Indoor radon concentrations were measured in dwellings of the Puglia region in Southern Italy using LR-115 passive detectors. The results show that the radon concentrations varied from 15 ± 2 to 2166 ± 133 Bq/m³ with a geometric mean of 114 Bq/m³ and a geometric standard deviation of 2.3. An analysis on the factors affecting radon concentration such as age of the dwellings, floors, and stories, was performed. The mean effective dose to inhabitants has been calculated and found to be 8.2 mSv/y. Finally, for estimation of cancer risks, the lifetime risk and lung cancer cases per years per million have been calculated.

Nanoparticles (NPs) coated with hyaluronic acid (HA) seem to be increasingly promising for targeted therapy due to HA chemical versatility, which allows them to bind drugs of different natures, and their affinity with the transmembrane receptor CD-44, overexpressed in tumor cells. However, an essential aspect for clinical use of NPs is formulation stability over time. For these reasons, analytical techniques capable of characterizing their physico-chemical properties are needed. In this work, poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) NPs with an average diameter of 100–150 nm, coated with a few 10 s of nm of HA, were synthesized. For stability characterization, two complementary investigative techniques were used: Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. The first technique provided information on size, polidispersity index, and zeta-potential, and the second provided a deeper insight on the NP surface chemicals, allowing distinguishing of HA-coated NPs from uncoated ones. Furthermore, in order to estimate formulation stability over time, NPs were measured and monitored for two weeks. SERS results showed a progressive decrease in the signal associated with HA, which, however, is not detectable by the DLS measurements.

The cytoskeleton is involved in several biological processes, including adhesion, motility, and intracellular transport. Alterations in the cytoskeletal components (actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules) are strictly correlated to several diseases, such as cancer. Furthermore, alterations in the cytoskeletal structure can lead to anomalies in cells’ properties and increase their invasiveness. This review aims to analyse several studies which have examined the alteration of the cell cytoskeleton induced by ionizing radiations. In particular, the radiation effects on the actin cytoskeleton, cell adhesion, and migration have been considered to gain a deeper knowledge of the biophysical properties of the cell. In fact, the results found in the analysed works can not only aid in developing new diagnostic tools but also improve the current cancer treatments.

Background: Radon and its decay products are the main source of natural ionizing radiation and they represent the major contributor to the internal dose to human life. The aim of this study was to assess a potential relationship between indoor radon exposure and the incidence of lung cancer worldwide. Methods: A systematic literature search was carried out in PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar to identify relevant studies published in English conducted in the last 15 years until January 2016. Summary relative risks (RR) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model and the influence of moderators using a mixed-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed using the Q, I2 and H2 tests, and the source of heterogeneity was detected by meta-regression analysis. Publication bias was evaluated with Egger’s regression symmetry test and the contour-enhanced funnel plot. Leave-one-out sensitivity analysis was performed. Results: Twenty-five lung cancer studies (case-control studies) with 13,569 cases and 22,701 controls were included. Indoor radon exposure was significantly associated with increased risk for lung cancer (RR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.02–1.39). Study location analysis showed that radon exposure was associated with increased risk for lung cancer from 40 degrees absolute latitude (RR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.92–1.31), to 50 degrees (RR 1.26; 95% CI, 1.08–1.48), to 60 degrees (RR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.12–1.91). Conclusions: Indoor radon exposure may be associated with increased risk for lung cancer.

The structural and mechanical properties of the microenvironmental context have a profound impact on cancer cell motility, tumor invasion, and metastasis formation. In fact, cells react to their mechanical environment modulating their adhesion, cytoskeleton organization, changes of shape, and, consequently, the dynamics of their motility. In order to elucidate the role of extracellular matrix stiffness as a driving force in cancer cell motility/invasion and the effects of ionizing radiations on these processes, we evaluated adhesion and migration as biophysical properties of two different mammary cell lines, over a range of pathophysiological stiffness (1–13 kPa) in a control condition and after the exposure to two different X-ray doses (2 and 10 Gy, photon beams). We concluded that the microenvironment mimicking the normal mechanics of healthy tissue has a radioprotective role on both cell lines, preventing cell motility and invasion. Supraphysiological extracellular matrix stiffness promoted tumor cell motility instead, but also had a normalizing effect on the response to radiation of tumor cells, lowering their migratory capability. This work lays the foundation for exploiting the extracellular matrix-mediated mechanism underlying the response of healthy and tumor cells to radiation treatments and opens new frontiers in the diagnostic and therapeutic use of radiotherapy.