Impact of calreticulin mutations on treatment and survival outcomes in myelofibrosis during ruxolitinib therapy.

Calreticulin (CALR) mutations are detected in around 20% of patients with primary and post-essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis (MF). Regardless of driver mutations, patients with splenomegaly and symptoms are generally treated with JAK2-inhibitors, most commonly ruxolitinib. Recently, new therapies specifically targeting the CALR mutant clone have entered clinical investigation.

Delphi consensus on the diagnostic criteria of polycystic ovary syndrome.

Purpose: To gather the current opinion among Italian gynecologists and endocrinologists regarding the definition, diagnosis, and treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Method: A Delphi survey consisting of 26 statements was designed by a nine-member panel (consisting of members from the Italian Society of Endocrinology (SIE) and the Experts Group AQon Inositol in Basic and Clinical Research and on PCOS (EGOI-PCOS)) and distributed to 102 experts in PCOS across the fields of gynecology and endocrinology. Consensus was defined as an agreement between at least 70% of responders.

Inappropriate prescribing of drugs for peptic ulcer and gastro-esophageal reflux disease remains a matter of concern: Results from the LAPTOP-PPI cluster randomized trial.

Background: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are among the most commonly and inappropriately prescribed drugs by general practitioners (GPs), resulting in increased risk of adverse outcomes for patients and in avoidable costs for Italy's National Health Service (NHS). This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a low-cost and easily implementable informative intervention directed at GPs to enhance the appropriate prescription of PPIs.

Methods: The LAPTOP-PPI study is a pragmatic, cluster-randomized controlled trial designed to improve the appropriateness of PPI prescriptions among community-dwelling individuals aged ≥65 years.

Corrigendum: Cipaglucosidase alfa plus miglustat: linking mechanism of action to clinical outcomes in late-onset Pompe disease.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2024.

Biologics as well as inhaled anti-asthmatic therapy achieve clinical remission: Evidence from the Severe Asthma Network in Italy (SANI).

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of severe asthma (SA) treatments after 12 months in achieving clinical remission (CR) within the context of the Severe Asthma Network in Italy (SANI) using the recent SANI definition of CR on treatment.

Methods: CR has been defined by SANI as complete, partial, and no CR. Complete CR is defined by the absence of oral corticosteroids (OCS), no symptoms, no exacerbations, and stable lung function, and partial CR requires the absence of OCS and the fulfillment of 2 out of the other 3 criteria.

In-Hospital Outcomes after Robotic Open Radical Nephroureterectomy.

To test whether the contemporary robot-assisted nephroureterectomy (RNU) is associated with more favorable in-hospital outcomes than historical RNU, relative to the same endpoints in open NU (ONU). Within the National Inpatient Sample (2008-2019), we identified RNU and ONU patients. Multivariable logistic and Poisson regression models were fitted.

Nanostructural Modulation of G-Quadruplex DNA in Neurodegeneration: Orotate Interaction Revealed Through Experimental and Computational Approaches.

The natural compound orotic acid and its anionic form, orotate, play a pivotal role in various biological processes, serving as essential intermediates in pyrimidine de novo synthesis, with demonstrated connections to dietary, supplement, and neurodrug applications. A novel perspective on biomolecular aggregation at the nanoscale, particularly pertinent to neurodegeneration, challenges the established paradigm positing that peptide (amyloid beta) and protein (tau) aggregation mainly govern the molecular events underlying prevalent neuropathologies. Emerging biological evidence indicates a notable role for G-quadruplex (G4) DNA aggregation in neurodegenerative processes affecting neuronal cells, particularly in the presence of extended (GC) repeats in nuclear DNA sequences.

Liquid Crystalline Networks Hamper the Malignancy of Cancer Cells.

Mimicking compositions and structures of extracellular matrix is widely studied to create in vitro tumor models, to deepen the understanding of the pathogenesis of the different types of cancer, and to identify new therapies. On the other hand, the use of synthetic materials to modulate cancer cell biology and, possibly, to reduce the malignancy of cancer cells through their exploitation is far less explored. Here, the study evaluates the effects of Liquid Crystalline Networks (LCNs) based scaffolds on the growth of A375 metastatic melanoma cells.

Can biodegradable plastics mitigate plastamination? Feedbacks from marine organisms.

The EU plastic strategy aims to reduce the environmental impact of the increasing plastic production, by replacing petrochemical-based polymers with biodegradable ones. But this mitigation measure for the plastamination might, in turn, generate bio-based microplastics in environments that are not necessarily safe. Biodegradable and non-biodegradable plastics, polylactic acid (PLA) and polypropylene (PP) respectively, and their leachates were used for testing microplastic (MP) effects on seven marine species from different trophic levels, including bacteria, algae, rotifers, copepods, amphipods and branchiopods.

Cortical areas associated to higher cognition drove primate brain evolution.

Although intense research effort is seeking to address which brain areas fire and connect to each other to produce complex behaviors in a few living primates, little is known about their evolution, and which brain areas or facets of cognition were favored by natural selection. By developing statistical tools to study the evolution of the brain cortex at the fine scale, we found that rapid cortical expansion in the prefrontal region took place early on during the evolution of primates. In anthropoids, fast-expanding cortical areas extended to the posterior parietal cortex.

Cancer-specific mortality after radical prostatectomy versus radiotherapy in incidental prostate cancer.

