Editorial Material
Medicine, General & Internal
Julie R. Ingelfinger
Summary: While atherosclerosis has been found on postmortem examination of youths, there is a lack of direct evidence linking childhood cardiovascular risk factors to adult cardiovascular disease outcomes.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Cristoforo Simonetto, Jan C. Kaiser, Veerle A. B. van den Bogaard, Johannes A. Langendijk, Anne P. G. Crijns
Summary: This study used a process-oriented model to explore the underlying mechanisms of acute coronary events (ACEs) in breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy. The model was applied to patient data and identified the impact of radiation therapy on the development of advanced atherosclerosis, resulting in an increased risk of ACEs.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RADIATION ONCOLOGY BIOLOGY PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
T. Zadi, D. H. K. van Dam-Nolen, M. Aizaz, A. G. van der Kolk, P. J. Nederkoorn, J. Hendrikse, M. E. Kooi, A. van der Lugt, D. Bos
Summary: This study evaluated changes in carotid plaque calcification over a 2-year follow-up in patients with symptomatic carotid artery disease. The results showed both increases and decreases in the volume of extra- and intracranial carotid artery calcification, which were significantly correlated with baseline calcification volume. Factors such as diabetes and use of antihypertensive drugs were also associated with changes in calcification.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Qi Lyu, Bai Zhang, Xiaojie Tian, Yabo Huang, Pinjing Hui
Summary: This study found that plaque vulnerability is independently associated with hypertension and dyslipidemia. Hypertension was significantly associated with the presence of a ruptured fibrous cap, intraplaque hemorrhage, and a large lipid core. The incidence of having a large lipid core was also significantly increased in patients with dyslipidemia.
WORLD NEUROSURGERY
(2022)
Review
Immunology
Jaap G. Neels, Claire Gollentz, Giulia Chinetti
Summary: Cell death plays a vital role in atherosclerotic plaque development. Insufficient clearance of dead cells by macrophages leads to necrotic core formation and plaque instability. Additionally, apoptotic bodies resulting from dead cells can act as nucleation sites for calcium phosphate crystal formation, leading to plaque calcification. Excessive uptake of cholesterol-loaded oxidized LDL by macrophages results in foam cell formation, which reduces efferocytosis capacity and induces cell apoptosis, further contributing to plaque calcification. Other forms of macrophage cell death, such as pyroptosis, necroptosis, parthanatos, and ferroptosis, can also promote plaque calcification. This review highlights the role of macrophage death in atherosclerosis and its potential impact on calcification. Targeting macrophage cell death and enhancing efferocytosis capacity could be a promising therapeutic strategy to improve plaque stability by reducing necrotic core formation and calcification.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Alessandra Giannella, Esmeralda Castelblanco, Carlo Federico Zambon, Daniela Basso, Marta Hernandez, Emilio Ortega, Nuria Alonso, Didac Mauricio, Angelo Avogaro, Giulio Ceolotto, Saula Vigili de Kreutzenberg
Summary: This study analyzed the miRNA expression profile in patients with type 1 diabetes who had either carotid calcified or fibrous plaque. The results showed that miR-503-5p, let-7d-5p, miR-106b-3p, and miR-93-5p were significantly upregulated in patients with calcified plaque, while miR-10a-5p was downregulated. These findings provide new insights into the pathophysiology of plaque formation.
Article
Cell Biology
Jesiana Ferreira Pedrosa, Luisa Campos Caldeira Brant, Stephanie Alves de Aquino, Antonio Luiz Ribeiro, Sandhi Maria Barreto
Summary: The study found that the overall prevalence of ATAC, AAC, and DTAC was 23.1%, 62.1%, and 31.2% respectively, with 90.4% of TAC patients also having AAC. Multiple cardiovascular risk factors were associated with calcium in all segments.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Laurits Juhl Heinsen, Gokulan Pararajasingam, Thomas Rueskov Andersen, Soren Auscher, Hussam Mahmoud Sheta, Helle Precht, Jess Lambrechtsen, Kenneth Egstrup
Summary: This study found a high prevalence of HRP in asymptomatic T2D patients, with HRP detection associated with specific patient characteristics. HRP was not correlated with high CACS, as HRP could be found even in patients with zero CACS.
