Liver decompensation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated with Atezolizumab plus Bevacizumab: a real-life study.

Background And Aims: Atezolizumab plus Bevacizumab (atezobeva) has changed the treatment landscape of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but its efficacy and safety in patients with impaired liver function are still debated. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic impact of baseline liver function and liver decompensation during treatment on clinical outcomes.

Methods: In this multicenter study, we included 247 patients with advanced or unresectable HCC treated with atezobeva.

N-Ammonia PET-CT for Evaluating Response to Antiangiogenic Therapy and Prognosis in Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Pilot Study.

Purpose: To prospectively investigate dynamic N-ammonia PET-CT for evaluating early treatment response and predicting prognosis in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who have undergone antiangiogenic therapy.

Methods: Dynamic N-ammonia PET-CT was performed in 23 advanced HCC patients before antiangiogenic therapy (baseline) and in 18/23 patients after 8-10 weeks of treatment (post-therapy). At kinetic PET-CT analysis, mean, maximum, and peak values of (mL/cm/min) and (min) were estimated in HCC lesions and non-neoplastic liver using cardiologic N-ammonia PET-CT in 15 patients without any liver diseases as normal controls.

Investigating DRD2 and HTR2A polymorphisms in treatment-resistant schizophrenia: a comparative analysis with other treatment-resistant mental disorders and the healthy state.

This study investigates treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) by analysing genetic markers in dopamine and serotonin receptors. Conducted on a cohort of 221 patients with treatment-resistant mental disorders, the research focused on DRD2 and HTR2A gene variants-specifically, rs1801028, rs6314, rs7997012, and rs6311. The findings suggest specific associations between certain genetic variants and TRS.

The efficacy of vortioxetine in the acute treatment of major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Among the available pharmacological treatments for acute major depressive disorder (MDD), vortioxetine, a serotonin transporter inhibitor (SERT), has been widely used for its multimodal action on serotonin neurotransmission, which produces essential changes also on glutamate, gamma amino butyric acid (GABA), norepinephrine, acetylcholine, and dopamine.

Aim: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the acute efficacy of vortioxetine across multiple dosing and to evaluate whether there is a dose-response effect and as well there is a dose-response issue with respect to side effects in acute depression.

Methods: According to PRISMA guidelines, we systematically searched three major electronic databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) for Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) studies published between January 2013 and April 2024.

Differentiating aspects of oral and long-acting injectable antipsychotic drugs for tailoring the therapy of schizophrenia in clinical practice: a narrative review.

Schizophrenia is a serious psychiatric condition requiring continuous treatment with antipsychotic medications available in different formulations, including oral antipsychotics (OAPs) and long-acting injectables (LAIs). This narrative review aims to comprehensively outline the advantages and disadvantages of OAPs and LAIs to support clinicians in choosing different formulations based on the presentation of clinical symptoms. An electronic search of the PubMed database was performed in June 2024, and additional articles were retrieved from the references or personal knowledge of the authors.

Performance of Noninvasive Tests for Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis and Liver Fibrosis Resolution after Bariatric Surgery.

Background: Noninvasive tests (NITs) to monitor metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) progression and response to interventions are needed because of the risks of liver biopsy. A monocytes-based diagnostic test using perilipin-2 (PLIN2) and Ras-related protein-14 (RAB14) predict the severity of MASH and fibrosis. Here we compared the performances of PLIN2 and RAB14 with cytokeratin-18 (CK18) assessed by Ella™ or M65 ELISA in predicting MASH and fibrosis resolution following bariatric surgery in a longitudinal and histologically characterized cohort of individuals with obesity.

Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in the General Population Under Stressful Conditions: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic.

: The COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on mental health in the general population. The fear, stress, and uncertainty surrounding that traumatic period could have contributed to the aggravation or possible new onset of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. The COvid Mental hEalth Trial (COMET) is a nationwide project organized by the University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", designed as an observational investigation that aimed to gather data from a representative sample of the Italian general population.

Differential impact of cervical cancer in immigrant women: a decade-long epidemiological study in the Marche Region, Italy.

Background: Cervical cancer is primarily caused by persistent human papilloma virus (HPV) infections, with significant disparities observed in its burden, especially affecting immigrant populations from high HPV prevalence regions. This study evaluates the incidence and severity of cervical cancer in immigrant women in the Marche region, Italy, from 2010 to 2019.

Methods: We employed a detailed analysis of population-based data from the Marche Cancer Registry using the age-standardised incidence rates (IRs) and Poisson regression models for in situ cervical cancer (ISCC) and infiltrating cervical cancer (ICC).

Applicability of the adjusted morbidity groups algorithm for healthcare programming: results of a pilot study in Italy.

Background: Population-based Health Risk Assessment (HRA) tools are strategic for the implementation of integrated care. Various HRA algorithms have been developed in the last decades worldwide. Their full adoption being limited by technical, functional, and economical factors.

A coordinate-based meta-analysis of grey matter volume differences between adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and healthy controls.

According to the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) model of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the striatum plays a primary role in its neuropathophysiology. Hypothesising that volumetric alterations are more pronounced in subcortical areas of patients within the CSTC circuit compared to healthy controls (HCs), we conducted a coordinate-based meta-analysis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. We included 26 whole-brain MRI studies, comprising 3,010 subjects: 1,508 patients (788 men, 720 women; mean age: 30.

Liver-related aspects of valoctocogene roxaparvovec gene therapy for hemophilia A: expert guidance for clinical practice.

Adeno-associated virus-based gene therapy (valoctocogene roxaparvovec) is an attractive treatment for hemophilia A. Careful clinical management is required to minimize the risk of hepatotoxicity, including assessment of baseline liver condition to determine treatment eligibility and monitoring liver function after gene therapy. This article describes recommendations (developed by a group of hemophilia experts) on hepatic function monitoring before and after gene therapy.

Dexamethasone and N-acetylcysteine before transarterial chemoembolization in hepatocellular carcinoma: A Western perspective.

Post-embolization syndrome (PES) is the most common complication in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated with transarterial chemoembolization. Many strategies have been evaluated to reduce the incidence of PES, but no standard prevention guidelines currently exist. In a single-center, placebo-controlled trial, Simasingha evaluated the prophylactic administration of a combination of dexamethasone and N-acetylcysteine and documented a significant reduction in the incidence of PES (from 80% to 6%), of post-procedural liver decompensation (from 14% to 0%), and a shorter hospital stay (4 days 6 days), alongside an acceptable safety profile.

An integrated atom array-nanophotonic chip platform with background-free imaging.

Arrays of neutral atoms trapped in optical tweezers have emerged as a leading platform for quantum information processing and quantum simulation due to their scalability, reconfigurable connectivity, and high-fidelity operations. Individual atoms are promising candidates for quantum networking due to their capability to emit indistinguishable photons that are entangled with their internal atomic states. Integrating atom arrays with photonic interfaces would enable distributed architectures in which nodes hosting many processing qubits could be efficiently linked together via the distribution of remote entanglement.

Serum-free light chains as a dependable biomarker for stratifying patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

Background And Aims: Adaptive immunity is gaining a significant role in progression of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). B-cell activity can be assessed by serum-free light chains (sFLCs) k and λ levels. The objective of the present investigation is to examine the utility of sFLCs as non-invasive biomarkers for the stratification of MASLD.