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Simple Summary: Brain metastases are a major challenge for patients with HER2+ breast cancer. Traditional treatments, like radiotherapy, can help but often cause severe side effects and may not provide lasting control. Researchers are exploring new, more precise treatments, including antibodies, drug-antibody combinations, and small molecule drugs that can better penetrate the brain. These new therapies have shown promise in clinical trials, helping to control brain tumors more effectively and with fewer side effects than radiotherapy. The goal of this review is to improve treatments for HER2+ breast cancer patients who develop brain metastases, enhancing their survival rates and quality of life. The findings from this research could significantly impact the medical community by offering better alternatives to radiotherapy and improving how brain metastases are managed. This progress could provide new hope for patients facing this challenging condition and potentially transform treatment strategies in the future. Brain metastases (BM) pose a significant challenge in the management of HER2+ breast cancer since almost 50% of patients with HER2+ breast cancer develop brain tumors. The complex process of brain metastases involves genetic mutations, adaptations and mechanisms to overcome the blood–brain barrier. While radiotherapy is still fundamental in local therapy, its use is associated with cognitive adverse effects and limited long-term control, necessitating the exploration of alternative treatments. Targeted therapies, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, and antibody–drug conjugates, offer promising options for HER2+ breast cancer patients with BM. Clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy of these agents in controlling tumor growth and improving patient outcomes, posing the question of whether radiotherapy is always the unique choice in treating this cancer. Ongoing research into novel anti-HER2 antibodies and innovative combination therapies holds promise for advancing treatment outcomes and enhancing patient care in this clinical scenario. This narrative review provides a comprehensive overview of traditional medical treatments, molecularly targeted therapy and investigational agents in the management of HER2+ breast cancer with BM, highlighting the evolving landscape and potential future directions in treatment strategies to improve patient survival and quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The study of health-related quality of life in survivors of gynecologic cancers is becoming increasingly important as 1.5 million survivors of gynecologic cancer in the United States and more are expected due to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This project investigated the perceived needs and lived experiences of survivors of gynecological cancer to help design supportive activities to be implemented in clinical practice. Methods: Patients were recruited in hospitals or through social media and responded to an online survey that was addressed to patients in Italy, specifically in Sicily, Puglia, and Campania. Patients with ovarian, endometrium, or cervix cancer were recruited among women attending Cannizzaro Hospital and Alleanza Contro il Tumore Ovarico (Alliance Against Ovarian Cancer) members. Results: Body image perception was changed in 82.3% of respondents, whereas familial relationships were described as changed by 27.5% of women. In 69.6% of patients, sexual habits were hindered by changes in the body, depression, pain, and awkwardness. Physicians informed patients about sexuality changes related to cancer extensively in 16.7% of cases and briefly in 19.6% of cases. The advice of a clinical sexologist was considered potentially helpful by 31.4% of patients and not potentially helpful by 47.1%, whereas 21.6% of patients had no opinion. Conclusions: Although sexual habits are often changed by cancer, women surviving gynecological cancer rarely seek medical advice in this area. Physicians should be trained to inform patients and to promote referrals to sexologists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) patients carrying the BRCA1/2 mutation or deficient in the homologous recombination repair system (HRD) generally benefit from treatment with PARP inhibitors. Some international recommendations suggest that BRCA1/2 genetic testing should be offered for all newly diagnosed epithelial ovarian cancer, along with HRD assessment. Academic tests (ATs) are continuously under development, in order to break down the barriers patients encounter in accessing HRD testing. Two different methods for shallow whole-genome sequencing (sWGS) were compared to the reference assay, Myriad. All these three assays were performed on 20 retrospective HGSOC samples. Moreover, HRD results were correlated with the progression-free survival rate (PFS). Both sWGS chemistries showed good correlation with each other and a complete agreement, even when compared to the Myriad score. Our academic HRD assay categorized patients as HRD-Deficient, HRM-Mild and HRN-Negative. These three groups were matched with PFS, providing interesting findings in terms of HRD scoring and months of survival. Both our sWGS assays and the Myriad test correlated with the patient's response to treatments. Finally, our AT confirms its capability of determining HRD status, with the advantage of being faster, cheaper, and easier to carry out. Our results showed a prognostic value for the HRD score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new catalyst is obtained by self-assembling multiple copies of the thioligated ligand on the surface of monolayer-protected gold nanoparticles (MPGNs). High activity and a new mode of action have come from the multivalent nature of the catalyst.

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most important crops worldwide. In this study, we used 7720 genome-wide SNPs to characterize the genetic diversity within a tomato germplasm collection enriched with 64 accessions from southern Italy of the so called "da serbo" type i.e. drought-tolerant and long storage landraces. Notwithstanding the relatively small collection area, 1575 (20.4%) polymorphic SNPs, mostly on Chr11, detected considerable levels of genetic variation. Maximum parsimony analysis of genetic distance revealed four main clusters and clearly separated most "da serbo" landraces from the outgroups. One of the clusters grouped the landraces from the Mount Vesuvius area, though no further indications of a geographic-specific structure were found. STRUCTURE analysis confirmed the presence of four genetic groups within the collection, with admixture between them. A survey of non-synonymous SNPs highlighted several mutations in genes related to stress tolerance and fruit maturation/quality. Overall, our results suggest possible exchange of "da serbo" genetic material between southern Italy regions and indicate that the long storage "da serbo" germplasm could be a promising reservoir of peculiar alleles for traits of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tomato is a high value crop and the primary model for fleshy fruit development and ripening. Breeding priorities include increased fruit quality, shelf life and tolerance to stresses. To contribute towards this goal, we re-sequenced the genomes of Corbarino (COR) and Lucariello (LUC) landraces, which both possess the traits of plant adaptation to water deficit, prolonged fruit shelf-life and good fruit quality. Through the newly developed pipeline Reconstructor, we generated the genome sequences of COR and LUC using datasets of 65.8M and 56.4M of 30-150 bp paired-end reads, respectively. New contigs including reads that could not be mapped to the tomato reference genome were assembled, and a total of 43, 054 and 44, 579 gene loci were annotated in COR and LUC. Both genomes showed novel regions with similarity to Solanum pimpinellifolium and Solanum pennellii. In addition to small deletions and insertions, 2, 000 and 1, 700 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) could exert potentially disruptive effects on 1, 371 and 1, 201 genes in COR and LUC, respectively. A detailed survey of the SNPs occurring in fruit quality, shelf life and stress tolerance related-genes identified several candidates of potential relevance. Variations in ethylene response components may concur in determining peculiar phenotypes of COR and LUC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyploidy and hybridization often provide genetic and phenotypic variability upon which evolutionary forces can act and are therefore considered as fundamental evolutionary processes for diversification in vascular plants, resulting in plant adaptation to changing environmental conditions. However, polyploid speciation is a complex process, potentially involving ecological divergence between lineages of different ploidies and/or genetic mixing with parental species. In the present study, we investigated the origins and dynamics of the Sicilian endemic orchid Neotinea commutata and its relationships with putative parental species. Molecular, cytogenetic and morphometric analyses revealed that N. commutata is a tetraploid derived from hybridization between N. tridentata and N. lactea. However, we also found variation in chromosome number and genome content within N. commutata, indicating that other events, including the possible replacement of the diploid progenitor N. tridentata by N. commutata, may have contributed, or still be contributing, to the evolutionary dynamics of this neoendemic taxon, which appears to be partially reproductively isolated from its progenitors. Distributional data indicate that the allopolyploid N. commutata has been able to establish and spread on the island when compared with its putative parents. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 173, 707-720. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]