matching (PSM).

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Phase separation drives RNA virus-induced activation of the NLRP6 inflammasome.

Cell

November 2021

Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Electronic address:

NLRP6 is important in host defense by inducing functional outcomes including inflammasome activation and interferon production. Here, we show that NLRP6 undergoes liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) upon interaction with double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) in vitro and in cells, and an intrinsically disordered poly-lysine sequence (K350-354) of NLRP6 is important for multivalent interactions, phase separation, and inflammasome activation. Nlrp6-deficient or Nlrp6 mutant mice show reduced inflammasome activation upon mouse hepatitis virus or rotavirus infection, and in steady state stimulated by intestinal microbiota, implicating NLRP6 LLPS in anti-microbial immunity.

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Article Synopsis
  • Frizzled (FZD) proteins act as key receptors in Wnt signaling, impacting MAPK pathways that can become dysfunctional in colorectal and gastric cancers.
  • Upregulated levels of the FZD10 protein in exosomes from the plasma of cancer patients correlate with poor prognosis and match expression levels in tumor tissues.
  • Silencing FZD10 reduces expression of cancer-related markers, suggesting that FZD10 in exosomes could serve as a valuable biomarker for diagnosing and predicting outcomes in colorectal and gastric cancers.
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Development and validation of a neural network for NAFLD diagnosis.

Sci Rep

October 2021

Laboratory of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, National Institute of Gastroenterology, "S de Bellis" Research Hospital, Via Turi 27, 70013, Castellana Grotte, BA, Italy.

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) affects about 20-30% of the adult population in developed countries and is an increasingly important cause of hepatocellular carcinoma. Liver ultrasound (US) is widely used as a noninvasive method to diagnose NAFLD. However, the intensive use of US is not cost-effective and increases the burden on the healthcare system.

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Magnetic implants in vivo guiding sorafenib liver delivery by superparamagnetic solid lipid nanoparticles.

J Colloid Interface Sci

February 2022

Department of Pharmacy - Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bari, Via E. Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy. Electronic address:

Hypothesis: Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), co-encapsulating superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and sorafenib, have been exploited for magnetic-guided drug delivery to the liver. Two different magnetic configurations, both comprising two small magnets, were under-skin implanted to investigate the effect of the magnetic field topology on the magnetic SLNP accumulation in liver tissues. A preliminary simulation analysis was performed to predict the magnetic field topography for each tested configuration.

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