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Hassoun S, Bruckmann C, Ciardullo S, Perseghin G, Marra F, Curto A, Arena U, Broccolo F, Di Gaudio F. NAIF: A novel artificial intelligence-based tool for accurate diagnosis of stage F3/F4 liver fibrosis in the general adult population, validated with three external datasets. Int J Med Inform 2024; 185:105373. [PMID: 38395017 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2024.105373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a new AI-based tool called NAIF (NAFLD-AI-Fibrosis) in identifying individuals from the general population with advanced liver fibrosis (stage F3/F4). We compared NAIF's performance to two existing risk score calculators, aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) and fibrosis-4 (Fib4). METHODS To set up the algorithm for diagnosing severe liver fibrosis (defined as Fibroscan® values E ≥ 9.7 KPa), we used 19 blood biochemistry parameters and two demographic parameters in a group of 5,962 individuals from the NHANES population (2017-2020 pre-pandemic, public database). We then assessed the algorithm's performance by comparing its accuracy, precision, sensitivity, specificity, and F1 score values to those of APRI and Fib4 scoring systems. RESULTS In a kept-out sub dataset of the NHANES population, NAIF achieved a predictive precision of 72 %, a sensitivity of 61 %, and a specificity of 77 % in correctly identifying adults (aged 18-79 years) with severe liver fibrosis. Additionally, NAIF performed well when tested with two external datasets of Italian patients with a Fibroscan® score E ≥ 9.7 kPa, and with an external dataset of patients with diagnosis of severe liver fibrosis through biopsy. CONCLUSIONS The results of our study suggest that NAIF, using routinely available parameters, outperforms in sensitivity existing scoring methods (Fib4 and APRI) in diagnosing severe liver fibrosis, even when tested with external validation datasets. NAIF uses routinely available parameters, making it a promising tool for identifying individuals with advanced liver fibrosis from the general population. Word count abstract: 236.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samir Hassoun
- Unità Operativa Centro Controllo Qualità e Rischio Chimico (CQRC), Azienda Ospedaliera Villa Sofia Cervello, viale Strasburgo 233, 90146 Palermo, Italy.
| | - Chiara Bruckmann
- Unità Operativa Centro Controllo Qualità e Rischio Chimico (CQRC), Azienda Ospedaliera Villa Sofia Cervello, viale Strasburgo 233, 90146 Palermo, Italy.
| | - Stefano Ciardullo
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, via Modigliani 10, 20900 Monza, Italy; Department of Medicine and Rehabilitation, Policlinico di Monza, Monza, via Modigliani 10, 20900 Monza, Italy
| | - Gianluca Perseghin
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, via Modigliani 10, 20900 Monza, Italy; Department of Medicine and Rehabilitation, Policlinico di Monza, Monza, via Modigliani 10, 20900 Monza, Italy
| | - Fabio Marra
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Clinica, University of Florence, Largo Giovanni Alessandro Brambilla, 3, 50134 Firenze Italy
| | - Armando Curto
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Clinica, University of Florence, Largo Giovanni Alessandro Brambilla, 3, 50134 Firenze Italy
| | - Umberto Arena
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Clinica, University of Florence, Largo Giovanni Alessandro Brambilla, 3, 50134 Firenze Italy
| | - Francesco Broccolo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Unità Operativa Centro Controllo Qualità e Rischio Chimico (CQRC), Azienda Ospedaliera Villa Sofia Cervello, viale Strasburgo 233, 90146 Palermo, Italy; PROMISE-Promotion of Health, Maternal-Childhood, Internal and Specialized Medicine of Excellence G. D'Alessandro, Piazza delle Cliniche, 2, 90127 Palermo, Italy
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Giannitrapani L, Di Gaudio F, Cervello M, Scionti F, Ciliberto D, Staropoli N, Agapito G, Cannataro M, Tassone P, Tagliaferri P, Seidita A, Soresi M, Affronti M, Bertino G, Russello M, Ciriminna R, Lino C, Spinnato F, Verderame F, Augello G, Arbitrio M. Genetic Biomarkers of Sorafenib Response in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2197. [PMID: 38396873 PMCID: PMC10888718 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25042197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2024] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The identification of biomarkers for predicting inter-individual sorafenib response variability could allow hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patient stratification. SNPs in angiogenesis- and drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME)-related genes were evaluated to identify new potential predictive biomarkers of sorafenib response in HCC patients. Five known SNPs in angiogenesis-related genes, including VEGF-A, VEGF-C, HIF-1a, ANGPT2, and NOS3, were investigated in 34 HCC patients (9 sorafenib responders and 25 non-responders). A subgroup of 23 patients was genotyped for SNPs in ADME genes. A machine learning classifier method was used to discover classification rules for our dataset. We found that only the VEGF-A (rs2010963) C allele and CC genotype were significantly associated with sorafenib response. ADME-related gene analysis identified 10 polymorphic variants in ADH1A (rs6811453), ADH6 (rs10008281), SULT1A2/CCDC101 (rs11401), CYP26A1 (rs7905939), DPYD (rs2297595 and rs1801265), FMO2 (rs2020863), and SLC22A14 (rs149738, rs171248, and rs183574) significantly associated with sorafenib response. We have identified a genetic signature of predictive response that could permit non-responder/responder patient stratification. Angiogenesis- and ADME-related genes correlation was confirmed by cumulative genetic risk score and network and pathway enrichment analysis. Our findings provide a proof of concept that needs further validation in follow-up studies for HCC patient stratification for sorafenib prescription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia Giannitrapani
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation, National Research Council (CNR), 90146 Palermo, Italy; (L.G.); (M.C.)
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (F.D.G.); (A.S.); (M.S.); (M.A.)
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (F.D.G.); (A.S.); (M.S.); (M.A.)
| | - Melchiorre Cervello
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation, National Research Council (CNR), 90146 Palermo, Italy; (L.G.); (M.C.)
| | - Francesca Scionti
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (F.S.); (N.S.); (P.T.); (P.T.)
| | - Domenico Ciliberto
- Medical and Translational Oncology Unit, A.O.U. R. Dulbecco, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy;
| | - Nicoletta Staropoli
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (F.S.); (N.S.); (P.T.); (P.T.)
- Medical and Translational Oncology Unit, A.O.U. R. Dulbecco, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy;
| | - Giuseppe Agapito
- Department of Legal, Economic and Social Sciences, Magna Graecia University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy;
| | - Mario Cannataro
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy;
| | - Pierfrancesco Tassone
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (F.S.); (N.S.); (P.T.); (P.T.)
- Medical and Translational Oncology Unit, A.O.U. R. Dulbecco, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy;
- College of Science and Technology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - Pierosandro Tagliaferri
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (F.S.); (N.S.); (P.T.); (P.T.)
- Medical and Translational Oncology Unit, A.O.U. R. Dulbecco, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy;
| | - Aurelio Seidita
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (F.D.G.); (A.S.); (M.S.); (M.A.)
- Villa Sofia-Cervello Hospital, C.O.U. Medical Oncology, 90146 Palermo, Italy; (F.S.); (F.V.)
| | - Maurizio Soresi
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (F.D.G.); (A.S.); (M.S.); (M.A.)
| | - Marco Affronti
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (F.D.G.); (A.S.); (M.S.); (M.A.)
| | - Gaetano Bertino
- Hepatology Unit, A.O.U. Policlinico-San Marco, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy;
| | | | - Rosaria Ciriminna
- Institute of Nanostructured Materials, National Research Council (CNR), 90146 Palermo, Italy; (R.C.); (C.L.)
| | - Claudia Lino
- Institute of Nanostructured Materials, National Research Council (CNR), 90146 Palermo, Italy; (R.C.); (C.L.)
| | - Francesca Spinnato
- Villa Sofia-Cervello Hospital, C.O.U. Medical Oncology, 90146 Palermo, Italy; (F.S.); (F.V.)
| | - Francesco Verderame
- Villa Sofia-Cervello Hospital, C.O.U. Medical Oncology, 90146 Palermo, Italy; (F.S.); (F.V.)
| | - Giuseppa Augello
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation, National Research Council (CNR), 90146 Palermo, Italy; (L.G.); (M.C.)
| | - Mariamena Arbitrio
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation, National Research Council (CNR), 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
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Cucina A, Contino F, Brunacci G, Orlando V, La Rocca M, Indelicato S, Di Gaudio F. The Suitability of RNA from Positive SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Tests for Whole Virus Genome Sequencing and Variant Identification to Maintain Genomic Surveillance. Diagnostics (Basel) 2023; 13:3618. [PMID: 38132202 PMCID: PMC10742923 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13243618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed laboratory management, with a surge in demand for diagnostic tests prompting the adoption of new diagnostic assays and the spread of variant surveillance tools. Rapid antigen tests (RATs) were initially used only for screening and later as suitable infection assessment tools. This study explores the feasibility of sequencing the SARS-CoV-2 genome from the residue of the nasopharyngeal swab extraction buffers of rapid antigen tests (RATs) to identify different COVID-19 lineages and sub-lineages. METHODS Viral RNA was extracted from the residue of the nasopharyngeal swab extraction buffers of RATs and, after a confirmation of positivity through a reaction of RT-PCR, viral genome sequencing was performed. RESULTS Overall, the quality of the sequences obtained from the RNA extracted from the residue of the nasopharyngeal swab extraction buffers of RATs was adequate and allowed us to identify the SARS-CoV-2 variants' circulation and distribution in a period when the use of molecular swabs had been drastically reduced. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates the potential for genomic surveillance by sequencing SARS-CoV-2 from the residue of the nasopharyngeal swab extraction buffers of RATs, highlighting alternative possibilities for tracking variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annamaria Cucina
- Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedali Riuniti Villa Sofia-Cervello, Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry Section, Quality Control and Chemical Risk (CQRC), Via del Vespro, 133, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (A.C.); (F.C.); (G.B.); (V.O.)
| | - Flavia Contino
- Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedali Riuniti Villa Sofia-Cervello, Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry Section, Quality Control and Chemical Risk (CQRC), Via del Vespro, 133, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (A.C.); (F.C.); (G.B.); (V.O.)
| | - Giuseppina Brunacci
- Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedali Riuniti Villa Sofia-Cervello, Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry Section, Quality Control and Chemical Risk (CQRC), Via del Vespro, 133, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (A.C.); (F.C.); (G.B.); (V.O.)
| | - Valentina Orlando
- Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedali Riuniti Villa Sofia-Cervello, Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry Section, Quality Control and Chemical Risk (CQRC), Via del Vespro, 133, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (A.C.); (F.C.); (G.B.); (V.O.)
| | - Mario La Rocca
- Regional Health Department, Department of Strategic Planning, Piazza Ottavio Ziino, 24, 90145 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Sergio Indelicato
- Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedali Riuniti Villa Sofia-Cervello, Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry Section, Quality Control and Chemical Risk (CQRC), Via del Vespro, 133, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (A.C.); (F.C.); (G.B.); (V.O.)
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedali Riuniti Villa Sofia-Cervello, Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry Section, Quality Control and Chemical Risk (CQRC), Via del Vespro, 133, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (A.C.); (F.C.); (G.B.); (V.O.)
- PROMISE-Promotion of Health, Maternal-Childhood, Internal and Specialized Medicine of Excellence “G. D’Alessandro”, University of Palermo, Piazza delle Cliniche, 2, 90127 Palermo, Italy
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Scaglione GL, Pignata S, Pettinato A, Paolillo C, Califano D, Scandurra G, Lombardo V, Di Gaudio F, Pecorino B, Mereu L, Scollo P, Capoluongo ED. Homologous Recombination Deficiency (HRD) Scoring, by Means of Two Different Shallow Whole-Genome Sequencing Pipelines (sWGS), in Ovarian Cancer Patients: A Comparison with Myriad MyChoice Assay. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17095. [PMID: 38069422 PMCID: PMC10707691 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242317095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) patients carrying the BRCA1/2 mutation or deficient in the homologous recombination repair system (HRD) generally benefit from treatment with PARP inhibitors. Some international recommendations suggest that BRCA1/2 genetic testing should be offered for all newly diagnosed epithelial ovarian cancer, along with HRD assessment. Academic tests (ATs) are continuously under development, in order to break down the barriers patients encounter in accessing HRD testing. Two different methods for shallow whole-genome sequencing (sWGS) were compared to the reference assay, Myriad. All these three assays were performed on 20 retrospective HGSOC samples. Moreover, HRD results were correlated with the progression-free survival rate (PFS). Both sWGS chemistries showed good correlation with each other and a complete agreement, even when compared to the Myriad score. Our academic HRD assay categorized patients as HRD-Deficient, HRM-Mild and HRN-Negative. These three groups were matched with PFS, providing interesting findings in terms of HRD scoring and months of survival. Both our sWGS assays and the Myriad test correlated with the patient's response to treatments. Finally, our AT confirms its capability of determining HRD status, with the advantage of being faster, cheaper, and easier to carry out. Our results showed a prognostic value for the HRD score.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni L. Scaglione
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, IDI-IRCCS, Via dei Monti di Creta, 104, 00167 Rome, Italy;
| | - Sandro Pignata
- Department of Urology and Gynecology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Via Mariano Semmola, 53, 80131 Naples, Italy;
| | - Angela Pettinato
- Department of Pathological Anatomy, A.O.E. Cannizzaro, Via Messina, 829, 95126 Catania, Italy;
| | - Carmela Paolillo
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Viale Luigi Pinto, 71122 Foggia, Italy;
| | - Daniela Califano
- Functional Genomic Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Via Mariano Semmola, 53, 80131 Naples, Italy;
| | - Giuseppa Scandurra
- Department of Medical Oncology, A.O.E. Cannizzaro, Via Messina, 829, 95126 Catania, Italy; (G.S.); (V.L.)
| | - Valentina Lombardo
- Department of Medical Oncology, A.O.E. Cannizzaro, Via Messina, 829, 95126 Catania, Italy; (G.S.); (V.L.)
| | | | - Basilio Pecorino
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, A.O.E. Cannizzaro, Via Messina, 829, 95126 Catania, Italy; (B.P.); (P.S.)
| | - Liliana Mereu
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of General Surgery and Medical-Surgical Specialism, University of Catania, P.O. “G Rodolico”, Via Santa Sofia, 78, 95123 Catania, Italy;
| | - Paolo Scollo
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, A.O.E. Cannizzaro, Via Messina, 829, 95126 Catania, Italy; (B.P.); (P.S.)
- Faculty of Medicine, “Kore” University, Cittadella Universitaria, 94100 Enna, Italy
| | - Ettore D. Capoluongo
- Department of Clinical Pathology and Genomics, A.O.E. Cannizzaro, Via Messina 829, 95126 Catania, Italy
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, Federico II University, Via Pansini, 5, 80131 Naples, Italy
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Guarnotta V, Amodei R, Di Gaudio F, Giordano C. Nutritional Intervention in Cushing's Disease: The Ketogenic Diet's Effects on Metabolic Comorbidities and Adrenal Steroids. Nutrients 2023; 15:4647. [PMID: 37960300 PMCID: PMC10649442 DOI: 10.3390/nu15214647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND a very low-calorie ketogenic diet (VLCKD) is associated with improvement of metabolic and cardiovascular disorders. We aimed to evaluate the effects of a VLCKD in patients with Cushing's disease (CD) as adjunctive therapy to treatment for the primary disease. METHODS we evaluated clinical, hormonal and metabolic parameters in 15 patients with CD and 15 controls at baseline after 1 week and 3 weeks of VLCKD and, further, after 2 weeks of a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet (LCKD). RESULTS after 5 weeks of diet, a significant decrease in BMI (p = 0.002), waist circumference (WC) (p = 0.024), systolic blood pressure (p = 0.015), diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.005), ACTH (p = 0.026), cortisone (p = 0.025), total cholesterol (p = 0.006), LDL cholesterol (p = 0.017), triglycerides (p = 0.016) and alkaline phosphatase (p = 0.008) and a significant increase in HDL cholesterol (p = 0.017), vitamin D (p = 0.015) and oral disposition index (oDI) (p = 0.004) was observed in the CD patients. A significant decrease in BMI (p = 0.003), WC (p = 0.002), systolic blood pressure (p = 0.025), diastolic (p = 0.007) blood pressure and total cholesterol (p = 0.026) and an increase in HDL cholesterol (p = 0.001) and oDI (p < 0.001) was observed in controls. CONCLUSIONS the current study confirms that a ketogenic diet is effective in improving metabolic disorders in CD and shows that a nutritional approach may be combined with conventional CD therapy in order to improve metabolic and cardiovascular comorbidities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Guarnotta
- Section of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Health Promotion, Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties “G. D’Alessandro”, PROMISE, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (V.G.); (R.A.)
| | - Roberta Amodei
- Section of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Health Promotion, Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties “G. D’Alessandro”, PROMISE, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (V.G.); (R.A.)
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, CQRC (Quality Control and Chemical Risk) Hospital Company, Hospitals Reunited Villa Sofia Cervello, 90146 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Carla Giordano
- Section of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Health Promotion, Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties “G. D’Alessandro”, PROMISE, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (V.G.); (R.A.)
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology (IFT), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 90146 Palermo, Italy
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Russo E, Alberti G, Corrao S, Borlongan CV, Miceli V, Conaldi PG, Di Gaudio F, La Rocca G. The Truth Is Out There: Biological Features and Clinical Indications of Extracellular Vesicles from Human Perinatal Stem Cells. Cells 2023; 12:2347. [PMID: 37830562 PMCID: PMC10571796 DOI: 10.3390/cells12192347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The potential of perinatal tissues to provide cellular populations to be used in different applications of regenerative medicine is well established. Recently, the efforts of researchers are being addressed regarding the evaluation of cell products (secreted molecules or extracellular vesicles, EVs) to be used as an alternative to cellular infusion. The data regarding the effective recapitulation of most perinatal cells' properties by their secreted complement point in this direction. EVs secreted from perinatal cells exhibit key therapeutic effects such as tissue repair and regeneration, the suppression of inflammatory responses, immune system modulation, and a variety of other functions. Although the properties of EVs from perinatal derivatives and their significant potential for therapeutic success are amply recognized, several challenges still remain that need to be addressed. In the present review, we provide an up-to-date analysis of the most recent results in the field, which can be addressed in future research in order to overcome the challenges that are still present in the characterization and utilization of the secreted complement of perinatal cells and, in particular, mesenchymal stromal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Russo
- Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (BiND), University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (E.R.); (G.A.)
| | - Giusi Alberti
- Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (BiND), University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (E.R.); (G.A.)
| | - Simona Corrao
- Research Department, IRCCS ISMETT (Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione), 90127 Palermo, Italy; (S.C.); (V.M.); (P.G.C.)
| | - Cesar V. Borlongan
- Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA;
| | - Vitale Miceli
- Research Department, IRCCS ISMETT (Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione), 90127 Palermo, Italy; (S.C.); (V.M.); (P.G.C.)
| | - Pier Giulio Conaldi
- Research Department, IRCCS ISMETT (Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione), 90127 Palermo, Italy; (S.C.); (V.M.); (P.G.C.)
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Department of Health Promotion, Maternal-Infantile Care, Excellence Internal and Specialist Medicine “G. D’Alessandro” (PROMISE), University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Giampiero La Rocca
- Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (BiND), University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (E.R.); (G.A.)
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Rebaudi F, De Rosa A, Greppi M, Pistilli R, Pucci R, Govoni FA, Iacoviello P, Broccolo F, Tomasello G, Pesce S, Laganà F, Bianchi B, Di Gaudio F, Rebaudi A, Marcenaro E. A new method for oral cancer biomarkers detection with a non-invasive cyto-salivary sampling and rapid-highly sensitive ELISA immunoassay: a pilot study in humans. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1216107. [PMID: 37483588 PMCID: PMC10358763 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1216107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) accounts for approximately 90% of oral malignancies and has a 5-year mortality rate close to 50%. A consistent part (70%) of all oral cancers is diagnosed at an advanced stage since available screening techniques are ineffective. Therefore, it would be urgent to improve them. The diagnostic gold standard is tissue biopsy with histological and immunohistochemical assessment. This method presents some limitations. Biopsy is invasive and the histopathological evaluation is semi-quantitative, and the absolute abundance of the target cannot be reliably determined. In addition, tissue is highly processed and may lead to loss of information of the natural state. The search for classical and new clinical biomarkers on fragments of tissue/cells collected with a cytobrush is a highly hopeful technique for early detection and diagnosis of OSCC, because of its non-invasive sampling and easy collection method. Methods Here we analyzed cytobrush biopsies samples collected from the oral cavity of 15 patients with already diagnosed OSCC by applying an innovative high-sensitivity ELISA technique, in order to verify if this approach may provide useful information for detection, diagnosis, and prognosis of OSCC. To this end, we selected six biomarkers, already used in clinical practice for the diagnosis of OSCC (EGFR, Ki67, p53) or selected based on recent scientific and clinical data which indicate their presence or over-expression in cells undergoing transformation and their role as possible molecular targets in immunecheckpoints blockade therapies (PD-L1, HLA-E, B7-H6). Results The selected tumor biomarkers were highly expressed in the tumor core, while were virtually negative in healthy tissue collected from the same patients. These differences were highly statistically significant and consistent with those obtained using the gold standard test clearly indicating that the proposed approach, i.e. analysis of biomarkers by a custom ELISA technique, is strongly reliable. Discussion These preliminary data suggest that this non-invasive rapid phenotyping technique could be useful as a screening tool for phenotyping oral lesions and support clinical practice by precise indications on the characteristics of the lesion, also with a view to the application of new anti-tumor treatments, such as immunotherapy, aimed at OSCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Rebaudi
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), University of Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Alfredo De Rosa
- Multidisciplinary Department of Medical-Surgical and Dental Specialties, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Napoli, Italy
| | - Marco Greppi
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), University of Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Roberto Pistilli
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, San Camillo-Forlanini Hospital, Roma, Italy
| | - Resi Pucci
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, San Camillo-Forlanini Hospital, Roma, Italy
| | | | - Paolo Iacoviello
- Department of Maxillofacial and Plastic Reconstructive Surgery, E.O. Ospedali Galliera, Genova, Italy
| | - Francesco Broccolo
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | | | - Silvia Pesce
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), University of Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Francesco Laganà
- IRCCS Ospedale San Martino, Unità Operativa Complessa di Chirurgia Maxillofacciale e Odontoiatra, Genova, Italy
| | - Bernardo Bianchi
- IRCCS Ospedale San Martino, Unità Operativa Complessa di Chirurgia Maxillofacciale e Odontoiatra, Genova, Italy
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, CQRC (Quality Control and Chemical Risk) Hospital Company, Hospitals Reunited Villa Sofia Cervello, Palermo, Italy
| | - Alberto Rebaudi
- Private Practice, President of Bio.C.R.A. (Biomaterials Clinical-Histological Research Association), Genova, Italy
| | - Emanuela Marcenaro
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), University of Genova, Genova, Italy
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
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8
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Russo E, Corrao S, Di Gaudio F, Alberti G, Caprnda M, Kubatka P, Kruzliak P, Miceli V, Conaldi PG, Borlongan CV, La Rocca G. Facing the Challenges in the COVID-19 Pandemic Era: From Standard Treatments to the Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells as a New Therapeutic Strategy. Cells 2023; 12:1664. [PMID: 37371134 DOI: 10.3390/cells12121664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 06/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which counts more than 650 million cases and more than 6.6 million of deaths worldwide, affects the respiratory system with typical symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and fatigue. Other nonpulmonary manifestations are related with abnormal inflammatory response, the "cytokine storm", that could lead to a multiorgan disease and to death. Evolution of effective vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 provided multiple options to prevent the infection, but the treatment of the severe forms remains difficult to manage. The cytokine storm is usually counteracted with standard medical care and anti-inflammatory drugs, but researchers moved forward their studies on new strategies based on cell therapy approaches. The perinatal tissues, such as placental membranes, amniotic fluid, and umbilical cord derivatives, are enriched in mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) that exert a well-known anti-inflammatory role, immune response modulation, and tissue repair. In this review, we focused on umbilical-cord-derived MSCs (UC-MSCs) used in in vitro and in vivo studies in order to evaluate the weakening of the severe symptoms, and on recent clinical trials from different databases, supporting the favorable potential of UC-MSCs as therapeutic strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Russo
- Section of Histology and Embryology, Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | - Simona Corrao
- Research Department, IRCCS ISMETT (Istituto Mediterraneo per per i Trapianti e Terapie Ad Alta Specializzazione), 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Giusi Alberti
- Section of Histology and Embryology, Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | - Martin Caprnda
- 1st Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, University Hospital Bratislava, 81499 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Peter Kubatka
- Department of Medical Biology, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, 03649 Martin, Slovakia
| | - Peter Kruzliak
- Research and Development Services, Pradlacka 18, 61300 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Vitale Miceli
- Research Department, IRCCS ISMETT (Istituto Mediterraneo per per i Trapianti e Terapie Ad Alta Specializzazione), 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | - Pier Giulio Conaldi
- Research Department, IRCCS ISMETT (Istituto Mediterraneo per per i Trapianti e Terapie Ad Alta Specializzazione), 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | - Cesario Venturina Borlongan
- Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Giampiero La Rocca
- Section of Histology and Embryology, Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
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9
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Giordano G, Gullo G, Scaglione M, Buzzaccarini G, Cucinella G, Gullo D, Segreto D, Chiantera V, Laganà AS, Di Gaudio F. Transplacental permeability of heavy metals in relation to newborn sex - evidence from the neurodevelopment project. Prz Menopauzalny 2023; 22:30-36. [PMID: 37206674 PMCID: PMC10189668 DOI: 10.5114/pm.2023.126437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Introduction Gender medicine is an innovative medical approach that studies how some biological variables are influenced by the male or female sex and gender. This issue is under debate because it characterizes the impact of tailored or individual medicine. In this scenario, the aim of this study is to study the correlation between heavy metal exposure and pathologies of neurodevelopment, according to the sex of newborns. In particular, this is an observational study under the name of the Neurosviluppo Project, involving 217 mother-child couples. Material and methods The correlation with phenotype small for gestational age and congenital malformations were studied, but above all we focused on the pattern of placental permeability to heavy metals. Results Our results are specifically related to foetal medicine and investigate the impact of foetal sex in transplacental metal exposure. Our results did not show any significant differences related to foetal sex in terms of congenital malformations or the other variables taken into consideration. However, because these conclusions are the first related to the gender medicine in transplacental foetal medicine, they could be a marked background for further studies. Conclusions Considering the lack of data in literature regarding foetal sexual medicine and transplacental exposure, these study results are pioneering in terms of sexual foetal medicine. Possibly in the future, studies regarding the correlation between foetal sex and obstetrics outcomes will be performed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Giordano
