On-chip fabrication of tailored 3D hydrogel scaffolds to model cancer cell invasion and interaction with endothelial cells.

The high mortality associated with certain cancers can be attributed to the invasive nature of the tumor cells. Yet, the complexity of studying invasion hinders our understanding of how the tumor spreads. This work presents a microengineered three-dimensional (3D) model for studying cancer cell invasion and interaction with endothelial cells.

A simplified and defined serum-free medium for cultivating fat across species.

Cultivated meat is a promising technology with the potential to mitigate the ethical and environmental issues associated with traditional meat. Fat plays a key role in the meat flavor; therefore, development of suitable adipogenic protocols for livestock is essential. The traditional adipogenic cocktail containing IBMX, dexamethasone, insulin and rosiglitazone is not food-compatible.

A microfluidic chip carrier including temperature control and perfusion system for long-term cell imaging.

Microfluidic devices are widely used for biomedical applications but there is still a lack of affordable, reliable and user-friendly systems for transferring microfluidic chips from an incubator to a microscope while maintaining physiological conditions when performing microscopy. The presented carrier represents a cost-effective option for sustaining environmental conditions of microfluidic chips in combination with minimizing the device manipulation required for reagent injection, media exchange or sample collection. The carrier, which has the outer dimension of a standard well plate size, contains an integrated perfusion system that can recirculate the media using piezo pumps, operated in either continuous or intermittent modes (50-1000 µl/min).

Muscle-derived fibro-adipogenic progenitor cells for production of cultured bovine adipose tissue.

Cultured meat is an emergent technology with the potential for significant environmental and animal welfare benefits. Accurate mimicry of traditional meat requires fat tissue; a key contributor to both the flavour and texture of meat. Here, we show that fibro-adipogenic progenitor cells (FAPs) are present in bovine muscle, and are transcriptionally and immunophenotypically distinct from satellite cells.

Local governments' communication through Facebook. Evidences from COVID-19 pandemic in Italy.

The study aims at demonstrating how social communication has changed in terms of flows and content in the different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic to get to the fact that public administrations have embarked on a path of rapprochement with the citizen that starts from the methods of communication and interaction. This article presents an exploratory and multidisciplinary study conducted through the analysis of the Facebook page of the Italian municipalities with the highest Covid19-induced mortality rates (Piacenza, Bergamo, Lodi, Cremona, Brescia, Pavia, Parma, Mantova, Alessandria, Lecco and Sondrio). Fanpage Karma has been used to conduct the investigation and get the analytics.

Right open nephrectomy under combined spinal and peridural operative anesthesia and analgesia (CSE): A new anesthetic approach in abdominal surgery.

A case of right open nephrectomy performed under combined spinal and epidural anesthesia and analgesia was presented. This new anesthetic technique gives significant advantages to the patient by avoiding endotracheal intubation with mechanical ventilation and curare administration and by reducing the use of opioids.

Long-term oncological and functional results of extraperitoneal laparoscopic radical prostatectomy: one surgical team's experience on 1,600 consecutive cases.

Purpose: To determine the oncologic and functional outcomes of ELRP on a single surgical team's series.

Methods: A total of 1,600 consecutive ELRP patients were recorded with a 2-year follow-up. In 778 patients, a 5-year follow-up was available.

MiroCam capsule for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding: a prospective, single centre experience.

Background: Capsule endoscopy is an established tool for the evaluation of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding but published literature is mostly limited to PillCam SB (Given Imaging, Israel).

Aims: The aims of this study were to determine the findings, the diagnostic yield and the rebleeding rate in a series of patients with overt or occult obscure gastrointestinal bleeding studied with MiroCam(Intromedic, Seoul, Korea) capsule endoscopy.

Methods: Data of 118 patients who underwent capsule endoscopy for overt or occult obscure gastrointestinal bleeding were prospectively collected between March 2009 and March 2011.

A single institute's experience in retroperitoneal laparoscopic dismembered pyeloplasty: results with 86 consecutive patients.

Purpose: To report our institute's retroperitoneal technique of laparoscopic pyeloplasty (LP) and present results of 86 consecutive patients.

Patients And Methods: From January 2004 to January 2009, 86 patients who were affected with ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) underwent retroperitoneal LP. In all operations, a four-port, balloon-dissecting, retroperitoneal approach was used and a simple "personalized" modification of the conventional Anderson-Hynes technique consisting of an approaching and stabilizing stitch made between the renal pelvis and proximal ureter.

Efficacy of long-term growth hormone therapy in short children with reduced growth hormone biological activity.

