Fluorescent light energy combined with systemic isotretinoin: A 52-week follow-up evaluating efficacy and safety in treatment of moderate-severe acne.

Fluorescent light energy therapy combined with low-dose isotretinoin or tetracycline show remarkable clinical effect on 12 cases of moderate-to-severe acne. Treatment was considered safe, well-tolerated, and highly efficacious.

Prognostic Role of Plasma PD-1, PD-L1, pan-BTN3As and BTN3A1 in Patients Affected by Metastatic Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors: Can Immune Checkpoints Act as a Sentinel for Short-Term Survival?

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) represent 1% of all primary gastrointestinal tumors. Immune surveillance is often overcome by cancer cells due to the activation of immunoregulatory molecules such as programmed death protein (PD-1) and its ligand PD-L1, and butyrophilin sub-family 3A/CD277 receptors (BTN3A). Because several studies demonstrated that tumor PD-1 and PD-L1 expression may have a prominent prognostic function, this investigation aimed to discover if soluble forms of these molecules may be useful in predicting survival of metastatic GIST (mGIST) patients.

Additive Interaction Between Onabotulinumtoxin-A and Erenumab in Patients With Refractory Migraine.

In the last decade, notable progresses have been observed in chronic migraine preventive treatments. According to the European Headache Federation and national provisions, onabotulinumtoxin-A (BTX-A) and monoclonal antibodies acting on the pathway of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP-mAbs) should not be administered in combination due to supposed superimposable mechanism of action and high costs. On the other hand, preclinical observations demonstrated that these therapeutic classes, although operating directly or indirectly on the CGRP pathway, act on different fibers.

Development of a multivariable model predicting mortality risk from comorbidities in an Italian cohort of 18,286 confirmed COVID-19 cases aged 40 years or older.

Objectives: to develop a risk prediction model for 30-day mortality from COVID‑19 in an Italian cohort aged 40 years or older.

Design: a population-based retrospective cohort study on prospectively collected data was conducted.

Setting And Participants: the cohort included all swab positive cases aged 40 years older (No.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors-associated pericardial disease: a systematic review of case reports.

Treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) can be complicated by cardiovascular toxicity, including pericardial disease. To date, no prospective studies specifically investigated the optimal treatment of ICI-associated pericardial disease, and the available evidence is based on case reports and series only. We performed a systematic review of case reports and series including 20 publications for a total of 28 cases of ICI-associated pericardial disease.

Current treatment options for HER2-positive breast cancer patients with brain metastases.

Brain metastases (BMs) are frequently associated with HER2+ breast cancer (BC). Their management is based on a multi-modal strategy including both local treatment and systemic therapy. Despite therapeutic advance, BMs still have an adverse impact on survival and quality of life and the development of effective systemic therapy to prevent and treat BMs from HER2 + BC represents an unmet clinical need.

Can Craniometry Play a Role in Cluster Headache Diagnosis? A Pilot Exploratory TC-3D Based Study.

Background: Since the pioneering reports of the so-called leonine face in cluster headache (CH) patients, cranial and facial features of these patients have been poorly investigated with conflicting results. We aimed to investigate whether abnormalities in craniometric measurements could characterize male CH patients and represent reliable and reproducible diagnostic biomarkers able to identify CH patients.

Methods: Brain CT images were recorded between 2018 and 2020 in 24 male patients with CH and in 24 matched healthy controls (HC).

Strategy to identify priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination: A population based cohort study.

Background: Evidence from COVID-19 outbreak shows that individuals with specific chronic diseases are at higher risk of severe prognosis after infection. Public health authorities are developing vaccination programmes with priorities that minimize the risk of mortality and severe events in individuals and communities. We propose an evidence-based strategy that targets the frailest subjects whose timely vaccination is likely to minimize future deaths and preserve the resilience of the health service by preventing infections.

CA.ME.LI.A. An epidemiological study on the prevalence of CArdiovascular, MEtabolic, LIver and Autoimmune diseases in Northern Italy.

Background And Aims: CA.ME.LI.

Standard versus high dose of rifampicin in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: A growing amount of evidence suggests that the rifampicin dosing currently recommended for tuberculosis treatment could be associated with inadequate exposure and unfavourable outcomes. We aimed to compare clinical and microbiological efficacy and safety outcomes of standard and higher rifampicin dosing.

Methods: Data sources were MEDLINE, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Library.

Public Engagement and Neurology: An Update.

Background: Public engagement (PE) is defined as the involvement of "specialists who listen, develop their understanding, and interact with non-specialists in non-profit activities of educational, cultural, and social nature to engage the public in science-related matters". The public health relevance of PE consists in building up a scientifically literate society, able to participate in and support scientific and technological developments and their implications for educational settings. Neurological disorders account for 35% of all diseases.

Population-based incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel diseases in Milan (Northern Italy), and estimates for Italy.

Objective: A reliable measure of the burden of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, are essential to monitor their epidemiology and plan appropriate health services.

Methods: This is a population-based study carried out in the Milan Agency for Health Protection. Incident and prevalent cases were identified according to specific codes in hospital discharges and copayment exemptions.

Early Management of OnabotulinumtoxinA Treatment in Chronic Migraine: Insights from a Real-Life European Multicenter Study.

