Background and Objectives: Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) has a high mortality. The treatment of CTEPH could be balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA), medical (MT) or pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA). This study aims to assess the clinical characteristics of CTEPH patients, surgically or medically treated, in a pulmonology referral center.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPathways that direct the selection of the telomerase-dependent or recombination-based, alternative lengthening of telomere (ALT) maintenance pathway in cancer cells are poorly understood. Using human lung cancer cells and tumor organoids we show that formation of the 2,2,7-trimethylguanosine (TMG) cap structure at the human telomerase RNA 5' end by the Trimethylguanosine Synthase 1 (TGS1) is central for recruiting telomerase to telomeres and engaging Cajal bodies in telomere maintenance. TGS1 depletion or inhibition by the natural nucleoside sinefungin impairs telomerase recruitment to telomeres leading to Exonuclease 1 mediated generation of telomere 3' end protrusions that engage in RAD51-dependent, homology directed recombination and the activation of key features of the ALT pathway.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMalignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare and aggressive form of tumour. Some mesotheliomas have been proven to be highly immunogenic. Here, we investigated the correlation between tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) or programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression with overall survival (OS) in patients with MPM.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMalignant mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive form of cancer affecting the mesothelium. This mainly occupational disease is becoming more common in those countries where asbestos has been used for industrial applications. Notwithstanding the progress made in the field, patients do not survive more than 12 months on average with standard treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGrowing evidence recognizes that patients who are motivated to take an active role in their care can experience a range of health benefits and reduced healthcare costs. Nurses play a critical role in the effort to make patients fully engaged in their disease management. Trainings devoted to increase nurses' skills and knowledge to assess and promote patient engagement are today a medical education priority.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Immune mediators are likely to be relevant for the biological response to asbestos exposure. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between immune mediators involved in inflammation, cell survival and angiogenesis, and asbestos-related diseases in workers from a coastal area of North-East Italy with a high incidence of pleural malignant mesothelioma (PMM).
Materials And Methods: A selected custom set of 12 soluble mediators was evaluated with a Luminex platform in sera, pleural fluid and mesothelioma biopsies from 123 asbestos-exposed workers (38 free from pleural-pulmonary disorders, 46 with non-malignant asbestos diseases, 39 with PMM) and in sera from 33 healthy controls from the same territorial area.
Aims And Background: Malignant mesothelioma is a fatal cancer of increasing incidence in north-eastern Italy. Together with asbestos, the polyomavirus SV40 was hypothesized to contribute to the onset of malignant mesothelioma. To investigate the putative role of SV40 in the individual susceptibility to asbestos-induced malignant mesothelioma, we conducted a molecular epidemiological study on a series of malignant mesothelioma patients from an area in north-eastern Italy hyperendemic for malignant pleural mesothelioma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: During thoracotomy, positive end-expiratory pressure is applied to the dependent lung and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) inflates the nondependent lung to avoid hypoxemia. These methods do not allow the removal of produced secretions. We hypothesized that high-frequency percussive ventilation(HFPV) can improve both conditions and reduce hospital length of stay in these patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA young man with a previous history of episodes of mild solid food dysphagia was admitted with a total dysphagia. The esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGDS) showed an extensive disruption of mucosal layer with a cul-de-sac in the lower part of the esophagus. Soon after the procedure, the patient suffered from an acute chest pain and subsequent CT scan demonstrated an intramural circumferential dissection of thoracic esophagus, and a mediastinal emphysema.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe report the case of a patient that had undergone a left pneumonectomy during which a double-lumen tube was used and an undetected right bronchial laceration occurred. After diagnosis the patient underwent a second operation to repair the tear. The role of high-frequency percussive ventilation in enabling adequate gas exchange during the bronchial repair is described and discussed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe utility of the preoperative staging of T1 lung cancer is controversial. This is due to a lower prevalence of N2 metastases in tumors of small diameter. To assess the prevalence of N2 metastases in such tumors and the sensitivity and specificity of computed tomography in mediastinal sadiation, the authors reviewed CT scans and pathology reports of 56 patients who had undergone surgical resection of a T1 lung cancer so distributed: Adenocarcinoma 20 cases, adenosquamous carcinoma 14, Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma 7, Undifferentiated 7, Carcinoid 5, Small cells carcinoma 3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArch Ital Urol Androl
December 2000
The authors describe a case of renal metastasis from chondrosarcoma originating from the rib, with acute clinical onset characterised by serious anaemia secondary to retroperitoneal perineal haemorrhage. No similar cases have been reported in the literature. The interest of this case lies in both the symptoms of onset and in the metastatic site.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnn Ital Chir
September 1996
Chronic, severe reflux esophagitis can be complicated with an esophageal ulcer (EU), whose histomorphological characteristics change sensibly. Between 1983 and 1989, 18 EU were endoscopically identified in 13 (6%) out of 217 patients with chronic gastroesophageal reflux (GER). 2 groups were defined: EU and esophagitis, without columnar-lined esophagus and EU with localized columnar metaplasia or Barrett's esophagus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes of 36 patients with bronchogenic carcinoma were evaluated with computed tomography (CT). The American Thoracic Society (ATS) mapping was employed, which defines nodal stations in terms of well-recognized anatomic landmarks which are easily identified with CT and during thoracotomy. The differences (30 cases) between CT and surgical measurements in the 124 nodal stations which could be analyzed are discussed in detail.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe infections are a common complication after surgical procedures, ranging from wound to peritoneal infections. The authors compared the results, in terms of wound infection, of the same equipment in two hospitals, one of which of modern concept. They analysed 1202 operations equally distributed between the two hospitals classifying them in four kinds of operations: I (clean), II (clean-contaminated), III (contaminated), IV (septic).
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