De-escalated therapy for HR+/HER2+ breast cancer patients with Ki67 response after 2-week letrozole: results of the PerELISA neoadjuvant study.

BACKGROUND: In human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2+) breast cancers, neoadjuvant trials of chemotherapy plus anti-HER2 treatment consistently showed lower pathologic complete response (pCR) rates in hormone receptor (HR) positive versus negative tumors. The PerELISA study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a de-escalated, chemotherapy-free neoadjuvant regimen in HR+/HER2+ breast cancer patients selected on the basis of Ki67 inhibition after 2-week letrozole. PATIENTS AND METHODS: PerELISA is a phase II, multicentric study for postmenopausal patients with HR+/HER2+ operable breast cancer. Patients received 2-week letrozole, and then underwent re-biopsy for Ki67 evaluation. Patients classified as molecular responders (Ki67 relative reduction >20% from baseline) continued letrozole and started trastuzumab-pertuzumab for five cycles. Patients classified as molecular non-responders started weekly paclitaxel for 13 weeks combined with trastuzumab-pertuzumab. Primary aim was breast and axillary pCR. According to a two-stage Simon's design, to reject the null hypothesis, at least 8/43 pCR had to be documented. RESULTS: Sixty-four patients were enrolled, 44 were classified as molecular responders. All these patients completed the assigned treatment with letrozole-trastuzumab-pertuzumab and underwent surgery. A pCR was observed in 9/44 cases (20.5%, 95% confidence interval 11.1% to 34.5%). Among molecular non-responders, 16/17 completed treatment and underwent surgery, with pCR observed in 81.3% of the cases. PAM50 intrinsic subtype was significantly associated with Ki67 response and pCR. Among molecular responders, the pCR rate was significantly higher in HER2-enriched than in other subtypes (45.5% versus 13.8%, P = 0.042). CONCLUSIONS: The primary end point of the study was met, by reaching the pre-specified pCRs. In patients selected using Ki67 reduction after short-term letrozole exposure, a meaningful pCR rate can be achieved without chemotherapy. PAM50 intrinsic subtyping further refines our ability to identify a subset of patients for whom chemotherapy might be spared. EUDRACT NUMBER: 2013-002662-40. CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT02411344.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma immune microenvironment and checkpoint expression: correlation with clinical-pathological features and intratumor heterogeneity over time.

Background: Tumor immune microenvironment (TME) plays a key role in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) pathogenesis and treatment outcome, supporting a role of immune checkpoint inhibitors as anticancer approach. This study retrospectively investigated TME and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in naïve MPM cases and their change under chemotherapy. Patients and methods: Diagnostic biopsies of MPM patients were collected from four Italian and one Slovenian cancer centers. Pathological assessment of necrosis, inflammation, grading, and mitosis was carried out. Ki-67, PD-L1 expression, and tumor infiltrating lymphocytes were detected by immunohistochemistry. When available, the same paired sample after chemotherapy was analyzed. Pathological features and clinical characteristics were correlated to overall survival. Results: TME and PD-L1 expression were assessed in 93 and 65 chemonaive MPM samples, respectively. Twenty-eight samples have not sufficient tumor tissue for PD-L1 expression. Sarcomatoid/biphasic samples were characterized by higher CD8+ T lymphocytes and PD-L1 expression on tumor cells, while epithelioid showed higher peritumoral CD4+ T and CD20+ B lymphocytes. Higher CD8+ T lymphocytes, CD68+ macrophages, and PD-L1 expression were associated with pathological features of aggressiveness (necrosis, grading, Ki-67). MPM cases characterized by higher CD8+ T-infiltrate showed lower response to chemotherapy and worse survival at univariate analysis. Patients stratification according to a combined score including CD8+ T lymphocytes, necrosis, mitosis, and proliferation index showed median overall survival of 11.3 months compared with 16.4 months in cases with high versus low combined score (P < 0.003). Subgroup exploratory analysis of 15 paired samples before and after chemotherapy showed a significant increase in cytotoxic T lymphocytes in MPM samples and PD-L1 expression in immune cells. Conclusions: TME enriched with cytotoxic T lymphocytes is associated with higher levels of macrophages and PD-L1 expression on tumor cells and with aggressive histopathological features, lower response to chemotherapy and shorter survival. The role of chemotherapy as a tumor immunogenicity inducer should be confirmed in a larger validation set.

Laser assisted green synthesis of free standing reduced graphene oxides at the water-air interface.

