Sedative and cardiorespiratory effects of dexmedetomidine alone or combined with acepromazine in healthy cats.

The purpose of this study was to assess sedation, emesis and cardiovascular effects of dexmedetomidine alone or combined with acepromazine in healthy cats. Fourteen male cats aged 0.9 ± 0.

Transoral versus transfacial surgical approach to maxillary tumors: evaluation of outcomes and perspectives.

Neoplasms of the maxilla have multiple different origins and histology, and often extend towards the infratemporal fossa, orbit, or skull base. Extensive resection may be required, often leading to poor esthetic and functional results. Usually, these lesions are removed via a transfacial approach.

Dermal Regeneration Template: Reconstruction in Oral Cancer Defects.

Background: Post ablative oral mucosal defect resulting from the removal of tumors can be treated with various techniques.

Purpose: In this paper, we are showing what, in our experience, are the advantages and disadvantages given using biosynthetic skin substitutes when dealing with this kind of lesions.

Materials And Methods: Patients included in the sample came to our attention with both neoplastic lesions (11 subjects) and important scar retraction after previous oncologic surgery (1 subject).

Exceptional responses to PARP inhibitors in patients with metastatic breast cancer in oncologic crisis.

Purpose: Cancers deficient in homologous recombination DNA repair, such as those with BRCA1 or BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) mutations rely on a pathway mediated by the enzyme poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase (PARP). PARP inhibitors (PARPi's) have demonstrated efficacy in treating patients with germline (g)BRCA1/2, somatic (s)BRCA1/2, and gPALB2 mutations in clinical trials. However, patients with a poor performance status (PS) and those with severe organ impairment are often excluded from clinical trials and cancer-directed treatment.

Olaparib Use in Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer Harboring Somatic BRCA1/2 Mutations or Mutations in Non-BRCA1/2, DNA Damage Repair Genes.

Background: Poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors (PARPi) are active in patients with germline BRCA1/2 (gBRCA1/2)-mutated breast cancer, accounting for 5% to 10% of all breast cancers. Another 5% to 10% harbor somatic BRCA1/2 (sBRCA1/2) mutations or mutations in non-BRCA1/2, homologous recombination repair (HRR) genes but until recently, there were no data for the use of PARPi in these patients. This study examines the use of olaparib in patients with metastatic breast cancer harboring sBRCA1/2 or germline or somatic non-BRCA1/2, HRR mutations and demonstrates potential activity of PARPi in this setting.

Incidence and Severity of Myelosuppression With Palbociclib After Palliative Bone Radiation in Advanced Breast Cancer: A Single Center Experience and Review of Literature.

Background: Palbociclib is a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor with a primary toxicity of myelosuppression, especially neutropenia, due to cytostatic CDK6 inhibition on bone marrow. Preclinical studies suggest palbociclib may enhance radiation toxicity, but this was only evaluated in limited case series of palliative radiotherapy and not specific to radiation targeting bony metastases.

Patients And Methods: This was a single institution retrospective cohort study.

Head and Neck Cancer Treatment during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Central Experience in Rome. Emergency Management, Infection Prevention and Control.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the surgical units, especially those operating on the airways. This study evaluates the series of patients with tumors of the head and neck treated by our unit during Phase-1 of the pandemic and the efficacy of the preventive measures implemented for protecting both the patients and staff. A screening program was administered to all the patients who had to undergo surgery.

Head and Neck Osteosarcoma-The Ongoing Challenge about Reconstruction and Dental Rehabilitation.

Head and Neck osteosarcoma is an uncommon disease. Hitherto, the treatment is surgical resection and survival is influenced by the presence of free margins. However, the dimension of the resection may represent a hurdle for an adequate Quality of Life (QOL).

Management of Breast Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Stage- and Subtype-Specific Approach.

The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly changed delivery of cancer care. Many nonurgent surgeries are delayed to preserve hospital resources, and patient visits to health care settings are limited to reduce exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Providers must carefully weigh risks and benefits of delivering immunosuppressive therapy during the pandemic.

Palbociclib: A Novel Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor for Hormone Receptor-Positive Advanced Breast Cancer.

Objective: To review palbociclib, a novel small-molecule inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6, and its current place in therapy for the treatment of hormone receptor (HMR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2)-negative advanced breast cancer.

Study Selection And Data Abstraction: Four phase I trials, 2 phase II trials, and 1 phase III trial were identified from May 2004 to May 2015 using PubMed, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) abstracts, and European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) abstracts.

Data Synthesis: In the first-line setting, the phase II PALbociclib: Ongoing trials in the Management of breast cAncer (PALOMA)-1 trial randomized patients to receive letrozole alone or letrozole plus palbociclib 125 mg daily for 3 weeks, followed by 1 week off, as initial therapy for advanced breast cancer.

Endocrine therapy in breast cancer: the neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and metastatic approach.

Objectives: To review the rationale for endocrine therapy in the neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and metastatic breast cancer setting and to highlight clinical considerations unique to this treatment.

Data Sources: Contemporary literature, clinical guidelines, and national statistics.

Conclusion: Endocrine therapy represents an important strategy in the management of both early and advanced hormone positive breast cancer.

Stabilization of bone marrow infiltration by metastatic breast cancer with continuous doxorubicin.

Complete bone marrow infiltration with profound pancytopenia is very uncommon in breast cancer. Bone marrow metastasis can frequently occur following development of metastatic breast cancer. However, bone marrow failure as the herald of this disease is not typically seen.

Initiation of exemestane in two warfarin-treated patients leading to elevation and variability of INR.

