Can Animal Assisted Interventions counteract apathy and improve physical activity levels in psychiatric patients with cognitive disability? A case study.

Background: Patients with psychiatric disorders experience a reduced quality of life also due to the antipsychotic drugs assumed, that negatively affects their cognitive abilities. A healthy lifestyle, such as physical activity, can improve both functional abilities and mental health of patients with a dual diagnosis, psychiatric and cognitive. Despite this knowledge, these people are more sedentary than the general population, probably because of their apathy, core aspects of the illness.

A prospective Real-Life Multicenter Study of Tildrakizumab 200 mg in Patients with Moderate-Severe Psoriasis: Who is the Ideal Patient?

Introduction: Tildrakizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the p19 subunit of interleukin 23 (IL-23), has shown promise in the management of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, offering potential improvements in clinical outcomes and quality of life.

Objectives: The study aimed to identify patient characteristics that indicate the initiation of a 200 mg dosage of tildrakizumab in a real-world setting, focusing on factors that enhance treatment effectiveness and safety.

Methods: This prospective study included 54 adult patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis treated with tildrakizumab 200 mg from March 2023 to March 2024 across 13 Italian Dermatology Units.

Image-Guided VATS in the Hybrid Operation Room Facilitates Early Diagnosis and Concurrent Treatment of Subcentimeter Nonpalpable Lung Nodules.

Objective: As lung cancer screening increases, the detection of small, nonpalpable lung lesions is on the rise. The hybrid operation room (OR), which combines percutaneous or endobronchial fiducial placement with on-table computed tomography (CT) and fluoroscopic guidance, improves localization and facilitates the diagnosis and treatment of smaller, nonpalpable lung nodules with greater accuracy.

Methods: In 35 consecutive months, 55 veterans underwent 60 image-guided video-assisted thoracic surgery procedures for lesion resection.

κ-Carrageenan/sericin polymer matrix modified with different crosslinking agents and thermal crosslinking: Improved release profile of mefenamic acid.

The crosslinking of the polymer matrix with compatible macromolecules results in a three-dimensional network structure that offers an enhancement in the controlled release properties of the material. In this sense, this work aimed to improve the release profile of mefenamic acid (MAC) through crosslinking strategies. κ-Carrageenan/sericin crosslinked blend was obtained by covalent and thermal crosslinking and the different formulations were characterized.

Final results of the real-life observational VICTOR-6 study on metronomic chemotherapy in elderly metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients.

Nowadays, treatment of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) has been enriched with novel therapeutical strategies. Metronomic chemotherapy (mCHT) is a continuous and frequent administration of chemotherapy at a lower dose and so whit less toxicity. Thus, this strategy could be attractive for elderly MBC patients.

Prognostic Value of Body Mass Index in Stage II/III Colon Cancer: Posthoc Analysis From the TOSCA Trial.

Background: High body mass index (BMI) plays a key role in the development of colon cancer (CC). Our post-hoc analysis from the TOSCA trial analyzed the association between BMI and survival outcomes in terms of relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in stage II/III CC patients.

Patients And Methods: Patients enrolled in the TOSCA trial between 2007-2013 with BMI data entered the study.

Proposing a Scientific and Technological Approach to the Summaries of Clinical Issues of Inpatient Elderly with Delirium: A Viewpoint.

Despite mounting evidence about delirium, this complex geriatric syndrome is still not well managed in clinical contexts. The aging population creates a very demanding area for innovation and technology in healthcare. For instance, an outline of an aging-friendly healthcare environment and clear guidance for technology-supported improvements for people at delirium risk are lacking.

Physician Aid in Dying for Dementia: The Problem With the Early vs. Late Disease Stage Distinction.

Physician aid in dying (PAD) based on dementia is a contentious, highly debated topic. Several countries are considering extending their existing laws to include requests in incompetent patients based on a previously written advance directive. Discussions about this issue often invoke a distinction based on disease stage.

Metronomic chemotherapy (mCHT) in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients: results of the VICTOR-6 study.

Purpose: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents a subtype of breast cancer which lacks the expression of oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2): TNBC accounts for approximately 20% of newly diagnosed breast cancers and is associated with younger age at diagnosis, greater recurrence risk and shorter survival time. Therapeutic options are very scarce. Aim of the present analysis is to provide further insights into the clinical activity of metronomic chemotherapy (mCHT), in a real-life setting.

So much at stake: Ethical tradeoffs in accelerating SARSCoV-2 vaccine development.

Background: A sense of urgency exists to develop vaccines against SARS CoV-2, responsible for numerous global cases and deaths, as well as widespread social and economic disruption. Multiple approaches have been proposed to speed up vaccine development, including accelerated randomized controlled trials (RCT), controlled human challenge trials (CHI), and wide distribution through an emergency use authorization after collecting initial data. There is a need to examine how best to accelerate vaccine development in the setting of a pandemic, without compromising ethical and scientific norms.

Guide-wire replacement of a mini-midline catheter with a central venous catheter: A retrospective study on 63 cases.

Background: Achieving a reliable venous access in a particular subset of patients and/or in emergency settings can be challenging and time-consuming. Furthermore, many hospitalized patients do not meet the criteria for central venous catheter positioning, unless an upgrade of the treatment is further needed. The mini-midline catheter has already showed to be reliable and safe as a stand-alone device, since it is easily and rapidly inserted and can indwell up to 1 month.

[Geriatric units at the beginning of the 2020 COVID-19 epidemic in France].

The COVID-19 epidemic that started in November in China became a national epidemic from March 16, 2020 with the declaration of population containment in order to reduce the spread of the virus in France. From March 17 to March 27, 2020, the monitoring unit of the French society of geriatrics and gerontology decided to conduct a survey to analyze the implementation of the mobilization of geriatric units, given that this epidemic had shown that it resulted in excess mortality mainly among the elderly. The survey was able to bring together the response of 34 services, nine of which were located in a high epidemic cluster zone.

Automated calibration of the EPA-SWMM model for a small suburban catchment using PEST: a case study.

Rainfall-runoff models must be calibrated and validated before they can be used for urban stormwater management. Manual calibration is very difficult and time-consuming due to the large number of model parameters that must be estimated concurrently. Automatic calibration offers as a promising alternative, ideally supporting a user-independent and time-efficient approach to model parameters estimation.

Outcome following a short period of adalimumab dose escalation as rescue therapy in psoriatic patients.

Background: Advances in biologic treatments have led to a new therapeutic frontier for moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Nevertheless, the efficacy of anti-TNFα decreases with time, requiring adjustments to maintain valuable Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) responses.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of adalimumab dose escalation (40 mg, subcutaneous, once a week for 24 weeks) in psoriatic adult patients with secondary loss of response (PASI ≥50 to ≤75 or PASI≥75 and DLQI ≥5).

Author Correction: Sex-Related Differences in Impact on Safety of Pharmacogenetic Profile for Colon Cancer Patients Treated with FOLFOX-4 or XELOX Adjuvant Chemotherapy.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.