This study examines the results of autopsy examinations specifically aimed at documenting complications arising from the implantation phase and treatment with veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) in patients with refractory cardiac arrest. ECMO and VA-ECMO in particular are life-saving interventions that, in the case of cardiac arrest, can temporarily replace cardiac pump function. VA-ECMO is, however, a very invasive procedure and is associated with early mechanical, haemorrhagic, and thrombotic events, infections, and late multi-organ dysfunction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Adoption of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in the "real world" has been poorly investigated. Aim of this study was to examine the rate of NACT in Italy, trends over time and determinants of therapeutic choices.
Methods: Senonetwork, the recognized network of Breast Centers in Italy, has developed a voluntary national data warehouse with the aim to monitor and improve treatments quality.
Nuclear hormone receptors (NHRs) are a family of ligand-regulated transcription factors that control key aspects of development and physiology. The regulation of NHRs by ligands derived from metabolism or diet makes them excellent pharmacological targets, and the mechanistic understanding of how NHRs interact with their ligands to regulate downstream gene networks, along with the identification of ligands for orphan NHRs, could enable innovative approaches for cellular engineering, disease modeling and regenerative medicine. We review recent discoveries in the identification of physiologic ligands for NHRs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAutonomic parasympathetic neurons (parasymNs) control unconscious body responses, including "rest-and-digest." ParasymN innervation is important for organ development, and parasymN dysfunction is a hallmark of autonomic neuropathy. However, parasymN function and dysfunction in humans are vastly understudied due to the lack of a model system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: The aim of this retrospective study is to explore the introduction of edible spread cream and small candies as tools to improve motivation and compliance in young children undergoing myofunctional therapy, with the purpose of optimizing oral functions, including swallowing.
Methods: Six patients, one female and five males, between the ages of 7 and 14 years, presenting with atypical swallowing, were evaluated and treated at the clinic of the University of L'Aquila. The patients included in the study were randomly divided into two groups and were treated with two different treatment protocols: Group A: traditional myofunctional therapy and traditional tools; Group B: same exercises as group A, but with edible tools (spreadable cream and small candies).
Seasonal influenza causes mild to severe respiratory infections and significant morbidity, especially in older adults. Transcriptomic analysis in populations across multiple flu seasons has provided insights into the molecular determinants of vaccine response. Still, the metabolic changes that underlie the immune response to influenza vaccination remain poorly characterized.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aim: COVID-19 is rapidly spreading, and due to the high morbidity and mortality caused by the pandemic many Governments have introduced social restrictions. Those measures combined with infection-related patient anxiety, led to hiding other diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on numbers and severity of acute appendicitis cases referred during the pandemic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIdentification of physiological modulators of nuclear hormone receptor (NHR) activity is paramount for understanding the link between metabolism and transcriptional networks that orchestrate development and cellular physiology. Using libraries of metabolic enzymes alongside their substrates and products, we identify 1-deoxysphingosines as modulators of the activity of NR2F1 and 2 (COUP-TFs), which are orphan NHRs that are critical for development of the nervous system, heart, veins, and lymphatic vessels. We show that these non-canonical alanine-based sphingolipids bind to the NR2F1/2 ligand-binding domains (LBDs) and modulate their transcriptional activity in cell-based assays at physiological concentrations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction And Importance: Atraumatic splenic rupture(ASR) is a rare event with challenging management, due to absence of clinical history of trauma and delayed diagnosis. Current clinical report could provide detailed information regarding clinical presentation and management to physicians.
Case Presentation: A 61 years-old woman underwent percutaneous coronary intervention(PTCA) after ST elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI).
The literature offers different perspectives for and against two-phase treatment of skeletal Class II malocclusion. Facial attractiveness is an important aspect to take into account, given that children with skeletal Class II are often bullied by their peers and have low self-esteem and a lower social perception. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the aesthetic perception of facial profiles by a large number of observers, before and after treatment with a functional appliance, compared to untreated controls.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aim: Corona virus infection dramatically spread worldwide during 2020 and extraordinary restrictions have been implemented in order to reduce viral transmission. These measures compelled a complete restructuring of the health system, including temporary cancer screening suspension and a significant slow-down in cancer diagnoses and treatments.
