To analyze the impact of mutations on response to first-line tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) in patients with-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). 136 -mutated NSCLC patients receiving first-line TKIs were analyzed. mutations were evaluated in 123 patients in relation to disease control rate (DCR), objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). mutations were observed in 37 (30.1%), 10 (27.0%), 6 (16.2%), 9 (24.3%), and 12 (32.4%) patients in exons 5, 6, 7, and 8, respectively. DCR was 70% in -mutated patients compared with 88% in-wild type (wt) patients [relative risk, RR, of disease progression: 3.17 (95% CI, 1.21-8.48), = 0.019]. In particular, a 42% DCR was observed in patients with exon 8 mutation versus 87% in exon 8 wt patients [RR of disease progression 9.6 (2.71-36.63), < 0.001]. Shorter median PFS and OS were observed in patients with exon 8 mutations compared with others (4.2 vs. 12.5, = 0.058, and 16.2 vs. 32.3, = 0.114, respectively); these differences became significant in the subgroup with exon 19 deletion (4.2 vs. 16.8, < 0.001, and 7.6 vs. not reached, = 0.006, respectively), HR 6.99 (95% CI, 2.34-20.87, < 0.001) and HR 4.75 (95% CI, 1.38-16.29, = 0.013), respectively. mutations, especially exon 8 mutations, reduce responsiveness to TKIs and worsen prognosis in -mutated NSCLC patients, mainly those carrying exon 19 deletions..

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Electronic nose applications in environmental monitoring are nowadays of great interest, because of the instruments' proven capability of recognizing and discriminating between a variety of different gases and odors using just a small number of sensors. Such applications in the environmental field include analysis of parameters relating to environmental quality, process control, and verification of efficiency of odor control systems. This article reviews the findings of recent scientific studies in this field, with particular focus on the abovementioned applications. In general, these studies prove that electronic noses are mostly suitable for the different applications reported, especially if the instruments are specifically developed and fine-tuned. As a general rule, literature studies also discuss the critical aspects connected with the different possible uses, as well as research regarding the development of effective solutions. However, currently the main limit to the diffusion of electronic noses as environmental monitoring tools is their complexity and the lack of specific regulation for their standardization, as their use entails a large number of degrees of freedom, regarding for instance the training and the data processing procedures.

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Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death among men. It is an asymptomatic and slow growing tumour, which starts occurring in young men, but can be detected only around the age of 40–50. Although its long latency period and potential curability make prostate cancer a perfect candidate for screening programs, the current procedure lacks in specificity. Researchers are rising to the challenge of developing innovative tools able of detecting the disease during its early stage that is the most curable. In recent years, the interest in characterisation of biological fluids aimed at the identification of tumour-specific compounds has increased significantly, since cell neoplastic transformation causes metabolic alterations leading to volatile organic compounds release. In the scientific literature, different approaches have been proposed. Many studies focus on the identification of a cancer-characteristic “odour fingerprint” emanated from biological samples through the application of sensorial or senso-instrumental analyses, others suggest a chemical characterisation of biological fluids with the aim of identifying prostate cancer (PCa)-specific biomarkers. This paper focuses on the review of literary studies in the field of prostate cancer diagnosis, in order to provide an overview of innovative methods based on the analysis of urine, thereby comparing them with the traditional diagnostic procedures.

A modified method is reported for screening of wheat cultivars: capillary zone electrophoresis of gliadins in isoelectric buffers. Previously published procedures recommended a 100 mM phosphate buffer, supplemented with 0.05% hydroxypropylmethylcellulose and 20% acetonitrile, in uncoated capillaries. Due to the very high conductivity of such a buffer (4.7 mmhos at 25 degrees C) high speed separations (10-12 min analysis time at 800 V/cm) could only be elicited in 20 microm internal diameter (ID) capillaries, at the expense of sensitivity. In the present report, we optimized the background electrolyte as follows: 40 mM aspartic acid (pH=pI=2.77) in the presence of 7 M urea and 0.5% short-chain hydroxyethylcellulose (Mn 27000 Da; apparent pH 3.9 in 7 M urea). As an alternative recipe, the same isoelectric buffer can be supplemented with a mixed organic solvent composed of 4 M urea and 20% acetonitrile (apparent pH 3.66). Due to the much lower conductivity (0.7 mmhos), separations can be carried out at 1000 V/cm in only 10 min, but in larger bore capillaries (50 microm ID), ensuring a five-times higher sensitivity. The gliadin patterns thus obtained are species-specific and allow easy identification of all cultivars tested of both durum and bread wheat. No adsorption of proteins to the silica wall seems to occur and high reproducibility in peak areas and transit times is obtained.

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The electronic nose is able to provide useful information through the analysis of the volatile organic compounds in body fluids, such as exhaled breath, urine and blood. This paper focuses on the review of electronic nose studies and applications in the specific field of medical diagnostics based on the analysis of the gaseous headspace of human urine, in order to provide a broad overview of the state of the art and thus enhance future developments in this field. The research in this field is rather recent and still in progress, and there are several aspects that need to be investigated more into depth, not only to develop and improve specific electronic noses for different diseases, but also with the aim to discover and analyse the connections between specific diseases and the body fluids odour. Further research is needed to improve the results obtained up to now; the development of new sensors and data processing methods should lead to greater diagnostic accuracy thus making the electronic nose an effective tool for early detection of different kinds of diseases, ranging from infections to tumours or exposure to toxic agents.