Pemetrexed and platinum (PP) combination chemotherapy is the current standard first-line therapy for treatment of malignant mesothelioma (MM). However, a useful predictive biomarker for PP therapy is yet to be found. Here, we performed targeted exome sequencing to profile somatic mutations and copy number variations in 12 MM patients treated with PP therapy. We identified 187 somatic mutations ...

It is attractive to manipulate the volatile and non-volatile resistive switching behaviors of memristors create genuine neuromorphic systems such as artificial neural networks (ANNs) spiking (SNNs). To investigate above behaviors, nitrogen has been introduced into TiO2 nanorod arrays (TiO2 NRAs) by hydrothermal processing. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis shows that both lattice ...

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is usually expressed in squamous cell anal carcinoma (SCAC) and anti-EGFR agents could represent a valid treatment strategy, also considering that KRAS and BRAF mutations are rare events in this type of cancer. However, no data are available on NRAS status in SCAC. In this study we analyzed NRAS status (exons 2-4) by Pyrosequencing in a case series of 50 ...

Colorectal cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed malignant tumors in men and women, which a highly heterogeneous group neoplasms consisting subclasses with different molecular clinical characteristics, and, as consequence, patients types require treatment protocols. Among predictive factors response metastatic colorectal cancer, studied are genes RAS family (KRAS, NRAS). Determination ...

BACKGROUND Malignant melanoma arising from different body compartments may be associated with differing aetiological factors and clinical behaviour, and may manifest diverse molecular genetic profiles. Although many studies have focused on cutaneous melanoma, little is known of mucosal and other types of melanoma. In particular, malignant melanoma of soft parts is different from other melanomas...

While targeted therapy brought a new era in the treatment of BRAF mutant melanoma, therapeutic options for non-BRAF mutant cases are still limited. In order to explore the antitumor activity of prenylation inhibition we investigated the response to zoledronic acid treatment in thirteen human melanoma cell lines with known BRAF, NRAS and PTEN mutational status. Effect of zoledronic acid on proli...

Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCLs) are malignancies of skin-homing lymphoid cells, which have so far not been investigated thoroughly for common oncogenic mutations. We screened 90 biopsy specimens from CTCL patients (41 mycosis fungoides, 36 Sézary syndrome, and 13 non-mycosis fungoides/Sézary syndrome CTCL) for somatic mutations using OncoMap technology. We detected oncogenic mutations for th...

This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of HRAS mRNA expression in cutaneous melanoma. Cutaneous melanoma is an aggressive cancer with an increasing incidence. Few studies have focused on the transcriptional level of RAS isoforms (KRAS, NRAS, and HRAS) in cutaneous melanoma. To gain further insight into RAS isoforms at transcriptional level, we obtained the cutaneous melanoma data ...

Vertically aligned TiO(2) nanorod arrays (NRAs) modified with Ag(2)S quantum dots (QDs) have been successfully prepared via a successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) process. Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption spectra and surface photovoltage (SPV) measurements reveal that the Ag(2)S sensitization extends the range of the photoresponse of the TiO(2) NRAs to the visible regio...

OBJECTIVES Testing for NRAS mutation at codon Q61 is of therapeutic, prognostic, and diagnostic importance for metastatic melanoma, thyroid carcinoma, and colorectal carcinoma. Immunohistochemistry for NRASQ61R, the most common NRAS mutation, offers several practical advantages over current molecular diagnostic techniques. METHODS We investigated the sensitivity and specificity of NRASQ61R in...