Heme catabolism and heme oxygenase-1-expressing myeloid cells in pathophysiology.

Although the pathological significance of myeloid cell heterogeneity is still poorly understood, new evidence indicates that distinct macrophage subsets are characterized by specific metabolic programs that influence disease onset and progression. Within this scenario, distinct subsets of macrophages, endowed with high rates of heme catabolism by the stress-responsive enzyme heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), play critical roles in physiologic and pathological conditions. Of relevance, the substrates of HO-1 activity are the heme groups that derive from cellular catabolism and are converted into carbon monoxide (CO), biliverdin and Fe2+, which together elicit anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory activities and control oxidative damage.

Low ozone concentrations do not exert cytoprotective effects on tamoxifen-treated breast cancer cells .

Medical treatment with low ozone concentrations proved to exert therapeutic effects in various diseases by inducing a cytoprotective antioxidant response through the nuclear factor erythroid derived-like 2 (Nrf2) transcription factor pathway. Low ozone doses are increasingly administered to oncological patients as a complementary treatment to mitigate some adverse side-effects of antitumor treatments. However, a widespread concern exists about the possibility that the cytoprotective effect of Nrf2 activation may confer drug resistance to cancer cells or at least reduce the efficacy of antitumor agents.

Characterization of a decellularized pericardium extracellular matrix hydrogel for regenerative medicine: insights on animal-to-animal variability.

In the past years, the use of hydrogels derived from decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) for regenerative medicine purposes has significantly increased. The intrinsic bioactive and immunomodulatory properties indicate these materials as promising candidates for therapeutical applications. However, to date, limitations such as animal-to-animal variability still hinder the clinical translation.

Unraveling Novel Strategies in Mesothelioma Treatments Using a Newly Synthetized Platinum(IV) Compound.

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare tumor associated with asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma carcinogenesis is related to enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and iron overload. Despite the recent advances in biomedical sciences, to date the only available treatments include surgery in a small fraction of patients and platinum-based chemotherapy in combination with pemetrexed.

Lack of association between TRPV1 gene polymorphisms and risk of migraine chronification: a case-control study and meta-analysis.

Objective: To confirm a previously reported association of TRPV1 rs8065080 with the risk of transformation from episodic (EM) to chronic migraine (CM) and to extend knowledge about the role of other TRPV1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we first investigated the impact of three TRPV1 SNPs (rs8065080, rs222747 and rs222749) on the risk of migraine chronification in a case-control study. A systematic review and meta-analysis were then conducted to summarize the accumulated findings.

Methods: Genotyping of the selected TRPV1 SNPs was performed using TaqMan real-time PCR in 167 EM and 182 CM participants.

A Phyto-mycotherapeutic Supplement, Namely , as Effective Adjuvant in Brain Cancer Management: An In Vitro Study Using U251 Human Glioblastoma Cell Line.

The current standard oncotherapy for glioblastoma is limited by several adverse side effects, leading to a short-term patient survival rate paralleled by a worsening quality of life (QoL). Recently, Complementary and Integrative Medicine's (CIM) innovative approaches have shown positive impacts in terms of better response to treatment, side effect reduction, and QoL improvement. In particular, promising potential in cancer therapy has been found in compounds coming from phyto- and mycotherapy.

Safety and efficacy outcomes of early cessation of anti-PD1 therapy in patients 80 years or older: A retrospective cohort study.

Older patients have similar immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy and rates of adverse events as younger patients, but appear to have decreased tolerability, particularly in the oldest patient cohort (>80 years), often leading to early cessation of therapy. We aimed to determine whether early discontinuation impacts efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy in patients ≥80 years old. In this retrospective, multicenter, international cohort study, we examined 773 patients with 4 tumor types who were at least 80 years old and treated with anti-PD-1 therapy.

Obesogenic High-Fat Diet and MYC Cooperate to Promote Lactate Accumulation and Tumor Microenvironment Remodeling in Prostate Cancer.

Unlabelled: Cancer cells exhibit metabolic plasticity to meet oncogene-driven dependencies while coping with nutrient availability. A better understanding of how systemic metabolism impacts the accumulation of metabolites that reprogram the tumor microenvironment (TME) and drive cancer could facilitate development of precision nutrition approaches. Using the Hi-MYC prostate cancer mouse model, we demonstrated that an obesogenic high-fat diet (HFD) rich in saturated fats accelerates the development of c-MYC-driven invasive prostate cancer through metabolic rewiring.

Impact of Tissue Damage and Hemodynamics on Restenosis Following Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty: A Patient-Specific Multiscale Model.

Multiscale agent-based modeling frameworks have recently emerged as promising mechanobiological models to capture the interplay between biomechanical forces, cellular behavior, and molecular pathways underlying restenosis following percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA). However, their applications are mainly limited to idealized scenarios. Herein, a multiscale agent-based modeling framework for investigating restenosis following PTA in a patient-specific superficial femoral artery (SFA) is proposed.

Merits and boundaries of the BCLC staging and treatment algorithm: Learning from the past to improve the future with a novel proposal.

In this Expert Opinion, we thoroughly analyse the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging and treatment algorithm for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that, since 1999, has standardised HCC management, offering a structured approach for the prognostic evaluation and treatment of patients with HCC. The first part of the article presents the strengths and evolutionary improvements of the BCLC staging system. Nevertheless, both patient characteristics and available treatments have changed in the last two decades, limiting the role of the BCLC criteria for treatment allocation in a growing number of patients.

Characterisation of Matrix-Bound Nanovesicles (MBVs) Isolated from Decellularised Bovine Pericardium: New Frontiers in Regenerative Medicine.