A single step, scalable and green strategy has been developed to obtain reduced graphene oxide layers in water dispersion through nanosecond laser pulse irradiation of carbon targets. The layers spontaneously migrate at the water-air interface, forming sheets of several tens of micrometers and show intense ultraviolet photoluminescence. This unique condition offers an intriguing environment where opposing dielectric media meet and can be used in all those processes where molecular interactions such as hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions are greatly enhanced.

Serum osteoprotegerin correlates with age and bone mass in postmenopausal, but not in fertile age women.

PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION: Osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappaB ligand (RANKL) are bone turnover modulators expressed by osteoblasts. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the circulating OPG/RANKL system, age and bone mass, in fertile age and postmenopausal women. METHODS: In this cross-sectional observational study on 48 patients (fertile age, n = 22; postmenopause, n = 26), we investigated the correlation between serum OPG and RANKL, age and bone mineral density (BMD). Serum concentrations of OPG and RANKL were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); estimate BMD evaluation was performed with heel quantitative ultrasonometry (QUS). RESULTS: Serum OPG significantly increased (p = 0.003) and serum RANKL significantly decreased (p = 0.002), in the postmenopausal group compared to fertile age women. A significant correlation of serum OPG with age (r(s) = 0.39, p = 0.047) and BMD (r(s) = 0.45, p = 0.023) in postmenopausal women, and between RANKL and BMD (r(s) = 0.48, p = 0.024) in fertile age was found. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate in vivo that the OPG/RANKL system is significantly associated with menopausal status and could play a role in postmenopausal osteoporosis.

PKC-epsilon-dependent cytosol-to-membrane translocation of pendrin in rat thyroid PC Cl3 cells.

We studied the expression and the hormonal regulation of the PDS gene product, pendrin, which is, in thyrocytes, responsible for the iodide transport out of the cell. We show that PC Cl3 cells, a fully differentiated thyroid cell line, grown without TSH and insulin, express very low level of PDS mRNA; such expression is greatly increased after stimulation with insulin or TSH. (125)I pre-loaded cells showed an (125)I efflux accelerated in chloride-containing buffer with respect to chloride-free buffer, suggesting that this efflux is chloride dependent. By immunoblotting, pendrin was found in agonists-stimulated cells, whereas it was barely detectable in un-stimulated cells. An increase in both PDS mRNA and protein was also obtained using phorbol ester PMA, or using 8-Br-cAMP and forskolin. Stimulation with insulin (1 microg/ml; 0-40 min) provoked the cytosol-to-membrane translocation of pendrin and a decrease of intracellular I(-) content in (125)I pre-loaded cells. Insulin- or PMA-treated cells also showed a cytosol-to-membrane translocation of PKC-delta and -epsilon. Inhibition of both PKC-delta and -epsilon activities by GF109203X blocked pendrin translocation, whilst the inhibition of PKA did not. The selective inhibition of PKC-delta by rottlerin did not affect the insulin-provoked translocation of pendrin whilst it was inhibited by a PKC-epsilon translocation inhibitor peptide and also by PKC-epsilon downregulation using the small interfering RNA, thus indicating that such translocation was due to PKC-epsilon activity. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that, in PC Cl3 cells, pendrin expression and localisation are regulated by insulin and influenced by a PKC-epsilon-dependent intracellular pathway.

[Pt(O,O'-acac)(gamma-acac)(DMS)], a new Pt compound exerting fast cytotoxicity in MCF-7 breast cancer cells via the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We showed previously that a new Pt complex containing an O,O'-chelated acetylacetonate ligand (acac) and a dimethylsulphide in the Pt coordination sphere, [Pt(O,O'-acac)(gamma-acac)(DMS)], induces apoptosis in HeLa cells. The objective of this study was to investigate the hypothesis that [Pt(O,O'-acac)(gamma-acac)(DMS)] is also cytotoxic in a MCF-7 breast cancer cell line relatively insensitive to cisplatin, and to gain a more detailed analysis of the cell death pathways. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Cells were treated with Pt compounds and cytotoxicity tests were performed, together with Western blotting of various proteins involved in apoptosis. The mitochondrial membrane potential was assessed by fluorescence microscopy and spectrofluorometry and the Pt bound to cell fractions was measured by atomic absorption spectrometry. KEY RESULTS: In contrast to cisplatin, the cytotoxicity of [Pt(O,O'-acac)(gamma-acac)(DMS)] correlated with cellular accumulation but not with DNA binding. Also, the Pt content in DNA bases was considerably higher for cisplatin than for [Pt(O,O'-acac)(gamma-acac)(DMS)], thus excluding DNA as a target of [Pt(O,O'-acac)(gamma-acac)(DMS)]. [Pt(O,O'-acac)(gamma-acac)(DMS)] exerted high and fast apoptotic processes in MCF-7 cells since it provoked: (a) mitochondria depolarization; (b) cytochrome c accumulation in the cytosol; (c) translocation of Bax and truncated-Bid from cytosol to mitochondria and decreased expression of Bcl-2; (d) cleavage of caspases -7 and -9, and PARP degradation; (e) chromatin condensation and DNA fragmentation. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: [Pt(O,O'-acac)(gamma-acac)(DMS)] is highly cytotoxic for MCF-7 cells, cells relatively resistant to many chemotherapeutic agents, as it activates the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Hence, [Pt(O,O'-acac)(gamma-acac)(DMS)] has the potential to provide us with new opportunities for therapeutic intervention.

Approaches to modelling radioactive contaminations in forests - Overview and guidance.

Modelling the radionuclide cycle in forests is important in case of contamination due to acute or chronic releases to the atmosphere and from underground waste repositories. This article describes the most important aspects to consider in forest model development. It intends to give an overview of the modelling approaches available and to provide guidance on how to address the quantification of radionuclide transport in forests. Furthermore, the most important gaps in modelling the radionuclide cycle in forests are discussed and suggestions are presented to address the variability of forest sites.

Vortexes tune the chirality of graphene oxide and its non-covalent hosts.

Graphene oxide (GO) is one of the most appealing bidimensional materials able to interact non-covalently with achiral molecules and to act as chiral inducers. Vortexes can tune chirality and, consequently transfer a specific handedness to non-covalent host molecules, either when dispersed in water or when deposited on a solid surface.

Mutational screening of the CART gene in obese children: identifying a mutation (Leu34Phe) associated with reduced resting energy expenditure and cosegregating with obesity phenotype in a large family.

Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) inhibits feeding and induces the expression of c-Fos in hypothalamic areas implicated in appetite regulation. Furthermore, the CART peptide is found in neurons regulating sympathetic outflow, which in turn play an integral role in regulating body temperature and energy expenditure. The CART gene was screened by single-strand conformation polymorphism and automatic sequencing in 130 (72 girls) unrelated obese Italian children and adolescents. Their Z-scores (mean +/- SD) of relative to BMI percentiles was 3.9 +/- 1.8, and the average age at obesity onset was 4.7 +/- 2.6 years. Two previously described silent polymorphisms were found in the 3' untranslated region: an adenine deletion at position 1457 in 9 patients (allele frequency 0.035) and an A/G substitution at position 1475 in 11 patients (allele frequency 0.042). We found no difference between the obese patients heterozygous for one of these polymorphisms and those patients homozygous for the wild allele with respect to their age of obesity onset, BMI Z-scores, and leptin levels. A missense mutation of G729C resulting in the substitution of Leu with Phe at codon 34, within the NH2-terminal CART region, has been detected in the heterozygous state in a 10-year-old obese boy who has been obese since the age of 2 years. The patient belongs to a large family of obese subjects. The mutation cosegregated with the severe obesity phenotype over three generations and was not found in the control population. Resting metabolic rates were lower than expected in the propositus (-14%) and his mother (-16%), who carried the mutation. Leucine at codon 34, conserved in this position in the human and in the rat sequences, immediately precedes a couple of lysine residues that may well represent a dibasic processing site. The Leu34Phe mutation might alter the susceptibility to proteolysis of this potential processing site, likely altering the CART effect on thermogenesis and energy expenditure.

[Psychosocial vulnerability and substance use screening during pregnancy: Evaluation of a composite auto-questionnaire versus usual medical questioning]. / Dépistage des situations de vulnérabilité psychosociale et toxicologique pendant la grossesse : évaluation d'un auto-questionnaire par comparaison aux données du dossier médical.

AIM: To evaluate auto-questionnaire use for psychosocial vulnerability and substance use (smoking, alcohol consumption, depression, intimate violence) screening during pregnancy versus usual medical report. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An auto-questionnaire based on validated tests (Fagerström/HSI, T-ACE, EPDS, SSQ6) was proposed to 1977 pregnant patients at their first obstetrical consultation. We compared results of auto-questionnaire and usual medical questioning. RESULTS: The auto-questionnaire was filled by 1676 pregnant patients (89.4 %). The two Fagerström/HIS questions showed that 20.7 % smoked during pregnancy. T-ACE score was better than usual medical questioning to detect excessive alcohol consumption (4.0 % vs 0.1 %, P<0.05). Drug use before pregnancy was reported by 9.8 % patients in auto-questionnaire, but was only found in 4.9 % of medical files (P<0.001). Seven percent patients reported at least 3 depressive symptoms on 4 purposed in auto-questionnaire. Intimate violence, physical or psychological, was reported in 9.4 %. All of these vulnerability factors were linked together, in auto-questionnaire or in usual medical reports. CONCLUSION: Using auto-questionnaire based on standardized screening tests could help medical practioneers to detect psychosocial vulnerability and/or substance use during pregnancy.

Clinical experience with growth hormone treatment in patients with beta-thalassaemia major.

The aetiology of the growth retardation occurring in patients with beta-thalassaemia major is considered to be multifactorial. Although growth hormone (GH) secretion appears to be normal in many thalassaemic patients with short stature, there is evidence indicating impaired GH secretion in approximately 3% of patients. The response to recombinant human GH treatment (rHGH) is not predictable, based on either the parameters known to affect the response to treatment or the type of defect in the GH-insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) axis. The wide variation in growth velocity observed during rHGH treatment suggests that treatment with the usual dose of rHGH (0.6 U/kg/week) cannot be considered effective in all patients, although rHGH has been successful in some patients. Therefore further studies are required in order to evaluate the effects of supraphysiological doses of rHGH on growth. Since these patients are prone to develop abnormal glucose homeostasis, oral glucose tolerance tests must be performed periodically during rHGH treatment.

Candida albicans endophthalmitis after penetrating keratoplasty.

We examined two patients who received contaminated corneas from the same organ donor during penetrating keratoplasty. Both developed Candida albicans endophthalmitis, which responded to surgical and antifungal therapy. On follow-up examination one patient had a visual acuity of hand motions, a pupillary membrane, and a macular scar. The other had a visual acuity of 20/100 and a clear graft.

Ergometric evaluation of the effects of enalapril maleate in normotensive patients with stable angina.

The anti-ischemic effect of a single oral dose of 10 mg of enalapril maleate (E) was investigated in 14 normotensive patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and stable effort-induced angina pectoris. An exercise stress test was performed three times in each patient at the same clock hour on three successive days: with no treatment (baseline), 6 h after administration of placebo (P), and 6 h after oral administration of a single 10 mg dose of E. The multistage nonstop effort tests were performed in the sitting position. Workload started at 25 W and was increased by 25 W every 2 min until an ischemic ST depression of more than 1.5 mm was observed. The following parameters were measured: heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (BP), rate-pressure product (RPP), workload sustained (WS), elapsed time of effort (ET), and millimeters of ischemic ST depression. The values of the parameters observed with baseline, P, and E were compared at the moment of appearance of chest pain or ischemic ST depression, at the moment of maximal effort, maximal common WS (MCWS), and maximal common RPP (MCRPP). Enalapril delayed the appearance of the ischemic ST depression. At the MCWS, the RPP was significantly lower under E and the ST depression was less marked; this effect was the result of a lower BP level, in the absence of any significant change in HR response. The acute effects of E observed in normotensive patients with effort-induced angina pectoris seems to be related to the inhibition of angiotensin at the coronary level and to its antiadrenergic action.

Treatment with deferiprone (L1) in a thalassemic patient with bone lesions due to desferrioxamine.

A male thalassemia major patient who developed bone and cartilage abnormalities with a standard dose of desferrioxamine (DFX) given subcutaneously from the age of 4 years was treated with the oral iron chelator deferiprone (L1). During L1 treatment an improvement of genu valgum, evidence of healing and filling in of bone at the periphery of knee metaphysis and improvement in growth velocity were observed. However, the sitting height had decreased further, confirming the irreversibility of platyspondylosis, so affecting the near final standing height (156.8 cm) which was below the mid-parental height (168 cm). Prospective studies are warranted to determine the effect of different iron chelators on the bone metabolism of patients with thalassemia.

Characterization of early presentation idiopathic ovarian failure in girls and adolescents.

This study focused retrospectively on a selected cohort of 20 adolescents with early onset premature ovarian failure (POF) and no apparent underlying cause, in order to characterize the idiopathic ovarian failure at pediatric age. This characterization was based on medical history, pedigree analysis, phenotypical and audiological evaluation, final and target heights, pelvic ultrasonography, endocrine assessment, routine hematochemical analyses and complete autoimmune screening. We found that: a) idiopathic POF presented either before or after puberty onset and also with secondary amenorrhea; b) final height prognosis was impaired only in patients with prepubertal presentation of POF; c) ovarian pattern at ultrasonography and endocrine picture were similar those previously reported in patients with adult onset POF; d) clinical history and pedigree analysis, phenotypical and audiological examination and complete autoimmune screening failed to highlight the existence of any possible cause for POF in 15/20 patients; e) no alterations of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol serum levels were detected in any patient. On the basis of these results we concluded that: a) final height of the adolescents with POF may be impaired only in patients in whom POF presents as a pubertal delay; b) other parameters do not generally differ from those described by previous reports on young adults with POF, except for serum lipid levels which were normal in the present cohort.

Clinical experience using the Androderm testosterone transdermal system in hypogonadal adolescents and young men with beta-thalassemia major.

beta-Thalassemia major is associated with a high prevalence of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism affecting adolescents and young men with this disease. The pharmacokinetics of Androderm, a non-scrotal permeation-enhanced testosterone transdermal system, was previously studied in this population using three application regimens designed to mimic the nocturnal secretion and circadian patterns of testosterone production characteristics of puberty and young adulthood. In regimen I, designed for prepubertal 14 to 16 year-olds, a single Androderm patch (2.5 mg/day nominal delivery rate) is applied at night and removed 12 hours later in the morning. In regimen II, designed for partially virilized 17 to 19 year-olds, a single Androderm patch is applied nightly for 24 hours. In regimen III, intended for virilized men aged 20 years and older, two Androderm patches (total dose of 5 mg/day) are applied nightly for 24 hours. This report presents the results of a 12-month open label study using these three Androderm regimens to treat nine hypogonadal males with beta-thalassemia (ages 16.8 to 31.8 yr). Our data show that Androderm produced physiologically appropriate testosterone levels, lowered SHBG levels, promoted growth and virilization, increased bone mineral density, and was generally well tolerated in this population of hypogonadal adolescents and young men with beta-thalassemia.

Etiology of central precocious puberty in males: the results of the Italian Study Group for Physiopathology of Puberty.

We reviewed the hospital records of 45 boys, followed in 13 pediatric departments throughout Italy, who had undergone computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging for central precocious puberty (CPP). Twenty-seven patients (60%) had idiopathic CPP and 18 (40%) neurogenic CPP. A hamartoma of the tuber cinereum was found in six patients (33%). All patients with hypothalamic hamartoma had earlier onset of symptoms than patients with idiopathic CPP. Five patients (27%) were affected by type 1 neurofibromatosis, two had ependymoma and five patients had an intracranial anomaly. Basal LH and basal and peak LH/FSH ratio were greater, but not significantly, in boys with neurogenic CPP than in boys with idiopathic CPP. The highest LH peak levels were observed in patients with hamartoma; however, no correlation was observed between LH peak and the size of the hamartomas. In addition, bone age at diagnosis was more advanced in patients with hamartoma than in patients with other conditions. In conclusion, gonadotrophin-dependent precocious puberty may be of idiopathic origin or may occur in association with any CNS disorder. Further studies are needed in order to evaluate the effects of nutritional, environmental and psychosocial factors on the timing of sexual maturation, to explain the high incidence of idiopathic CPP in our male patients.

Renal agenesis, ureteral ectopia into seminal vesicle, vas deferens agenesis and hemivertebra: an incomplete form of caudal regression syndrome?

The association of seminal vesicle cyst and upper urinary tract malformation is well known in the literature [1]. More rarely, urogenital malformations are associated with vertebral [2] or anorectal anomalies [3]. A 35-year-old infertile man with unilateral renal and deferential agenesis, seminal vesicle cyst and hemivertebra is reported. This complex malformative syndrome has been reported previously by Sheih et al. [4] and, to our knowledge, this is the third case described in the literature.

[Pica and iron-deficiency anemia in a 2-year old Indian child]. / Pica e anemia ferropriva in una bambina indiana di due anni.

Pica is the compulsive ingestion of nonnutritive substances. The causes are not known, but the symptom is often associated either with iron-deficiency or with pregnancy. The authors report on a case of pica in a 2-year old Indian child, affected by a serious ferropenic anaemia.

Ergometric evaluation of the effects of captopril in hypertensive patients with stable angina.

The antihypertensive and anti-ischaemic effects of methyldopa and captopril were compared in 12 hypertensive patients with coronary artery disease. The antihypertensive effect of alpha-methyldopa (A) and captopril (C) were significant and similar. On the other hand, while methyldopa did not increase the product of systolic pressure and heart rate and did decrease the effort-induced S-T segment depression, C increased the double product (DP) and decreased the ischaemic S-T changes. Captopril might be useful in the treatment of hypertensive patients with coronary artery disease.