Diagnostic and prognostic microRNAs in the serum of breast cancer patients measured by droplet digital PCR

Background: Breast cancer circulating biomarkers include carcinoembryonic antigen and carbohydrate antigen 15-3, which are used for patient follow-up. Since sensitivity and specificity are low, novel and more useful biomarkers are needed. The presence of stable circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in serum or plasma suggested a promising role for these tiny RNAs as cancer biomarkers. To acquire an absolute concentration of circulating miRNAs and reduce the impact of preanalytical and analytical variables, we used the droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) technique. Results: We investigated a panel of five miRNAs in the sera of two independent cohorts of breast cancer patients and disease-free controls. The study showed that miR-148b-3p and miR-652-3p levels were significantly lower in the serum of breast cancer patients than that in controls in both cohorts. For these two miRNAs, the stratification of breast cancer patients versus controls was confirmed by receiver operating characteristic curve analyses. In addition, we showed that higher levels of serum miR-10b-5p were associated with clinicobiological markers of poor prognosis. Conclusions: The study revealed the usefulness of the ddPCR approach for the quantification of circulating miRNAs. The use of the ddPCR quantitative approach revealed very good agreement between two independent cohorts in terms of comparable absolute miRNA concentrations and consistent trends of dysregulation in breast cancer patients versus controls. Overall, this study supports the use of the quantitative ddPCR approach for monitoring the absolute levels of diagnostic and prognostic tumor-specific circulating miRNAs

La Resistenza come problema morale: una prospettiva cattolica

Il confronto tra la teologia, il pensiero economico e le passioni civili animato durante le Settimane di cultura religiosa di Camaldoli tra gli anni Trenta e Quaranta trov\uf2 nella stagione costituente un momento fondamentale di verifica e di attuazione: si comp\uec in quel frangente il complesso avvicinamento alla politica delle personalit\ue0 che spiccheranno all\u2019interno della classe dirigente cattolica dell\u2019Italia repubblicana. Il volume spiega come la spiritualit\ue0 e la cultura religiosa possano aiutare a comprendere l\u2019inedita ma decisiva presenza organizzata dei cattolici all\u2019interno del nuovo sistema democratico dopo la seconda guerra mondiale. Si analizza in che modo il confronto con il capitalismo e la democrazia interrog\uf2 la loro personale vita di fede e quale bilancio e quali prospettive dedussero dalla lunga vigilia di preparazione, senza trascurare il significato della scelta resistenziale per molti di loro. Gli autori evidenziano come i laici cattolici motivarono l\u2019impegno nella Democrazia cristiana negli anni della ricostruzione e nelle battaglie della prima et\ue0 repubblicana e quale interpretazione diedero della politica intesa come un\u2019alta forma di testimonianza cristiana

Evaluation of the Wear-Resistant Plate Performance on Different Locations over the Flow Path of a Large-Sized Heavy-Duty Centrifugal Fan

In industrial applications such as chemical plants, cement factories, and glassmakers, large-sized centrifugal fans are commonly used for dust-laden flow processing. In many cases, the contamination is due to solid particles responsible for fouling and erosion issues. Erosion induces the reduction of mechanical resistance and, at the same time, the modification of the geometry and the surface characteristics of the internal flow path. The process works according to the characteristics of the erodent particles, such as dimension and hardness, which have to be coupled with the mechanical properties of the substrate, like hardness and roughness level. In addition to this, the intensity of the erosion depends on the dynamic characteristics of particles, especially velocity and impact angle. For these reasons, erosion-related issues are difficult predict and reduce. In an attempt to preserve the structural integrity of the internal walls, wear-resistant plates are positioned where the impacting contaminants are supposed to be more detrimental. In the present work, a combined experimental and numerical approach is proposed to evaluate the proper setup of wear-resistance plates over the flow path of a large-sized centrifugal fan. The results show how different regions (rotating and stationary walls) are subjected to different impact behavior, determining that the design of the position of the wear-resistant plate is not straightforward. Suggestions related to reducing the erosion intensity are reported, highlighting the possibility of designing the best compromise between erosion, performance, and costs

Talc-induced interstitial pneumonitis with respiratory failure.

Talc is the most frequently used chemical agent to induce pleurodesis and complications after this procedure, usually benign and self-limiting, are resolved easily. Pneumonitis with acute respiratory distress after talc pleurodesis is a rare complication, it requires intensive treatment and may be fatal. We describe a patient who developed pneumonitis with bilateral interstitial infiltrates and respiratory distress after talc pleurodesis. This complication required the transfer of the patient into the intensive care unit and an aggressive treatment management. After an uneventful talc pleurodesis, close surveillance of the patient and a high index of suspicion are mandatory

Evaluation of the Wear-Resistant Plate Performance on Different Locations Over the Flow Path of a Large-Sized Heavy-Duty Centrifugal Fan

In industrial applications as chemical plants, cement factories, and glassmakers, large-sized centrifugal fans are commonly used for dust-laden flow processing. In many cases, the contamination is due to solid particles which are responsible for fouling and erosion issues. Erosion induces the reduction of mechanical resistance and at the same time, the modification of the geometry and the surface characteristics of the internal flow path. The process works according to the characteristics of the erodent particles, such as dimension and hardness which have to be coupled with the mechanical characteristics of the substrate, like hardness and roughness level. In addition to this, the intensity of the erosion depends on the dynamic characteristics of particles, especially velocity and impact angle. For these reasons, erosion-related issues are difficult to be predicted and reduced. In the attempt of preserving the structural integrity of the internal walls, wear-resistant plates are positioned where the impacting contaminants are supposed to be more detrimental. In the present work, a combined experimental and numerical approach is proposed to evaluate the proper set up of wear-resistance plates over the flow path of a large-sized centrifugal fan. The results show how different regions (rotating and stationary walls) are subjected to different impact behavior and for this reason, the design of the position of the wear-resistant plate is not straightforward. Suggestions related to the reduction of the erosion intensity are reported, highlighting the possibility to design the best compromise between erosion, performance, and costs

Absolute quantification of cell-free microRNAs in cancer patients

The hypothesis to use microRNAs (miRNAs) circulating in the blood as cancer biomarkers was formulated some years ago based on promising initial results. After some exciting discoveries, however, it became evident that the accurate quantification of cell-free miRNAs was more challenging than expected. Difficulties were linked to the strong impact that many, if not all, pre- and post- analytical variables have on the final results. In this study, we used currently available high-throughput technologies to identify miRNAs present in plasma and serum of patients with breast, colorectal, lung, thyroid and melanoma tumors, and healthy controls. Then, we assessed the absolute level of nine different miRNAs (miR-320a, miR-21-5p, miR-378a-3p, miR-181a-5p, miR-3156-5p, miR-2110, miR-125a-5p, miR-425-5p, miR-766-3p) in 207 samples from healthy controls and cancer patients using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) technology. We identified miRNAs specifically modulated in one or more cancer types, according to tissue source. The significant reduction of miR-181a-5p levels in breast cancer patients serum was further validated using two independent cohorts, one from Italy (n = 70) and one from US (n = 90), with AUC 0.66 and 0.73 respectively. This study finally powers the use of cell-free miRNAs as cancer biomarkers and propose miR-181a-5p as a diagnostic breast cancer biomarker

La filosofia nelle opere di Dante / Philosophy in Dante's Works

La rivista « Medioevo » non ha voluto far mancare il suo contributo scientifico alle celebrazioni per il settimo centenario della morte di Dante Alighieri (1321-2021). Il presente volume raccoglie undici articoli dedicati in vario modo alla filosofia nelle opere del Sommo Poeta, tutti condotti da un punto di vista e con un metodo storico-filosofico. Essi forniscono, ciascuno e nel loro insieme, un apporto originale e significativo allo studio della presenza della filosofia negli scritti danteschi, indagata sotto molteplici prospettive

