Reprogramming CD8+ T-cell branched N-glycosylation limits exhaustion, enhancing cytotoxicity and tumor killing.

T-cell therapies have transformed cancer treatment. While surface glycans have been shown to play critical roles in regulating T-cell development and function, whether and how the glycome influences T cell-mediated tumor immunity remains an area of active investigation. In this study, we show that the intratumoral T-cell glycome is altered early in human colorectal cancer, with substantial changes in branched N-glycans.

Retrospective analysis of mesothelioma cases in a tertiary hospital in Northern Portugal (1988-2023): An epidemiological perspective.

Background: Malignant mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive neoplasm arising from mesothelial cells of the pleura, peritoneum, pericardium, or tunica vaginalis. The primary risk factor is asbestos exposure, particularly occupational. Given its long latency period, the persistence of asbestos sources despite legislation, and recognition of other risk factors, new cases are expected to emerge annually.

ChatGPT-4o in Enhancing Informed Consent in Pediatric Surgical Practice.

Background: Informed consent (IC), beyond being a foundation of surgical practice, is a fundamental principle of high-quality healthcare. However, its proper implementation presents significant challenges within the medical community. The potential role of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine has recently attracted considerable attention.

[Hesitancy and Refusal of the COVID-19 Vaccine Among Healthcare Professionals: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Portuguese Hospital].

Introduction: Vaccine hesitancy is recognized by the World Health Organization as a major global health threat. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this issue has taken on unique dimensions. Healthcare professionals are considered one of the most reliable sources of information regarding vaccination.

T-cell branched glycosylation as a mediator of colitis-associated colorectal cancer progression: a potential new risk biomarker in inflammatory bowel disease.

Background And Aims: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, established as a risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC) development. Long-standing inflammation appears to play a central role in colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC). However, the molecular mechanism underlying CAC progression is still elusive.

Risk Factors in Serrated Pathway Lesions: N-Glycosylation Profile as a Potential Biomarker of Progression to Malignancy.

Introduction: The serrated pathway contributes to interval colorectal cancers, highlighting the need for new biomarkers to assess lesion progression risk. The β1,6-GlcNAc branched -glycans expression in CRC cells was associated with an invasive phenotype and with immune evasion. Therefore, this study aims to identify potential risk factors for progression of serrated lesions (SLs) to malignancy, analyzing the -glycosylation profile of epithelial/infiltrating immune cells.

Neutralizing Anti-Granulocyte Macrophage-Colony Stimulating Factor Autoantibodies Recognize Post-Translational Glycosylations on Granulocyte Macrophage-Colony Stimulating Factor Years Before Diagnosis and Predict Complicated Crohn's Disease.

Background & Aims: Anti-granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor autoantibodies (aGMAbs) are detected in patients with ileal Crohn's disease (CD). Their induction and mode of action during or before disease are not well understood. We aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms associated with aGMAb induction, from functional orientation to recognized epitopes, for their impact on intestinal immune homeostasis and use as a predictive biomarker for complicated CD.

Glycans as shapers of tumour microenvironment: A sweet driver of T-cell-mediated anti-tumour immune response.

Essentially all cells are covered with a dense coat of different glycan structures/sugar chains, giving rise to the so-called glycocalyx. Changes in cellular glycosylation are a hallmark of cancer, affecting most of the pathophysiological processes associated with malignant transformation, including tumour immune responses. Glycans are chief macromolecules that define T-cell development, differentiation, fate, activation and signalling.

Glycans as a key factor in self and nonself discrimination: impact on the breach of immune tolerance.

Glycans are carbohydrates that are made by all organisms and covalently conjugated to other biomolecules. Glycans cover the surface of both human cells and pathogens and are fundamental to defining the identity of a cell or an organism, thereby contributing to discriminating self from nonself. As such, glycans are a class of 'Self-Associated Molecular Patterns' that can fine-tune host inflammatory processes.

Bringing to Light the Risk of Colorectal Cancer in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Mucosal Glycosylation as a Key Player.

Colitis-associated cancer is a major complication of inflammatory bowel disease remaining an important clinical challenge in terms of diagnosis, screening, and prognosis. Inflammation is a driving factor both in inflammatory bowel disease and cancer, but the mechanism underlying the transition from colon inflammation to cancer remains to be defined. Dysregulation of mucosal glycosylation has been described as a key regulatory mechanism associated both with colon inflammation and colorectal cancer development.

Proteomic profiling of gill GSTs in Mytilus galloprovincialis from the North of Portugal and Galicia evidences variations at protein isoform level with a possible relation with water quality.

Glutathione transferases (GSTs) are key for xenobiotic detoxification at the molecular level across phyla. These enzymes are therefore likely to be part of the defence mechanisms used by marine organisms, such as mussels, that thrive in highly polluted environments. Taking this hypothesis into account, we used proteomics to characterize the profile of GSTs from the gills of marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis in order to discriminate natural mussel populations exposed to different levels of pollution.

Early physiological and biochemical responses of rice seedlings to low concentration of microcystin-LR.

Microcystin-leucine and arginine (microcystin-LR) is a cyanotoxin produced by cyanobacteria like Microcystis aeruginosa, and it's considered a threat to water quality, agriculture, and human health. Rice (Oryza sativa) is a plant of great importance in human food consumption and economy, with extensive use around the world. It is therefore important to assess the possible effects of using water contaminated with microcystin-LR to irrigate rice crops, in order to ensure a safe, high quality product to consumers.