Quantification of solvation forces with amplitude modulation AFM.

Hypothesis: Interfacial solvation forces arise from the organisation of liquid molecules near solid surfaces. They are crucial to fundamental phenomena, spanning materials science, molecular biology, and technological applications, yet their molecular details remain poorly understood. Achieving a complete understanding requires imaging techniques, such as three-dimensional atomic force microscopy (3D AFM), to provide atomically resolved images of solid-liquid interfaces (SLIs).

The role of non-respiratory arousals in residual daytime sleepiness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea treated with positive airway pressure: An analysis of the European Sleep Apnea Database registry.

Study Objectives: To assess the impact of the non-respiratory arousal burden at baseline polysomnography (PSG) on residual daytime sleepiness in positive airway pressure (PAP)-treated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Methods: We included OSA patients from the European Sleep Apnea Database registry with available arousal data who had at least 2 treatment follow-up visits. The primary outcome was the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score under PAP.

Exploring specific alterations at the explicit and perceptual levels in sense of ownership, agency, and body schema in Functional Motor Disorder: A pilot comparative study with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Functional Motor Disorders (FMD) consists in symptoms of altered motor function not attributable to typical neurological and medical conditions. This study aimed to explore explicit and perceptual measures of Sense of Ownership, Agency, and Body Schema in FMD patients, and assess whether these alterations are specific to FMD or shared with other functional disturbances. Twelve FMD patients, ten with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS, a functional gastrointestinal disorder) and fifteen healthy controls (HC) underwent: (i) the Mirror Box Illusion (MBI), requiring participants to perform tapping movements with their dominant hand concealed from sight, while visual feedback was provided by an alien hand under visuo-motor congruency or incongruency conditions; (ii) a Forearm Bisection Task before and after exposure to the MBI, and the Embodiment Questionnaire after the MBI, as perceptual and explicit indices of the embodiment illusion, respectively.

Exploring ChatGPT's communication behaviour in healthcare interactions: A psycholinguistic perspective.

Objectives: Conversational artificial agents such as ChatGPT are commonly used by people seeking healthcare information. This study investigates whether ChatGPT exhibits distinct communicative behaviors in healthcare settings based on the nature of the disorder (medical or psychological) and the user communication style (neutral vs. expressing concern).

The 2024 Assisi think tank on breast cancer: Focus on the use of a tumour bed boost after breast conserving therapy.

At the Fifth Assisi Think Tank Meeting (ATTM) on breast cancer, one key topic was the role of tumor bed boost in invasive breast cancer and ductal carcinoma in situ. The need for a tumor bed boost after whole breast irradiation is controversial. A literature review assessed boost indications, target volume definition, techniques, dose fractionation, and ongoing trials.

Predictive model of intrahepatic collateral vessels among hepatic veins in patients with liver tumors involving the caval confluence.

Background: Communicating vessels among hepatic veins in patients with tumors invading/compressing hepatic veins at their caval confluence facilitate new surgical solutions. Although their recognition by intraoperative ultrasound has been described, the possibility of preoperative detection still remains uncertain. We aimed to develop a model to predict their presence before surgery.

One hundred thirty-four germ line PU.1 variants and the agammaglobulinemic patients carrying them.

Leukopoiesis is lethally arrested in mice lacking the master transcriptional regulator PU.1. Depending on the animal model, subtotal PU.

Prevalence of FGFR2b Protein Overexpression in Advanced Gastric Cancers During Prescreening for the Phase III FORTITUDE-101 Trial.

Purpose: Fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 isoform IIIb (FGFR2b) protein overexpression is an emerging biomarker in gastric cancer and gastroesophageal junction cancer (GC). We assessed FGFR2b protein overexpression prevalence in nearly 3,800 tumor samples as part of the prescreening process for a global phase III study in patients with newly diagnosed advanced or metastatic GC.

Methods: As of June 28, 2024, 3,782 tumor samples from prescreened patients from 37 countries for the phase III FORTITUDE-101 trial (ClinicalTrials.

Genomic Characterization and Prognostic Significance of Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Low, Hormone Receptor-Positive, Early Breast Cancers From the BIG 1-98 and SOFT Clinical Trials.

Purpose: To investigate whether hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-low (HR+HER2-low) versus HR+HER2-zero early breast cancers have distinct genomic and clinical characteristics.

Methods: This study included HR+, HER2-negative early breast cancers from patients enrolled in the phase III, randomized BIG 1-98 and SOFT clinical trials that had undergone tumor genomic sequencing. Tumors were classified HR+HER2-low if they had a centrally reviewed HER2 immunohistochemistry (IHC) score of 1+ or 2+ with negative in situ hybridization and HR+HER2-zero if they had an HER2 IHC score of 0.

Phase 2 Randomised Study of Bulevirtide as Monotherapy or Combined With Peg-IFNα-2a as Treatment for Chronic Hepatitis Delta.

Background And Aim: Bulevirtide (BLV) leads to beneficial virologic and biochemical responses when given alone to treat hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection, which causes the most severe form of chronic viral hepatitis. We evaluated 48 weeks of BLV monotherapy, BLV + tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and BLV + pegylated interferon alfa-2a (Peg-IFNα-2a), with 24-week follow-up.

Methods: Ninety patients were enrolled into six arms of 15 each (A-F); 60 patients were included in the main randomisation (arms A-D), and 30 patients (arms E-F) were randomised to the extension phase: (A) Peg-IFNα-2a 180 μg once weekly (QW); (B) BLV 2 mg once daily (QD) + Peg-IFNα-2a 180 μg QW; (C) BLV 5 mg QD + Peg-IFNα-2a 180 μg QW; (D) BLV 2 mg QD; (E) BLV 10 mg QD + Peg-IFNα-2a 180 μg QW and (F) BLV 10 mg (5 mg twice daily) + TDF QD.

