Seventeen cases of Mycobacterium marinum infection in Italy: A multicenter retrospective study.

Mycobacterium marinum infection is rare, misrecognized and underdiagnosed but can cause severe clinical pictures, especially if the diagnosis is late and the patient is immunocompromised. Treatment includes long-term antibiotic therapy combined with surgical therapy when necessary. We performed a multicenter retrospective study with data from five Italian hospitals describing the epidemiological, clinical, bacteriological characteristics, and treatment outcome of subjects diagnosed with M.

Histopathological analysis of gamma sarcoglycanopathy in Moroccan patients: A case series.

Introduction And Importance: In Morocco, diagnosing Gamma Sarcoglycanopathies mainly relies on histopathological analysis of muscle biopsies due to limited genetic and molecular research access. This study highlights the significance of muscle biopsies and explores potential predictive factors and possible correlation between histopathological abnormalities and clinical phenotypes.

Case Presentation: Muscle biopsies of six patients diagnosed with γ-sarcoglycanopathy were collected over two years.

Radioembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: a Comparison on Dual-phase Cone-beam CT, Contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) and Tc-macroaggregated albumin-SPECT/CT in predicting final distribution volumes and dosimetry of the post-embolization Y PET/CT.

Purpose: Personalized treatment schemes are being systematically applied to ensure best treatment outcome in oncologic patients. This is true also for personalized dosimetry in transarterial radioembolization (TARE) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Precise and detailed volumetric and functional data derived from radiological and nuclear imaging methods are essential for personalized dosimetry.

Inflammatory choroidal neovascularization: An evidence-based update.

Inflammatory choroidal neovascularization (iCNV) significantly contributes to vision impairment and ranks as the third primary cause of CNV. Arising from both infectious and noninfectious uveitis, iCNV's pathogenesis involves Bruch membrane rupture, local inflammation, and choriocapillaris ischemia. The diagnosis of iCNV is challenging due to its symptomatic overlap with other uveitis-related conditions.

Rethinking chromatin accessibility: from compaction to dynamic interactions.

The genome is traditionally divided into condensed heterochromatin and open euchromatin. However, recent findings challenge this binary classification and the notion that chromatin condensation solely governs the accessibility of transcription factors (TFs) and, consequently, gene expression. Instead, chromatin accessibility is emerging as a factor-specific property that is influenced by multiple determinants.

External load transition practices from pre-season to in-season. A case study in elite female professional soccer players.

The study aim was to compare the external load during varying microcycles (M1-M4 during pre-season and M5 during the in-season) in elite female Portuguese soccer players and to describe external load variations between differing Ms. Fourteen first-team players participated in the study (age 23.29 ± 3.

An interdisciplinary perspective of the built-environment microbiome.

The built environment provides an excellent setting for interdisciplinary research on the dynamics of microbial communities. The system is simplified compared to many natural settings, and to some extent the entire environment can be manipulated, from architectural design to materials use, air flow, human traffic, and capacity to disrupt microbial communities through cleaning. Here, we provide an overview of the ecology of the microbiome in the built environment.

Transporting difference-in-differences estimates to assess health equity impacts of payment and delivery models.

Objective: To demonstrate the use of transportability methods to extend findings from payment model evaluations to groups of historically underserved beneficiaries.

Study Setting And Design: We used a simulation study to transport the effects of the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+) model to a target population of Black fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare beneficiaries living outside the original 18 CPC+ regions. Our main outcome variable was total Medicare spending per beneficiary per year (pbpy).

Hb Monza: A novel extensive HBB duplication with preserved α-β subunit interaction and unstable hemoglobin phenotype.

Background: Unstable hemoglobins are caused by single amino acid substitutions in the HBB gene, often affecting key histidine residues, leading to protein destabilization and hemolytic crises. In contrast, long HBB variants, exceeding 20 bp, are rare and associated with a β-thalassemia phenotype due to disrupted α-β chain interactions. We describe a family wherein four of six members carry a novel 23-amino-acid in-frame duplication of HBB (c.

Circulating inflammatory markers predict depressive symptomatology in COVID-19 survivors.

Growing evidence suggests the neurobiological mechanism upholding post-COVID-19 depression mainly relates to immune response and subsequent unresolved low-grade inflammation. Herein we exploit a broad panel of cytokines serum levels measured in COVID-19 survivors at one- and three-month since infection to predict post-COVID-19 depression. 87 COVID survivors were screened for depressive symptomatology at one- and three-month after discharge through the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-13) and the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (ZSDS) at San Raffaele Hospital.

Reflections on the AMBASSADOR trial: The role of adjuvant pembrolizumab in muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma.