Introduction: OnabotulinumtoxinA (BT-A) quarterly was the first treatment approved specifically for chronic migraine (CM). It is unclear whether three cycles are better than two to assess early BT-A response.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis on real-life prospectively collected data in 16 European headache centers.

Clinical outcomes and survivorship of two-stage total hip or knee arthroplasty in septic arthritis: a retrospective analysis with a minimum five-year follow-up.

Purpose: Septic arthritis of the native joint is challenging for orthopedic surgeons because it may lead to wide bone defects and severe impairment of joint function. This study aimed to analyze clinical functional outcomes, the rate of infection eradication, and survival of implants of patients who underwent two-stage arthroplasty for septic arthritis of the hip and knee.

Methods: A retrospective single-centre analysis was conducted of patients treated for septic arthritis of the hip and knee joints through a two-stage surgery between 2012 and 2015.

Donor-derived human herpesvirus 8 infection with Kaposi sarcoma and Kaposi sarcoma inflammatory cytokine syndrome in a heart transplant recipient: A case report.

Human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) infection is associated with neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases in immunocompromised patients. Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a common malignancy reported in solid organ transplant recipients (SOTR). Kaposi sarcoma inflammatory cytokine syndrome (KICS), initially described in HIV patients, is characterized by high viral loads, elevated levels of cytokines, cytopenia, high fever, organ failure, and poor outcome.

TargetPlex FFPE-Direct DNA Library Preparation Kit for SiRe NGS panel: an international performance evaluation study.

Aim: Next generation sequencing (NGS) represents a key diagnostic tool to identify clinically relevant gene alterations for treatment-decision making in cancer care. However, the complex manual workflow required for NGS has limited its implementation in routine clinical practice. In this worldwide study, we validated the clinical performance of the TargetPlex FFPE-Direct DNA Library Preparation Kit for NGS analysis.

Correlates of the discrepancy between objective and subjective cognitive functioning in non-demented patients with Parkinson's disease.

Background: Subjective complaints of cognitive deficits are not necessarily consistent with objective evidence of cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD). Here we examined the factors associated with the objective-subjective cognitive discrepancy.

Methods: We consecutively enrolled 90 non-demented patients with PD who completed the Parkinson's Disease Cognitive Functional Rating Scale (subjective cognitive measure) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA; objective cognitive measure).

Vitamin C Acutely Affects Brain Perfusion and Mastication-Induced Perfusion Asymmetry in the Principal Trigeminal Nucleus.

Prolonged mastication may induce an asymmetric modification of the local perfusion of the trigeminal principal nucleus. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the possible influence of vitamin C (vit. C) on such effect.

Strategy to reduce adverse health outcomes in subjects highly vulnerable to COVID-19: results from a population-based study in Northern Italy.

Objectives: This study describes a new strategy to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on the elderly and other clinically vulnerable subjects, where general practitioners (GPs) play an active role in managing high-risk patients, reducing adverse health outcomes.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Population-based study including subjects resident in the province of Milan and Lodi.

Second medical opinion in oncological setting.

Oncological patients increasingly require second medical opinions to feel more likely confident with their oncologists and treatments, although this could lead to wrong opinions and delay in the start of treatments. Second opinions can be required also by physicians to obtain advices, especially in case of rare tumors. The request of new opinions is documented in radiology and pathology settings too, with not negligible discrepancy rate.

Type and Gene Location of Mutations Predict Progression-Free Survival to First-Line Imatinib in Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors: A Look into the Exon.

In previous studies on localized GISTs, exon 11 deletions and mutations involving codons 557/558 showed an adverse prognostic influence on recurrence-free survival. In the metastatic setting, there are limited data on how mutation type and codon location might contribute to progression-free survival (PFS) variability to first-line imatinib treatment. We analyzed the type and gene location of and mutations for 206 patients from a GIST System database prospectively collected at an Italian reference center between January 2005 and September 2020.

HBV/HDV Co-Infection: Epidemiological and Clinical Changes, Recent Knowledge and Future Challenges.

Several investigations have been published on Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV) infection in recent years, from which we have drawn the salient data to provide readers with useful information to improve their knowledge on the subject. HDV genotypes 5-8 have been recently imported to Western countries from central Africa, whose clinical relevance deserves further investigation. Ongoing HDV replication has been identified as an independent predictor of progression to cirrhosis and HCC for patients with HDV chronic hepatitis (HDV-CH).

Pain-Related Brain Connectivity Changes in Migraine: A Narrative Review and Proof of Concept about Possible Novel Treatments Interference.

A neuronal dysfunction based on the imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory cortical-subcortical neurotransmission seems at the basis of migraine. Intercritical neuronal abnormal excitability can culminate in the bioelectrical phenomenon of Cortical Spreading Depression (CSD) with secondary involvement of the vascular system and release of inflammatory mediators, modulating in turn neuronal activity. Neuronal dysfunction encompasses the altered connectivity between the brain areas implicated in the genesis, maintenance and chronic evolution of migraine.

Assessing the Impact of Individual Characteristics and Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Provinces of Milan and Lodi.

Social inequalities in health are known to be influenced by the socioeconomic status of the territory in which people live. In the context of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, this study is aimed at assessing the role of 5 area-level indicators in shaping the risk of contagion in the provinces of Milan and Lodi (Lombardy, Italy), namely: educational disadvantage, unemployment, housing crowding, mobility, and population density. The study area includes the municipalities at the origin of the first Italian epidemic outbreak.