Visceral Adiposity and Progression of ADPKD: A Cohort Study of Patients From the TEMPO 3:4 Trial.

Rationale & Objective: Body mass index (BMI) is an independent predictor of kidney disease progression in individuals with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Adipocytes do not simply act as a fat reservoir but are active endocrine organs. We hypothesized that greater visceral abdominal adiposity would associate with more rapid kidney growth in ADPKD and influence the efficacy of tolvaptan.

Interpreting permeability as a function of free drug fraction: The case studies of cyclodextrins and liposomes.

In order to solubilize poorly soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients, various strategies have been implemented over the years, including the use of nanocarriers, such as cyclodextrins and liposomes. However, improving a drug's apparent solubility does not always translate to enhanced bioavailability. This work aimed to investigate to which extent complexation with cyclodextrins and incorporation into liposomes influence drug in vitro permeability and to find a mechanistic description of the permeation process.

Dynamic functional connectivity in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: A review of the evidence and associations with psychopathological features.

Alterations of functional network connectivity have been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia (SCZ) and bipolar disorder (BD). Recent studies also suggest that the temporal dynamics of functional connectivity (dFC) can be altered in these disorders. Here, we summarized the existing literature on dFC in SCZ and BD, and their association with psychopathological and cognitive features.

Modelling drug diffusion through unstirred water layers allows real-time quantification of free/loaded drug fractions and release kinetics from colloidal-based formulations.

The correlation between in vivo and in vitro data is yet not sufficiently optimized to allow a significant reduction and replacement of animal testing in pharmaceutical development. One of the main reasons for this lies in the poor mechanistic understanding and interpretation of the physical mechanisms enabling formulation rely on for deploying the drug. One mechanism that still lacks a proper interpretation is the kinetics of drug release from nanocarriers.

The role of radiology in the evaluation of the immunotherapy efficacy.

In the last years, a great interest has arisen on immunotherapy for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Check-point inhibitor drugs are now considered clinical practice standard in different settings and their use is expected to increase significantly in the near future. As treatment options for lung cancer advance and vary, the different patterns of radiological response increase in number and heterogeneity.

Pathophysiology, clinical features and radiological findings of differentiation syndrome/all-trans-retinoic acid syndrome.

In acute promyelocytic leukemia, differentiation therapy based on all-trans-retinoic acid can be complicated by the development of a differentiation syndrome (DS). DS is a life-threatening complication, characterized by respiratory distress, unexplained fever, weight gain, interstitial lung infiltrates, pleural or pericardial effusions, hypotension and acute renal failure. The diagnosis of DS is made on clinical grounds and has proven to be difficult, because none of the symptoms is pathognomonic for the syndrome without any definitive diagnostic criteria.

Differentiation of rebound and lymphoid thymic hyperplasia from anterior mediastinal tumors with dual-echo chemical-shift MR imaging in adulthood: reliability of the chemical-shift ratio and signal intensity index.

Purpose: To prospectively evaluate (a) effectiveness and limits of dual-echo chemical-shift magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for distinguishing hyperplastic thymus from anterior mediastinal tumors in adulthood by using chemical-shift ratio ( CSR chemical-shift ratio ) and signal intensity index ( SII signal intensity index ), with proposal of optimal threshold value for each, and (b) whether age affects these indexes.

Materials And Methods: Study was institutional review board approved, with informed consent obtained. Ninety-two subjects (53 men, 39 women; age range, 18-84 years) were divided into a rebound and lymphoid hyperplasia group (group A, 30 patients) and a tumor group (group B, 62 patients).

Effectiveness of chest radiography, lung ultrasound and thoracic computed tomography in the diagnosis of congestive heart failure.

Hydrostatic pulmonary edema is as an abnormal increase in extravascular water secondary to elevated pressure in the pulmonary circulation, due to congestive heart failure or intravascular volume overload. Diagnosis of hydrostatic pulmonary edema is usually based on clinical signs associated to conventional radiography findings. Interpretation of radiologic signs of cardiogenic pulmonary edema are often questionable and subject.