SARM1 Suppresses Axon Branching Through Attenuation of Axonal Cytoskeletal Dynamics.

Axon branching is a fundamental aspect of neuronal morphogenesis, neuronal circuit formation, and response of the nervous system to injury. Sterile alpha and TIR motif containing 1 (SARM1) was initially identified as promoting Wallerian degeneration of axons. We now report a novel function of SARM1 in postnatal sensory neurons; the suppression of axon branching.

Well-differentiated mesenteric liposarcoma: report of two cases.

Liposarcoma is a rare tumor that can be treated by surgery in the absence of distant metastases. Management of liposarcoma, including diagnosis and therapy, is challenging because it has no characteristic symptoms and no established effective treatment. Here, we report two rare cases of primary mesenteric liposarcoma.

Laparoscopic versus open colectomy for locally advanced T4 colonic cancer: meta-analysis of clinical and oncological outcomes.

Background: The aim of this study was to review the early postoperative and oncological outcomes after laparoscopic colectomy for T4 cancer compared with open surgery.

Method: MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for any relevant clinical study comparing laparoscopic and open colectomy as treatment for T4 colonic cancer. The risk ratio (RR) with 95 per cent c.

Alopecia areata after COVID-19 vaccination.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are authorized for use in numerous countries worldwide. Several cutaneous findings are reported after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) vaccination. Here, we report the case of a patient with a rapid onset of alopecia areata immediately after receiving the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

A Retrospective Cohort Analysis of Treatment Patterns Over 1 Year in Patients with Psoriasis Treated with Ixekizumab or Guselkumab.

Introduction: Persistence and adherence to psoriasis treatments reflect overall drug effectiveness, tolerability, and convenience. Limited data are available on the treatment patterns of ixekizumab, an interleukin (IL)-17A antagonist, vs. guselkumab, an IL-23 inhibitor.

Cumulative Clinical Benefits of Biologics in the Treatment of Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Psoriasis over 1 Year: a Network Meta-Analysis.

Introduction: Both early clinical improvement and long-term maintenance of clinical efficacy of treatments matter to patients with psoriasis. We compared cumulative clinical benefits of treatment with biologics over 1 year based on the area under the curve (AUC) for Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) 100 and PASI 90 responses in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis using a network meta-analysis (NMA).

Methods: Published phase 3 randomized, placebo- or active-controlled clinical trial data for biologics approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis were obtained from a systematic literature review up to 30 September 2020.

Factors Impacting Survival in Those Transplanted for NASH Cirrhosis: Data From the NailNASH Consortium.

Background & Aims: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the leading indication for liver transplant (LT) in women and the elderly. Granular details into factors impacting survival in this population are needed to optimize management and improve outcomes.

Methods: Patients receiving LT for NASH cirrhosis from 1997 to 2017 across 7 transplant centers (NailNASH consortium) were analyzed.

Hypertension and COVID-19: Current Evidence and Perspectives.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), represents a real challenge for health-care systems worldwide. Male sex, older age and the coexistence of chronic comorbidities have been described as the most relevant conditions associated with a worse prognosis. Early reports suggested that hypertension might represent a risk factor for susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection, a more severe course of COVID-19 and increased COVID-19-related deaths.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on dentists' workforce confidence and workflow.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the US economy and workforce, including marked effects on small businesses. Researchers have evaluated workers' views of financial confidence and advancement, but there has been limited focus on the dental industry.

Methods: To extend investigations to dentistry, the authors used published scales and pretested questions to determine workforce confidence and workflow changes among dentists.

Surgical Management of Hemorrhoidal Disease in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review with Proportional Meta-Analysis.

Surgical treatment of hemorrhoidal disease (HD) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been considered to be potentially harmful, but the evidence for this is poor. Therefore, a systematic review of the literature was undertaken to reappraise the safety and effectiveness of surgical treatments in this special circumstance. A MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library search was performed to retrieve studies reporting the outcomes of surgical treatment of HD in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC).

Proctologic Surgery Prioritization After the Lockdown: Development of a Scoring System.

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has shown a very critical impact on surgical procedures all over the world. Italy faced the deepest impact from the beginning of March 2020. Elective operations, screening, and follow-up visits had been suspended giving priority to urgent and oncologic surgery.

Italy's rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations: The crucial contribution of the first experimental mass vaccination site in Lombardy.

Background: In occurrence of the coronavirusdisease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic, carrying out an efficient large-scale vaccination campaign is vital in order to control the virus. Especially in high prevalence areas of COVID - 19, it is crucial to implement an effective vaccination strategy. In Italy, programming an efficient COVID-19 mass vaccination campaign has been the main target of the Ministry of Health.

