Ghrelin, an orexigenic hormone, is a peptide that binds to the growth hormone secretagogue receptor; it is secreted mainly by enteroendocrine cells in the oxyntic glands of the stomach. Ghrelin serves a role in both local and systemic physiological processes, and is implicated in various pathologies, including neoplasia, with tissue expression in several types of malignancies in both in vitro and in vivo studies. However, the precise implications of the ghrelin axis in metastasis, invasion and cancer progression regulation has yet to be established. In the case of gastrointestinal (GI) tract malignancies, ghrelin has shown potential to become a prognostic factor or even a therapeutic target, although data in the literature are inconsistent and unsystematic, with reports untailored to a specific histological subtype of cancer or a particular localization. The evaluation of immunohistochemical expression shows a limited outlook owing to the low number of cases analyzed, and in vivo analyses have conflicting data regarding differences in ghrelin serum levels in patients with cancer. The aim of this review was to examine the relationship between ghrelin and GI tract malignancies to demonstrate the inconsistencies in current results and to highlight its clinical significance in the outcome of these patients.

The physicochemical properties of many drugs have a decisive impact on their bioavailability, as well as the pharmacokinetic efficiency in various disease therapeutics. That is why mesoporous materials have attracted a special interest in the drug delivery field, facilitating the loading of drugs into their pores due to their high surface area and porosity. The interfacial interactions established with drug molecules represent the driving force for efficient drug loading and controlled release kinetics. Moreover, these materials offer an optimal design for implantable local-delivery devices or for improving the accuracy of imaging techniques in clinical diagnosis. Their use is validated by improvements in therapeutic outcome and prevention of side effects. This review discusses the role of mesoporous materials in different biomedical applications.

Background: Ghrelin is the orexigenic hormone secreted mainly by the stomach. Its involvement in neoplastic development has been studied in gastrointestinal adenocarcinomas. Our paper aims to evaluate the influence of the ghrelin axis in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Materials and Methods: The study design included two groups of patients, 46 with gastric GISTs and 30 with obesity. Archived tissue samples were evaluated for the presence of gastritis and H. pylori. Immunohistochemical expression of ghrelin and its receptor (GHS-R) was assessed. Results: All GISTs showed absent immunohistochemical expression for ghrelin, while GHS-R displayed a particular pattern, with notable differences in intensity (p = 0.0256) and percentage of stained cells (p < 0.00001) in the periphery vs. core of tumors. Positive ghrelin expression was lower in the gastric mucosa of the first group compared to the second group (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The ghrelin axis can influence GISTs carcinogenesis through activation of GHS-R. A previously described direct autocrine/paracrine mechanism is not supported by our findings.

Background: Human papilloma virus (HPV) is acknowledged as a risk factor for oropharyngeal squamous cellular cancers (OPSCC), of which the dominant types are tonsillar (TSCC) and base of tongue cancer (BOTSCC). Objective: To assess the role of HPV in selected OPSCC cases, from Romanian patients by sensitive and complementary molecular assays. Material and Methods: Fifty-four formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) OPSCC samples were analyzed for HPV DNA by a PCR-based bead-based multiplex-assay. Thirty-four samples were tested for HPV RNA and for overexpression of p16^INK4a by immunohistochemistry. Twenty samples were evaluated by Competitive Allele-Specific Taqman PCR (CAST-PCR) for fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 protein (FGFR3) status. Results: A total of 33.3% (18/54) OPSCC samples were positive for HPV DNA. HPV16 was the most frequent type (30%, 16/54); followed by HPV18 (3.7%, 2/54); and 1 sample (1.8%) was positive for both HPV16 and 18. HPV18 E6*I was detected in a HPV18 DNA-positive oropharynx tumor. Four samples positive for HPV16 were also positive for p16^INK4a. All the tested samples were negative for FGFR3. Conclusions: The increased HPV16 prevalence is in line with similar studies and is a new confirmation that HPV16 is the most prevalent type in our country; supporting the potential benefit of prophylactic vaccines. Overall, there is no concordance between DNA and any of the two other analytes that are considered being markers of HPV-driven cancers. There is a need to explore novel screening strategies that could be broadly used in the clinical routine to initiate preventive measures.

Bone and soft tissue sarcomas are a highly heterogeneous group of rare cancers of mesenchymal origin. Treatment options other than surgery have limited efficacy due to low response rates with some exceptions. Radioligand therapy targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) may provide a novel treatment option, as it was recently suggested that soft tissue sarcomas express PSMA in the neovasculature, and on PET/CT imaging, multiple sarcomas have shown intense PSMA-tracer accumulation. Moreover, in prostate cancer patients, incidental PSMA uptake was seen in hemangiomas. In addition to confirming previous results in soft tissue sarcoma, the current study aims to systematically explore the expression of PSMA in bone tumors and in vascular tumors. Immunohistochemistry for PSMA was performed on a total of 706 tumors. High PSMA expression in the neovasculature was seen in 29% of the soft tissue sarcomas and 33% of the bone sarcomas. Malignant tumors showed a higher frequency of PSMA expression (score 2) as compared to benign tumors, with a high frequency in rhabdomyosarcoma (2 of 2, 100%), mesenchymal chondrosarcoma (14 of 20, 70%), undifferentiated sarcoma of bone (4 of 6, 67%) and of soft tissue (13 of 20, 65%), and osteosarcoma (46 of 81, 57%). In addition, giant cell tumor of bone displayed a high PSMA labelling in 67% of the cases. In contrast, high PSMA expression was seen in only 0–40% of the non-neoplastic vessels in vascular tumors, while 8% of them expressed PSMA in the tumor cells. Thus, with variable frequency among the different subtypes, a subset of bone and soft tissue tumors, both malignant and intermediate behavior, express PSMA and these patients may benefit from PSMA-targeting PET/CT scans or PSMA targeted radioligand therapy.