Pioneering quality assessment in European cancer centers: a data analysis of the organization for European cancer institutes accreditation and designation program.

Purpose: In order to improve the quality of care in Cancer Centers (CC) and designate Comprehensive Cancer Centers (CCCs), the Organization for European Cancer Institutes (OECI) launched an Accreditation and Designation (A&D) program. The program facilitates the collection of defined data and the assessment of cancer center quality. This study analyzes the results of the first 10 European centers that entered the program.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in non-cirrhotic liver: clinical, radiological and pathological findings.

Objectives: Our aim was to evaluate the clinical and pathological findings, mutidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appearances, treatment and 1-year survival of patients with HCC in non-cirrhotic liver.

Methods: Histopathological and laboratory findings of 30 non-cirrhotic patients with 32 HCCs were reviewed retrospectively. MDCT and gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced MR images were evaluated in consensus by two radiologists in terms of HCC size, presence of tumour capsule, necrosis, haemorrhage, fat and calcification, and vascular involvement.

Drug allergy in mastocytosis.

Drugs are known triggers of anaphylaxis in patients with mastocytosis even to the association between drug anaphylaxis and mastocytosis does not appear frequently appear. Nevertheless, mast cell disorders might be ruled out in cases of severe systemic reactions. Careful examination of the skin should accompany measurement of basal serum tryptase levels.

Dropouts in sublingual allergen immunotherapy trials - a systematic review.

Participant dropouts can reduce the power of allergen immunotherapy clinical trials. Evaluation of the dropout rate and reasons for dropout are important not only in the planning of clinical studies but are also relevant for adherence to immunotherapy in daily clinical practice. A systematic review was carried out in order to establish the overall dropout rate among published double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials of sublingual immunotherapy for respiratory allergic diseases.

Association of serum triglyceride-to-HDL cholesterol ratio with carotid artery intima-media thickness, insulin resistance and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in children and adolescents.

Background And Aims: The triglyceride (TG)/high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio has been reported as a useful marker of atherogenic lipid abnormalities, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease. We evaluated in a large sample of children and adolescents the association of TG/HDL-C ratio with early signs of morphological vascular changes and cardiometabolic risk factors including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Methods And Results: The study population, including 548 children (aged 6-16 years), of whom 157 were normal-weight, 118 overweight, and 273 obese, had anthropometric, laboratory, liver and carotid ultrasonography (carotid artery intima-media thickness-cIMT) data collected.

The distribution of KIR-HLA functional blocks is different from north to south of Italy.

The killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR)-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) interaction represents an example of genetic epistasis, where the concomitant presence of specific genes or alleles encoding receptor-ligand units is necessary for the activity of natural killer (NK) cells. Although KIR and HLA genes segregate independently, they co-evolved under environmental pressures to maintain particular KIR-HLA functional blocks for species survival. We investigated, in 270 Italian healthy individuals, the distribution of KIR and HLA polymorphisms in three climatic areas (from cold north to warm south), to verify their possible geographical stratification.

Venom immunotherapy in patients with clonal mast cell disorders: efficacy, safety, and practical considerations.

Background: A preferential association between systemic mastocytosis (SM) and hymenoptera allergy (HVA) has been observed. Patients with both diseases are at risk for more severe reactions, and venom immunotherapy (VIT) may represent a life-saving treatment, but the use of VIT in such patients raised concerns about its safety.

Objective: We evaluated a large population of patients with SM and HVA who received VIT.

Accreditation for excellence of cancer research institutes: recommendations from the Italian Network of Comprehensive Cancer Centers.

A panel of experts from Italian Comprehensive Cancer Centers defines the recommendations for external quality control programs aimed to accreditation to excellence of these institutes. After definition of the process as a systematic, periodic evaluation performed by an external agency to verify whether a health organization possesses certain prerequisites regarding structural, organizational and operational conditions that are thought to affect health care quality, the panel reviews models internationally available and makes final recommendations on aspects considered of main interest. This position paper has been produced within a special project of the Ministry of Health of the Italian Government aimed to accredit, according to OECI model, 11 Italian cancer centers in the period 2012-2014.

The role of transplant-related stressors and social support in the development of anxiety among renal transplant recipients: the direct and buffering effects.

Several studies have shown a relevant presence of anxiety feelings among renal transplant patients. This study examines the impact of transplant-related stress and social support on anxiety. Two hypotheses were examined: H1: High transplant-related stressors and low social support are related to high anxiety (additive hypothesis); H2: Social support moderates the detrimental impact of transplant-related stressors on anxiety (buffer hypothesis).

Advantages of exercise in rehabilitation, treatment and prevention of altered morphological features in knee osteoarthritis. A narrative review.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) represents one of the most common causes of disability in the world. It leads to social, psychological and economic costs with financial consequences, also because a further increase is expected. Different knee OA treatments are usually considered in relation to the stage of the disease, such as surgical management and pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments.

Policy statement on multidisciplinary cancer care.

Background: Cancer care is undergoing an important paradigm shift from a disease-focused management to a patient-centred approach, in which increasingly more attention is paid to psychosocial aspects, quality of life, patients' rights and empowerment and survivorship. In this context, multidisciplinary teams emerge as a practical necessity for optimal coordination among health professionals and clear communication with patients. The European Partnership for Action Against Cancer (EPAAC), an initiative launched by the European Commission in 2009, addressed the multidisciplinary care from a policy perspective in order to define the core elements that all tumour-based multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) should include.

Validity of a figure rating scale assessing body size perception in school-age children.

