Biomarkers.

Background: This study investigated microstructural features of the locus coeruleus to entorhinal cortex pathway (LC-EC) in relation to amyloid (A), tau (T), neurodegeneration (N) markers and cognitive impairment in memory clinic patients.

Method: 124 participants were recruited from the Geneva Memory Clinic (n=30 cognitively unimpaired - CU; n=80 MCI and n=14 dementia - CI) and underwent clinical assessment, 3T MRI scan including diffusion weighted imaging, amyloid PET, and tau PET. Diffusivity indices (fractional anisotropy - FA, mean, axial and radial diffusivities - MD, AxD, RD) were assessed in the LC-EC pathway using a probabilistic atlas.

Alzheimer's Imaging Consortium.

Background: This study investigated microstructural features of the locus coeruleus to entorhinal cortex pathway (LC-EC) in relation to amyloid (A), tau (T), neurodegeneration (N) markers and cognitive impairment in memory clinic patients.

Method: 124 participants were recruited from the Geneva Memory Clinic (n=30 cognitively unimpaired - CU; n=80 MCI and n=14 dementia - CI) and underwent clinical assessment, 3T MRI scan including diffusion weighted imaging, amyloid PET, and tau PET. Diffusivity indices (fractional anisotropy - FA, mean, axial and radial diffusivities - MD, AxD, RD) were assessed in the LC-EC pathway using a probabilistic atlas.

Immunogenicity and safety of the MF59-adjuvanted seasonal influenza vaccine in non-elderly adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: In Europe, the age indication for the MF59-adjuvanted quadrivalent influenza vaccine (aQIV) has recently been extended from ≥65 to ≥50 years. Considering that the earliest approval of its trivalent formulation (aTIV) in Italy was for people aged ≥12 years, we aimed to systematically appraise data on the immunogenicity, efficacy, and safety of aTIV/aQIV in non-elderly adults.

Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted according to the available guidelines and studies were searched in MEDLINE, Biological Abstracts, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and clinical trial registries.

Role of immune-checkpoint LAG3 as a biomarker finding tool in patient-derived organoid cultures of breast cancer.

LAG3 plays a regulatory role in immunity and emerged as an inhibitory immune checkpoint molecule comparable to PD-L1 and CTLA-4 and a potential target for enhancing anti-cancer immune responses. We generated 3D cancer cultures as a model to identify novel molecular biomarkers for the selection of patients suitable for α-LAG3 treatment and simultaneously the possibility to perform an early diagnosis due to its higher presence in breast cancer, also to achieve a theragnostic approach. Our data confirm the extreme dysregulation of LAG3 in breast cancer with significantly higher expression in tumor tissue specimens, compared to non-cancerous tissue controls.

Exploratory Analysis of Radiomics and Pathomics in Uterine Corpus Endometrial Carcinoma.

Uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (EC) is one of the most common malignancies in the female reproductive system, characterized by tumor heterogeneity at both radiological and pathological scales. Both radiomics and pathomics have the potential to assess this heterogeneity and support EC diagnosis. This study examines the correlation between radiomics features from Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) maps and post-contrast T1 (T1C) images with pathomic features from pathology images in 32 patients from the CPTAC-UCEC database.

Mechanical and semantic knowledge mediate the implicit understanding of the physical world.

Most recent accounts highlight the importance of two aspects of cognition in the implicit understanding of the physical world: semantic knowledge (the ability to recognize, categorize, and relate concepts) and mechanical knowledge (the capability to comprehend how things mechanically work). However, how the human brain may integrate these cognitive processes remains largely unexplored. Here, we use functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate this integration employing a novel free-viewing task.

Impact of COVID-19 infection on lung function and nutritional status amongst individuals with cystic fibrosis: A global cohort study.

Background: Factors associated with severe COVID-19 infection have been identified; however, the impact of infection on longer-term outcomes is unclear. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of COVID-19 infection on the trajectory of lung function and nutritional status in people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF).

Methods: This is a retrospective global cohort study of pwCF who had confirmed COVID-19 infection diagnosed between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021.

A comparison between 3D printed models and standard 2D planning in the use of metal block augments in revision knee arthroplasty.

Objectives: The study focused on the ability to predict the need and size of femoral and tibial augmentation using standard two-dimensional (2D) templates and models created with three-dimensional (3D) printing in surgical planning.

Patients And Methods: This observational cohort study included 28 consecutive patients (22 females, 6 males; mean age: 71±7.3 years; range, 54 to 82 years) with periprosthetic joint infection recruited between March 2021 and September 2023 undergoing revision total knee arthroplasty revision (TKA).

Novel 3D human trophoblast culture to explore infection in the placenta.

Introduction: Human trophoblastic cell lines, such as BeWo, are commonly used in 2D models to study placental infections. However, these models do not accurately represent natural infections. Three-dimensional (3D) microtissue cultures offer a more physiologically relevant in vitro model, mimicking tissue microarchitecture and providing an environment closer to natural infections.

An overview of Synlab SDN Biobank's quality control system.

Biobanks are valuable service units that ensure the usage of high-quality biological samples. They contribute to translational research, and their support may improve future therapeutic approaches. They store biological samples that can be used to examine circulation biomarkers, immune cells, and immunohistochemistry aspects of illnesses and further in-depth examinations using NGS techniques.

