ZARA , Federico

In this report we describe a novel missense SCN1A mutation in a patient affected by Severe Myoclonic Epilepsy Borderland (SMEB). This three and a half year-old female patient experienced prolonged febrile seizures at the age of 14 months, followed by generalized tonic-clonic seizures, atonic seizures, atypical absences almost in a cluster and...

: Vacuolar-type ATPase (v-ATPase) is a multimeric protein complex that regulates H+ transport across membranes and intra-cellular organelle acidification. Catabolic processes, such as endocytic degradation and autophagy, strictly rely on v-ATPase-dependent luminal acidification in lysosomes. The v-ATPase complex is expressed at high levels in...

In recent years, much research has been carried out to identify the biological and genetic characteristics of the neuroblastoma (NB) tumor in order to precisely define the prognostic subgroups for improving treatment stratification. This review will describe the major genetic features and the recent scientific advances, focusing on their impact...

Chromosomal instability (CIN) induces a high rate of losses or gains of whole chromosomes or parts of chromosomes. It is a hallmark of most human cancers and one of the causes of aneuploidy and intra-tumor heterogeneity. The present study aimed to evaluate the potential prognostic role of CIN in NB patients at diagnosis. We performed array...

Neuroblastoma (NB) is a tumor affecting the peripheral sympathetic nervous system that substantially contributes to childhood cancer mortality. Despite recent advances in understanding the complexity of NB, the mechanisms determining its progression are still largely unknown. Some recurrent segmental chromosome aberrations (SCA) have been...

Neuroblastoma (NB) is a tumor of the developing sympathetic nervous system. Despite recent advances in understanding the complexity of NB, the mechanisms that determine its regression or progression are still largely unknown. Stage 4S NB is characterized by a favorable course of disease and often by spontaneous regression, while progression to...

Purpose Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common form of focal epilepsy and may be associated with acquired central nervous system lesions or could be genetic. Various susceptibility genes and environmental factors are believed to be involved in the aetiology of TLE, which is considered to be a heterogeneous, polygenic, and complex...