Global disparities in the treatment of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: results from an international online survey study.

Objectives: We aimed to explore current practice and interregional differences in the treatment of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs). We triangulated these observations considering countries' gross national income (GNI), disease subtypes, and symptoms using patient-reported information.

Methods: A cross-sectional ancillary analysis of the 'COVID-19 vaccination in auto-immune disease' (COVAD) e-survey containing demographic characteristics, IIM subtypes (DM, PM, IBM, anti-synthetase syndrome [ASSD], immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy [IMNM], overlap myopathies [OM]), current symptoms (surrogate for organ involvement) and treatments (corticosteroids [CS], immunomodulators [IM], i.

Comparison of Two Generations of Thoracic Aortic Stent Grafts and Their Impact on Aortic Stiffness in an Porcine Model.

Objective: Little is known about the cardiovascular changes after TEVAR and regarding the impact on aortic stiffness for different stent graft generations specifically, following changes in device design. The present study evaluated the stent graft induced aortic stiffening of two generations of the Valiant thoracic aortic stent graft.

Methods: This was an porcine investigation using an experimental mock circulatory loop.

Analysing outpatient care access for planning purposes: The Basilicata Region experience.

The delivery of healthcare services at regional level should be modeled on population needs, stemming from patients' consumption pattern and trying to include unexpressed needs and exclude excesses of demand due to both moral hazard behaviors and inducements from the supply side. We propose a model able to estimate the frequency of access in outpatient care (OC) based on the characteristics of the population. According to empirical evidence, among the determinants of outpatient access we include variables addressing health, socioeconomic status and place of residence, plus variables related to the supply of services.

Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement of Animal Experiments in Anticancer Drug Development: The Contribution of 3D In Vitro Cancer Models in the Drug Efficacy Assessment.

In the last decades three-dimensional (3D) in vitro cancer models have been proposed as a bridge between bidimensional (2D) cell cultures and in vivo animal models, the gold standards in the preclinical assessment of anticancer drug efficacy. 3D in vitro cancer models can be generated through a multitude of techniques, from both immortalized cancer cell lines and primary patient-derived tumor tissue. Among them, spheroids and organoids represent the most versatile and promising models, as they faithfully recapitulate the complexity and heterogeneity of human cancers.

Age at diagnosis influences the clinical phenotype, treatment strategies and outcomes in patients with giant cell arteritis: results from the observational GCAGE study on a large cohort of 1004 patients.

Background: Immune and vascular ageing are proposed risk factors for giant cell arteritis (GCA). Data on the impact of age at diagnosis of GCA on the clinical presentation and course of the disease are scarce.

Methods: Patients with GCA followed at referral centres within the Italian Society of Rheumatology Vasculitis Study Group were enrolled up to November 2021.

Alternative Splicing Changes Promoted by NOVA2 Upregulation in Endothelial Cells and Relevance for Gastric Cancer.

Angiogenesis is crucial for cancer progression. While several anti-angiogenic drugs are in use for cancer treatment, their clinical benefits are unsatisfactory. Thus, a deeper understanding of the mechanisms sustaining cancer vessel growth is fundamental to identify novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

New Tricholidic Acid Triterpenoids from the Mushroom Collected in an Italian Beech Wood.

The secondary metabolites produced by Romagn., a mushroom species belonging to the large genus (Basidiomycota, Tricholomataceae), are unknown. Therefore, encouraged by the interesting results obtained in our previous chemical analyses of a few species collected in Italian woods, we aimed to investigate the secondary metabolites of .

Interaction studies of oxindole-derivatives with β-amyloid peptides inhibiting its aggregation induced by metal ions.

Some hydrazones and Schiff bases derived from isatin, an endogenous oxindole formed in the metabolism of tryptophan, were obtained to investigate their effects on in vitro aggregation of β-amyloid peptides (Aβ), macromolecules implicated in Alzheimer's disease. Some hydrazone ligands, prepared by condensation reactions of isatin with hydrazine derivatives, showed a large affinity binding to the synthetic peptides Aβ, particularly to Aβ. Measurements by NMR spectroscopy indicated that those interactions occur mainly at the metal binding site of the peptide, involving His6, His13, and His14 residues, and that hydrazone E-diastereoisomer interacts preferentially with the amyloid peptides.

Transition to retirement impact on smoking habit: results from a longitudinal analysis within the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) project.

Background: In an ageing society, retirement impacts on behavioural risk factors and health outcomes should be carefully assessed. Scant evidence exists from longitudinal studies on the short- and long-term consequences of the transition to retirement on smoking habit.

Methods: We conducted a longitudinal study based on the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) data from 27 European countries plus Israel collected in 2004-2020.

Production and characterization of Ag radioisotope for medical use in a TRIGA Mark II nuclear research reactor.

Radio Pharmaceutical Therapy (RPT) comes forth as a promising technique to treat a wide range of tumors while ensuring low collateral damage to nearby healthy tissues. This kind of cancer therapy exploits the radiation following the decay of a specific radionuclide to deliver a lethal dose to tumor tissues. In the framework of the ISOLPHARM project of INFN, Ag was recently proposed as a promising core of a therapeutic radiopharmaceutical.

