Triple Negative Breast Cancers (TNBC) subtype is an aggressive disease with poor clinical outcome. The only treatment available is surgery followed by chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is a trans-membrane protein expressed on a wide variety of cells including immune cells, epithelial and vascular endothelial cells. Recently, PD-1/PD-L1 pathway signaling was described as an adaptive immune resistance mechanism enacted by the tumor cells to evade the immune response. Its presence on tumor cell membranes, acquired for this reason, through time, is an important prognostic value. However, data available in the literature about PD-L1 immunohistochemical expression in breast cancer are often discordant and not uniform, probably for the use of different antibodies clones and the high molecular heterogeneity of the different tumor types. The absence of target therapies, in particular for TNBC, has shifted the clinical attention mainly on the role of PD-L1 in this subtype of breast cancer. In this study, we evaluated tumor and TIL (tumor infiltrating lymphocytes) PDL-1 expression in a series of TNBC, included in Tissue Micro Arrays (TMAs), to define its real prognostic value, optimizing immunohistochemistry method with an “approved for diagnostic assay” antibody. PD-L1 expression directly correlated with proliferation index (Ki-67), glycemia, the presence of diabetes and indirectly with menopausal status, presence of lymph node metastasis and relapse. The analysis of Kaplan–Meier showed that an increased PD-L1 expression was strongly associated with better disease-free survival (DFS) but not correlated with overall survival (OS). Our data confirmed that PD-L1 could be an important marker for prognostic stratification and for planning immune checkpoint inhibitors therapies in patients with TNBC.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a time-dependent magnetic field on the biological performance of periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs). A Western blot analysis and Alamar Blue assay were performed to investigate the proliferative capacity of magnetically stimulated PDLSCs (PDLSCs MAG) through the study of the MAPK cascade (p-ERK1/2). The observation of ALP levels allowed the evaluation of the effect of the magnetic field on osteogenic differentiation. Metabolomics data, such as oxygen consumption rate (OCR), extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) and ATP production provided an overview of the PDLSCs MAG metabolic state. Moreover, the mitochondrial state was investigated through confocal laser scanning microscopy. Results showed a good viability for PDLSCs MAG. Magnetic stimulation can activate the ERK phosphorylation more than the FGF factor alone by promoting a better cell proliferation. Osteogenic differentiation was more effectively induced by magnetic stimulation. The metabolic panel indicated significant changes in the mitochondrial cellular respiration of PDLSCs MAG. The results suggested that periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) can respond to biophysical stimuli such as a time-dependent magnetic field, which is able to induce changes in cell proliferation and differentiation. Moreover, the magnetic stimulation also produced an effect on the cell metabolic profile. Therefore, the current study demonstrated that a time-dependent magnetic stimulation may improve the regenerative properties of PDLSCs.

Tissue engineering or tissue reconstruction/repair/regeneration may be considered as a guiding strategy in oral and maxillofacial surgery, as well as in endodontics, orthodontics, periodontics, and daily clinical practice. A wide range of techniques has been developed over the past years, from tissue grafts to the more recent and innovative regenerative procedures. Continuous research in the field of natural and artificial materials and biomaterials, as well as in advanced scaffold design strategies has been carried out. The focus has also been on various growth factors involved in dental tissue repair or reconstruction. Benefiting from the recent literature, this review paper illustrates current innovative strategies and technological approaches in oral and maxillofacial tissue engineering, trying to offer some information regarding the available scientific data and practical applications. After introducing tissue engineering aspects, an overview on additive manufacturing technologies will be provided, with a focus on the applications of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in the biomedical field. The potential applications of magnetic fields and magnetic devices on the acceleration of orthodontic tooth movement will be analysed.

Medical applications stimulate the need for materials with broad potential. Chitosan, the partially deacetylated derivative of chitin, offers many interesting characteristics, such as biocompatibility and chemical derivatization possibility. In the present study, porous scaffolds composed of electrospun interwoven nanometric fibers are produced using chitosan or chitosan functionalized with aliphatic chains of twelve, fourteen or sixteen methylene groups. The scaffolds were thoroughly characterized by SEM and XPS. The length of the aliphatic tail influenced the physico-chemical and dynamic mechanical properties of the functionalized chitosan. The electrospun membranes revealed no interaction of Gram+ or Gram− bacteria, resulting in neither antibacterial nor bactericidal, but constitutively sterile. The electrospun scaffolds demonstrated the absence of cytotoxicity, inflammation response, and eryptosis. These results open the door to their application for blood purification devices, hemodialysis membranes, and vascular grafts.

The fifth generation (5G) network is currently being worldwide spread out, raising questions about its potential health impact. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of a 26.5 GHz 5G electromagnetic field on key cellular endpoints of human neuroblastoma cells. A reverberation chamber-based exposure system was designed and realized which allowed the exposure/sham exposure of cell cultures under highly controlled exposure conditions of both electromagnetic and biological parameters. The suitability of the reverberation chambers to host cell cultures was verified by evaluating cell proliferation and cell cycle progression. The effect of 3 h exposure at specific absorption rate of 1.25 W/kg under both continuous wave and 5G modulated signal was evaluated in terms of cell cycle and DNA damage. In the latter case, the exposure was also given in combination with menadione to account for possible cooperative effects. Results showed absence of effects of exposure given alone and in combination with menadione, when both continuous wave and modulated signals were applied at the mentioned exposure level. Further investigations are needed by varying the exposure and biological parameters to strengthen the absence of effects due to 5G signals in the range of millimeter waves.

Despite the long-term evolution (LTE) signal, also known as fourth generation (4G) technology, is the most employed and widely deployed system for telecommunications, only a few in vitro studies are devoted to assessing the biological effects related to exposure to LTE alone and in combination with other agents. To the best of our knowledge, the effect of simultaneous exposure to 4G LTE with other frequencies/signals has not been evaluated in any of these studies. In the present study we investigated the non-thermal carcinogenic effect of LTE signal under a co-exposure realistic scenario. Human neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) were exposed for 3 h to 1950 MHz LTE signal, either alone or in combination with the chemical agent menadione. Moreover, the effect of simultaneous exposure to 1950 MHz, 4G LTE signal and 2450 MHz Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi) signal was also evaluated to account for possible effects due to the co-existence of these frequencies/signals. A waveguide-based exposure system, well characterized from dosimetric and experimental point of view, was used, and two specific absorption rate values, 0.3 and 1.25 W/kg, were tested in all cases. Cancer-related endpoints such as reactive oxygen species formation, apoptosis, and cell cycle progression were assessed in flow cytometry assays. In our experimental conditions, neither LTE exposure alone nor LTE and menadione co-exposure or multiple LTE and Wi-Fi exposure influenced the investigated cellular parameters in SH-SY5Y cells.