Is the Goligher classification a valid tool in clinical practice and research for hemorrhoidal disease?

Background: The most widely used classification for hemorrhoidal disease (HD) is the Goligher classification, which ranks presence and severity of prolapse in four grades. Since physicians base this gradation on medical history and physical examination, it might be prone to interobserver variability. Furthermore, the gradation impacts the treatment of choice which makes reproducibility of utmost importance.

Early Response is Associated With Stable Long-Term Response in Psoriasis Patients Receiving Ixekizumab or Ustekinumab.

Background: The identification of early treatment factors that predict the long-term success of maintenance therapy for psoriasis may help optimize individual therapy.

Objective: To determine early treatment response rates to ixekizumab and ustekinumab and assess whether early response was associated with stable long-term response to these treatments in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis.

Methods: This post hoc subgroup analysis of the IXORA-S study (NCT02561806) measured disease severity using the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) and determined the percentage of patients treated with ixekizumab or ustekinumab who showed PASI 50 at week 2 or 4 (early response) and assessed whether early response was associated with maintaining complete (PASI 100) or almost complete (PASI 90) skin clearance at 80% of monthly visits during weeks 16−52 of treatment (stable response).

Do Race Results in Youth Competitions Predict Future Success as a Road Cyclist? A Retrospective Study in the Italian Cycling Federation.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between youth road cycling success and becoming a professional cyclist. Specifically, the authors sought to analyze (1) the differences in the success scores in youth categories between future professional (PRO) and future nonprofessional (NON-PRO) cyclists, (2) whether relative age effect influences youth road cycling career pathways, and (3) whether youth competition success could predict a future career as a professional cyclist.

Methods: The number of points gathered in the annual national ranking of 1345 Italian cyclists in the U17, U19, and U23 categories were retrospectively analyzed.

Endothelial Dysfunction in Hypertension: Current Concepts and Clinical Implications.

Endothelium plays a fundamental role in the cardiovascular system, forming an interface between blood and adjacent tissues by regulating the vascular tone through the synthesis of nitric oxide, prostaglandins and other relaxing factors. Endothelial dysfunction is characterized by vasoconstriction, cell proliferation and shifting toward a proinflammatory and prothrombic state. In hypertension endothelial dysfunction may be involved in the initiation and development of vascular inflammation, vascular remodeling, and atherosclerosis and is independently associated with increased cardiovascular risk.

LOCAL DIAGNOSTIC REFERENCE LEVELS FOR PEDIATRIC RETROGRADE WEDGE PORTOGRAPHY INTERVENTIONAL PROCEDURES USING A DOSE MONITORING SOFTWARE AT A TRANSPLANTATION INSTITUTE.

The aim of this work was to establish local diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for retrograde wedge portography (RWP) performed on pediatric patients assessing the usefulness of radiation dose monitoring software in the establishing process. Between September 2016 and April 2020, 66 consecutive RWP were performed at a transplantation institute and were included in our study. Patients were divided in three groups according to age: n = 25 infants, n = 20 middle childhood and n = 21 early adolescence.

Biochemical Screening of Potent Zika Virus Protease Inhibitors.

As the Zika virus protease is an essential and well-established target for the development of antiviral agents, we biochemically screened for inhibitors using a purified recombinantly expressed form of this enzyme. As a result, we were able to identify 10 new Zika virus protease inhibitors. These compounds are natural products and showed strong inhibition in the biochemical assays.

Mutations that adapt SARS-CoV-2 to mink or ferret do not increase fitness in the human airway.

SARS-CoV-2 has a broad mammalian species tropism infecting humans, cats, dogs, and farmed mink. Since the start of the 2019 pandemic, several reverse zoonotic outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 have occurred in mink, one of which reinfected humans and caused a cluster of infections in Denmark. Here we investigate the molecular basis of mink and ferret adaptation and demonstrate the spike mutations Y453F, F486L, and N501T all specifically adapt SARS-CoV-2 to use mustelid ACE2.

Enzymatic Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of Oligomer Analogues of Medicinal Biopolymers from Comfrey and Other Species of the Boraginaceae Family.

This study reports the first enzymatic synthesis leading to several oligomer analogues of poly[3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)glyceric acid]. This biopolymer, extracted from plants of the Boraginaceae family has shown a wide spectrum of pharmacological properties, including antimicrobial activity. Enzymatic ring opening polymerization of 2-methoxycarbonyl-3-(3,4-dibenzyloxyphenyl)oxirane (MDBPO) using lipase from leads to formation of poly[2-methoxycarbonyl-3-(3,4-dibenzyloxyphenyl)oxirane] (PMDBPO), with a degree of polymerization up to 5.