Nanoparticles in Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

The use of tailored medication delivery in cancer treatment has the potential to increase efficacy while decreasing unfavourable side effects. For researchers looking to improve clinical outcomes, chemotherapy for cancer continues to be the most challenging topic. Cancer is one of the worst illnesses despite the limits of current cancer therapies. New anticancer medications are therefore required to treat cancer. Nanotechnology has revolutionized medical research with new and improved materials for biomedical applications, with a particular focus on therapy and diagnostics. In cancer research, the application of metal nanoparticles as substitute chemotherapy drugs is growing. Metals exhibit inherent or surface-induced anticancer properties, making metallic nanoparticles extremely useful. The development of metal nanoparticles is proceeding rapidly and in many directions, offering alternative therapeutic strategies and improving outcomes for many cancer treatments. This review aimed to present the most commonly used nanoparticles for cancer applications

Inhibitory Effect of Quercetin on Oxidative Endogen Enzymes: A Focus on Putative Binding Modes

Oxidative stress is defined as an imbalance between the production of free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the ability of the body to neutralize them by anti-oxidant defense systems. Cells can produce ROS during physiological processes, but excessive ROS can lead to non-specific and irreversible damage to biological molecules, such as DNA, lipids, and proteins. Mitochondria mainly produce endogenous ROS during both physiological and pathological conditions. Enzymes like nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (NOX), xanthine oxidase (XO), lipoxygenase (LOX), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and monoamine oxidase (MAO) contribute to this process. The body has enzymatic and non-enzymatic defense systems to neutralize ROS. The intake of bioactive phenols, like quercetin (Que), can protect against pro-oxidative damage by quenching ROS through a non-enzymatic system. In this study, we evaluate the ability of Que to target endogenous oxidant enzymes involved in ROS production and explore the mechanisms of action underlying its anti-oxidant properties. Que can act as a free radical scavenger by donating electrons through the negative charges in its phenolic and ketone groups. Additionally, it can effectively inhibit the activity of several endogenous oxidative enzymes by binding them with high affinity and specificity. Que had the best molecular docking results with XO, followed by MAO-A, 5-LOX, NOX, and MPO. Que's binding to these enzymes was confirmed by subsequent molecular dynamics, revealing different stability phases depending on the enzyme bound. The 500 ns simulation showed a net evolution of binding for NOX and MPO. These findings suggest that Que has potential as a natural therapy for diseases related to oxidative stress

About the shallow resistivity structure of Vesuvius volcano

Magnetotelluric (MT) soundings performed in the past in the volcanic area of Mt. Vesuvius by two independent research groups showed in the same places MT apparent resistivity curves with very similar shape, but statically shifted by one order of magnitude, at least. To try to resolve this ambiguity new controlled source audio-magnetotelluric (CSAMT) measurements have been carried out in the same MT sites. The interpretation of the CSAMT dataset, combined with that of two shallow dipole-dipole geoelectrical resistivity tomographies previously carried out in the area have allowed a reliable electrical structure to be recovered down to a few km of depth, which will next be used for a best constrained re-interpretation of the deep MT soundings

Risk Management in Magnetic Resonance: Failure Mode, Effects, and Criticality Analysis

The aim of the study was to perform a risk management procedure in "Magnetic Resonance Examination" process in order to identify the critical phases and sources of radiological errors and to identify potential improvement projects including procedures, tests, and checks to reduce the error occurrence risk. In this study we used the proactive analysis "Failure Mode Effects Criticality Analysis," a qualitative and quantitative risk management procedure; has calculated Priority Risk Index (PRI) for each activity of the process; have identified, on the PRI basis, the most critical activities and, for them, have defined improvement projects; and have recalculated the PRI after implementation of improvement projects for each activity. Time stop and audits are performed in order to control the new procedures. The results showed that the most critical tasks of "Magnetic Resonance Examination" process were the reception of the patient, the patient schedule drafting, the closing examination, and the organization of activities. Four improvement projects have been defined and executed. PRI evaluation after improvement projects implementation has shown that the risk decreased significantly following the implementation of procedures and controls defined in improvement projects, resulting in a reduction of the PRI between 43% and 100%

