Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Treatment: Quo Vadis?

Lung cancer has been established as the second most common cancer worldwide (most common cancer in men and second most common cancer in women) and as the leading cause of cancer morbidity among neoplasms [...

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Elite Swimmers and Water Polo Players: Lessons for the Future.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted global daily life, including the world of elite athletes. This paper examines the multifaceted impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on elite swimmers and water polo athletes, specifically their mental health, their concerns over the virus, their intentions of getting vaccinated, and sleep disturbances that they may have faced.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on elite swimmers and water polo players, using an anonymous questionnaire.

Management of patients with hypertension and chronic kidney disease referred to Hypertension Excellence Centres among 27 countries. On behalf of the European Society of Hypertension Working Group on Hypertension and the Kidney.

Objective Real-life management of patients with hypertension and chronic kidney disease (CKD) among European Society of Hypertension Excellence Centres (ESH-ECs) is unclear : we aimed to investigate it. Methods A survey was conducted in 2023. The questionnaire contained 64 questions asking ESH-ECs representatives to estimate how patients with CKD are managed.

Effects of menopause and fat mass in asthmatic inflammation.

Introduction: Female hormones and obesity have an impact on women with asthma. We aimed to describe how these components affect asthma inflammatory processes.

Methods: Sex hormones [FSH, LH, estradiol (E2), estrone (E1), testosterone and Δ4 androstenedione (A4)] and serum IL1β, IL13, IL17a, IL-5, IL6, TNF-a were measured from 11 to18 pre- and postmenopausal women with asthma.

Hungry for fat: Metabolic crosstalk with lipid-rich CAFs fuels pancreatic cancer.

Some cancers prefer to metabolize lipids for their growth and metastasis. In a recent Cancer Cell study, Niu et al. revealed that SET domain containing 2, histone lysine methyltransferase (SETD2)-deficient pancreatic cancer cells induce the differentiation of lipid-laden cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), which, in turn, transport lipids to promote tumor growth.

Exploring the Impact of Airway Microbiome on Asthma Morbidity: A Focus on the "Constructing a 'Eubiosis Reinstatement Therapy' for Asthma-CURE" Project.

The asthma pandemic imposes a huge burden on patients and health systems in both developed and developing countries. Despite available treatments, symptom control is generally suboptimal, and hospitalizations and deaths remain at unacceptably high levels. A pivotal aspect of asthma that warrants further exploration is the influence of the respiratory microbiome and virome in modulating disease activity.

Early vascular aging in acute ischemic stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: While arterial stiffening is a known risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, it remains unclear whether there is an early vascular aging (EVA) in patients who have experienced acute ischemic stroke (AIS). This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to investigate whether patients with AIS exhibit EVA through pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurements shortly after the stroke onset, shedding light on the relationship between arterial stiffness, hypertension, and stroke.

Methods: Thirteen case-control studies were included, comparing PWV measurements between AIS patients and non-AIS individuals.

Anthocyanins in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Treatment and Prevention.

An ever-growing volume of data supports the important role of dietary interventions in cancer prevention and the beneficial effects of plant secondary metabolites in solid tumor therapeutics [...

Up to the Herculean Task of Tackling Cancer Therapy Resistance.

Cancer therapy resistance still poses the biggest hurdle to cancer treatment [...

Insights into Therapeutic Response Prediction for Ustekinumab in Ulcerative Colitis Using an Ensemble Bioinformatics Approach.

Introduction: Optimizing treatment with biological agents is an ideal goal for patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Recent data suggest that mucosal inflammation patterns and serum cytokine profiles differ between patients who respond and those who do not. Ustekinumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting the p40 subunit of interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-23, has shown promise, but predicting treatment response remains a challenge.

ERS International Congress 2023: highlights from the Respiratory Clinical Care and Physiology Assembly.

It is a challenge to keep abreast of all the clinical and scientific advances in the field of respiratory medicine. This article contains an overview of laboratory-based science, clinical trials and qualitative research that were presented during the 2023 European Respiratory Society International Congress within the sessions from the five groups of Assembly 1 (Respiratory Clinical Care and Physiology). Selected presentations are summarised from a wide range of topics: clinical problems, rehabilitation and chronic care, general practice and primary care, electronic/mobile health (e-health/m-health), clinical respiratory physiology, exercise and functional imaging.

Strong ion gap and anion gap corrected for albumin and lactate in patients with sepsis in the intensive care unit.

Introduction: Metabolic acidosis is very common amongst critically ill sepsis patients partly due to the presence of unmeasured ions in serum. These ions can be detected by anion gap (AG) or strong ion gap (SIG) concentration values. The purpose of this study is to assess the correlation and potential agreement of the two methods in critically ill patients with sepsis.

Proportion of inflammatory bowel diseases patients with suboptimal disease control in daily clinical practice-Real-world evidence from the inflammatory bowel diseases-podcast study.

Background: Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (UC) are inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) characterized by a progressive nature of the disease resulting in subsequent intestinal damage, limited efficacy of current treatments and suboptimal disease management and a significant burden for patients.

Objectives: The IBD-PODCAST study aims to estimate the proportion of Crohn's disease and UC patients with suboptimal disease control (SDC) in a real-world setting.

Methods: A non-interventional and cross-sectional study was conducted across 103 sites in 10 countries (Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, and UK).

RAF and MEK Inhibitors in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Lung cancer, despite recent advancements in survival rates, represents a significant global health burden. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the most prevalent type, is driven largely by activating mutations in Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homologue (KRAS) and receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), and less in v-RAF murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B (BRAF) and mitogen-activated protein-kinase kinase (MEK), all key components of the RTK-RAS-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Learning from melanoma, the identification of substitution in NSCLC provided the rationale for the investigation of RAF and MEK inhibition as a therapeutic strategy.

Oncostatin M Induces a Pro-inflammatory Phenotype in Intestinal Subepithelial Myofibroblasts.

Background: Oncostatin-M (OSM) is associated with antitumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF)-α resistance in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and fibrosis in inflammatory diseases. We studied the expression of OSM and its receptors (OSMR, gp130) on intestinal subepithelial myofibroblasts (SEMFs) and the effect of OSM stimulation on SEMFs.

Methods: The mRNA and protein expression of OSM, OSMR, gp130, and several fibrotic and chemotactic factors were studied in mucosal biopsies and isolated human intestinal SEMFs of patients with IBD and healthy controls (HCs) and in a model of human intestinal organoids (HIOs).