Copper promotes tumor growth and metastasis through a variety of mechanisms, most notably as a cofactor within the lysyl oxidase (LOX) family of secreted cuproenzymes. Members of this family, which include LOX and LOX-like enzymes LOXL1-4, catalyze the copper-dependent crosslinking of collagens and elastin within the extracellular matrix (ECM). Elevated LOX expression is associated with higher incidence and worse prognosis in multiple cancers, including colorectal, breast, pancreatic, and head and neck.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To describe the implementation of a multi-step antimicrobial stewardship program in a haemato-oncology and stem cell transplantation program unit. Methods: Pre-post quasi-experimental study with two interrupted time-series analyses, conducted between 01/01/2019 and 31/12/2022 in the Paediatric Haemato-Oncology Unit of the Padua Paediatric Hospital. The interventions were: (1) 02/2020: dissemination of febrile neutropenia clinical pathways, (2) April 2021: provision of the clinical pathways via a customized App (Firstline.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe report a case of Influenza type B (lineage Yamagata) infection in a child who received the live attenuated influenza virus vaccine before being diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The patient developed a mild disease that persisted for 18 days and resolved without antiviral treatment. The prolonged infection of an attenuated virus in an immunocompromised host might pose a risk of reversion or evolution to a more pathogenic strain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Guidelines about febrile neutropenia in paediatric patients are not homogeneous; the best empiric treatment of this condition should be driven by local epidemiology. The Weighted-Incidence Syndromic Combination Antibiogram (WISCA) addresses the need for disease-specific local susceptibility evidence that could guide empiric antibiotic prescriptions based on outcome estimates of treatment regimens obtained as a weighted average of pathogen susceptibilities. This study developed a WISCA model to inform empirical antibiotic regimen selection for febrile neutropenia (FN) episodes in onco-haematological paediatric patients treated at two Italian paediatric tertiary centres.
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