Indeterminate cell histiocytosis: A systematic review of the literature with a comprehensive revision of clinical, histopathological, and molecular features.

Indeterminate cell histiocytosis (ICH) is a very rare histiocytic disorder, primarily involving the skin. It affects more frequently adults, often presenting with a generalized papular eruption, and needs to be differentiated from other neoplastic, paraneoplastic, and infectious diseases through clinical and histological examination. The knowledge on ICH is limited to case reports and small series.

Total synthesis of the complex taxane diterpene canataxpropellane.

Canataxpropellane belongs to the medicinally important taxane diterpene family. The most prominent congener, Taxol, is one of the most commonly used anticancer agent in clinics today. Canataxpropellane exhibits a taxane skeleton with three additional transannular C-C bonds, resulting in a total of six contiguous quaternary carbons, of which four are located on a cyclobutane ring.

Rational Design of Antiangiogenic Helical Oligopeptides Targeting the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptors.

Tumor angiogenesis, essential for cancer development, is regulated mainly by vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) and their receptors (VEGFRs), which are overexpressed in cancer cells. Therefore, the VEGF/VEGFR interaction represents a promising pharmaceutical target to fight cancer progression. The VEGF surface interacting with VEGFRs comprises a short α-helix.

Laparoscopic Incisional and Ventral Hernia Repair with Absorbable Tacks in a Long Term Follow-up: A Retrospective Control Study.

Background: Laparoscopic Incisional and Ventral Hernia Repair (LIVHR) is a safe and worldwide accepted procedure performed using absorbable tacks. The aim of the study was to evaluate recurrence rate in a long term follow-up and whether the results of laparoscopic IVH repair in the elderly (≥65 years old) are different with respect to results obtained in younger patients.

Methods: One hundred and twenty-nine consecutive patients (74 women and 55 men, median age 67 years, range = 30-87 years) with ventral (N = 42, 32.

Arnica compositum, Hekla lava and Acidum Nitricum Together are Superior to Arnica compositum Alone in the Local Treatment of Symptomatic Calcific Periarthritis of the Shoulder: A Pilot Study.

Background: To evaluate the usefulness of Arnica compositum (AC) + Acidum nitricum (AN) + Hekla lava (HL) ointment in Emergency Medicine Department (EMD) as alternative nonpharmacological local treatment of patients with symptomatic calcific periarthritis of the shoulder (CPS) and to compare the effectiveness of this mixture against AC ointment alone.

Methods: A series of 41 consecutive patients (20 women, 19 men, median age 49 years, range 25-80 years) with non-traumatic painful unilateral CPS were randomly assigned to receive local treatment with AC+AN+HL ointment mixture (Group A, cases, N=21) or AC ointment alone (Group B, controls, N=20). The radiological Gartner classification of the CPS, and the quantification of pre- and post-treatment pain intensity using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were obtained.

Investigating the Interaction of Cyclic RGD Peptidomimetics with αβ₆ Integrin by Biochemical and Molecular Docking Studies.

The interaction of a small library of cyclic RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) peptidomimetics with αβ₆ integrin has been investigated by means of competitive solid phase binding assays to the isolated receptor and docking calculations in the crystal structure of the αβ₆ binding site. To this aim, a rigid receptor-flexible ligand docking protocol has been set up and then applied to predict the binding mode of the cyclic RGD peptidomimetics to αβ₆ integrin. Although the RGD interaction with αβ₆ recapitulates the RGD binding mode observed in αβ₃, differences between the integrin binding pockets can strongly affect the ligand binding ability.

Tumor Targeting with an isoDGR-Drug Conjugate.

Herein we report the first example of an isoDGR-drug conjugate (2), designed to release paclitaxel selectively within cancer cells expressing integrin α β . Conjugate 2 was synthesized by connecting the isoDGR peptidomimetic 5 with paclitaxel via the lysosomally cleavable Val-Ala dipeptide linker. Conjugate 2 displayed a low nanomolar affinity for the purified integrin α β receptor (IC =11.

Synthesis, Characterization, and Biological Evaluation of a Dual-Action Ligand Targeting αvβ3 Integrin and VEGF Receptors.

A dual-action ligand targeting both integrin αVβ3 and vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFRs), was synthesized via conjugation of a cyclic peptidomimetic αVβ3 Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) ligand with a decapentapeptide. The latter was obtained from a known VEGFR antagonist by acetylation at the Lys13 side chain. Functionalization of the precursor ligands was carried out in solution and in the solid phase, affording two fragments: an alkyne VEGFR ligand and the azide integrin αVβ3 ligand, which were conjugated by click chemistry.

Laparoscopic Totally Extraperitoneal Inguinal Hernia Repair in the Elderly: A Prospective Control Study.

Inguinal hernia (IH) repair can be obtained with both open and laparoscopic techniques, which are usually performed using a transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) or a totally extraperitoneal (TEP) approach. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether the results of laparoscopic TEP IH repair in the elderly (≥65 years old) are different with respect to results obtained in younger patients. One hundred and four consecutive patients (four women and 100 men, median age of 57 years, range=21-85 years) with unilateral (N=21, 20.

