Alterations of Functional Connectivity Dynamics in Affective and Psychotic Disorders.

Background: Patients with psychosis and patients with depression exhibit widespread neurobiological abnormalities. The analysis of dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) allows for the detection of changes in complex brain activity patterns, providing insights into common and unique processes underlying these disorders.

Methods: We report the analysis of dFC in a large sample including 127 patients at clinical high risk for psychosis, 142 patients with recent-onset psychosis, 134 patients with recent-onset depression, and 256 healthy control participants.

AACAP Endorses the Inclusion of Methylphenidate in the WHO Model Lists of Essential Medicines.

Despite decades of clinical use and a large body of evidence, the WHO continues to exclude methylphenidate for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from its EML. The exclusion of methylphenidate has dire implications for millions of individuals with ADHD worldwide, especially those living in low and low-middle income countries (LMIC), where governmental decisions to make medicines available are contingent on EML listing.

Open datasets and code for multi-scale relations on structure, function and neuro-genetics in the human brain.

The human brain is an extremely complex network of structural and functional connections that operate at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Investigating the relationship between these multi-scale connections is critical to advancing our comprehension of brain function and disorders. However, accurately predicting structural connectivity from its functional counterpart remains a challenging pursuit.

Headaches and facial pain attributed to SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination: a systematic review.

Background And Purpose: The aim was to provide insights to the characteristics of headache in the context of COVID-19 on behalf of the Headache Scientific Panel and the Neuro-COVID-19 Task Force of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) and the European Headache Federation (EHF).

Methods: Following the Delphi method the Task Force identified six relevant questions and then conducted a systematic literature review to provide evidence-based answers and suggest specific diagnostic criteria.

Results: No data for facial pain were identified in the literature search.

Contrasting obesity: is something missing here?

The fight against obesity is largely based on recommendations about lifestyle and therapies to initiate weight loss and, hopefully, to achieve and maintain an ideal weight. The failure of this approach is witnessed by the steady increasing rates of obesity worldwide. Lifestyle modifications yield mild weight loss with poor results in the long-term.

Aquaporin-4 and transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 balance in early postnatal neurodevelopment.

In the adult brain, the water channel aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is expressed in astrocyte endfoot, in supramolecular assemblies, called "Orthogonal Arrays of Particles" (OAPs) together with the transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4), finely regulating the cell volume. The present study aimed at investigating the contribution of AQP4 and TRPV4 to CNS early postnatal development using WT and AQP4 KO brain and retina and neuronal stem cells (NSCs), as an in vitro model of astrocyte differentiation. Western blot analysis showed that, differently from AQP4 and the glial cell markers, TRPV4 was downregulated during CNS development and NSC differentiation.

Repressed Memories (of Sexual Abuse Against Minors) and Statutes of Limitations in Europe: Status Quo and Possible Alternatives.

One of the most heated debates in psychological science concerns the concept of repressed memory. We discuss how the debate on repressed memories continues to surface in legal settings, sometimes even to suggest avenues of legal reform. In the past years, several European countries have extended or abolished the statute of limitations for the prosecution of sexual crimes.

Prognostic Value and Relative Cutoffs of Triglycerides Predicting Cardiovascular Outcome in a Large Regional-Based Italian Database.

Background: Despite longstanding epidemiologic data on the association between increased serum triglycerides and cardiovascular events, the exact level at which risk begins to rise is unclear. The Working Group on Uric Acid and Cardiovascular Risk of the Italian Society of Hypertension has conceived a protocol aimed at searching for the prognostic cutoff value of triglycerides in predicting cardiovascular events in a large regional-based Italian cohort.

Methods And Results: Among 14 189 subjects aged 18 to 95 years followed-up for 11.

Rethinking the Healthcare Facilities: The Role of the Buffer Space.

Objectives: A working group conducted a survey on the use of the principle of buffer space (BS), which in case of emergencies, could benefit healthcare settings. The aim of the preliminary investigation is to define new research lines in hospitals' functional design.

Background: The global experience of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted challenges faced by hospitals when responding promptly to emergencies, including spatial reorganization and suspension of ordinary medical activities for ensuring adequate management of the emergency surge of patients.

A Novel Automatic Algorithm to Support Lung Ultrasound Non-Expert Physicians in Interstitial Pneumonia Evaluation: A Single-Center Study.

Introduction: Lung ultrasound (LUS) is widely used in clinical practice for identifying interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) and assessing their progression. Although high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) remains the gold standard for evaluating the severity of ILDs, LUS can be performed as a screening method or as a follow-up tool post-HRCT. Minimum training is needed to better identify typical lesions, and the integration of innovative artificial intelligence (AI) automatic algorithms may enhance diagnostic efficiency.

Reducing the hospitalization epidemic of chronic heart failure by disease management programs.