CARDIOVASCULAR DIABETOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Takao Konishi, Renu Virmani, Hiroyuki Jinnouchi, Kenji Kawai, Teruo Sekimoto, Rika Kawakami, Aloke V. Finn
Summary: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in individuals >20 years old in the Western world. It plays a major role in sudden cardiac death (SCD), accounting for 50-75% of cases. Plaque rupture, plaque erosion, and calcified nodules are the main forms of coronary thrombosis in SCD. The study found that nearly 50% of erosion cases had no calcification, while almost 50% of stable plaques showed severe calcification. Identifying individuals at risk of atherosclerosis can help reduce the incidence of SCD, but noninvasive tools can only detect a portion of complicating coronary lesions.
VASCULAR PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Alexander C. Razavi, Marly van Assen, Carlo N. De Cecco, Zeina A. Dardari, Daniel S. Berman, Matthew J. Budoff, Michael D. Miedema, Khurram Nasir, Alan Rozanski, John A. Rumberger, Leslee J. Shaw, Laurence S. Sperling, Seamus P. Whelton, Martin Bodtker Mortensen, Michael J. Blaha, Omar Dzaye
Summary: This study shows that high calcium density relative to plaque area is associated with lower long-term risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease mortality, indicating its potential as an imaging marker for vulnerable arterial lesions. Further research is needed to establish a robust definition of calcium area/density discordance for routine clinical risk prediction.
JACC-CARDIOVASCULAR IMAGING
(2022)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Gianna M. M. Fote, Sophia Raefsky, Kelton Mock, Amit Chaudhari, Mohammad Shafie, Wengui Yu
Summary: This review examines the pathophysiology and prevalence of intracranial artery calcifications (IAC), and the current evidence suggesting that IAC may be a useful tool for predicting stroke incidence, recurrence, and assessing the response to acute ischemic stroke therapy.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Sergio Raposeiras-Roubin, Xavier Rossello, Belen Oliva, Leticia Fernandez-Friera, M. Jose Mendiguren, Vicente Andres, Hector Bueno, Javier Sanz, Vicente Martinez de Vega, Emad Abu-Assi, Andres Iniguez, Antonio Fernandez-Ortiz, Borja Ibanez, Valentin Fuster
Summary: The study found that elevated triglycerides are associated with subclinical atherosclerosis and vascular inflammation even when LDL-C levels are normal. For individuals with low to moderate cardiovascular risk, high triglyceride levels may be a risk factor for underlying atherosclerosis.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Boce Song, Yulong Bie, Haoxin Feng, Beili Xie, Mingwang Liu, Fuhai Zhao
Summary: Coronary atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the occurrence of cardiovascular disease. Inflammatory factors play a key role in the process of the disease, and different stages of lesions are regulated by different inflammatory cells.
JOURNAL OF TRANSLATIONAL INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Katarina Waden, Eva Karlof, Sampath Narayanan, Mariette Lengquist, Goran K. Hansson, Ulf Hedin, Joy Roy, Ljubica Matic
Summary: Integrated analyses of high-risk symptomatic carotid stenosis patients can lead to better identification of molecular pathways and targets associated with plaque instability.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Kwok Leung Ong, Robyn L. McClelland, Matthew A. Allison, Mary Cushman, Parveen K. Garg, Michael Y. Tsai, Kerry-Anne Rye, Fatiha Tabet
Summary: This study examined the relationship between Lp(a) and CAC, finding that elevated Lp(a) was significantly associated with an absolute increase in CAC volume. This association was more pronounced in participants with higher levels of inflammation and coagulation markers.
METABOLISM-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Graeme Fairchild, Kate Sully, Luca Passamonti, Marlene Staginnus, Angela Darekar, Edmund J. S. Sonuga-Barke, Nicola Toschi
Summary: This study investigated brain structure in adolescents with conduct disorder (CD) and their unaffected relatives (URs), and found that alterations in inferior parietal cortical structure partly mediate the effects of familial risk for CD. Neuroanatomical changes in medial orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortex differentiated between URs and the other groups, potentially reflecting neural mechanisms of resilience to CD.
PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Editorial Material
Engineering, Biomedical
Luca Filippi
EXPERT REVIEW OF MEDICAL DEVICES
(2023)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Susana Lopez-Ortiz, Simone Lista, Pedro L. Valenzuela, Jose Pinto-Fraga, Ricardo Carmona, Filippo Caraci, Giuseppe Caruso, Nicola Toschi, Enzo Emanuele, Audrey Gabelle, Robert Nistico, Francesco Garaci, Alejandro Lucia, Alejandro Santos-Lozano
Summary: The study summarizes the relationship between physical activity and the development of Alzheimer's disease, as well as the impact of exercise on patients with Alzheimer's disease. The findings suggest that physical activity can lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease and exercise has positive effects on cognitive function, physical performance, and functional independence.
JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Allegra Conti, Constantina Andrada Treaba, Ambica Mehndiratta, Valeria Teresa Barletta, Caterina Mainero, Nicola Toschi
Summary: The relationship between central hallmarks of multiple sclerosis (MS), such as white matter (WM)/cortical demyelinated lesions and cortical gray matter atrophy, remains unclear. A machine learning model was employed to predict mean cortical thinning in different brain regions using demographic and lesion-related characteristics. The study found that volume and rimless WM lesions, patient age, and volume of intracortical lesions have the most predictive power.
Review
Oncology
Laura Evangelista, Viviana Frantellizzi, Orazio Schillaci, Luca Filippi
Summary: This study reviewed the application of radiolabeled-FAPI in patients with pancreatic cancer, discussing its advantages, disadvantages, and future prospects, especially in the field of theragnostic. A literature search was performed in PubMed, EBSCO, and EMBASE databases, and 21 studies were selected for comprehensive analysis. The results showed that FAPI could better detect pancreatic malignant lesions, but further prospective studies are needed to validate its effectiveness.
EXPERT REVIEW OF ANTICANCER THERAPY
(2023)
Review
Pathology
Luca Filippi, Luca Urso, Francesco Bianconi, Barbara Palumbo, Maria Cristina Marzola, Laura Evangelista, Orazio Schillaci
Summary: In the past decade, two new radionuclide-based therapies, (223)Radichloride and radioligand therapy (RLT) targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), have been approved for the management of castrate-resistant prostate cancer (PCa). This article illustrates the basic principles of PCa molecular imaging, with a focus on the combined use of diagnosis and therapy for response prediction and assessment. Radiomics, an emerging discipline based on quantitative features extracted from medical images, is also discussed for its potential in this field.
EXPERT REVIEW OF MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Manuela Montanaro, Massimiliano Agostini, Lucia Anemona, Elena Bonanno, Francesca Servadei, Enrico Finazzi Agro, Anastasios D. D. Asimakopoulos, Carlo Ganini, Chiara Cipriani, Marta Signoretti, Pierluigi Bove, Francesco Rugolo, Benedetta Imperiali, Gerry Melino, Alessandro Mauriello, Manuel Scimeca
Summary: Prostate cancer is a common and deadly cancer in men, and the current clinical tools for prognosis are insufficient. This study found that ZNF750 protein levels are reduced in prostate cancer samples, especially in metastatic samples. It also showed that nuclear expression of ZNF750 is significantly reduced in patients with metastatic cancer. The bioinformatics analysis suggests that ZNF750 expression is positively correlated with better prognosis, indicating its potential as a reliable biomarker for metastatic prostate cancer.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ombretta Melaiu, Gianluca Vanni, Ilaria Portarena, Chiara Adriana Pistolese, Lucia Anemona, Silvia Pomella, Roberto Bei, Oreste Claudio Buonomo, Mario Roselli, Alessandro Mauriello, Giovanni Barillari
Summary: Immune checkpoint inhibitors have limited clinical activity as monotherapy against breast cancer, and novel combinatorial strategies are being investigated to improve treatment response. The abnormal vasculature in breast cancer is associated with immune suppression and hampers drug delivery and immune cell trafficking. Combining immune checkpoint inhibitors with tumor vessel normalizing agents shows promise in enhancing antitumor immune responses.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Luca Filippi, Laura Evangelista, Orazio Schillaci
Summary: TARE with Y-90-labeled microspheres and ICIs has been effectively used for the treatment of advanced HCC and hepatic metastases. The potential synergy between Y-90-microspheres and ICIs in integrated therapeutic regimens is of great interest.
EXPERT REVIEW OF GASTROENTEROLOGY & HEPATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Maria Giovanna Bianco, Andrea Duggento, Salvatore Nigro, Allegra Conti, Nicola Toschi, Luca Passamonti
Summary: This study investigated the heritability of directed functional connections in the brain using the state-space formulation of Granger causality (GC) method. The results showed that the directed connectivity of certain cortico-subcortical circuits is strongly influenced by genetic factors, while other connections are less affected.
BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Marianna Inglese, Matteo Ferrante, Tommaso Boccato, Allegra Conti, Chiara A. Pistolese, Oreste C. Buonomo, Rolando M. D'Angelillo, Nicola Toschi
Summary: Traditional imaging techniques such as X-rays and MRI have limitations in breast cancer diagnosis and prediction, leading to the emergence of PET as a more effective tool. This study used dynamic PET scans to extract radiomic features and trained a model for classification and prognosis prediction. The results showed superior performance of the dynamic radiomics approach, outperforming standard PET imaging in accuracy. This study demonstrates the enhanced clinical utility of dynomics in improving breast cancer diagnosis and prognosis.
JOURNAL OF PERSONALIZED MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Nicola Toschi, Andrea Duggento, Riccardo Barbieri, Ronald G. Garcia, Harrison P. Fisher, Norman W. Kettner, Vitaly Napadow, Roberta Sclocco
Summary: This study evaluated the brain-heart interaction in response to transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) using ultrahigh field functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a causal approach based on Granger causality. The results demonstrated that taVNS evoked functional brainstem responses and identified causal links between brainstem nuclei and cardiovagal outflow. The study also elucidated potential mechanisms by which information is relayed between brainstem nuclei and high-frequency heart rate variability in response to taVNS.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Emanuela Balestrieri, Elena Corinaldesi, Marianna Fabi, Chiara Cipriani, Martina Giudice, Allegra Conti, Antonella Minutolo, Vita Petrone, Marialaura Fanelli, Martino Tony Miele, Laura Andreozzi, Fiorentina Guida, Emanuele Filice, Matteo Meli, Sandro Grelli, Guido Rasi, Nicola Toschi, Francesco Torcetta, Claudia Matteucci, Marcello Lanari, Paola Sinibaldi-Vallebona
Summary: This study analyzed the gene transcription levels in children with Kawasaki disease and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), and identified some similarities and differences between the two diseases. The research supports the role of endogenous retroviruses in inflammatory diseases and found that certain gene expression levels may be used to distinguish between these two conditions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Marianna Inglese, Matteo Ferrante, Andrea Duggento, Tommaso Boccato, Nicola Toschi
Summary: Positron emission tomography (PET) is a noninvasive imaging technology used to assess tissue metabolism and function. Dynamic PET acquisitions provide information about tracer delivery, target interaction, and physiological washout, which can be analyzed using time activity curves (TACs). Conventional PET analysis requires invasive arterial blood sampling, but this study demonstrates that deep learning models can accurately discriminate breast cancer lesions using TACs without arterial blood sampling, outperforming traditional SUV analysis.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON RADIATION AND PLASMA MEDICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Oncology
Luca Filippi, Orazio Schillaci
Summary: The study by Duan et al. introduces a promising molecular imaging technique that could aid in patient selection for EV therapy and the development of targeted drugs for UC. It also highlights the potential of LAFOV PET/CT in enhancing imaging precision and expanding future therapeutic possibilities for UC.
EXPERT REVIEW OF ANTICANCER THERAPY
(2023)