Cyclic isoDGR and RGD peptidomimetics containing bifunctional diketopiperazine scaffolds are integrin antagonists.

The cyclo[DKP-isoDGR] peptidomimetics 2-5, containing bifunctional diketopiperazine (DKP) scaffolds that differ in the configuration of the two DKP stereocenters and in the substitution at the DKP nitrogen atoms, were prepared and examined in vitro in competitive binding assays with purified αv β3 and αv β5 integrin receptors. IC50 values ranged from low nanomolar (ligand 3) to submicromolar with αv β3 integrin. The biological activities of ligands cyclo[DKP3-RGD] 1 and cyclo[DKP3-isoDGR] 3, bearing the same bifunctional DKP scaffold and showing similar αV β3 integrin binding values, were compared in terms of their cellular effects in human U373 glioblastoma cells.

The effects of acupuncture after thyroid surgery: A randomized, controlled trial.

Background: Acupuncture is a safe and well-tolerated treatment for pain relief. Previous studies supported the effectiveness of several acupuncture techniques for postoperative pain. The aim of this randomized, controlled trial was to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in reducing pain after thyroid surgery.

Long-term outcome of stapled transanal rectal resection (STARR) versus stapled hemorrhoidopexys (STH) for grade III-IV hemorrhoids: preliminary results.

Circular stapled transanal hemorrhoidopexy (STH) was first introduced by A. Longo for the correction of internal mucosal prolapse and obstructed defecation and in 1998, was proposed as alternative to conventional excisional hemorrhoidectomy. More recently, stapled transanal rectal resection (STARR) has gradually gained popularity, as the Longo procedure, in the treatment of hemorrhoids.

Touch imprint cytology and frozen-section analysis for intraoperative evaluation of sentinel nodes in early breast cancer.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is currently the suggested axillary staging procedure in patients with early-stage breast cancer (BC) and usually requires intraoperative frozen-section (FS) examination of the removed nodes. However, other techniques, such as touch imprint cytology (IC), real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and rapid cytokeratin immunostaining on FS may be used. The aim of this preliminary study was to assess the usefulness of intraoperative IC and FS section analysis together in improving the accuracy of sentinel lymph node evaluation in patients with early BC, who underwent SLNB.

Arterial blood pressure, serum calcium and PTH in elderly men with parathyroid tumors and primary hyperparathyroidism.

In patients with parathyroid tumors and primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), the relationship between arterial blood pressure (BP) and both serum calcium and parathyroid hormone (PTH) is still unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a correlation exists between BP and the main biochemical parameters in men with confirmed sporadic PHPT due to a solitary parathyroid adenoma. A series of 38 elderly (>64 years) men (median age 69 years, range 65-78 years) were enrolled in the study.

Endothelial activation markers soluble E-selectin and von Willebrand factor in primary hyperparathyroidism.

The aim of the study was to investigate the possible alteration of endothelial activity and its reversibility, by the measurement of von Willebrand factor (vWF) and soluble E-selectin (sES) in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), before and after successful parathyroidectomy. Twenty-two patients with confirmed PHPT were prospectively enrolled in the study. Sixteen sex- and age-matched healthy volunteers were used as the control group.

Axillary node sampling in conjunction with sentinel node biopsy in patients with breast cancer. A prospective preliminary study.

In patients with breast cancer (BC), axillary lymph node sampling (ALNS) is a reliable procedure with low morbidity, alternative or complementary to sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), which may improve the detection rate of axillary node metastases as compared to SLNB alone in staging the axilla. The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of ALNS in conjunction with SLNB in improving the sensitivity of SLNB alone at frozen section examination. One hundred and twelve women (median age 56 years, range 29-71 years) with BC underwent SLNB using a combined radioisotope and isosulfan blue dye technique.

The usefulness of preoperative ultrasonographic identification of nonrecurrent inferior laryngeal nerve in neck surgery.

Backgrounds And Aims: Nonrecurrent inferior laryngeal nerve (ILN) represents a risk factor for injury during neck surgery. It is associated to arterial abnormalities (absence of the brachiocephalic trunk and arteria lusoria) that can be identified by ultrasonography. The aim of the study was to verify the usefulness of preoperative ultrasonography in the research of nonrecurrent ILN by the means of identification of arterial abnormalities and the impact on ILN morbidity.

PCNA-LII, Ki-67 immunostaining, p53 activity and histopathological variables in predicting the clinical outcome in patients with parathyroid carcinoma.

Parathyroid carcinoma is uncommon and no reliable histological markers are available for predicting the clinical outcome of patients. The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between survival, histopatological markers, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), Ki-67 antigen and the expression of the p53 nuclear protein in patients with confirmed parathyroid carcinoma (PC). The routine histological specimens from 15 patients (11 men, 4-women, median age 65 years) with confirmed PC who had died of the disease were reviewed.