Assessing the Theoretical Efficacy of Combination Therapy Against Gram-Negative Infections in Neutropenic Pediatric Cancer Patients: Insights from the Statistical Analysis of Survey Data.

: Empirical antibacterial therapy for febrile neutropenia reduces mortality due to Gram-negative blood stream infections (BSIs). Pediatric guidelines recommend monotherapy with an antipseudomonal beta-lactam or a carbapenem and to add a second anti-Gram-negative agent in selected situations. We evaluated the changes in the proportions of resistance of beta-lactam monotherapies vs.

Hemadsorption with CytoSorb®: focus on the latest experiences in cardiac surgery patients.

Cardiac surgery patients are potentially exposed to an acute inflammatory host response with a huge release of both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines both through intrinsic (e.g., tissue damage, endothelial injury) and extrinsic (e.

Analyzing Antibiotic Usage Trends in Genitourinary Infections and Procedures: Insights From the TriNetX Database.

Objective: To analyze antibiotic prescribing trends, particularly the decline in fluoroquinolone use for various genitourinary infection (GUI) and procedures and the growing preference for alternative treatments.

Methods: The TriNetX database was queried for antibiotic utilization rates from 2016 to 2022. We analyzed cases of cystitis, pyelonephritis, prostatitis, and other GUIs, as well as periprocedure utilization for benign prostatic hyperplasia, urethral stricture disease, pelvic organ prolapse/stress urinary incontinence, and overactive bladder/interstitial cystitis (OAB/IC).

Clinical, Diagnostic, and Metabolic Characteristics Associated with Nephrolithiasis in the Black Women's Health Study.

Nephrolithiasis (kidney stones) is a frequently occurring urologic condition resulting in significant patient morbidity and healthcare costs. Despite the higher prevalence of metabolic risk factors for nephrolithiasis among Black women, there have been few epidemiologic studies of kidney stones focusing on this group. We describe demographic and health characteristics, diagnostics, and metabolic profiles of US Black women with self-reported kidney stones.

Challenges of Regulated Cell Death: Implications for Therapy Resistance in Cancer.

Regulated cell death, a regulatory form of cell demise, has been extensively studied in multicellular organisms. It plays a pivotal role in maintaining organismal homeostasis under normal and pathological conditions. Although alterations in various regulated cell death modes are hallmark features of tumorigenesis, they can have divergent effects on cancer cells.

Complete urethral disruption after motor vehicle crash without pelvic fracture.

Urethral injuries are rare among the pediatric population, and the majority occur after trauma. This is the case of an eight-year-old female with complete proximal urethral disruption and ruptured bladder neck without pelvic fracture after a motor vehicle crash. After the accident, her bladder neck was reapproximated and a suprapubic tube was placed.

Speeding up Glioblastoma Cancer Research: Highlighting the Zebrafish Xenograft Model.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a very aggressive and lethal primary brain cancer in adults. The multifaceted nature of GBM pathogenesis, rising from complex interactions between cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME), has posed great treatment challenges. Despite significant scientific efforts, the prognosis for GBM remains very poor, even after intensive treatment with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.

Letermovir for Cytomegalovirus infection in pediatric patients undergoing allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a real-life study by the Infectious Diseases Working Group of Italian Association of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology (AIEOP).

Letermovir prophylaxis revolutionized the approach to Cytomegalovirus infection in adult hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT), while data in pediatric setting are still lacking. We retrospectively analyzed 87 HCT children transplanted in 11 AIEOP centers receiving letermovir as off-label indication between January 2020 and November 2022. Letermovir was used as primary, secondary prophylaxis or CMV treatment in 39, 26 and 22 cases, respectively; no discontinuation due to toxicity was reported.

Label-free electrochemical immunosensor as a reliable point-of-care device for the detection of Interleukin-6 in serum samples from patients with psoriasis.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) plays a crucial role in autoimmunity and chronic inflammation. This study aims to develop a low-cost, simple-to-manufacture, and user-friendly label-free electrochemical point-of-care device for the rapid detection of IL-6 in patients with psoriasis. Precisely, a sandwich-based format immunosensor was developed using two primary antibodies (mAb-IL6 clone-5 and clone-7) and screen-printed electrodes modified with an inexpensive recycling electrochemical enhancing material, called biochar.

