False-Positive Aspergillus Galactomannan Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Results In Vivo during Amoxicillin-Clavulanic Acid Treatment

Positive Platelia Aspergillus test results were observed in consecutive serum samples from an immunocompromised host during amoxicillin-clavulanic acid treatment, and a correlation between plasmatic amoxicillin concentration and galactomannan optical density index was observed. Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid vials tested positive for galactomannan but were negative for Aspergillus DNA

Unraveling the Mechanistic Complexity of the Glomerulocystic Phenotype in Dicer Conditional KO Mice by 2D Gel Electrophoresis Coupled Mass Spectrometry

Purpose: Dicer, an RNase III type endonuclease, is a key enzyme involved in miRNA biogenesis. It has been shown that this enzyme is essential for several aspects of postnatal kidney functions and homeostasis. In this study, we have examined conditional knockout (cKO) mice for Dicer in Pax8 (Paired-box gene 8) expressing cells to investigate the kidney protein profile. This specific model develops a glomerulocystic phenotype coupled with urinary concentration impairment, proteinuria, and severe renal failure. Experimental design: Proteomic analysis was performed on kidney tissue extracts from cKO and control (Ctr) mice by 2D Gel Electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry. Results: The analysis highlighted 120 protein spots differentially expressed in Dicer cKO tissue compared with control; some of these proteins were validated by Western blotting. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis led to the identification of some interesting networks; among them, the one having ERK as a central hub may explain, through the modulation of the expression of a number of identified protein targets, the metabolic and structural alterations occurring during kidney cyst development in Dicer cKO mouse model. Conclusions and clinical relevance: Our results contribute to gain new insights into molecular mechanisms through which Dicer endonuclease controls kidney development and physiological functions

Ferritin heavy chain is a negative regulator of ovarian cancer stem cell expansion and epithelial to mesenchymal transition

Objectives: Ferritin is the major intracellular iron storage protein essential for maintaining the cellular redox status. In recent years ferritin heavy chain (FHC) has been shown to be involved also in the control of cancer cell growth. Analysis of public microarray databases in ovarian cancer revealed a correlation between low FHC expression levels and shorter survival. To better understand the role of FHC in cancer, we have silenced the FHC gene in SKOV3 cells. Results: FHC-KO significantly enhanced cell viability and induced a more aggressive behaviour. FHC-silenced cells showed increased ability to form 3D spheroids and enhanced expression of NANOG, OCT4, ALDH and Vimentin. These features were accompanied by augmented expression of SCD1, a major lipid metabolism enzyme. FHC apparently orchestrates part of these changes by regulating a network of miRNAs. Methods: FHC-silenced and control shScr SKOV3 cells were monitored for changes in proliferation, migration, ability to propagate as 3D spheroids and for the expression of stem cell and epithelial-to-mesenchymal-transition (EMT) markers. The expression of three miRNAs relevant to spheroid formation or EMT was assessed by q-PCR. Conclusions: In this paper we uncover a new function of FHC in the control of cancer stem cells