Publications by authors named "Merlo E"

Objectives: Concurrence of pregnancy and cancer diagnosis is increasingly frequent in Italy. The study aimed to compare women with pregnancy-associated cancers (PACs) to those of childbearing age, focusing on fertility, induced abortion, and miscarriage.

Methods: The population-based study included women aged 15-49 years, both with and without PAC, who were residents in the area covered by the 19 participating Cancer Registries between 2003 and 2015 and identified by individual deterministic linkage with the Hospital Discharge Database.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of routine histopathological exams for patients undergoing sigmoidectomy due to diverticular disease after having a colonoscopy within a year prior.
  • - A total of 207 patients were analyzed, revealing only a small percentage (3.9%) had unexpected findings during histopathological exams, most of which were clinically insignificant.
  • - The findings suggest that preoperative colonoscopy results were highly reliable in predicting histopathological outcomes, indicating that routine exams may not be necessary for all patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A 79-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital due to a month-long history of melena (bloody stools) and anemia caused by chronic gastrointestinal bleeding from cavernous hemangiomatosis in the small bowel.
  • She underwent two surgical procedures: an initial laparoscopic jejunal-ileal resection followed by a laparotomic duodenojejunal resection due to ongoing anemia.
  • Cavernous hemangiomatosis is a rare condition (7-10% of benign small bowel tumors) that often causes bleeding; diagnosis may involve various imaging techniques, and surgical resection is the preferred treatment method when feasible, considering the risks of extensive surgeries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The literature consistently highlights the significant burden faced by healthcare professionals, often describing caregivers as "invisible patients." Resilience is a critical factor in their well-being and quality of life. This study aimed to examine the presence of variables such as resilience and burden in caregivers, along with factors like age, gender, education, and work commitment, to understand the correlations among these independent and clinical variables.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Euthymia is a transdiagnostic construct characterized by the presence of positive mood states, psychological flexibility and resilience. These components contribute to psychological wellbeing and support mental functioning. Exposure to suffering and high levels of stress can lead to the onset of burnout and secondary traumatic stress, but also lack of compassion satisfaction.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) represents a serious chronic condition affecting a wide number of people. Discussion of the physical issues associated with T1DM pervades the literature, however, there is less discussion of the psychological consequences. Mental health difficulties, alexithymia and uncertainty are present in this population, and known to be harmful for the onset, maintenance and worsening of T1DM.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitors have proved immense clinical progression in the treatment of certain cancers. The efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors is correlated with mismatch repair system deficiency and is exceptionally administered based exclusively on this biological mechanism independent of the cancer type. The promising effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors has left an increasing demand for analytical tools evaluating the mismatch repair status.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Microcystin (MC) is most common cyanobacterial toxin. Few studies have evaluated the MC effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and metabolic function. In this study, we assessed whether MC exposure results in HPG axis and metabolic changes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Memory persistence is a double edge sword. Persistence of adaptive memories is essential for survival and even determines who we are. Neurodegenerative conditions with significant memory loss such as Alzheimer's disease, testify how defects of memory persistence have severe and irreversible effects on personality, among other symptoms.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) represents a complex pathology affecting a large number of people. Research suggests that psychological factors influence coping with T1DM. This study aimed to investigate the presence and role of psychopathology, alexithymia and uncertainty in people affected by T1DM.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Body image and psychosocial functioning represent central challenges during adolescence and early adulthood. Malocclusion, defined as an irregularity in the alignment of the teeth, is known to negatively influence psychological outcomes. The current study aimed to elucidate the role of malocclusion, together with age, gender, and dental class, in body image and psychological functioning.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Clinical studies have shown that low levels of endogenous testosterone are associated with cardiovascular diseases. Considering the intimate connection between oxidative metabolism and myocardial contractility, we determined the effects of testosterone deficiency on the two spatially distinct subpopulations of cardiac mitochondria, subsarcolemmal (SSM) and interfibrillar (IFM).

