Andrea Lapucci^*†1, Gabriele Perrone^*†1, Antonello Di Paolo^‡§, Cristina Napoli^*†, Ida Landini^*†, Giandomenico Roviello^*†, Laura Calosi^¶, Antonio Giuseppe Naccarato^#, Alfredo Falcone^#, Daniele Bani^¶, Enrico Mini^*†§2, Stefania Nobili^*†§2,3

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.6, pp. 631-644, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504020X16056983169118

Abstract The benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy in the early stages of colorectal cancer (CRC) is still disappointing and the prediction of treatment outcome quite difficult. Recently, through a transcriptomic approach, we evidenced a role of PNN and KCNQ1OT1 gene expression in predicting response to fluoropyrimidine-based adjuvant chemotherapy in stage III CRC patients. Thus, the aim of this study was to validate in an independent cohort of stages II–III CRC patients our previous findings. PNN and KCNQ1OT1 mRNA expression levels were evaluated in 74 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor and matched normal mucosa samples obtained by stages II–III CRC patients treated… More >

Chiara Dalle Fratte^*, Silvia Mezzalira^*, Jerry Polesel^†, Elena De Mattia^*, Antonio Palumbo^‡, Angela Buonadonna^§, Elisa Palazzari^¶, Antonino De Paoli^¶, Claudio Belluco^#, Vincenzo Canzonieri^‡** , Giuseppe Toffoli^*, Erika Cecchin^*

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.9, pp. 847-855, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504021X16232280278813

Abstract Pathological complete response after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer patients is related to a favorable prognosis. The identification of early biomarkers predictive of pathological complete response would help optimize the multimodality management of the patients. A panel of 11 tumor-related proteins was investigated by immunohistochemistry in the pretreatment biopsy of a group of locally advanced rectal cancer patients to identify early biomarkers of pathological complete response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. A mono-institutional retrospective cohort of 95 stage II/III locally advanced rectal cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and surgery was selected based on clinical–pathological… More >

YUE CHEN¹, ZHITING TANG², MIAO YU¹, RUI ZHANG^1,*, XINXIN DONG¹, LIANQUN CAO¹

BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.4, pp. 513-524, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.09422

Abstract Preoperative chemoradiation therapy (CRT) is becoming the standard treatment for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. However, individual differences in response to treatment range from a complete response to complete resistance. Predicting the tumor response to radiotherapy may improve the efficacy of radiotherapy. This review mainly summarizes recent studies about the molecular biomarkers that can predict the response to radiotherapy in rectal cancer. These studies have indicated that the molecular markers involved in the response to radiotherapy mainly include genes related to radiosensitivity, cancer stem cell-related markers, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and gene More >

Or Bercovich¹, Tal Tirosh-Wagner², Lior Goldberg¹, Amir Vardi³, David Mishali⁴, Gideon Paret^1,#, Yael Nevo-Caspi^1,*,#

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.15, No.4, pp. 239-249, 2020, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2020.011576

Abstract Objective: To test the hypothesis that circulating miRNAs-146a, -146b, -155, and -21 reflect the inflammatory state of children following heart surgery, and that they may, therefore, correlate with postoperative parameters. We aimed to quantify miRNAs in blood samples from pediatric patients before and 6, 12, and 24 hours after surgery and to evaluate correlations between the miRNA levels and the postoperative course. Setting: PICU. Patients: Forty-two pediatric patients with CHD who underwent cardiac surgery at Safra Children’s Hospital between 2012–2016. Interventions: none. Outcome Measures: The primary outcomes were the postoperative cardiac complications and the secondary outcomes were the More >

Dana Y. Fuhrman^1,2, Lan Nguyen³, Morgan Hindes³, John A. Kellum²

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.6, pp. 963-967, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12862

