CD44: A New Prognostic Marker in Colorectal Cancer?

Cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44) is a non-kinase cell surface glycoprotein. It is overexpressed in several cell types, including cancer stem cells (CSCs). Cells overexpressing CD44 exhibit several CSC traits, such as self-renewal, epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) capability, and resistance to chemo- and radiotherapy. The role of CD44 in maintaining stemness and the CSC function in tumor progression is accomplished by binding to its main ligand, hyaluronan (HA). The HA-CD44 complex activates several signaling pathways that lead to cell proliferation, adhesion, migration, and invasion. The CD44 gene regularly undergoes alternative splicing, resulting in the standard (CD44s) and variant (CD44v) isoforms. The different functional roles of CD44s and specific CD44v isoforms still need to be fully understood. The clinicopathological impact of CD44 and its isoforms in promoting tumorigenesis suggests that CD44 could be a molecular target for cancer therapy. Furthermore, the recent association observed between CD44 and KRAS-dependent carcinomas and the potential correlations between CD44 and tumor mutational burden (TMB) and microsatellite instability (MSI) open new research scenarios for developing new strategies in cancer treatment. This review summarises current research regarding the different CD44 isoform structures, their roles, and functions in supporting tumorigenesis and discusses its therapeutic implications

CD44: A New Prognostic Marker in Colorectal Cancer?

Cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44) is a non-kinase cell surface glycoprotein. It is overexpressed in several cell types, including cancer stem cells (CSCs). Cells overexpressing CD44 exhibit several CSC traits, such as self-renewal, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) capability, and resistance to chemo- and radiotherapy. The role of CD44 in maintaining stemness and the CSC function in tumor progression is accomplished by binding to its main ligand, hyaluronan (HA). The HA-CD44 complex activates several signaling pathways that lead to cell proliferation, adhesion, migration, and invasion. The CD44 gene regularly undergoes alternative splicing, resulting in the standard (CD44s) and variant (CD44v) isoforms. The different functional roles of CD44s and specific CD44v isoforms still need to be fully understood. The clinicopathological impact of CD44 and its isoforms in promoting tumorigenesis suggests that CD44 could be a molecular target for cancer therapy. Furthermore, the recent association observed between CD44 and KRAS-dependent carcinomas and the potential correlations between CD44 and tumor mutational burden (TMB) and microsatellite instability (MSI) open new research scenarios for developing new strategies in cancer treatment. This review summarises current research regarding the different CD44 isoform structures, their roles, and functions in supporting tumorigenesis and discusses its therapeutic implications

Early taxane exposure and neurotoxicity in breast cancer patients

Introduction Breast cancer is the most diagnosed tumor and a leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide. Taxanes are the most used chemotherapeutic agents and are strictly connected to neurotoxicity. Taxane-induced neuropathy (TIN) significantly impacts patients’ quality of life (QOL). Early identification and management of TIN could improve preventive strategies to preserve patients’ QOL during and after breast cancer treatment. Objective This prospective, observational study aimed to evaluate the taxane-induced neuropathy (TIN) in early breast cancer patients treated with weekly paclitaxel at an earlier stage and identify any correlation between TIN and QOL. Methods Data from stage I-III breast cancer patients treated with taxane-based therapy between 2018 and 2022 were collected at the Medical Oncology Unit of the University Hospital of Cagliari. Peripheral neuropathy was evaluated using the NCI-CTCAE scale (National Cancer Institute, Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events) at every drug administration. In contrast, QOL was assessed using EORTC QLC-CIPN20 and FACT-Taxane questionnaire at baseline (T0), after 4 weeks (T1) and 12 (T2) weeks of treatment. Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the correlation between neurotoxicity and QOL. Results Neurotoxicity incidence peaked at the third, fourth, and sixth week of treatment, with patients reporting grade 1 and 2 neurotoxicity. Simultaneously with increasing doses of paclitaxel, significant differences in QOL were observed in early treatment cycles relating to TIN presentation. Patients with higher neurotoxicity grades reported lower QOL scores. Conclusions Despite the absence of effective treatments to prevent paclitaxel-induced neurotoxicity, symptoms are managed through dosage reduction, delay, or treatment interruption. Future research should focus on identifying neuroprotective measures to avoid an irreversible decline in the quality of life for breast cancer survivors

A Data Analysis on Road Accidents Involving Pedestrians in Urban Areas

In 2010, UN set the goal of halving the global number of road deaths by 2020. In Italy, over the period 2011–2021, this number fell by only 26%. Therefore, with the National Road Safety Plan (PNSS) 2030, Italy has set the new goal of reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries by 50% by 2030, in particular by increasing the safety of the most vulnerable road users such as pedestrians. In line with national goals, and considering that 77% of accidents occurs in urban areas, this study proposes an analysis of pedestrian accidents that occur on Italian urban roads. The goal is to extract the most significant elements concerning the users involved, the dynamics of the accident, and the reference context, in order to identify policies and strategies aimed at reducing the number of fatal pedestrian accidents. The analysis is based on ISTAT 2021 data on national urban road accidents involving pedestrians. The data is analyzed using multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) combined with hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). The correlations among the accidents and the socioeconomic and behavioral characteristics of the users involved and the temporal characteristics are analyzed in order to support political decision-makers in defining ad hoc measures

Genomic distribution of the retrovirus-like element ZAM in Drosophila.

International audienceThe mobile element ZAM, recently identified in Drosophila melanogaster, is similar in structure and coding potential to vertebrate retroviruses. In this paper, we analyze the insertional and structural polymorphism of this element and show that members of this family appear to have a long evolutionary history in the genome of Drosophila. It is present in all the species of the D. melanogaster subgroup and in more distantly related species like D. takahashii, D. ananassae, or D. virilis but in a lower copy number or with a lower homology. Two categories of strains have been previously identified in D. melanogaster: strains with a high copy number of ZAM and strains with a low copy number. Here, we show that ZAM is at least in a low copy number in each tested strain of the species analyzed. The study of ZAM's genomic distribution by FISH mapping analysis to salivary gland polytene chromosomes or on mitotic chromosomes indicates that most of the insertion sites of ZAM elements are associated with the constitutive heterochromatin regardless of the ZAM copy number. In addition, our results suggest that multiple ZAM elements are present at the insertion sites visualized by in situ experiments

Species richness and habitat use of small carnivores in the Arusha National Park (Tanzania).

The carnivore community of Arusha National Park, Tanzania, was monitored using live trapping and diurnal and nocturnal visual counts and recording of tracks and signs along line transects. Nine carnivore species were recorded. Hyena (Crocuta crocuta), the most common large species, leopard (Panthera pardus) and African civet (Civettictis civetta) were detected along line transects, while the smaller species were counted and/or captured. Mungos mungo, Galerella sanguinea, and Genetta maculata were the most prevalent at transect counts, while G. sanguinea, Bdeogale crassicauda, and G. maculata were most frequently captured. Ichneumia albicauda and Ictonyx striatus were captured at only a single site. Carnivores selected natural habitat types, multilayered forest, open shrubs and herbaceous savannah, and were absent, or tended to avoid disturbed (man-made) habitats. Species of which sufficient data were gathered seemed to behave as habitat generalists (C. crocuta, G. sanguinea, G. maculata, M. mungo and I. striatus). The need for more detailed studies on small carnivore ecology and the importance of smaller protected areas for their conservation are discussed