Intestinal Microbiota, Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: The Potential Role of Dysbiosis in the Hepatocarcinogenesis

Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for the majority of primary liver cancers. Approximately 5–30% of HCC patients lack a readily identifiable risk factor for their cancer, and most of these cases are attributed to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)

Critica ed anacritica di Gv. 18. 31 b. I poteri del Gran Sinedrio ai tempi della procuratoria romana in Giudea

Fin dall’alba primissima della sua storia plurimillenaria, Israele si è presentato sotto la triplice interdipendente connotazione di una religione rivelata, di un popolo nazionalmente qualificato e di uno Stato sovrano, che, per trascorrere di tempi e succedersi di eventi, resteranno anche in epoca romana, in atto o in potenza, in toto o singolarmente, le sue immutabili costanti. E fu contro l’una o l’altra di esse che, a seconda delle congiunture, i romani (e prima e dopo gli altri dominatori), allorquando se ne proposero la difficile amministrazione, diressero i loro intendimenti: ora verso la mitigazione delle strutture statali nell’ambito del territorio che le era proprio, ora col minarne il carattere nazionale di popolo sovrano (accanendosi in epoca tarda anche contro il suo carattere confessionale).Lo studio pone l’attenzione sul difficile intreccio di poteri e sui prevedibili conflitti gestiti in Israele durante la prima procuratoria, che nonostante i moti di liberazione maturati ossessivamente nelle sue diverse sfere sociali, attese sempre ad una coscienza nuova, la quale, riscoprendo e riattualizzando in termini culturali e politici quella triplice e originaria essenza, alimentò i diritti del luogo, seppure nella fisiologica attenuazione imposta ad un popolo conquistato.In tal senso l’ebraismo, compresso nella sua originaria concezione e nelle sue componenti, nazionale e statale, andò senz’altro scolorendosi, pur non essendogli negata una certa parità civile e di certo religiosa, tale da dare legalità alle sue istanze, fino al punto di autorizzare la morte immediata per qualsiasi uomo, fosse anch’esso un romano, che avesse profanato il recinto sacro del tempio.In una tale proiezione non trova conforto l’idea di un popolo largamente indipendente e con possibilità di giurisdizione capitale. Una precisa comparazione, anche sulla base di una diversa e nuova metodologia (il Concilio Ecumenico Vaticano II si è pronunciato in merito ai Vangeli definendoli una sintesi della tradizione apostolica adattati alle necessità delle chiese per le quali sono scritti e nello stile proprio della proclamazione (DV 19) mentre la lettera apostolica di Giovanni Paolo II, Tertio millennio adveniente. Preparazione del Giubileo dell’anno 2000, afferma che gli scritti del N. T., “Pur essendo documenti di fede non sono meno attendibili nell’insieme dei loro riferimenti, anche come testimonianze storiche”) tra i passi cristiani e quelli più salienti, in materia, della tradizione rabbinica, ha verificato che le autorità ebraiche, primo tra tutti il Gran Sinedrio di Gerusalemme, non conservavano più poteri di giurisdizione capitale.Sostenere il contrario sulla base di fonti lette forzatamente è un’aridità concettuale di teorie facinorose (l’exequatur o delibatio da parte del Praefectus Iudaeae), le quali, se riflettendo sul passato si potevano ancora sostenere, non trovano più giustificazione nella prospettiva della più recente esegesi biblica. In tal senso il vangelo di Giovanni nell’escludere senza rimedio la prerogativa degli ebrei di pronunciare sentenze di morte, di fronte alla domanda del Governatore romano (niente affatto interessato alla questione), riporta in 18. 31b l’eco lapidaria della risposta giudaica: “a noi non è permesso di mettere a morte nessuno”

Antitumoral Efficacy of Two Turmeric Extracts According to Different Extraction Methods in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Lines

