New players in the landscape of renal cell carcinoma bone metastasis and therapeutic opportunities.

Approximately one-third of advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients develop osteolytic bone metastases, leading to skeletal complications. In this review, we first provide a comprehensive perspective of seminal studies on bone metastasis of RCC describing the main molecular modulators and growth factor signaling pathways most important for the RCC-stimulated osteoclast-mediated bone destruction. We next focus on newer developments revealing with in-depth details, the bidirectional interplay between renal cancer cells and the immune and stromal microenvironment that can through epigenetic reprogramming, profoundly affect the behaviors of transformed cells.

Critical appraisal of the CLSI guideline EP09c "measurement procedure comparison and bias estimation using patient samples".

Background: In laboratory setting evaluating the agreement between two measurement methods is a very frequent practice. Unfortunately, the guidelines to refer to are not free from criticisms from a statistical methodological point of view. We reviewed the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guideline EP09c, 3rd ed.

The progression trajectory of Bipolar Disorder: results from the application of a staging model over a ten-year observation.

Background: Trying to better define Bipolar Disorder (BD) progression, different staging models have been conceptualized, each one emphasizing different aspects of illness. In a previous article we retrospectively applied the main staging models to a sample of 100 bipolar patients at four time points over a ten-year observation. In the present study, focusing on Kupka & Hillegers's model, we aimed to assess the transition of the same sample through the different stages of illness and to explore the potential role of clinical variables on the risk of progression.

Utility, acceptability and applicability of a nucleic acid amplification test in comparison with a syndromic approach in the management of sexually transmitted diseases at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Uganda (ASTRHA): protocol for an open-label, randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a major cause of long-term disability. Urethral discharge syndrome (UDS), abnormal vaginal discharge (AVD) and genital ulcer disease (GUD) are very common in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), where, due to lack of resources, these infections are managed according to a syndromic approach. Although microbiological diagnosis using nuclear acid amplification tests (NAAT) is already a standard to prescribe targeted treatments in industrialised countries, no randomised clinical trials have been conducted to evaluate clinical usefulness and acceptability of NAAT in comparison with syndromic approach in LMICs.