Background: In the last years, a dramatic increase in colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnoses in early-onset (EO) patients has been observed. The prognosis of EO-CRC compared to late-onset (LO) patients is still unclear. This meta-analysis aims to clarify whether there is any difference in the prognosis between the two groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Open Abdomen (OA) is gaining popularity in damage control surgery (DCS) but there is not an absolute prognostic score to identify patients that may benefit from it. Our study investigates the correlation between the clinical frailty scale score (CFSS) and postoperative morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing OA.
Methods: Patients ≥65 yo undergoing OA in two referral centres between 2015 and 2020 were included and stratified according to CFSS in non-frail (NF), frail (F) and highly-frail (HF).
Background: Tumour-specific mesorectal excision (TSME) practice for rectal cancer only relies on small retrospective studies. This study aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the oncological and functional outcomes of TSME practice.
Methods: A systematic review protocol was drawn to include all the studies that compared partial versus total mesorectal excision (PME vs TME) practised for rectal adenocarcinoma up to 16 cm from the anal verge.
Background: There is no clear consensus about the best surgical strategy for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) and synchronous liver metastases (SCRLM).
Methods: Between 2009 and 2019, patients with CRC and SCRLM considered for curative treatment were included. Perioperative and follow-up data were analysed to examine the safety and survival outcomes of primary first (PF), liver first (LF) and simultaneous resection (SR) strategies.
Background: The role of robotic surgery for colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRCLMs) has never been investigated in large series.
Methods: A systematic literature review was carried out on PubMed and Cochrane libraries.
Results: We selected nine studies between 2008 and 2021.
Retroperitoneal sarcomas (RPS) are rare cancers whose management can be challenging due to various presentation patterns, multiple organ involvement, and a high local and distant recurrence rate. Histopathology and prognostic factors analysis are essential to predict the behaviour of the disease and plan the best therapeutic strategy. To date, surgery is still the main therapeutic option that guarantees a chance of cure from the primary disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite advances in coloanal anastomosis techniques, satisfactory procedures completed without complications remain lacking. We investigated the effectiveness of our recently developed 'Short stump and High anastomosis Pull-through' (SHiP) procedure for delayed coloanal anastomosis without a stoma. In this retrospective study, we analysed functional outcomes, morbidity, and mortality rates and local recurrence of 37 patients treated using SHiP procedure, out of the 282 patients affected by rectal cancer treated in our institution between 2012 and 2020.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAbout 4% of patients with stomach cancer diagnosis have synchronous colorectal cancer and some of these patients may require a synchronous surgical resection. So far, only few minimally invasive series of synchronous resections have been described. We investigated the feasibility and safety of the synchronous robotic resection of the right colon and stomach malignancies, trying to identify a standardised and reproducible technique.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFQuality in cultural heritage attractions is mainly approached from the visitors' satisfaction perspective, and the literature does not contain a clear definition of quality in the management of cultural heritage sites open to the public. The present study aims to reframe this trend. By way of theoretical contribution, we propose a definition of quality in cultural heritage attractions management based on dimensions such as the capacity of preserving the cultural assets, the ability to communicate effectively their significance, the quality of commodification for visitor use, and the ability to boost intercultural competence and promote intercultural dialogue.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe ability of the sodium salt of 3,4-secoisopimar-4(18),7,15-trien-3-oic acid (1), a diterpenoid obtained from Salvia cinnabarina, to inhibit the genotoxic effect of ethyl methanesulfonate (a clastogenic agent) and colcemid (an aneugenic agent), was studied using a micronucleus assay on cultured human lymphocytes. Cells were treated with 1 before (pretreatment), during (co-treatment), and after (post-treatment) treatment with the mutagens, in order to investigate the type of antimutagenic activity (desmutagenic or bioantimutagenic) manifested. In the range of concentrations tested (0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn integrated approach based on environmental and biological monitoring, including the analysis of biomarkers of exposure [excretion of S-phenylmercapturic acid (S-PMA)], early biological effects [micronucleus (MN) frequency] and susceptibility (genetic polymorphisms), was applied to characterize benzene exposure in a group of 70 traffic policemen and 40 employees of the city of Bologna, Italy. Median personal benzene exposure was 6.55-fold higher for traffic policemen than for controls (P<0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe potential genotoxicity of lavender essential oil and its major components, linalool, and linalyl acetate, was evaluated in vitro by the micronucleus test on peripheral human lymphocytes. In the range of non-toxic concentrations (0.5-100 μg/ml), linalyl acetate increased the frequency of micronuclei significantly and in concentration-dependent manner; lavender oil did so only at the highest concentration tested, whereas linalool was devoid of genotoxicity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFbeta-Caryophyllene is a bi-cyclic sesquiterpene that occurs in essential oils from several plants. A variety of biological activities have been ascribed to this compound. In particular, it seems to possess anti-carcinogenic properties, due to its capability to induce detoxifying enzymes or to enhance, in vitro and in vivo, the natural killer cell-induced cytotoxicity against tumours.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMutagen sensitivity assay, by measuring chromosome damage induced by an in vitro treatment of peripheral lymphocytes with bleomycin, has been proposed as a biomarker for assessing cancer susceptibility. Recently, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP A1450G) of the gene for bleomycin hydrolase (BLHX), a specific neutral cysteine protease able to metabolise bleomycin, was proposed as a plausible candidate to variation in mutagen sensitivity. To shed more light on the effect of BLHX genotype on the expression of chromosome damage induced in vitro by bleomycin, we determined mutagen sensitivity for 45 non-smoker healthy volunteers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSusceptibility to DNA damage varies among individuals and sensitivity to bleomycin (BLM) may reflect the inter-individual differences. BLM sensitivity in part may be explained by inherited differences in DNA repair genes. We investigated the association between genetic polymorphisms in the GSTT1, GSTM1, XPD, XRCC1 and XRCC3 genes and the levels of spontaneous and BLM-induced DNA damage in peripheral blood lymphocytes from 200 healthy, unexposed individuals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn a single-dosing crossover study, we investigated the ability of apple fruit consumption to protect human lymphocytes against peroxide-induced damage to DNA. Six healthy, non-smoking male volunteers were placed for 2d on an antioxidant-poor (AP) diet. After 48h of AP diet, the volunteers were required to consume a homogenate obtained from 600g of red delicious unpeeled apples or water (500 ml); blood samples were collected 0, 3, 6 and 24 h post-consumption.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmong the toxic chemicals present in the ambient air of urban centres, benzene raises particular concern due to its haematoxicity and leukaemogenic hazards, probably related to clastogenic factors. However, little is known about the health risks associated with environmental--rather than industrial--exposure to benzene. We analysed micronucleus (MN) frequencies in peripheral lymphocytes by use of the cytokinesis-block technique, and haematological parameters among 49 traffic police and 36 indoor workers (controls) in the city of Bologna.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnderstanding the risks deriving from protracted exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation has remarkable societal importance in view of the large number of work settings in which sources of IR are encountered. To address this question, we studied the frequency of micronuclei (MN), which is an indicator of DNA damage, in a population exposed to low levels of ionizing radiation and in matched controls. In both exposed population and controls, the possible influence of single nucleotide polymorphisms in XRCC1, XRCC3 and XPD genes on the frequency of micronuclei was also evaluated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF