Glycoconjugate coumarins exploiting metabolism-enhanced fluorescence and preferential uptake: New optical tools for tumor cell staining.

The possibility to visually discriminate cells based on their metabolism and capability to uptake exogenous molecules is an important topic with exciting fallback on translational and precision medicine. To this end, probes that combine several complementary features are necessary. The ideal probe is selectively uptaken and activated in tumor cells compared with control ones and is not fluorescent in the extracellular medium.

Enhancing the Anticancer Activity of Attenuated by Cell Wall Functionalization with "Clickable" Doxorubicin.

Among bacteria used as anticancer vaccines, attenuated (Lm) stands out, because it spreads from one infected cancer cell to the next, induces a strong adaptive immune response, and is suitable for repeated injection cycles. Here, we use click chemistry to functionalize the Lm cell wall and turn the bacterium into an "intelligent carrier" of the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin. Doxorubicin-loaded Lm retains most of its biological properties and, compared to the control fluorophore-functionalized bacteria, shows enhanced cytotoxicity against melanoma cells both in vitro and in a xenograft model in zebrafish.

MicroRNA Profiling as a Predictive Indicator for Time to First Treatment in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Insights from the O-CLL1 Prospective Study.

A "watch and wait" strategy, delaying treatment until active disease manifests, is adopted for most CLL cases; however, prognostic models incorporating biomarkers have shown to be useful to predict treatment requirement. In our prospective O-CLL1 study including 224 patients, we investigated the predictive role of 513 microRNAs (miRNAs) on time to first treatment (TTFT). In the context of this study, six well-established variables (i.

Vitamin D assay and supplementation: still debatable issues.

Over the last decades, in addition to the improvement of pathophysiological knowledge regarding the role and mechanisms of action of vitamin D, there has been a progressive advancement in analytical technologies for its measurement, as well as in methodological standardization. A significant number of scientific works, meta-analyses, and guidelines have been published on the importance of vitamin D and the need for supplementation in deficient individuals. However, it appears necessary to clarify the fundamental elements related to the measurement of vitamin D (both at the strictly analytical and post-analytical levels) and the scientific evidence related to the efficacy/safety of supplementation.

Evaluation of the feasibility of equine in-vivo ultrasound technique for the medial branch of the dorsal ramus of the cervical spinal nerves.

Ultrasound-guided local anaesthesia is commonly used in veterinary orthopaedics for horses. This study aimed to assess an ultrasound technique for the medial branch of the dorsal branch of the cervical spinal nerves (MB-DBCSNs) in horses and compare the performance of clinicians with different experience levels. Ten healthy, skeletally mature horses were examined using radiographic and ultrasound (US) techniques in the cervical area (C3-C7).

Use of the Perturbing Sphere Method for the Estimation of Radiofrequency Coils' Efficiency in Magnetic Resonance Applications: Experience from an Electromagnetic Laboratory.

Radiofrequency (RF) transmitter and receiver coils are employed in in magnetic resonance (MR) applications to, respectively, excite the nuclei in the object to be imaged and to pick up the signals emitted by the nuclei with a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The ability to obtain high-quality images and spectra in MR strongly depends on the RF coil's efficiency. Local coil efficiency can be estimated with magnetic field mapping methods evaluated at a fixed point in space.

Consumption of Sylimarin, Pyrroloquinoline Quinone Sodium Salt and Myricetin: Effects on Alcohol Levels and Markers of Oxidative Stress-A Pilot Study.

Background: Alcohol abuse is one of the most common causes of mortality worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of a treatment in reducing circulating ethanol and oxidative stress biomarkers.

Methods: Twenty wine-drinking subjects were investigated in a randomized controlled, single-blind trial (ClinicalTrials.

Physical activity and exercise in chronic kidney disease: consensus statements from the Physical Exercise Working Group of the Italian Society of Nephrology.

The Italian Society of Nephrology has tasked its Working Group on Physical Exercise with developing a consensus statement document on physical activity and exercise in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This paper consists of 16 points that were discussed, and approved using the mini-Delphi method by 15 members of the working group. Each statement is based on a comprehensive review of the literature, clinical experience, and expert opinions.

Innovations in blood pressure measurement and reporting technology: International Society of Hypertension position paper endorsed by the World Hypertension League, European Society of Hypertension, Asian Pacific Society of Hypertension, and Latin American Society of Hypertension.

Blood pressure (BP) is a key contributor to the lifetime risk of preclinical organ damage and cardiovascular disease. Traditional clinic-based BP readings are typically measured infrequently and under standardized/resting conditions and therefore do not capture BP values during normal everyday activity. Therefore, current hypertension guidelines emphasize the importance of incorporating out-of-office BP measurement into strategies for hypertension diagnosis and management.

Pupillary responses for social versus non-social stimuli in autism: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Pupillometry has gained attention as a valuable tool for assessing autonomic nervous system activity and studying phasic changes in pupil size to comprehend underlying neurocognitive mechanisms. However, knowledge regarding pupillary responses to social processing in autism is limited. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis, examining research studies on pupil size changes that compare social and non-social stimuli in autism.

Gold nanorod-assisted theranostic solution for nonvisible residual disease in bladder cancer.

Residual nonvisible bladder cancer after proper treatment caused by technological and therapeutic limitations is responsible for tumor relapse and progression. This study aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of a solution for simultaneous detection and treatment of bladder cancer lesions smaller than one millimeter. The α5β1 integrin was identified as a specific marker in 81% of human high-grade nonmuscle invasive bladder cancers and used as a target for the delivery of targeted gold nanorods (GNRs).

Objectives and achievements of the HUMN project on its 26th anniversary.

Micronuclei (MN) are a nuclear abnormality that occurs when chromosome fragments or whole chromosomes are not properly segregated during mitosis and consequently are excluded from the main nuclei and wrapped within nuclear membrane to form small nuclei. This maldistribution of genetic material leads to abnormal cellular genomes which may increase risk of developmental defects, cancers, and accelerated aging. Despite the potential importance of MN as biomarkers of genotoxicity, very little was known about the optimal way to measure MN in humans, the normal ranges of values of MN in healthy humans and the prospective association of MN with developmental and degenerative diseases prior to the 1980's.

Focus on cardiac troponin complex: From gene expression to cardiomyopathy.

The cardiac troponin complex (cTn) is a regulatory component of sarcomere. cTn consists of three subunits: cardiac troponin C (cTnC), which confers Ca sensitivity to muscle; cTnI, which inhibits the interaction of cross-bridge of myosin with thin filament during diastole; and cTnT, which has multiple roles in sarcomere, such as promoting the link between the cTnI-cTnC complex and tropomyosin within the thin filament and influencing Ca sensitivity of cTn and force development during contraction. Conditions that interfere with interactions within cTn and/or other thin filament proteins can be key factors in the regulation of cardiac contraction.

Metal Toxicity and Dementia Including Frontotemporal Dementia: Current State of Knowledge.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) includes a number of neurodegenerative diseases, often with early onset (before 65 years old), characterized by progressive, irreversible deficits in behavioral, linguistic, and executive functions, which are often difficult to diagnose due to their similar phenotypic characteristics to other dementias and psychiatric disorders. The genetic contribution is of utmost importance, although environmental risk factors also play a role in its pathophysiology. In fact, some metals are known to produce free radicals, which, accumulating in the brain over time, can induce oxidative stress, inflammation, and protein misfolding, all of these being key features of FTD and similar conditions.