Heel reconstruction with ALT free flap in a 4-year-old patient after a severe lawnmower injury. A case report.

Lawnmowers represent a danger in pediatric population. Frequently, traumas involve limbs. Among the different reconstructive techniques, a free flap is often needed.

Exercise and Bone Health in Cancer: Enemy or Ally?

Bone health is often threatened in cancer patients. Bone metastasis and osteoporosis frequently occur in patients with cancer and may lead to different skeletal-related events, which may negatively affect patients' quality of life and are associated with high mortality risk. Physical exercise has been recognized as a potential adjunctive strategy in the cancer setting to improve physical function as well as treatment-related side effects.

Inflammatory markers and auto-Abs to type I IFNs in COVID-19 convalescent plasma cohort study.

Background: COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) contains neutralising anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies that may be useful as COVID-19 passive immunotherapy in patients at risk of developing severe disease. Such plasma from convalescent patients may also have additional immune-modulatory properties when transfused to COVID-19 patients.

Methods: CCP (n = 766) was compared to non-convalescent control plasma (n = 166) for soluble inflammatory markers, ex-vivo inflammatory bioactivity on endothelial cells, neutralising auto-Abs to type I IFNs and reported adverse events in the recipients.

Comparative validity of three simulation platforms for objective assessment of otoscopy skills.

Objectives: To assess the face, construct and content validity of three different platforms for otoscopy skills assessment, using a traditional otoscope with manikin, digital otoscope (Tympahealth) with manikin, and traditional otoscope with a low-cost model ear (SimEar).

Design: Prospective mixed methods study.

Setting: Tertiary hospital.

Second-line therapy in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients with germline BRCA1-2 pathogenic variants (gBRCA1-2pv).

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) harbouring germline BRCA1-2 pathogenic variants (gBRCA1-2pv) is a distinct nosological entity. Information on second-line therapy (2LT) outcome in this setting is lacking.

Methods: Data of gBRCA1-2pv metastatic PDAC patients treated with chemotherapy were collected.

Bulging Anterior Fontanelle Caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2.

Neurologic manifestations of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease in children are varied. We present the case of a 9-month-old child with bulging anterior fontanelle caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2.

Hybrid breast augmentation: our surgical approach and formula for preoperative assessment of fat graft volume.

Background: Autogenous fat grafting (AFG) is a well-known procedure utilized in addition to breast augmentation (BA) to improve breast appearance. Plastic surgeons usually estimate the ideal AFG volume relying on their personal experience based on similar previous cases: inaccurate predictions could result in incorrect evaluation of donor sites and even needless fat transfer. The purpose of this paper is to describe and prove the validity of our surgical technique and provide a simple and easy-to-use mathematical formula to assess the adequate proportion, between the volume of the implants and of the AFG, in order to obtain a natural shape and a proper volume in BA.

Interleukin-8 in Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Its Potential Role as a Prognostic Biomarker.

Among soluble actors that have emerged as druggable factors, the chemokine interleukin-8 (IL-8) has emerged as a possible determinant of response to immunotherapy and targeted treatment in several cancer types; however, its prognostic/predictive role in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains to be established. We: (i) conducted a systematic review of published literature on IL-8 expression in CRC; (ii) searched public transcriptomics databases; (iii) investigated IL-8 expression, by tumor and infiltrating cells, in a series of CRC samples; and (iv) carried out a meta-analysis of published literature correlating IL-8 expression and CRC prognosis. IL-8 possesses an important role as a mediator of the bidirectional crosstalk between tumor/stromal cells.

The prognostic role of fatigue, depression and anxiety on postoperative outcomes after pancreatectomy for pancreatic cancer. A prospective observational study (FAT-PRO study).

Objectives: This study aims to assess the prevalence of preoperative fatigue, depression and anxiety among patients undergoing pancreatic surgery for pancreatic cancer (PC), and possible relationship with postoperative outcomes.

Methods: Prospective data from 162 consecutive patients undergoing pancreatectomy for PC at a third-level referral centers for pancreatic surgery were collected. All patients preoperatively completed four questionnaires assessing depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (STAI-Y2), chronic illness fatigue (FACIT-F) and cancer therapy fatigue (FACT-G).

Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage after non-emergency percutaneous coronary intervention: Incidence, risk factors, and association with cardiovascular outcomes.

Objective: To investigate the incidence, risk factors, and association with cardiovascular outcomes of patients who developed symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) after non-emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods: We conducted a single-institution retrospective study of patients who developed symptomatic ICH after non-emergency PCI. To identify associations between clinical variables and outcomes, Cox-proportional hazards regression models were constructed.

Maintenance or consolidation therapy in small-cell lung cancer: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

We performed an updated meta-analysis to explore the role of maintenance therapy in SCLC. Clinical trials with randomization to maintenance/consolidation (V) placebo or observation or best supportive care in SCLC, both extended and limited disease were searched from January 2009 to March 2022. The hazard ratios (HR) for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) with the relative 95% confidence interval (CI) were extracted from each study.

Predicting the Need for Biopsy to Detect Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer in Patients with a Magnetic Resonance Imaging-detected Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System/Likert ≥3 Lesion: Development and Multinational External Validation of the Imperial Rapid Access to Prostate Imaging and Diagnosis Risk Score.

Background: Although multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has high sensitivity, its lower specificity leads to a high prevalence of false-positive lesions requiring biopsy.

