Catholic University of the Sacred Heart

About: Catholic University of the Sacred Heart is a education organization based out in Milan, Lombardia, Italy. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Medicine. The organization has 13592 authors who have published 31048 publications receiving 853961 citations.

Acquisition of chemoresistance and EMT phenotype is linked with activation of the endothelin A receptor pathway in ovarian carcinoma cells

Abstract: Purpose: Emerging evidence suggests molecular and phenotypic association between chemoresistance and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cancer Endothelin-1 (ET-1)/endothelin A receptor (ET A R) axis is implicated in the pathobiology of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) by driving tumor-promoting effects, including EMT Here, we analyzed how ET A R regulates chemoresistance and EMT in EOC Experimental Design: The effects of ET-1 axis on cell proliferation, drug-induced apoptosis, invasiveness, and EMT were analyzed in cultured EOC cells sensitive and resistant to cisplatinum and taxol Tumor growth in response to ET A R antagonist was examined in EOC xenografts ET A R expression was examined in 60 human EOC tumors by immunohistochemistry and correlated with chemoresistance and EMT Results: In resistant EOC cells ET-1 and ET A R are upregulated, paralleled by enhanced mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) and Akt phosphorylation and cell proliferation Moreover, in these cells the expression of E-cadherin transcriptional repressors, including Snail, Slug, and Twist, as well as of mesenchymal markers, such as vimentin and N-cadherin, were upregulated and linked with enhanced invasive behavior Interestingly, ET A R blockade with zibotentan, a specific ET A R antagonist, or its silencing, downregulated Snail activity, restored drug sensitivity to cytotoxic-induced apoptosis, and inhibited the invasiveness of resistant cells In vivo , zibotentan inhibited tumor growth of sensitive and resistant EOC xenografts, and sensitized to chemotherapy Analysis of EOC human tissues revealed that ET A R is overexpressed in resistant tumors and is associated with EMT phenotype Conclusions: Our data provide the first evidence that blockade of ET A R-driven EMT can overcome chemoresistance and inhibit tumor progression, improving the outcome of EOC patients9 treatment Clin Cancer Res; 17(8); 2350–60 ©2011 AACR

Dietary factors associated with wheezing and allergic rhinitis in children.

Abstract: The effect of dietary factors on asthma is controversial This study examined food consumption and the use of fats in relation to wheezing and allergic rhinitis in children Baseline questionnaire data on individual and family characteristics were recorded by parents of 5,257 children aged 6-7 yrs living in central Italy participating in the International Study on Asthma and Allergies in Childhood study A total of 4,104 children (781%) were reinvestigated after 1 yr using a second parental questionnaire to record occurrence of respiratory symptoms over the intervening 12 months Consumption of foods rich in antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, animal fats, and food containing omega-3 fatty acids were investigated using a food-frequency questionnaire Frequency of use of fats was also evaluated Wheezing, shortness of breath with wheeze, and symptoms of allergic rhinitis in the past 12 months were considered Intake of cooked vegetables, tomatoes, and fruit were protective factors for any wheeze in the last 12 months and shortness of breath with wheeze Consumption of citrus fruit had a protective role for shortness of breath with wheeze Consumption of bread and margarine was associated with an increased risk of wheeze, while bread and butter was associated with shortness of breath with wheeze Dietary antioxidants in vegetables may reduce wheezing symptoms in childhood, whereas both butter and margarine may increase the occurrence of such symptoms

Epidemiology and genetics of microtia-anotia: a registry based study on over one million births.

Abstract: The epidemiology and genetics of microtia-anotia (M-A) were studied using data collected from the Italian Multicentre Birth Defects Registry (IPIMC) from 1983 to 1992. Among 1,173, 794 births, we identified 172 with M-A, a rate of 1.46/10,000; 38 infants (22.1%) had anotia. Of the 172 infants, 114 (66.2%) had an isolated defect, 48 (27.9%) were multiformed infants (MMI) with M-A, and 10 (5.8%) had a well defined syndrome. The frequency of bilateral defects among non-syndromic cases was 12% compared to 50% of syndromic cases (p = 0.007). Among the MMI only holoprosencephaly was preferentially associated with M-A (four cases observed upsilon 0.7 expected, p = 0.005). No significant variations were identified in the prevalence of non-syndromic cases by geographical area (range 0.62-2.37/10,000 births) or by five month time periods (range 0.21-2.58/10,000 births), nor was there evidence of time trends. When M-A cases were compared to controls, we found that mothers with parity 1 had a higher risk of giving birth to an MMI with M-A, and that mothers with chronic maternal insulin dependent diabetes were at significantly higher risk for having a child with M-A. MMI with M-A had higher rates of prematurity, low birth weight, reduced intrauterine growth, and neonatal mortality than infants with isolated M-A and controls. Babies with isolated M-A had, on average, a lower birth weight than controls; the difference was higher for females. The analysis of pedigrees and familial cases suggests an autosomal dominant trait with variable expression and incomplete penetrance in a proportion of cases, or a multifactorial aetiology. Three cases had consanguineous parents, but the absence of M-A among previous sibs does not support autosomal recessive inheritance.