Asbestos fibres detected by scanning electron microscopy in the gallbladder of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM)

Gallbladders from patients affected by both malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) and important gallbladder disorders were analyzed to verify the presence of asbestos fibres. Histological thin sections were analyzed by optical microscope and variable pressure scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy, allowing morphological and chemical characterization of each inorganic phase observed. Fibres of chrysotile and crocidolite, minerals regulated as asbestos, were identified. By immunohistochemical analysis, connective tissue was recognized as the incorporation site. These findings confirm that asbestos fibres can reach the gallbladders of patients with MPM, for whom the development of respiratory diseases confirms asbestos exposure.

Prognostic factors in elderly patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma: results of a multicenter survey

BACKGROUND

The incidence of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) in elderly patients is increasing. There are no specific guidelines for their management.

METHODS

The clinical records of elderly patients (⩾70 years old) with MPM referred from January 2005 to November 2011 to six Italian Centres were reviewed. Age, gender, histology, International Mesothelioma Interest Group (IMIG) stage, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG-PS), Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and treatment modalities were analysed and correlated to overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

In total, 241 patients were identified. Charlson Comorbidity Index was ⩾1 in 92 patients (38%). Treatment was multimodality therapy including surgery in 18, chemotherapy alone in 180 (75%) and best supportive care in 43 cases (18%). Chemotherapy was mainly pemetrexed based. Median OS was 11.4 months. Non-epithelioid histology (HR 2.32; 95% CI 1.66-3.23, P<0.001), age ⩾75 years (HR 1.44; 95% CI 1.08-1.93, P=0.014), advanced (III-IV) stage (HR 1.47; 95% CI 1.09-1.98, P=0.011) and CCI⩾1 (HR 1.38; 95% CI 1.02-1.85, P=0.034) were associated to a shorter OS. Treatment with pemetrexed was associated with improved OS (HR 0.40; 95% CI 0.28-0.56, P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Non-epithelioid histology, age ⩾75 years, advanced IMIG stage and presence of comorbidities according to CCI were significant prognostic factors in elderly patients with MPM. Treatment with pemetrexed-based chemotherapy was feasible in this setting. Prospective dedicated trials in MPM elderly patients selected according to prognostic factors including comorbidity scales are warranted.

Some Lessons Learned from Imatinib Mesylate Clinical Development in Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors

Imatinib mesylate is a molecular-targeted agent, shown to be effective in chronic myeloid leukemia and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). The latter may currently serve as a model on which speculating how the future of molecular-targeted therapy in solid tumors will be. So far, some lessons have been learnt. 1) Molecular-targeted therapy can be effective in the advanced disease setting, resulting in major tumor responses. 2) Patterns of tumor responses may be peculiar, radiologically and pathologically. 3) Anti-tumor activity may be highly predictable by assessing tumor molecular biology. 4) The methodology of clinical development of molecular-targeted agents may differ from standard chemotherapy in some respects, because, say, the preclinical rationale may be stronger, thus increasing the Bayesian prior probability of efficacy, or the optimal dose cannot be determined separately from the assessment of activity and efficacy. 5) Molecular-targeted agents will hardly remain "orphan drugs", if effective. 6) While an obvious impact on survival in the advanced disease setting has been clearly demonstrated, the biologic and clinical impact of molecular-targeted therapy still needs to be elucidated. Its eradicating capabilities, as well as the implications of secondary resistance, are to be understood. 7) Integrated, multimodality approaches, including surgery, may still be of value in the molecular-targeted therapy era.

Mode of action of trabectedin in myxoid liposarcomas

To elucidate the mechanisms behind the high sensitivity of myxoid/round cell liposarcoma (MRCL) to trabectedin and the suggested selectivity for specific subtypes, we have developed and characterized three MRCL xenografts, namely ML017, ML015 and ML004 differing for the break point of the fusion gene FUS-CHOP, respectively of type I, II and III. FUS-CHOP binding to the promoters of some target genes such as Pentraxin 3 or Fibronectin 1, assessed by chromatin immunoprecipitation, was strongly reduced in the tumor 24 h after the first or the third weekly dose of trabectedin, indicating that the drug at therapeutic doses causes a detachment of the FUS-CHOP chimera from its target promoters as previously shown in vitro. Moreover, the higher sensitivity of MRCL types I and II appears to be related to a more prolonged block of the transactivating activity of the fusion protein. Doxorubicin did not affect the binding of FUS-CHOP to target promoters. Histologically, the response to trabectedin in ML017 and ML015 was associated with a marked depletion of non-lipogenic tumoral cells and vascular component, as well as lipidic maturation as confirmed by PPARγ2 expression in western Blot. By contrast, in ML004 no major changes either in the cellularity or in the amount of mature were found, and consistently PPARγ2 was null. In conclusion, the data support the view that the selective mechanism of action of trabectedin in MRCL is specific and related to its ability to cause a functional inactivation of the oncogenic chimera with consequent derepression of the adypocytic differentiation.

