Gliomatosis cerebri type II: two case reports

Two types of gliomatosis cerebri exist: Type I and Type II. We report the results of a histological and genetic study of two cases of gliomatosis cerebri Type II, correlating these results with therapy and prognosis. Case presentation Two patients, a 52-year-old man (Patient 1) and a 76-year-old man (Patient 2) with gliomatosis cerebri II were admitted to our institution; they underwent surgical treatment and received radiotherapy and chemotherapy. At the 24-month follow-up, Patient 1 was still alive, while Patient 2 had died. The poor prognosis of Patient 2 was underlined by molecular analysis which showed that the angiogenesis related genes VCAM1 and VEGF were overexpressed, reflecting the high degree of neovascularization. Conclusion Genes involved in drug resistance and metallothioneins were highly expressed in Patient 2 and this, associated with unmethylated O6-methylguanine methyltransferase, can explain the lack of response to chemotherapy

Outcomes from elective colorectal cancer surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

miR-15b and miR-21 as Circulating Biomarkers for Diagnosis of Glioma

Malignant gliomas are lethal primary intracranial tumors. To date, little information on the role of deregulated genes in gliomas have been identified. As the involvement of miRNAs in the carcinogenesis is well known, we carried out a pilot study to identify, as potential biomarkers, differentially expressed microRNAs in blood samples of patients affected by glioma. We studied the miRNAs' expression, by means of microarray and Real-Time PCR, in 30 blood samples from glioma patients and in 82 blood samples of patients suffering from: (a) various neurological disorders (n=30), (b) primary B-lymphoma of the Central Nervous System (PCNSL, n=36) and (c) secondary brain metastases (n=16). By quantitative real time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), we identified significantly increased levels of two candidate biomarkers, miR-15b and miR-21, in blood of patients affected by gliomas. ROC analysis of miR-15b biomarker levels allowed to differentiate patients with tumour from patients without glioma. Furthermore, combined expression analyses of miR15b and miR-21 distinguished between patients with and without glioma (90% sensitivity and 100% specificity). In addition, a decrement in the expression levels of miR-16 characterized glioblastomas compared to low grade and anaplastic gliomas. In conclusion, this pilot study suggest that it's possible to identify the disease state by meaning miR-15b and miR-21 markers in blood, while miR-16 can be used to distinguish glioblastoma from other grade gliomas. They can potentially be used as biomarkers for non-invasive diagnosis of gliomas; further studies are mandatory to confirm our preliminary findings

The hybrid nanobiointerface between nitrogen-doped graphene oxide and lipid membranes: a theoretical and experimental study

In this study, we present a comparison between graphene oxide (GO) and nitrogen-doped GO (N-GO) in terms of spectroscopic properties and biomolecule-binding potentiality features. Specifically, GO nanosheets, both in aqueous dispersion and in solid state, were successfully modified with different amino-containing moieties, in order to obtain graphene-based nanostructures able to respond to chemical stimuli (e.g., pH) and with tunable surface properties. The physisorption of dye-labelled lipid vesicles loaded with curcumin, was scrutinised both theoretically and experimentally. The energetics of the hybrid lipid membrane-curcumin-GO interface at different pH values, representative respectively of physiological (7.4) and pathological (5.5) environment, were estimated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The GO and GO-N samples characterization by Raman, fluorescence, and UV-vis spectroscopies, as well as confocal microscopy demonstrated promising features of the (N-)GO/lipid platforms for fluorescence imaging and drug delivery applications

The hybrid nanobiointerface between nitrogen-doped graphene oxide and lipid membranes: a theoretical and experimental study

In this study, we present a comparison between graphene oxide (GO) and nitrogen-doped GO (N-GO) in terms of spectroscopic properties and biomolecule-binding potentiality features. Specifically, GO nanosheets, both in aqueous dispersion and in solid state, were successfully modified with different amino-containing moieties, in order to obtain graphene-based nanostructures able to respond to chemical stimuli (e.g., pH) and with tunable surface properties. The physisorption of dye-labelled lipid vesicles loaded with curcumin, was scrutinised both theoretically and experimentally. The energetics of the hybrid lipid membrane-curcumin-GO interface at different pH values, representative respectively of physiological (7.4) and pathological (5.5) environment, were estimated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The GO and GO-N samples characterization by Raman, fluorescence, and UV-vis spectroscopies, as well as confocal microscopy demonstrated promising features of the (N-)GO/lipid platforms for fluorescence imaging and drug delivery applications