@article {10798, title = {Imaging and therapy of ovarian cancer: clinical application of nanoparticles and future perspectives.}, journal = {Theranostics}, volume = {8}, year = {2018}, month = {2018}, pages = {4279-4294}, abstract = {

Despite significant advances in cancer diagnostics and treatment, ovarian cancers (OC) continue to kill more than 150,000 women every year worldwide. Due to the relatively asymptomatic nature and the advanced stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis, OC is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. The current treatment for advanced OC relies on the synergistic effect of combining surgical cytoreduction and chemotherapy; however, beside the fact that chemotherapy resistance is a major challenge in OC management, new imaging strategies are needed to target microscopic lesions and improve both cytoreductive surgery and patient outcomes. In this context, nanostructured probes are emerging as a new class of medical tool that can simultaneously provide imaging contrast, target tumor cells, and carry a wide range of medicines resulting in better diagnosis and therapeutic precision. Herein we summarize several exemplary efforts in nanomedicine for addressing unmet clinical needs.

}, issn = {1838-7640}, doi = {10.7150/thno.26345}, author = {Di Lorenzo, Giovanni and Ricci, Giuseppe and Severini, Giovanni Maria and Romano, Federico and Biffi, Stefania} } @article {10803, title = {Interstitial Fluid in Gynecologic Tumors and Its Possible Application in the Clinical Practice.}, journal = {Int J Mol Sci}, volume = {19}, year = {2018}, month = {2018 Dec 12}, abstract = {

Gynecologic cancers are an important cause of worldwide mortality. The interstitium consists of solid and fluid phases, situated between the blood vessels and cells. The interstitial fluid (IF), or fluid phase, is an extracellular fluid bathing and surrounding the tissue cells. The TIF (tumor interstitial fluid) is a dynamic fluid rich in lipids, proteins and enzyme-derived substances. The molecules found in the IF may be associated with pathological changes in tissues leading to cancer growth and metastatization. Proteomic techniques have allowed an extensive study of the composition of the TIF as a source of biomarkers for gynecologic cancers. In our review, we analyze the composition of the TIF, its formation process, the sampling methods, the consequences of its accumulation and the proteomic analyses performed, that make TIF valuable for monitoring different types of cancers.

}, keywords = {Biomarkers, Tumor, Biophysical Phenomena, Extracellular Fluid, Female, Genital Neoplasms, Female, Humans, Practice Patterns, Physicians{\textquoteright}, Tumor Microenvironment}, issn = {1422-0067}, doi = {10.3390/ijms19124018}, author = {Ura, Blendi and Di Lorenzo, Giovanni and Romano, Federico and Monasta, Lorenzo and Mirenda, Giuseppe and Scrimin, Federica and Ricci, Giuseppe} } @article {10830, title = {Pathological Significance and Prognostic Value of Surfactant Protein D in Cancer.}, journal = {Front Immunol}, volume = {9}, year = {2018}, month = {2018}, pages = {1748}, abstract = {

Surfactant protein D (SP-D) is a pattern recognition molecule belonging to the Collectin (collagen-containing C-type lectin) family that has pulmonary as well as extra-pulmonary existence. In the lungs, it is a well-established opsonin that can agglutinate a range of microbes, and enhance their clearance phagocytosis and super-oxidative burst. It can interfere with allergen-IgE interaction and suppress basophil and mast cell activation. However, it is now becoming evident that SP-D is likely to be an innate immune surveillance molecule against tumor development. SP-D has been shown to induce apoptosis in sensitized eosinophils derived from allergic patients and a leukemic cell line p53 pathway. Recently, SP-D has been shown to suppress lung cancer progression interference with the epidermal growth factor signaling. In addition, a truncated form of recombinant human SP-D has been reported to induce apoptosis in pancreatic adenocarcinoma Fas-mediated pathway in a p53-independent manner. To further establish a correlation between SP-D presence/levels and normal and cancer tissues, we performed a bioinformatics analysis, using Oncomine dataset and the survival analysis platforms Kaplan-Meier plotter, to assess if SP-D can serve as a potential prognostic marker for human lung cancer, in addition to human gastric, breast, and ovarian cancers. We also analyzed immunohistochemically the presence of SP-D in normal and tumor human tissues. We conclude that (1) in the lung, gastric, and breast cancers, there is a lower expression of SP-D than normal tissues; (2) in ovarian cancer, there is a higher expression of SP-D than normal tissue; and (3) in lung cancer, the presence of SP-D could be associated with a favorable prognosis. On the contrary, at non-pulmonary sites such as gastric, breast, and ovarian cancers, the presence of SP-D could be associated with unfavorable prognosis. Correlation between the levels of SP-D and overall survival requires further investigation. Our analysis involves a large number of dataset; therefore, any trend observed is reliable. Despite apparent complexity within the results, it is evident that cancer tissues that produce less levels of SP-D compared to their normal tissue counterparts are probably less susceptible to SP-D-mediated immune surveillance mechanisms infiltrating immune cells.

}, issn = {1664-3224}, doi = {10.3389/fimmu.2018.01748}, author = {Mangogna, Alessandro and Belmonte, Beatrice and Agostinis, Chiara and Ricci, Giuseppe and Gulino, Alessandro and Ferrara, Ines and Zanconati, Fabrizio and Tripodo, Claudio and Romano, Federico and Kishore, Uday and Bulla, Roberta} }