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Life
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Innovative Biomarkers and Precision Medicine
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Innovative Biomarkers and Precision Medicine

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Medical Research".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 September 2021) | Viewed by 7825

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Mattia Cappelletti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Servizi Medici Associati, 20145 Milan, Italy
2. Inflammation Society, Bexley DA52EL, UK
Interests: applied nutrition; chronic inflammation; glycation; advanced glycation end products; nutrition immunology; personalized nutrition; hepatitis; NASH; NAFLD; liver diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Derosa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Interests: biostatistics; nutrition; inflammation; nutrition immunology; medical research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Michela Carola Speciani

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Clinical Science and Community Health, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
Interests: diabetes; prediabetes; type 2 diabetes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Medicine is evolving rapidly towards a precise and tailored approach to diseases. From cancer care in an ultra-specialistic setting to general practice, quality medicine is no longer using a “one fits all” approach but the discovery of novel biomarkers and treatments enables the physician to personalize its approach on an individual basis. From gene therapy to diabetes care, the increasing number of drugs and mechanisms involved underlines that in the same disease many different aspects vary. A better understanding and early identification of these differences can make a great contribution in delivering a more effective treatment, without delays and side effects. This can increase patient compliance, that is still one of the main obstacles in treatment of chronic conditions.

This special issue focuses on the identification of possible innovative biomarkers that can advance the understanding of pathophysiology behind diseases, recognizing them at earlier stages and identifying different phenotypes, thus guiding different treatments.

Dr. Mattia Cappelletti
Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Derosa
Dr. Michela Carola Speciani
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Life is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • precision medicine
  • novel biomarkers
  • disease treatment
  • pathophysiology
  • disease phenotypes