Objective: To develop and externally validate a scoring system for MRI-detected Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PIRADS)/Likert ≥3 lesions containing clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa).

Design, Setting, And Participants: The multicentre Rapid Access to Prostate Imaging and Diagnosis (RAPID) pathway included 1189 patients referred to urology due to elevated age-specific prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and/or abnormal digital rectal examination (DRE); April 27, 2017 to October 25, 2019.

Willingness, preferences, barriers, and facilitators of a multimodal supportive care intervention including exercise, nutritional and psychological approach in patients with cancer: a cross-sectional study.

Purpose: Supportive care, including exercise, nutritional and psychological support, is becoming increasingly important in cancer given their impact on 'patients' quality and quantity of life. The purpose of this study was to explore willingness, preferences barriers and facilitators for a multimodal intervention in patients with cancer.

Methods: An anonymous questionnaire was proposed on randomly selected days to the patients visiting the cancer outpatients' facilities at the Oncology Unit of the University Hospital of Verona.

Does Myasthenia Gravis Affect Long-Term Survival in Thymic Carcinomas? An ESTS Database Analysis.

Background: Thymic carcinoma is a rare and highly malignant tumor with a dismal prognosis, which occasionally coexists with myasthenia gravis (MG). This study aims to investigate the MG incidence on a surgical cohort of patients with thymic carcinoma and to explore its influence on long-term survival. Methods: the prospectively collected data from the ESTS database on thymic epithelial tumors were reviewed.

Optimizing Fat Grafting Using a Hydraulic System Technique for Fat Processing: A Time and Cost Analysis.

 Many authors have researched ways to optimize fat grafting by looking for a technique that offers safe and long-term fat survival rate. To date, there is no standardized protocol. We designed a "hydraulic system technique" optimizing the relationship among the quantity of injected fat, operative time, and material cost to establish fat volume cutoffs for a single procedure.

Gluten Induces Subtle Histological Changes in Duodenal Mucosa of Patients with Non-Coeliac Gluten Sensitivity: A Multicentre Study.

Background: Histological changes induced by gluten in the duodenal mucosa of patients with non-coeliac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) are poorly defined. Objectives: To evaluate the structural and inflammatory features of NCGS compared to controls and coeliac disease (CeD) with milder enteropathy (Marsh I-II). Methods: Well-oriented biopsies of 262 control cases with normal gastroscopy and histologic findings, 261 CeD, and 175 NCGS biopsies from 9 contributing countries were examined.

Selpercatinib in RET-fusion positive metastatic non-small cell lung cancer: achievements and gray areas.

Introduction: Selpercatinib is a RET selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor with nanomolar potency against diverse RET alterations, including fusions, activating point mutations, and acquired resistance mutations. Rearranged during transfection (RET) gene is a validated target in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Selpercatinib is currently approved for adult patients with metastatic RET fusion-positive NSCLC.

Fibroblast-Induced Paradoxical PI3K Pathway Activation in PTEN-Competent Colorectal Cancer: Implications for Therapeutic PI3K/mTOR Inhibition.

Purpose: Tumor-microenvironment interactions are important determinants of drug resistance in colorectal cancer (CRC). We, therefore, set out to understand how interactions between genetically characterized CRC cells and stromal fibroblasts might influence response to molecularly targeted inhibitors.

Techniques: Sensitivity to PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway inhibitors of CRC cell lines, with known genetic background, was investigated under different culture conditions [serum-free medium, fibroblasts' conditioned medium (CM), direct co-culture].

Patient-specific Instrumentation Versus Standard Surgical Instruments in Primary Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty: A Retrospective Comparative Clinical Study.

Aims: Patient-specific instrumentation (PSI) in primary shoulder arthroplasty has been studied; results supported the positive impact of the PSI on the glenoid positioning. Nevertheless, no clinical outcomes have been reported. We compare the clinical outcomes of primary reverse total shoulder arthroplasty using PSI versus the standard methods.

Reconstruction of a fistula in the anterior soft triangle of the nose after basal cells carcinoma excision: A case report.

Introduction And Importance: Basal cell carcinomas represent the most frequent skin cancer and the nose is the most common site of presentation. This has an impact on both aesthetics and function of the nose and consequences in patients' psyche.

Case Presentation: In our paper, the first case in literature of a cutaneous fistula in the nasal soft triangle, after a basal cell carcinoma excision, and its reconstruction, is reported.

Effect of exercise on functional capacity in patients with advanced cancer: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Purpose: To determine the impact of exercise on functional capacity, measured through the "Six minutes walking test" (6MWT) in patients with advanced cancer stage.

Methods: Systematic research on PubMed, Cochrane Library, and SportDiscus was conducted. Randomized controlled trials were eligible if they examined the effect of exercise on 6MWT.

Harmonisation of scanner-dependent contrast variations in magnetic resonance imaging for radiation oncology, using style-blind auto-encoders.

Background And Purpose: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) exhibits scanner dependent contrast, which limits generalisability of radiomics and machine-learning for radiation oncology. Current deep-learning harmonisation requires paired data, retraining for new scanners and often suffers from geometry-shift which alters anatomical information. The aim of this study was to investigate style-blind auto-encoders for MRI harmonisation to accommodate unpaired training data, avoid geometry-shift and harmonise data from previously unseen scanners.