Vocal reaction times (RTs) in naming 3- to 8-letter words were measured in proficient and dyslexic readers (Study 1). In proficient readers, RTs were independent of word length up to 5-letter words, indicating parallel processing. In the 5- to 8-letter range, RTs increased linearly, indicating sequential processing. Reading experience was associated with both faster discrimination of individual elements and parallel processing of increasingly large word parts. In dyslexics, RTs increased linearly with increasing length indicating reliance on sequential decoding. Individual analysis indicated 2 profiles of RTs (Types A and B). In Study 2, the distinction between A and B dyslexics was not associated with the use of different reading procedures. However, a more marked speed deficit characterized Type B dyslexics.

ECT represents an additional therapeutic tool for the management of KS cutaneous lesions, characterized by a definite clinical activity and long-lasting remissions. The absence of systemic side effects and the low impact on the immune system also make this treatment suitable for elderly people, even with repeated courses.

Widespread genome hypo-methylation and promoter hyper-methylation of epithelium-specific genes are hallmarks of stable epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which in prostate cancer (PCa) correlates with castration resistance, cancer stem cells generation, chemoresistance and worst prognosis. Exploiting our consolidated 'ex-vivo' system, we show that cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) released factors have pivotal roles in inducing genome methylation changes required for EMT and stemness in EMT-prone PCa cells. By global DNA methylation analysis and RNA-Seq, we provide compelling evidence that conditioned media from CAFs explanted from two unrelated patients with advanced PCa, stimulates concurrent DNA hypo- and hyper-methylation required for EMT and stemness in PC3 and DU145, but not in LN-CaP and its derivative C4-2B, PCa cells. CpG island (CGI) hyper-methylation associates with repression of genes required for epithelial maintenance and invasion antagonism, whereas activation of EMT markers and stemness genes correlate with CGI hypo-methylation. Remarkably, methylation variations and EMT-regulated transcripts almost completely reverse qualitatively and quantitatively during MET. Unsupervised clustering analysis of the PRAD TCGA data set with the differentially expressed (DE) and methylated EMT signature, identified a gene cluster of DE genes defined by a CAF+ and AR- phenotype and worst diagnosis. This gene cluster includes the relevant factors for EMT and stemness, which display DNA methylation variations in regulatory regions inversely correlated to their expression changes, thus strongly sustaining the ex-vivo data. DNMT3A-dependent methylation is essential for silencing epithelial maintenance and EMT counteracting genes, such as CDH1 and GRHL2, that is, the direct repressor of ZEB1, the key transcriptional factor for EMT and stemness. Accordingly, DNMT3A knock-down prevents EMT entry. These results shed light on the mechanisms of establishment and maintenance of coexisting DNA hypo- and hyper-methylation patterns during cancer progression, the generation of EMT and cell stemness in advanced PCa, and may pave the way to new therapeutic implications.

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Background:Metastatic triple-negative breast cancer is mostly incurable, due to lack of suitable drug targets. The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system could provide such a target, and IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R)-directed agents are already available, but seem unable to control all the complexities of the system, including crosstalk with hypoxia-inducible pathways.Methods:Migration of triple-negative MDA-231 breast cancer cells and its modulation by IGFs, the IGF-1R inhibitor NVP-AEW541 and the IGF-2-sequestering monoclonal antibody MAB292 were assessed by the scratch wound healing and Boyden chamber assays; the effect of topotecan (inhibiting hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1)) under hypoxia was also evaluated. Constitutive as well as drug-modulated levels of components of the IGF and HIF-1 pathways were evaluated by western blotting and qPCR.Results:IGF-induced migration of MDA-231 cells was not abrogated by the IGF-1R inhibitor NVP-AEW541, whereas IGF-2 sequestration by MAB292 significantly reduced cell migration. Under hypoxia, topotecan was also effective, likely by reducing HIF-1-induced IGF-2 release. Simultaneous targeting of IGF-1R and IGF-2 or HIF-1 completely abolished cell migration.Conclusions:IR activation may account for the failure of NVP-AEW541 to suppress MDA-231 cell migration. Ligand-targeting compounds, or co-inhibition of the IGF and HIF-1 systems, may prevent activation of compensatory signalling, thereby providing a valuable addition to IGF-1R inhibitor-based therapies.