Aim: The optimal GH regimen, in terms of cost-effectiveness, in children with normal GH immunoreactivity but reduced bioactivity is still debated.

Methods: In 12 GH-deficient (GHD) and 12 bioinactive GH children undergoing GH treatment we evaluated the increase in growth velocity, the difference between target height and final stature and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio.

Results: We found a significant (p < 0.

Is BaF3 bioassay useful to identify patients with bioinactive growth hormone?

We analyzed the ability of the BaF3 cell line bioassay to select patients with biologically inactive GH. We first evaluated the biological response of the Ba/F3-hGHR cells to rhGH additional doses from 10 to 5000 pg/ml. The concentration points corresponding to the linear part of the curve were selected.

Interobserver agreement in describing video capsule endoscopy findings: a multicentre prospective study.

Background And Aim: Few studies have specifically addressed interobserver agreement in describing lesions identified during capsule endoscopy. The aim of our study is to evaluate interobserver agreement in the description of capsule endoscopy findings.

Materials And Methods: Consecutive short segments of capsule endoscopy were prospectively observed by 8 investigators.

Effect of human recombinant growth hormone therapy on circulating levels of erythropoietin and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor in short children.

Several reports suggest a role of growth hormone (GH) in the regulation of the haematopoietic system, as regards the normal differentiation and function of blood cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of rhGH therapy on erythropoietin (Epo) and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) levels in 18 prepubertal short children with idiopathic GH deficiency (GHD) (n = 8) or without GHD (n = 10), during the first year of treatment. In non-GHD children Epo levels significantly decreased and G-CSF levels increased from basal to 12 months of therapy, whereas in GHD children they did not change significantly.

Exogenous alkaline phosphatase for the treatment of patients with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis.

Background: Increased activity of intestinal alkaline phosphatase (AP) occurs locally in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), aimed at repairing inflammatory tissue damage. We evaluated the safety and preliminary efficacy of exogenous AP administered to patients with UC in an open-label, first-in-patient exploratory trial, conducted in the Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology hospital departments in the Czech Republic and Italy.

Methods: Twenty-one patients were enrolled (13 females), age 23-54 years, with steroid- and/or immunosuppressant-refractory, moderate/severe UC (Mayo score 6-11).

Life expectancy in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Survival following a diagnosis of AD is important information for health planners, caregivers, patients, and their families. AD is associated with variable, but shortened life expectancy. Knowing the expected survival time may empower people with AD and their families, but clinicians currently have limited predictive information.

Growth factors decrease in subjects with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD): potential correction with dehydroepiandrosterone-sulphate (DHEAS).

The integrity of neuroprotection is an important component against the development of cognitive disorders and AD. Within this context, DHEAS would seem to have some positive metabolic and endocrine effects to delay brain aging by recovering the impairment of neuroprotective growth factors. In the present study we measured by ELISA the secretion of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGFbeta1) in the supernatants of cultured circulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from which natural killer cells (NK) were separated (PBMC-NK) (pg/ml/7.

Short stature in children with coeliac disease.

Coeliac disease (CD) is a genetically determined gluten-sensitive enteropathy resulting in nutrient malabsorption, with an increasing incidence world-wide. Clinical presentation in early childhood may include classic malabsorption symptoms, whereas older CD children often present extra-intestinal symptoms including short stature and pubertal delay. A gluten-free diet (GFD) generally leads to a rapid catch-up in growth and to normalization of the pituitary function.

Rituximab induces distinct intraorbital and intrathyroidal effects in one patient satisfactorily treated for Graves' ophthalmopathy.

Hyperthyroid Graves' disease (GD) is a B-cell-mediated disease caused by antibodies stimulating the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor (TRAb). A proportion of patients (40-60%) present with an associated ophthalmopathy (TAO), a progressive inflammatory autoimmune disease of the retroorbital tissue. We thought that the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab (RTX), by inducing transient B-cell depletion, may potentially modify the active inflammatory phase of TAO.

An inter- and intra-laboratory comparison of breath ¹³CO₂analysis.

Background: ¹³C breath test analysis requires accurate ¹³CO₂measurements.

Aim: To perform a multicentre study to evaluate the repeatability and reproducibility of breath ¹³CO₂analysis.

Methods: Two series of 25 paired randomly coded tubes (each consisting of 23 ¹³CO₂-enriched breath samples and two samples of standard reference pure CO₂with certified δ ¹³C(PDB)) were sent to participating centres for ¹³CO₂measurement.