The antimicrobial photodynamic therapy in the treatment of peri-implantitis

The aim of this study is to demonstrate the effectiveness of addition of the antimicrobial photodynamic therapy to the conventional approach in the treatment of peri-implantitis. Materials and Methods. Forty patients were randomly assigned to test or control groups. Patients were assessed at baseline and at six (T1), twelve (T2), and twenty-four (T3) weeks recording plaque index (PlI), probing pocket depth (PPD), and bleeding on probing (BOP); control group received conventional periodontal therapy, while test group received photodynamic therapy in addition to it. Result. Test group showed a 70% reduction in the plaque index values and a 60% reduction in PD values compared to the baseline. BOP and suppuration were not detectable. Control group showed a significative reduction in plaque index and PD. Discussion. Laser therapy has some advantages in comparison to traditional therapy, with faster and greater healing of the wound. Conclusion. Test group showed after 24 weeks a better value in terms of PPD, BOP, and PlI, with an average pocket depth value of 2 mm, if compared with control group (3 mm).Our results suggest that antimicrobial photodynamic therapy with diode laser and phenothiazine chloride represents a reliable adjunctive treatment to conventional therapy. Photodynamic therapy should, however, be considered a coadjuvant in the treatment of peri-implantitis associated with mechanical (scaling) and surgical (grafts) treatments

A case of infant botulism in a 4-month-old baby

This case-report highlights: i) the difficulty of IB diagnosis as it is a rare syndrome with subclinical onset, ii) the need for an accurate training for physicians involved in IB management, iii) the efficacy and safety of TEqA in IB treatment, iv) homemade honey is not the only cause of IB

A complete season with attendance restrictions confirms the relevant contribution of spectators to home advantage and referee bias in association football

Due to the unfortunate pandemic situation, the phenomena of home advantage and referee bias in sports have recently received a particular research attention, especially in association football. In this regard, several studies were conducted on the last portion of the 2019-20 season: the majority of them suggests a reduction-but not the elimination-of the two phenomena, with some exceptions in which no reduction was found or, at the other extreme, the phenomena were not observed at all

GT75 aptamer against eukaryotic elongation factor 1A as potential anticancer drug for castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).

Prostate cancer diagnosis is increasing, being the second most frequently cancer in men worldwide. The treatment of castrate-resistant prostate cancer is often unsuccessfully and new therapeutic interventions are searching for. Nucleic acid aptamers targeting eEF1A proteins are emerging molecular tools for the control of cancer growth. We found that an aptamer named GT75 was able to bind to eEF1A proteins of human prostate cancer cell lines and to significantly and specifically reduce their growth with respect to the control oligomer CT75. The highest anti-proliferation effect was found in the androgen-independent PC-3 cells. Interestingly, GT75 was able to specifically inhibit the migration of PC-3 cells but not that of the nontumorigenic PZHPV-7 cells. The overall results suggest that the GT75 aptamer targeting eEF1A proteins is a promising molecular drug to develop for the control of the castrate-resistant prostate cance

Aptamer targeting of the elongation factor 1A impairs hepatocarcinoma cells viability and potentiates bortezomib and idarubicin effects

8noThe high morbidity and mortality of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is mostly due to the limited efficacy of the available therapeutic approaches. Here we explore the anti-HCC potential of an aptamer targeting the elongation factor 1A (eEF1A), a protein implicated in the promotion of HCC. As delivery methods, we have compared the effectiveness of cationic liposome and cholesterol-mediated approaches. A75 nucleotide long aptamer containing GT repetition (GT75) was tested in three HCC cell lines, HepG2, HuH7 and JHH6. When delivered by liposomes, GT75 was able to effectively reducing HCC cells viability in a dose and time dependent fashion. Particular sensitive were JHH6 where increased apoptosis with no effects on cell cycle were observed. GT75 effect was likely due to the interference with eEF1A activity as neither the mRNA nor the protein levels were significantly affected. Notably, cholesterol-mediated delivery of GT75 abrogated its efficacy due to cellular mis-localization as proven by fluorescence and confocal microscopic analysis. Finally, liposome-mediated delivery of GT75 improved the therapeutic index of the anticancer drugs bortezomib and idarubicin. In conclusion, liposome but not cholesterol-mediated delivery of GT75 resulted in an effective delivery of GT75, causing the impairment of the vitality of a panel of HCC derived cells.partially_openopenScaggiante, Bruna; Farra, Rossella; Dapas, Barbara; Baj, Gabriele; Pozzato, Gabriele; Grassi, Mario; Zanconati, Fabrizio; Grassi, GabrieleScaggiante, Bruna; Farra, Rossella; Dapas, Barbara; Baj, Gabriele; Pozzato, Gabriele; Grassi, Mario; Zanconati, Fabrizio; Grassi, Gabriel

Plasma Circular RNAs as Biomarkers for Breast Cancer

Breast cancer (BC) is currently the most common neoplasm, the second leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide, and is a major health problem. The discovery of new biomarkers is crucial to improve our knowledge of breast cancer and strengthen our clinical approaches to diagnosis, prognosis, and follow-up. In recent decades, there has been increasing interest in circulating RNA (circRNA) as modulators of gene expression involved in tumor development and progression. The study of circulating circRNAs (ccircRNAs) in plasma may provide new non-invasive diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarkers for BC. This review describes the latest findings on BCassociated ccircRNAs in plasma and their clinical utility. Several ccircRNAs in plasma have shown great potential as BC biomarkers, especially from a diagnostic point of view. Mechanistically, most of the reported BC-associated ccircRNAs are involved in the regulation of cell survival, proliferation, and invasion, mainly via MAPK/AKT signaling pathways. However, the study of circRNAs is a relatively new area of research, and a larger number of studies will be crucial to confirm their potential as plasma biomarkers and to understand their involvement in BC