Disease management of type 2 diabetes: a follow-up analysis in a sanitary district of Sicily

AIM

The aim of this paper was to analyze the Disease management of type 2 diabetes in a sanitary district of the Sicily Region (Italy).

METHODS

In a population of 9 698 subjects, we selected patients with known type 2 diabetes: a cohort of 385 subjects, (206 women and 179 men) following up for one year. Prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the analyzed population was 3.97%. A great lot of cohort was on a diet.

RESULTS

After one year, a per cent reduction of obese and overweight subjects was observed. No differences were observed for Body Mass Index (BMI) at the beginning and at the end of the study. After one year, through educational meetings with the doctor, a significant increase of knowledge on the patient's conditions and on the diabetes complications was verified, but our data showed persistent poor attention by doctors. The poor knowledge of patients led to a difficult disease management. After one year, a great lot of cohort used antistroke and cardiovascular disease therapy, reducing significantly the cardiovascular disease risk. However, our study also highlights a gap between the therapeutic guidelines and the actual treatment, with wide variability in the delivery of secondary prevention. CONCLUSION. Our study showed that a persevering warning and a constant adjournment of doctors improves the disease management, reducing complications risk in type 2 diabetes patients.

Characterization of a new trabectedin-resistant myxoid liposarcoma cell line that shows collateral sensitivity to methylating agents

Myxoid Liposarcomas (MLS), characterized by the expression of FUS-CHOP fusion gene are clinically very sensitive to the DNA binding antitumor agent, trabectedin. However, resistance eventually occurs, preventing disease eradication. To investigate the mechanisms of resistance, a trabectedin resistant cell line, 402-91/ET, was developed. The resistance to trabectedin was not related to the expression of MDR related proteins, uptake/efflux of trabectedin or GSH levels that were similar in parental and resistant cells. The 402-91/ET cells were hypersensitive to UV light because of a nucleotide excision repair defect: XPG complementation decreased sensitivity to UV rays, but only partially to trabectedin. 402-91/ET cells showed collateral sensitivity to temozolomide due to the lack of O(6) -methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT) activity, related to the hypermethylation of MGMT promoter. In 402-91 cells chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays showed that FUS-CHOP was bound to the PTX3 and FN1 gene promoters, as previously described, and trabectedin caused FUS-CHOP detachment from DNA. Here we report that, in contrast, in 402-91/ET cells, FUS-CHOP was not bound to these promoters. Differences in the modulation of transcription of genes involved in different pathways including signal transduction, apoptosis and stress response between the two cell lines were found. Trabectedin activates the transcription of genes involved in the adipogenic-program such as c/EBPα and β, in 402-91 but not in 402-91/ET cell lines. The collateral sensitivity of 402-91/ET to temozolomide provides the rationale to investigate the potential use of methylating agents in MLS patients resistant to trabectedin.

Understanding the dynamics of imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii lineages within Portugal

A recent collection of 213 imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (IRAB) clinical isolates was characterized for the presence of acquired carbapenem-hydrolysing class D β-lactamases (CHDLs) and clonality. A population structure analysis of IRAB was also conducted, with five molecular typing methods. Three main clusters, each one associated with a specific CHDL, were observed with multilocus sequence typing. Overall, our results suggest a switch in the dominant clone, with sequence type (ST) 92, carrying bla(OXA-23) (63.4%), replacing the closely related ST98, carrying bla(OXA-24/40) (22%). In addition, ST103, an independent lineage, was associated with bla(OXA-58) -carrying isolates (14.6%).

[A pilot study on adolescents of both sexes. Correlation between phenotype, athletic performances and family history to type 2 diabetes]

The authors have studied the influence of family history of type 2 diabetes on the physical phenotype of 47 health adolescents. In both sexes groups with positive family history (FH+) had the highest values of stature and body weight (P<0.05 for males, not significant for females), waist circumference (P<0.05 for males, not significant for females), and wrist circumference (P=0.05 for males, not significant for females). Considering athletic performance, FH+ males showed a significant higher performance in power exercises than FH- males; no significant differences were found between FH+ and FH- female groups. The study confirms that family history of type 2 diabetes can induce in both sexes precocious phenotype and athletic performances linked-related variations; larger studies are necessary to confirm these data and to verify preventive interventions promoting significant life-style changes.