Exploring the Role of the Gene in Breast, Ovarian and Endometrial Cancer.

Background: germline monoallelic variants have been detected in a number of patients affected by breast/ovarian cancer or endometrial cancer, suggesting a potential susceptibility role, though their significance remains elusive since the disease mechanism is normally recessive. Hence, the aim of this research was to explore the hypothesis that a second hit could have arisen in the other allele in the tumor tissue.

Methods: we used Sanger sequencing and immunohistochemistry to search for a second variant in the tumoral DNA and to assess protein expression, respectively.

Modeling and Validation of an Ultra-Compact Regenerative Liver Dialysis Device.

The availability of a wearable artificial liver that facilitates extracorporeal dialysis outside of medical facilities would represent a significant advancement for patients requiring dialysis. The objective of this preliminary investigation is to explore, using validated mathematical models based on in vitro data, the feasibility of developing a novel, cost-effective, and highly compact extracorporeal liver support device that can be employed as a transitional therapy to transplantation outside of clinical settings. Such an innovation would offer substantial cost savings to the national healthcare system while significantly improving the patient's quality of life.

Technological grandparents: how communication technologies can improve the well-being of the elderly?

The ageing of the population is one of the most significant social transformations that the twenty first century is showcasing and a challenge that impacts society at large. The elderly, inasmuch as everybody else, are confronted with continuous transformations that are induced by technology, although they seldom benefit from the opportunities that technology entails. The digital divide amongst various segments of the population is often age-related and due to different reasons, including biological, psychological, social and financial ones.

Actinic Keratoses: A Prospective Pilot Study on a Novel Formulation of 4% 5-Fluorouracil Cream and a Review of Other Current Topical Treatment Options.

Background: Actinic keratosis (AK) is one of the most common skin diseases, with a low risk of progression into invasive squamous cell carcinoma. We aim to assess efficacy and safety of a novel formulation of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) 4% with once daily application for the treatment of multiple AKs.

Methods: A pilot study was performed on 30 patients with a clinical and dermoscopic diagnosis of multiple AKs, enrolled between September 2021 and May 2022 at the Dermatology Departments of two Italian hospitals.

Many Facets of Eating Disorders: Profiling Key Psychological Features of Anorexia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder.

. The present study employs a profile analysis to identify and compare psychological features and core eating disorder (ED) symptoms in clinical samples of patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and binge eating disorder (BED) and the general population (GP). A sample comprising 421 participants (142 patients with AN; 139 patients with BED; and 140 participants from the GP) was surveyed with the Eating Disorder Inventory-3 (EDI-3).

Removal of Methylene Blue from Wastewater by Waste Roots from the Arsenic-Hyperaccumulator : Fixed Bed Adsorption Kinetics.

Phytoremediation of arsenic-contaminated water was successfully conducted by means of the perennial fern , which is an arsenic-hyperaccumulator plant able to grow in hydroponic cultures. In order to avoid the costs linked to the disposal of As-contaminated biomass, in this work, waste roots were tested as a low-cost bio-adsorbent for the removal of methylene blue (MB) from water in a fixed-bed adsorption configuration. As a matter of fact, methylene blue can negatively impact the growth and health of algae and plants by blocking light from reaching them in water, which can alter their normal biological processes.

Hysterectomy alone vs. hysterectomy plus sentinel node mapping in endometrial cancer: Perioperative and long-term results from a propensity-score based study.

Objective: To compare outcomes after hysterectomy and hysterectomy plus sentinel node mapping (SNM) in endometrial cancer (EC) patients.

Materials And Methods: This is a retrospective study, collecting data of EC patients treated between 2006 and 2016 in nine referral centers.

Results: The study population included 398 (69.

DNA Methylation Levels and Serum Kynurenine/Tryptophan Ratio in Eating Disorders: A Possible Link with Psychopathological Traits?

Background: The incidence of eating disorders (EDs), serious mental and physical conditions characterized by a disturbance in eating or eating-related behaviors, has increased steadily. The present study aims to develop insights into the pathophysiology of EDs, spanning over biochemical, epigenetic, psychopathological, and clinical data. In particular, we focused our attention on the relationship between (i) DNA methylation profiles at promoter-associated CpG sites of the SCL6A4 gene, (ii) serum kynurenine/tryptophan levels and ratio (Kyn/Trp), and (iii) psychopathological traits in a cohort of ED patients.

