Lung Ultrasonography for the Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 Pneumonia in the Emergency Department.

Study Objective: Accurate diagnostic testing to identify severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is critical. Although highly specific, SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has been shown in clinical practice to be affected by a noninsignificant proportion of false-negative results. This study seeks to explore whether the integration of lung ultrasonography with clinical evaluation is associated with increased sensitivity for the diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia, and therefore may facilitate the identification of false-negative SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR results.

Major prognostic role of Ki67 in localized adrenocortical carcinoma after complete resection.

Background: Recurrence of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) even after complete (R0) resection occurs frequently.

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify markers with prognostic value for patients in this clinical setting.

Design, Setting, And Participants: From the German ACC registry, 319 patients with the European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumors stage I-III were identified.

Prognostic role of overt hypercortisolism in completely operated patients with adrenocortical cancer.

Background: Although prognostic parameters are important to guide adjuvant treatment, very few have been identified in patients with completely resected adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC).

Objective: To assess the prognostic role of clinical symptoms of hypercortisolism in a large series of patients with completely resected ACC.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A total of 524 patients followed at referral centers for ACC in Europe and the United States entered the study.

Influence of the CYP2B6 polymorphism on the pharmacokinetics of mitotane.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the potential impact of the pharmacogenetic variability of CYP2B6 and ABCB1 genes on the pharmacokinetics of mitotane.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was carried out on 27 patients with adrenocortical carcinoma on postoperative adjunctive mitotane. CYP2B6 and ABCB1 polymorphisms were genotyped and tested for an association with plasma trough concentration after 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of therapy.

Cortisol secretion, bone health, and bone loss: a cross-sectional and prospective study in normal non-osteoporotic women in the early postmenopausal period.

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between cortisol secretion, bone health, and bone loss in a cohort of normal women in the early postmenopausal period.

Methods: We measured lumbar and hip bone mineral density (BMD) by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and heel ultrasound parameters in 82 healthy, nonosteoporotic (lumbar T-score ≥-2.0) women (median age 52.

Phase II study of weekly paclitaxel and sorafenib as second/third-line therapy in patients with adrenocortical carcinoma.

Background: There is a strong rationale in the use of antiangiogenic therapy in the management of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). Metronomic administration of chemotherapy and antiangiogenic drugs can be synergistic in targeting endothelial cells.

Objective: We assessed the activity of sorafenib plus metronomic paclitaxel as second/third-line therapy in advanced ACC patients.

Metronomic therapy concepts in the management of adrenocortical carcinoma.

Metronomic chemotherapy is the administration of cytotoxic drugs at low doses, on a frequent or continuous schedule, with no extended interruption. This treatment approach can target tumor cells indirectly since it can affect the endothelium of the growing tumor vasculature and stimulates the anticancer immune response. Both the antiangiogenetic and the immunomodulatory roles of metronomic chemotherapy favor a tumor dormancy, a condition that may improve the patient outcome.