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A story to share about Bone conditions

Can miRNAs help us find diseases?

In 2008, two different study teams detected miRNAs in the blood for blood testing to check how well bones were working. A variety of different sequences from people and animals have been found in plasma and serum since then. These circulating miRNAs have been associated with various ailments, resulting in the inference that miRNAs serve as “fingerprints” for specific diseases. Because miRNAs have been precisely linked to certain biological functions and diseases, they are likely to become a new type of biomarker and a possible target for future treatments.

Circulating miRNAs

It’s hard to tell where circulating miRNAs come from. When blood cells die, they release circulating miRNAs, especially when they are coupled to apoptotic bodies. But living cells can also actively release them. It’s fascinating that these circulating miRNAs are quite stable because RNases can’t break down exosomes and AGO proteins stop enzymes from breaking down miRNAs. When kept at -70°C, miRNAs stay stable for at least a year.

“Circulating miRNAs are stable for a specific duration and easily accessible from bodily fluids, rendering them ideal candidates for innovative biomarker applications.”

Exosomes: carriers of miRNA in disease

Many cells create exosomes, which are small particles that are involved in a number of signaling activities. They transport miRNAs and other compounds. All types of bone cells make exosomes, and they seem to be particularly important for the process of osteoclasts and osteoblasts forming different types of cells. They have recently been acknowledged as important signal mediators in its metabolism.

Exosomes and exosome-associated miRNAs play a significant role in various aspects of bone turnover and associated disorders, making them promising and valuable tools for biomarker discovery. Exosomes transfer distinct signaling molecules from donor cells to recipient cells and act as “signalosomes.” This means they could assist locate biomarkers.

The Story of Barbara
“My parents gave me life, but the doctors helped me get it back.”

Barbara had a very strange and dangerous bone tumor when she was 8 years old. She’s better now and has a beautiful family.

When Barbara was a kid, a hard volleyball hit her leg and it swelled up. In ten days, it was twice as big as the other leg. Barbara’s parents were happy following the initial doctor’s visit. She resumed playing volleyball even though it hurt and her ankle was swollen. One day, her father lovingly squeezes her knee, and the agony is so bad that it makes her jump up. She was taken right away to the pediatrician, who knew how bad things were and did an x-ray right away. It indicated a grade IV osteosarcoma on the femur of her left leg. This is a highly rare and dangerous malignancy.

Barbara was promptly sent to Bradley, and that night her parents transported her to Leeds. He began chemotherapy at the end of December 1995, and it went well: his body responded wonderfully. The next year, on April 7, he got the surgery. It took a total of 16 hours. “As soon as I woke up, I lifted the sheet and saw my leg. I was so happy…”

Barbara had treatment for two years after the test. She had a lot of surgery over the years to make the prosthesis fit her growing body. He listened to Jovanotti and Eros Ramazzotti a lot when he was in the hospital.

Barbara still goes to the doctor for checkups and orthopedic checkups, but she is entirely better. He goes to Bradley every now and again to meet his doctors. He visits patients in the hospital because he thinks his story can benefit those who are sick. In 2012, Barbara married Louis. In the years that followed, John and Tom were born.
Fiorella and the ordeal: “I beat sarcoma; I’ll tell you how.”

A woman who is 29 years old talks about her fight with cancer. She is OK now. She is a volunteer and has a project called “Bringing Hope to the Sick with a Kind of Heartfelt Message.”

A 29-year-old girl in London has been fighting Ewing’s Sarcoma since March 2008. It has affected her left fibula. He fought this strange bone malignancy for a long period, especially for someone his age. His story is about a fight that never ends: nine rounds of chemotherapy, surgery on the fibula to remove the tumor, and finally, the transfer of stem cells with new high-dose chemotherapy.

Fiorella suffered through a thousand sufferings “with a kind of deep unconsciousness,” which let her keep hope alive and get back on her feet and start life again. Not only. The sickness made her feel more connected to “all those people who go through these kinds of times in life.”
This is how people started to get to know one other.

The Italian Osteosarcoma Study Association (Aisos) urged individuals to help out by making a “heart post” for each sufferer. The post of “Mrs. Ewing” makes it obvious that the condition may be beaten, both with medicine and “with the head, with positive thoughts, with the strength of mind.” Below is his speech.

THE AWAKENING –

“Trying to change your life until someone else makes the decision for you. Mr. Ewing is the name of this person, and he came to see me for a test. At 26, it was the best time of my life, with a lot of new things to do and not many stories to tell. For five years, I didn’t care much about it. Every now and then, a whimper would come from my left ankle to let me know something was amiss, and then it would go asleep, making me forget about its annoyingness.