Abstract Background: There are significant implications for kidney disease in young adults with congenital heart disease. Prior investigations have not focused on the use of urinary tubular biomarkers for the early identification of kidney disease in this growing patient group.
Objective: Determine if young adults with congenital heart disease have differences in the baseline concentration of urinary tubular biomarkers when compared to healthy young adults.
Design/Methods: In a pilot case control study, 30 patients from 18 to 35 years of age with congenital heart disease and a normal serum creatinine were recruited during a routine follow-up visit. In the… More >

Masashi Nishida, Shingo Kubo, Yuma Morishita, Kosuke Nishikawa, Kazuyuki Ikeda, Toshiyuki Itoi, Hajime Hosoi

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.6, pp. 1087-1093, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12853

Abstract Objective: This study aims to investigate the changes in renal function and levels of urinary biomarkers before and after cardiac angiography in children with congenital heart disease (CHD).
Setting: Children with CHD are at a risk for kidney injury during contrast exposure in cardiac angiography.
Outcome Measures: We measured urinary protein, albumin, N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminidase (NAG), β2‐microglobulin (BMG), and liver‐type fatty acid‐binding protein (L‐FABP) levels, as well as serum creatinine and cystatin C levels, before and after cardiac angiography in 33 children with CHD.
Results: No significant decrease was noted in either the creatinine‐based or cystatin C‐based estimated glomerular filtration rate… More >

Benjamin S. Frank¹, Tracy T. Urban², Karlise Lewis², Suhong Tong³, Courtney Cassidy⁴, Max B. Mitchell⁵, Christopher S. Nichols⁶, Jesse A. Davidson¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.3, pp. 446-453, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12744

Abstract Objective: Patients undergoing surgical repair of aortic coarctation have a 50% risk of pathologic left ventricular remodeling (increased left ventricular mass or relative wall thickness). Endothelin 1, ST2, galectin 3, norepinephrine and B‐natriuretic pep‐ tide are biomarkers that have been associated with pathologic LV change in adult populations but their predictive value following pediatric coarctation repair are not known.
Hypothesis: Biomarker levels at coarctation repair will predict persistent left ven‐ tricular remodeling at 1‐year follow up.
Design: Prospective, cohort study of 27 patients’ age 2 days‐12 years with coarcta‐ tion of the aorta undergoing surgical repair. Echocardiograms were… More >

Jan Hinnerk Hansen¹, Lydia Kissner¹, Jana Logoteta¹, Olaf Jung¹, Peter Dütschke², Tim Attmann³, Jens Scheewe³, Hans‐Heiner Kramer^1,4

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.3, pp. 427-437, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12741

Abstract Objectives: Neonates and infants undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease are at risk for developmental impairment. Hypoxic‐ischemic brain injury might be one contributing factor. We aimed to investigate the perioperative release of the astro‐ cyte protein S100B and its relation to cerebral oxygenation.
Methods: Serum S100B was measured before and 0, 12, 24, and 48 hours after sur‐ gery. Cerebral oxygen saturation was derived by near‐infrared spectroscopy. S100B reference values based on preoperative samples; concentrations above the 75th per‐ centile were defined as elevated. Patients with elevated S100B at 24 or 48 hours were compared to cases… More >

Mariana M. Clavé¹, Nair Y. Maeda², Ana M. Thomaz¹, Sergio P. Bydlowski³, Antonio A. Lopes¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.2, pp. 246-255, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12688

Abstract Background: Ideally, vasodilator therapies for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) should have a favorable impact on markers of vascular dysfunction, in addition to their known effects on hemodynamics, cardiac function, and patient’s physical capacity.
Methods: We analyzed circulating (plasma) markers of endothelial and platelet activation/dys‐ function (enzyme‐linked immunoassays) in the specific setting of advanced PAH associated with congenital heart disease, during the course of sildenafil and tadalafil therapies. Thirty‐one patients were enrolled (age 10‐54 years), most of them with chronic hypoxemia and elevated hematocrit. Drugs were administered orally for 6 months (sildenafil [n = 16], 20 mg t.i.d.;… More >