First-line immune-based combinations or sunitinib in favorable-risk metastatic renal cell carcinoma: a real-world retrospective comparison from the ARON-1 study.

Introduction: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the most common types of urogenital cancer. The introduction of immune-based combinations, including dual immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) or ICI plus tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), has radically changed the treatment landscape for metastatic RCC, showing varying efficacy across different prognostic groups based on the International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium (IMDC) criteria.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective multicenter study, part of the ARON-1 project, aimed to evaluate the outcomes of favorable-risk metastatic RCC patients treated with immune-based combinations or sunitinib.

Basic Science and Pathogenesis.

Background: Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder phenotypically manifested by motor, cognitive and psychiatric symptoms (Novak and Tabrizi, 2011). These patients are also characterized by vigilance abnormalities. This has been demonstrated by electrophysiological measures (Wiegand et al.

Basic Science and Pathogenesis.

Background: Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease are both neurodegenerative conditions involving the basal ganglia area of the brain. Both conditions can cause symptoms that affect movement. Cognitive decline or dementia can also occur in both.

Clinical Manifestations.

Background: Cognitive reserve (CR) represents the susceptibility to age-related brain changes or Alzheimer's disease-related pathology. It is the ability to withstand the effects of aging and neurological damage. Several factors influence CR, including education, work, activites, mental activity, and social networks, which play a crucial role in an individual's ability to preserve the global cognitive functioning and counteract cognitive decline.

kMetaShot: a fast and reliable taxonomy classifier for metagenome-assembled genomes.

The advent of high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies unlocked the complexity of the microbial world through the development of metagenomics, which now provides an unprecedented and comprehensive overview of its taxonomic and functional contribution in a huge variety of macro- and micro-ecosystems. In particular, shotgun metagenomics allows the reconstruction of microbial genomes, through the assembly of reads into MAGs (metagenome-assembled genomes). In fact, MAGs represent an information-rich proxy for inferring the taxonomic composition and the functional contribution of microbiomes, even if the relevant analytical approaches are not trivial and still improvable.

Paediatric dental trauma: insights from epidemiological studies and management recommendations.

Dental trauma is common in all age groups, although, epidemiologically, it is more common in children with studies that indicate that 15% of preschoolers and 20-25% of school-age children experience it. These injuries, which frequently call for immediate attention, can affect the hard tissues and supporting components of the teeth, and, because dental damage in deciduous teeth occurs frequently and affects speech, nutrition, and oral development, it is particularly worrying. After searching three databases, Scopus, Web of Science (WoS), and PubMed, and removing duplicates, 3,630 articles were screened, and 12 publications were included in the qualitative analysis.

Advancements and future perspectives in nutrient film technique hydroponic system: a comprehensive review and bibliometric analysis.

In the context of climate change, reducing the environmental impact of agriculture has become increasingly critical. To ensure sustainable food production, it is essential to adopt cultivation techniques that maximize resource efficiency, particularly in water and nutrient usage. The Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) is one such hydroponic system, designed to optimize water and nutrient use, making it a valuable tool for sustainable agriculture.

Streamlining Global Germplasm Exchange: Integrating Scientific Rigor and Common Sense to Exclude Phantom Agents from Regulation.

This collaborative work by over 180 researchers from 40+ countries addresses the challenges posed by "phantom agents"-putative pathogenic agents named in literature without supporting data on their existence. Those agents remain on regulatory lists, creating barriers in trade and plant certification. Historically identified based solely on symptoms, these agents lack isolates or sequence data, making reliable detection or risk assessment impossible.

Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VA-ECMO) Support in New Era of Heart Transplant.

Heart failure is a serious and challenging medical condition characterized by the inability of the heart to pump blood effectively, leading to reduced blood flow to organs and tissues. Several underlying causes may be linked to this, including coronary artery disease, hypertension, or previous heart attacks. Therefore, it is a chronic condition that requires ongoing management and medical attention.

Systematic literature review and meta-analysis informing the EULAR points to consider on the initiation of targeted therapies in patients with inflammatory arthritis and a history of cancer.

