An Outlook on Uterine Neoplasms: From Hormonal and DNA Damaging to Cervical and Endometrial Cancer Development and Minimally Invasive Management.

Uterine neoplasms are common tumors, formed by endometrial and cervical cancers; endometrial cancer is the fourth most frequently diagnosed cancer in developed countries and the eighth leading cause of cancer death in women, and cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide and is a leading cause of cancer-related death in women in underdeveloped countries. Cervical cancer arises by HPV DNA damaging; in fact cervical cancer starts in the cells on the surface of the cervix, exposed to viral infective agents, as HPV, founded in 80% of patients affected by cervical cancer. Thus, more than 99% of cervical uterine cancer cases show HPV presence. Nevertheless, Endometrial cancer involves cancerous growth of the endometrium, and increasing evidence indicates that different biological and genetic factors play relevant roles its onset so as carcinogenesis generally develops by hormonal modifications. Both tumors can be safely and feasibly managed from minimally invasive surgical techniques till to endoscopic radical operations, such as hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo- oophorectomy, pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy for surgical treatment. The authors reviewed several excellent reviews and studies in the area of hormonal, viral and genetical risk factors associated with endometrial and cervical cancer risk and development, analyzing the area of biologic markers, all papers dealing with serum and plasma markers involved in uterine cancer detection, development, progression and minimally invasive treatment

CRISPR-Cas9 Multiplex Editing of the α-Amylase/Trypsin Inhibitor Genes to Reduce Allergen Proteins in Durum Wheat

Wheat and its derived foods are widespread, representing one of the main food sources globally. During the last decades, the incidence of disorders related to wheat has become a global issue for the human population, probably linked to the spread of wheat-derived foods. It has been ascertained that structural and metabolic proteins, like \u3b1-amylase/trypsin inhibitors (ATI), are involved in the onset of wheat allergies (bakers' asthma) and probably Non-Coeliac Wheat Sensitivity (NCWS). The ATI are a group of exogenous protease inhibitors, which are encoded by a multigene family dispersed over several chromosomes in durum and bread wheat. WTAI-CM3 and WTAI-CM16 subunits are considered among the main proteins involved in the onset of bakers' asthma and probably NCWS. A CRISPR-Cas9 multiplexing strategy was used to edit the ATI subunits WTAI-CM3 and WTAI-CM16 in the grain of the Italian durum wheat cultivar Svevo with the aim to produce wheat lines with reduced amount of potential allergens involved in adverse reactions. Using a marker gene-free approach, whereby plants are regenerated without selection agents, homozygous mutant plants without the presence of CRISPR vectors were obtained directly from T0 generation. This study demonstrates the capability of CRISPR technology to knock out immunogenic proteins in a reduced time compared to conventional breeding programmes. The editing of the two target genes was confirmed either at molecular (sequencing and gene expression study) or biochemical (immunologic test) level. Noteworthy, as a pleiotropic effect, is the activation of the ATI 0.28 pseudogene in the edited lines

Efficacy and safety of honeybee and wasp tyrosine-adsorbed venom immunotherapy

It is acknowledged that any claim of efficacy of allergen immunotherapy must be done for each specific product, and this remains true also for venom immunotherapy (VIT). Thus, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of a specific tyrosine-adsorbed VIT for vespula spp. and honeybee in real-life

Antagonistic Transcription Factor Complexes Modulate the Floral Transition in Rice

Plants measure day or night lengths to coordinate specific developmental changes with a favorable season. In rice (Oryza sativa), the reproductive phase is initiated by exposure to short days when expression of HEADING DATE 3a (Hd3a) and RICE FLOWERING LOCUS T 1 (RFT1) is induced in leaves. The cognate proteins are components of the florigenic signal and move systemically through the phloem to reach the shoot apical meristem (SAM). In the SAM, they form a transcriptional activation complex with the bZIP transcription factor OsFD1 to start panicle development. Here, we show that Hd3a and RFT1 can form transcriptional activation or repression complexes also in leaves and feed back to regulate their own transcription. Activation complexes depend on OsFD1 to promote flowering. However, additional bZIPs, including Hd3a BINDING REPRESSOR FACTOR1 (HBF1) and HBF2, form repressor complexes that reduce Hd3a and RFT1 expression to delay flowering. We propose that Hd3a and RFT1 are also active locally in leaves to fine-tune photoperiodic flowering response

Cadmium, lead and metallothionein contents in tissues of the sea bream Sparus aurata from three different fish farming systems

Heavy metals in marine environment have a particular significance in ecotoxicology, since they are highly persistent and can be toxic in traces. Metals such as Pb and Cd are potentially toxic and pose a serial risk for human health when they enter the food chain. Fish are exposed to metals at different intensities through two major routes: metal ions dissolved in the water can be absorbed through the gills; metals bound to solid particles can be ingested and absorbed through the gut epithelium. For farmed fish, growing conditions (food and water chemistry) may determine metal composition of fish tissues as well as the response that these fish exhibit to metal toxicity. The distribution and bioaccumulation of dietary and waterborne cadmium and lead in tissues of sea bream Sparus aurata was studied in relation to three different fish farming systems. Metallothionein levels in fish tissues were also evaluated