Lactoferrin's anti-cancer properties. Safety, selectivity, and wide range of action

Despite recent advances in cancer therapy, current treatments, including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy, although beneficial, present attendant side effects and long-term sequelae, usually more or less affecting quality of life of the patients. Indeed, except for most of the immunotherapeutic agents, the complete lack of selectivity between normal and cancer cells for radio- and chemotherapy can make them potential antagonists of the host anti-cancer self-defense over time. Recently, the use of nutraceuticals as natural compounds corroborating anti-cancer standard therapy is emerging as a promising tool for their relative abundance, bioavailability, safety, low-cost effectiveness, and immuno-compatibility with the host. In this review, we outlined the anti-cancer properties of Lactoferrin (Lf), an iron-binding glycoprotein of the innate immune defense. Lf shows high bioavailability after oral administration, high selectivity toward cancer cells, and a wide range of molecular targets controlling tumor proliferation, survival, migration, invasion, and metastasization. Of note, Lf is able to promote or inhibit cell proliferation and migration depending on whether it acts upon normal or cancerous cells, respectively. Importantly, Lf administration is highly tolerated and does not present significant adverse effects. Moreover, Lf can prevent development or inhibit cancer growth by boosting adaptive immune response. Finally, Lf was recently found to be an ideal carrier for chemotherapeutics, even for the treatment of brain tumors due to its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, thus globally appearing as a promising tool for cancer prevention and treatment, especially in combination therapies

Benefici e svantaggi delle eparine a basso peso molecolare

Premesse e Scopo dello studio: Le eparine a basso peso molecolare vengono utilizzate per la prevenzione e il trattamento della coagula- zione del sangue, l’obiettivo è quello di ridurre al minimo gli effetti collaterali in seguito alla somministrazione delle varie molecole. Metodi e Risultati: L’analisi stata effettuata presso il Dipartimento di Chirurgia Generale e di Urgenza dell’A.O. Ospedali riuniti Villa Sofia - Cervello, su un campione di circa 80 pazienti con età compresa tra i 35-80 anni, 50 sono di sesso femminile e 30 sono di sesso maschile, sono stati riscontrati dall'osservazione effettuata i seguenti effetti collaterali: per quanto riguarda la Parnaparina e la Bemiparina sanguinamento delle gengive durante il lavaggio dei denti maggiormente in soggetti anziani (3 donne); mestruazioni particolarmente abbondanti (7 donne); eccessiva perdita di sangue per tagli o piccole ferite (5 donne e 5 uomini); ematomi in sede d'inezione (in tutti i pazienti osservati). Conclusioni: Dalle analisi finali possiamo dedurre che la Parnaparina e la Bemiparina svolgono un’intensa e rapida dissoluzione di trombi che possono essersi formati nelle arterie o nelle vene mentre con la Nadroparina e con l’Enoxaparina non abbiamo mai osservato variazioni dell'A.P. E della P.T.T

Adénocarcinome de la glande lacrymale dans un rétinoblastome bilatéral traité avec radiothérapie externe : à propos d’un cas

This clinical case report describes the clinical findings and diagnosis of lacrimal gland adenocarcinoma that developed 20 years after external beam radiotherapy in the treatment of bilateral retinoblastoma. Visual acuity, slit lamp biomicroscopy, fundus color photography, nuclear magnetic resonance, lateral orbitotomy and histological analysis are described

Levels of serum osteocalcin and some electrolytes in foal during the first six months of life (Brief Report)

Abstract. Bone is a dynamic tissue characterized by continuous bone formation and bone resorption. The transformation of the primordial part of the long bones (the cartilaginous matrix during the embryonal period) into the definitive bone (lamellar bone tissue) is completed after puberty. Osteocalcin, also called the vitamin k-dependent protein of bone and synthesized predominantly by osteoblasts and in lower way by odontoblasts, is incorporated into the extracellular matrix of bone (LEPAGE et al. 2001) and it may function as a useful indicator of the equine bone growth rate which decreases considerably with age. In particular, osteocalcin or bone Gla-protein is a small abundant non-collagenous calcium binding protein, indigenous to the organic matrix of bone dentin and possibly other mineralized tissue, which circulates in the blood (LEPAGE et al. 1991). It is accepted as a marker of osteoblast activity (RISTELI and RISTELI 1993) and plays a not yet defined role in the regulation of bone turnover (BOSKEY et al. 1998)

Impact on Glucose Homeostasis: Is Food Biofortified with Molybdenum a Workable Solution? A Two-Arm Study

Diabetes is expected to increase up to 700 million people worldwide with type 2 diabetes being the most frequent. The use of nutritional interventions is one of the most natural approaches for managing the disease. Minerals are of paramount importance in order to preserve and obtain good health and among them molybdenum is an essential component. There are no studies about the consumption of biofortified food with molybdenum on glucose homeostasis but recent studies in humans suggest that molybdenum could exert hypoglycemic effects. The present study aims to assess if consumption of lettuce biofortified with molybdenum influences glucose homeostasis and whether the effects would be due to changes in gastrointestinal hormone levels and specifically Peptide YY (PYY), Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 (GLP-1), Glucagon-Like Peptide 2 (GLP-2), and Gastric Inhibitory Polypeptide (GIP). A cohort of 24 people was supplemented with biofortified lettuce for 12 days. Blood and urine samples were obtained at baseline (T0) and after 12 days (T2) of supplementation. Blood was analyzed for glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, β-cell function, and insulin sensitivity, PYY, GLP-1, GLP-2 and GIP. Urine samples were tested for molybdenum concentration. The results showed that consumption of lettuce biofortified with molybdenum for 12 days did not affect beta cell function but significantly reduced fasting glucose, insulin, insulin resistance and increased insulin sensitivity in healthy people. Consumption of biofortified lettuce did not show any modification in urine concentration of molybdenum among the groups. These data suggest that consumption of lettuce biofortified with molybdenum improves glucose homeostasis and PYY and GIP are involved in the action mechanism