Curcuminoids, bioactive molecules contained in turmeric, have been reported to exert anticancer effects in several human cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the extraction method can significantly affect the structural characteristics of curcuminoids and their biological properties. On this basis, in the present study we investigated the content of curcuminoids and the anticancer activity of two turmeric powders extracted according two different methodologies: solvent extraction with ethyl acetate vs an ancient Indian extraction method of boiling of rhizomes in water followed by dehydration at the sun. Results obtained showed that extraction with ethyl acetate resulted in a significant recovery of curcuminoids and anticancer activity both in terms of cell cytotoxicity and migration/invasiveness inhibition in HCC cell lines, compared to common Indian practice. Overall these findings suggest that turmeric powders could have different efficacy, depending on the extraction method. This aspect should be taken into account when choosing the best product to be employed in the prevention and treatment of human diseases, including cancer

Reinitiation of protein synthesis in Escherichia coli can be induced by mRNA cis-elements unrelated to canonical translation initiation signals

AbstractIn Eubacteria, de novo translation of some internal cistrons may be inefficient or impossible unless the 5′ neighboring cistron is also translated (translational coupling). Translation reinitiation is an extreme case of translational coupling in which translation of a message depends entirely on the presence of a nearby terminating ribosome. In this work, the characteristics of mRNA cis-elements inducing the reinitiation process in Escherichia coli have been investigated using a combinatorial approach. A number of novel translational reinitiation sequences (TRSs) were thus identified, which show a wide range of reinitiation activities fully dependent on a translational coupling event and unrelated to the presence/absence of secondary structure or mRNA stability. Moreover, some of the isolated TRSs are similar to intercistronic sequences present in the E. coli genome

Occurrence of Bifidobacteriaceae in human hypochlorhydria stomach

open7noBackground: The human stomach, when healthy, is not a suitable host for microorganisms, but in pathological conditions such as gastritis, when gastric acid secretion is impaired, microbial overgrowth can be observed. Apart from Helicobacter pylori, the composition of microbiota, resident or exogenously introduced during neutral/high pH conditions, has not been investigated thoroughly. Thus, it is possible that Bifidobacteriaceae, important autochthonous and beneficial bacteria of human gastrointestinal microbiota, could over-colonize the stomach of hypochlorhydria patients suffering from autoimmune atrophic gastritis (AAG) or omeprazoletreated (OME) gastritis. This prompted us to characterize the Bifidobacteriaceae in such patients’ gastric microbiota and to study its abnormal colonization. Methods: Samples of gastric juices, and antrum and corpus mucosa from 23 hypochlorhydria patients (13 AAG and 10 OME) and from 10 control volunteers with base-line normochlorhydria, were cultivated in Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) and selective Bifidobacterium-Tryptone-Phytone-Yeast extract (Bif-TPY) media. The isolates were characterized by the fructose-6-phosphate phosphoketolase (F6PPK) test, electrophoresis of cellular proteins, the fermentation test, guanine-cytosine% DNA content, and DNADNA hybridization. Negative F6PPK isolates were characterized by order-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: A total of 125 isolates, assigned to the Bifidobacteriaceae family on the basis of their morphology, were obtained from AAG and OME patients, but not from normal subjects. Of these isolates, 55 were assigned to the Bifidobacteriaceae family on the basis of their fructose-6-phosphoketolase (PPK) activity, PPK being the key taxonomic enzyme of this family. The remaining 70 isolates, which were PPK-negative, were attributed to the Actinomycetales order following specific primer PCR analysis. We observed a significantly higher abundance of Bifidobacteriaceae (Bifidobacterium dentium, Scardovia inopinata, and Parascardovia denticolens) in OME group than the AAG group. Furthermore, the Actinomycetales distribution was homogeneous for both hypochlorhydria patient groups. Conclusions: This study suggests that the Bifidobacteriaceae species, typically found in the oral cavity, readily colonizes the hypochlorhydria stomach of OME patients. The clinical relevance and the mechanism underlying this Bifidobacteriaceae presence in OME gastritis requires further functional studies.openPaola Mattarelli; Giovanni Brandi; Carlo Calabrese; Fabio Fornari; Gian Maria Prati; Bruno Biavati; Barbara SgorbatiPaola Mattarelli; Giovanni Brandi; Carlo Calabrese; Fabio Fornari; Gian Maria Prati; Bruno Biavati; Barbara Sgorbat

Diagnosis and treatment of cholangiocarcinoma in Italy: A Delphi consensus statement