Background: Targeted therapies have been associated with potential risk of malignancy, which is a common concern in daily rheumatology practice in patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA) and a history of cancer.

Objectives: To perform a systematic literature review to inform a Task Force formulating EULAR points to consider on the initiation of targeted therapies in patients with IA and a history of cancer.

Methods: Specific research questions were defined within the Task Force before formulating the exact research queries with a librarian.

2024 EULAR points to consider on the initiation of targeted therapies in patients with inflammatory arthritis and a history of cancer.

Background: Potential associations between targeted therapies and a new cancer in patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA) and a previous malignancy are a frequent concern in daily rheumatology practice.

Objectives: To develop points to consider (PTC) to assist rheumatologists when initiating a targeted therapy in the context of a previous malignancy.

Methods: Following EULAR standardised operating procedures, a task force met to define the research questions for a systematic literature review and to formulate the overarching principles (OPs) and the PTC.

Topographical Quantification of Hyper-Reflective Foci May Predict the Development of Macular Atrophy in Patients With Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was o examine the optical coherence tomographic (OCT) characteristics of hyper-reflective foci (HRF) in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and to assess the potential of HRF as a predictive factor for the development of macular atrophy following anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 61 treatment-naïve eyes diagnosed with exudative AMD and type 1 macular neovascularization (MNV). The HRF was identified in the inner retina and outer retina layers, and the treatment response of HRF was documented.

Management of intracranial and orbital complications of acute rhinosinusitis and acute otitis media in the post covid-19 era in pediatric patients.

Purpose: Acute bacterial rhinosinusitis (ABRS) and acute otitis media (AOM) are common diseases in pediatric populations that rarely lead to intracranial infection and/or orbital complications. The incidence of these complications has increased in recent years and the main aim of this study is to analyze the tendency of this increase during the pandemic years, compared with the pre-pandemic era and to propose our management of ABRS and AOM.

Method: Clinical data from children, admitted to our hospital during the period from January 2018 to March 2024 with a diagnosis of complicated ABRS and AOM was collected.

Short-term outcomes of vessel-oriented D2 and D3 lymph node dissection for sigmoid colon cancer.

Background: Level of lymph nodes dissection (LND) and inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) ligation is still matter of debate of radical resection of colorectal cancer. This study aims to compare the short-term outcome of three different surgical techniques to treat sigmoid cancer: low ligation (LL) of the IMA with D3-LND, low IMA ligation with D2-LND, and high ligation (HL) of the IMA with D3-LND.

Methods: Patients affected by sigmoid colon cancer, who underwent radical resection with three different techniques (LL and D3-LND Group A, HL and D3-LND Group B, and LL with D2 LND- Group C), were included.

Update on andrological effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19: An overview review.

Background: Evidence indicates a wide range of andrological alterations in patients with the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Aim: To provide an update on the andrological effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19.

Methods: PubMed/MEDLINE and Institutional websites were searched for randomized clinical trials, non-systematic reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses.

The ADHD Assessment Quality Assurance Standard for Children and Teenagers (CAAQAS).

Around 5% of the children and teenagers worldwide are affected by Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder [ADHD], making it a major public health concern. Recently, demand for assessments has substantially increased, putting strain on healthcare and waiting lists. There is concern that pressure to clear service bottlenecks is leading to variable quality and reliability of ADHD assessments in this population.

Unraveling the protein kinase C/NDRG1 signaling network in breast cancer.

N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) is a member of the NDRG family of intracellular proteins and plays a central role in a wide range of biological processes including stress response, differentiation, and metabolism. The overexpression of NDRG1 is an indicator of poor prognosis in various types of cancer. Here, we found that NDRG1 is an independent prognostic marker of poor outcome in breast cancer (BC).

Epigenetic Modulations of Non-Coding RNAs: A Novel Therapeutic Perspective in Sjӧgren's Syndrome.

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease that can be classified as an epithelitis based on the immune-mediated attack directed specifically at epithelial cells. SS predominantly affects women, is characterized by the production of highly specific circulating autoantibodies, and the major targets are the salivary and lachrymal glands. Although a genetic predisposition has been amply demonstrated for SS, the etiology remains unclear.