Ca2+-activated K+ channels modulate microglia affecting motor neuron survivalin hSOD1G93A mice

Recent studies described a critical role for microglia in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), where these CNS-resident immune cells participate in the establishment of an inflammatory microenvironment that contributes to motor neuron degeneration. Understanding the mechanisms leading to microglia activation in ALS could help to identify specific molecular pathways which could be targeted to reduce or delay motor neuron degeneration and muscle paralysis in patients. The intermediate-conductance calcium-activated potassium channel KCa3.1 has been reported to modulate the "pro-inflammatory" phenotype of microglia in different pathological conditions. We here investigated the effects of blocking KCa3.1 activity in the hSOD1G93AALS mouse model, which recapitulates many features of the human disease. We report that treatment of hSOD1G93A mice with a selective KCa3.1 inhibitor, 1-[(2-chlorophenyl)diphenylmethyl]-1H-pyrazole (TRAM-34), attenuates the "pro-inflammatory" phenotype of microglia in the spinal cord, reduces motor neuron death, delays onset of muscle weakness, and increases survival. Specifically, inhibition of KCa3.1 channels slowed muscle denervation, decreased the expression of the fetal acetylcholine receptor γ subunit and reduced neuromuscular junction damage. Taken together, these results demonstrate a key role for KCa3.1 in driving a pro-inflammatory microglia phenotype in ALS

Dissecting the role of the elongation factor 1A isoforms in hepatocellular carcinoma cells by liposome-mediated delivery of siRNAs

Eukaryotic elongation factor 1A (eEF1A), a protein involved in protein synthesis, has two major isoforms, eEF1A1 and eEF1A2. Despite the evidences of their involvement in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the quantitative contribution of each of the two isoforms to the disease is unknown. We depleted the two isoforms by means of siRNAs and studied the effects in three different HCC cell lines. Particular care was dedicated to select siRNAs able to target each of the two isoform without affecting the other one. This is not a trivial aspect due to the high sequence homology between eEF1A1 and eEF1A2. The selected siRNAs can specifically deplete either eEF1A1 or eEF1A2. This, in turn, results in an impairment of cell vitality, growth and arrest in the G1/G0 phase of the cell cycle. Notably, these effects are quantitatively superior following eEF1A1 than eEF1A2 depletion. Moreover, functional tests revealed that the G1/G0 block induced by eEF1A1 depletion depends on the down-regulation of the transcription factor E2F1, a known player in HCC. In conclusion, our data indicate that the independent targeting of the two eEF1A isoforms is effective in reducing HCC cell growth and that eEF1A1 depletion may result in a more evident effect

Next-Generation Sequencing and Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Insights and Applications

The poor survival of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is due to its aggressive behavior, large heterogeneity, and high risk of recurrence. A comprehensive molecular investigation of this type of breast cancer using high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods may help to elucidate its potential progression and discover biomarkers related to patient survival. In this review, the NGS applications in TNBC research are described. Many NGS studies point to TP53 mutations, immunocheckpoint response genes, and aberrations in the PIK3CA and DNA repair pathways as recurrent pathogenic alterations in TNBC. Beyond their diagnostic and predictive/prognostic value, these findings suggest potential personalized treatments in PD -L1-positive TNBC or in TNBC with a homologous recombination deficit. Moreover, the comprehensive sequencing of large genomes with NGS has enabled the identification of novel markers with clinical value in TNBC, such as AURKA, MYC, and JARID2 mutations. In addition, NGS investigations to explore ethnicity-specific alterations have pointed to EZH2 overexpression, BRCA1 alterations, and a BRCA2-delaAAGA mutation as possible molecular signatures of African and African American TNBC. Finally, the development of long-read sequencing methods and their combination with optimized short-read techniques promise to improve the efficiency of NGS approaches for future massive clinical use

Phototherapy and tailored brushing method. Personalized oral care in patients with facial and dental trauma. A report of a case

Abstract: (1) Background: Traumatic dental injuries are frequent in children and young adults. The facial structures involved in dental trauma may include soft tissues of the face and mouth, bone and dental structures. Dental trauma often results in augmented dental anxiety. Phototherapy can improve stress and pain control thereby improving compliance in young patients with the necessary dental treatments, after dental trauma has occurred. (2) Methods: Phototherapy was performed to enable soft tissue healing. The Tailored Brushing Method (TBM), a personalized approach for at-home oral hygiene procedures, was also utilized, with the aim of improving biofilm control in traumatized patients. (3) Results: The approach hereafter presented made it possible to obtain subjective control of anxiety and pain documented on a visual analog scale (VAS) due to the innovative use of photobiomodulation. In addition, for the first time, the TBM was adapted to the needs of a patient with facial trauma and illustrated. (4) Conclusions: Phototherapy and TBM were found to be effective in the combined treatment of soft tissue wounds and in the oral care of the traumatized patien