Systemic sclerosis and COVID-19 vaccine safety: short-term insights from the global COVID-19 vaccination in autoimmune disease (COVAD) survey.

The safety profile of COVID-19 vaccines is understudied in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). We compared short-term adverse events (AEs) 7 days following vaccination in patients with SSc vs other rheumatic (AIRDs), non-rheumatic autoimmune diseases (nrAIDs), and healthy controls (HCs). The COVID-19 Vaccination in autoimmune diseases (COVAD) self-reporting e-survey was circulated by a group of > 110 collaborators in 94 countries from March to December 2021.

Determination of the quality of lipoproteins by Raman spectroscopy in obese and healthy subjects.

Lipoproteins (LPs) are multimolecular complexes of lipids and proteins responsible for transporting fatty acids, cholesterol, and micronutrients (carotenoids) through the body. The quantification of triglycerides and cholesterol carried by lipoproteins is a leading clinical parameter to assess the increased risk of cardiovascular events. However, in recent times, the study of the overall "quality" of lipoproteins, defined by their biochemical composition and oxidation state, has emerged as necessary to improve the definition of the cardiovascular risk.

Flares in autoimmune rheumatic diseases in the post-COVID-19 vaccination period-a cross-sequential study based on COVAD surveys.

Objective: Flares of autoimmune rheumatic diseases (AIRDs) following COVID-19 vaccination are a particular concern in vaccine-hesitant individuals. Therefore, we investigated the incidence, predictors and patterns of flares following vaccination in individuals living with AIRDs, using global COVID-19 Vaccination in Autoimmune Diseases (COVAD) surveys.

Methods: The COVAD surveys were used to extract data on flare demographics, comorbidities, COVID-19 history, and vaccination details for patients with AIRDs.

Disruption of Astrocyte-Dependent Dopamine Control in the Developing Medial Prefrontal Cortex Leads to Excessive Grooming in Mice.

Background: Astrocytes control synaptic activity by modulating perisynaptic concentrations of ions and neurotransmitters including dopamine (DA) and, as such, could be involved in the modulating aspects of mammalian behavior.

Methods: We produced a conditional deletion of the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) specifically in astrocytes (aVMTA2cKO mice) and studied the effects of the lack of VMAT2 in prefrontal cortex (PFC) astrocytes on the regulation of DA levels, PFC circuit functions, and behavioral processes.

Results: We found a significant reduction of medial PFC (mPFC) DA levels and excessive grooming and compulsive repetitive behaviors in aVMAT2cKO mice.

H-NMR Relaxation of Ferrite Core-Shell Nanoparticles: Evaluation of the Coating Effect.

We investigated the effect of different organic coatings on the H-NMR relaxation properties of ultra-small iron-oxide-based magnetic nanoparticles. The first set of nanoparticles, with a magnetic core diameter ds1 = 4.4 ± 0.

Prevalence and Complications of Aberrant Subclavian Artery in Patients With Heritable and Nonheritable Arteriopathies.

Background: An aberrant subclavian artery (ASA) (or lusoria) is the most common congenital anomaly of the aortic arch (0.5%-2.2%; female-to-male ratio 2:1 to 3:1).

The effect of size, shape, coating and functionalization on nuclear relaxation properties in iron oxide core-shell nanoparticles: a brief review of the situation.

In this perspective article, we present a short selection of some of the most significant case studies on magnetic nanoparticles for potential applications in nanomedicine, mainly magnetic resonance. For almost 10 years, our research activity focused on the comprehension of the physical mechanisms on the basis of the nuclear relaxation of magnetic nanoparticles in the presence of magnetic fields; taking advantage of the insights gathered over this time span, we report on the dependence of the relaxation behaviour on the chemico-physical properties of magnetic nanoparticles and discuss them in full detail. In particular, a critical review is carried out on the correlations between their efficiency as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging and the magnetic core of magnetic nanoparticles (mainly iron oxides), their size and shape, and the coating and solvent used for making them biocompatible and well dispersible in physiological media.

Superior vena cava Candida krusei septic thrombophlebitis in an ARDS patient on ECMO, with an unusual late complication.

Candida-related bloodstream infections (BSIs) represent a severe condition associated with health care in the critical patient, with an increasing incidence of Candida non-albicans species. These infections could lead to several and unusual complications in high-risk patients due to various factors, including a prolonged hospital stay and invasive medical interventions. Here we report a case of a Candida krusei septic thrombophlebitis in an ARDS patient admitted to the ICU, complicated by a late onset prostatic abscess.

Is mid-gestational uterine artery Doppler still useful in a setting with routine first-trimester pre-eclampsia screening? A cohort study.

Objective: To evaluate whether routine mid-gestational uterine artery Doppler (UtAD) modifies the risk for preterm pre-eclampsia after first-trimester combined pre-eclampsia screening.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: London Tertiary Hospital.