Publications by authors named "Longo F"

Background: Many reports described the importance of multidisciplinary meetings in providing oncologic patients with the best treatment strategies. This item improved overall survival, accuracy of staging and adherence to guidelines. For mediastinal neoplasms, collaboration between different surgical skills allows to deal with challenging/impossible surgical procedures.

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Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is an uncommon condition defined by the compression of neurovascular structures within the thoracic outlet. When conservative management strategies fail to alleviate symptoms, surgical decompression becomes necessary. The purpose of this study is to evaluate and compare the efficacy and safety of regional anesthesia (RA) using spontaneous breathing in contrast to general anesthesia (GA) for patients undergoing surgical intervention for TOS.

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Rigid bronchoscopy (RB) is the gold standard for managing central airway obstruction (CAO), a life-threatening condition caused by both malignant and benign etiologies. Anesthetic management is challenging as it requires balancing deep sedation with maintaining spontaneous breathing to avoid airway collapse. There is no consensus on the optimal anesthetic approach, with options including general anesthesia with neuromuscular blockers or spontaneous assisted ventilation (SAV).

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In recent years, the invasive Atlantic blue crab () has increased its spread throughout the Mediterranean Sea, threatening native biodiversity and local economies. This study aimed to valorize sampled in Sicily by utilizing its exoskeleton as a source of chitosan, astaxanthin, and bio-phenolic compounds. These biomolecules were evaluated for their reducing, radical scavenging, and antitumor activity.

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Brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) is expressed by skeletal muscle as a myokine. Our previous work showed that the active precursor, proBDNF, is the predominant form of BDNF expressed in skeletal muscle, and that following skeletal muscle injury, proBDNF levels are significantly increased. However, the function of the muscle-derived proBDNF in injury-induced inflammation has yet to be fully understood.

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Parathyroid carcinoma (PC) is a rare endocrine malignancy that poses significant diagnostic challenges due to its resemblance to benign conditions. This case series describes the clinical presentation, diagnosis, management, and short-term outcomes of four male patients (aged 54, 65, 73, and 74 years) with primary hyperparathyroidism and hypercalcemia. The preoperative diagnosis of PC remains challenging; suspicion should arise in cases of severe hypercalcemia, elevated parathyroid hormone levels, and the presence of a mass on imaging or during surgery.

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This study evaluates, for the first time, the reducing capacity, radical scavenger activity, and antitumor and anti-inflammatory effects of chitosan, astaxanthin, and bio-phenols extracted from the exoskeleton of Sicilian , the most widespread species of invasive crayfish in the Mediterranean region. Among the extracted compounds, astaxanthin exhibited the highest antioxidant activity in all assays. Chitosan and polyphenols demonstrated reducing and radical scavenging activity; chitosan showed significant ferric ion reducing capacity in the FRAP test, while bio-phenolic compounds displayed notable radical scavenging activity in the DPPH and ABTS assays.

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Introduction: The availability of amyloid beta (Aβ) targeting therapies for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is increasing the demand for scalable biomarkers that are sensitive to early cerebral Aβ accumulation.

Methods: We evaluated fully-automated Lumipulse plasma Aβ/Aβ immunoassays for detecting cerebral Aβ in 457 clinically unimpaired (CU) and clinically impaired (CI) Stanford Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (Stanford ADRC) participants and 186 CU in the Stanford Aging and Memory Study (SAMS). Longitudinal change in ADRC plasma Aβ/Aβ and cognition and cross-sectional associations with SAMS memory and tau positron emission tomography (PET) were examined.

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Informed consent is mandatory for an individual to receive a clinical service, yet the process is often still tough and twisty. This is a hot topic also for patient associations and thus PaLiNUro associaton set the objective to produce, with a multidisciplinary approach, a simple but comprehensive information note to the informed consent for people with urothelial cancer about to undergo to a radical cystectomy surgery. After assessing as not valid 12 information notes from nine Italian hospitals, the multidisciplinary group produced an eight-page document accompanied by a supplemental document for further details, both available on PaLiNUro website.

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Objectives: To report the surgical outcomes of treating patellar luxation (PL) in dogs with surgical planning based on three-dimensional (3D) automated measurement of femoral angles.

Study Design: Multicenter retrospective study.

Methods: Forty-one dogs with PL underwent preoperative computed tomography (CT).

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Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the HTT gene encoding a mutant huntingtin (mHtt) protein. mHtt aggregates within neurons causing degeneration primarily in the striatum. There is currently a need for disease-modifying treatments for HD.

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The human microbiota represents a heterogeneous microbial community composed of several commensal, symbiotic, and even pathogenic microorganisms colonizing both the external and internal body surfaces. Despite the term "microbiota" being commonly used to identify microorganisms inhabiting the gut, several pieces of evidence suggest the presence of different microbiota physiologically colonizing other organs. In this context, several studies have also confirmed that microbes are integral components of tumor tissue in different types of cancer, constituting the so-called "intratumoral microbiota".

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Background: Post-COVID-19 patients may develop impaired lung function, with reduced lung capacities and volumes, respiratory muscle weakness, and physical inactivity. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of a detailed protocol based on breathing training with two specifically designed respiratory devices (SpiroTiger and KS Brief Stimulator) in post-COVID-19 individuals.

Methods: Sixteen young volunteers were randomly allocated into two groups: experimental ( = 8) and control ( = 8).

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examines how single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in enzyme-coding genes impact the effectiveness and side effects of chemotherapy in colorectal cancer patients receiving fluoropyrimidine-based treatments.!* -
  • It involved analyzing enzyme activity to find correlations with treatment outcomes, drug toxicity, and hypersensitivity reactions in 51 patients.!* -
  • The findings suggest that pharmacogenetics can be used as a predictive tool in oncology, aiding in understanding how patients respond to chemotherapy and their potential for experiencing side effects.!*
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Mesiotemporal lobe epilepsy is the most refractory form of epilepsy. The management of this condition relies on the use of antiepileptic drugs known to provide symptomatic relief. Herbal remedies are therefore an alternative to finding a cure for epilepsy.

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Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is a genetic neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG-polyglutamine repeat expansion. Purkinje cells (PCs) are central to the pathology of ataxias, but their low abundance in the cerebellum underrepresents their transcriptomes in sequencing assays. To address this issue, we developed a PC enrichment protocol and sequenced individual nuclei from mice and patients with SCA7.

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Pancreatic surgery is complex and associated with higher rates of morbidity and mortality compared to other abdominal surgeries. Over the past decade, the introduction of new technologies, such as minimally invasive approaches, improvements in multimodal treatments, advancements in anesthesia and perioperative care, and better management of complications, have collectively improved patient outcomes after pancreatic surgery. In particular, the adoption of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) recommendations has reduced hospital stays and improved recovery times, as well as post-operative outcomes.

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Checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have demonstrated substantial efficacy in the treatment of numerous solid tumors, including head and neck cancer. Their inclusion in the therapeutic paradigm in metastatic lines of treatment has certainly improved the outcomes of these patients. Starting from this assumption, numerous studies have been conducted on ICIs in other earlier disease settings, including studies conducted in patients in neoadjuvant settings.

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Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have changed the therapeutic landscape of many solid tumors. Modulation of the intestinal microbiota by antibiotics (Abx) has been suggested to impact on ICI outcomes.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of 475 patients with advanced solid tumors treated with ICI from 2015 to 2022.

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NiFe electrocatalysts are among the most active phases for water splitting with regard to the alkaline oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The interplay between Ni and Fe, both at the surface and in the subsurface of the catalyst, is crucial to understanding such outstanding properties and remains a subject of debate. Various phenomena, ranging from the formation of oxides/(oxy)hydroxides to the associated segregation of certain species, occur during the electrochemical reactions and add another dimension of complexity that hinders the rational design of electrodes for water splitting.

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Parkinson's disease (PD) is a complex multisystem disorder clinically characterized by motor, non-motor, and premotor manifestations. Pathologically, PD involves neuronal loss in the substantia nigra, striatal dopamine deficiency, and accumulation of intracellular inclusions containing aggregates of α-synuclein. Recent studies demonstrate that PD is associated with dysregulated metabolic flux through the kynurenine pathway (KP), in which tryptophan is converted to kynurenine (KYN), and KYN is subsequently metabolized to neuroactive compounds quinolinic acid (QA) and kynurenic acid (KA).

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Article Synopsis
  • Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) and bipolar transurethral enucleation of the prostate (B-TUEP) are effective treatments for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), with the study comparing the effects of spinal anesthesia (SA) versus general anesthesia (GA) on patient outcomes.
  • After analyzing data from 148 patients, the results showed that those under GA had lower hemoglobin drop, shorter catheterization times, and better functional outcomes 3 months post-surgery compared to those under SA.
  • Overall, while both anesthesia types are safe for endoscopic procedures, GA provided superior perioperative results, specifically in minimizing blood loss and enhancing recovery metrics.
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Adult Social Care (ASC) is the publicly-funded long-term care program in England that provides support with activities of daily living to people experiencing mental and/or physical challenges. Existing evidence suggests that ASC expenditure improves service users' care-related quality of life (CRQoL). However, less is known about the channels through which this effect exists and the effect on outcomes other than CRQoL.

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The neurotransmitter dopamine helps form long-term memories by increasing the production of proteins through a unique signaling pathway.

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