Aromatase inhibitors are sometimes chosen for adjuvant therapy in post-menopausal breast cancer patients with a history of venous thromboembolism over an antiestrogen due to the lower risk of venous thromboembolism associated with aromatase inhibitors compared to antiestrogens. We report two cases where patients on warfarin therapy had an increase in their international normalized ratio with the initiation of exemestane therapy. Initially, the patients also showed international normalized ratio variability possibly due to variable absorption of exemestane.

Improved upper limits on the stochastic gravitational-wave background from 2009-2010 LIGO and Virgo data.

Gravitational waves from a variety of sources are predicted to superpose to create a stochastic background. This background is expected to contain unique information from throughout the history of the Universe that is unavailable through standard electromagnetic observations, making its study of fundamental importance to understanding the evolution of the Universe. We carry out a search for the stochastic background with the latest data from the LIGO and Virgo detectors.

Search for gravitational waves associated with γ-ray bursts detected by the interplanetary network.

We present the results of a search for gravitational waves associated with 223 γ-ray bursts (GRBs) detected by the InterPlanetary Network (IPN) in 2005-2010 during LIGO's fifth and sixth science runs and Virgo's first, second, and third science runs. The IPN satellites provide accurate times of the bursts and sky localizations that vary significantly from degree scale to hundreds of square degrees. We search for both a well-modeled binary coalescence signal, the favored progenitor model for short GRBs, and for generic, unmodeled gravitational wave bursts.

Expression of transient receptor potential vanilloid channels TRPV5 and TRPV6 in retinal pigment epithelium.

Purpose: Hydration and ionic composition of the subretinal space (SRS) is modulated by the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). In particular calcium concentration (Ca(2+)) in the SRS varies with light exposure, and although this change is regulated by RPE transport activity, the specific transport proteins involved have yet to be defined. Two members of the transient receptor potential vanilloid family, TRPV5 and TRPV6, are calcium selective ion channels and are known to be expressed in calcium-transporting epithelial tissues.

Effects of somatosensory stimulation on the excitability of the unaffected hemisphere in chronic stroke patients.

Introduction: Somatosensory stimulation of the paretic upper limb enhances motor performance and excitability in the affected hemisphere, and increases activity in the unaffected hemisphere, in chronic stroke patients. We tested the hypothesis that somatosensory stimulation of the paretic hand would lead to changes in excitability of the unaffected hemisphere in these patients, and we investigated the relation between motor function of the paretic hand and excitability of the unaffected hemisphere.

Methods: Transcranial magnetic stimulation was administered to the unaffected hemisphere of nine chronic stroke patients.

Taurine suppresses the spread of cell death in electrically coupled RPE cells.

Purpose: To determine whether taurine exerts a protective effect on retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells exposed to a cytotoxic agent, cytochrome C (cyC), shown previously to induce apoptosis and produce cell death in electrically coupled neighboring cells.

Methods: Monolayer cultures of confluent human RPE (ARPE-19) cells, which express gap-junctional proteins, were incubated in culture medium with or without taurine. After scrape loading cyC into the cells, we assayed these cells for caspase 3 activity and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining to determine the spread of apoptosis.

Alternative splice variants of plasma membrane calcium-ATPases in human corneal epithelium.

Plasma membrane calcium-ATPases (PMCAs) play a critical role in regulating intracellular calcium concentration. Four genes encode PMCA proteins with alternative splicing of transcripts at three sites (A, B and C) serving to increase isoform diversity. Our previous work shows that all four PMCAs are expressed and have specific locations in human corneal epithelium (hCE).

Proteomic and bioinformatic characterization of the biogenesis and function of melanosomes.

Melanin, which is responsible for virtually all visible skin, hair, and eye pigmentation in humans, is synthesized, deposited, and distributed in subcellular organelles termed melanosomes. A comprehensive determination of the protein composition of this organelle has been obstructed by the melanin present. Here, we report a novel method of removing melanin that includes in-solution digestion and immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC).

Expression and immunolocalization of plasma membrane calcium ATPase isoforms in human corneal epithelium.

Purpose: Plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPases (PMCAs) are integral membrane proteins essential to the control of intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) concentration. Four genes encode PMCA proteins termed PMCA1-PMCA4. Little is known about the expression of these isoforms in corneal epithelium (CE).

P-glycoprotein expression in human retinal pigment epithelium.

Purpose: The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is a transporting epithelial monolayer that controls hydration and composition of the subretinal space. P-glycoprotein is an ATP-binding cassette transport protein known to transport a wide range of hydrophobic compounds. The expression of P-glycoprotein in barrier epithelial cells suggests that it could serve a normal protective function, possibly clearing potentially harmful substances from sensitive compartments, like the subretinal space.

Oxidant and antioxidant modulation of chloride channels expressed in human retinal pigment epithelium.

Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) possesses regulated chloride channels that are crucial for transepithelial fluid and ion transport. At present, little is known about the molecular nature of chloride channels in human adult RPE (haRPE) or the effects of oxidative stress on membrane conductance properties. In the present study, we assessed ClC channel and cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) expression and membrane chloride conductance properties in haRPE cells.

Creatine kinase in human retinal pigment epithelium.

Retinal pigment epithelial ion transport activity, and consequent ATP consumption vary significantly as a function of photoreceptor activity. In a variety of cell types, ATP levels are maintained during high-energy usage by phosphocreatine hydrolysis, catalysed by the enzyme creatine kinase. The present work was designed to assess the importance of creatine kinase in retinal pigment epithelial cell metabolism.