Case Report: We report five cases of extremely advanced breast cancer referred to our Department amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Breast reconstruction plays a fundamental role in the therapeutic process of breast cancer treatment and breast implants represents the leading breast reconstruction strategy. Breast Implant Associated-Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL), locoregional recurrence in the skin flap, and skin flap necrosis are well-known complications following mastectomy and immediate breast reconstruction (IBR). We report a case of locoregional cancer recurrence in the mastectomy flap mimicking BIA-ALCL, in a patient who underwent 6 breast procedures in four facilities across 15 years including immediate breast reconstruction with macrotextured breast implants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBACKGROUND Breast trauma can always have diagnostic pitfalls. In the presence of a recurrent hemorrhagic cysts, cancer should always be suspected. CASE REPORT A 59-year-old woman noted a palpable mass after breast trauma from falling at home.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aim: Extraordinary restrictions aimed to limit Sars-CoV-2 spreading; they imposed a total reorganization of the health-system. Oncological treatments experienced a significant slowdown. The aim of our multicentric retrospective study was to evaluate screening suspension and surgical treatment delay during COVID-19 and the impact on breast cancer presentation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Breast cancer management during COVID-19 pandemic has changed and in case of COVID-19 patients with simultaneous neoplasia, it has been strongly recommended to treat Sars-CoV-2 infection firstly.
Presentation Of Case: We reported a case of a 53-years-old women with early breast cancer and simultaneous asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. According to COVID-19 breast cancer recommendations she underwent hormone neoadjuvant treatment as a bridging therapy for surgery.
Background/aim: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic imposed extraordinary restriction measures and a complete reorganization of the Health System. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on emergency surgical department accesses.
Patients And Methods: Patients admitted to surgical emergency departments was retrospectively recorded during the Lockdown (March 11, 2020-May 3, 2020) and compared with the same number of days in 2019 and immediately before Lockdown (January 16, 2020-March 10, 2020).
Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in woman. Approximately 5-10% of breast cancer occurs as de novo stage IV and some studies have shown that from 10% to 30% of those patients presents Brain Metastasis.
Presentation Of Case: In this study, we report a case of solitary brain metastasis of breast cancer in a 63-year-old Italian Caucasian woman with neurological symptoms as first clinical presentation.
Background/aim: Despite the large amount of clinical data available of Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19), not many studies have been conducted about the psychological toll on Health Care Workers (HCWs).
Patients And Methods: In this multicentric descriptive study, surveys were distributed among 4 different Breast Cancer Centers (BCC). BCCs were distinguished according to COVID-19 tertiary care hospital (COVID/No-COVID) and district prevalence (DP) (High vs.
Background/aim: Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak is currently having a huge impact on medical resource allocation. Breast Cancer (BC) patients are concerned both with BC treatment and COVID-19. This study aimed to estimate the impact of anxiety among patients, caused by the spreading of COVID-19.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The age of the population requiring total hip replacement (THR) is increasing and this may lead to a return of cemented stems. Advantages of a short cemented femoral device include preservation of metaphyseal bone, easier insertion, and easier cement removal in case of revision. The purpose of this study is to describe the rationale and assess midterm results of unique innovative short cemented double-tapered polished stem applied with contemporary cementing techniques.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNutritional abnormalities and physical inactivity are risk factors of increased morbidity and mortality in patients with ESRD. Identify and define malnutrition, in particular protein-energy depletion (PEW), is an important task in the management of renal patients. The aim of this multicenter observational study was to implement the assessment of nutritional status and functional capacity in patients on peritoneal dialysis, including tests and validated methods which are relatively easy to apply in daily clinical practice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNuclear hormone receptors (NHRs) are transcription factors regulated by small molecules. The functions of NHRs range from development of primary and secondary lymphoid organs, to regulation of differentiation and function of DCs, macrophages and T cells. The human genome has 48 classic (hormone and vitamin receptors) and nonclassic (all others) NHRs; 17 nonclassic receptors are orphans, meaning that the endogenous ligand is unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis essay makes a brief historical and comparative review of selective and network theories of the immune system which is presented as a chemical sensory system with immune and non-immune functions. The ontogeny of immune networks is the result of both positive and negative selection of lymphocytes to self-epitopes that serve as a "template" for the recognition of foreign antigens. The development of immune networks progresses from single individual clones in early ontogeny into complex "information processing networks" in which lymphocytes are linked to inhibitory and stimulatory immune cells.
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