This study aimed to provide data concerning the validity of a short sequence of face valid pictorial stimuli assessing the perception of body size in school-age children. A sequence of gender and age-appropriate silhouettes was administered to 314 boys and girls aged 6-14 years. The self-evaluations provided by the children correlated significantly with their actual BMI corrected for age.

Inhibition of the hypoxia-inducible factor pathway by a G-quadruplex binding small molecule.

The hypoxia-inducible transcription factor (HIF) co-ordinates the response of tumours to low oxygen by stimulating genes involved in metabolism and angiogenesis. HIF pathway activation is associated with decreased progression-free survival and increased mortality; compounds that target this pathway are potential agents for the treatment of a range of solid tumour malignancies. Renal cancers are likely to be particularly sensitive to inhibition of the HIF pathway since ~80% show constitutive activation of HIF.

Triassic actinopterygian fishes: the recovery after the end-Permian crisis.

In the last 15 years, the discovery of several new actinopterygian fish faunas from the Early and Middle Triassic of the Tethys, cast new light on the timing, speed and range of their recovery after the end-Permian crisis. In addition to several new taxa having been described, the stratigraphical and geographical record of many others have been greatly extended. In fact, most of the new fossiliferous sites are in southern China, thus at the Eastern end of the Tethys, and furthermore a few are somewhat older (Chaohu, Panxian, Luoping) than the major classical Western Tethys sites (Monte San Giorgio).

Colorectal cancer survival in the USA and Europe: a CONCORD high-resolution study.

Objectives: To assess the extent to which stage at diagnosis and adherence to treatment guidelines may explain the persistent differences in colorectal cancer survival between the USA and Europe.

Design: A high-resolution study using detailed clinical data on Dukes' stage, diagnostic procedures, treatment and follow-up, collected directly from medical records by trained abstractors under a single protocol, with standardised quality control and central statistical analysis.

Setting And Participants: 21 population-based registries in seven US states and nine European countries provided data for random samples comprising 12 523 adults (15-99 years) diagnosed with colorectal cancer during 1996-1998.

Detection of small (≤2 cm) HCC in cirrhotic patients: added value of diffusion MR-imaging.

Objectives: To evaluate the usefulness of the diffusion-weighted sequence in the detection of small (≤2 cm) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with cirrhosis.

Methods: Seventy cirrhotic patients with 93 HCCs underwent MR-Imaging at 1.5 T.

Adipokines and C-reactive protein in relation to bone mineralization in pediatric nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Aim: To investigate bone mineral density (BMD) in obese children with and without nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); and the association between BMD and serum adipokines, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (HSCRP).

Methods: A case-control study was performed. Cases were 44 obese children with NAFLD.

Skin test concentrations for systemically administered drugs -- an ENDA/EAACI Drug Allergy Interest Group position paper.

Skin tests are of paramount importance for the evaluation of drug hypersensitivity reactions. Drug skin tests are often not carried out because of lack of concise information on specific test concentrations. The diagnosis of drug allergy is often based on history alone, which is an unreliable indicator of true hypersensitivity.

Making collaborative self-management successful in COPD patients with high disease burden.

Background: Exacerbations in severe COPD patients lead to challenges in terms of self-management. This study is a "real-life" situation aiming to assess whether or not it is possible for COPD patients with high burden of disease to self-manage acute exacerbations and to reduce hospital use.

Methods: 100 randomly selected charts of patients followed in a specialised COPD clinic in 2006 and 2009 (patients with higher burden of disease) were reviewed.

Device physics and operation of lateral bulk heterojunction devices.

Measurements of lateral bulk heterojunction (BHJ) devices have recently been reported as a means to characterize charge transport and recombination properties within organic photovoltaic (OPV) materials. These structures allow for the direct measurement of the lateral extents of the space charge regions, potential and electric field profiles, current versus voltage characteristics, and other physical and chemical properties. This article describes numerical simulations that show three different transport regimes present within lateral BHJ devices and two different experimental methods, which verify those findings.

IgE to staphylococcal enterotoxins are undetectable in sera from patients with nasal polyposis.

Nasal polyposis is a frequent disease, sometime associated with asthma and non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs intolerance. Staphylococcus aureus colonization can play a pathogenetic role in same cases by a severe eosinophilic inflammation, which can suggest new therapeutic approaches. Staphylococcus aureus colonization has been demonstrated by local specific enterotoxins IgE dosage in polyps homogenates.

Hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic patients: prospective comparison of US, CT and MR imaging.

Objectives: To prospectively compare the diagnostic performance of ultrasound (US), multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in cirrhotic patients who were candidates for liver transplantation.

Methods: One hundred and forty consecutive patients with 163 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) nodules underwent US, MRI and MDCT. Diagnosis of HCC was based on pathological findings or substantial growth at 12-month follow-up.

Thyroid diseases cause mismatch between MIBI scan and neck ultrasound in the diagnosis of hyperfunctioning parathyroids: usefulness of FNA-PTH assay.

Design: To evaluate the efficacy of the main tools in the diagnostic localization of hyperfunctioning parathyroids (HP) in primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) with concomitant thyroid diseases.

Methods: Forty-three patients with pHPT associated with nodular goiter (NG, n=32) and/or autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITDs, n=11) for a total of 63 neck lesions were considered. Sixteen patients displaying HP (16 lesions), unequivocally localized by sestaMIBI scintigraphy (MIBI) and neck ultrasound (US) (group I), were compared with 27 patients (47 neck lesions) displaying equivocal parathyroid localization (group II).