Electrophysiological Studies in Combination With Interim-Positron Emission Tomography Scan for Prevention of Severe Brentuximab-Vedotin-Induced Neurotoxicity.

Brentuximab-vedotin (BV)-induced neurotoxicity (BVIN), a frequent adverse event caused by this monoclonal antibody, is the primary reason for dose modification or drug discontinuation, and is characterized by sensory, motor, and/or autonomic peripheral nerve dysfunctions. Although reversible, BVIN can persist for months or years after treatment and negatively affect quality of life (QoL). Currently, BVIN is managed by dose adjustment or drug interruption, leading to an increased risk of disease relapse.

Geographical disparities in fibromyalgia severity: An Italian study.

Background: Geographic origin may represent a variable capable of influencing health status. This study aims to investigate the presence of differences of disease severity in Italian patients with fibromyalgia from different macro-regions.

Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional study involved patients included in the Italian Fibromyalgia Registry.

The spectrum of anti-GQ1B antibody syndrome: beyond Miller Fisher syndrome and Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis.

Introduction: Since the initial identification of Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS) and Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis (BBE),significant milestones have been achieved in understanding these diseases.Discoveries of common serum antibodies (IgG anti-GQ1b), antecedent infections, neurophysiological data, andneuroimaging suggested a shared autoimmune pathogenetic mechanism rather than distinct pathogenesis, leadingto the hypothesis that both diseases are part of a unified syndrome, termed "Fisher-Bickerstaff syndrome". The subsequent identification of atypical anti-GQ1b-positive forms expanded the classification to a broader condition known as "Anti-GQ1b-Antibody syndrome".

Blastic Plasmocytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm (BPDCN): Clinical Features and Histopathology with a Therapeutic Overview.

Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasms (BPDCNs) are a rare, highly aggressive hematological malignant neoplasm that primarily involve the skin, bone marrow, lymph nodes and even extra-nodal sites. The rarity and relative poor description of cases in the literature make it necessary to review and further studies that deeply investigate this entity not only in a histopathological but also molecular field. In August-September 2023, we searched MEDLINE, PubMed and Scopus for randomized controlled trials (RCTs), narrative and systematic reviews, meta-analyses, observational studies (either longitudinal or retrospective), and case series published in English in the last 25 years using the keywords BPDCN, PDCs, Blastic NK-cell lymphoma, agranular CD4+ NK leukemia/lymphoma, agranular CD4+ CD56+ hematodermic neoplasm/tumor.

Mature Triphyllic Cystic Teratoma of the Posterior Mediastinum in a Fetus: A Case Report and Literature Review.

A teratoma is a neoplasm composed of cell populations or tissues that are reminiscent, in their appearance, of normal elements derived from at least two embryonic layers. Fetal mature teratomas are normally benign, cystic, and typically occur along the midline, while they are rare in the posterior mediastinum. Teratomas are frequently solitary; however, they may sometimes be associated with other congenital anomalies and/or with chromosomal abnormalities.

Clinical, laboratory and ultrasonographic findings at baseline predict long-term outcome of polymyalgia rheumatica: a multicentric retrospective study : Polymyalgia rheumatica predicted by ultrasonographic findings polymyalgia rheumatica outcome predicted early by ultrasound.

To assess the rate of PMR who, during the follow-up, undergo a diagnostic shift as well as to assess which clinical, laboratory and US findings are associated to a diagnostic shift and predict the long-term evolution of PMR. All PMR followed-up for at least 12 months were included. According to the US procedures performed at diagnosis, patients were subdivided into four subgroups.

Giant Soft Tissue Leiomyosarcoma of the Left Lower Extremity: Case Presentation With a Review of the Literature.

Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) accounts for approximately 5-10% of soft tissue sarcomas, with an estimated incidence in the United States (US) of less than one case/200,000 persons, more frequent in women than men. Approximately two-thirds of LMSs are retroperitoneal, abdominal, and mediastinal. Localized, soft tissue LMSs represent a lower percentage, with the lower limbs and trunk being the most frequently involved sites.

Determining the PASS cut-off points for the FIQR, FASmod and PSD in patients with fibromyalgia: a registry-based study.

Objectives: To determine the cut-off values of Patient Acceptable Symptom State (PASS) for the revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR), the modified Fibromyalgia Assessment Scale (FASmod), and the Polysymptomatic Distress scale (PSD) and to determine the predictors of PASS in patients with fibromyalgia (FM).

Methods: FM patients belonging to the Italian Fibromyalgia Registry (IFR) completed the FIQR, the FASmod and the PSD. The PASS was assessed using a dichotomous answer.

The measurement of fibromyalgia severity: converting scores between the FIQR, the PSD and the FASmod.

Objectives: The revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR) is a widely used fibromyalgia severity assessment tool that was introduced in 2009 prior to the publication of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) preliminary fibromyalgia criteria in 2010 and its revision in 2016. In 2020, the modified Fibromyalgia Assessment Scale (FASmod) was published. The Polysymptomatic Distress scale (PSD) of the fibromyalgia criteria and FASmod include assessments of pain location severity and can be used for diagnosis as well as in non-fibromyalgia patients.

Sociodemographic factors in fibromyalgia: results from the Italian Fibromyalgia Registry.