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Ospedali Riuniti “Villa Sofia – V. Cervello”, Palermo, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Gullo
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, “Villa Sofia – V. Cervello” Hospital, IVF UNIT, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Marco Scaglione
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics and Maternal-Child Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Giovanni Buzzaccarini
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
- Corresponding author: Giovanni Buzzaccarini, MD, Obstetrics and Gynaecology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, via Olgettina 60, 20132, Milan, Italy, e-mail:
| | - Gaspare Cucinella
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, “Villa Sofia – V. Cervello” Hospital, IVF UNIT, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Domenico Gullo
- Technical Panel on Gender Medicine, Sicily Regional Health Service, Palermo, Italy
| | - Daniela Segreto
- Technical Panel on Gender Medicine, Sicily Regional Health Service, Palermo, Italy
| | - Vito Chiantera
- Unit of Gynaecological Oncology, ARNAS “Civico – Di Cristina – Benfratelli”, Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties (PROMISE), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Antonio Simone Laganà
- Unit of Gynaecological Oncology, ARNAS “Civico – Di Cristina – Benfratelli”, Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties (PROMISE), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Quality Control and Chemical Risk (CQRC), Department PROMISE, University Hospital P. Giaccone, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
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10
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Di Gaudio F, Brunacci G, Contino F, Gallo A, Centineo F. Technical and health governance aspects of the External Quality Assessment Scheme for the SARS-CoV-2 molecular tests: institutional experience performed in all clinical laboratories of a Regional Health Service. Clin Chem Lab Med 2023; 61:173-179. [PMID: 36114825 DOI: 10.1515/cclm-2022-0780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Since December 2019, the worldwide public health has been threatened by a severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by Coronavirus-2. From the beginning, a turning point has been the identification of new cases of infection, in order to minimize the virus spreading among the population. For this reason, it was necessary introducing a panel of tests able to identify positive cases, which became crucial for all countries. METHODS As a Regional Reference Centre, the CRQ Laboratory (Regional Laboratory for the Quality Control) developed and conducted an External Quality Assessment (EQA) panel of assay, so as to evaluate the quality of real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which were used by 62 Sicilian laboratories, previously authorized to issue certificates for the COVID-19 diagnosis, on behalf of the Public Health Service. RESULTS The qualitative performance test was based on pooled samples with different viral loads of SARS-CoV-2 or human Coronavirus OC43. 75% of the participating laboratories tested all core samples correctly, while the remaining 25% interpreted incorrectly the EQA exercise samples matching negatively the standards required. CONCLUSIONS Subsequent inspection visits confirmed the issue of incorrect positive and negative certifications for COVID-19 by private and public laboratories, despite the possession of the authorization requirements currently provided for by current regulations, with a significant impact on the SSR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Di Gaudio
- PROMISE-Promotion of Health, Maternal-Childhood, Internal and Specialized Medicine of Excellence "G. D'Alessandro", Palermo, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Brunacci
- CQRC (Quality Control and Chemical Risk) Hospital Company, Hospitals Riuniti Villa Sofia Cervello, Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Alessia Gallo
- Department of Research, IRCCS ISMETT (Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione), Palermo, Italy
| | - Fabio Centineo
- CQRC (Quality Control and Chemical Risk) Hospital Company, Hospitals Riuniti Villa Sofia Cervello, Palermo, Italy
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11
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Alberti G, Russo E, Corrao S, Anzalone R, Kruzliak P, Miceli V, Conaldi PG, Di Gaudio F, La Rocca G. Current Perspectives on Adult Mesenchymal Stromal Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles: Biological Features and Clinical Indications. Biomedicines 2022; 10:2822. [PMID: 36359342 PMCID: PMC9687875 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10112822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) constitute one of the main mechanisms by which cells communicate with the surrounding tissue or at distance. Vesicle secretion is featured by most cell types, and adult mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) of different tissue origins have shown the ability to produce them. In recent years, several reports disclosed the molecular composition and suggested clinical indications for EVs derived from adult MSCs. The parental cells were already known for their roles in different disease settings in regulating inflammation, immune modulation, or transdifferentiation to promote cell repopulation. Interestingly, most reports also suggested that part of the properties of parental cells were maintained by isolated EV populations. This review analyzes the recent development in the field of cell-free therapies, focusing on several adult tissues as a source of MSC-derived EVs and the available clinical data from in vivo models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giusi Alberti
- Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (BiND), University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | - Eleonora Russo
- Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (BiND), University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | - Simona Corrao
- Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (BiND), University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | - Rita Anzalone
- Department of Surgical, Oncological and Stomatological Sciences (DICHIRONS), University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | - Peter Kruzliak
- Department of Medical Biology, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, 03601 Martin, Slovakia
| | - Vitale Miceli
- Research Department, IRCCS ISMETT (Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione), 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | - Pier Giulio Conaldi
- Research Department, IRCCS ISMETT (Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione), 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Giampiero La Rocca
- Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (BiND), University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
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12
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Vasto S, Di Gaudio F, Raso M, Sabatino L, Caldarella R, De Pasquale C, Di Rosa L, Baldassano S. Impact on Glucose Homeostasis: Is Food Biofortified with Molybdenum a Workable Solution? A Two-Arm Study. Nutrients 2022; 14:1351. [PMID: 35405964 PMCID: PMC9002377 DOI: 10.3390/nu14071351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Diabetes is expected to increase up to 700 million people worldwide with type 2 diabetes being the most frequent. The use of nutritional interventions is one of the most natural approaches for managing the disease. Minerals are of paramount importance in order to preserve and obtain good health and among them molybdenum is an essential component. There are no studies about the consumption of biofortified food with molybdenum on glucose homeostasis but recent studies in humans suggest that molybdenum could exert hypoglycemic effects. The present study aims to assess if consumption of lettuce biofortified with molybdenum influences glucose homeostasis and whether the effects would be due to changes in gastrointestinal hormone levels and specifically Peptide YY (PYY), Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 (GLP-1), Glucagon-Like Peptide 2 (GLP-2), and Gastric Inhibitory Polypeptide (GIP). A cohort of 24 people was supplemented with biofortified lettuce for 12 days. Blood and urine samples were obtained at baseline (T0) and after 12 days (T2) of supplementation. Blood was analyzed for glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, β-cell function, and insulin sensitivity, PYY, GLP-1, GLP-2 and GIP. Urine samples were tested for molybdenum concentration. The results showed that consumption of lettuce biofortified with molybdenum for 12 days did not affect beta cell function but significantly reduced fasting glucose, insulin, insulin resistance and increased insulin sensitivity in healthy people. Consumption of biofortified lettuce did not show any modification in urine concentration of molybdenum among the groups. These data suggest that consumption of lettuce biofortified with molybdenum improves glucose homeostasis and PYY and GIP are involved in the action mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonya Vasto
- Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy;
- Euro-Mediterranean Institutes of Science and Technology (IEMEST), 90139 Palermo, Italy
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Department of Promoting Health, Maternal-Infant, Excellence and Internal and Specialized Medicine (ProMISE) G. D’Alessandro, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Maria Raso
- Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry Section, Quality Control and Chemical Risk (CQRC), Department PROMISE, University Palermo, 90133 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Leo Sabatino
- Dipartimento Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Forestali (SAAF), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 5, 90128 Palermo, Italy; (L.S.); (C.D.P.)
| | - Rosalia Caldarella
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, “P. Giaccone” University Hospital, 90128 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Claudio De Pasquale
- Dipartimento Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Forestali (SAAF), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 5, 90128 Palermo, Italy; (L.S.); (C.D.P.)
| | - Luigi Di Rosa
- Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Sara Baldassano
- Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy;
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13
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Baldassano S, Di Gaudio F, Sabatino L, Caldarella R, De Pasquale C, Di Rosa L, Nuzzo D, Picone P, Vasto S. Biofortification: Effect of Iodine Fortified Food in the Healthy Population, Double-Arm Nutritional Study. Front Nutr 2022; 9:871638. [PMID: 35399653 PMCID: PMC8984677 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.871638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
It is estimated that one-third of the world’s population lives in areas where iodine (I) is scarce and its deficiency is responsible for many related disorders, such as goiter, reproductive failure, hearing loss, growth impairment, congenital I deficiency syndrome, and numerous kinds of brain injury. Mineral deficiencies can be overcome via dietary diversification and mineral supplementation. An alternative or even complementary way is represented by the intake of biofortified foods, which can tackle this lack of micronutrients. In this short-term double-arm nutritional intervention study, a cohort of ten people was supplemented with curly endive leaf biofortified with I and ten people with curly endive without biofortification (Intervention Study on Iodine Biofortification Vegetables (Nutri-I-Food – Full-Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov). The effects on whole-body homeostasis and specifically on I, glucose, lipid, and hepatic, iron metabolism was investigated. Blood samples were obtained at baseline and after 12 days of supplementation with curly endive and compared with controls. Hematochemical and urinary parameters were analyzed at baseline and after 12 days. The results showed that short-term I curly endive intervention did not affect the whole body homeostasis in healthy people and revealed an increase in I concentration in urine samples and an increase in vitamin D, calcium, and potassium concentration in blood samples only in the biofortified cohort respect to controls. This study suggests that short-term consumption of I curly endive crops is safe and could positively impact body health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Baldassano
- Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
- *Correspondence: Sara Baldassano,
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Department of Promoting Health, Maternal-Infant, Excellence and Internal and Specialized Medicine (ProMISE) G. D’Alessandro, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Leo Sabatino
- Dipartimento Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Forestali (SAAF), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Rosalia Caldarella
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, “P. Giaccone” University Hospital, Palermo, Italy
| | - Claudio De Pasquale
- Dipartimento Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Forestali (SAAF), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Luigi Di Rosa
- Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Domenico Nuzzo
- Istituto per la Ricerca e l’Innovazione Biomedica (IRIB), CNR, Palermo, Italy
| | - Pasquale Picone
- Istituto per la Ricerca e l’Innovazione Biomedica (IRIB), CNR, Palermo, Italy
| | - Sonya Vasto
- Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
- Euro-Mediterranean Institutes of Science and Technology (IEMEST), Palermo, Italy
- Sonya Vasto,
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14
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Guarnotta V, Di Gaudio F, Giordano C. Vitamin D Deficiency in Cushing's Disease: Before and After Its Supplementation. Nutrients 2022; 14:nu14050973. [PMID: 35267948 PMCID: PMC8912655 DOI: 10.3390/nu14050973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: The primary objective of the study was to assess serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] values in patients with Cushing’s disease (CD), compared to controls. The secondary objective was to assess the response to a load of 150,000 U of cholecalciferol. Methods: In 50 patients with active CD and 48 controls, we evaluated the anthropometric and biochemical parameters, including insulin sensitivity estimation by the homeostatic model of insulin resistance, Matsuda Index and oral disposition index at baseline and in patients with CD also after 6 weeks of cholecalciferol supplementation. Results: At baseline, patients with CD showed a higher frequency of hypovitaminosis deficiency (p = 0.001) and lower serum 25(OH)D (p < 0.001) than the controls. Six weeks after cholecalciferol treatment, patients with CD had increased serum calcium (p = 0.017), 25(OH)D (p < 0.001), ISI-Matsuda (p = 0.035), oral disposition index (p = 0.045) and decreased serum PTH (p = 0.004) and total cholesterol (p = 0.017) values than at baseline. Multivariate analysis showed that mean urinary free cortisol (mUFC) was independently negatively correlated with serum 25(OH)D in CD. Conclusions: Serum 25(OH)D levels are lower in patients with CD compared to the controls. Vitamin D deficiency is correlated with mUFC and values of mUFC > 240 nmol/24 h are associated with hypovitaminosis D. Cholecalciferol supplementation had a positive impact on insulin sensitivity and lipids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Guarnotta
- Department of Health Promotion, Maternal-Infantile Care, Excellence Internal and Specialist Medicine “G. D’Alessandro” [PROMISE], Section of Endocrine Disease and Nutrition, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Biochemistry Head CQRC Division (Quality Control and Biochemical Risk), Department of Health Promotion, Maternal-Infantile Care, Excellence Internal and Specialist Medicine “G. D’Alessandro” [PROMISE], University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Carla Giordano