On the Clinimetrics of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment: Cutoff Analysis in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment due to Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: In the era of disease-modifying therapies, empowering the clinical neuropsychologist's toolkit for timely identification of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is crucial.

Objective: Here we examine the clinimetric properties of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) for the early diagnosis of MCI due to Alzheimer's disease (MCI-AD).

Methods: Data from 48 patients with MCI-AD and 47 healthy controls were retrospectively analyzed.

Nutritional Trends in Cystic Fibrosis: Insights from the Italian Cystic Fibrosis Patient Registry.

Over the past decades, efforts have been made to improve the nutritional well-being of people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF). Due to the correlation observed between nutritional indices and lung function, prevailing recommendations consistently advocate for BMI percentile goals at or above the 50th percentile in pwCF. Recent global trends show a notable increase in overweight and obese statuses among pwCF.

A method for the analysis of the oligomerization profile of the Huntington's disease-associated, aggregation-prone mutant huntingtin protein by isopycnic ultracentrifugation.

Conformational diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases as well as ataxias and fronto-temporal disorders, are part of common class of neurological disorders characterised by the aggregation and progressive accumulation of mutant proteins which display aberrant conformation. In particular, Huntington's disease (HD) is caused by mutations leading to an abnormal expansion in the polyglutamine (poly-Q) tract of the huntingtin protein (HTT), leading to the formation of inclusion bodies in neurons of affected patients. Furthermore, recent experimental evidence is challenging the conventional view of the disease by revealing the ability of mutant HTT to be transferred between cells by means of extracellular vesicles (EVs), allowing the mutant protein to seed oligomers involving both the mutant and wild type forms of the protein.

Identification of a circular RNA isoform of WASHC2A as a prognostic factor for high-risk paediatric B-ALL patients.

Pediatric B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is a serious disease for which a better understanding of prognostic factors and new therapeutic targets is needed. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are promising markers due to their stability and differential expression patterns in various diseases. However, their role in pediatric B-ALL patients, particularly in risk stratification and relapse prediction, remains poorly understood.

Risk score model to automatically detect prostate cancer patients by integrating diagnostic parameters.

Introduction: Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the prevailing forms of cancer among men. At present, multiparametric MRI is the imaging method for localizing tumors and staging cancer. Radiomics plays a key role and hold potential for PCa detection, reducing the need for unnecessary biopsies, characterizing tumor aggression, and overseeing PCa recurrence post-treatment.

Beyond Pain: The Effects of OnabotulinumtoxinA Therapy on Sensitization and Interictal Symptoms in Chronic Migraine.

Chronic migraine is a disease with a high burden on patients from both a working and quality of life point of view. The pathophysiology of this subtype of migraine is due to several factors, such as medication overuse. Nevertheless, the detrimental recurring of headache attacks with central and peripheral sensitization plays a central role and explains some additional symptoms complained about by these patients even in the interictal phase.

[Italian Cystic Fibrosis Registry (ICFR). Report 2021-2022].

Introduction: Italian Cystic Fibrosis Registry (ICFR) collects data of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) through the collaboration with Italian CF referral and support Centres (Italian law 548/93). It aims at analysing medium and long-term clinical and epidemiological trends, identifying healthcare needs at regional and national levels, contributing to healthcare programmes, and resource allocation. Italian data are also compared at international level through the collaboration with the European CF Registry for sharing epidemiological data on general aspects like CF epidemiology and specific topics such as the use of CFTR modulators.

Pediatric Migraine and Visual Cortical Excitability: A Prospective Observational Study with Sound-Induced Flash Illusions.

The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying migraine are more difficult to investigate in children than in the adult population. Abnormal cortical excitability turns out to be one of the most peculiar aspects of migraine, accounting for the manifestations of migraine attacks. Recently, visual cortical excitability has been explored effectively in adult migraineurs with a technique based on cross-modal audio-visual illusions (with sound-induced flash illusions (SIFIs) being reduced in migraineurs compared to non-migraineur subjects).

Spinal neuronal activity and neuroinflammatory component in a mouse model of CFA-induced vestibulodynia.

Vestibulodynia is a complex pain disorder characterized by chronic discomfort in the vulvar region, often accompanied by tactile allodynia and spontaneous pain. In patients a depressive behaviour is also observed. In this study, we have used a model of vestibulodynia induced by complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) focusing our investigation on the spinal cord neurons and microglia.

Classifying breast cancer and fibroadenoma tissue biopsies from paraffined stain-free slides by fractal biomarkers in Fourier Ptychographic Microscopy.

Breast cancer is one of the most spread and monitored pathologies in high-income countries. After breast biopsy, histological tissue is stored in paraffin, sectioned and mounted. Conventional inspection of tissue slides under benchtop light microscopes involves paraffin removal and staining, typically with H&E.

The Relationship between Executive Functions and Body Weight: Sex as a Moderating Variable.

This study explores the interplay between executive functions and body weight, examining both the influence of biological factors, specifically sex, and methodological issues, such as the choice between Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) as the primary anthropometric measure. A total of 386 participants (222 females, mean age = 45.98 years, SD = 17.