Shedding Light on Dasineura oleae Parasitoids: Local and Landscape Effects

Dasineura oleae was considered a minor pest in olive orchards. However, in the last decade, outbreaks have been reported all over its distribution area. Little is known about D. oleae biological control strategies; therefore, investigations into the biology and ecology of D. oleae parasitoids are urgently needed. In this scenario, the present field study reported the flight period of D. oleae parasitoids, evaluating their relative abundance over other parasitoids living in olive orchards. Furthermore, it estimated the effect of local and landscape features on D. oleae parasitoids within the frame of the overall parasitoid community. Lastly, we aimed to provide useful insights into the effectiveness of parasitoids for D. oleae population management. Hymenopteran parasitoids were sampled using Malaise traps in six sampling sites in central Italy. Results showed that Platygaster demades was the most abundant D. oleae parasitoid. Its presence was associated with high rates of D. oleae parasitism. The abundance of this parasitoid was influenced by the abundance of seminatural habitats

A new PCR based molecular method for early and precise quantification of parasitization in the emerging olive pest Dasineura oleae

BACKGROUND: Dasineura oleae (Angelini 1831) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) was considered a minor pest in olive orchards, but in recent years severe outbreaks have been registered in several Mediterranean countries. Damage is caused by the feeding activity of larvae that induce gall formations and alters the physiological activity of the leaves. In Italy, this pest may be controlled by four Hymenoptera parasitoid species belonging to Platygaster and Mesopolobus genera such as Platygaster demades Walker 1835, Platygaster oleae Szelenyi 1940 (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae), Mesopolobus aspilus (Walker 1835) and Mesopolobus mediterraneus (Mayr 1903) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), but parasitization becomes evident only after gall dissection. RESULTS: In this study, we aim to: (i) design a primer for the detection of specimens belonging to Platygaster and Mesopolobus genera; (ii) develop a multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) protocol combined to a fast samples DNA extraction method; (iii) apply the developed protocol to field-collected specimens and compare this method with traditional techniques based on visual estimation of parasitism rate on larvae. Primers were designed to anneal with cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences of Platygaster and Mesopolobus genera while protocols were developed to be fast and capable to process several samples at the same time. Molecular analyses demonstrated to provide almost double of the parasitism rate assessed by visual inspection. Furthermore, on second instar larvae the PCR-based method was able to detect ten-fold times the parasitization rate estimated by visual inspection. CONCLUSION: The application on a greater scale of this newly developed method could be fundamental in the determination of the biological control potential in olive orchards

Effectiveness of direct egfr mutations research at time of diagnostic biopsy for lung cancer: a single institution outcome research

n/

Immunotherapy for HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Clinical Evidence and Future Perspectives

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women worldwide, and HER2-positive breast cancer accounts for approximately 15% of all breast cancer diagnoses. The advent of HER2-targeting therapies has dramatically improved the survival of these patients, significantly reducing their risk of recurrence and death. However, as a significant proportion of patients ultimately develop resistance to these therapies, it is extremely important to identify new treatments to further improve their clinical outcomes. Immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment and history of several cancer types, and it has already been approved as a standard of care for patients with triple-negative breast cancer. Based on a strong preclinical rationale, immunotherapy in HER2-positive breast cancer represents an intriguing field that is currently under clinical investigation. There is a close interplay between HER2-targeting therapies (both approved and under investigation) and the immune system, and several new immunotherapeutic strategies, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, CAR-T cells and therapeutic vaccines, are being studied in this disease. In this narrative review, we discuss the clinical evidence and the future perspectives of immunotherapy for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer

Absolute Improvements in Freedom From Distant Recurrence to Tailor Adjuvant Endocrine Therapies for Premenopausal Women: Results From TEXT and SOFT

PURPOSEThe Tamoxifen and Exemestane Trial (TEXT)/Suppression of Ovarian Function Trial (SOFT) showed superior outcomes for premenopausal women with hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer treated with adjuvant exemestane plus ovarian function suppression (OFS) or tamoxifen plus OFS versus tamoxifen alone. We previously reported the magnitude of absolute improvements in freedom from any recurrence across a continuous, composite measure of recurrence risk to tailor decision making. With longer follow-up, we now focus on distant recurrence.METHODSThe TEXT/SOFT HR-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative analysis population included 4,891 women stratified by predetermined chemotherapy use. Kaplan-Meier estimates of 8-year freedom from distant recurrence were analyzed using subpopulation treatment effect pattern plot (STEPP) methodology across subpopulations defined by the continuous composite measure of recurrence risk. For each patient, the composite risk value was obtained from a Cox model that incorporated age; nodal status; tumor size; grade; and estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and Ki-67 labeling index expression levels.RESULTSThe overall rate of 8-year freedom from distant recurrence was 91.1% and ranged from approximately 100% to 63% across lowest to highest composite risks. TEXT patients who received chemotherapy had an average absolute improvement with exemestane plus OFS versus tamoxifen plus OFS of 5.1%, and STEPP analysis showed improvements from less than 1% to more than 15% from lowest to highest composite risks. SOFT patients who remained premenopausal after chemotherapy had an average 5.2% absolute improvement with exemestane plus OFS versus tamoxifen and reached 10% across composite risks; for tamoxifen plus OFS versus tamoxifen, the maximum improvement was approximately 3.5%. Women who did not receive chemotherapy had a more than 97% rate of 8-year freedom from distant recurrence, and improvements with exemestane plus OFS ranged from 1% to 4%.CONCLUSIONPremenopausal women with HR-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer and high recurrence risk, as defined by clinicopathologic characteristics, may experience a 10% to 15% absolute improvement in 8-year freedom from distant recurrence with exemestane plus OFS versus tamoxifen plus OFS or tamoxifen alone. The potential benefit of escalating endocrine therapy versus tamoxifen alone is minimal for those at low recurrence risk. (c) 2019 by American Society of Clinical Oncolog