Abiotic Stress-Induced Chloroplast and Cytosolic Ca Dynamics in the Green Alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Calcium (Ca)-dependent signalling plays a well-characterised role in the perception and response mechanisms to environmental stimuli in plant cells. In the context of a constantly changing environment, it is fundamental to understand how crop yield and microalgal biomass productivity are affected by external factors. Ca signalling is known to be important in different physiological processes in microalgae but many of these signal transduction pathways still need to be characterised.

International Validation of a Novel PEACE Scale to Improve the Quality of Upper Gastrointestinal Mucosal Inspection During Endoscopy.

Introduction: The performance of a high quality esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is dependent on the mucosal cleanliness. Recently, the Polprep: Effective Assessment of Cleanliness in EGD (PEACE) scale was created to assess the degree of mucosal cleanliness during EGD. The aim of this study was to validate this scoring system in a cohort of international endoscopists.

Capecitabine and temozolomide or temozolomide alone in patients with atypical carcinoids.

Background: Lung neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) represent about 20% of all lung cancers. Few therapeutic options are available for atypical carcinoids (ACs). Single-agent temozolomide (TEM) is active in lung NENs, but whether the addition of capecitabine (CAPTEM) is associated with improved outcomes, is unknown.

Favorable long-term cognitive outcomes following recurrent ARIA linked to amyloid-lowering therapies: two cases.

Introduction: The large-scale approval of anti-amyloid monoclonal antibodies for treating Alzheimer's disease (AD) has raised concerns about their safety due to treatment-emergent amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA).

Methods: We present two cases of patients diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment due to AD who were enrolled in the GRADUATE I clinical trial. They received subcutaneous gantenerumab every two weeks during the study period.

Surgeon attitudes toward risk stratification in emergency surgery for the elderly: an ESTES cross-sectional survey.

Purpose: Our study explores the utilization of objective tools for preoperative assessment of elderly patients by Emergency General Surgeons (EGS).

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted via the European Society for Trauma and Emergency Surgery (ESTES) Research Committee. EGS were invited through the ESTES members' mailing list and social media platforms.

The Esthetic Use of Botulinum Toxins in Cancer Patients: Providing a Foundation for Future Indications.

Advances in oncological treatments have improved the survival rates of cancer patients but have often resulted in significant physical changes that negatively impact their self-esteem and psychological well-being. Cancer patients frequently ask esthetic practitioners to perform procedures to address such changes. However, practitioners often hesitate to satisfy such requests due to lacking guidelines or recommendations.

How Does DSM 34246 (Canobios-BL) Supplementation Impact the Fecal Parameters of Healthy Adult Dogs?

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is populated by a variety of microbes, which were recently demonstrated to play a major role in both human and animal health [...

Efficacy of Anti-Cancer Immune Responses Elicited Using Tumor-Targeted IL-2 Cytokine and Its Derivatives in Combined Preclinical Therapies.

Effective cancer therapies must address the tumor microenvironment (TME), a complex network of tumor cells and stromal components, including endothelial, immune, and mesenchymal cells. Durable outcomes require targeting both tumor cells and the TME while minimizing systemic toxicity. Interleukin-2 (IL-2)-based therapies have shown efficacy in cancers such as metastatic melanoma and renal cell carcinoma but are limited by severe side effects.

Post-Vaccination Anaphylaxis in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background/objectives: Vaccines have been recognized as one of the most effective public health interventions. However, vaccine-associated anaphylaxis, although rare, is a serious adverse reaction. The incidence of anaphylaxis related to non-COVID-19 vaccines in adults remains underreported.

Vaccinating in Different Settings: Best Practices from Italian Regions.

Background: The success of vaccination programs depends on a complex interplay of logistical, social, and structural factors. The objective of this study was to analyze the different approaches to vaccine administration implemented by several Italian regions since the onset of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Methods: After careful qualitative review of information gathered from scientific articles, official reports (grey literature), contact with regional health authorities, and local health departments, five vaccination strategies across several Italian regions focusing on alternative vaccine providers and/or settings were identified.

Translation and Validation of the Italian Version of the Team-Based Learning Student Assessment Instrument (TBL-SAI) in Nursing Students.

: Team-based learning is an educational strategy that promotes active learning and student engagement through structured team activities. It contrasts with traditional teaching models by emphasizing student preparation and collaboration. The TBL-SAI is a reliable and valid instrument designed to evaluate students' attitudes towards TBL, assessing dimensions such as accountability, preference for lecture or team-based learning, and satisfaction with TBL.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of a Surgical Neonatal Nursing Workload Tool for an Italian Context: The Italian Winnipeg Surgical Complex Assessment of Neonatal Nursing Needs Tool.

Complexity of care, adequate staffing levels, and workflow are key factors affecting nurses' workloads. There remain notable gaps in the current evidence regarding clinical complexity classification and related staffing adjustment, limiting the capacity for optimal staffing practices. This study aimed to adapt and validate the Winnipeg Surgical Complex Assessment of Neonatal Nursing Needs Tool (WANNNT-SC) for an Italian context to allow the assessment of newborns admitted to NICUs.

Debriefing Methodologies in Nursing Simulation: An Exploratory Study of the Italian Settings.

As part of simulation-based learning, it is well known that debriefing plays a crucial role; ineffective debriefing can lead to a reiteration of errors in decision-making and a poor understanding of one's limitations, compromising the learner's psychological safety and making future simulated learning experiences less effective. In Italy, although simulation has been used in nursing education for more than 20 years, there is a general lack of data regarding the elements of debriefing. An exploratory, cross-sectional, multicenter nationwide study was conducted to identify current debriefing practices in Italian simulation-based nursing education.