- Department of Health Promotion, Maternal-Infantile Care, Excellence Internal and Specialist Medicine “G. D’Alessandro” [PROMISE], Section of Endocrine Disease and Nutrition, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-0916552110; Fax: +39-0916552123
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15
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Stracquadanio S, Di Gaudio F, Giunta E, Falliti G, Caruso D, Pinzone C, Noto P, Di Naso C, Garozzo SF, Amodeo A, Cinà D, Cardillo MC, Zappalà S, Consoli A, Stefani S. Reverse transcriptase loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) as a user-friendly system to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection: a multicentric study. New Microbiol 2021; 44:181-183. [PMID: 34783350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Although reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR remains the gold standard to perform viral detection, reverse transcriptase loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) is already used to perform diagnosis of various infections. This work reports the results of a multicentric study performed in Sicily to evaluate the diagnostic power of an RT-LAMP kit for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection on a total of 551 samples collected in January and February 2021, revealing sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive values ≥95%. Our results suggest the potential employment of this kit as a screening test to be used where fast and reliable results are demanded without the need for expensive instruments and highly-skilled personnel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Stracquadanio
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences (BIOMETEC) - Medical Molecular Microbiology
and Antibiotic Resistance laboratory (MMARLab). University of Catania, Italy
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Department of Promoting Health, Maternal-Infant, Excellence and Internal and Specialized Medicine (ProMISE) G. D’Alessandro,
University of Palermo, Italy
| | - Elena Giunta
- Complex Operational Unit of Clinical Pathology. Department of Services. Papardo Hospital - Contrada Papardo, Messina, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Falliti
- Complex Operational Unit of Clinical Pathology. Department of Services. Papardo Hospital - Contrada Papardo, Messina, Italy
| | - Daniele Caruso
- Complex Operational Unit of Clinical Pathology. Department of Services. Papardo Hospital - Contrada Papardo, Messina, Italy
| | - Carmelo Pinzone
- Complex Operational Unit of Clinical Pathology. Department of Services. Papardo Hospital - Contrada Papardo, Messina, Italy
| | - Patrizia Noto
- Complex Operational Unit of Clinical Pathology. Department of Services. Papardo Hospital - Contrada Papardo, Messina, Italy
| | - Concettina Di Naso
- Complex Operative Unit of Clinical Pathology and Clinical Molecular Biology - P.O Garibaldi Centro, Catania, Italy
| | - Sebastiano Fabio Garozzo
- Complex Operative Unit of Clinical Pathology and Clinical Molecular Biology - P.O Garibaldi Centro, Catania, Italy
| | - Andrea Amodeo
- Complex Operative Unit of Clinical Pathology and Clinical Molecular Biology - P.O Garibaldi Centro, Catania, Italy
| | - Diana Cinà
- Complex Operative Unit of Clinical Pathology - A.E.O. Cannizzaro, Catania, Italy
| | | | - Simona Zappalà
- Complex Operative Unit of Clinical Pathology - A.E.O. Cannizzaro, Catania, Italy
| | - Alessandro Consoli
- Complex Operative Unit of Clinical Pathology - A.E.O. Cannizzaro, Catania, Italy
| | - Stefania Stefani
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences (BIOMETEC) - Medical Molecular Microbiology
and Antibiotic Resistance laboratory (MMARLab). University of Catania, Italy
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16
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Torre M, Genova Gaia L, Calevo MG, Wong M, Raso M, Barco S, Di Gaudio F, Cangemi G. Blood metal levels after minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum. Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg 2021; 33:76-81. [PMID: 33686408 DOI: 10.1093/icvts/ivab052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum (MIRPE) is the most popular surgical approach for paediatric patients with pectus excavatum. A substernal stainless still bar is inserted and left in place for 3 years and then removed. Our goal was to investigate blood metal levels after MIRPE and to correlate them with surgical details, such as the numbers of bars and stabilizers and the length of time the bar was in place. METHODS Blood levels of iron, chromium, manganese, molybdenum and nickel were analysed in 130 teenagers (108 boys and 22 girls) who had MIRPE using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. A total of 62 patients were operated on using MIRPE (study group) and 68 patients were evaluated at implant time (control group). Differences between the numbers of bars implanted and the presence or absence of stabilizers were also considered. RESULTS Significant increases in the levels of abnormal chromium were found in patients in the study group compared with the controls (P = 0.02). When we compared the group of patients with 2 or more bars with the group with 1 bar, the percentage of patients with a value above the threshold increased by 29 (P = 0.05). A significant increase in chromium levels was observed in patients with stabilizers (P = 0.03). Above-threshold levels of molybdenum were found in 5.1% of patients in the control group, but the number was not statistically significant (P = 0.09). CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated that stainless steel devices used in MIRPE can elevate blood metal levels in paediatric patients. Moreover, we demonstrated that the use of metal stabilizers is associated with higher metal levels, probably due to increased dispersion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Torre
- Pediatric Thoracic and Airway Surgery Unit, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy.,Department of Pediatric Surgery, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy
| | - Luca Genova Gaia
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Calevo
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy
| | - Michela Wong
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy
| | - Maria Raso
- Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry Section, Quality Control and Chemical Risk (CQRC), Department PROMISE, University Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Sebastiano Barco
- Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry Section, Central Laboratory of Analyses, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry Section, Quality Control and Chemical Risk (CQRC), Department PROMISE, University Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Giuliana Cangemi
- Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry Section, Central Laboratory of Analyses, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
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Guarnotta V, Niceta M, Bono M, Marchese S, Fabiano C, Indelicato S, Di Gaudio F, Garofalo P, Giordano C. Clinical and hormonal characteristics in heterozygote carriers of congenital adrenal hyperplasia. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2020; 198:105554. [PMID: 31805392 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2019.105554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Revised: 11/24/2019] [Accepted: 11/24/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Non-classical congenital adrenal hyperplasia (NC-CAH) includes a group of genetic disorders due to a broad class of CYP21A2 variants identifying a disease-causing 'C' genotype. The heterozygous carriers of CYP21 mutations are at increased risk of developing clinically evident hyperandrogenism, even though clinical and laboratory characteristics are still underestimated. With the aim of obtaining a more accurate delineation of the phenotype of heterozygous carrier of CAH, we analyzed clinical, biochemical and molecular characteristics in a cohort of Sicilian subjects. Fifty-seven females with biallelic and monoallelic CYP21A2 variants classifying NC-CAH (24) and heterozygous carriers of CAH (33), respectively were selected. Forty-four females age-matched healthy controls were also enrolled and genotyped for CYP21A2. Clinical, hormonal and genetic data were collected. CYP21A2 monoallelic mutations, defining the heterozygous carriers state, were identified in subjects with clinical features including hirsutism, oligomenorrhoea, overweight and a PCO-like phenotype, particularly occurring in the age of adolescence. Consistently, levels of 17OHP and cortisol were found to be significantly different from NC-CAH. Overall, some clinical and laboratory findings including oligomenorrhea and 17OHP/cortisol ratio were observed as independent markers associated with carriers of CAH. Here we report a high prevalence of late-onset signs of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and hyperandrogenism in heterozygous carriers. The 17OHP/cortisol ratio may be a predictive tool to identify the carriers of CAH, even though specific cut-off values have not yet been identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Guarnotta
- Dipartimento di Promozione Della Salute, Materno-Infantile, Medicina Interna e Specialistica Di Eccellenza "G. D'Alessandro" (PROMISE), Sezione Di Malattie Endocrine, del Ricambio e della Nutrizione, Università di Palermo, Italy
| | - Marcello Niceta
- Genetics and Rare Diseases Research Division, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy
| | - Marianna Bono
- UOC Endocrinology, Ospedale Villa Sofia-Cervello, Palermo, Italy
| | - Serena Marchese
- UOC Pediatria d'Urgenza e Pronto Soccorso Pediatrico, ARNAS Ospedali Civico-Di Cristina, Benfratelli-ISMEP, Palermo, Italy
| | - Carmelo Fabiano
- UOS Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, AO Villa Sofia-Cervello, Palermo, Italy
| | - Serena Indelicato
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via del Vespro, Palermo, I-90127, Italy
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi 32, Palermo, I-90123, Italy
| | | | - Carla Giordano
- Dipartimento di Promozione Della Salute, Materno-Infantile, Medicina Interna e Specialistica Di Eccellenza "G. D'Alessandro" (PROMISE), Sezione Di Malattie Endocrine, del Ricambio e della Nutrizione, Università di Palermo, Italy.
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Noto D, Di Gaudio F, Altieri IG, Cefalù AB, Indelicato S, Fayer F, Spina R, Scrimali C, Giammanco A, Mattina A, Indelicato S, Greco M, Bongiorno D, Averna M. Automated untargeted stable isotope assisted lipidomics of liver cells on high glucose shows alteration of sphingolipid kinetics. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids 2020; 1865:158656. [PMID: 32045699 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2020.158656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Revised: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Untargeted lipidomics is a powerful tool to discover new biomarkers and to understand the physiology and pathology of lipids. The use of stable isotopes as tracers to investigate the kinetics of lipids is another tool able to supply dynamic information on lipid synthesis and catabolism. Coupling the two methodology is then very appealing in the study of lipid metabolism. The main issue to face is to perform thousands of calculations in order to obtain kinetic parameters starting from the MS raw data. An automated computerized routine able to do accomplish such task is presented in this paper. We analyzed the lipid kinetics of palmitic acid (PA) in hepatoma liver cells cultured in vitro in which insulin resistance has been induced by high glucose supplementation. The deuterated palmitate tracer (d5PA) was administered as a bolus and the cells were harvested daily for 48 h. 5dPA was incorporated into 326 monoisotopic compounds and in 84 of their [M + 1] isotopologues detected by high resolution orbitrap MS. The differences between the kinetics curves showed that at least four long chain triglycerides (TG) species incorporated more PA in glucose treated cells, while phosphocholines, sphingomyelins, mono- and di-glycerides and ceramides (Cer) incorporated less tracer under glucose treatment. Nevertheless, Cer amount was increased by glucose treatment. In conclusion we developed an automated powerful algorithm able to model simultaneously hundreds of kinetic curves obtained in a cell culture spiked with a stable isotope tracer, and to analyze the difference between the two different cell models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Noto
- Department ProMISE (Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Department of Biopatologia e Biotecnologie Mediche e Forensi (DiBiMEF), AOUP "Paolo Giaccone" University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Ida Grazia Altieri
- Department ProMISE (Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Angelo Baldassare Cefalù
- Department ProMISE (Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Sergio Indelicato
- Mass Spectrometry Laboratory for Clinical Risk and Quality Control, A.O.U.P. "P. Giaccone", University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Francesca Fayer
- Department ProMISE (Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Rossella Spina
- Department ProMISE (Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Chiara Scrimali
- Department ProMISE (Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Antonina Giammanco
- Department ProMISE (Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Alessandro Mattina
- Department ProMISE (Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Serena Indelicato
- Mass Spectrometry Laboratory for Clinical Risk and Quality Control, A.O.U.P. "P. Giaccone", University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Greco
- Mass Spectrometry Laboratory for Clinical Risk and Quality Control, A.O.U.P. "P. Giaccone", University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - David Bongiorno
- Mass Spectrometry Laboratory for Clinical Risk and Quality Control, A.O.U.P. "P. Giaccone", University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Maurizio Averna
- Department ProMISE (Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
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Di Gaudio F, Indelicato S, Indelicato S, Tricoli MR, Stampone G, Bongiorno D. Improvement of a rapid direct blood culture microbial identification protocol using MALDI-TOF MS and performance comparison with SepsiTyper kit. J Microbiol Methods 2018; 155:1-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2018.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Revised: 10/24/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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20
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Cosenza A, Maida CM, Piscionieri D, Fanara S, Di Gaudio F, Viviani G. Occurrence of illicit drugs in two wastewater treatment plants in the South of Italy. Chemosphere 2018; 198:377-385. [PMID: 29421753 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.01.158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Revised: 01/24/2018] [Accepted: 01/28/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In this study the occurrence and the behavior of illicit drugs and their metabolites have been investigated for two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) (namely, WWTP-1 and WWTP-2) located in Sicily (island of Italy). Samples were analyzed for methamphetamine, cocaine (COC), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methadone (METH), 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine (EDDP), 3,4-methylenedioxy amphetamine (MDA); 3,4-methylenedioxy ethylamphetamine (MDEA), 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) and Benzoylecgonine (BEG). The BEG, COC, MOR and THC-COOH were found at the highest concentration in both WWTPs. The Wastewater-based epidemiology calculation for BEG, COC, cannabinoids and THC-COOH was performed. On average, for both plants, population consumes 1.6 and 23.4 dose 1000 inh-1 day-1 of cocaine and cannabis, respectively. For WWTP-1 negative removals of illicit drugs were observed. For WWTP-2 the following average removal efficiencies were obtained: BEG (77.85%), COC (92.34%), CODEINE (64.75%), MOR (90.16%) and THC-COOH (68.64%).
