In clinical practice, patients’ tissues are fixed and paraffin-embedded in order to enable histological diagnosis. Nowadays, those tissues are also used for molecular characterization. Formalin is the most used fixative worldwide, and Bouin’s solution in some worldwide institutions. Among molecular targets, micro RNAs (miRNAs), the single-stranded non-coding RNAs comprised of 18 to 24 nucleotides, have been demonstrated to be resistant to fixation and paraffin-embedding processes, with consequent possible application in clinical practice. In the present study, let-7e-5p, miR-423-3p, miR-92a-1-5p, miR-30d-5p, miR-155-5p, miR-200a-3p, and miR-429 were investigated in formalin and matched Bouin’s solution-fixed tissues of high grade serous ovarian cancers by means of real-time and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). Micro RNAs were detectable and analyzable in both formalin- and Bouin’s-fixed specimens, but on average, higher Ct values and lower copies/µL were found in Bouin’s-fixed samples. Data from formalin-fixed samples correlated significantly for most targets with Bouin’s ones, except for let-7e-5p and miR-155-5p. This study shows that miRNAs are analyzable in both formalin- and Bouin’s-fixed specimens, with the possibility, after proper data normalization, to compare miRNA-based data from formalin-fixed samples to those of Bouin’s-fixed ones.

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BackgroundPeriodic fever syndromes (PFS) are an emerging group of autoinflammatory disorders. Clinical overlap exists and multiple genetic analyses may be needed to assist diagnosis. We evaluated the diagnostic value of a 5-gene sequencing panel (5GP) in patients with undiagnosed PFS.MethodsSimultaneous double strand Sanger sequencing of MEFV, MVK, TNFRSF1A, NLRP3, NLRP12 genes was performed in 42 patients with unexplained PFS. Clinical features were correlated with genetic results.ResultsNone of 42 patients analyzed displayed a causative genotype. However, single or multiple genetic variants of uncertain significance were detected in 24 subjects. Only in 5 subjects a definite diagnosis was made by taking into account both genetic and clinical data (2 TRAPS syndrome; 2 FMF; 1 FCAS). Statistical analysis showed that patients carrying genetic variants in one or more of the five selected genes displayed a significantly lower response to glucocorticoids compared with subjects who had completely negative genetic results.ConclusionsThe sequencing of multiple genes is of little help in the diagnostics of PFS and can often lead to results of uncertain interpretation, thus the clinically driven sequencing of single genes should remain the recommended approach. However, the presence of single or multiple genetic variants of uncertain significance, even if not allowing any specific diagnosis, correlated with a poorer response to glucocorticoids, possibly indicating a multifactorial subgroup of PFS with differential response to pharmacological treatment.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12969-015-0006-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Cutaneous melanoma (CM) incidence is rising worldwide and is the primary cause of death from skin disease in the Western world. Personal risk factors linked to environmental ultraviolet radiation (UVR) are well-known etiological factors contributing to its development. Nevertheless, UVR can contribute to the development of CM in different patterns and to varying degrees. The present study aimed at investigating whether altitude of residence can contribute to the development of specific types of CM and/or influence its progression. To this aim, 306 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues from primary CM diagnosed in different geographical areas were submitted to B-RAF proto-oncogene serine/threonine kinase (BRAF) and N-RAS proto-oncogene GTPase (NRAS) mutational status detection and mRNA and miRNA profiling by qPCR. Genes were chosen for their functions in specific processes, such as immune response (CD2, PDL1, or CD274) and pigmentation (MITF, TYRP1, and TRPM1). Furthermore, four microRNAs, namely miR-150-5p, miR-155-5p, miR-204-5p, and miR-211-5p, were included in the profiling. Our results highlight differences in the gene expression profile of primary CM with respect to the geographical area and the altitude of residence. Melanoma-specific survival was influenced by the gene expression of mRNA and miRNAs and varied with the altitude of patients’ residence. In detail, TYRP1 and miR-204-5p were highly expressed in patients living at higher altitudes, unlike miR-150-5p, miR-155-5p, and miR-211-5p. Since miRNAs are highly regulated by reactive oxygen species, it is possible that different regulatory mechanisms characterize CMs at different altitudes due to the different environment and UVR intensity.

Poly-lactide-co-glycolide (PLGA) is one of the few polymers approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as a carrier for drug administration in humans; therefore, it is one of the most used materials in the formulation of polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) for therapeutic purposes. Because the cellular uptake of polymeric NPs is a hot topic in the nanomedicine field, the development of techniques able to ensure incontrovertible evidence of the presence of NPs in the cells plays a key role in gaining understanding of their therapeutic potential. On the strength of this premise, this article aims to evaluate the application of synchrotron radiation-based Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (SR-FTIR) spectromicroscopy and SR X-ray fluorescence (SR-XRF) microscopy in the study of the in vitro interaction of PLGA NPs with cells. To reach this goal, we used PLGA NPs, sized around 200 nm and loaded with superparamagnetic iron oxide NPs (PLGA-IO-NPs; Fe 3 O 4 ; size, 10–15 nm). After exposing human mesothelial (MeT5A) cells to PLGA-IO-NPs (0.1 mg/mL), the cells were analyzed after fixation both by SR-FTIR spectromicroscopy and SR-XRF microscopy setups. SR-FTIR-SM enabled the detection of PLGA NPs at single-cell level, allowing polymer detection inside the biological matrix by the characteristic band in the 1,700–2,000 cm −1 region. The precise PLGA IR-signature (1,750 cm −1 centered pick) also was clearly evident within an area of high amide density. SR-XRF microscopy performed on the same cells investigated under SR-FTIR microscopy allowed us to put in evidence the Fe presence in the cells and to emphasize the intracellular localization of the PLGA-IO-NPs. These findings suggest that SR-FTIR and SR-XRF techniques could be two valuable tools to follow the PLGA NPs’ fate in in vitro studies on cell cultures.