Nab-paclitaxel in pretreated metastatic breast cancer: evaluation of activity, safety, and quality of life

Objective: Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is an incurable disease; the treatment of this disease prolongs survival, improving the quality of life (QoL) with a balance between efficacy and toxicity of the treatment. In recent years, treatment with nab-paclitaxel has improved the already known antitumor activity of conventional paclitaxel, in terms of increased efficacy and better tolerability. The aim of this study was to evaluate nab-paclitaxel in Italian patients with MBC. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 90 patients with histologically confirmed diagnosis of MBC. To evaluate the efficacy of nab-paclitaxel, overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall response rate were the primary endpoints, whereas carbohydrate antigen 15.3 (Ca15.3) reduction, QoL, and tolerability were secondary endpoints. Results: The median OS was 10.4 months, the median PFS was 6.8 months. A considerable difference Ca15.3 before and after treatment was observed. Descriptive and regression analyses were done to examine the associations between Ca15.3 response and OS, demonstrating good correlation, revealing that Ca15.3 reduction is an important predictor of OS. Conclusion: Nab-paclitaxel is an effective and well-tolerated treatment of patients affected by MBC. The drug showed an improved tolerability profile. With all the limitations of the observational nature of our results, nab-paclitaxel has proven to be an effective and safe therapeutic option in patients with MBC

Is it time to implement a standardized oral glucose and fat load test to detect high risk patients? Probably not yet

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Histamine in Fish Products Randomly Collected in Southern Italy: A 6-Year Study.

In total, 4,615 fresh and processed fish samples collected from 2010 to 2015 were analyzed for histamine by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. Histamine levels were detected in 352 (7.6%) samples, with a maximum of 4,110 mg kg-1 and mean values of 908.9 ± 1,226.79 and 344.01 ± 451.18 mg kg-1 for fresh and processed fish samples, respectively. No histamine levels were found in canned tuna and smoked fish samples in contrast to most of the data reported in the literature. A low percentage (2.79%) of noncompliant samples was found. The highest mean values were found during 2011 and 2015 for fresh and processed fish samples, respectively, showing a significant (P < 0.05) difference between the sampling years. The histamine contents found in fresh fish samples were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those of processed samples. Most of the positive samples came from street vendors, suggesting the need to improve inspection measures in these commercial categories to ensure fish product safety

The molecular changes driving the carcinogenesis in Barrett's esophagus: Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Esophageal adenocarcinoma originates from columnar metaplastic epithelium of the distal esophagus. Various steps for this carcinogenetic process are known. Before the onset of high-grade dysplasia and adenocarcinoma, endoscopic surveillance is possible. However, because of the high cost of long-term surveillance, predictive factors for cancer are being evaluated to identify subjects with metaplasia who have a higher risk of developing malignancy. Molecular changes seem suitable for this purpose, but could require a high resource expenditure. While trying to identify the best predictive factors for cancer risk, molecular changes and differences in miRNA expression profile between the various steps leading to cancer could help to clarify Barrett's carcinogenesis. In this attempt to find a molecular explanation for the onset of esophageal adenocarcinoma, it is still difficult to understand whether the molecular changes are causes or effects of the neoplastic phenotypic modifications

Hypoxia and Human Genome Stability: Downregulation of BRCA2 Expression in Breast Cancer Cell Lines

Previously, it has been reported that hypoxia causes increased mutagenesis and alteration in DNA repair mechanisms. In 2005, an interesting study showed that hypoxia-induced decreases in BRCA1 expression and the consequent suppression of homologous recombination may lead to genetic instability. However, nothing is yet known about the involvement of BRCA2 in hypoxic conditions in breast cancer. Initially, a cell proliferation assay allowed us to hypothesize that hypoxia could negatively regulate the breast cancer cell growth in short term in vitro studies. Subsequently, we analyzed gene expression in breast cancer cell lines exposed to hypoxic condition by microarray analysis. Interestingly, genes involved in DNA damage repair pathways such as mismatch repair, nucleotide excision repair, nonhomologous end-joining and homologous recombination repair were downregulated. In particular, we focused on the BRCA2 downregulation which was confirmed at mRNA and protein level. In addition, breast cancer cells were treated with dimethyloxalylglycine (DMOG), a cell-permeable inhibitor of both proline and asparaginyl hydroxylases able to induce HIF-1α stabilization in normoxia, providing results comparable to those previously described. These findings may provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying genetic instability mediated by hypoxia and BRCA involvement in sporadic breast cancers

The cold chain and the COVID-19 pandemic: an unusual increase in histamine content in fish samples collected in Southern Italy during lockdown

Objectives We analysed 900 samples of fresh (250) and processed (650) fish products collected in Sicily (Southern Italy) in 2020 during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic (hereafter: COVID-19). Materials and methods The samples were divided temporally based on five phases relating to the various restrictions imposed by the Italian government in this period. The validated method of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) combined with a diode array detector (DAD) was then employed for the analysis. Results The samples collected during the Phase I lockdown period and after it had ended (Phase II) revealed significant increases in the mean histamine levels: 41.89±87.58 mg/kg -1 and 24.91±76.76 mg/kg -1, respectively. The 11 (1.3% of the total) fresh fish samples that were identified as being non-compliant with EC Reg. 2073/2005 were only found during these two periods. All the processed samples were always compliant. The histamine values decreased as the restrictions eased, achieving a mean value of 11.16±9.3 mgkg -1 (Phase III). Conclusions There was an increase in the incidence of fish samples that were non-compliant with EC Reg. 2073/2005 compared to previous surveillance data. These results provide a first report on the effect of lockdown measures on food safety and the cold chain. Our findings must cause food safety operators to intensify their controls over fresh fish products in such periods to safeguard consumer health. Further studies are required to evaluate whether the same trend would be observed with other food contaminants

Testing the Short-Term Efficacy of a Lipid-Lowering Nutraceutical in the Setting of Clinical Practice: A Multicenter Study

The main guidelines for cardiovascular disease prevention suggest that nutraceuticals could be an efficacious tool to improve lipid pattern. Our aim was to carry out a clinical trial comparing the metabolic effects of a combined nutraceutical containing both red yeast rice and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and a phytosterol-based approach in a setting of clinical practice. This was a multicenter open study with parallel control. We consecutively enrolled 107 pharmacologically untreated subjects affected by primary polygenic hypercholesterolemia and metabolic syndrome, assigned to 8-week treatment with a combined treatment with red yeast rice (Dif1Stat\uc2\uae, including 5mg monacolin K) and 610mg PUFAs. A parallel group of 30 subjects with similar characteristics was treated with phytosterols 1600mg/die. In the combined nutraceutical group, compared with the baseline level, we observed a significant decrease in total cholesterol (TC; -42.50\uc2\ub118.1mg/dL), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; -37.6\uc2\ub113.6mg/dL), triglycerides (TG; -19.8\uc2\ub125.1mg/dL), and non-HDL-C (-43.1\uc2\ub117.7mg/dL) (all P<.001). In the phytosterol-treated group, compared to the baseline level, we observed a significant decrease in TC (-13.7\uc2\ub14.3mg/dL), LDL-C (-17.6\uc2\ub18.5mg/dL), and non-HDL-C (-14.1\uc2\ub15.6mg/dL) (all P<.001). When comparing the combined nutraceutical effect with that of phytosterols, we observed that the combined nutraceutical intake was associated with a significantly higher decrease in TC, LDL-C, TG, and non-HDL-C (all P<.001). In the short term, a combined nutraceutical containing red yeast rice and PUFAs is well tolerated and efficacious in reducing plasma lipid levels in subjects affected by primary polygenic hypercholesterolemia and metabolic syndrome

Clinical efficacy of nab-paclitaxel in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer

Purpose: Pancreatic carcinoma is the neoplasia with the major mortality, and main standard treatments in this cancer increase survival but do not lead to complete recovery of the patient. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Abraxane® (nab-paclitaxel) in Italian patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer (MPC). Patients and methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 80 patients. Overall survival (OS) was the primary end point for evaluating the efficacy of nab-paclitaxel in combination with gemcitabine treatment, while carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) reduction, safety, progression-free survival (PFS), overall response rate and reduction in pain were secondary end points. Results: The median OS was 8 months, and the median PFS was 5 months. A considerable difference in CA 19-9 before and after treatment was observed. Descriptive and correlation analyses were done to examine the relationship between CA 19-9 response and OS. Linear regression analysis between OS and CA 19-9 response revealed that CA 19-9 is an important predictor of OS, showing a positive correlation. Conclusion: Nab-paclitaxel is a well-tolerated and effective treatment for patients affected by MPC. The drug showed an improved tolerability profile, significant pain relief and an increase in survival rate

Primary Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma of the parotid gland

Primary malignant lymphomas in the salivary glands are relatively rare. Clinical presentation is not characteristic and the disease is often overlooked resulting in diagnosis and treatment delays. Aim To stress the importance of the diagnostic process and combined management, we present a series of eight patients with malignant lymphoma of the parotid who were diagnosed only after surgery and managed with radiation and chemotherapy. Methods Retrospective series of patients with primary malignant lymphoma of the parotid gland managed with radiotherapy and diagnostic surgical partial resection. Results After treatment completion we achieved a loco-regional control rate of 87.5%. Toxicity was charted according to the Common Toxicity Criteria and it was seen in six patients (75%). Six patients are still alive without evidence of recurrent disease in their last follow-up. Conclusion Our study confirms that primary early stage Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma of the parotid gland is a disease with an excellent prognosis and a good local control rate, with minimal morbidity