Objectives: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic musculoskeletal pain syndrome of unknown aetiopathogenesis. Its development and maintenance are related to the interplay of biological, psychological, and contextual factors. Among the contextual factors, sociodemographic aspects are poorly elucidated.

Detection of rotational errors in single-isocenter multiple-target radiosurgery: Is a routine off-axis Winston-Lutz test necessary?

Purpose: Recently the use of linear accelerator (linac)-based stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has increased, including single-isocenter multiple-target SRS. The workload of medical physicists has grown as a result and so has the necessity of maximizing the efficiency of quality assurance (QA). This study aimed to determine if measurement-based patient-specific QA with a high-spatial-resolution dosimeter is sensitive to rotational errors, potentially reducing the need for routine off-axis Winston-Lutz (WL) testing.

Fibromyalgia severity according to age categories: results of a cross-sectional study from a large national database.

Objectives: The role of age in influencing the severity of fibromyalgia (FM) is still controversial. The aim of this study is to define the contribution of age in the severity of FM from data from a large national database.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included adult patients with FM diagnosed according to the 2010/2011 American College of Rheumatology criteria.

The association between body mass index and fibromyalgia severity: data from a cross-sectional survey of 2339 patients.

Objective: Various studies have shown that overweight and obesity are central features of FM, but the real impact of a high BMI on clinical severity in patients with FM is still controversial. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationships between BMI categories and measures of symptom severity and functional impairment using data from a Web-based registry of patients with FM.

Methods: Adult patients with an ACR 2010/2011 diagnosis of FM underwent a complete physical examination and laboratory tests and were asked to complete a package of questionnaires covering their sociodemographic and treatment details, in addition to the following disease-specific questionnaires: the revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR), the modified Fibromyalgia Assessment Status questionnaire (ModFAS) and the Polysymptomatic Distress Scale (PDS).

The use of collimator angle optimization and jaw tracking for VMAT-based single-isocenter multiple-target stereotactic radiosurgery for up to six targets in the Varian Eclipse treatment planning system.

Purpose: Island blocking occurs in single-isocenter multiple-target (SIMT) stereotactic radiotherapy (SRS) whenever targets share multi-leaf collimator (MLC) leaf pairs. This study investigated the effect on plan quality and delivery, of reducing island blocking through collimator angle optimization (CAO). In addition, the effect of jaw tracking in this context was also investigated.

Managing Menopausal Symptoms in Young Women With Breast Cancer: When Medicine Is Not All. The Take Care Project.

In the last decade, endocrine therapy strategies in perimenopausal women with hormone-responsive early breast cancer (BC) have changed and now ovarian function suppression (OFS) is recommended for the majority of patients. Side effects of OFS mimic menopausal symptoms, including hot flushes, sweats, weight gain, and sexual dysfunction, which may negatively impact quality of life (QoL). Aims of the Take Care Project are the education of physicians and patients to have all the information (medical and nonmedical) they need to manage menopausal symptoms by distributing educational materials useful to face menopause.

Consistency of small-field dosimetry, on and off axis, in beam-matched linacs used for stereotactic radiosurgery.

Purpose: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) can be delivered with a standard linear accelerator (linac). At institutions having more than one linac, beam matching is common practice. In the literature, there are indications that machine central axis (CAX) matching for broad fields does not guarantee matching of small fields with side ≤2 cm.

A 220,000-year-long continuous large earthquake record on a slow-slipping plate boundary.

Large earthquakes (magnitude ≥ 7.0) are rare, especially along slow-slipping plate boundaries. Lack of large earthquakes in the instrumental record enlarges uncertainty of the recurrence time; the recurrence of large earthquakes is generally determined by extrapolation according to a magnitude-frequency relation.

eXaSkin: A novel high-density bolus for 6MV X-rays radiotherapy.

Purpose: To evaluate eXaSkin, a novel high-density bolus alternative to commercial tissue-equivalent Superflab, for 6MV photon-beam radiotherapy.

Materials And Methods: We delivered a 10 × 10 cm open field at 90° and head-and-neck clinical plan, generated with the volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) technique, to an anthropomorphic phantom in three scenarios: with no bolus on the phantom's surface, with Superflab, and with eXaSkin. In each scenario, we measured dose to a central planning target volume (PTV) in the nasopharynx region with an ionization chamber, and we measured dose to the skin, at three different positions within the vicinity of a neck lymph node PTV, with MOSkin™, a semiconductor dosimeter.

Definition of fibromyalgia severity: findings from a cross-sectional survey of 2339 Italian patients.

Objective: To establish optimal cut-off values for the scores of the revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR), the modified Fibromialgia Assessment Scale (FAS 2019mod), and the Polysymptomatic Distress Scale (PDS) in order to distinguish five levels of FM disease severity.

Methods: Consecutive FM patients were evaluated with the three clinimetric indices, and each patient was required to answer the anchor question: 'In general, would you say your health is 1 = very good, 2 = good, 3 = fair, 4 = poor, or 5 = very poor?'-which represented the external criterion. Cut-off points were established through the interquartile reconciliation approach.

Semiconductor dosimetry in modern external-beam radiation therapy.

Semiconductor dosimeters are ubiquitous in modern external-beam radiation therapy. They possess key features. The response, electronically available in real time, is stable and linear with absorbed dose for given irradiation conditions; the radiation-sensitive volume can be rather small in size, while retaining mechanical strength and high sensitivity.