Ovarian reserve, metabolic and neuroendocrine profiles of cadets from Air Force Academy: a pilot study.

Background: Intensive physical activity and rigid dietary regimes can act as modifiers of neuroendocrine axes in women, inducing hormonal disorders and related menstrual irregularities such as functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA). It would be important to evaluate if such disturbances may worsen female fertility. The aim of this study was to evaluate ovarian reserve markers and neuroendocrine axis in young military academy female cadets with years of training and occurrence of FHA.

Determination of Fertility Hormones and Adipokines by LC-MRM/MS Analysis.

Due to the increase in the rate of male and female infertility, assisted fertilization practices are currently adopted as valid support for couples unable to get pregnant. Analytical approaches for fertility hormone dosages are constantly being developed, following the technological progress of fertilization methods that have evolved for more than a century. Indeed, the analysis of fertility hormones in serum samples is a common clinical practice to check the fertility state, but absolute quantification of these hormones is a great challenge due to biological variability and low serum concentrations.

Psychometric properties of patient-reported outcomes Common Terminology Criteria for adverse events (PRO-CTCAE®) in breast cancer patients: The prospective observational multicenter VIP study.

Patients' self-reporting is increasingly considered essential to measure quality-of-life and treatment-related side-effects. However, if multiple patient-reported instruments are used, redundancy may represent an overload for patients. Patient-Reported Outcomes Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) are a tool allowing direct patients' reporting of side-effects.

Case Report: effect of lumasiran treatment in a late preterm baby with antenatal diagnosis of primary hyperoxaluria type 1.

Background: Primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1) is a rare disease with autosomal recessive transmission, characterized by increased urinary excretion of oxalate, resulting in chronic kidney disease secondary to recurrent urolithiasis, nephrocalcinosis, and accumulation of oxalate in various organs and tissues (systemic oxalosis). Since 2020, an innovative pharmacological approach, namely, lumasiran, has been added to the therapeutic armamentarium (dialysis and liver-kidney transplantation). The purpose of this paper is to describe the effect of lumasiran initiated at 10 days of life in a newborn with prenatally diagnosed PH1.

Neratinib as adjuvant therapy in patients with HER2 positive breast cancer: expert opinion.

Neratinib is a tyrosine kinase receptor inhibitor used in the extended adjuvant therapy of early-stage breast cancer. After adjuvant trastuzumab therapy, neratinib reduces the risk of recurrence and, if taken within 1 year from trastuzumab, significantly improves the invasive disease-free survival of patients with early-stage human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 positive (HER2+) breast cancer with no increased risk of long-term toxicity. Diarrhea, the most common adverse event associated with neratinib use, deters some clinicians from prescribing this drug.

An Overview of the Roles of CDK4/6 Inhibitors in Metastatic Breast Cancer Elderly Patients.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women worldwide. Many studies indicate that breast cancer increases in elderly patients (≥70 years) and suggest that the higher cancer mortality in this population relative to that observed in younger women could be related to organ dysfunction, an advanced and delayed diagnosis, and other morbidities. Endocrine therapy (ET) represents the favorite treatment for patients affected by hormone receptor positive (HR+) metastatic breast cancer (MBC).

Epigenetics: An opportunity to shape innate and adaptive immune responses.

Epigenetics connects genetic and environmental factors: it includes DNA methylation, histone post-translational modifications and the regulation of chromatin accessibility by non-coding RNAs, all of which control constitutive or inducible gene transcription. This plays a key role in harnessing the transcriptional programs of both innate and adaptive immune cells due to its plasticity and environmental-driven nature, piloting myeloid and lymphoid cell fate decisions with no change in their genomic sequence. In particular, epigenetic marks at the site of lineage-specific transcription factors and maintenance of cell type-specific epigenetic modifications, referred to as 'epigenetic memory', dictate cell differentiation, cytokine production and functional capacity following repeated antigenic exposure in memory T cells.

[Social media for continuing education in nephrology. Myth or reality?].