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Affiliation(s)
- Alida Cosenza
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Ambientale, Aerospaziale, dei Materiali (DICAM), Scuola Politecnica, Università di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128, Palermo, Italy.
| | - Carmelo Massimo Maida
- Dipartimento di Scienze per la Promozione della Salute e Materno Infantile, Scuola di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università di Palermo, Via del Vespro 13, 90127, Palermo, Italy
| | - Donatella Piscionieri
- Mass Spectrometry Laboratory for Clinical Risk and Quality Control, A.O.U.P. "P. Giaccone", Palermo, Italy
| | - Serena Fanara
- Mass Spectrometry Laboratory for Clinical Risk and Quality Control, A.O.U.P. "P. Giaccone", Palermo, Italy
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Mass Spectrometry Laboratory for Clinical Risk and Quality Control, A.O.U.P. "P. Giaccone", Palermo, Italy
| | - Gaspare Viviani
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Ambientale, Aerospaziale, dei Materiali (DICAM), Scuola Politecnica, Università di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128, Palermo, Italy
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Vasto S, Accardi G, Aiello A, Di Gaudio F, Barera A, Indelicato S, Galimberti D, Italiano E, Monastero R, Rizzo C, Caruso C, Candore G. Dietary Supplements as Surrogate of Mediterranean Diet in Healthy Smoking Subjects. Rejuvenation Res 2018; 21:37-43. [DOI: 10.1089/rej.2017.1950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sonya Vasto
- Department of Biological Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Palermo, Italy
- Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology “Alberto Monroy”, National Research Council, Palermo, Italy
| | - Giulia Accardi
- General Pathology Unit, Department of Pathobiology and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Anna Aiello
- General Pathology Unit, Department of Pathobiology and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- General Pathology Unit, Department of Pathobiology and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
- Institute for the Study of Nanostructured Materials, National Research Council, Palermo, Italy
- Quality Control Laboratories and Chemical Risk, University Hospital Paolo Giaccone, Palermo, Italy
| | - Annalisa Barera
- General Pathology Unit, Department of Pathobiology and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Serena Indelicato
- Quality Control Laboratories and Chemical Risk, University Hospital Paolo Giaccone, Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Emilio Italiano
- Operative Unit of Urology, Hospital “Villa Sofia-Cervello,” Piazzetta Salerno, Palermo, Italy
| | - Roberto Monastero
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Claudia Rizzo
- General Pathology Unit, Department of Pathobiology and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Calogero Caruso
- General Pathology Unit, Department of Pathobiology and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
- Italian Association of Anti-Ageing Physicians, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Candore
- General Pathology Unit, Department of Pathobiology and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
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D'Anna C, Cigna D, Di Sano C, Di Vincenzo S, Dino P, Ferraro M, Bini L, Bianchi L, Di Gaudio F, Gjomarkaj M, Pace E. Exposure to cigarette smoke extract and lipopolysaccharide modifies cytoskeleton organization in bronchial epithelial cells. Exp Lung Res 2017; 43:347-358. [PMID: 29199880 DOI: 10.1080/01902148.2017.1377784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The integrity of the respiratory epithelium is crucial for airway homeostasis. Tobacco smoke exposure and recurrent infections of the airways play a crucial role in the progression and in the decline of the respiratory function in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of this study was to detect differentially expressed proteins in a bronchial epithelial cell line (16-HBE) stimulated with cigarette smoke extract (CSE) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a constituent of gram-negative bacteria, alone and/or in combination, by using two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE) analysis coupled with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Western blot analysis was applied to confirm the expression of significantly modulated proteins. Flow cytometry and immunofluorescence were used to assess F-actin polimerization by phalloidin method. Fourteen proteins, with significant (p < 0.05) changes in intensity, were identified at various experimental points: 6 were up-regulated and 8 were down-regulated. As expected, bioinformatic analysis revealed that most of these proteins are involved in anti-oxidant and immune responses and in cytoskeleton stability. Western blot analysis confirmed that: Proteasome activator complex subunit 2 (PSME2), Peroxiredoxin-6 (PRDX6), Annexin A5 (ANXA5) and Heat shock protein beta-1 (HSPB1) were reduced and Coactosin-like protein (COTL-1) was increased by co-exposure of CSE and LPS. Furthermore, LPS and CSE increased actin polimerization. In conclusion, although further validation studies are needed, our findings suggest that, CSE and LPS could contribute to the progressive deterioration of lung function, altering the expression of proteins involved in metabolic processes and cytoskeleton rearrangement in bronchial epithelial cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia D'Anna
- a Department of Biomedicine , Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology (IBIM), CNR , Palermo , Italy
| | - Diego Cigna
- a Department of Biomedicine , Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology (IBIM), CNR , Palermo , Italy
| | - Caterina Di Sano
- a Department of Biomedicine , Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology (IBIM), CNR , Palermo , Italy
| | - Serena Di Vincenzo
- a Department of Biomedicine , Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology (IBIM), CNR , Palermo , Italy
| | - Paola Dino
- a Department of Biomedicine , Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology (IBIM), CNR , Palermo , Italy
| | - Maria Ferraro
- a Department of Biomedicine , Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology (IBIM), CNR , Palermo , Italy
| | - Luca Bini
- b Molecular Biology Department , Laboratory of Functional Proteomics, Università degli Studi di Siena , Siena , Italy
| | - Laura Bianchi
- b Molecular Biology Department , Laboratory of Functional Proteomics, Università degli Studi di Siena , Siena , Italy
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- c DiBiMeF (Biopatologia e Biotecnologie Mediche e Forensi) - Università degli Studi di Palermo - Italy
| | - Mark Gjomarkaj
- a Department of Biomedicine , Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology (IBIM), CNR , Palermo , Italy
| | - Elisabetta Pace
- a Department of Biomedicine , Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology (IBIM), CNR , Palermo , Italy
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Maida CM, Di Gaudio F, Tramuto F, Mazzucco W, Piscionieri D, Cosenza A, Viviani G. Illicit drugs consumption evaluation by wastewater-based epidemiology in the urban area of Palermo city (Italy). Ann Ist Super Sanita 2017; 53:192-198. [PMID: 28956797 DOI: 10.4415/ann_17_03_03] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION A wastewater-based epidemiology approach was performed to estimate the drug consumption in Palermo city, the fifth largest city of Italy with a population of 671 696 inhabitants, and to investigate the monthly variability of drug loads in wastewater from different areas of the city. A seven-months detection campaign was conducted at the two wastewater treatment plants of the city. METHODS Following a pre-treatment, 32 samples of wastewater were analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS We estimated a mean cocaine use in Palermo of 0.19 g/day/1000 people, corresponding to 1.90 doses/1000 people and cannabinoids use of 2.85 g/day/1000 people, corresponding to 35.62 doses/1000 people. Amphetamines residues in wastewater were always recovered in concentrations lower than the limit of quantification. CONCLUSION Our findings showed that drugs consumption in Palermo is in line with those of other Italian cities and that no significant differences on prevalence on cocaine and cannabinoids consumption were recorded in the different months of the survey, except for the summer period in a wastewater treatment plant of the city.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmelo Massimo Maida
- Dipartimento di Scienze per la Promozione della Salute e Materno Infantile, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Laboratorio di Spettrometria di Massa per il Controllo di Qualità e Rischio Chimico, AOUP "P. Giaccone", Palermo, Italy
| | - Fabio Tramuto
- Dipartimento di Scienze per la Promozione della Salute e Materno Infantile, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Walter Mazzucco
- Dipartimento di Scienze per la Promozione della Salute e Materno Infantile, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Donatella Piscionieri
- Laboratorio di Spettrometria di Massa per il Controllo di Qualità e Rischio Chimico, AOUP "P. Giaccone", Palermo, Italy
| | - Alida Cosenza
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Ambientale, Aerospaziale, dei Materiali, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Gaspare Viviani
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Ambientale, Aerospaziale, dei Materiali, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
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Barone R, Pitruzzella A, Marino Gammazza A, Rappa F, Salerno M, Barone F, Sangiorgi C, D'Amico D, Locorotondo N, Di Gaudio F, Cipolloni L, Di Felice V, Schiavone S, Rapisarda V, Sani G, Tambo A, Cappello F, Turillazzi E, Pomara C. Nandrolone decanoate interferes with testosterone biosynthesis altering blood-testis barrier components. J Cell Mol Med 2017; 21:1636-1647. [PMID: 28244681 PMCID: PMC5542904 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.13092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate whether nandrolone decanoate (ND) use affects testosterone production and testicular morphology in a model of trained and sedentary mice. A group of mice underwent endurance training while another set led a sedentary lifestyle and were freely mobile within cages. All experimental groups were treated with either ND or peanut oil at different doses for 6 weeks. Testosterone serum levels were measured via liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Western blot analysis and quantitative real‐time PCR were utilized to determine gene and protein expression levels of the primary enzymes implicated in testosterone biosynthesis and gene expression levels of the blood–testis barrier (BTB) components. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence were conducted for testicular morphological evaluation. The study demonstrated that moderate to high doses of ND induced a diminished serum testosterone level and altered the expression level of the key steroidogenic enzymes involved in testosterone biosynthesis. At the morphological level, ND induced degradation of the BTB by targeting the tight junction protein‐1 (TJP1). ND stimulation deregulated metalloproteinase‐9, metalloproteinase‐2 (MMP‐2) and the tissue inhibitor of MMP‐2. Moreover, ND administration resulted in a mislocalization of mucin‐1. In conclusion, ND abuse induces a decline in testosterone production that is unable to regulate the internalization and redistribution of TJP1 and may induce the deregulation of other BTB constituents via the inhibition of MMP‐2. ND may well be considered as both a potential inducer of male infertility and a potential risk factor to a low endogenous bioavailable testosterone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosario Barone
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BioNeC)University of PalermoPalermoItaly
- Euro‐Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST)PalermoItaly
| | - Alessandro Pitruzzella
- Euro‐Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST)PalermoItaly
- Department of NeuroscienceMental Health and Sense Organs (Nesmos)Sapienza University of RomeRomeItaly
| | - Antonella Marino Gammazza
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BioNeC)University of PalermoPalermoItaly
- Euro‐Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST)PalermoItaly
| | - Francesca Rappa
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BioNeC)University of PalermoPalermoItaly
- Euro‐Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST)PalermoItaly
| | - Monica Salerno
- Department of Clinical and Experimental MedicineForensic PathologyUniversity of FoggiaFoggiaItaly
| | - Fulvio Barone
- Department of Clinical and Experimental MedicineForensic PathologyUniversity of FoggiaFoggiaItaly
- Department of RadiologyScientific Institute Hospital “Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza”San Giovanni Rotondo (FG)Italy
| | - Claudia Sangiorgi
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BioNeC)University of PalermoPalermoItaly
| | - Daniela D'Amico
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BioNeC)University of PalermoPalermoItaly
| | | | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Locorotondo Labs srlPalermoItaly
- Department of Pathobiology and Medical BiotechnologyUniversity of PalermoPalermoItaly
| | - Luigi Cipolloni
- Department of Forensic PathologySapienza University of RomeRomeItaly
| | - Valentina Di Felice
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BioNeC)University of PalermoPalermoItaly
- Euro‐Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST)PalermoItaly
| | - Stefania Schiavone
- Department of Clinical and Experimental MedicineUniversity of FoggiaFoggiaItlay
| | - Venerando Rapisarda
- Occupational MedicineDepartment of Clinical and Experimental MedicineUniversity of CataniaCataniaItaly
| | - Gabriele Sani
- Department of NeuroscienceMental Health and Sense Organs (Nesmos)Sapienza University of RomeRomeItaly
| | - Amos Tambo
- Department of Clinical and Experimental MedicineForensic PathologyUniversity of FoggiaFoggiaItaly
- Department of Clinical and Experimental MedicineUniversity of FoggiaFoggiaItlay
| | - Francesco Cappello
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BioNeC)University of PalermoPalermoItaly
- Euro‐Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST)PalermoItaly
| | - Emanuela Turillazzi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental MedicineForensic PathologyUniversity of FoggiaFoggiaItaly
| | - Cristoforo Pomara
- Department of Clinical and Experimental MedicineForensic PathologyUniversity of FoggiaFoggiaItaly
- Department of Clinical and Experimental MedicineUniversity of FoggiaFoggiaItlay
- Department of AnatomyUniversity of MaltaMsidaMalta
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Bondì ML, Emma MR, Botto C, Augello G, Azzolina A, Di Gaudio F, Craparo EF, Cavallaro G, Bachvarov D, Cervello M. Biocompatible Lipid Nanoparticles as Carriers To Improve Curcumin Efficacy in Ovarian Cancer Treatment. J Agric Food Chem 2017; 65:1342-1352. [PMID: 28111949 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.6b04409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Curcumin is a natural molecule with proved anticancer efficacy on several human cancer cell lines. However, its clinical application has been limited due to its poor bioavailability. Nanocarrier-based drug delivery approaches could make curcumin dispersible in aqueous media, thus overtaking the limits of its low solubility. The aim of this study was to increase the bioavailability and the antitumoral activity of curcumin, by entrapping it into nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs). For this purpose here we describe the preparation and characterization of three kinds of curcumin-loaded NLCs. The nanosystems allowed the achievement of a controlled release of curcumin, the amounts of curcumin released after 24 h from Compritol-Captex, Compritol-Miglyol, and Compritol NLCs being, respectively, equal to 33, 28, and 18% w/w on the total entrapped curcumin. Considering the slower curcumin release profile, Compritol NLCs were chosen to perform successive in vitro studies on ovarian cancer cell lines. The results show that curcumin-loaded NLCs maintain anticancer activity, and reduce cell colony survival more effectively than free curcumin. As an example, the ability of A2780S cells to form colonies was decreased after treatment with 5 μM free curcumin by 50% ± 6, whereas, at the same concentration, the delivery of curcumin with NLC significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited colony formation to approximately 88% ± 1, therefore potentiating the activity of curcumin to inhibit A2780S cell growth. The obtained results clearly suggest that the entrapment of curcumin into NLCs increases curcumin efficacy in vitro, indicating the potential use of NLCs as curcumin delivery systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Luisa Bondì
- Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati (ISMN), CNR, U.O.S. Palermo , via Ugo La Malfa, 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy
| | - Maria Rita Emma
- Istituto di Biomedicina ed Immunologia Molecolare (IBIM) "Alberto Monroy", CNR , via Ugo La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy
| | - Chiara Botto
- Laboratorio di Polimeri Biocompatibili, Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF) , Via Archirafi 32, 90123 Palermo, Italy
| | - Giuseppa Augello
- Istituto di Biomedicina ed Immunologia Molecolare (IBIM) "Alberto Monroy", CNR , via Ugo La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy
| | - Antonina Azzolina
- Istituto di Biomedicina ed Immunologia Molecolare (IBIM) "Alberto Monroy", CNR , via Ugo La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Dipartimento di Biopatologia e Biotecnologie Mediche (DIBIMED), Scuola di Medicina e Chirurgia , via Del Vespro 129, 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | - Emanuela Fabiola Craparo
- Laboratorio di Polimeri Biocompatibili, Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF) , Via Archirafi 32, 90123 Palermo, Italy
| | - Gennara Cavallaro
- Laboratorio di Polimeri Biocompatibili, Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF) , Via Archirafi 32, 90123 Palermo, Italy
| | - Dimcho Bachvarov
- Cancer Research Centre, Hôpital L'Hotel-Dieu de Québec, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec , Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University , Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Melchiorre Cervello
- Istituto di Biomedicina ed Immunologia Molecolare (IBIM) "Alberto Monroy", CNR , via Ugo La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy
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26
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Cristoni S, Dusi G, Brambilla P, Albini A, Conti M, Brambilla M, Bruno A, Di Gaudio F, Ferlin L, Tazzari V, Mengozzi S, Barera S, Sialer C, Trenti T, Cantu M, Rossi Bernardi L, Noonan DM. SANIST: optimization of a technology for compound identification based on the European Union directive with applications in forensic, pharmaceutical and food analyses. J Mass Spectrom 2017; 52:16-21. [PMID: 27776380 DOI: 10.1002/jms.3895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2016] [Revised: 10/06/2016] [Accepted: 10/19/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Electrospray Ionization and collision induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry are usually employed to obtain compound identification through a mass spectra match. Different algorithms have been developed for this purpose (for example the nist match algorithm). These approaches compare the tandem mass spectra of the unknown analyte with the tandem mass spectra spectra of known compounds inserted in a database. The compounds are usually identified on the basis of spectral match value associated with a probability of recognition. However, this approach is not usually applied to multiple reaction monitoring transition spectra achieved by means of triple quadrupole apparatus, mainly due to the lack of a transition spectra database. The Surface Activated Chemical Ionization-Electrospray-NIST Bayesian model database search (SANIST) platform has been recently developed for new potential metabolite biomarker discovery, to confirm their identity and to use them for clinical and diagnostic applications. Here, we present an improved version of the SANIST platform that extends its application to forensic, pharmaceutical, and food analysis studies, where the compound identification rules are strict. The European Union (EU) has set directives for compound identification (EU directive 2002/657/EC). We have applied the SANIST method to identification of 11-nor-9-carboxytetrahydro-cannabinol in urine samples (an example of a forensic application), circulating levels of the immunosuppressive drug tacrolimus in blood (an example of a pharmaceutical application) and glyphosate in fruit juice (an example of a food analysis application) that meet the EU directive requirements. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Guglielmo Dusi
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, B. Ubertini, Brescia, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- CQRC - Quality Control laboratory and Chemical Risk, Department of Pathobiology and Medical Biotechnology (DIBIMED), University Hospital Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Valeria Tazzari
- Laboratorio Unico AUSL della Romagna, Pievesestina di Cesena, Italy
| | - Silvia Mengozzi
- Laboratorio Unico AUSL della Romagna, Pievesestina di Cesena, Italy
| | - Simone Barera
- I.S.B.-Ion Source & Biotechnologies, Bresso, Milano, Italy
| | - Carlos Sialer
- RDI-Ilender pharmaceutical corporation, Lima, Peru
- PACT USS Scientific Technological Park University Señor de Sipan, Chiclayo, Peru
| | | | - Marco Cantu
- Bellinzona Hospital, Bellinzona, Swizzerland
| | | | - Douglas M Noonan
- IRCCS MultiMedica, Milano, Italy
- Department of Biotechnologies Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
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Adesso S, Pepe G, Sommella E, Manfra M, Scopa A, Sofo A, Tenore GC, Russo M, Di Gaudio F, Autore G, Campiglia P, Marzocco S. Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of polyphenolic extracts from Lactuca sativa (var. Maravilla de Verano) under different farming methods. J Sci Food Agric 2016; 96:4194-206. [PMID: 26777118 DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.7622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2015] [Revised: 12/16/2015] [Accepted: 01/07/2016] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Besides their nutritional value, vegetables are a source of health-promoting compounds, such as polyphenols, and their content can be influenced by the particular farming method. In this study polyphenolic extracts from Lactuca sativa (var. Maravilla de verano) plants cultivated with different farming methods were chemically characterised and tested in vitro and ex vivo inflammation models. RESULTS The tested extacts (250-2.5 µg mL(-1) ) were able to reduce both the inflammatory and oxidative stress in LPS-stimulated J774A.1 murine monocyte macrophage cells, by lowering the release of nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and promoting nuclear translocation of nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2; (Nrf2) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). In this regard, quantitative profiles revealed different amounts of polyphenols, in particular quercetin levels were higher in plants under mineral fertilised treatment. Those extract showed an enhanced anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. CONCLUSION Our data showed the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential of Maravilla de Verano polyphenolic extracts. The effect of farming methods on polyphenolic levels was highlighted. The higher reduction of inflammatory mediators release in extracts from plants cultivated under mineral fertilisation treatment was correlated to the higher amount of quercetin. These results can be useful for both nutraceutical or agronomic purposes. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Adesso
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, I-84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
| | - Giacomo Pepe
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, I-84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
- Department of Agriculture, University of Reggio Calabria, Via Melissari 1, I-89122, Feo di Vito, Reggio Calabria, Italy
| | - Eduardo Sommella
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, I-84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
- Department of Agriculture, University of Reggio Calabria, Via Melissari 1, I-89122, Feo di Vito, Reggio Calabria, Italy
| | - Michele Manfra
- Department of Science, University of Basilicata, Viale dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, I-85100, Potenza, Italy
| | - Antonio Scopa
- School of Agricultural, Forestry and Environmental Sciences, University of Basilicata, Viale dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, I-85100, Potenza, Italy
| | - Adriano Sofo
- School of Agricultural, Forestry and Environmental Sciences, University of Basilicata, Viale dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, I-85100, Potenza, Italy
| | - Gian Carlo Tenore
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Toxicology Chemistry, University of Napoli Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, I-80131, Napoli, Italy
| | - Mariateresa Russo
- Department of Agriculture, University of Reggio Calabria, Via Melissari 1, I-89122, Feo di Vito, Reggio Calabria, Italy
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Department DiBiMeF, University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 129, I-90127, Palermo, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Autore
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, I-84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
| | - Pietro Campiglia
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, I-84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
| | - Stefania Marzocco
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, I-84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
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Di Gaudio F, Indelicato S, Monastero R, Altieri GI, Fayer F, Palesano O, Fontana M, Cefalu AB, Greco M, Bongiorno D, Indelicato S, Aronica A, Noto D, Averna MR. Erratum to: FragClust and TestClust, two informatics tools for chemical structure hierarchical clustering analysis applied to lipidomics. The example of Alzheimer’s disease. Anal Bioanal Chem 2016; 408:2373. [DOI: 10.1007/s00216-016-9407-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2016] [Accepted: 02/09/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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29
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Pomara C, Barone R, Marino Gammazza A, Sangiorgi C, Barone F, Pitruzzella A, Locorotondo N, Di Gaudio F, Salerno M, Maglietta F, Sarni AL, Di Felice V, Cappello F, Turillazzi E. Effects of Nandrolone Stimulation on Testosterone Biosynthesis in Leydig Cells. J Cell Physiol 2015; 231:1385-91. [PMID: 26626779 PMCID: PMC5064776 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.25272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2015] [Accepted: 12/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are among the drugs most used by athletes for improving physical performance, as well as for aesthetic purposes. A number of papers have showed the side effects of AAS in different organs and tissues. For example, AAS are known to suppress gonadotropin‐releasing hormone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle‐stimulating hormone. This study investigates the effects of nandrolone on testosterone biosynthesis in Leydig cells using various methods, including mass spectrometry, western blotting, confocal microscopy and quantitative real‐time PCR. The results obtained show that testosterone levels increase at a 3.9 μM concentration of nandrolone and return to the basal level a 15.6 μM dose of nandrolone. Nandrolone‐induced testosterone increment was associated with upregulation of the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) and downregulation of 17a‐hydroxylase/17, 20 lyase (CYP17A1). Instead, a 15.6 µM dose of nandrolone induced a down‐regulation of CYP17A1. Further in vivo studies based on these data are needed to better understand the relationship between disturbed testosterone homeostasis and reproductive system impairment in male subjects. J. Cell. Physiol. 231: 1385–1391, 2016. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Cellular Physiology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristoforo Pomara
- Department of Forensic Pathology, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy.,Department of Anatomy, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
| | - Rosario Barone
- Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST), Palermo, Italy.,Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BioNeC), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Antonella Marino Gammazza
- Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST), Palermo, Italy.,Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BioNeC), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Claudia Sangiorgi
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BioNeC), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Fulvio Barone
- Department of Forensic Pathology, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy.,Department of Radiology, Scientific Institute Hospital "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza", San Giovanni Rotondo (FG), Italy
| | - Alessandro Pitruzzella
- Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST), Palermo, Italy.,Department of Neuroscience, Mental Health and Sense Organs (Nesmos), Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Department of Pathobiology and Medical Biotechnology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Monica Salerno
- Department of Forensic Pathology, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | | | | | - Valentina Di Felice
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BioNeC), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Francesco Cappello
- Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST), Palermo, Italy.,Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BioNeC), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
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Paterna S, Di Gaudio F, La Rocca V, Balistreri F, Greco M, Torres D, Lupo U, Rizzo G, di Pasquale P, Indelicato S, Cuttitta F, Butler J, Parrinello G. Hypertonic Saline in Conjunction with High-Dose Furosemide Improves Dose-Response Curves in Worsening Refractory Congestive Heart Failure. Adv Ther 2015; 32:971-82. [PMID: 26521190 PMCID: PMC4635178 DOI: 10.1007/s12325-015-0254-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Diuretic responsiveness in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) is better assessed by urine production per unit diuretic dose than by the absolute urine output or diuretic dose. Diuretic resistance arises over time when the plateau rate of sodium and water excretion is reached prior to optimal fluid elimination and may be overcome when hypertonic saline solution (HSS) is added to high doses of furosemide. METHODS Forty-two consecutively hospitalized patients with refractory CHF were randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio to furosemide doses (125 mg, 250 mg, 500 mg) so that all patients received intravenous furosemide diluted in 150 ml of normal saline (0.9%) in the first step (0-24 h) and the same furosemide dose diluted in 150 ml of HSS (1.4%) in the next step (24-48 h) as to obtain 3 groups as follows: Fourteen patients receiving 125 mg (group 1), fourteen patients receiving 250 mg (group 2), and fourteen patients receiving 500 mg (group 3) of furosemide. Urine samples of all patients were collected at 30, 60, and 90 min, and 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 24 h after infusion. Diuresis, sodium excretion, osmolality, and furosemide concentration were evaluated for each urine sample. RESULTS After randomization, 40 patients completed the study. Two patients, one in group 2 and one in group 3 dropped out. Patients in group 1 (125 mg furosemide) had a mean age of 77 ± 17 years, 43% were male, 6 (43%) had heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), and 64% were in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class IV; the mean age of patients in group 2 (250 mg furosemide) was 80 ± 8.1 years, 15% were male, 5 (38%) had HFpEF, and 84% were in NYHA class IV; and the mean age of patients in group 3 (500 mg furosemide) was 73 ± 12 years, 54% were male, 6 (46%) had HFpEF, and 69% were in NYHA class IV. HSS added to furosemide increased total urine output, sodium excretion, urinary osmolality, and furosemide urine delivery in all patients and at all time points. The percentage increase was 18,14, and 14% for urine output; 29, 24, and 16% for total sodium excretion; 45, 34, and 20% for urinary osmolarity; and 27, 36, and 32% for total furosemide excretion in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. These findings were translated in an improvement in the furosemide dose-response curves in these patients. CONCLUSION These results may serve as new pathophysiological basis for HSS use in the treatment of refractory CHF.