Radiofrequency Ablation and Microwave Ablation in Liver Tumors: An Update

This article provides an overview of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation (MWA) for treatment of primary liver tumors and hepatic metastasis. Only studies reporting RFA and MWA safety and efficacy on liver were retained. We found 40 clinical studies that satisfied the inclusion criteria. RFA has become an established treatment modality because of its efficacy, reproducibility, low complication rates, and availability. MWA has several advantages over RFA, which may make it more attractive to treat hepatic tumors. According to the literature, the overall survival, local recurrence, complication rates, disease-free survival, and mortality in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with RFA vary between 53.2 \ub1 3.0 months and 66 months, between 59.8% and 63.1%, between 2% and 10.5%, between 22.0 \ub1 2.6 months and 39 months, and between 0% and 1.2%, respectively. According to the literature, overall survival, local recurrence, complication rates, disease-free survival, and mortality in patients with HCC treated with MWA (compared with RFA) vary between 22 months for focal lesion >3 cm (vs. 21 months) and 50 months for focal lesion 643 cm (vs. 27 months), between 5% (vs. 46.6%) and 17.8% (vs. 18.2%), between 2.2% (vs. 0%) and 61.5% (vs. 45.4%), between 14 months (vs. 10.5 months) and 22 months (vs. no data reported), and between 0% (vs. 0%) and 15% (vs. 36%), respectively. According to the literature, the overall survival, local recurrence, complication rates, and mortality in liver metastases patients treated with RFA (vs. MWA) are not statistically different for both the survival times from primary tumor diagnosis and survival times from ablation, between 10% (vs. 6%) and 35.7% (vs. 39.6), between 1.1% (vs. 3.1%) and 24% (vs. 27%), and between 0% (vs. 0%) and 2% (vs. 0.3%). MWA should be considered the technique of choice in selected patients, when the tumor is 653 cm in diameter or is close to large vessels, independent of its size. Implications for Practice: Although technical features of the radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation (MWA) are similar, the differences arise from the physical phenomenon used to generate heat. RFA has become an established treatment modality because of its efficacy, reproducibility, low complication rates, and availability. MWA has several advantages over RFA, which may make it more attractive than RFA to treat hepatic tumors. The benefits of MWA are an improved convection profile, higher constant intratumoral temperatures, faster ablation times, and the ability to use multiple probes to treat multiple lesions simultaneously. MWA should be considered the technique of choice when the tumor is 653 cm in diameter or is close to large vessels, independent of its size

DG-CST (Disease Gene Conserved Sequence Tags), a database of human�mouse conserved elements associated to disease genes

The identification and study of evolutionarily conserved genomic sequences that surround disease-related genes is a valuable tool to gain insight into the functional role of these genes and to better elucidate the pathogenetic mechanisms of disease. We created the DG-CST (Disease Gene Conserved Sequence Tags) database for the identification and detailed annotation of human–mouse conserved genomic sequences that are localized within or in the vicinity of human disease-related genes. CSTs are defined as sequences that show at least 70% identity between human and mouse over a length of at least 100 bp. The database contains CST data relative to over 1088 genes responsible for monogenetic human genetic diseases or involved in the susceptibility to multifactorial/polygenic diseases. DG-CST is accessible via the internet at http://dgcst.ceinge.unina.it/ and may be searched using both simple and complex queries. A graphic browser allows direct visualization of the CSTs and related annotations within the context of the relative gene and its transcripts

Effects of Euphorbia characias subsp. characias flower extracts on nociceptive pain and acute inflammatory models in mice

Pain and inflammation are major health issues worldwide, leading to negative consequences. Despite several drugs being available to manage these conditions, their effectiveness can be limited by cost, adverse reactions, and potential tolerance and dependence with long-term use. Euphorbia characias traditionally used in folk medicine for its diverse biological activities - including antiproliferative, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory effects - has not been extensively studied in vivo for its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties of the water and ethanolic extracts of E. characias flowers (ECAEFl and ECEEFl) were evaluated using various models. Both extracts significantly reduced paw licking time in a formalin-induced paw licking model, with ECAEFl specifically targeting and ECEEFl affecting both the neurogenic and inflammatory phases. Additionally, in the carrageenan-induced cell migration model, both extracts showed a significant decrease in leukocyte migration, protein extravasation and nitric oxide levels, further demostrating their anti-inflammatory activity. High-Resolution HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS-MS and HPLC-PDA analysis characterized the chemical composition of the extracts, identifying a significant presence of phenolic compounds, particularly quercetin and its derivatives, which likely contribute to the observed biological activities. These findings highlight the potential of E. characias extracts as natural sources of compounds with antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties. Further investigations are needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and explore their therapeutic potential in pain and inflammation-related disorders