Improvement of speed-accuracy tradeoff during practice of a point to point task in children with secondary dystonia.

The tradeoff between speed and accuracy is a well-known constraint for human movement, but previous work has shown that this tradeoff can be modified by practice, and the quantitative relationship between speed and accuracy may be an indicator of skill in some tasks. We have previously shown that children with dystonia are able to adapt their movement strategy in a ballistic throwing game to compensate for increased variability of movement. Here we test whether children with dystonia can adapt and improve skill learnt on a trajectory task.

Blood immune cells as potential biomarkers predicting relapse-free survival of stage III/IV resected melanoma patients treated with peptide-based vaccination and interferon-alpha.

Introduction: Despite the recent approval of several therapies in the adjuvant setting of melanoma, tumor relapse still occurs in a significant number of completely resected stage III-IV patients. In this context, the use of cancer vaccines is still relevant and may increase the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. We previously demonstrated safety, immunogenicity and preliminary evidence of clinical efficacy in stage III/IV resected melanoma patients subjected to a combination therapy based on peptide vaccination together with intermittent low-dose interferon-α2b, with or without dacarbazine preconditioning (https://www.

Inverse Impact of Cancer Drugs on Circular and Linear RNAs in Breast Cancer Cell Lines.

Altered expression of circular RNAs (circRNAs) has previously been investigated in breast cancer. However, little is known about the effects of drugs on their regulation and relationship with the cognate linear transcript (linRNA). We analyzed the dysregulation of both 12 cancer-related circRNAs and their linRNAs in two breast cancer cell lines undergoing various treatments.

Interrupting Endocrine Therapy to Attempt Pregnancy after Breast Cancer.

Background: Prospective data on the risk of recurrence among women with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer who temporarily discontinue endocrine therapy to attempt pregnancy are lacking.

Methods: We conducted a single-group trial in which we evaluated the temporary interruption of adjuvant endocrine therapy to attempt pregnancy in young women with previous breast cancer. Eligible women were 42 years of age or younger; had had stage I, II, or III disease; had received adjuvant endocrine therapy for 18 to 30 months; and desired pregnancy.

Circular RNAs Could Encode Unique Proteins and Affect Cancer Pathways.

circRNAs constitute a novel class of RNA, generally considered as non-coding RNAs; nonetheless, their coding potential has been under scrutiny. In this work, we systematically explored the predicted proteins of more than 160,000 circRNAs detected by exome capture RNA-sequencing and collected in the MiOncoCirc pan-cancer compendium, including normal and cancer samples from different types of tissues. For the functional evaluation, we compared their primary structure and domain composition with those derived from the same linear mRNAs.

The peculiar challenge of bringing CAR-T cells into the brain: Perspectives in the clinical application to the treatment of pediatric central nervous system tumors.

Childhood malignant brain tumors remain a significant cause of death in the pediatric population, despite the use of aggressive multimodal treatments. New therapeutic approaches are urgently needed for these patients in order to improve prognosis, while reducing side effects and long-term sequelae of the treatment. Immunotherapy is an attractive option and, in particular, the use of gene-modified T cells expressing a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-T cells) represents a promising approach.

Outcomes in Patients With Early Menopause Who Underwent Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

Early menopause is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, including aortic stenosis (AS). We sought to investigate the prevalence and impact of early menopause on clinical outcomes in patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for severe symptomatic AS. Women's International TAVI is a multinational, prospective, observational registry of women who underwent TAVI for severe symptomatic AS (n = 1,019).

RET-MAP: An International Multicenter Study on Clinicobiologic Features and Treatment Response in Patients With Lung Cancer Harboring a RET Fusion.

Introduction: Nearly 1% to 2% of NSCLCs harbor RET fusions. Characterization of this rare population is still incomplete.

Methods: This retrospective multicenter study included patients with any-stage RET positive (RET+) NSCLC from 31 cancer centers.

Manual and semi-automated approaches to MIBG myocardial scintigraphy in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Objective: This study investigates the effects of manual and semi-automatic methods for assessing MIBG semi-quantitative indices in a clinical setting.

Materials And Methods: We included I-MIBG scans obtained in 35 patients with idiopathic Parkinson's Disease. Early and late heart-to-mediastinum (H/M) ratios were calculated from I-MIBG images using regions of interest (ROIs) placed over the heart and the mediastinum.

3D CT-Inclusive Deep-Learning Model to Predict Mortality, ICU Admittance, and Intubation in COVID-19 Patients.

Chest CT is a useful initial exam in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) for assessing lung damage. AI-powered predictive models could be useful to better allocate resources in the midst of the pandemic. Our aim was to build a deep-learning (DL) model for COVID-19 outcome prediction inclusive of 3D chest CT images acquired at hospital admission.

A large series of molecular and serological specimens to evaluate mother-to-child SARS-CoV-2 transmission: a prospective study from the Italian Obstetric Surveillance System.

Objectives: To assay the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 genome in vaginal, rectal, and placental swabs among pregnant women and in newborn nasopharyngeal swabs and to investigate the immunological response and maternal antibody transfer through the umbilical cord blood and milk of unvaccinated mothers.

Methods: Vaginal, rectal, and placental specimens, maternal and neonatal serum, and milk were collected from a wide cohort of pregnant Italian women with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection admitted to the hospital between February 25, 2020 and June 30, 2021. Samples were tested in selected reference laboratories according to a shared interlaboratory protocol.