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Barbagallo CM, Noto D, Cefalù AB, Ganci A, Giammarresi C, Panno D, Cusumano G, Greco M, Di Gaudio F, Averna MR. Heparin induces an accumulation of atherogenic lipoproteins during hemodialysis in normolipidemic end-stage renal disease patients. Hemodial Int 2014; 19:360-7. [DOI: 10.1111/hdi.12250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carlo M. Barbagallo
- Biomedical Department of Internal Medicine and Specialistics (DIBIMIS); University of Palermo; Palermo Italy
| | - Davide Noto
- Biomedical Department of Internal Medicine and Specialistics (DIBIMIS); University of Palermo; Palermo Italy
| | - Angelo B. Cefalù
- Biomedical Department of Internal Medicine and Specialistics (DIBIMIS); University of Palermo; Palermo Italy
| | - Antonia Ganci
- Biomedical Department of Internal Medicine and Specialistics (DIBIMIS); University of Palermo; Palermo Italy
| | | | - Donata Panno
- Biomedical Department of Internal Medicine and Specialistics (DIBIMIS); University of Palermo; Palermo Italy
| | - Gaspare Cusumano
- Biomedical Department of Internal Medicine and Specialistics (DIBIMIS); University of Palermo; Palermo Italy
| | - Massimiliano Greco
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Legal Medicine; University of Palermo; Palermo Italy
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Legal Medicine; University of Palermo; Palermo Italy
| | - Maurizio R. Averna
- Biomedical Department of Internal Medicine and Specialistics (DIBIMIS); University of Palermo; Palermo Italy
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Buscemi S, Vasto S, Di Gaudio F, Grosso G, Bergante S, Galvano F, Massenti FM, Amodio E, Rosafio G, Verga S. Endothelial function and serum concentration of toxic metals in frequent consumers of fish. PLoS One 2014; 9:e112478. [PMID: 25401695 PMCID: PMC4234466 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0112478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2014] [Accepted: 09/16/2014] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Endothelial dysfunction is involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Consumption of fish is associated with reduced cardiovascular risk, but there is paucity of data concerning its effect on endothelial function. Furthermore, investigation of the effects of fish consumption on health must take into account the ingestion of contaminants, including transition metals and some metalloids, which may have unfavorable effects on health, including those on the cardiovascular system. We investigated the association between fish consumption, endothelial function (flow mediated dilation of the brachial artery), and serum concentration of some toxic metals in apparently healthy people. Methods Twenty-nine high fish consumers (at least 3 portions a week) were compared with 25 low fish consumers (less than 1 portion a week). All participants were free of diabetes, cardiovascular or other systemic diseases. Serum metal (antimonium, arsenic, mercury, lead, cobalt, copper, zinc, selenium, strontium) concentrations were measured in subgroups of 24 high fish consumers and 19 low fish consumers. Results Both groups exhibited similar habitual dietary patterns, age and anthropometric characteristics. The high fish consumers had higher flow mediated dilation (9.7±1.8 vs. 7.3±1.9%; P<0.001), but also higher serum concentrations of mercury (5.87±2.69 vs. 1.65±1.10 mcg/L; P<0.001) and arsenic (6.04±3.25 vs. 2.30±1.58 mcg/L; P<0.001). The fasting plasma glucose concentrations were significantly correlated with both mercury (r = 0.39; P = 0.01) and arsenic concentrations (r = 0.55; P<0.001). Conclusions Habitual consumption of high amounts of fish is associated with better endothelial function despite higher serum concentrations of mercury and arsenic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvio Buscemi
- Dipartimento Biomedico di Medicina Interna e Specialistica Laboratorio di Nutrizione Clinica, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Sonya Vasto
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Dipartimento di Scienze per la Promozione della Salute e Materno Infantile, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Grosso
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Sonia Bergante
- Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Health Care, Policlinico San Donato, San Donato, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabio Galvano
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Fatima Maria Massenti
- Dipartimento di Scienze per la Promozione della Salute e Materno Infantile, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Emanuele Amodio
- Dipartimento di Scienze per la Promozione della Salute e Materno Infantile, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Rosafio
- Dipartimento Biomedico di Medicina Interna e Specialistica Laboratorio di Nutrizione Clinica, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Salvatore Verga
- Dipartimento Biomedico di Medicina Interna e Specialistica Laboratorio di Nutrizione Clinica, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
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Insalaco L, Di Gaudio F, Terrasi M, Amodeo V, Caruso S, Corsini LR, Fanale D, Margarese N, Santini D, Bazan V, Russo A. Analysis of molecular mechanisms and anti-tumoural effects of zoledronic acid in breast cancer cells. J Cell Mol Med 2013; 16:2186-95. [PMID: 22260151 PMCID: PMC3822988 DOI: 10.1111/j.1582-4934.2012.01527.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Zoledronic acid (ZOL) is the most potent nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate (N-BPs) that strongly binds to bone mineral and acts as a powerful inhibitor of bone resorption, already clinically available for the treatment of patients with osteolytic metastases. Recent data also suggest that ZOL, used in breast cancer, may provide more than just supportive care modifying the course of the disease, though the possible molecular mechanism of action is still unclear.As breast cancer is one of the primary tumours with high propensity to metastasize to the bone, we investigated, for the first time, differential gene expression profile on Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) breast cancer cells treated with low doses of ZOL (10 μM). Microarrays analysis was used to identify, describe and summarize evidence regarding the molecular basis of actions of ZOL and of their possible direct anti-tumour effects. We validated gene expression results of specific transcripts involved in major cellular process by Real Time and Western Blot analysis and we observed inhibition of proliferation and migration through 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and Matrigel assay. We then focused on changes in the cytoskeletal components as fibronectin 1 (FN1), actin, and anti angiogenic compounds as transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and thrombospondin 1 (THBS1). The up-regulation of these products may have an important role in inhibiting proliferation, invasion and angiogenesis mediated by ZOL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lavinia Insalaco
- Section of Medical Oncology, Department of Surgical and Oncology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
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Amodio E, Turci R, Massenti MF, Di Gaudio F, Minoia C, Vitale F, Firenze A, Calamusa G. Serum concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the inhabitants of a Sicilian city. Chemosphere 2012; 89:970-4. [PMID: 22840540 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.06.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2011] [Revised: 05/10/2012] [Accepted: 06/30/2012] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides are common environmental contaminants that have been associated with human health problems. OBJECTIVES To assess serum concentrations of several organochlorine contaminants in general population living in a city with an ancient agricultural tradition and to identify possible exposure sources in Sicily. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted on 101 individuals. Each participant answered a face-to-face questionnaire submitted by well-trained personnel and provided a serum sample which was analyzed for the concentrations of PCBs, HCB, HCHs and DDTs by using gas-chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. RESULTS HCB, p,p'-DDE, PCB 138, PCB 153 and PCB 180 were detected in more than 80% of the study participants. The ng g(-1) lipid median concentrations were: 18.6 for HCB; 175.1 for p,p'-DDE; 22. for PCB 138; 32.5 for PCB 153 and 23.0 for PCB 180. PCB 153 and PCB 138, PCB 138 and PCB 180, PCB 153 and PCB 180, and p,p'-DDE and HCB showed a high correlation each other (p<0.05). HCB and p,p'-DDE concentrations were significantly higher in subjects >49 years old (adj-p=0.03 in 50-69 years old and adj-p<0.001 in >69 years old, respectively) whereas PCB 138, PCB 153 and PCB 180 concentrations were higher in males (adj-p=0.03), in subjects >69 years old (adj-p=0.04) and in current smokers (adj-p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS The present study shows that serum concentrations of organochlorine compounds detected in subjects living in a small Sicilian city with ancient agricultural tradition are similar to those found in subjects living in urban areas of other countries. However, further investigations are needed to compare data from rural/urban areas in the same country, assessing correlations between serum concentrations of several chemical compounds and potential health effects in general population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuele Amodio
- Department of Sciences for Health Promotion G. D'Alessandro, University of Palermo, Italy.
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Bronte G, Terrasi M, Rizzo S, Sivestris N, Ficorella C, Cajozzo M, Di Gaudio F, Gulotta G, Siragusa S, Gebbia N, Russo A. EGFR genomic alterations in cancer: prognostic and predictive values. Front Biosci (Elite Ed) 2011; 3:879-87. [PMID: 21622099 DOI: 10.2741/e296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The role of EGFR in cancer development and progression has been recognized for long time in a variety of human malignancies including lung, head and neck, colon, breast, ovary and glioma. Recently its role as a target of antineoplastic agents has also been identified and a variety of EGFR-targeted drugs is already being used in a clinical setting and others are at present under investigation. Many data involving EGFR protein expression are now available for the choice of anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies in colorectal cancer and with regard to EGFR gene mutations for the choice of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in lung cancer. Other EGFR-related molecular factors, including the EGFR gene copy number, are currently under investigation. This review summarizes both preclinical and clinical available data regarding EGFR genomic alterations as prognostic and predictive factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Bronte
- Department of Surgical and Oncological Sciences, Section of Medical Oncology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
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Ceraulo L, Giorgi G, Liveri VT, Bongiorno D, Indelicato S, Di Gaudio F, Indelicato S. Mass spectrometry of surfactant aggregates. Eur J Mass Spectrom (Chichester) 2011; 17:525-541. [PMID: 22274944 DOI: 10.1255/ejms.1158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
In contrast with the enormous amount of literature produced during many decades in the field of surfactant aggregation in liquid, liquid crystalline and solid phases, only a few investigations concerning surfactant self- assembling in the gas phase as charged aggregates have been carried out until now. This lack of interest is disappointing in view of the remarkable theoretical and practical importance of the inherent knowledge. The absence of surfactant-solvent interactions makes it easier to study the role of surfactant-surfactant forces in determining their peculiar self-assembling features as well as the ability of these assemblies to incorporate selected solubilizate molecules. Thus, the study of gas-phase surfactant and surfactant-solubilizate aggregates is a research subject which has exciting potential, including mass and energy transport in the atmosphere, origin of life and simulation of supramolecular aggregation in interstellar space. On the other hand, the structural and dynamic properties of surfactant aggregates in the gas phase could be exploited in a number of interesting applications such as atmospheric cleaning agents, transport and protection of pulmonary drugs or biomolecules and as nanoreactors for specialized chemical reactions in confined space. Spectrometric techniques, together with molecular dynamics simulations, have been the principal investigative tools in this field and appearto be particularly suited to gaining fundamental information on the structure and stability of surfactant-based supramolecular aggregates, charge state effects, entrapment of solubilizate molecules, preferential solubilization sites and chemical reactions localized in a single organized aggregate. The main aim of this review is to present the actual state of the art in this novel and exciting research field underlining the knowledge acquired up to now as well as the aspects needing a more deep understanding. Moreover, intriguing departures of the behavior of surfactant solutions under electrospray ionization conditions from that of ionic, polar and apolar analytes will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leopoldo Ceraulo
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Molecolari e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi 32, I-90123, Palermo, Italy.