Chronic heart failure is the most common cause of hospitalization in Europe and rates are steadily increasing due to aging of the population. Hospitalization identifies a fundamental change in the natural history of heart failure (HF) increasing the risk of re-hospitalization and mortality. Heart failure management programs improve the quality of care for HF patients and reduce hospitalization burden.

Efficacy of canakinumab in patients with Still's disease across different lines of biologic therapy: real-life data from the International AIDA Network Registry for Still's Disease.

Introduction: The effectiveness of canakinumab may change according to the different times it is used after Still's disease onset. This study aimed to investigate whether canakinumab (CAN) shows differences in short- and long-term therapeutic outcomes, according to its use as different lines of biologic treatment.

Methods: Patients included in this study were retrospectively enrolled from the AutoInflammatory Disease Alliance (AIDA) International Registry dedicated to Still's disease.

Blastic Plasmocytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm (BPDCN): Clinical Features and Histopathology with a Therapeutic Overview.

Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasms (BPDCNs) are a rare, highly aggressive hematological malignant neoplasm that primarily involve the skin, bone marrow, lymph nodes and even extra-nodal sites. The rarity and relative poor description of cases in the literature make it necessary to review and further studies that deeply investigate this entity not only in a histopathological but also molecular field. In August-September 2023, we searched MEDLINE, PubMed and Scopus for randomized controlled trials (RCTs), narrative and systematic reviews, meta-analyses, observational studies (either longitudinal or retrospective), and case series published in English in the last 25 years using the keywords BPDCN, PDCs, Blastic NK-cell lymphoma, agranular CD4+ NK leukemia/lymphoma, agranular CD4+ CD56+ hematodermic neoplasm/tumor.

Cutaneous polyarteritis nodosa and pulmonary arterial hypertension: An unexpected liaison. A case report.

Background: Cutaneous polyarteritis nodosa (cPAN) is a form of medium-sized vessel necrotizing vasculitis. It is a rare, skin-limited variant of polyarteritis nodosa, characterized by dermal and subcutaneous tissue involvement. The most common findings in cPAN include digital gangrene, livedo reticularis, and tender subcutaneous nodules.

Normative Modeling of Brain Morphometry Across the Lifespan Using CentileBrain: Algorithm Benchmarking and Model Optimization.

We present an empirically benchmarked framework for sex-specific normative modeling of brain morphometry that can inform about the biological and behavioral significance of deviations from typical age-related neuroanatomical changes and support future study designs. This framework was developed using regional morphometric data from 37,407 healthy individuals (53% female; aged 3-90 years) following a comparative evaluation of eight algorithms and multiple covariate combinations pertaining to image acquisition and quality, parcellation software versions, global neuroimaging measures, and longitudinal stability. The Multivariate Factorial Polynomial Regression (MFPR) emerged as the preferred algorithm optimized using nonlinear polynomials for age and linear effects of global measures as covariates.

Diabetes management in cancer patients. An Italian Association of Medical Oncology, Italian Association of Medical Diabetologists, Italian Society of Diabetology, Italian Society of Endocrinology and Italian Society of Pharmacology multidisciplinary consensus position paper.

Cancer management has significantly evolved in recent years, focusing on a multidisciplinary team approach to provide the best possible patient care and address the various comorbidities, toxicities, and complications that may arise during the patient's treatment journey. The co-occurrence of diabetes and cancer presents a significant challenge for health care professionals worldwide. Management of these conditions requires a holistic approach to improve patients' overall health, treatment outcomes, and quality of life, preventing diabetes complications and cancer treatment side-effects.

The Complexity of the Tumor Microenvironment in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Emerging Therapeutic Developments.

This review explores various aspects of the HCC TME, including both cellular and non-cellular components, to elucidate their roles in tumor development and progression. Specifically, it highlights the significance of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and their contributions to tumor progression, angiogenesis, immune suppression, and therapeutic resistance. Moreover, this review emphasizes the role of immune cells, such as tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), and regulatory T-cells (Tregs), in shaping the immunosuppressive microenvironment that promotes tumor growth and immune evasion.

A Long-Term Follow-Up Study in Immune-Mediated Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura: What Are the Outcomes?

Endothelium damage triggers the multimeric protein von Willebrand factor (VWF) release and subsequent binding to platelets, which are recruited at sites of vascular injury. A complex and fragile equilibrium between circulating levels of von Willebrand factor and its metalloprotease, ADAMTS13, is responsible for the hemostatic balance. However, the presence of autoantibodies targeting ADAMTS13 results in an increase in von Willebrand factor, mainly in its ultra-large multimers.

Strong protective effect of the APOL1 p.N264K variant against G2-associated focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and kidney disease.

African Americans have a significantly higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease, especially focal segmental glomerulosclerosis -, than European Americans. Two coding variants (G1 and G2) in the APOL1 gene play a major role in this disparity. While 13% of African Americans carry the high-risk recessive genotypes, only a fraction of these individuals develops FSGS or kidney failure, indicating the involvement of additional disease modifiers.