Background: Clinical practice guidelines for the management of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA)/biliary tract cancer recommend genomic profiling to guide treatment decisions. Variable access to such profiling across Italy means many oncologists are unfamiliar with when and how to conduct genetic testing and prescribe targeted treatments. Methods: A Scientific Board of Italian oncologists who treat CCA (the authors) developed recommendations, based on recent clinical evidence, for using molecular testing in diagnosing, assessing, and treating CCA in Italy. The Delphi process was used to reach consensus on these recommendations among 38 Italian oncologists. Consensus was considered to be met if >= 66.7 % of the panel agreed or strongly agreed with each statement. Findings: Consensus was reached on 28 statements across four themes: (1) epidemiology and risk factors; (2) diagnosis, including molecular diagnosis; (3) treatment selection; and (4) treatment safety. Interpretation: These recommendations should aid Italian clinicians in selecting appropriate treatment options for their patients

Neoadjuvant Treatment in Rectal Cancer: Actual Status

Neoadjuvant (preoperative) concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) has become a standard treatment of locally advanced rectal adenocarcinomas. The clinical stages II (cT3-4, N0, M0) and III (cT1-4, N+, M0) according to International Union Against Cancer (IUCC) are concerned. It can reduce tumor volume and subsequently lead to an increase in complete resections (R0 resections), shows less toxicity, and improves local control rate. The aim of this review is to summarize actual approaches, main problems, and discrepancies in the treatment of locally advanced rectal adenocarcinomas

Adjuvant treatment in biliary tract cancer

Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are a heterogeneous group of malignancies with a dismal prognosis. Despite radical surgery, the five-year overall survival (OS) does not exceed 40% in the best series. Adjuvant treatments are widely used even though they have mainly been investigated in small retrospective series until recently. Available data suggest that chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil (and relative prodrugs) or gemcitabine can reduce the risk of relapse and potentially improve patients\u2019 long-term outcome. The role of adjuvant radiotherapy seems to be confined to patients with positive surgical margins. In addition, patients with highrisk factors for relapse (nodal involvement and non-radical resection) benefit most from chemotherapy. Recent results from large randomized trials have clarified the benefit of adjuvant treatments and probably defined a new standard of care

Rare Case of Male Breast Cancer and Axillary Lymphoma in the Same Patient: An Unique Case Report

Breast cancer in men is uncommon, and even more rare is the simultaneous presentation of two different malignancies. A 39-year-old man was diagnosed with both breast cancer and axillary lymphoma. Familiar history revealed that his mother died because of breast cancer. The patient underwent fine needle aspiration leading to the diagnosis of malignant lesion. Modified radical mastectomy was performed. Histology revealed an infiltrating ductal carcinoma 2.8 cm wide, grade 2, with vascular and lymphatic invasion. Surprisingly, one of the second level nodes was confirmed as a high-grade large B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. No family inheritance or gene mutations (BRCA 1 and 2) were found. The patient underwent local radiotherapy, followed by 6 chemotherapy courses (RCHOP) and treatment with tamoxifen 20 mg/daily. To our knowledge, this is the first case reported in literature of male breast cancer and axillary lymphoma simultaneously confirmed in the same patient

Rare Case of Male Breast Cancer and Axillary Lymphoma in the Same Patient: An Unique Case Report

Breast cancer in men is uncommon, and even more rare is the simultaneous presentation of two different malignancies. A 39-year-old man was diagnosed with both breast cancer and axillary lymphoma. Familiar history revealed that his mother died because of breast cancer. The patient underwent fine needle aspiration leading to the diagnosis of malignant lesion. Modified radical mastectomy was performed. Histology revealed an infiltrating ductal carcinoma 2.8 cm wide, grade 2, with vascular and lymphatic invasion. Surprisingly, one of the second level nodes was confirmed as a high-grade large B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. No family inheritance or gene mutations (BRCA 1 and 2) were found. The patient underwent local radiotherapy, followed by 6 chemotherapy courses (RCHOP) and treatment with tamoxifen 20 mg/daily. To our knowledge, this is the first case reported in literature of male breast cancer and axillary lymphoma simultaneously confirmed in the same patient