Investigating the Relationship between Parental Education, Asthma and Rhinitis in Children Using Path Analysis.

Parental socioeconomic position (SEP) is a known determinant of a child's health. We aimed to investigate whether a low parental education, as proxy of SEP, has a direct effect on physician-diagnosed asthma, current asthma and current allergic rhinitis in children, or whether associations are mediated by exposure to other personal or environmental risk factors. This study was a secondary data analysis of two cross-sectional studies conducted in Italy in 2006.

Time of onset and/or diagnosis of ADHD in European children: a systematic review.

Background: Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood neurobehavioral conditions. Symptoms related to this disorder cause a significant impairment in school tasks and in the activities of children's daily lives; an early diagnosis and appropriate treatment could almost certainly help improve their outcomes. The current study, part of the Models Of Child Health Appraised (MOCHA) project, aims to explore the age at which children experience the onset or diagnosis of ADHD in European countries.

Quality of child healthcare in European countries: common measures across international databases and national agencies.

Background: The evaluation of child healthcare is not yet widely explored, especially from a cross-country comparison perspective. The routine adoption of measures by national assessment agencies is under-investigated. Though the guiding principles developed at international level call for a child-centric multi-dimensional evaluation of child care, its feasibility is hampered by the availability of robust and harmonized data.

Quality of life improvement in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder reduces family's strain: A structural equation model approach.

Objectives: The objective of the study is to analyse how the quality of life of children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) impacts the relationship between disease severity and family burden.

Method: The data collected by a longitudinal, observational study involving 1478 children with ADHD residing in 10 European countries (aged 6 to 18 years) were analysed to evaluate the relationships between ADHD severity, the children's quality of life and family burden.

Results: The disorder's severity directly and indirectly affected the children's health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and family burden.

Salt-reduction strategies may compromise salt iodization programs: Learnings from South Africa and Ghana.

Objectives: Universal salt iodization has been adopted by many countries to address iodine deficiency. More recently, salt-reduction strategies have been widely implemented to meet global salt intake targets of <5 g/d. Compatibility of the two policies has yet to be demonstrated.

Variability in the assessment of children's primary healthcare in 30 European countries.

Background: The high variability in the types and number of measures adopted to evaluate childcare across European countries makes it necessary to investigate country practices to identify trends in setting national priorities in the assessment of child well-being.

Objective: This paper intends to investigate country practices under the lens of variability to explore possible trends in setting national priority in the evaluation of childcare. In particular, it analyses variability considering to what extent this depends on the tendency of adopting a broad vision (i.

Determinants of change in blood pressure in Ghana: Longitudinal data from WHO-SAGE Waves 1-3.

The prevalence of hypertension is increasing in low- and middle-income countries, however statistics are generally derived from cross sectional surveys that utilize different methodologies and population samples. We investigated blood pressure (BP) changes over 11-12 years in a large cohort of adults aged 50 years and older (n = 820) included in the World Health Organization's Study on global AGEing and adult health (WHO-SAGE Ghana) Wave 1 (2007/8) with follow up in Wave 3 (2019). Participants' BP were measured in triplicate and a survey completed at both time points.

Survey of doctors' perception of professional values.

Background: New challenges in the medical field of the third millennium emphasise the "humanization of medicine" leading to a redefinition of doctors' values, limits and roles. The study aims to assess whether there are different personality dimensions of physicians in relation to their perception of professional values and public expectations.

Methods: A questionnaire on the perception of professional values and the opinion on work in the medical field, work relationships and public expectations was administered to 374 doctors attending Continuing Medical Education courses.

Salt and potassium intake among adult Ghanaians: WHO-SAGE Ghana Wave 3.

Though Ghana has high hypertension prevalence, the country lacks current national salt consumption data required to build and enhance advocacy for salt reduction. We explored the characteristics of a randomly selected sub sample that had valid urine collection, along with matched survey, anthropometric and BP data ( = 839, mean age = 60y), from the World Health Organization's Study on global AGEing and adult health (WHO-SAGE), Ghana Wave 3,  = 3053). We also investigated the relationship between salt intake and blood pressure (BP) among the cohort.

Old age and depression in Ghana: assessing and addressing diagnosis and treatment gaps.

: There is limited evidence about the prevalence of depression among older people in sub-Saharan Africa, about access to treatment or the potential efficacy of community-based interventions.: Using nationally representative data from the WHO SAGE survey, we examine the prevalence of and factors associated with depression among people aged 50 and over in Ghana. Compare self-reported diagnosis and a symptom algorithm to assess treatment gaps and factors associated with the size of gap.

Intra-individual biological variation in sweat chloride concentrations in CF, CFTR dysfunction, and healthy pediatric subjects.

Background: The sweat test is one of the main diagnostic tools used in newborn screening programs and as a confirmatory test, in case of suspect of Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Since sweat chloride (Cl) concentration is also considered an appropriate parameter to explore the efficacy of CFTR modulators in clinical trials, it is crucial to evaluate the biological variability of this test in healthy and pathological conditions. The aim of this pilot study was to determine the intra-individual biological variability of sweat Cl, both in healthy individuals and CF patients and to assess its correlation with diet, season, and menstrual cycle.