Factor analysis and clustering of motor and psychiatric dimensions in idiopathic blepharospasm.

Introduction: Idiopathic blepharospasm is a clinically heterogeneous form of focal dystonia, also associated with psychiatric symptoms. The identification of the most relevant sets of motor and psychiatric manifestations may help better understand the specific phenomenology of the condition and delineate blepharospasm subtypes more accurately.

Methods: Patients with idiopathic blepharospasm were from the Dystonia Coalition project.

Discriminative stimulus properties of α-ethyltryptamine (α-ET) in rats: α-ET-like effects of MDMA, MDA and aryl-monomethoxy substituted derivatives of α-ET.

Rationale α-ET (α-ethyltryptamine), a homolog of the classical hallucinogen α-methyltryptamine, was once prescribed clinically as an antidepressant. Classical psychedelic drugs are currently of interest as potential pharmacotherapy for psychiatric disorders. Objectives Drug discrimination was used to (a) determine if α-ET-like stimulus effects could be engendered by the prototypical phenylalkylamines MDMA ("Ecstasy") or MDA ("Love Drug") and (b) evaluate the α-ET-like stimulus effects of four synthesized aryl-substituted monomethoxy analogs of α-ET (4-OMe-, 5-OMe-, 6-OMe- and 7-OMe-α-ET).

Two-year follow-up after drug desensitization in mucopolysaccharidosis.

Background: Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) type 1 S and type 2 are rare lysosomal storage disorders characterized by impaired enzyme production, resulting in glycosaminoglycans accumulation within lysosomes. Enzyme Replacement Therapy (ERT) with laronidase and idursulfase are first line treatments, respectively. However, infusion-related hypersensitivity reactions (HR) may lead to ERT discontinuation.

PAS or Not PAS? The Sonographic Assessment of Placenta Accreta Spectrum Disorders and the Clinical Validation of a New Diagnostic and Prognostic Scoring System.

This study aimed to evaluate our center's experience in diagnosing and managing placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) in a high-risk population, focusing on prenatal ultrasound features associated with PAS severity and maternal outcomes. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 102 high-risk patients with confirmed placenta previa who delivered at our center between 2018 and 2023. Patients underwent transabdominal and transvaginal ultrasound scans, assessing typical sonographic features.

Towards Accurate Biocompatibility: Rethinking Cytotoxicity Evaluation for Biodegradable Magnesium Alloys in Biomedical Applications.

Magnesium and its alloys represent promising candidates for biomedical implants due to their biodegradability and mechanical properties, which are similar to natural bone. However, their rapid degradation process characterized by dynamic pH fluctuations and significant hydrogen gas evolution during biocorrosion adversely affects both in vitro and in vivo assessments. While the ISO 10993-5 and 12 standards provide guidelines for evaluating the in vitro biocompatibility of biodegradable materials, they also introduce testing variability conditions that yield inconsistent results.

Piezosurgery in Third Molar Extractions: A Systematic Review.

: The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the clinical efficacy, benefits, and limitations of piezosurgery in tooth extractions compared to conventional methods. Piezosurgery has emerged as a minimally invasive alternative, promoting better preservation of soft tissues and bone structures. Understanding its impact on postoperative outcomes such as pain, swelling, trismus, and bone healing is critical for its application in oral surgery; We restricted our search to English-language articles published between 1 January 2004 and 28 August 2024, in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science.

Multifocal Electroretinography Changes in Patients with Late-Stage Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) After Smaller-Incision New-Generation Implantable Miniature Telescope (SING IMT): A Case Series.

The smaller-incision new-generation implantable miniature telescope (SING IMT) represents an advancement over the previous model, WA-IMT, serving as a unilateral prosthetic device for patients with late-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This study aims to report changes in multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) 6 months post-SING IMT implantation. In this case series, we prospectively evaluated a cohort of phakic patients with late-stage AMD who underwent SING IMT implantation at the Ophthalmology Unit, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy.