Search results for "MULT"

Extracellular vesicles in multiple sclerosis as possible biomarkers: Dream or reality?

2017

Extracellular vesicles are recently described as specialized structures for intercellular communication. Their role in the central nervous system was diffusely studied in both physiological and pathological condition. In particular, an increased extracellular vesicle number was detected in several autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis, a chronic autoimmune, inflammatory, demyelinating and neurodegenerative disease. This chapter summarizes the available information on the involvement of the extracellular vesicles in multiple sclerosis pathogenesis and their possible use as biomarker of therapy efficacy.

NF1 microdeletion syndrome: case report of two new patients

2019

Abstract Background 17q11.2 microdeletions, which include the neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) gene region, are responsible for the NF1 microdeletion syndrome, observed in 4.2% of all NF1 patients. Large deletions of the NF1 gene and its flanking regions are associated with a more severe NF1 phenotype than the NF1 general population. Case presentation We hereby describe the clinical and molecular features of two girls (aged 2 and 4 years, respectively), with non-mosaic atypical deletions. Patient 1 showed fifteen café-au-lait spots and axillary freckling, as well as a Lisch nodule in the left eye, strabismus, high-arched palate, malocclusion, severe kyphoscoliosis, bilateral calcaneovalgus fo…

Disturbed Glucose Metabolism in Rat Neurons Exposed to Cerebrospinal Fluid Obtained from Multiple Sclerosis Subjects

2017

Axonal damage is widely accepted as a major cause of permanent functional disability in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). In relapsing-remitting MS, there is a possibility of remyelination by myelin producing cells and restoration of neurological function. The purpose of this study was to delineate the pathophysiological mechanisms underpinning axonal injury through hitherto unknown factors present in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that may regulate axonal damage, remyelinate the axon and make functional recovery possible. We employed primary cultures of rat unmyelinated cerebellar granule neurons and treated them with CSF obtained from MS and Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) patients. We performed microarray …

Guidelines are silver, but a multidisciplinary team discussion may be golden?

2018

The Increasing Challenge of Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacilli: Results of a 5-Year Active Surveillance Program in a Neonatal Intensive Care U…

2016

Colonization and infection by multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacilli (MDR GNB) in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are increasingly reported.We conducted a 5-year prospective cohort surveillance study in a tertiary NICU of the hospital "Paolo Giaccone," Palermo, Italy. Our objectives were to describe incidence and trends of MDR GNB colonization and the characteristics of the most prevalent organisms and to identify the risk factors for colonization. Demographic, clinical, and microbiological data were prospectively collected. Active surveillance cultures (ASCs) were obtained weekly. Clusters of colonization by extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producing Escherichia coli and Klebs…

Changes in life expectancy for cancer patients over time since diagnosis

2019

Highlights • Research question: how cancer impacts on LE changes during patients’ entire life • LE increased in patients surviving the first years and decreasing thereafter. • Patients’ LE in the end approached but seldom reached the general population’s LE. • This method describes when cancer survivors’ excess risk of death became negligible. • Life expectancy indicator is easy to be understood and interpreted by patients.

Pharmacogenomics of Scopoletin in Tumor Cells

2016

Drug resistance and the severe side effects of chemotherapy necessitate the development of novel anticancer drugs. Natural products are a valuable source for drug development. Scopoletin is a coumarin compound, which can be found in several Artemisia species and other plant genera. Microarray-based RNA expression profiling of the NCI cell line panel showed that cellular response of scopoletin did not correlate to the expression of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters as classical drug resistance mechanisms (ABCB1, ABCB5, ABCC1, ABCG2). This was also true for the expression of the oncogene EGFR and the mutational status of the tumor suppressor gene, TP53. However, mutations in the RAS onc…

Cytotoxicity and mode of action of a naturally occurring naphthoquinone, 2-acetyl-7-methoxynaphtho[2,3-b]furan-4,9-quinone towards multi-factorial dr…

2017

Abstract Introduction Malignacies are still a major public concern worldwide and despite the intensive search of new chemotherapeutic agents, treatment still remains a challenging issue. The present study was designed to evaluate the cytotoxicity of 2-acetyl-7-methoxynaphtho[2,3-b]furan-4,9-quinone (AMNQ) isolated from the bark of Milletia versicolor towards a panel of drug-sensitive and multidrug-resistant (MDR) cancer cell lines. Methods The resazurin reduction assay was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of AMNQ against 9 drug-sensitive and multidrug-resistant (MDR) cancer cell lines. Cell cycle, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and levels of reactive oxygen species were all analyze…

Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Leukemia Cells by Novel Artemisinin-, Egonol-, and Thymoquinone-Derived Hybrid Compounds

2018

Two major obstacles for successful cancer treatment are the toxicity of cytostatics and the development of drug resistance in cancer cells during chemotherapy. Acquired or intrinsic drug resistance is responsible for almost 90% of treatment failure. For this reason, there is an urgent need for new anticancer drugs with improved efficacy against cancer cells, and with less toxicity on normal cells. There are impressive examples demonstrating the success of natural plant compounds to fight cancer, such as Vinca alkaloids, taxanes, and anthracyclines. Artesunic acid (ARTA), a drug for malaria treatment, also exerts cytotoxic activity towards cancer cells. Multidrug resistance often results fro…

Small endogenous molecules as moiety to improve targeting of CNS drugs.

2016

A major challenge in the development of novel neuro-therapeutic agents is to effectively overcome the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which acts as a 'working dynamic barrier'. The core problem in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases is failed delivery of potential medicines due to their inadequate permeation rate. Areas covered: The present review gives a summary of endogenous moieties used in synthesizing prodrugs, derivatives and bioisosteric drugs appositely designed to structurally resemble physiological molecular entities able to be passively absorbed or carried by specific carrier proteins expressed at BBB level. In particular, this overview focuses on aminoacidic, glycosyl, purine…