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1712 KiB  
Article
High SPIN4 Expression Is Linked to Advanced Nodal Status and Inferior Prognosis in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients
by Shih-Lun Chang, Ti-Chun Chan, Tzu-Ju Chen, Ching-Chieh Yang, Hsin-Hwa Tsai, Cheng-Fa Yeh, Sung-Wei Lee and Hong-Yue Lai
Life 2021, 11(9), 912; https://doi.org/10.3390/life11090912 - 1 Sep 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2065
Abstract
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), characterized by the infiltration of lymphocytes, is a malignancy derived from the epithelium of the nasopharynx. Despite its sensitivity to radiation and chemotherapy, NPC has a high propensity for recurrence and metastasis. Although lymph node levels have been indicated as [...] Read more.
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), characterized by the infiltration of lymphocytes, is a malignancy derived from the epithelium of the nasopharynx. Despite its sensitivity to radiation and chemotherapy, NPC has a high propensity for recurrence and metastasis. Although lymph node levels have been indicated as an independent prognostic factor for NPC, there has been no precise prognostic biomarker to predict clinical outcomes for NPC before advanced disease. In the present study, we surveyed differentially expressed genes in NPC via the next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based Oncomine database and identified the spindlin family member 4 (SPIN4) gene as the most relevant to advanced nodal status. We collected 124 tumor samples from NPC patients receiving biopsy, and the expression level of SPIN4 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The results showed that tumors with high SPIN4 expression were significantly correlated with advanced nodal status (p < 0.001) and advanced AJCC stages (p < 0.001). High SPIN4 expression in tumor samples was an unfavorable prognostic factor for all three endpoints at the univariate level: disease-specific survival (DSS), distal metastasis-free survival (DMeFS), and local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) (all p < 0.05). High SPIN4 expression remained independently prognostic of worse DMeFS (p = 0.049) at the multivariate level. Using bioinformatics analysis, we further found that high SPIN4 level may link tight junctions to cancer cell survival. Collectively, these results imply that high SPIN4 expression is linked to an aggressive clinical course, including advanced nodal status and poor survival in NPC patients, emphasizing the promising prognostic utility of SPIN4 expression. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Biomarkers and Precision Medicine)
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11 pages, 1087 KiB  
Article
Metabolic Actions of a Supplement of Ilex Paraguariensis (An Extract of the Leaf Standardized to 2% I-Deoxinojirimcina), White Mulberry and Chromium Picolinate in Nondiabetic Subjects with Dysglycemia: A Randomized Trial
by Giuseppe Derosa, Angela D’Angelo and Pamela Maffioli
Life 2021, 11(7), 709; https://doi.org/10.3390/life11070709 - 18 Jul 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2810
Abstract
Aim: To prove if a nutraceutical containing Ilex paraguariensis (Ilex L. spp. Aquifoliales) (an extract of the leaf standardized to 2% I-deoxinojirimcina), white mulberry (Morus spp., Moraceae), and chromium picolinate can be effective in improving glycemic status in subject with dysglycemia. [...] Read more.
Aim: To prove if a nutraceutical containing Ilex paraguariensis (Ilex L. spp. Aquifoliales) (an extract of the leaf standardized to 2% I-deoxinojirimcina), white mulberry (Morus spp., Moraceae), and chromium picolinate can be effective in improving glycemic status in subject with dysglycemia. Methods: We randomized patients to consume placebo or the nutraceutical, self-administered once a day, one tablet at breakfast, for 3 months. Results: A reduction in fasting plasma glucose, postprandial glucose, and glycated hemoglobin was observed with the nutraceutical combination, both compared to baseline and placebo. Data suggested a decrease in the Homeostasis Model Assessment index with the nutraceutical, both compared to baseline and placebo. The M value, an index of insulin sensitivity, obtained after nutraceutical treatment was higher compared to baseline. We recorded a decrease in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and triglycerides with the nutraceutical combination compared to baseline and placebo. A decrease in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein was observed with the nutraceutical combination compared to baseline and placebo. Conclusions: A nutraceutical containing Ilex paraguariensis, white mulberry, and chromium picolinate can be helpful in improving glycemic status and lipid profile in dysglycemic subjects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Biomarkers and Precision Medicine)
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14 pages, 1463 KiB  
Article
CTSE Overexpression Is an Adverse Prognostic Factor for Survival among Rectal Cancer Patients Receiving CCRT
by Chia-Lin Chou, Tzu-Ju Chen, Yu-Feng Tian, Ti-Chun Chan, Cheng-Fa Yeh, Wan-Shan Li, Hsin-Hwa Tsai, Chien-Feng Li and Hong-Yue Lai
Life 2021, 11(7), 646; https://doi.org/10.3390/life11070646 - 2 Jul 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2092
Abstract
The introduction of preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) increases the rate of anal preservation and allows tumor downstaging for clinical stage T3/T4 or node-positive rectal cancer patients. However, there is no precise predictive tool to verify the presence of residual tumor apart from surgical [...] Read more.
The introduction of preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) increases the rate of anal preservation and allows tumor downstaging for clinical stage T3/T4 or node-positive rectal cancer patients. However, there is no precise predictive tool to verify the presence of residual tumor apart from surgical resection. The gastrointestinal (GI) tract not only digests nutrients but also coordinates immune responses. As the outermost layer of the GI tract, mucus plays a key role in mediating the interaction between the digestive and immune systems, and aberrant mucus mesh formation may cause chemoresistance by impeding drug delivery. However, the correlations among digestion-related genes, mucin synthesis, and chemoresistance remain poorly understood. In the present study, we evaluated genes related to digestion (GO: 0007586) and identified cathepsin E (CTSE), which is involved in immune regulation, as the most significantly upregulated gene associated with CCRT resistance in rectal cancer in a public transcriptome dataset (GSE35452). We recovered 172 records of rectal cancer patients receiving CCRT followed by surgical resection from our biobank and evaluated the expression level of CTSE using immunohistochemistry. The results revealed that tumors with CTSE overexpression were significantly correlated with pre-CCRT and post-CCRT positive nodal status (both p < 0.001), advanced pre-CCRT and post-CCRT tumor status (p < 0.001 and p = 0.002), perineural invasion (p = 0.023), vascular invasion (p < 0.001), and a lesser degree of tumor regression (p = 0.003). At the univariate level, CTSE overexpression was an adverse prognostic factor for all three endpoints: disease-specific survival (DSS), metastasis-free survival (MeFS) (both p < 0.0001), and local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) (p = 0.0001). At the multivariate level, CTSE overexpression remained an independent prognostic factor for poor DSS, MeFS (both p = 0.005), and LRFS (p = 0.019). Through bioinformatics analysis, we speculated that CTSE overexpression may confer CCRT resistance by forming a defensive mucous barrier. Taken together, these results suggest that CTSE overexpression is related to CCRT resistance and inferior survival in rectal cancer patients, highlighting the potential predictive and prognostic value of CTSE expression. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Biomarkers and Precision Medicine)
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