Multidisciplinary Management of Craniopharyngiomas in Children: A Single Center Experience.

Background: Craniopharyngioma (CP) is a rare brain tumor involving the sellar region. The best management is still debated. Gross total resection (GTR) is considered the best option to improve recurrence-free survival, but considerable long-term sequelae with a significant impact on quality of life have been reported.

Delineation of a KDM2B-related neurodevelopmental disorder and its associated DNA methylation signature.

Purpose: Pathogenic variants in genes involved in the epigenetic machinery are an emerging cause of neurodevelopment disorders (NDDs). Lysine-demethylase 2B (KDM2B) encodes an epigenetic regulator and mouse models suggest an important role during development. We set out to determine whether KDM2B variants are associated with NDD.

Inhibitory Control Development: A Network Neuroscience Perspective.

As one of the core executive functions, inhibition plays an important role in human life through development. Inhibitory control is defined as the ability to suppress actions when they are unlikely to accomplish valuable results. Contemporary neuroscience has investigated the underlying neural mechanisms of inhibitory control.

Development and Initial Validation of the ONCOREUM Score to Differentiate Childhood Cancer with Arthropathy from Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.

Objective: To develop and validate a weighted score, the ONCOREUM score, that aids physicians in differentiation of cancer with arthropathy from juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

Study Design: Data were extracted from the ONCOREUM Study, a multicenter, cross-sectional investigation aimed at comparing children with cancer and arthropathy to children with JIA. Three statistical approaches were applied to develop the ONCOREUM score and assess the role of each variable in the diagnosis of cancer with arthropathy, including 2 approaches based on multivariable stepwise selection (models 1 and 2) and 1 approach on a Bayesian model averaging method (model 3).

Highlight selection of radiochemistry and radiopharmacy developments by editorial board.

Background: The Editorial Board of EJNMMI Radiopharmacy and Chemistry releases a biannual highlight commentary to update the readership on trends in the field of radiopharmaceutical development.

Main Body: This commentary of highlights has resulted in 21 different topics selected by each coauthoring Editorial Board member addressing a variety of aspects ranging from novel radiochemistry to first in man application of novel radiopharmaceuticals.

Conclusion: Trends in radiochemistry and radiopharmacy are highlighted demonstrating the progress in the research field in various topics including new PET-labelling methods, FAPI-tracers and imaging, and radionuclide therapy being the scope of EJNMMI Radiopharmacy and Chemistry.

Seroprevalence of infection-induced SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among health care users of Northern Italy: results from two serosurveys (October-November 2019 and September-October 2021).

Objectives: The objective was to estimate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in autumn 2019 (before case zero was identified in Italy) and 2021 among residual sera samples from health care users in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy.

Methods: Two serosurveys were conducted. Using a semiquantitative method, samples were tested for the presence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against the S1 domain of the spike protein.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on eating styles: A population based-survey during the first lockdown in Italy.

Background: The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had a strong impact on eating behavior. To maintain health and well-being, correct nutrition is essential, especially when the immune system is under pressure.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between emotional aspects and the eating behavior of a group of people living in Sicily during the lockdown due to COVID-19.

Climate change effects on bread wheat phenology and grain quality: A case study in the north of Italy.

Increasing temperatures, heat waves, and reduction of annual precipitation are all the expressions of climate change (CC), strongly affecting bread wheat ( L.) grain yield in Southern Europe. Being temperature the major driving force of plants' phenological development, these variations also have effects on wheat phenology, with possible consequences on grain quality, and gluten protein accumulation.

Case Reports: Novel Missense Variants in the Filamin C Actin Binding Domain Cause Variable Phenotypes.

Filamin C is a large dimeric actin-binding protein, most prevalent in skeletal and cardiac muscle Z-discs, where it participates in sarcomere mechanical stabilization and intracellular signaling, interacting with numerous binding partners. Dominant heterozygous mutations of Filamin C gene cause several forms of myopathy and structural or arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. In this report we describe clinical and molecular findings of two Italian patients, in whom we identified two novel missense variants located within the Filamin C actin binding domain.

Organic extract of induces cell cycle block in human mesothelioma cells.

The serious side effects caused by chemotherapeutics and the development of cancer chemoresistance represent the most significant limitations in the treatment of cancer. Some alternative approaches have been developed in recent years, which are based on natural compounds, and have allowed important advances in cancer therapeutics. During the last 50 years, sponges have been considered a promising source of natural products from the marine environment, representing ~30% of all marine natural products.

Nerve high-resolution ultrasound in a 2-year follow-up of radial nerve palsy related to humeral shaft fractures.

Background: High-resolution nerve ultrasonography (HRUS) could have an emerging importance in diagnosis and follow-up of axonopathic radial palsy associated with humeral shaft fractures due to closed trauma. The aim of our study was to establish the role of HURS in this context through a longitudinal multimodal analysis.

Methods: Clinical, electrodiagnostic (EDX) and HRUS evaluations were prospectively performed at month 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 from injury, in a continuous series of 19 patients collected in a 5-year study.

Evaluation of test-retest reliability and concurrent validity of the Italian version of the pediatric evaluation of disability inventory in children with down syndrome: A cross-sectional study.

Purpose: Down Syndrome (DS) is a common genetic disorder caused by trisomy 21. Due to cognitive challenges associated with DS, individuals often experience difficulty performing activities of daily living (ADLs), at levels that can range from mild to significant. This study aimed to measure psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI-I) in the DS population.