Lung transplantation: Current insights and outcomes.

Until now, the ability to predict or retard immune-mediated rejection events after lung transplantation is still limited due to the lack of specific biomarkers. The pressing need remains to early diagnose or predict the onset of chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) and its differential phenotypes that is the leading cause of death. Omics technologies (mainly genomics, epigenomics, and transcriptomics) combined with advanced bioinformatic platforms are clarifying the key immune-related molecular routes that trigger early and late events of lung allograft rejection supporting the biomarker discovery.

Mitochondrial transfer from Adipose stem cells to breast cancer cells drives multi-drug resistance.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is a complex disease, showing heterogeneity in the genetic background, molecular subtype, and treatment algorithm. Historically, treatment strategies have been directed towards cancer cells, but these are not the unique components of the tumor bulk, where a key role is played by the tumor microenvironment (TME), whose better understanding could be crucial to obtain better outcomes.

Methods: We evaluated mitochondrial transfer (MT) by co-culturing Adipose stem cells with different Breast cancer cells (BCCs), through MitoTracker assay, Mitoception, confocal and immunofluorescence analyses.

Three-dimensional environment sensitizes pancreatic cancer cells to the anti-proliferative effect of budesonide by reprogramming energy metabolism.

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most lethal cancer with an aggressive metastatic phenotype and very poor clinical prognosis. Interestingly, a lower occurrence of PDAC has been described in individuals with severe and long-standing asthma. Here we explored the potential link between PDAC and the glucocorticoid (GC) budesonide, a first-line therapy to treat asthma.

Upfront Fluorouracil, Leucovorin, Oxaliplatin, and Irinotecan Plus Bevacizumab With or Without Atezolizumab for Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Updated and Overall Survival Results of the ATEZOTRIBE Study.

JCO We report 4-year results of the phase II randomized AtezoTRIBE study. Eligible patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) received first-line fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan (FOLFOXIRI)/bevacizumab (control group, n = 73) or FOLFOXIRI/bevacizumab plus atezolizumab (experimental group, n = 145). We present overall survival (OS) and updated outcomes according to tumor immune-related biomarkers, both in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population and the cohort of patients with proficient mismatch repair (pMMR) tumors.

Increased glucosylsphingosine levels and Gaucher disease in GBA1-associated Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: Gaucher's disease (GD) is caused by biallelic mutations in the GBA1 gene, leading to reduced glucocerebrosidase (GCase) activity and substrate (glucosylceramide and glucosylsphingosine, GlcSph) accumulation. GBA1 variant carriers are at risk of Parkinson's disease (PD), but only those with biallelic mutations cross the threshold of GCase reduction, leading to substrate accumulation and GD. The link between GBA1 mutations, GD and PD is not fully understood.

Multiple Sclerosis: From the Application of Oligoclonal Bands to Novel Potential Biomarkers.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic immune-mediated disorder of the central nervous system with a high heterogeneity among patients. In the clinical setting, one of the main challenges is a proper and early diagnosis for the prediction of disease activity. Current diagnosis is based on the integration of clinical, imaging, and laboratory results, with the latter based on the presence of intrathecal IgG oligoclonal bands in the cerebrospinal fluid whose detection via isoelectric focusing followed by immunoblotting represents the gold standard.

Semaglutide in Cardiometabolic Diseases: SELECTing the Target Population.

Cardiovascular diseases remain the main cause of death and disability worldwide. Despite the tremendous improvement in pharmacological, minimally invasive and rehabilitative strategies, global deaths due to cardiovascular diseases are still increasing. Additional risk factors have been recently proposed, and thanks to scientific progress, novel drugs for the control of the main risk factors focusing on the cardiometabolic pathways have been identified.

Impact of HLA-B51 on Uveitis and Retinal Vasculitis: Data from the AIDA International Network Registries on Ocular Inflammatory Disorders.

Purpose: The clinical relevance of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) subtypes such as HLA-B51 on Behçet's disease (BD)-related uveitis and non-infectious uveitis (NIU) unrelated to BD remains largely unknown.

Methods: Data were prospectively collected from the International AIDA Network Registry for BD and for NIU. We assessed differences between groups (NIU unrelated to BD and positive for HLA-B51, BD-related uveitis positive for HLA-B51 and BD-related uveitis negative for HLA-B51) in terms of long-term ocular complications, visual acuity (VA) measured by best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), anatomical pattern, occurrence of retinal vasculitis (RV) and macular edema over time.

Long-term effectiveness of natalizumab in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: A propensity-matched study.

Treatment options for secondary progressive MS (SPMS) are limited, especially considering that the new drugs recently approved are licensed for actively relapsing patients. We aimed to compare the disability progression in a real-world cohort of SPMS patients treated with natalizumab (NTZ) or interferon beta-1b (IFNb-1b). This multicenter retrospective enrolled patients with a diagnosis of SPMS according to 2014 Lublin criteria, who received NTZ or IFNb-1b for at least 48 months between the 1st June 2012 and the 15th May 2018 ​at 33 Italian MS centers contributing to the Italian MS Registry NTZ or IFNb-1b.

Impact of liver fibrosis on COVID-19 in-hospital mortality in Southern Italy.

Background & Aims: SARS-Cov-2 infection manifests as a wide spectrum of clinical presentation and even now, despite the global spread of the vaccine, contagiousness is still elevated. The aim of the study was the evaluation of the impact of liver fibrosis assessed by FIB-4 and liver impairment, assessed by cytolysis indices, on intrahospital mortality in COVID-19 subjects.

Methods: This is a retrospective observational cohort study, which involved 23 COVID Hospital Units in Campania Region, Italy.

Burden of Antimicrobial Resistance Among Women with Post-Partum Infections in Low-Middle Income Countries: A Systematic Review.

Background: Due to the rising incidence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens, especially in Low-Middle-Income Countries (LMIC), post-partum infections represent a significant treatment challenge.

Methods: We performed a systematic review of the literature from January 2005 to February 2023 to quantify the frequency of maternal post-partum infections due to MDR pathogens in LMICs, focusing on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and/or extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacterales.

Secondary Objectives: description of antimicrobials' prescriptions.

Scoliosis and rare diseases: our experience with the Prader-Willi syndrome.

Introduction: Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) represents a difficult challenge for spine surgeons, due to the association of a structural scoliosis, with a prevalence between 15 and 86%. Conservative therapy is a viable option, but surgery is increasingly becoming the treatment of choice.

Methods: The authors reviewed a series of 15 patients affected by PWS treated at their institution between 2008 and 2023.

Reappraising the role of thyroid scintigraphy in the era of TIRADS: A clinically-oriented viewpoint.

Thyroid nodules (TNs) are a common entity, with the majority being benign. Therefore, employing an accurate rule-out strategy in clinical practice is essential. In the thyroid field, the current era is significantly marked by the worldwide diffusion of ultrasound (US)-based malignancy risk stratification systems of TN, usually reported as Thyroid Imaging Reporting And Data System (TIRADS).

COVID-19: The Development and Validation of a New Mortality Risk Score.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has found the whole world unprepared for its correct management. Italy was the first European country to experience the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus at the end of February 2020. As a result of hospital overcrowding, the quality of care delivered was not always optimal.