Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Valeria Ramundo, Giada Zanirato, Elisabetta Aldieri
Summary: This review aims to describe how EMT is involved in driving the development and invasiveness of MPM, in an attempt to open new scenarios useful in the identification of predictive markers and improve the pharmacological approach against this aggressive cancer.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Emanuela Felley-Bosco, Weihong Qi, Didier Jean, Clement Meiller, Hubert Rehrauer
Summary: This study reveals the association between RNA editing and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype in pleural mesothelioma (PM). Analysis of RNA editing expression changes in PM samples showed increased editing in introns and decreased editing in 3' UTR in samples with EMT phenotype.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Assunta De Rienzo, Lucian R. Chirieac, Yin P. Hung, David T. Severson, Samuel Freyaldenhoven, Corinne E. Gustafson, Nhien T. Dao, Claire Meyerovitz, Michela E. Oster, Roderick Jensen, Beow Y. Yeap, Raphael Bueno, William G. Richards
Summary: This study identified significant associations among different BAP1 staining patterns and subgroups of MPM tumors, suggesting that the role of BAP1 in tumor progression may be more complex. Cytoplasmic BAP1 staining was identified as a potential indicator of favorable prognosis in non-epithelioid MPM.
JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Valeria Ramundo, Giada Zanirato, Maria Luisa Palazzo, Chiara Riganti, Elisabetta Aldieri
Summary: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive cancer associated with asbestos exposure. The pathogenesis of MPM is related to oxidative stress and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). The overexpression of APE-1/Ref-1 has been found in MPM and lung cancer, and the inhibition of Ref-1 can significantly inhibit EMT markers and cellular migration/proliferation. The crosstalk between oxidative stress and EMT in MPM carcinogenesis and invasiveness was demonstrated for the first time, improving the understanding of preventive and therapeutic approaches against this aggressive cancer.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Giulia M. Stella, Caterina Marchio, Elia Bari, Ilaria Ferrarotti, Francesco R. Bertuccio, Antonella Di Gennaro, David Michael Abbott, Paola Putignano, Ilaria Campo, Maria Luisa Torre, Angelo G. Corsico
Summary: MPM has a distinct and limited somatic mutational landscape, primarily influenced by environmental selective pressure. This characteristic severely hampers the development of effective treatments. However, genomic events associated with MPM progression have been identified, particularly in the unique interplay between neoplastic cells and matrix components, with hypoxia being a major focus. In this review, we discuss novel therapeutic strategies that target the genetic assets of MPM and its interaction with the surrounding hypoxic microenvironment, as well as transcript products and microvesicles, providing insight into the pathogenesis and potential actionable targets.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yuxin Tong, Yifei Qi, Gaofeng Xiong, Junyan Li, Timothy L. Scott, Jie Chen, Daheng He, Linzhang Li, Chi Wang, Andrew N. Lane, Ren Xu
Summary: Accumulation of succinate is associated with the progression of cancer. Succinate induces the mesenchymal phenotypes in mammary epithelial cells and enhances cancer cell stemness. Elevated succinate levels reduce the accumulation of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine and lead to the transcriptional repression of EMT-related genes.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Licun Wu, Shaheer Amjad, Hana Yun, Sendurai Mani, Marc de Perrot
Summary: Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer with poor prognosis. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a critical role in tumor progression, invasion, and metastasis, as well as in immunosuppression and drug resistance. However, there are no specific biomarkers to identify EMT in mesothelioma. By studying biphasic mesothelioma, we identified a panel of EMT genes that are overexpressed and correlated with immunosuppressive infiltration and poor patient survival. These genes may serve as novel therapeutic targets and prognostic markers for mesothelioma and other cancers.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Valeria Panzetta, Ida Musella, Sabato Fusco, Paolo A. Netti
Summary: Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare but devastating tumor that is difficult to diagnose and treat effectively. Effusion cytology, although used for diagnosis, is time-consuming and has limited sensitivity. Therefore, alternative research methods are needed to support early diagnosis. Mechanobiology offers new perspectives and diagnostic tools for the mechanical and biophysical characterization of malignant pleural mesothelioma cells.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jia Chen, Shu-Fen Hou, Feng-Jie Tang, Dai-Song Liu, Zi-Zi Chen, Hong-Lian Zhang, Shao-Hua Wang
Summary: HOTAIR, through up-regulating Sp1 and targeting miR-199a, promotes stemness and progression of CSCC. Targeting HOTAIR, Sp1 or the underlying mechanisms may benefit CSCC treatment, as shown by functional assays and in vivo models.
