Produzione di "Casu Marzu" in condizioni controllate: valutazione dell'effetto della colonizzazione da <i>Piophila casei</i> sulle caratteristiche microbiologiche e chimiche dei formaggi = Production under controlled conditions of “casu marzu” cheese: effect of the <i>Piophila casei</i> colonization on microbial and chemical composition of the cheeses

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the Piophila casei colonization under controlled conditions on “casu marzu”, a typical Sardinian sheep milk cheese. Three batches of two different kind of cheese (PO, holed paste and PC, firm paste) were produced in duplicate (test and control). Test cheeses were exposed to the Piophila casei colonization in a conditioned store room, while control cheeses were suitably protected. All the samples were analyzed at 0, 10, 30, 60 and 90 days from the production. The pH and aw, the chemical composition and the microbiological parameters (food safety and process hygiene criteria) were determined. The colonization was unhomogeneous between the batches: PO cheeses were more easily colonized and showed more intense proteolysis and lipolysis respect to PC cheeses. The microbiological parameters were strongly affected by the experimental process conditions. The authors discuss about the opportunity of a controlled production of “casu marzu” and the implications to the health of consumers

Efficacy and Safety of Rovalpituzumab Tesirine Compared With Topotecan as Second-Line Therapy in DLL3-High SCLC: Results From the Phase 3 TAHOE Study

International audienc

Prospective Multicenter Validation of the Detection of ALK Rearrangements of Circulating Tumor Cells for Noninvasive Longitudinal Management of Patients With Advanced NSCLC

International audienceIntroduction: Patients with advanced-stage NSCLC whose tumors harbor an ALK gene rearrangement benefit from treatment with multiple ALK inhibitors (ALKi). Approximately 30% of tumor biopsy samples contain insufficient tissue for successful ALK molecular characterization. This study evaluated the added value of analyzing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) as a surrogate to ALK tissue analysis and as a function of the response to ALKi.Methods: We conducted a multicenter, prospective observational study (NCT02372448) of 203 patients with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC across nine French centers, of whom 81 were ALK positive (immunohistochemistry or fluorescence in situ hybridization [FISH]) and 122 ALK negative on paraffin-embedded tissue specimens. Blood samples were collected at baseline and at 6 and 12 weeks after ALKi initiation or at disease progression. ALK gene rearrangement was evaluated with CTCs using immunocytochemistry and FISH analysis after enrichment using a filtration method.Results: At baseline, there was a high concordance between the detection of an ALK rearrangement in the tumor tissue and in CTCs as determined by immunocytochemistry (sensitivity, 94.4%; specificity 89.4%). The performance was lower for the FISH analysis (sensitivity, 35.6%; specificity, 56.9%). No significant association between the baseline levels or the dynamic change of CTCs and overall survival (hazard ratio = 0.59, 95% confidence interval: 0.24-1.5, p = 0.244) or progression-free survival (hazard ratio = 0.84, 95% confidence interval: 0.44-1.6, p = 0.591) was observed in the patients with ALK-positive NSCLC.Conclusions: CTCs can be used as a complementary tool to a tissue biopsy for the detection of ALK rearrangements. Longitudinal analyses of CTCs revealed promise for real-time patient monitoring and improved delivery of molecularly guided therapy in this population