Methods: We assessed cardiac function and cardiac mitochondria structure of SSM and IFM after 12 weeks of testosterone deficiency in male Wistar rats.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates the prevalence and trends of pregnancy-associated cancer (PAC) in Italy, highlighting the growing concern as more women delay childbirth.
  • - Utilizing data from 19 cancer registries covering 22% of the population, the research analyzed over 2.8 million pregnancies, identifying 3,559 cases of PAC with breast, thyroid, and melanoma cancers being the most common types.
  • - Findings indicate a rising trend of PAC from 2003 to 2015, with 53.1% of cases resulting in delivery, emphasizing a shift in clinical practices for managing cancer during pregnancy, providing crucial insights for healthcare providers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Mutations in BRAF exon 15 lead to conformational changes in its activation loops, resulting in constitutively active BRAF proteins which are implicated in the development of several human cancer types. Different BRAF inhibitors have been developed and introduced in clinical practice. Identification of BRAF mutations influences the clinical evaluation, treatment, progression and for that reason a sensitive and specific identification of BRAF mutations is on request from the clinic.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The re-ignition of memory reconsolidation research sparked by Karim Nader in the early 2000s led to great excitement that 'reconsolidation-based' interventions might be developed for mental health disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder. Two decades on, it is clear that reconsolidation-based interventions have been more challenging to translate to the clinic than initially thought. We argue that this challenge could be addressed with a better understanding of how prior expectations interact with information presented in a putative memory reactivation / cue reminder session, and through the identification of non-invasive biomarkers for memory destabilisation that would allow reminder sessions to be 'tuned' to enhance memory lability in an ad hoc manner.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Tributyltin (TBT) is an obesogenic endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) linked with several metabolic complications. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is the principal site for thermogenesis, making it a potential target for obesity management and metabolic disease. However, few studies have evaluated TBT effect on BAT function.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The role of androgens in vascular reactivity is controversial, particularly regarding their age-related actions. The objective of this study was to conduct a temporal evaluation of the vascular reactivity of resistance arteries of young male rats, as well as to understand how male sex hormones can influence the vascular function of these animals. Endothelium-mediated relaxation was characterized in third-order mesenteric arteries of 10-, 12-, 16-, and 18w (week-old) male rats.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Depression represents a pervasive and devastating psychological difficulty. It affects over 21% of the population at some point in their lives and can have an unimaginable impact on both individuals and society. Behavioural activation represents a popular intervention for depression and is commonly used by psychologists internationally.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Delay discounting refers to the depreciation of the value of a reward as a function of the time it takes to obtain it. Growing evidence shows altered delay discounting in several pathological conditions, including neurological disorders. Here, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the published literature on delay discounting (DD) in Parkinson's Disease (PD).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Over the last few decades, studies on the oral microbiome have increased awareness that the balance between the host and the microbial species that coexist in it is essential for oral health at all stages of life. However, this balance is extremely difficult to maintain, and many factors can disrupt it: general eating habits, sugar consumption, tobacco smoking, oral hygiene, and use of antibiotics and other antimicrobials. It is now known that alterations in the oral microbiota are responsible for developing and promoting many oral diseases, including periodontal disease.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Superficial skeletal muscle activation is associated with an electric activity. Bidimensional High-Density Surface Electromyography (HD-sEMG) is a non-invasive technique that uses a grid of equally spaced electrodes applied on the skin surface to detect and portray superficial skeletal muscle activation. The goal of the study was to evaluate the feasibility of HD-sEMG to detect electrical activation of skeletal muscle and its application during rehabilitation exercises in horses.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Tributyltin (TBT) is a persistent organometallic pollutant widely used in several agricultural and industrial processes. TBT exposure is associated with various metabolic, reproductive, immune, and cardiovascular abnormalities. However, few studies have evaluated the effects of TBT on behavior.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Although it is well known that lifestyle changes can affect plasma glucose levels, there is little formal evidence for the sustained effectiveness of exercise and diet in diabetes mellitus (DM) management. Self-care in DM refers to the real-life application of the knowledge that the patient gained during the education programmes. The goals are to bring about changes in the patient's behaviour, thus improving glycaemic control.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Work-related stress typically occurs due to particularly challenging dynamics, risks and pressure. Prolonged exposure to stress may cause serious consequences on psychophysical well-being. The current study was conducted to reexamine the clinical instruments useful for evaluating the risk factors and to examine two closely linked dimensions, which may constitute protective factors such as coping strategies and satisfaction.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF