Articular arthrodesis with the facet wedge technique for the treatment of unstable lumbar degenerative disease and associated conditions: A retrospective study of 96 patients.

Background: Lumbar articular fusion with the facet wedge (FW) technique is gaining increasing interest among surgeons for the treatment of vertebral instability due to its limited invasiveness and ease of use. Studies on cadavers have reported biomechanical properties similar to pedicle screws. Yet, the evidence supporting their use is still limited and moreover focused only on spinal degenerative disease.

Anti-angiogenic therapy using the multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitor Regorafenib enhances tumor progression in a transgenic mouse model of ß-cell carcinogenesis.

Background: Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) represent a distinct hypervascularized tumor entity, often diagnosed at metastatic stage. Therapeutic efficacy of anti-angiogenic multi-kinase inhibitors is frequently limited by primary or acquired resistance in vivo. This study aimed to characterize the molecular mode of action as well as resistance mechanisms to the anti-angiogenic multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) Regorafenib in vitro and in vivo.

Towards a common language in neurosurgical outcome evaluation: the NEON (NEurosurgical Outcome Network) proposal.

Background: The aim of this study was to achieve a consensus on the minimum set of outcome measures and predictors to be used in the neurosurgical practice and on the timing of outcome assessment.

Methods: A consensus building approach was employed. All neurosurgical departments in Lombardy (Italy) were invited to participate by the Carlo Besta Neurologic Institute IRCCS Foundation.

Target-the-Two: a lab-in-the-field experiment on routinization.

The paper investigates the cognitive determinants of routinization and creativity by means of a lab-in-the-field experiment run at the 20th edition of a mass gathering festival in Italy ("La Notte della Taranta"). Subjects play repeatedly the puzzle version of the Target-The-Two game (32 hands). In hands 1-16, the strategy that is optimal given the card distribution is always the same and it is the easiest to be discovered.

Aneurismal subarachnoid hemorrhage during the COVID-19 outbreak in a Hub and Spoke system: observational multicenter cohort study in Lombardy, Italy.

Background: Lombardy was the most affected Italian region by the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and underwent urgent reorganization for the management of emergencies, including subarachnoid hemorrhage from a ruptured cerebral aneurysm (aSAH). The aim of the study was to define demographics, clinical, and therapeutic features of aSAH during the COVID-19 outbreak and compare these with a historical cohort.

Methods: In this observational multicenter cohort study, patients aged 18 years or older, who were diagnosed with aSAH at the participating centers in Lombardy from March 9 to May 10, 2020, were included (COVID-19 group).

Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy and Primary Brain Tumors: An Overview.

Primary brain tumors (PBTs) are some of the most difficult types of cancer to treat, and despite advancements in surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, new strategies for the treatment of PBTs are needed, especially for those with poor prognosis such as inoperable/difficult-to-reach lesions or relapsing disease. In regard to the last point, malignant primary brain tumors remain some of the most lethal types of cancer. Nuclear medicine may provide exciting new weapons and significant contributions in the treatment of PBTs.

Renal Involvement in IgG4-Related Disease: From Sunlight to Twilight.

IgG4-Related Disease (IgG4-RD) is a fibroinflammatory condition characterized by a typical histopathological pattern (dense lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate with prevalent IgG4+ plasma cells and storiform fibrosis), which may involve the kidney both directly (IgG4-related kidney disease, IgG4-RKD) or indirectly, as a consequence of post-renal ureteral obstruction due to retroperitoneal fibrosis (IgG4-RD RF). The most frequent presentation of IgG4-RKD is IgG4-related tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN), but a glomerular disease can be present, in most of the cases a membranous nephropathy. Albeit steroid-responsive, in some cases renal manifestations may lead to progressive and permanent organ damage.

Lung ultrasound and BNP to detect hidden pulmonary congestion in euvolemic hemodialysis patients: a single centre experience.

Background: Dry weight assessment in hemodialysis (HD) remains a challenge. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of subclinical pulmonary congestion using lung ultrasound (LUS) in maintenance HD patients with no clinical or bioimpedance signs of hyperhydration. The correlation between B-lines Score (BLS) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) was also evaluated.

The interlaminar contralateral approach to far-lateral lumbar disc herniations: a single-center comparison with traditional techniques.

Background: The interlaminar contralateral approach (ICA) is a promising surgical alternative for the treatment of far-lateral lumbar disc herniations (FLLDH). To date no study has compared ICA and FLLDH conventional surgical treatments, namely the intertransverse, the transmuscular and the intermuscular approaches, in terms of safety and outcome.

Methods: Patients who underwent FLLDH surgery at our Institution between January 2015 and September 2018 were reviewed.

Increase in endogenous glucose production with SGLT2 inhibition is attenuated in individuals who underwent kidney transplantation and bilateral native nephrectomy.

Aims/hypothesis: The glucosuria induced by sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibition stimulates endogenous (hepatic) glucose production (EGP), blunting the decline in HbA. We hypothesised that, in response to glucosuria, a renal signal is generated and stimulates EGP. To examine the effect of acute administration of SGLT2 inhibitors on EGP, we studied non-diabetic individuals who had undergone renal transplant with and without removal of native kidneys.

Use of tocilizumab in amyloid a nephropathy associated with Sweet syndrome: a case report and literature review.

Amyloid A nephropathy is a possible complication of chronic inflammatory disease. Proteinuria and kidney failure are the main features of the disease. Tocilizumab (TCZ), an IL6-R antibody approved for rheumatoid arthritis, is a promising choice for histologically demonstrated nephropathy.

Proteinuria is a late-onset adverse event in patients treated with cabozantinib.

Purpose: The use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in thyroid cancer patients is often limited by toxicities. Some have a long-term onset and potentially could impact patients' survival. Among them, there is the nephrotoxicity, mainly represented by proteinuria.

Immunotherapy in Underrepresented Populations of Patients with Cancer: Do We Have Enough Evidence at Present? A Focus on Patients with Major Viral Infections and Autoimmune Disorders.

The safety and activity of immune checkpoint inhibitors have been characterized in interventional and observational studies. However, only small studies have specifically investigated these agents in patients who are excluded or underrepresented in clinical trials, frequently referred to as "special populations" or "underrepresented populations." These include older adults, those with dysregulated immune activation, patients with a compromised immune function, and those carrying major viral infections, lymphoproliferative diseases, and major organ dysfunctions.

[Different methods to manage dry weight in hemodialysis patients].

Estimating the euvolemia and dry weight of hemodialysis patients still represents a challenge for the nephrologist, since both dehydration and hyperhydration are associated with intradialytic events and cardiovascular complications in the short and long term. Despite the need for a precise and objective definition of the dry weight for the individual patient on dialysis, this is usually determined on a clinical basis. To obtain greater sensitivity the dosage of natriuretic peptides, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) and, more recently, Lung Ultra-Sound (LUS) can all be used.

Correction: Interaction between somatostatin analogues and targeted therapies in neuroendocrine tumor cells.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Renal Artery Embolization Before Radical Nephrectomy for Complex Renal Tumour: Which are the True Advantages?

Introduction: Renal artery embolization is performed before radical nephrectomy (RN) for renal mass in order to induce preoperative infarction and to facilitate surgical intervention through decrease of intraoperative bleeding. Moreover, in metastatic renal cancer it seems to stimulate tumour-specific antibodies, even if no established benefits in clinical response or survival have been reported. The role of preoperative renal artery embolization (PRAE) in management of renal masses has been often debated and its real benefits are still unclear.

An atypical presentation of diffuse midline pontine glioma in a middle age patient: Case report.

Introduction: Diffuse midline glioma is a newly WHO defined entity (grade IV) (Louis et al., 2016) which includes diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) reported in pediatric population and, occasionally, in young adults. Here, we present a detailed description of an atypical case of diffuse midline glioma in a 53 years old woman.

Interaction between somatostatin analogues and targeted therapies in neuroendocrine tumor cells.

Somatostatin analogues (SSA) represent the standard of care for symptom control in patients with functional gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NET). In addition, SSA exert significant anti-proliferative effects in mid-gut and pancreatic NET (PanNET). In parallel, molecularly targeted therapies (MTT) have been shown to improve progression free survival (PFS) in patients with PanNET.

Blood pressure phenotype reproducibility in CKD outpatients: a clinical practice report.

Out-of-office blood pressure (BP) measurement is encouraged by recent hypertension guidelines for assessing BP phenotypes. These showed acceptable reproducibility in the short term, but few data exist about long-term reproducibility, particularly for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. We evaluated changes of the BP phenotypes at 6 and 12 months in 280 consecutive non-dialysis CKD outpatients (186 males, age 71 ± 12 years, eGFR 38 ± 13 ml/min/1.

Relationship between cellular and exosomal miRNAs targeting NOD-like receptors in bladder cancer: preliminary results.

Background: Exosomes are membrane vesicles secreted by both cancerous and normal cells which play important roles during intercellular communications and oncogenic transformation. Many reports highlight the importance of exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) as pro-tumorigenic mediators during carcinogenesis, since they regulate all these pathways at the post-transcriptional level. Since bladder cancer cells have a high immunogenic potential, from one hand, and inflammation process is intimately connected to carcinogenesis, from the other, the interest in analyzing inflammasome-related exo-miRNAs is apparent.