We might reach a point where even these things wake up and don’t want to go back to sleep. Mr. Ewing started coming out of the den around Christmas 2008. He was such a hassle, making a fuss when he was still yawning and pushing his way out.

LONG AND WELL-STRETCHED STEPS –

“Then, when spring was almost here, it made itself known. I first went to Chelsea Hospital in Greater London at the end of March 2008. I was 26 years old and had sarcoma, a type of cancer.

UPS AND DOWNS–

“The Chelsea Chemotherapy Department is like a giant game room, and the staff is a great example of humanism. This is because they mainly treat bone tumors, which are rare and usually affect youngsters and teens. In my instance, Mr. Ewing forgot to set the alarm.

Eight rounds of chemotherapy before and after surgery, surgery, heavy doses of chemotherapy, and an autologous stem cell transplant, with a 21-day bonus vacation in the low microbial load chamber. The stay also included intriguing fourth-degree stomatitis and breath-taking bronchopneumonia.

“THE WINNER IS”

I left the Chelsea Orthopedic Institute’s BCM room on November 17, 2009. I left behind 10 kg of myself, a pair of fuchsia slippers, and most importantly, my purpose for being a woman and healthy: my ability to have children. Blessed recklessness, which has always been at home here, made me fight tooth and nail and have great days even in a hospital bed. Being a woman and powerful, and knowing that I was the result of years of hope from my parents made me very happy.

ALIVE AND WELL –

“Two years have gone by, and I’m still alive and healthy. I remember everything that happened since that first test. I don’t leave anything out. I have it written on my skin; I carry the signs, the pain, the joys, the small change of seconds. I live as if I were always waiting for a train of emotions, with fear that wakes me up now and then and doesn’t make me fully understand what I am.

But in the midst of all this chaos in history and life, I smile. When I get dressed in the morning, I see the new me differently; I see her more beautiful, above all. Goodnight, Mr. Ewing. May it be a long and endless night, a night of darkness, a night of rest without stopping, for a journey far away in the world and in time. From my time and place.

Mrs. Ewing
function blood test checkups. Since then, many different human and animal origin sequences have been found in plasma and serum. These circulating miRNAs have been associated with many diseases, concluding that miRNAs are “fingerprints” for specific diseases. As miRNAs have been successfully annotated to specific biological functions and diseases, they soon become a new class of biomarkers and potential targets for future therapies.

Circulating miRNAs

The origin of circulating miRNAs is difficult to trace. On the one hand, circulating miRNAs are derived from dead blood cells, especially in the case of miRNAs bound to apoptotic bodies. Still, they can also be actively secreted by living cells. Interestingly, the stability of these circulating miRNAs is high because exosomes are impervious to RNases, and AGO proteins protect miRNAs from enzymatic destruction. Kept at -70°C, miRNAs remain stable for at least one year.

“Since circulating miRNAs are stable for a certain period and easily accessible from body fluids, they are ideal candidates for their use as novel biomarkers”.
Exosomes: miRNA carrier in disease

Exosomes are nanosized particles actively produced by large numbers of cells and participate in various signalling processes, transporting miRNAs, among other molecules. All types of bone cells produce exosomes and appear to play an important role in the differentiation process of osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Recently, they have been identified as important signal mediators in the metabolism of it.

Because exosomes and exosome-associated miRNAs play key roles in several aspects of bone turnover and associated pathologies, they represent promising and versatile tools for biomarker identification. Since exosomes transmit various signalling molecules from donor cells to recipient cells and act as “signalosomes,” they could be useful for identifying biomarkers.

The Story of Barbara

“Researchers and doctors are my family: my parents gave me life, but the doctors made me regain it back to me”.

A very rare and dangerous bone tumour struck her when she was 8 years old; today, Barbara has recovered and has a wonderful family.

Playing volleyball as a child, Barbara’s leg swelled following a strong ball, and within 10 days, it became double the size of the other. The first medical check reassured her parents, and Barbara continued playing volleyball despite the pain and swelling. One day, her father squeezes her knee affectionately, and she feels a terrible pain that makes her jump up. She was immediately taken to the paediatrician, who understood the severity of the case and immediately subjected her to an x-ray, which highlighted a grade IV osteosarcoma on the femur of the left leg: a serious and very rare tumour.