Article
Oncology
Malgorzata Chmielewska-Kassassir, Katarzyna Sobierajska, Wojciech M. Ciszewski, Jakub Kryczka, Andrzej Zieleniak, Lucyna A. Wozniak
Summary: Malignant pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive tumor that is resistant to chemotherapy. EPE can inhibit the proliferation and invasiveness of MPM cells by downregulating TYMS expression through occupancy of SP1 motifs.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
F. Torricelli, B. Donati, F. Reggiani, V Manicardi, S. Piana, R. Valli, F. Lococo, Alessia Ciarrocchi
Summary: A high-dimensional transcriptomic approach was used to study the morphological evolution of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), revealing the existence of a complex circular ecosystem where MPM and immune cells interact to support S-transdifferentiation. The study also found that TGFB1-polarized M2-tumor associated macrophages promote immune evasion and that TGFB1 expression is correlated with reduced survival probability.
Article
Cell Biology
Valentina Cocce, Silvia La Monica, Mara Bonelli, Giulio Alessandri, Roberta Alfieri, Costanza Annamaria Lagrasta, Denise Madeddu, Caterina Frati, Lisa Flammini, Daniela Lisini, Angela Marcianti, Eugenio Parati, Francesca Paino, Aldo Gianni, Giampietro Farronato, Angela Falco, Lorenzo Spaggiari, Francesco Petrella, Augusto Pessina
Summary: The study demonstrates that mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) can significantly inhibit the growth of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) through various mechanisms, both in vitro and in vivo. This suggests that MSCs could offer a potential new therapeutic approach for MPM patients, especially considering the limited treatment options available for this malignancy.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Antonia Marazioti, Anthi C. Krontira, Sabine J. Behrend, Georgia A. Giotopoulou, Giannoula Ntaliarda, Christophe Blanquart, Hasan Bayram, Marianthi Iliopoulou, Malamati Vreka, Lilith Trassl, Mario A. A. Pepe, Caroline M. Hackl, Laura Klotz, Stefanie A. Weiss, Ina Koch, Michael Lindner, Rudolph A. Hatz, Juergen Behr, Darcy E. Wagner, Helen Papadaki, Sophia G. Antimisiaris, Didier Jean, Sophie Deshayes, Marc Gregoire, Ozgecan Kayalar, Deniz Mortazavi, Sukru Dilege, Serhan Tanju, Suat Erus, Omer Yavuz, Pinar Bulutay, Pinar Firat, Ioannis Psallidas, Magda Spella, Ioanna Giopanou, Ioannis Lilis, Anne-Sophie Lamort, Georgios T. Stathopoulos
Summary: A portion of human MPM cases have mutations in KRAS, and mouse models suggest that KRAS mutations can lead to MPM, especially when combined with TP53 deletion. These findings indicate that KRAS alterations may play an important and underestimated role in certain MPM patients.
EMBO MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Sam M. Janes, Doraid Alrifai, Dean A. Fennell
Summary: Mesothelioma, mostly caused by asbestos exposure, has a decreasing incidence but high mortality due to late diagnosis and treatment resistance. Pemetrexed-cisplatin and immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown modest survival extension.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2021)
Review
Oncology
Rita Terenziani, Silvia Zoppi, Claudia Fumarola, Roberta Alfieri, Mara Bonelli
Summary: ICIs have emerged as a promising therapeutic option for difficult-to-treat cancers, especially showing superior efficacy in first-line treatment. Immunotherapeutic approaches for malignant pleural mesothelioma have also shown encouraging results. These novel treatments are crucial for the management of this disease.
Article
Statistics & Probability
Annalisa Orenti, Patrizia Boracchi, Giuseppe Marano, Elia Biganzoli, Federico Ambrogi
Summary: The study proposes a semi-competing risks model based on pseudo-values for estimating non-fatal event free survival. By estimating pseudo-values and fitting a GEE model, covariate coefficient estimates are almost unbiased, with the advantage of avoiding convergence issues and enabling a direct smoothed estimate of the hazard function. Simulation study and clinical examples demonstrated the usefulness of the proposed method in handling semi-competing risks settings.
STATISTICAL METHODS AND APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Michele Altomare, Shir Sara Bekhor, Stefano Piero Bernardo Cioffi, Marco Sacchi, Federica Renzi, Andrea Spota, Roberto Bini, Federico Ambrogi, Federico Pozzi, Arturo Chieregato, Osvaldo Chiara, Stefania Cimbanassi
Summary: This article presents data on organ donation after damage control strategy (DCS), showing that trauma patients may be an underestimated pool of organ donors. The study found that aggressive DCS does not affect the functional response rate of transplanted organs.