Usefulness of High-Sensitivity Troponin I in Risk Stratification and Final Disposition of Patients with Acute Heart Failure in the Emergency Department: Comparison between HFpEF vs. HFrEF.

Background and Objectives: In patients with acute heart failure (AHF), there is no definite evidence on the relationship between high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTnI) and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) comparing the reduced and preserved EF conditions. Materials and Methods: Between January and April 2022, we retrospectively analyzed the data from 386 patients admitted to the emergency departments (ED) of five hospitals in Rome, Italy, for AHF. The criteria for inclusion were a final diagnosis of AHF; a cardiac ultrasound and hs-cTnI evaluations in the ED; and age > 18 yrs.

Effect of Water-Ethanol Extraction as Pre-Treatment on the Adsorption Properties of Waste.

The adsorption properties of () for the uptake of Methylene Blue (MB) from water were investigated after pre-treating the material with water-ethanol solutions at different ethanol concentrations: 0% / (AV0), 25% / (AV25), and 50% / (AV50). The pre-treated materials were characterized as follows: the pHZC was evaluated to be 6, 5.7, and 7.

The Transaxillary Route as a Second Access Option in TAVI Procedures: Experience of a Single Centre.

The aim of our study was to determine the feasibility and efficacy of transaxillary (TAX) TAVI in patients not eligible for the transfemoral route. This is a retrospective study of a single center. We analysed 262 patients treated with TAVI.

Evaluating long-term outcomes of three approaches to retroperitoneal staging in endometrial cancer.

Objective: Sentinel lymph node mapping (SNM) has gained popularity in managing apparent early-stage endometrial cancer (EC). Here, we evaluated the long-term survival of three different approaches of nodal assessment.

Methods: This is a multi-institutional retrospective study evaluating long-term outcomes of EC patients having nodal assessment between 01/01/2006 and 12/31/2016.

Association Between DRD2 and DRD4 Polymorphisms and Eating Disorders in an Italian Population.

Anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED) are the three most common eating disorders (EDs). Their etiopathogenesis is multifactorial where both the environmental and genetic factors contribute to the disease outcome and severity. Several polymorphisms in genes involved in the dopaminergic pathways seem to be relevant in the susceptibility to EDs, but their role has not been fully elucidated yet.

Essential elements in determining patient's complexity of nursing care.

Background: Nurses dedicate majority of working time to satisfy patients' needs, which are oftentimes complex. Although the concept of patient's complexity of care (PCC) has been extensively studied, it remains undefined in its essential characteristics. Various tools for assessing PCC have been developed, yet, there is no gold standard of reference.

The Role of the CDK4/6 Inhibitor Ribociclib in Locally Advanced and Oligometastatic Hormone Receptor Positive, Her2 Negative, Advanced Breast Cancer: Case Series and Review of the Literature.

The recent addition of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) and CDK6 inhibitors to endocrine therapy has remarkably improved the outcome of patients affected with hormone receptor positive (HR+), human epidermal grow factor receptor 2 negative (HER2 -) advanced breast cancer (ABC). Ribociclib showed to be effective across most subgroups, regardless of the number and the site of metastasis. Up to 10% of patients with ABC, reported an oligometastatic condition, recently defined as a slow-volume metastatic disease with limited number and size of metastatic lesions (up to 5 and not necessarily in the same organ), potentially amenable for local treatment, aimed at achieving a complete remission status.

PANHER study: a 20-year treatment outcome analysis from a multicentre observational study of HER2-positive advanced breast cancer patients from the real-world setting.

Background: The evolution of therapeutic landscape of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer (BC) has led to an unprecedented outcome improvement, even if the optimal sequence strategy is still debated. To address this issue and to provide a picture of the advancement of anti-HER2 treatments, we performed a large, multicenter, retrospective study of HER2-positive BC patients.

Methods: The observational PANHER study included 1,328 HER2-positive advanced BC patients treated with HER2 blocking agents since June 2000 throughout July 2020.

A next generation sequencing gene panel for use in the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to increase knowledge of genes associated with anorexia nervosa (AN) and their diagnostic offer, using a next generation sequencing (NGS) panel for the identification of genetic variants. The rationale underlying this test is that we first analyze the genes associated with syndromic forms of AN, then genes that were found to carry rare variants in AN patients who had undergone segregation analysis, and finally candidate genes intervening in the same molecular pathways or identified by GWAS or in mouse models.

Methods: We developed an NGS gene panel and used it to screen 68 Italian AN patients (63 females, 5 males).

Advances in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Therapy in Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease: Insight into Patient Selection, Management, and Future Directions.

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) disease is the most common congenital abnormality and is characterized by a risk of premature aortic valve disease, predominantly aortic stenosis. Surgery remains the treatment of choice for patients with symptomatic BAV disease, but, in patients who are unsuitable for surgical aortic valve replacement, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is currently used as an alternative to surgery, although there is no official recommendation for their management, since BAV patients with severe aortic stenosis have been excluded from the major TAVR randomized clinical trials. Patients with BAV stenosis present anatomic challenges for treatment with TAVR.

Factors predicting morbidity in surgically-staged high-risk endometrial cancer patients.

Objective: To investigate factors predicting the risk of developing 90-day postoperative complications and lymphatic-specific morbidity in patients undergoing surgical staging for high-risk endometrial cancer.

Methods: This is a multi-institutional retrospective cohort study. Patients affected by apparent early-stage high-risk endometrial cancer (endometrioid FIGO grade 3 with deep myometrial invasion and non-endometrioid endometrial cancer) undergoing surgical staging between 2007 and 2019.

The prognostic relevance of HER2-positivity gain in metastatic breast cancer in the ChangeHER trial.

In metastatic breast cancer (mBC), the change of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status between primary and metastatic lesions is widely recognized, however clinical implications are unknown. Our study address the question if relevant differences exist between subjects who preserve the HER2 status and those who gain the HER2 positivity when relapsed. Data of patients affected by HER2-positive mBC, treated with pertuzumab and/or trastuzumab-emtansine (T-DM1) in a real-world setting at 45 Italian cancer centers were retrospectively collected and analyzed.

Second-line Eribulin in Triple Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer patients. Multicentre Retrospective Study: The TETRIS Trial.

Large and consistent evidence supports the use of eribulin mesylate in clinical practice in third or later line treatment of metastatic triple negative breast cancer (mTNBC). Conversely, there is paucity of data on eribulin efficacy in second line treatment. We investigated outcomes of 44 mTNBC patients treated from 2013 through 2019 with second line eribulin mesylate in a multicentre retrospective study involving 14 Italian oncologic centres.

Eating disorders during COVID-19 pandemic: the experience of Italian healthcare providers.

Purpose: Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Italian population lived in quarantine from March to May 2020 (lockdown phase I). Restrictions impacted individuals' psychological health, especially in those with eating disorders (ED). Healthcare providers (HCPs) treating ED provided assistance by telemedicine and/or in walk-in clinics.

Sentinel node mapping vs. sentinel node mapping plus back-up lymphadenectomy in high-risk endometrial cancer patients: Results from a multi-institutional study.

Objective: Sentinel node mapping (SLN) has replaced lymphadenectomy for staging surgery in apparent early-stage low and intermediate risk endometrial cancer (EC). Only limited data about the adoption of SNM in high risk EC is still available. Here, we evaluate the outcomes of high-risk EC undergoing SNM (with or without back-up lymphadenectomy).

CDK4/6 Inhibitor Treatments in Patients with Hormone Receptor Positive, Her2 Negative Advanced Breast Cancer: Potential Molecular Mechanisms, Clinical Implications and Future Perspectives.

Hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer is the most common breast cancer subtype, and endocrine therapy (ET) remains its therapeutic backbone. Although anti-estrogen therapies are usually effective initially, approximately 50% of HR+ patients develop resistance to ET within their lifetime, ultimately leading to disease recurrence and limited clinical benefit. The recent addition of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) and CDK6 inhibitors (palbociclib, ribociclib, abemaciclib) to ET have remarkably improved the outcome of patients with HR+ advanced breast cancer (ABC) compared with anti-estrogens alone, by targeting the cell-cycle machinery and overcoming some aspects of endocrine resistance.