Barbara was immediately referred to Bradley and left with her parents for Leeds that night. At the end of December 1995, he began chemotherapy with good results: the body responded adequately. On April 7 of the following year, he underwent the operation, which lasted 16 hours in total. “As soon as I woke up, I lifted the sheet, and when I saw my leg, I breathed a sigh of relief…”

In the two years following the test, Barbara continued chemotherapy and over the years, she underwent various operations to adapt the length of the prosthesis to her growing body. The soundtracks of his long periods in hospital were those of Eros Ramazzotti and Jovanotti.

Today, Barbara continues to have periodic check-ups and orthopaedic visits, but she is now healed. He periodically goes to Bradley to see his doctors. He dedicates himself to hospitalised patients because he thinks his testimony can be very useful to those who are fighting against the disease. In 2012, Barbara got married to Louis. In the following years, John and Tom were born.
Fiorella and the ordeal:
“I beat sarcoma; I’ll explain how it’s done.»

A 29-year-old talks about her fight against cancer. Today, she is well; she is a volunteer and has a project: «Bringing hope to the sick with a kind of heartfelt message”.

London – A 29-year-old girl has been fighting Ewing’s Sarcoma, which affected her left fibula, since March 2008. The story of his battle against this rare bone tumour (rare especially at his age) is the story of a non-stop fight: a journey made up of 9 cycles of chemotherapy, surgery on the fibula to remove the tumour, and finally, the transplant of stem cells with new high-dose chemotherapy.

Fiorella faced a thousand sufferings “with a sort of profound unconsciousness,” which allowed her not to lose hope, to manage to get back on her feet and resume her life. Not only. The experience of the illness led her “to get closer to all those people who go through these particular moments in life”.
From this, human contact was born

At the request of Aisos (Italian Osteosarcoma Study Association) – the idea of volunteering and creating a “heart post” dedicated to all patients. The post of “Mrs Ewing” makes it clear that the disease can be overcome – as well as with medicine – “with the head, with positive thoughts, with the strength of mind”. We publish his speech below.

THE AWAKENING –

“Trying to change your life until someone decides for you. This someone is called Mr. Ewing, and he came to visit me for a test. It was the best season of my life, at 26 years old, full of things to experience, still few to tell. Five years spent caring little about it when, now and then, a moan would rise from my left ankle to warn me that something was wrong, and then it would fall asleep, leaving me calmly forgetting its annoyances.

We may reach a point where even these things come out of hibernation, and then they don’t want to know about falling asleep. Mr Ewing began to emerge from the den close to Christmas 2008: what an annoying person, what a fuss while he was still yawning and elbowing his way.”

LONG AND WELL-STRETCHED STEPS –

“Then, when spring was almost here, it made itself felt. It was the end of March 2008 when I set foot in Chelsea Hospital in Greater London. I was 26 years old and had a sarcoma.

UPS AND DOWNS–

«The Chelsea Chemotherapy Department is a large games room; the entire staff is a rare example of humanity; this is because only bone tumours are treated here, defined as rare, which are infamous as they are, mostly affecting children or adolescents. In my case, Mr. Ewing had forgotten to set the alarm.

Eight cycles of pre-and postoperative chemotherapy, surgery, high doses of chemo and autologous stem cell transplant, a 21-day bonus holiday in the low microbial load chamber, and included in the stay, interesting fourth-degree stomatitis and breath-taking bronchopneumonia.”

“THE WINNER IS”

«The BCM room of the Chelsea Orthopedic Institute closed behind me on November 17, 2009; I left him 10 kilograms of myself, a pair of fuchsia slippers, but above all, my reason for being a woman and healthy: fertility. Blessed recklessness, which has always been at home here, made me fight tooth and nail and live wonderful days even in a hospital bed. Blissful awareness of being a woman and strong, of having been the fruit of years of hope from my parents.”

ALIVE AND HEALTHY –

“2 years have passed, and I am alive and healthy; I look back and see everything since that first test; I leave nothing out. I have it written on my skin; I carry the signs, the pain, the joys, the small change of seconds. I live as if I were always waiting for a train of emotions, with fear that wakes me up now and then and doesn’t make me fully understand what I am.

But amid this disorder of history and life, I smile, and in the morning, when I dress the new me, I see her different; I see her more beautiful, above all. And goodnight to you, Mr. Ewing, may it be a long and endless night, a night of darkness, a night of rest without stopping, for a journey far away in the world, far away in time. From my world, from my time.”

Mrs. Ewing