Preoperative chemoradiotherapy in elderly patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.

Purpose: To evaluate the treatment tolerance and clinical outcomes in patients aged 70 and older with locally advanced rectal carcinoma treated with multimodality approach.

Methods And Materials: We retrospectively analysed 20 consecutive elderly patients, with histologically proven rectal adenocarcinoma, staged T3-4, and/or node-positive tumour, who received chemoradiotherapy and proceeded to surgical approach. Performance status score and adult comorbidity evaluation-27 score were calculated, and their influence on treatment tolerance and clinical outcomes was analysed.

TNF-α mediates PKR-dependent memory impairment and brain IRS-1 inhibition induced by Alzheimer's β-amyloid oligomers in mice and monkeys.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and type 2 diabetes appear to share similar pathogenic mechanisms. dsRNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR) underlies peripheral insulin resistance in metabolic disorders. PKR phosphorylates eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α (eIF2α-P), and AD brains exhibit elevated phospho-PKR and eIF2α-P levels.

Metabolic atrophy and 3-T 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy correlation after radiation therapy for prostate cancer.

Objective: To correlate 3-T magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in patients with prostate cancer treated with external beam radiation therapy to assess the potential advantages of MRSI.

Materials And Methods: A total of 50 patients (age range 65-83 years) underwent PSA and MRSI surveillance before and at 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after radiotherapy.

Results: Of the 50 patients examined, 13 patients completely responded to therapy showing metabolic atrophy (MA), defined as a choline-plus-creatine/citrate (CC/C) ratio <0.

Buschke-Löwenstein tumor with squamous cell carcinoma treated with chemo-radiation therapy and local surgical excision: report of three cases.

Treatment of anorectal Buschke-Löwenstein tumor (BLT) with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) transformation is not univocal given the rarity of the disease. BLT is characterized by its large size and tendency to infiltrate into underlying tissues. Malignant transformation can occur and it is important to identify the presence of neoplastic foci to decide the proper treatment.

Differential O-3/O-4 selectivity in the glycosylation of N-dimethylmaleoyl-protected hexosamine acceptors: effect of a conformationally armed (superarmed) glycosyl donor.

An assessment of the relative O-3/O-4 reactivities of both α- and β-methyl glycosides of N-dimethylmaleoyl (DMM) glucosamine and allosamine acceptors protected at O-6 with a benzyl group using a d-glucopyranosyl conformationally armed donor (superarmed donor) counterpart is presented. The glycosylation of glucosamine derivatives followed the trends already observed for disarmed donors. On the other hand, the glycosylation of allosamine derivatives gave exclusively substitution on the equatorial O-4, in spite that with a disarmed donor the point of substitution is exclusively on the more hindered, electronically-preferred O-3.

Low-dose fotemustine as second-line chemotherapy for recurrent glioblastoma multiforme.

Aim: To test if fotemustine administrated at low doses during the maintenance phase of gioblastoma therapy could improve the toxicity profile, without reducing progression-free survival at six months (PFS-6).

Patients And Methods: Patients enrolled were affected by recurrent glioblastoma multiforme, proven by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), at least six months after radiochemotherapy completion. Fotemustine was administered at an induction dose of 100 mg/m(2) followed by a maintenance dose of 75 mg/m(2).

Comparison between the new Gore septal and Amplatzer devices for transcatheter closure of patent foramen ovale. Short- and mid-term clinical and echocardiographic outcomes.

Background: The ideal device for percutaneous patent foramen ovale (PFO) occlusion should provide effective closure with long-term biocompatibility and it should have a low profile without interfering with adjacent cardiac structures. Long-term data regarding safety and efficacy of the GORE Septal Occluder (GSO) are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the short- and mid-term clinical and echocardiographic outcomes of this device.

Delivery of natural polyphenols by polymeric nanoparticles improves the resistance of endothelial progenitor cells to oxidative stress.

Purpose: Bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) circulate into peripheral blood and significantly contribute to neo-vascularisation and re-endothelialisation as part of the process of vascular repair. Several studies have reported decreased EPC number in the presence of oxidative stress. Aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of mucoadhesive polymeric nanoparticles as a delivery system of natural products able to protect EPCs from oxidative stress.

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance application in response prediction before, during, and after neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy in primary rectal cancer carcinoma.

Introduction: Our interest was to monitor treatment response using ADC value to predict response of rectal tumour to preoperative radiochemotherapy.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-two patients were treated with long course of radiochemotherapy, followed by surgery. Patients were examined by diffusion-weighted imaging MRI at three-time points (prior, during, and after radiochemotherapy) and were classified as responders and nonresponders.

Frequency and clinical correlates of bipolar features in acute coronary syndrome patients.

Background: Depression and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are both extremely prevalent diseases. Studies aimed at evaluating whether depression is an independent risk factor for cardiac events provided no definitive results. In most of these studies, depression has been broadly defined with no differentiation between unipolar (MDD) versus bipolar forms (BD).

Memantine rescues transient cognitive impairment caused by high-molecular-weight aβ oligomers but not the persistent impairment induced by low-molecular-weight oligomers.

Brain accumulation of soluble amyloid-β oligomers (AβOs) has been implicated in synapse failure and cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, whether and how oligomers of different sizes induce synapse dysfunction is a matter of controversy. Here, we report that low-molecular-weight (LMW) and high-molecular-weight (HMW) Aβ oligomers differentially impact synapses and memory.