Introduction: To test for cancer specific mortality (CSM) differences after either radical prostatectomy (RP) or radiotherapy (RT) in incidental prostate cancer (IPCa) patients.

Patients And Methods: Within the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (2004-2015), IPCa patients were identified. Cumulative incidence plots as well as competing risks regression (CRR) models were fitted to address CSM after adjustment for other-cause mortality (OCM).

Symbiosis and horizontal gene transfer promote herbivory in the megadiverse leaf beetles.

Beetles that feed on the nutritionally depauperate and recalcitrant tissues provided by the leaves, stems, and roots of living plants comprise one-quarter of herbivorous insect species. Among the key adaptations for herbivory are plant cell wall-degrading enzymes (PCWDEs) that break down the fastidious polymers in the cell wall and grant access to the nutritious cell content. While largely absent from the non-herbivorous ancestors of beetles, such PCWDEs were occasionally acquired via horizontal gene transfer (HGT) or by the uptake of digestive symbionts.

Screening of primary aldosteronism and pheochromocytoma among patients with hypertension: an Italian nationwide survey.

Purpose: The delayed or missed diagnosis of secondary hypertension contributes to the poor blood pressure control worldwide. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic approach to primary aldosteronism (PA) and pheochromocytoma (PHEO) among Italian centers associated to European and Italian Societies of Hypertension.

Methods: Between July and December 2023, a 10-items questionnaire was administered to experts from 82 centers of 14 Italian regions and to cardiologists from the ARCA (Associazioni Regionali Cardiologi Ambulatoriali) Piemonte.

Evaluation of mental disorder related to colposcopy procedure during the COVID period: A cross-sectional study.

Background: The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) has had a significant impact on healthcare organizations, leading to a reduction in screening. The pandemic period has caused important psychological repercussions in the most fragile patients.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the levels of depression, anxiety, peri-traumatic stress, and physical symptoms in patients undergoing colposcopy during the COVID-19 pandemic and to compare these data with the post-pandemic period.

Inter-Rater Disagreements in Applying the Montreal Classification for Crohn's Disease: The Five-Nations Survey Study.

Background: The Montreal classification has been widely used in Crohn's disease since 2005 to categorize patients by the age of onset (A), disease location (L), behavior (B), and upper gastrointestinal tract and perianal involvement. With evolving management paradigms in Crohn's disease, we aimed to assess the performance of gastroenterologists in applying the Montreal classification.

Methods: An online survey was conducted among participants at an international educational conference on inflammatory bowel diseases.

Incidence of hospital-acquired infections due to carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in critically ill patients in Italy: a multicentre prospective cohort study.

Background: Carbapenem-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria, including Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) and Carbapenem-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA), are common causes of infections in intensive care units (ICUs) in Italy.

Objective: This prospective observational study evaluated the epidemiology, management, microbiological characterization, and outcomes of hospital-acquired CRE or CRPA infections treated in selected ICUs in Italy.

Methods: The study included patients with hospital-acquired infections due to CRE and CRPA treated in 20 ICUs from June 2021 to February 2023.

Role of the International Society of Liquid Biopsy (ISLB) in establishing quality control frameworks for clinical integration.

Liquid biopsy (LB) has revolutionized molecular pathology, offering non-invasive insights into tumor biology. However, widespread adoption is hindered by a lack of standardized protocols, requiring robust quality control and harmonized workflows. Large-scale studies are needed to establish effective standard operating procedures (SOPs), particularly for circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) assays tailored to different disease stages.

Fish migration modeling and habitat assessment in a complex fluvial system.

Fish migration patterns are driven by hydrodynamic factors, which are essential in aquatic ecology. This study investigated the hydrodynamic drivers of Gymnocypris przewalskii fish migration in two distinct river reaches-a straight reach (SR) and a confluence reach (CR)- in the area of Qinghai Lake, China, using a 3D numerical model, fish density field data, and four predictive models. Thirteen hydrodynamic factors, with a focus on water depth and velocity, were analyzed to identify their influence on fish migration.

Multi-institutional Knowledge-Based (KB) plan prediction benchmark models for whole breast irradiation.

Purpose: To train and validate KB prediction models by merging a large multi-institutional cohort of whole breast irradiation (WBI) plans using tangential fields.

Methods: Ten institutions (INST1-INST10, 1481 patients) developed their KB-institutional models for left/right WBI (ten models for right and eight models for left). The transferability of models among centers was assessed based on the overlap of the geometric Principal Component (PC1) of each model when applied to other institutions and/or on the presence of significantly different optimization policies.

Conformational Antibodies to Proteolipid Protein-1 and Its Peripheral Isoform DM20 in Patients With CNS Autoimmune Demyelinating Disorders.

Background And Objectives: Antibodies to proteolipid protein-1 (PLP1-IgG), a major central myelin protein also expressed in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) as the isoform DM20, have been previously identified mostly in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), with unclear clinical implications. However, most studies relied on nonconformational immunoassays and included few patients with non-MS CNS autoimmune demyelinating disorders (ADDs). We aimed to investigate conformational PLP1-IgG in the whole ADD spectrum.

Enhancing AI Chatbot Responses in Health Care: The SMART Prompt Structure in Head and Neck Surgery.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the impact of prompt construction on the quality of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot responses in the context of head and neck surgery.

Study Design: Observational and evaluative study.

Setting: An international collaboration involving 16 researchers from 11 European centers specializing in head and neck surgery.