SerpinB3 and Yap Interplay Increases Myc Oncogenic Activity

SerpinB3 has been recently described as an early marker of liver carcinogenesis, but the potential mechanistic role of this serpin in tumor development is still poorly understood. Overexpression of Myc often correlates with more aggressive tumour forms, supporting its involvement in carcinogenesis. Yes-associated protein (Yap), the main effector of the Hippo pathway, is a central regulator of proliferation and it has been found up-regulated in hepatocellular carcinomas. The study has been designed to investigate and characterize the interplay and functional modulation of Myc by SerpinB3 in liver cancer. Results from this study indicate that Myc was up-regulated by SerpinB3 through calpain and Hippo-dependent molecular mechanisms in transgenic mice and hepatoma cells overexpressing human SerpinB3, and also in human hepatocellular carcinomas. Human recombinant SerpinB3 was capable to inhibit the activity of Calpain in vitro, likely reducing its ability to cleave Myc in its non oncogenic Myc-nick cytoplasmic form. SerpinB3 indirectly increased the transcription of Myc through the induction of Yap pathway. These findings provide for the first time evidence that SerpinB3 can improve the production of Myc through direct and indirect mechanisms that include the inhibition of generation of its cytoplasmic form and the activation of Yap pathway

Direct-acting antivirals and hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis C: A few lights and many shadows

With the introduction of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAA), the rate of sustained virological response (SVR) in the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has radically improved to over 95%. Robust scientific evidence supports a beneficial role of SVR after interferon therapy in the progression of cirrhosis, resulting in a decreased incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, a debate on the impact of DAAs on the development of HCC is ongoing. This review aimed to analyse the scientific literature regarding the risk of HCC in terms of its recurrence and occurrence after the use of DAAs to eradicate HCV infection. Among 11 studies examining HCC occurrence, the de novo incidence rate ranged from 0 to 7.4% (maximum follow-up: 18 mo). Among 18 studies regarding HCC recurrence, the rate ranged from 0 to 54.4% (maximum "not well-defined" followup: 32 mo). This review highlights the major difficulties in interpreting data and reconciling the results of the included studies. These difficulties include heterogeneous cohorts, potential misclassifications of HCC prior to DAA therapy, the absence of an adequate control group, short follow-up times and different kinds of follow-up. Moreover, no clinical feature-based scoring system accounts for the molecular characteristics and pathobiology of the tumours. Nonetheless, this review does not suggest that there is a higher rate of de novo HCC occurrence or recurrence after DAA therapy in patients with previous HCV infection. \ua9 2018 The Author(s). Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved

Nuovo reperto per la Barbagia di Seulo (Sardegna) su Speonomus (Batinoscelis) lostiai Dodero, 1904 (Coleoptera, Leiodidae, Cholevinae, Leptodirini)

Riassunto. Viene segnalata la presenza di Speonomus (Batinoscelis) lostiai Dodero,1904 in una nuova cavità della Barbagia di Seulo, poco distante dal locus tipicus.

Prima segnalazione per la Sardegna di Drusilla italica (Bernhauer, 1903)(Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Myrmedoniina)

Riassunto: prima segnalazione per la Sardegna di Drusilla italica (Bernhauer, 1903). La specie è stata reperita nel Monte Limbara durante un’indagine faunistica locale che ha visto l’impiego di differenti tecniche di campionamento

Prima segnalazione per la Sardegna di Stenus (Hypostenus) tarsalis Ljungh, 1804 (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Stenini)

Prima segnalazione per la Sardegna sud orientale di Stenus (Hypostenus) tarsalis Ljungh, 1804. Una specie finora considerata di dubbia presenza per l’isola e attualmente confermabile grazie al ritrovamento di diversi esemplari reperiti mediante vagliatura del terreno

Prima segnalazione di Allantus togatus Panzer, 1801 per la fauna sarda (Italia) (Hymenoptera, Tenthredinidae, Allantinae) e relative considerazioni zoogeografiche

Riassunto: Viene segnalato per la prima volta Allantus togatus Panzer, 1801 per la fauna sarda

Cephalocteus scarabaeoides

Cephalocteus scarabaeoides (Fig. 1) Material examined. ITALY, SW SARDINIA: Carbonia-Iglesias prov., Masainas, Is Solinas, Sa Salina beach, 2.VI. 2015, leg. L. Fancello, 1 male preserved in Fancello Collection (Cagliari).Published as part of Fancello, Luca, Cillo, Davide & Bazzato, Erika, 2016, Cephalocteinae Mulsant et Rey, 1866 (Hemiptera, Heteroptera), a subfamily of Cydnidae new for the Italian fauna: first record of Cephalocteus scarabaeoides (Fabricius, 1807) from Sardinia, pp. 465-468 in Zootaxa 4067 (4) on page 465, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4067.4.4, http://zenodo.org/record/26355

Sulla presenza di Macrosiagon ferruginea (Fabricius, 1775) nella Penisola Balcanica (Coleoptera, Ripiphoridae, Ripiphorinae, Macrosiagonini)

: Macrosiagon ferruginea (Fabricius, 1775) viene confermata di Grecia (Chalkidiki Peninsula), per la prima volta a più di 200 anni dalla descrizione di M. pectinata (Villers, 1790) (= M. ferruginea), in base a un esemplare ottenuto dal nido mono-cellare di un Eumenidae non identificato

Prima segnalazione per la Sardegna di Tachyporus obtusus (Linné, 1767) (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Tachyporini)

Con la presente nota viene segnalata per la prima volta la presenza di Tachyporus obtusus (Linné, 1767) in Sardegna, grazie al ritrovamento di un esemplare reperito mediante raccolta a vista, in una zona portuale urbana