Quantitative Real Time PCR assessment of hormonal receptors and HER2 status on fine-needle aspiration pre-operatory specimens from a prospectively accrued cohort of women with suspect breast malignant lesions.

Objectives: Reliable assessment of estrogen, progesterone (ER and PR), and HER2 receptor status are essential in breast cancer (BC) treatment. Immunohistochemical methods are limited by intra- and inter-laboratory variability. Furthermore, current methods are not the ideal approach for reproducing the biological continuum of ER, PR, and HER2 receptor levels, due to their intrinsic, semi-quantitative nature, relying in part on subjective interpretation.

Evaluating treatment response of chronic myeloid leukemia: emerging science and technology.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a hematological disease accounting for about 15-20% of all adult leukemias. The clinical and biologic advances achieved in such a malignancy, represent one of the best successes obtained by translational medicine. Indeed, identification of the fusion oncogene BCR-ABL has allowed using of small molecule inhibitors of its tyrosine kinase activity which, in turn, have literally revolutionized the treatment of CML.

Tracking molecular relapse of chronic myeloid leukemia by measuring Hedgehog signaling status.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a clonal myeloproliferative disorder characterized by the expansion of a leukemic stem cell (LSC) clone, carrying a Philadelphia translocation, able to overcome the non-malignant hematopoietic stem cells. The tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) imatinib, nilotinib and dasatinib are gold-standard for CML treatment. Each shows an impressive rate of complete cytogenetic response in chronic phase (CP)-CML.

Engagement of CD31 delivers an activating signal that contributes to the survival of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia cells.

The present study showed that engagement of CD31 delivers a survival signal in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) cells. We describe two groups of CLL, showing different kinetics of apoptosis in vitro and distinct ratios between anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic proteins: CLL-I displayed low Bcl-x(L) /Bax and Bcl-2/Bax ratio and underwent rapid apoptosis in vitro; CLL-II had high Bcl-x(L) /Bax and Bcl-2/Bax ratio and were resistant to apoptosis for several days. Nurse-like cells, expressing vimentin, CD68 and CD31 were detected mainly in CLL-II cultures.

Novel 2-[(benzylamino)methyl]pyrrolidine-3,4-diol derivatives as alpha-mannosidase inhibitors and with antitumor activities against hematological and solid malignancies.

Novel alpha-mannosidase inhibitors of the type (2R,3R,4S)-2-({[(1R)-2-hydroxy-1-arylethyl]amino}methyl)pyrrolidine-3,4-diol have been prepared and assayed for their anticancer activities. Compound 30 with the aryl group=4-trifluoromethylbiphenyl inhibits the proliferation of primary cells and cell lines of different origins, irrespective of Bcl-2 expression levels, inducing a G2/Mcell cycle arrest and by modification of genes involved in cell cycle progression and survival.

Ras-induced resistance to lapatinib is overcome by MEK inhibition.

Lapatinib, a dual HER2 and EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor is highly active in HER2+ breast cancer. However, its efficacy is limited by either primary or acquired resistance. Although mutations in ras genes are rarely found in breast cancer, H-ras overexpression is frequently observed.

Kinase domain mutations of BCR-ABL identified at diagnosis before imatinib-based therapy are associated with progression in patients with high Sokal risk chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia.

Acquired resistance to imatinib in the advanced phase of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has been associated with mutations in the kinase domain (KD) of BCR-ABL. On the contrary, the prognostic implication of KD mutations in early chronic phase (CP) patients at diagnosis before imatinib-based therapy has not yet been established. We have reviewed the status of mutations in 43 patients with early CP-CML on the samples collected at diagnosis.

HMGA2 overexpression in polycythemia vera with t(12;21)(q14;q22).

Chromosomal translocations involving the 12q14 band are rarely detected in hematological disorders, and are usually correlated with HMGA2 gene expression. HMGA2 is highly expressed during embryonic cell growth and differentiation, and regulates transcription and chromatin organization, but is rarely detectable in adult tissues. We describe a case of polycythemia vera with a t(12;21)(q14;q22).

Proteasome inhibitor-induced apoptosis in human monocyte-derived dendritic cells.

Proteasome inhibitors possess potent antitumor activity against a broad spectrum of human malignancies. However, the effects of these compounds on the immune system still have to be clearly determined. In the present study, we have investigated the effects of proteasome inhibitors on dendritic cells (DC), antigen-presenting cells playing a key role in the initiation of immune responses.

Evidence for a protective role of Mcl-1 in proteasome inhibitor-induced apoptosis.

Proteasome inhibitors exhibit antitumor activity against malignancies of different histology. Yet, the mechanisms underlying this effect are poorly understood. Recent evidence indicates that antiapoptotic factors may also accumulate as a consequence of exposure to these drugs, possibly reducing their cytotoxicity.