About 60% of the world population has access to the Internet in 2021, making it the main tool in fostering communication between people. Lately, digital information and communication have especially taken place on platforms known as Social Media (SoMe) or Social Networks. In the last decade the usefulness of these tools in carrying information aimed at updating professionals in Medicine and Nephrology has become evident.

Sperm Oxidative Stress during In Vitro Manipulation and Its Effects on Sperm Function and Embryo Development.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated at low levels during mitochondrial respiration have key roles in several signaling pathways. Oxidative stress (OS) arises when the generation of ROS exceeds the cell's antioxidant scavenging ability and leads to cell damage. Physiological ROS production in spermatozoa regulates essential functional characteristics such as motility, capacitation, acrosome reaction, hyperactivation, and sperm-oocyte fusion.

Identification and Relative Quantification of hFSH Glycoforms in Women's Sera via MS-PRM-Based Approach.

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is a glycohormone synthesized by adenohypophysis, and it stimulates ovulation in women and spermatogenesis in men by binding to its receptor (FSHR). FSHR is involved in several mechanisms to transduce intracellular signals in response to the FSH stimulus. Exogenous FSH is currently used in the clinic for ovarian hyperstimulation during in vitro fertilization in women, and for treatment of infertility caused by gonadotropin deficiency in men.

Targeting Autophagy in Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease consisting of different biological subtypes, with differences in terms of incidence, response to diverse treatments, risk of disease progression, and sites of metastases. In the last years, several molecular targets have emerged and new drugs, targeting PI3K/Akt/mTOR and cyclinD/CDK/pRb pathways and tumor microenvironment have been integrated into clinical practice. However, it is clear now that breast cancer is able to develop resistance to these drugs and the identification of the underlying molecular mechanisms is paramount to drive further drug development.

Progression-Free Survival and Overall Survival of CDK 4/6 Inhibitors Plus Endocrine Therapy in Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The introduction of CDK4/6 inhibitors in combination with endocrine therapy (ET) represents the most relevant advance in the management of hormone receptor (HR) positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer over the last few years. This meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is aimed to better characterize the efficacy of CDK4/6 inhibitors in some relevant subgroups and to test heterogeneity between different compounds with a particular focus on their ability to improve overall survival (OS). Pooled estimates of hazard ratios (HRs) were computed for progression-free survival (PFS), OS, and objective response rate (ORR) analysis in predefined subgroups to better understand treatment effect concerning specific patients' characteristics.

Molecular Mechanisms Controlling Foxp3 Expression in Health and Autoimmunity: From Epigenetic to Post-translational Regulation.

The discovery of the transcription factor Forkhead box-p3 (Foxp3) has shed fundamental insights into the understanding of the molecular determinants leading to generation and maintenance of T regulatory (Treg) cells, a cell population with a key immunoregulatory role. Work over the past few years has shown that fine-tuned transcriptional and epigenetic events are required to ensure stable expression of Foxp3 in Treg cells. The equilibrium between phenotypic plasticity and stability of Treg cells is controlled at the molecular level by networks of transcription factors that bind regulatory sequences, such as enhancers and promoters, to regulate Foxp3 expression.

Distinct effects of epirubicin, cisplatin and cyclophosphamide on ovarian somatic cells of prepuberal ovaries.

culture models were used to characterize the effects of chemotherapeutic drugs and of LH on somatic cells from prepuberal mouse ovaries. All cell types (pre- and granulosa cells, pre-thecal and OSE cells) underwent apoptosis following Epirubicin (0.5μM) exposure for 24hrs (about 60%) and 48hrs (>80%).

Metabolism and Autoimmune Responses: The microRNA Connection.

Distinct metabolic pathways are known to regulate growth, differentiation, survival, and activation of immune cells by providing energy and specific biosynthetic precursors. Compelling experimental evidence demonstrates that effector T cell functions are coupled with profound changes in cellular metabolism. Importantly, the effector T cell-dependent "anti-self" response characterizing the autoimmune diseases is accompanied by significant metabolic alterations.

Type 2 Diabetes: How Much of an Autoimmune Disease?

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is characterized by a progressive status of chronic, low-grade inflammation (LGI) that accompanies the whole trajectory of the disease, from its inception to complication development. Accumulating evidence is disclosing a long list of possible "triggers" of inflammatory responses, many of which are promoted by unhealthy lifestyle choices and advanced age. Diabetic patients show an altered number and function of immune cells, of both innate and acquired immunity.

Management of Women With an Unexpected Low Ovarian Response to Gonadotropin.

POSEIDON groups 1 and 2 patients respond poorly (<4 oocytes retrieved) or sub-optimally (4-9 oocytes retrieved) to gonadotropin stimulation despite the presence of adequate ovarian parameters, which negatively affect their cumulative chances of delivering a baby using Assisted Reproductive Technology. A polygenic trait involving gonadotropins and/or their receptors seems to be the primary pathophysiology mechanism explaining this phenomenon. The clinical management is mainly focused on maximizing oocyte yield as to increase the likelihood of having at least one euploid embryo for transfer.

Pharmacogenetics of FSH Action in the Female.

The purpose of a pharmacogenomic approach is to tailor treatment on the basis of an individual human genotype. This strategy is becoming increasingly common in medicine, and important results have been obtained in oncologic and antimicrobial therapies. The rapid technological developments and availability of innovative methodologies have revealed the existence of numerous genotypes that can influence the action of medications and give rise to the idea that a true "individualized" approach could become in the future a reality in clinical practice.

Adjuvant zoledronic acid and letrozole plus ovarian function suppression in premenopausal breast cancer: HOBOE phase 3 randomised trial.

Aim: The aim of the study is to analyse whether letrozole (L) and zoledronic acid plus L (ZL) are more effective than tamoxifen (T) as adjuvant endocrine treatment of premenopausal patients with breast cancer with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) tumours.

Patients And Methods: In a phase 3 trial, 1065 premenopausal patients with HR + early breast cancer received triptorelin to suppress ovarian function and were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to adjuvant T, L or ZL for 5 years. Cancer recurrence, second breast or non-breast cancer and death were considered events for the intention-to-treat disease-free survival (DFS) analysis.

The role of recombinant LH in women with hypo-response to controlled ovarian stimulation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To study the role of recombinant human LH supplementation in women with hypo-response to ovarian stimulation.

Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective clinical trials in which recombinant FSH monotherapy protocols were compared with LH-supplemented protocols in hypo-responders. A search was conducted of the Scopus, MEDLINE databases without time or language restrictions.

Correction: LH prevents cisplatin-induced apoptosis in oocytes and preserves female fertility in mouse.

Following publication of their article, the authors reported that the name of the fifth author had been formatted incorrectly in PubMed. Instead of "Rella FD" it should be "Di Rella F".

Incidence of nausea and vomiting in breast cancer patients treated with anthracycline plus cyclophosphamide-based chemotherapy regimens in Italy: NAVY observational study.

Purpose: Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is a common adverse event with cancer chemotherapy, despite the availability of effective antiemetic agents. This is a prospective observational study of Italian breast cancer patients treated with anthracycline plus cyclophosphamide (AC), assessed CINV incidence, adherence to national antiemetic guidelines (AIOM 2012), and the relationship with CINV outcomes.

Methods: Patients with breast cancer scheduled to receive their first cycle of an AC-based regimen were enrolled at 12 Italian centers and their clinical data prospectively recorded.

Regulatory T cells as suppressors of anti-tumor immunity: Role of metabolism.

Novel concepts in immunometabolism support the hypothesis that glucose consumption is also used to modulate anti-tumor immune responses, favoring growth and expansion of specific cellular subsets defined in the past as suppressor T cells and currently reborn as regulatory T (Treg) cells. During the 1920s, Otto Warburg and colleagues observed that tumors consumed high amounts of glucose compared to normal tissues, even in the presence of oxygen and completely functioning mitochondria. However, the role of the Warburg Effect is still not completely understood, particularly in the context of an ongoing anti-tumor immune response.