Conservative surgery with and without radiotherapy in elderly patients with early-stage breast cancer: a prospective randomised multicentre trial.

ABSTRACT Breast conserving therapy (BCT) including postoperative irradiation of the remaining breast tissue is generally accepted as the best treatment for the majority of patients with early-stage breast cancer. The question is whether there is a necessity for irradiating all patients. Between 2001 and 2005, 749 women aged 55–75 years with infiltrating breast carcinoma were randomly assigned to breast conservative surgery, with or without radiotherapy (RT), to evaluate the incidence of in-breast recurrence (IBR). After 5 years of median follow-up, the cumulative incidence of IBR was 2.5% in the surgery-only arm and 0.7% in the surgery plus RT arm. There are no differences in terms of overall survival and distant disease-free survival. The preliminary evaluation suggests that breast irradiation after conservative surgery can be avoided without exposing these patients to an increased risk of distant-disease recurrence. Prolonged follow-up will further clarify the possible risks and late sequelae potentially induced by breast RT

Clinical outcomes after palbociclib with or without endocrine therapy in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor positive and HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer enrolled in the TREnd trial

Currently, there is limited data regarding the effectiveness of standard subsequent line therapies such as endocrine therapy, chemotherapy, or targeted agents after progression on CDK4/6 inhibitor-based regimens. This paper describes time-to-treatment failure beyond progression on palbociclib or palbociclib+endocrine therapy in patients enrolled in the phase II, multicenter TREnd trial. Our results indicate that there is limited benefit from post-palbociclib treatment, regardless of the type of therapy received. A small population of long responders were identified who demonstrated ongoing benefit from a subsequent line of endocrine therapy after progression to palbociclib-based regimens. A translational research program is ongoing on this population of outliers

Analysis of italian BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants identifies a private spectrum in the population from the Bergamo Province in northern Italy

Germline pathogenic variants (PVs) in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes cause high breast cancer risk. Recurrent or founder PVs have been described worldwide including some in the Bergamo province in Northern Italy. The aim of this study was to compare the BRCA1/2 PV spectra of the Bergamo and of the general Italian populations. We retrospectively identified at five Italian centers 1019 BRCA1/2 PVs carrier individuals affected with breast cancer and representative of the heterogeneous national population. Each individual was assigned to the Bergamo or non-Bergamo cohort based on self-reported birthplace. Our data indicate that the Bergamo BRCA1/2 PV spectrum shows less heterogeneity with fewer different variants and an average higher frequency compared to that of the rest of Italy. Consistently, four PVs explained about 60% of all carriers. The majority of the Bergamo PVs originated locally with only two PVs clearly imported. The Bergamo BRCA1/2 PV spectrum appears to be private. Hence, the Bergamo population would be ideal to study the disease risk associated with local PVs in breast cancer and other disease-causing genes. Finally, our data suggest that the Bergamo population is a genetic isolate and further analyses are warranted to prove this notion

Serum CEA and CA 15-3 as prognostic factors in primary breast cancer

In the present study, we investigated the association of the serum levels of the tumour markers carcinoembryonic antigen and cancer antigen 15-3 with disease free survival and death from disease in 1046 women with breast cancer without metastases at the time of primary diagnosis in relation to age and the established prognostic factors tumour size, lymph node status, histological grading and hormone receptor status. We found that elevated pre-operative serum marker values were correlated with early relapse (cancer antigen 15-3; P=0.0003) and death from disease (carcinoembryonic antigen, cancer antigen 15-3; P=0.0001 both) in univariate analyses. By comparing pre- and post-operative values we found a decline in values post-surgery. In those patients where marker levels of carcinoembryonic antigen decreased more than 33%, a significantly higher risk for relapse and death from disease (both P=0.0001) in univariate analyses was observed. In multivariate analysis this decrease of carcinoembryonic antigen proved to be an independent prognostic factor. The results for cancer antigen 15-3 were comparable to carcinoembryonic antigen in univariate analyses but showed no significance in multivariate analysis. In this study the post-operative decrease of the serum tumour marker carcinoembryonic antigen was a strong independent prognostic factor for disease free survival and death from disease in breast cancer patients