A new player in the development of TRAIL based therapies for hepatocarcinoma treatment: ATM kinase

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. HCCs are genetically and phenotypically heterogeneous tumors characterized by very poor prognosis, mainly due to the lack, at present, of effective therapeutic options, as these tumors are rarely suitable for radiotherapy and often resistant to chemotherapy protocols. In the last years, agonists targeting the Tumor Necrosis Factor Related Apoptosis Inducing Ligand (TRAIL) death receptor, has been investigated as a valuable promise for cancer therapy, based on their selectivity for malignant cells and low toxicity for healthy cells. However, many cancer models display resistance to death receptor induced apoptosis, pointing to the requirement for the development of combined therapeutic approaches aimed to selectively sensitize cancer cells to TRAIL. Recently, we identified ATM kinase as a novel modulator of the ability of chemotherapeutic agents to enhance TRAIL sensitivity. Here, we review the biological determinants of HCC responsiveness to TRAIL and provide an exhaustive and updated analysis of the molecular mechanisms exploited for combined therapy in this context. The role of ATM kinase as potential novel predictive biomarker for combined therapeutic approaches based on TRAIL and chemotherapeutic drugs will be closely discussed

Lanthanoid tetrazole coordination complexes

While tetrazole derivatives are well established as anionic ligands for d-block elements, there is a growing interest in lanthanoid complexes of these compounds. Diverse structural chemistry results from the presence of four potential donor N atoms, and the conjugated nature of the heterocycle can impact on the photophysical properties of the complexes. This review examines the range of structurally characterised lanthanoid–tetrazolato complexes, focussing on the structural features of the ligand that impact on the tendency to interact with the first or second coordination spheres

A BIOMECHANICAL COMPARISON OF JUMPING TECHNIQUES IN THE VOLLEYBALL BLOCK AND SPIKE

The present case study kinematically analysed the spike and the block movements of a single volleyball player. The aim was to verify the hypothesis that for a right handed player the spike approach and the cross-over step in blocking after a move to the left are similar in coordination, whereas moving to the right before blocking requires a different movement pattern. The spatial and temporal variables of the jumps and the joint angles of the lower limbs during the countermovement were analysed. The results showed a high repeatability of the collected data. The similarity between the spike and the block when moving to the left confirmed the hypothesis. These results from a single subject should be extended by further studies of more athletes of varying skill levels

Differences in telomere length between sporadic and familial cutaneous melanoma

BACKGROUND: Several pieces of evidence indicate that a complex relationship exists between constitutional telomere length (TL) and the risk of cutaneous melanoma. Although the general perception is that longer telomeres increase melanoma risk, some studies do not support this association. We hypothesise that discordant data are due to the characteristics of the studied populations. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the association of telomere length with familial and sporadic melanoma. METHODS: TL was measured by multiplex quantitative PCR in leukocytes from 310 melanoma patients according to familial/sporadic and single/multiple cancers and 216 age-matched controls. RESULTS: Patients with sporadic melanoma were found to have shorter telomeres as compared to those with familial melanoma. In addition, shorter telomeres, while tending to reduce the risk of familial melanoma regardless of single or multiple tumors, nearly trebled the risk of single sporadic melanoma. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first time that TL has been correlated to opposite effects on melanoma risk according to the presence or absence of familial predisposition. Individual susceptibility to melanoma should be taken into account when assessing the role of TL as a risk factor. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Luminescent lanthanoid complexes of a tetrazole-functionalised calix[4]arene

p-t-Butylcalix[4]arene functionalised at the lower rim with two tetrazole moieties is found to be a useful receptor for lanthanoid cations. The luminescence of the resulting complexes can be controlled by addition of base, with emission achieved in the visible and infrared regions

Fully Ir(iii) tetrazolate soft salts: the road to white-emitting ion pairs

The first examples of anionic Ir(iii) bis-tetrazolate complexes and their combination with a cationic Ir(iii)tetrazole derivative forming "fully tetrazolate" Ir(iii) based soft salts as O2-sensitive white emitters are described herein

Methodological factors affecting joint moments estimation in clinical gait analysis: A systematic review

Quantitative gait analysis can provide a description of joint kinematics and dynamics, and it is recognized as a clinically useful tool for functional assessment, diagnosis and intervention planning. Clinically interpretable parameters are estimated from quantitative measures (i.e. ground reaction forces, skin marker trajectories, etc.) through biomechanical modelling. In particular, the estimation of joint moments during motion is grounded on several modelling assumptions: (1) body segmental and joint kinematics is derived from the trajectories of markers and by modelling the human body as a kinematic chain; (2) joint resultant (net) loads are, usually, derived from force plate measurements through a model of segmental dynamics. Therefore, both measurement errors and modelling assumptions can affect the results, to an extent that also depends on the characteristics of the motor task analysed (i.e. gait speed). Errors affecting the trajectories of joint centres, the orientation of joint functional axes, the joint angular velocities, the accuracy of inertial parameters and force measurements (concurring to the definition of the dynamic model), can weigh differently in the estimation of clinically interpretable joint moments. Numerous studies addressed all these methodological aspects separately, but a critical analysis of how these aspects may affect the clinical interpretation of joint dynamics is still missing. This article aims at filling this gap through a systematic review of the literature, conducted on Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed. The final objective is hence to provide clear take-home messages to guide laboratories in the estimation of joint moments for the clinical practice

Synthesis, photophysical and electrochemical investigation of dinuclear tetrazolato-bridged rhenium complexes

Starting from anionic tetrazole-based ligands, namely 5-(4’-cyanophenyl)tetrazolate and 5-(4’-pyridyl)tetrazolate, mononuclear and dinuclear complexes of fac-[Re(CO)3(phen)]+ (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) were prepared and characterized. For the mononuclear complexes, regioselective coordination of the metal fragments on the negatively charged tetrazolato ring is exclusively obtained. Coordination to the benzonitrile and pyridine groups was achieved by previous alkylation of the tetrazole ring. Dinuclear complexes were obtained by treatment of the corresponding mononuclear tetrazole-bound complexes with fac-[Re(CO)3(phen)(THF)]+. The second rhenium fragment coordinated either to the pyridine ring or, in the case of the benzonitrile ligand, to the tetrazole ring. The electrochemical properties were probed in an imidazolium ionic liquid, highlighting reduction processes centered on the phen ligand and oxidation processes localized on the metal. The photophysical properties of the complexes are characterized by phosphorescent emission from triplet metal-to-ligand charge transfer excited states, with trends in the lifetime and quantum yield in qualitative agreement with the energy gap law. The two dinuclear complexes show almost superimposable emission profiles: in the 5-(4’-cyanophenyl) tetrazolate-bridged complex, the two metal fragments coordinated to the tetrazole are equivalent and share a positive charge of +1. On the other hand, the photophysical properties of the 5-(4’pyridyl)tetrazolate-bridged dinuclear complex suggest energy transfer between the two metal centers