Recent advances in immunotherapy have transformed treatment for muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma, providing hope for cisplatin-ineligible patients. The AMBASSADOR trial evaluated adjuvant pembrolizumab in high-risk patients post-surgery, demonstrating improved disease-free survival. As overall survival data evolve, pembrolizumab is emerging as a promising adjuvant treatment option, complementing existing therapies in the treatment landscape for this disease.

Non-surgical management of BPH: An updated review of current literature and state of the art on natural compounds and medical therapy.

Introduction: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common urological disease that is strongly associated with the aging process and can lead to lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). LUTS due to BPH can significantly affect the quality of life of many patients. Among the treatments available for BPH to improve symptoms and functional outcomes, drug therapy and surgical therapy are the options of choice.

Perioperative outcomes, environmental impact and economic implications of pelvic drain discontinuation in prostate cancer patients undergoing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy.

Purpose: The utility of a pelvic drain (PD) after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) has been recently questioned. We investigated the impact of discontinuing PD placement after RARP on complications, pain, environmental benefits, and cost savings.

Methods: We identified 1,199 patients who underwent RARP with or without extended pelvic lymph node dissection from 2016 to 2023 at a referral center.

Sexual orientation and sexual functioning in midlife women veterans.

Objective: Midlife women experience menopause- and aging-related health changes that may impact sexual functioning. Research has historically relied on heteronormative constructs of sexuality, and little is known about the experiences of sexual minority women (SMW) during menopause. We therefore examined whether indices of sexual function differed between SMW and heterosexual midlife women Veterans.

Exploring Racial and Ethnic Differences in Utilization of Medications for Obesity Management in a Nationally Representative Survey.

Background: The burden of obesity falls disproportionately on some racial and ethnic minority groups.

Objective: To assess for racial and ethnic differences in the utilization of obesity-management medications among clinically eligible individuals.

Design: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (2011-2016, 2018 and 2020) data and a cross-sectional study design was used to assess for racial and ethnic differences in obesity-management medication utilization.

The Interaction and Implication of Stress-Induced Hyperglycemia and Cytokine Release Following Traumatic Injury: A Structured Scoping Review.

Introduction: This is a structured scoping review to assess whether there is a relationship between stress-induced hyperglycemia (SIH), cytokine interactions, and mortality in trauma patients in comparison to non-diabetic normoglycemia [NDN], diabetic normoglycemia [DN], and diabetic hyperglycemia [DH].

Methods: We conducted a literature search of MEDLINE (PubMed) databases from 2000 to 2022 using a search strategy to identify observational studies. Initially, 2879 articles were retrieved.

Unveiling the HSF1 Interaction Network: Key Regulators of Its Function in Cancer.

Heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) plays a central role in orchestrating the heat shock response (HSR), leading to the activation of multiple heat shock proteins (HSPs) genes and approximately thousands of other genes involved in various cellular functions. In cancer cells, HSPs play a particular role in coping with the accumulation of damaged proteins resulting from dysregulated translation and post-translational processes. This proteotoxic stress is a hallmark of cancer cells and causes constitutive activation of HSR.

Involving Knowledge Users in Health Services Research: Collective Reflections and Learning From a National Evaluation of Recurrent Miscarriage Services.

Introduction: Involving knowledge users in research can facilitate the translation of evidence into policy and practice. How to best involve and support various types of knowledge users, including patient and public involvement contributors, in research is an identified knowledge gap. We conducted a national evaluation of recurrent miscarriage care supported by a Research Advisory Group (convened in March 2020) comprising a range of knowledge users, including parent advocates and people involved in the management/provision of services.

Improving perinatal depression screening uptake: The impact of Medicaid reimbursement policy in Massachusetts.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of the Massachusetts Medicaid program's reimbursement policy change for perinatal depression screening on utilization rates.

Study Setting And Design: This study employed a difference-in-differences design to compare insurance-paid prenatal and postpartum depression screening rates as well as postpartum antidepressant receipt rates between Medicaid and privately insured individuals before and after policy implementation in May 2016.

Data Sources And Analytic Sample: Data are from the 2014-2020 Massachusetts All-Payer Claims Database.

Synergistic anticancer activity of HSP70 and HSF1 inhibitors in colorectal cancer cells: A new strategy for combination therapy.

Background: The heat shock response (HSR) is a highly conserved mechanism that maintains intracellular homeostasis in response to various environmental and physiological stresses. Heat shock proteins (HSPs), particularly HSP70, play a pivotal role in this process as molecular chaperones. Although HSP70 inhibitors have demonstrated anti-cancer activity, their therapeutic potential has been limited by the negative feedback mechanism between HSP70 and heat shock factor 1 (HSF1).