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Calò V, Bruno L, Paglia LL, Perez M, Margarese N, Gaudio FD, Russo A. The Clinical Significance of Unknown Sequence Variants in BRCA Genes. Cancers (Basel) 2010; 2:1644-60. [PMID: 24281179 PMCID: PMC3837329 DOI: 10.3390/cancers2031644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2010] [Revised: 07/08/2010] [Accepted: 08/31/2010] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Germline mutations in BRCA1/2 genes are responsible for a large proportion of hereditary breast and/or ovarian cancers. Many highly penetrant predisposition alleles have been identified and include frameshift or nonsense mutations that lead to the translation of a truncated protein. Other alleles contain missense mutations, which result in amino acid substitution and intronic variants with splicing effect. The discovery of variants of uncertain/unclassified significance (VUS) is a result that can complicate rather than improve the risk assessment process. VUSs are mainly missense mutations, but also include a number of intronic variants and in-frame deletions and insertions. Over 2,000 unique BRCA1 and BRCA2 missense variants have been identified, located throughout the whole gene (Breast Cancer Information Core Database (BIC database)). Up to 10-20% of the BRCA tests report the identification of a variant of uncertain significance. There are many methods to discriminate deleterious/high-risk from neutral/low-risk unclassified variants (i.e., analysis of the cosegregation in families of the VUS, measure of the influence of the VUSs on the wild-type protein activity, comparison of sequence conservation across multiple species), but only an integrated analysis of these methods can contribute to a real interpretation of the functional and clinical role of the discussed variants. The aim of our manuscript is to review the studies on BRCA VUS in order to clarify their clinical relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Calò
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Regional Reference Center for the Biomolecular Characterization and Genetic Screening of Hereditary Tumors, University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 127, 90127 Palermo, Italy; E-Mails: (V.C.); (L.B.); (L.L.P.); (M.P.); (N.M.)
| | - Loredana Bruno
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Regional Reference Center for the Biomolecular Characterization and Genetic Screening of Hereditary Tumors, University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 127, 90127 Palermo, Italy; E-Mails: (V.C.); (L.B.); (L.L.P.); (M.P.); (N.M.)
| | - Laura La Paglia
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Regional Reference Center for the Biomolecular Characterization and Genetic Screening of Hereditary Tumors, University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 127, 90127 Palermo, Italy; E-Mails: (V.C.); (L.B.); (L.L.P.); (M.P.); (N.M.)
| | - Marco Perez
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Regional Reference Center for the Biomolecular Characterization and Genetic Screening of Hereditary Tumors, University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 127, 90127 Palermo, Italy; E-Mails: (V.C.); (L.B.); (L.L.P.); (M.P.); (N.M.)
| | - Naomi Margarese
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Regional Reference Center for the Biomolecular Characterization and Genetic Screening of Hereditary Tumors, University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 127, 90127 Palermo, Italy; E-Mails: (V.C.); (L.B.); (L.L.P.); (M.P.); (N.M.)
| | - Francesca Di Gaudio
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Legal Medicine, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; E-Mail: (F.D.G.)
| | - Antonio Russo
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Regional Reference Center for the Biomolecular Characterization and Genetic Screening of Hereditary Tumors, University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 127, 90127 Palermo, Italy; E-Mails: (V.C.); (L.B.); (L.L.P.); (M.P.); (N.M.)
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: ; Tel: +39-091-6552500; Fax: +39-091-6554529
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Abstract
IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD The endothelin (ET) axis, which includes the biological functions of ETs and their receptors, has played a physiological role in normal tissue, acting as a modulator of vasomotor tone, tissue differentiation and development, cell proliferation and hormone production. Interestingly, it also functions in the growth and progression of various tumors. Several researchers have identified the blockade of the ET-1 receptor as a promising therapeutic approach. AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW The clinical investigation of an orally bioavailable ET antagonist, atrasentan, in prostate cancer, is encouraging. In this neoplasia, it has shown antitumor activity, bone metastasis control and amelioration of cancer-related pain but improvement in time to progression and overall survival has still not been demonstrated. The clinical trials of other ET antagonists are reported. Literature research was performed by Pubmed and Pharmaprojects. WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN A comprehensive view about the use of atrasentan in the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is provided together with the scientific rationale based on the function of ET and its receptor in various cancer development mechanisms. TAKE HOME MESSAGE Atrasentan seems to be active in CRPC, although strong scientific evidence is still to be found. Interesting clinical findings regard zibotentan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Russo
- Università di Palermo, Section of Medical Oncology, Department of Surgical and Oncological Sciences, Via del Vespro 129, 90127 Palermo, Italy.
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Taibi G, Di Gaudio F, Nicotra CMA. Xanthine dehydrogenase processes retinol to retinoic acid in human mammary epithelial cells. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2008; 23:317-27. [PMID: 18569334 DOI: 10.1080/14756360701584539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Retinoic acid is considered to be the active metabolite of retinol, able to control differentiation and proliferation of epithelia. Retinoic acid biosynthesis has been widely described with the implication of multiple enzymatic activities. However, our understanding of the cell biological function and regulation of this process is limited. In a recent study we evidenced that milk xanthine oxidase (E.C. 1.17.3.2.) is capable to oxidize all-trans-retinol bound to CRBP (holo-CRBP) to all-trans-retinaldehyde and then to all-trans-retinoic acid. To get further knowledge regarding this process we have evaluated the biosynthetic pathway of retinoic acid in a human mammary epithelial cell line (HMEC) in which xanthine dehydrogenase (E.C. 1.17.1.4.), the native form of xanthine oxidase, is expressed. Here we report the demonstration of a novel retinol oxidation pathway that in the HMEC cytoplasm directly conduces to retinoic acid. After isolation and immunoassay of the cytosolic protein showing retinol oxidizing activity we identified it with the well-known enzyme xanthine dehydrogenase. The NAD+ dependent retinol oxidation catalyzed by xanthine dehydrogenase is strictly dependent on cellular retinol binding proteins and is inhibited by oxypurinol. In this work, a new insight into the biological role of xanthine dehydrogenase is given.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gennaro Taibi
- Dipartimento di Oncologia Sperimentale e Applicazioni Cliniche, Universita di Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
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Paterna S, Di Pasquale P, Parrinello G, Fornaciari E, Di Gaudio F, Fasullo S, Giammanco M, Sarullo FM, Licata G. Changes in brain natriuretic peptide levels and bioelectrical impedance measurements after treatment with high-dose furosemide and hypertonic saline solution versus high-dose furosemide alone in refractory congestive heart failure: a double-blind study. J Am Coll Cardiol 2005; 45:1997-2003. [PMID: 15963399 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2005.01.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2004] [Revised: 01/06/2005] [Accepted: 01/26/2005] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a new treatment for refractory congestive heart failure (CHF) on brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) plasma levels and hydration station. BACKGROUND The study was aimed at evaluating the effects of the combination of high-dose furosemide and small-volume hypertonic saline solution (HSS) in refractory CHF patients. METHODS A total of 94 patients (34 women/60 men) with refractory CHF (age 55 to 80 years) were enrolled. They had to have an ejection fraction <35%, serum creatinine <2 mg/dl, blood urea nitrogen <60 mg/dl, a reduced urinary volume, and a low natriuresis (<500 ml/24 h and <60 mEq/24 h, respectively). Patients were divided (double-blind) into two groups: group 1 (18 women/30 men) received an intravenous furosemide (500 to 1,000 mg) plus HSS twice a day in 30 min. Group 2 (16 women/30 men) received an intravenous bolus of furosemide (500 to 1,000 mg/twice a day) alone, for four to six days. At entry, body weight, blood pressure, heart rate, and laboratory parameters were checked during hospitalization; BNP levels were measured on admission, 6 and 30 days after discharge, while on admission and 6 days after, impedance plethysmography was performed. The HSS group received 120 mmol of Na intake versus 80 mmol in non-HSS group. Fluid intake of 1,000 was given to both groups. RESULTS The groups were similar for clinical characteristics. A significant increase in daily diuresis and natriuresis was observed in HSS group, p < 0.05. The BNP values showed significant intragroup and intergroup differences, 6 and 30 days after treatment. The patients from the HSS group reached a better hydration state than the non-HSS group after six days. In addition, the HSS group showed a significant reduction in hospitalization time and readmission rate. CONCLUSIONS Our data show that the HSS group reached dry weight more rapidly, a significantly faster reduction in BNP levels, shorter hospitalization stay, and lower incidence in readmissions in the 30-day study period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvatore Paterna
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
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Stassi G, Todaro M, Zerilli M, Ricci-Vitiani L, Di Liberto D, Patti M, Florena A, Di Gaudio F, Di Gesù G, De Maria R. Thyroid cancer resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs via autocrine production of interleukin-4 and interleukin-10. Cancer Res 2003; 63:6784-90. [PMID: 14583474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/27/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the mechanisms responsible for the widespread refractoriness to chemotherapeutic drugs observed in thyroid cancers. We show that malignant epithelial cells from papillary, follicular, and anaplastic thyroid carcinomas express high levels of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. Exogenous expression of either Bcl-2 or Bcl-xL in normal thyrocytes was sufficient to prevent chemotherapeutic drug-induced cytotoxicity. All of the histological thyroid cancer variants examined produced interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-10 (IL-10), which increased Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL levels and protected thyroid cells from chemotherapeutic agents. Exposure to neutralizing antibodies against IL-4 and IL-10 resulted in down-modulation of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, death of a considerable percentage of thyroid cancer cells, and sensitization of the residual tumor population to cytotoxic drug-induced apoptosis. In conclusion, autocrine production of IL-4 and IL-10 promotes thyroid tumor cell progression and resistance to chemotherapy through the up-regulation of antiapoptotic proteins. Thus, IL-4 and IL-10 may represent new therapeutic targets for the treatment of thyroid cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Stassi
- Department of Surgical and Oncological Sciences, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy.
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Todaro M, Di Gaudio F, Lavitrano M, Stassi G, Papaccio G. Islet beta-cell apoptosis triggered in vivo by interleukin-1beta is not related to the inducible nitric oxide synthase pathway: evidence for mitochondrial function impairment and lipoperoxidation. Endocrinology 2003; 144:4264-71. [PMID: 12960105 DOI: 10.1210/en.2003-0385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
IL-1beta is recognized as an effector cytokine contributing to islet beta-cell destruction during diabetes. We have previously shown in vitro that IL-1beta induces nitric oxide (NO) and beta-cell damage. Here, we show that IL-1beta administration in vivo to Wistar rats transiently increases manganese superoxide dismutase activity, whereas inducible NO synthase is not detected, and the levels of nitrate+nitrate do not change. Moreover, a significant decrease of mitochondrial aconitase, leading to a rise of hydroperoxides, and islet beta-cell apoptosis, involving caspase-3 and -8, is observed. Analysis of adhesion molecules in beta-cells showed that intercellular adhesion molecule-1 is highly expressed 48 h after IL-1beta administration and that this is concomitant to the fall of manganese superoxide dismutase activity. Thus, IL-1beta exerts a proapoptotic effect in vivo through mitochondrial enzyme alteration, which is not related to the inducible NO synthase pathway, and dysregulates the immune system through the up-regulation of adhesion molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matilde Todaro
- Department of Surgical and Oncological Services, University of Palermo, Italy
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Butera D, Tesoriere L, Di Gaudio F, Bongiorno A, Allegra M, Pintaudi AM, Kohen R, Livrea MA. Antioxidant activities of sicilian prickly pear (Opuntia ficus indica) fruit extracts and reducing properties of its betalains: betanin and indicaxanthin. J Agric Food Chem 2002; 50:6895-6901. [PMID: 12405794 DOI: 10.1021/jf025696p] [Citation(s) in RCA: 270] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Sicilian cultivars of prickly pear (Opuntia ficus indica) produce yellow, red, and white fruits, due to the combination of two betalain pigments, the purple-red betanin and the yellow-orange indicaxanthin. The betalain distribution in the three cultivars and the antioxidant activities of methanolic extracts from edible pulp were investigated. In addition, the reducing capacity of purified betanin and indicaxanthin was measured. According to a spectrophotometric analysis, the yellow cultivar exhibited the highest amount of betalains, followed by the red and white ones. Indicaxanthin accounted for about 99% of betalains in the white fruit, while the ratio of betanin to indicaxanthin varied from 1:8 (w:w) in the yellow fruit to 2:1 (w:w) in the red one. Polyphenol pigments were negligible components only in the red fruit. When measured as 6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxylic acid (Trolox) equivalents per gram of pulp, the methanolic fruit extracts showed a marked antioxidant activity. Vitamin C did not account for more than 40% of the measured activity. In addition, the extracts dose-dependently inhibited the organic hydroperoxide-stimulated red cell membrane lipid oxidation, as well as the metal-dependent and -independent low-density lipoprotein oxidation. The extract from the white fruit showed the highest protection in all models of lipid oxidation. Purified betanin and indicaxanthin were more effective than Trolox at scavenging the [2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)] diammonium salt cation radical. Cyclic voltammetric measurements show two anodic waves for betanin and indicaxanthin, and differential pulse voltammetry shows three anodic waves for betanin, with calculated peak potentials of 404, 616, and 998 mV, and two anodic waves for indicaxanthin, with peak potentials of 611 and 895 mV. Betanin underwent complex formation through chelation with Cu(2+), whereas indicaxanthin was not modified. These findings suggest that the above betalains contribute to the antioxidant activity of prickly pear fruits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Butera
- Departments of Pharmaceutical, Toxicological and Biological Chemistry, and Medical Biotechnologies and Forensic Medicine, Policlinico, University of Palermo, 90134 Palermo, Italy
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