Article
Hematology
Marco Busnelli, Stefano Manzini, Alice Colombo, Elsa Franchi, Fabrizia Bonacina, Matteo Chiara, Francesca Arnaboldi, Elena Donetti, Federico Ambrogi, Roberto Oleari, Antonella Lettieri, David Horner, Eugenio Scanziani, Giuseppe Danilo Norata, Giulia Chiesa
Summary: This study found that apoA-I deficiency, even under normal lipid conditions, leads to HDL deficiency, causing skin morphological changes, atherosclerosis, and inflammation.
ARTERIOSCLEROSIS THROMBOSIS AND VASCULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Danila Coradini, Federico Ambrogi
Summary: This study compared the differential expression of genes associated with breast cancer risk in dense and non-dense breast tissue. The results showed that the expression of these genes in dense breast tissue was closely related to the epithelial cell content, while in low-density breast tissue, it increased with increasing epithelial cell content. Leptin may enhance the adverse effect of stroma in dense tissue by promoting cell polarity disruption.
CLINICAL BREAST CANCER
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Valeria Calcaterra, Giacomo Biganzoli, Simona Ferraro, Elvira Verduci, Virginia Rossi, Sara Vizzuso, Alessandra Bosetti, Barbara Borsani, Elia Biganzoli, Gianvincenzo Zuccotti
Summary: This study conducted a multivariate analysis on pediatric patients with obesity and identified a phenotype predictive for metabolic syndrome. Regardless of body weight, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and fat distribution appear to be the strongest risk factors for metabolic syndrome.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Serenella Castelvecchio, Valentina Milani, Federico Ambrogi, Marianna Volpe, Lucia Ramputi, Giovanni Soletti, Lorenzo Menicanti
Summary: This study found that surgical ventricular restoration (SVR) may have favorable outcomes in a real-world population of ischemic heart failure patients, especially in those with worse left ventricular remodeling and less extensive coronary artery disease.
JOURNAL OF PERSONALIZED MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Michele Altomare, Andrea Chierici, Francesco Virdis, Andrea Spota, Stefano Piero Bernardo Cioffi, Shir Sara Bekhor, Luca Del Prete, Elisa Reitano, Marco Sacchi, Federico Ambrogi, Osvaldo Chiara, Stefania Cimbanassi
Summary: This study analyzed the relationship between centralization of trauma centers and liver allocation in Northern Italy. The findings showed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the centralization of major trauma significantly affected liver procurement and allocation. Despite differences in the number of transplanted livers and 30-day graft dysfunction rate between clusters, first-level trauma centers were able to maintain good transplant outcomes.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Pediatrics
Valeria Calcaterra, Giacomo Biganzoli, Simona Ferraro, Alessandra Mari, Anna Mandelli, Valentina Fabiano, Patrizia Carlucci, Gloria Pelizzo, Elena Zoia, Giulia Lanfranchi, Silvana Castaldi, Patrizia Boracchi, Elia Biganzoli, Gianvincenzo Zuccotti
Summary: Thyroid function is crucial in maintaining nervous system integrity and metabolic homeostasis. This study explored the relationship between TSH, FT4, and FT3 release patterns and metabolic syndrome (MS) in children with neuromotor impairment (NI). The findings suggest that the patterns of TSH, FT4, and FT3 release may reflect thyrotropic adaptation, compensatory mechanisms, and the occurrence of MS in both NI and disability.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Joerg Rahnenfuehrer, Riccardo De Bin, Axel Benner, Federico Ambrogi, Lara Lusa, Anne-Laure Boulesteix, Eugenia Migliavacca, Harald Binder, Stefan Michiels, Willi Sauerbrei, Lisa McShane
Summary: This review provides an overview of key aspects and methods for analyzing high-dimensional data in biomedical research. It addresses the challenges and opportunities of analyzing high-dimensional data, and offers solutions and references for researchers.
Article
Virology
Laura Pellegrinelli, Ester Luconi, Giuseppe Marano, Cristina Galli, Serena Delbue, Laura Bubba, Sandro Binda, Silvana Castaldi, Elia Biganzoli, Elena Pariani, Patrizia Boracchi
Summary: Analyzing data collected during the 2020 and 2021 winter epidemic waves revealed that the median viral load in respiratory samples of patients in the 2021 winter wave dropped significantly within a few days post-infection compared to patients in the 2020 winter wave.
Article
Oncology
Valentina Bollati, Paola Monti, Davide Biganzoli, Giuseppe Marano, Chiara Favero, Simona Iodice, Luca Ferrari, Laura Dioni, Francesca Bianchi, Angela Cecilia Pesatori, Elia Mario Biganzoli
Summary: This study aims to explore the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) and their cargo of microRNAs (EV-miRNAs) in intercellular communication and how they respond to environmental and lifestyle factors. By analyzing the associations between specific miRNAs related to common cancers (oncomiRs) and these factors, the study aims to provide insights into the complex regulatory networks of miRNAs in response to exogenous influences. The findings have the potential to revolutionize our understanding of cancer development and have important implications for exposome studies in the future.
Article
Pediatrics
Francesca Destro, Ugo Maria Pierucci, Eleonora Durante, Anna Maria Caruso, Vincenza Girgenti, Carlotta Paola Maria Canonica, Irene Degrassi, Alessandro Campari, Alessandro Pellegrinelli, Marta Barisella, Manuela Nebuloni, Marco Brunero, Elia Mario Biganzoli, Valeria Calcaterra, Gloria Pelizzo
Summary: The indications and timing for laparoscopic cholecystectomy in pediatric patients are evolving due to changing characteristics of the population. Overweight or ex-premature children are increasingly requiring surgery for gallbladder and biliary conditions. Risk factors for surgical complexity include age and pubertal stage, elevated cholestasis indexes, and gallbladder wall thickness > 3 mm at ultrasound.
Review
Surgery
Ilaria Elena Zais, Alessandro Sirotti, Samuele Iesari, Edoardo Campioli, Andrea Costantino, Serena Delbue, Andrea Collini, Andrea Guarneri, Federico Ambrogi, Roberto Cacciola, Mariano Ferraresso, Evaldo Favi
Summary: Human-cytomegalovirus (hCMV) infection involving the gastrointestinal tract is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among kidney transplant recipients. The signs and symptoms of the disease are variable, making it necessary for complex diagnostic procedures to confirm the preliminary diagnosis. Prompt antiviral therapy and immunosuppression modification are crucial for effective management. However, there is a lack of solid evidence and guidelines in this specific area.
CLINICAL TRANSPLANTATION
(2023)
Article
Mathematical & Computational Biology
Gabriele Infante, Rosalba Miceli, Federico Ambrogi
Summary: Prediction models are widely used in diagnostic and prognostic studies, with machine learning methods gaining popularity over traditional regression techniques. The Cox proportional hazards model is commonly used for survival outcomes, but the trade-off between model complexity and interpretability needs to be considered. The sample size requirement for developing survival prediction models using machine learning techniques is an area of special interest.
STATISTICS IN MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Oncology
Xinru Zhou, Yin Jia, Chuanbin Mao, Shanrong Liu
Summary: Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs), such as exosomes, have emerged as crucial targets for liquid biopsy and promising drug delivery vehicles in tumor progression. They can serve as biomarkers for tumor diagnosis and as drug carriers for cancer treatment.
Article
Oncology
Ruochan Chen, Ju Zhu, Xiao Zhong, Jie Li, Rui Kang, Daolin Tang
Summary: The interplay between autophagy and apoptosis plays a crucial role in tumorigenesis and cancer therapy, with HMGB1 serving as a key regulator in these processes.
Article
Oncology
Zongfu Pan, Xixuan Lu, Tong Xu, Jinming Chen, Lisha Bao, Ying Li, Yingying Gong, Yulu Che, Xiaozhou Zou, Zhuo Tan, Ping Huang, Minghua Ge
Summary: This study uncovered the emerging role of HN1 in promoting dedifferentiation of anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) cells. HN1 negatively regulated the thyroid differentiation markers and had an inhibitory effect on the transcriptional activation of CTCF, thereby influencing the chromatin accessibility of thyroid differentiation genes.
Article
Oncology
Yi Qin, Shengjun Xiong, Jun Ren, Gautam Sethi
Summary: Autophagy plays an important regulatory role in glioblastoma, and its dysregulation can lead to drug resistance and radioresistance. It also affects stem cell characteristics, overall growth, and metastasis. Therefore, autophagy is a promising target for glioblastoma therapy.
Article
Oncology
Katsuya Nagaoka, Xuewei Bai, Dan Liu, Kevin Cao, Joud Mulla, Chengcheng Ji, Hongze Chen, Muhammad Azhar Nisar, Amalia Bay, William Mueller, Grace Hildebrand, Jin-Song Gao, Shaolei Lu, Hiroko Setoyama, Yasuhito Tanaka, Jack R. Wands, Chiung-Kuei Huang
Summary: This study found that serum 2-OG levels in cholangiocarcinoma patients are associated with the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Patients with progressive disease showed significantly higher levels of serum 2-OG compared to stable disease and partial response patients. The study also revealed that overexpression of ASPH mimics the effects of 2-OG, and knockdown of ASPH improves chemotherapy. Targeting ASPH enhances the effects of chemotherapy by modulating ATM and ATR, two key regulators of DDRs.