Matrix-bound nanovesicles (MBVs) are a recently discovered type of extracellular vesicles (EVs), and they are characterised by a strong adhesion to extracellular matrix structural proteins (ECM) and ECM-derived biomaterials. MBVs contain a highly bioactive and tissue-specific cargo that recapitulates the biological activity of the source ECM. The rich content of MBVs has shown to be capable of potent cell signalling and of modulating the immune system, thus the raising interest for their application in regenerative medicine.

Polymeric reinforcements for cellularized collagen-based vascular wall models: influence of the scaffold architecture on the mechanical and biological properties.

A previously developed cellularized collagen-based vascular wall model showed promising results in mimicking the biological properties of a native vessel but lacked appropriate mechanical properties. In this work, we aim to improve this collagen-based model by reinforcing it using a tubular polymeric (reinforcement) scaffold. The polymeric reinforcements were fabricated exploiting commercial poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL), a polymer already used to fabricate other FDA-approved and commercially available devices serving medical applications, through 1) solution electrospinning (SES), 2) 3D printing (3DP) and 3) melt electrowriting (MEW).

Impact of CYP2C19 Genotype on Efficacy and Safety of Clopidogrel-based Antiplatelet Therapy in Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack Patients: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Non-East Asian Studies.

Purpose: Inconclusive and limited results have been reported on the clinical utility of CYP2C19 genotyping in stroke/TIA patients of non-East Asian ancestries. We herein performed an updated systematic review and meta-analysis to quantitatively estimate the association of CYP2C19 loss-of function (LOF) status with efficacy and safety of clopidogrel-based antiplatelet therapy in non-East Asian patients affected by stroke or TIA.

Methods: A comprehensive search was performed up to July 2023 using PubMed, Web of Knowledge, and Cochrane Library databases.

Artificial intelligence-based pathology as a biomarker of sensitivity to atezolizumab-bevacizumab in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a multicentre retrospective study.

Background: Clinical benefits of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (atezolizumab-bevacizumab) are observed only in a subset of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and the development of biomarkers is needed to improve therapeutic strategies. The atezolizumab-bevacizumab response signature (ABRS), assessed by molecular biology profiling techniques, has been shown to be associated with progression-free survival after treatment initiation. The primary objective of our study was to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) model able to estimate ABRS expression directly from histological slides, and to evaluate if model predictions were associated with progression-free survival.

Biological Materials for Tissue-Engineered Vascular Grafts: Overview of Recent Advancements.

The clinical demand for tissue-engineered vascular grafts is still rising, and there are many challenges that need to be overcome, in particular, to obtain functional small-diameter grafts. The many advances made in cell culture, biomaterials, manufacturing techniques, and tissue engineering methods have led to various promising solutions for vascular graft production, with available options able to recapitulate both biological and mechanical properties of native blood vessels. Due to the rising interest in materials with bioactive potentials, materials from natural sources have also recently gained more attention for vascular tissue engineering, and new strategies have been developed to solve the disadvantages related to their use.

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Child-Pugh Class B Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Importance: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are increasingly used in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, data on ICI therapy in patients with advanced HCC and impaired liver function are scarce.

Objective: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the efficacy and safety of ICI treatment for advanced HCC with Child-Pugh B liver function.

Study on the activation of cell death mechanisms: in search of new therapeutic targets in glioblastoma multiforme.

Malignant primary brain tumors remain among the most difficult cancers to treat, in particular, Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is the deadliest brain tumor. The standard therapies currently used are not efficient enough in improving patients' survival and quality of life. Cisplatin (CDDP), a platinum-based drug, has shown efficacy against different solid neoplasms, but it is also associated to different forms of off-target toxicity.

Evaluating the role of protective creams on the cutaneous penetration of Ni nanoparticles.

There is an increase of application of Nickel in the form of nanoparticles (NiNPs) in several fields including modern metallurgy, bioengineering, and medicine. Such growth of the areas of application is actually accompanied with an increase of exposure to Nickel, thus an intensification of the negative effects, the most frequent being the allergic contact dermatitis. Indeed, due to their smaller size, and therefore their higher surface area, NiNPs can release more Ni ions compared to bulk material, that can penetrate and permeate through the skin.

Immunometabolic interference between cancer and COVID-19.

Even though cancer patients are generally considered more susceptible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, the mechanisms driving their predisposition to severe forms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have not yet been deciphered. Since metabolic disorders are associated with homeostatic frailty, which increases the risk of infection and cancer, we asked whether we could identify immunometabolic pathways intersecting with cancer and SARS-CoV-2 infection. Thanks to a combined flow cytometry and multiomics approach, here we show that the immunometabolic traits of COVID-19 cancer patients encompass alterations in the frequency and activation status of circulating myeloid and lymphoid subsets, and that these changes are associated with i) depletion of tryptophan and its related neuromediator tryptamine, ii) accumulation of immunosuppressive tryptophan metabolites (i.

The contribution of immunohistochemistry to the development of hydrogels for skin repair and regeneration.

Hydrogels based on various polymeric materials have been successfully developed in recent years for a variety of skin applications. Several studies have shown that hydrogels with regenerative, antibacterial, and antiinflammatory properties can provide faster and better healing outcomes, particularly in chronic diseases where the normal physiological healing process is significantly hampered. Various experimental tests are typically performed to assess these materials' ability to promote angiogenesis, re-epithelialization, and the production and maturation of new extracellular matrix.

Cardiac Differentiation Promotes Focal Adhesions Assembly through Vinculin Recruitment.

Cells of the cardiovascular system are physiologically exposed to a variety of mechanical forces fundamental for both cardiac development and functions. In this context, forces generated by actomyosin networks and those transmitted through focal adhesion (FA) complexes represent the key regulators of cellular behaviors in terms of cytoskeleton dynamism, cell adhesion, migration, differentiation, and tissue organization. In this study, we investigated the involvement of FAs on cardiomyocyte differentiation.