Dynamic Allocation for Resource Protection in Decentralized Cloud Storage

Decentralized Cloud Storage (DCS) networks represent an interesting solution for data storage and management. DCS networks rely on the voluntary effort of a considerable number of (possibly untrusted) nodes, which may dynamically join and leave the network at any time. To profitably rely on DCS for data storage, data owners therefore need solutions that guarantee confidentiality and availability of their data. In this paper, we present an approach enabling data owners to keep data confidentiality and availability under control, limiting the owners intervention with corrective actions when availability or confidentiality is at risk. Our approach is based on the combined adoption of AONT (All-Or-Nothing-Transform) and fountain codes. It provides confidentiality of outsourced data also against malicious coalitions of nodes, and guarantees data availability even in case of node failures. Our experimental evaluation clearly shows the benefits of using fountain codes with respect to other approaches adopted by current DCS networks

Analysis of gut microbiota in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Disease-related dysbiosis and modifications induced by etanercept

A certain number of studies were carried out to address the question of how dysbiosis could affect the onset and development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but little is known about the reciprocal influence between microbiota composition and immunosuppressive drugs, and how this interaction may have an impact on the clinical outcome. The aim of this study was to characterize the intestinal microbiota in a groups of RA patients treatment-naïve, under methotrexate, and/or etanercept (ETN). Correlations between the gut microbiota composition and validated immunological and clinical parameters of disease activity were also evaluated. In the current study, a 16S analysis was employed to explore the gut microbiota of 42 patients affected by RA and 10 healthy controls. Disease activity score on 28 joints (DAS-28), erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, rheumatoid factor, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptides, and dietary and smoking habits were assessed. The composition of the gut microbiota in RA patients free of therapy is characterized by several abnormalities compared to healthy controls. Gut dysbiosis in RA patients is associated with different serological and clinical parameters; in particular, the phylum of Euryarchaeota was directly correlated to DAS and emerged as an independent risk factor. Patients under treatment with ETN present a partial restoration of a beneficial microbiota. The results of our study confirm that gut dysbiosis is a hallmark of the disease, and shows, for the first time, that the anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) ETN is able to modify microbial communities, at least partially restoring a beneficial microbiota

Examining delay of gratification in healthy aging

Delay of gratification (DofG) refers to the capacity to forego an immediate reward in order to receive a more desirable reward later. As a core executive function, it might be expected that DofG would follow the standard pattern of age-related decline observed in older adults for other executive tasks. However, there actually have been few studies of aging and DofG, and even these have shown mixed results, suggesting the need for further investigation and new approaches. The present study tested a novel reward-based decision-making paradigm enabling examination of age-related DofG effects in adult humans. Results showed that older adults earned fewer overall rewards than young adults, both before and after instruction regarding the optimal DofG strategy. Prior to instruction, learning this strategy was challenging for all participants, regardless of age. The finding of age-related impairments even after strategy instruction indicated that these impairments were not due to a failure to understand the task or follow the optimal strategy, but instead were related to self-reported difficulty in waiting for delayed rewards. These results suggest the presence of age-related changes in DofG capacity and highlight the advantages of this new experimental paradigm for use in future investigations, including both behavioral and neuroimaging studies

Biofortification: Effect of Iodine Fortified Food in the Healthy Population, Double-Arm Nutritional Study

It is estimated that one-third of the world’s population lives in areas where iodine (I) is scarce and its deficiency is responsible for many related disorders, such as goiter, reproductive failure, hearing loss, growth impairment, congenital I deficiency syndrome, and numerous kinds of brain injury. Mineral deficiencies can be overcome via dietary diversification and mineral supplementation. An alternative or even complementary way is represented by the intake of biofortified foods, which can tackle this lack of micronutrients. In this short-term double-arm nutritional intervention study, a cohort of ten people was supplemented with curly endive leaf biofortified with I and ten people with curly endive without biofortification (Intervention Study on Iodine Biofortification Vegetables (Nutri-I-Food – Full-Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov). The effects on whole-body homeostasis and specifically on I, glucose, lipid, and hepatic, iron metabolism was investigated. Blood samples were obtained at baseline and after 12 days of supplementation with curly endive and compared with controls. Hematochemical and urinary parameters were analyzed at baseline and after 12 days. The results showed that short-term I curly endive intervention did not affect the whole body homeostasis in healthy people and revealed an increase in I concentration in urine samples and an increase in vitamin D, calcium, and potassium concentration in blood samples only in the biofortified cohort respect to controls. This study suggests that short-term consumption of I curly endive crops is safe and could positively impact body health

Resonant electron heating and molecular phonon cooling in single C60_{60} junctions

We study heating and heat dissipation of a single \c60 molecule in the junction of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) by measuring the electron current required to thermally decompose the fullerene cage. The power for decomposition varies with electron energy and reflects the molecular resonance structure. When the STM tip contacts the fullerene the molecule can sustain much larger currents. Transport simulations explain these effects by molecular heating due to resonant electron-phonon coupling and molecular cooling by vibrational decay into the tip upon contact formation.Comment: Accepted in Phys. Rev. Let