Intranasal insulin as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease: a review of basic research and clinical evidence.

Research in animals and humans has associated Alzheimer's disease (AD) with decreased cerebrospinal fluid levels of insulin in combination with decreased insulin sensitivity (insulin resistance) in the brain. This phenomenon is accompanied by attenuated receptor expression of insulin and insulin-like growth factor, enhanced serine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1, and impaired transport of insulin across the blood-brain barrier. Moreover, clinical trials have demonstrated that intranasal insulin improves both memory performance and metabolic integrity of the brain in patients suffering from AD or its prodrome, mild cognitive impairment.

Neoadjuvant-intensified treatment for rectal cancer: time to change?

Aim: To investigate whether neoadjuvant-intensified radiochemotherapy improved overall and disease-free survival in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.

Methods: Between January 2007 and December 2011, 80 patients with histologically confirmed rectal adenocarcinoma were enrolled. Tumors were clinically classified as either T3 or T4 and by the N stage based on the presence or absence of positive regional lymph nodes.

Alzheimer's disease and insulin resistance: translating basic science into clinical applications.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and diabetes are currently considered among the top threats to human health worldwide. Intriguingly, a connection between these diseases has been established during the past decade, since insulin resistance, a hallmark of type 2 diabetes, also develops in Alzheimer brains. In this article, the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying defective brain insulin signaling in AD are discussed, with emphasis on evidence that Alzheimer's and diabetes share common inflammatory signaling pathways.

Endothelial progenitor cells, cardiovascular risk factors and lifestyle modifications.

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) contribute substantially to preservation of a structurally and functionally intact endothelium. EPCs home in to the sites of endothelial injury and ischemia, where they proliferate, differentiate and integrate into the endothelial layer or exert a paracrine function by producing vascular growth factors. This review will focus on successful lifestyle interventions that aim to maintain vascular health through beneficial actions on cell populations with vasculogenic potential.

Effect of multivessel coronary artery disease with or without a concomitant chronic total occlusion on 1-year survival in patients treated with rescue angioplasty.

Background: The effect of multivessel disease (MVD) with or without a concomitant chronic total occlusion (CTO) has never been investigated in patients treated with rescue percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Objectives: This study evaluates whether there is an increased rate of death at 1-year follow-up in patients undergoing rescue PCI with angiographic pattern of MVD and a concurrent CTO in comparison with single-vessel disease (SVD) and MVD without CTO.

Methods: Among 551 consecutive patients undergoing rescue PCI, we compared the 1-year survival rates of 361 patients with SVD, 137 with MVD without a CTO, and 53 with MVD and a CTO.

Head-to-head comparison of sirolimus-eluting stent versus bare metal stent evaluation of the coronary endothelial dysfunction in the same patient presenting with multiple coronary artery lesions: the CREDENTIAL study.

Objectives: To assess the endothelial dysfunction (ED) after bare metal stents (BMS) and sirolimus eluting stents (SES) implantation in the same patient, overcoming the confounding role of individual variables.

Background: SES reduce restenosis rate compared to BMS but causes more ED. ED is a potentially unsafe phenomenon, since it is the first step in the cascade of atherosclerosis.

Five-year outcomes in patients with chronic total coronary occlusion treated with drug-eluting vs bare-metal stents: a case-control study.

Background: Limited data exist on long-term safety and effectiveness of drug-eluting stents (DESs) in true chronic total coronary occlusion (CTO) settings. We evaluated 5-year clinical outcomes of patients with CTO treated successfully with DES vs bare-metal stent (BMS).

Methods: We compared the 5-year clinical outcomes of 156 patients treated with DES implantation with outcomes of a historical cohort of 159 patients treated with BMS.

Mucoadhesive nanoparticles made of thiolated quaternary chitosan crosslinked with hyaluronan.

Mucoadhesive polymeric nanoparticles intended for drug transport across the gastrointestinal mucosa were prepared from quaternary ammonium-chitosan conjugates synthesised from reduced-MW chitosan (32 kDa). Conjugates contained pendant moieties of 2-4 adjacent diethyl-dimethylene-ammonium groups substituted on repeating units (26-55%). Conjugates were thiolated via amide bonds with thioglycolic acid to yield products with thiol content in the 35-87 μmol/g range.

Effect of aging on metabolic pathways in endothelial progenitor cells.

Age represents a significant risk factor for the onset and progression of cardiovascular disease, with the increase in life expectancy in developed countries going in parallel with increased incidence of such pathologies. Treatment strategies alternative or additive to pharmacological treatments are needed. The relationship between aging and progenitor cell-mediated repair is of great interest.

A randomized multicenter study comparing a paclitaxel drug-eluting balloon with a paclitaxel-eluting stent in small coronary vessels: the BELLO (Balloon Elution and Late Loss Optimization) study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of drug-eluting balloons (DEB) compared with paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) for the reduction of restenosis in small vessels.

Background: DEB have been shown to be effective in the treatment of coronary in-stent restenosis, but data are limited regarding their efficacy in de novo disease.

Methods: BELLO (Balloon Elution and Late Loss Optimization) is a prospective, multicenter trial that randomized 182 patients with lesions located in small vessels (reference diameter <2.