Search results for " patologia"

Lemon post-harvest decay control by natural products

2008

Postharvest diseases of lemon fruits represent one of the most severe sources of loss production. They are controlled by imazalil (IMZ), thiabendazole (TBZ) and sodium ortho-phenil-phenate (SOPP) registered fungicides for postharvest treatments. Nowadays, the chemical use is becoming more restricted for environmental concerns and development of fungicide-tolerance strains of fungal pathogens. In the last few years a renewed interest in alternative methods of postharvest decay control has been increasing and the research for natural products has provided encouraging results. The aim of this research has been the in vitro and in vivo effectiveness evaluation of six essences (garlic, cloves, o…

Prophylaxis of lipopolysaccharide-induced shock by α-galactosylceramide

2008

AbstractThe NKT cell ligand α-galactosylceramide and its synthetic homologue KRN7000 stimulate rapid and copious secretion of IFN-γ and TNF-α release, both of which are key mediators of LPS-induced shock. We showed that KRN7000, injected before or within 2 h after LPS challenge, was able to prevent endotoxic shock. KRN7000 induced survival when the mice were injected 6, 9, or 12 days before the first injection of LPS, and this protective effect was associated with reduction upon subsequent challenge in the levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, MCP-1, and an increase of IL-10. Further analysis showed that the animals treated with KRN7000 prior to LPS challenge had lower numbers of F4/80+, NKT, and NK cell…

Elimination of quiescent/slow-proliferating cancer stem cells by Bcl-XL inhibition in non-small cell lung cancer

2014

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, urging the discovery of novel molecular targets and therapeutic strategies. Stem cells have been recently isolated from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), thus allowing the investigation of molecular pathways specifically active in the tumorigenic population. We have found that Bcl-XL is constantly expressed by lung cancer stem cells (LCSCs) and has a prominent role in regulating LCSC survival. Whereas chemotherapeutic agents were scarcely effective against LCSC, the small molecule Bcl-2/Bcl-XL inhibitor ABT-737, but not the selective Bcl-2 inhibitor ABT-199, induced LCSC death at nanomolar concentrations. Differen…

Erythropoietin activates cell survival pathways in breast cancer stem-like cells to protect them from chemotherapy

2013

Abstract Recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) analogs [erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA)] are clinically used to treat anemia in patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy. After clinical trials reporting increased adverse events and/or reduced survival in ESA-treated patients, concerns have been raised about the potential role of ESAs in promoting tumor progression, possibly through tumor cell stimulation. However, evidence is lacking on the ability of EPO to directly affect cancer stem–like cells, which are thought to be responsible for tumor progression and relapse. We found that breast cancer stem–like cells (BCSC) isolated from patient tumors express the EPO receptor and respond to …

Monitoraggio dei marciumi radicali da Phytophthora nei vivai di piante ornamentali in Italia

2014

Synergistic Growth Inhibitory Activity of Combined Mek/Mtor Pathway Blockade in Pten-Null Cancers

2014

ABSTRACT Aim: We have recently shown that induction of PTEN expression plays an integral role in MEK inhibitors' antitumor activity. Here we hypothesize that PTEN status critically influences the functional outcome of combined MEK and PI3K/mTOR inhibition. Methods: Single and combined MEK (trametinib, T) and mTOR (everolimus, E) blockade were assessed in a panel of cancer cell lines and in patient-derived lung and colon cancer stem cells (L- or C-CSC). Pharmacologic interactions were analyzed by conservative isobologram analysis. PTEN role was assessed by shRNA-mediated silencing or overexpression by stable transfection. Treatment-induced changes in the phosphoproteome were analyzed by anti…

Gravi malformazioni in melanzana in Sicilia associate alla presenza di fitoplasmi

2010

Stunting and leaf malformation were repeatedly observed during vegetative growth in eggplant cultivations located in Sicily (Ragusa). Symptoms appear during first weeks after transplantation, and modify normal shape of plants as well as decrease their production, in several cases stunting was present but only in half of the plant. The disease was scattered distributed in the fields and with percentages below 10%. Samples were collected from symptomatic and asymptomatic plants, and shoots and midribs were used for nucleic acid exstraction to verify possible phytoplasma presence and identity. Nested PCR assays with primers P1/P7 followed by R16mF1/R16mR1 (Gundersen and Lee, 1996) allow to obt…

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring cell death in higher eukaryotes

2009

Cell death is essential for a plethora of physiological processes, and its deregulation characterizes numerous human diseases. Thus, the in-depth investigation of cell death and its mechanisms constitutes a formidable challenge for fundamental and applied biomedical research, and has tremendous implications for the development of novel therapeutic strategies. It is, therefore, of utmost importance to standardize the experimental procedures that identify dying and dead cells in cell cultures and/or in tissues, from model organisms and/or humans, in healthy and/or pathological scenarios. Thus far, dozens of methods have been proposed to quantify cell death-related parameters. However, no guid…

MIF rs755622 and IL6 rs1800795 Are Implied in Genetic Susceptibility to End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)

2022

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterized by an increased risk of kidney failure and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Aging and comorbidities as cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders, infectious diseases, or tumors, might increase the risk of dialysis. In addition, genetic susceptibility factors might modulate kidney damage evolution. We have analyzed, in a group of ESRD patients and matched controls, a set of SNPs of genes (Klotho rs577912, rs564481, rs9536314; FGF23 rs7955866; IGF1 rs35767; TNFA rs1800629; IL6 rs1800795; MIF rs755622, rs1007888) chosen in relation to their possible involvement with renal disease and concomitant pathologies. Analysis of the raw data did indicate …

Cellular immune activation in Sardinian middle-aged, older adults and centenarians

2017

In addition to viral infections, malignant disorders, autoimmune diseases, and allograft rejection episodes, neopterin increases in older people where it is found to be predictive of overall mortality. Thus, the serum concentrations of this biomarker of systemic immune and inflammation activation, were measured in a small cohort of Sardinian middle-aged, older adults and centenarians. There was a significant positive correlation between neopterin concentrations and age with the subjects in the 95-year-old group with the highest values. Notably, the group of centenarians had neopterin values comparable to those of 80- and 90-year-old groups, and significantly lower than that of 95-year-old g…