The Involvement of Natural Polyphenols in Molecular Mechanisms Inducing Apoptosis in Tumor Cells: A Promising Adjuvant in Cancer Therapy.

Various literature data show how a diet rich in vegetables could reduce the incidence of several cancers due to the contribution of the natural polyphenols contained in them. Polyphenols are attributed multiple pharmacological actions such as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, antibiotic, antiseptic, anti-allergic, cardioprotective and even anti-tumor properties. The multiple mechanisms involved in their anti-tumor action include signaling pathways modulation associated with cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, angiogenesis, metastasis and cell death.

Aberrant Notch signaling in gliomas: a potential landscape of actionable converging targets for combination approach in therapies resistance.

The current therapeutic protocols and prognosis of gliomas still depend on clinicopathologic and radiographic characteristics. For high-grade gliomas, the standard of care is resection followed by radiotherapy plus temozolomide chemotherapy. However, treatment resistance develops due to different mechanisms, among which is the dynamic interplay between the tumor and its microenvironment.

Correlates of nephrolithiasis in US black women: data from the black women's health study.

Nephrolithiasis is a common urologic condition and a significant source of patient morbidity and healthcare expenditure. There are few epidemiologic studies of kidney stones focusing exclusively on Black women. We retrospectively assessed the prevalence and correlates of self-reported kidney stones within the Black Women's Health Study (BWHS).

Use of music therapy in pediatric oncology: an Italian AIEOP multicentric survey study in the era of COVID-19.

Unlabelled: Music therapy (MT) is a complementary therapy offered to children, young adults, and their families in pediatric oncology and palliative care. We performed a survey to collect information about MT in pediatric oncology in Italy. The outbreak of COVID-19 unavoidably changed the scenario of MT, suggesting some considerations presented in this survey.

Hemorrhagic cystitis: a review of the literature and treatment options.

Introduction: Hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) is a morbid condition for patients and can be challenging for urologists to manage. There are many potential contributing etiologies and the severity of bleeding can be variable. It is important to consider each clinical scenario when formulating management strategies in order to provide the highest quality of care to patients.

A scoping review of penile implant biofilms-what do we know and what remains unknown?

Background: Penile prosthesis (PP) is a gold standard for treatment of erectile dysfunction given its reliability and efficacy. Infection remains the most feared complication of prosthetic surgery, which usually results in device removal, and places a significant economic burden on the healthcare system. While biofilms have shown to support the persistence of microorganisms, the degree by which this matrix is truly pathogenic remains unknown given its high prevalence even in asymptomatic patients.

Urethral Cancer After Urethroplasty: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Objective: To review and report data on transformation to urethral carcinoma after urethroplasty for urethral stricture disease. Primary urethral carcinoma is a rare entity, and guidelines lack high quality data from which to cite. Urethroplasty is a highly effective treatment for urethral stricture disease, though in rare cases complications may include development of urethral carcinoma.

High-Risk Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Pediatric Prospective.

Pediatric acute myeloid leukemia is a clonal disorder characterized by malignant transformation of the hematopoietic stem cell. The incidence and the outcome remain inferior when compared to pediatric ALL, although prognosis has improved in the last decades, with 80% overall survival rate reported in some studies. The standard therapeutic approach is a combined cytarabine and anthracycline-based regimen followed by consolidation with allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) for high-risk AML and allo-SCT for non-high-risk patients only in second complete remission after relapse.

Notch Signaling in Breast Tumor Microenvironment as Mediator of Drug Resistance.

Notch signaling dysregulation encourages breast cancer progression through different mechanisms such as stem cell maintenance, cell proliferation and migration/invasion. Furthermore, Notch is a crucial driver regulating juxtracrine and paracrine communications between tumor and stroma. The complex interplay between the abnormal Notch pathway orchestrating the activation of other signals and cellular heterogeneity contribute towards remodeling of the tumor microenvironment.