Diagnostic and prognostic microRNAs in the serum of breast cancer patients measured by droplet digital PCR

Background: Breast cancer circulating biomarkers include carcinoembryonic antigen and carbohydrate antigen 15-3, which are used for patient follow-up. Since sensitivity and specificity are low, novel and more useful biomarkers are needed. The presence of stable circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in serum or plasma suggested a promising role for these tiny RNAs as cancer biomarkers. To acquire an absolute concentration of circulating miRNAs and reduce the impact of preanalytical and analytical variables, we used the droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) technique. Results: We investigated a panel of five miRNAs in the sera of two independent cohorts of breast cancer patients and disease-free controls. The study showed that miR-148b-3p and miR-652-3p levels were significantly lower in the serum of breast cancer patients than that in controls in both cohorts. For these two miRNAs, the stratification of breast cancer patients versus controls was confirmed by receiver operating characteristic curve analyses. In addition, we showed that higher levels of serum miR-10b-5p were associated with clinicobiological markers of poor prognosis. Conclusions: The study revealed the usefulness of the ddPCR approach for the quantification of circulating miRNAs. The use of the ddPCR quantitative approach revealed very good agreement between two independent cohorts in terms of comparable absolute miRNA concentrations and consistent trends of dysregulation in breast cancer patients versus controls. Overall, this study supports the use of the quantitative ddPCR approach for monitoring the absolute levels of diagnostic and prognostic tumor-specific circulating miRNAs

Absolute quantification of cell-free microRNAs in cancer patients

The hypothesis to use microRNAs (miRNAs) circulating in the blood as cancer biomarkers was formulated some years ago based on promising initial results. After some exciting discoveries, however, it became evident that the accurate quantification of cell-free miRNAs was more challenging than expected. Difficulties were linked to the strong impact that many, if not all, pre- and post- analytical variables have on the final results. In this study, we used currently available high-throughput technologies to identify miRNAs present in plasma and serum of patients with breast, colorectal, lung, thyroid and melanoma tumors, and healthy controls. Then, we assessed the absolute level of nine different miRNAs (miR-320a, miR-21-5p, miR-378a-3p, miR-181a-5p, miR-3156-5p, miR-2110, miR-125a-5p, miR-425-5p, miR-766-3p) in 207 samples from healthy controls and cancer patients using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) technology. We identified miRNAs specifically modulated in one or more cancer types, according to tissue source. The significant reduction of miR-181a-5p levels in breast cancer patients serum was further validated using two independent cohorts, one from Italy (n = 70) and one from US (n = 90), with AUC 0.66 and 0.73 respectively. This study finally powers the use of cell-free miRNAs as cancer biomarkers and propose miR-181a-5p as a diagnostic breast cancer biomarker.The hypothesis to use microRNAs (miRNAs) circulating in the blood as cancer biomarkers was formulated some years ago based on promising initial results. After some exciting discoveries, however, it became evident that the accurate quantification of cell-free miRNAs was more challenging than expected. Difficulties were linked to the strong impact that many, if not all, pre- and post-analytical variables have on the final results. In this study, we used currently available high-throughput technologies to identify miRNAs present in plasma and serum of patients with breast, colorectal, lung, thyroid and melanoma tumors, and healthy controls. Then, we assessed the absolute level of nine different miRNAs (miR-320a, miR-21-5p, miR-378a-3p, miR-181a-5p, miR-3156-5p, miR-2110, miR-125a-5p, miR-425-5p, miR-766-3p) in 207 samples from healthy controls and cancer patients using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) technology. We identified miRNAs specifically modulated in one or more cancer types, according to tissue source. The significant reduction of miR-181a-5p levels in breast cancer patients serum was further validated using two independent cohorts, one from Italy (n = 70) and one from US (n = 90), with AUC 0.66 and 0.73 respectively. This study finally powers the use of cell-free miRNAs as cancer biomarkers and propose miR-181a-5p as a diagnostic breast cancer biomarker