Mesothelioma: Scientific clues for prevention, diagnosis, and therapy.

Mesothelioma affects mostly older individuals who have been occupationally exposed to asbestos. The global mesothelioma incidence and mortality rates are unknown, because data are not available from developing countries that continue to use large amounts of asbestos. The incidence rate of mesothelioma has decreased in Australia, the United States, and Western Europe, where the use of asbestos was banned or strictly regulated in the 1970s and 1980s, demonstrating the value of these preventive measures.

Megacities, migration and an evolutionary approach to bipolar disorder: a study of Sardinian immigrants in Latin America.

Objective: To determine whether people with a Sardinian genetic background who live in the megacities of South America have a higher frequency of hypomania than residents of Sardinia.

Methods: A community survey of Sardinian immigrants was carried out in four Brazilian metropoles (n=218) and Buenos Aires (n=306). The results were compared with those of a study involving a similar methodology (Mood Disorder Questionnaire [MDQ] as a screening tool) conducted in seven Italian regions, including a sub-sample from Sardinia.

Associations Between Natural Physiological and Supraphysiological Estradiol Levels and Stress Perception.

Stress is a risk factor for impaired general, mental, and reproductive health. The role of physiological and supraphysiological estradiol concentrations in stress perception and stress processing is less well understood. We, therefore, conducted a prospective observational study to investigate the association between estradiol, stress perception, and stress-related cognitive performance within serial measurements either during the natural menstrual cycle or during fertility treatment, where estradiol levels are strongly above the physiological level of a natural cycle, and consequently, represent a good model to study dose-dependent effects of estradiol.

Neonatal Encephalopathy and SIADH during RSV Infection.

Objective: This report discusses the neurological involvement in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in neonates.

Study Design: We present a case report of a 2-month-old infant affected by a bronchiolitis RSV-positive, with syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) correlated seizure and encephalopathy.

Results: RSV infection can be associated as a serious disease in newborns involving the central nervous system (CNS) and causing seizures or acute encephalopathy.

Data Sets for the Reporting of Tumors of the Central Nervous System: Recommendations From The International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting.

Context.—: Standards for pathology reporting of cancer are foundational to national and international benchmarking, epidemiology, and clinical trials, with international standards for pathology reporting of cancer being undertaken through the International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting (ICCR).

Objective.

Expert consensus document: Reporting checklist for quantification of pulmonary congestion by lung ultrasound in heart failure.

Lung ultrasound is a useful tool for the assessment of patients with both acute and chronic heart failure, but the use of different image acquisition methods, inconsistent reporting of the technique employed and variable quantification of 'B-lines,' have all made it difficult to compare published reports. We therefore need to ensure that future studies utilizing lung ultrasound in the assessment of heart failure adopt a standardized approach to reporting the quantification of pulmonary congestion. Strategies to improve patient care by use of lung ultrasound in the assessment of heart failure have been difficult to develop.

Mendelian randomisation study of height and body mass index as modifiers of ovarian cancer risk in 22,588 BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers.

Background: Height and body mass index (BMI) are associated with higher ovarian cancer risk in the general population, but whether such associations exist among BRCA1/2 mutation carriers is unknown.

Methods: We applied a Mendelian randomisation approach to examine height/BMI with ovarian cancer risk using the Consortium of Investigators for the Modifiers of BRCA1/2 (CIMBA) data set, comprising 14,676 BRCA1 and 7912 BRCA2 mutation carriers, with 2923 ovarian cancer cases. We created a height genetic score (height-GS) using 586 height-associated variants and a BMI genetic score (BMI-GS) using 93 BMI-associated variants.

Therapeutic action of ketogenic enteral nutrition in obese and overweight patients: a retrospective interventional study.

Ketogenic enteral nutrition (KEN™) is a modification of Blackburn's protein-sparing modified fast, using a hypocaloric, ketogenic liquid diet. The study is about ketogenic enteral nutrition (KEN) in overweight and obese patients receiving a short treatment of the nutritional solution as a 24-h infusion. It is a retrospective analysis that examines safety, weight loss and body composition changes after three sequential 10-day cycles of KEN therapy.

Correction to: Imaging of Bronchial Pathology in Antibody Deficiency: Data from the European Chest CT Group.

In the original version of this article unfortunately two authors were missing: Dr. Jürgen Weidemann and Dr. Daniel Berthold.

Pelvic floor rehabilitation for defecation disorders.

Pelvic floor rehabilitation is frequently recommended for defecation disorders, in both constipation and fecal incontinence. However, the lack of patient selection, together with the variety of rehabilitation methods and protocols, often jeopardize the results of this approach, causing difficulty in evaluating outcomes and addressing proper management, and above all, in obtaining scientific evidence for the efficacy of these methods for specific indications. The authors represent different gastroenterological and surgical scientific societies in Italy, and their aim was to identify the indications and agree on treatment protocols for pelvic floor rehabilitation of patients with defecation disorders.

The Decision-Making Process in Traumatic Lesions of the Craniovertebral Junction: An Evidence-Based Approach? Part II.

This paper is Part II of a two-part report. Part I of the report covered atlanto-occipital dislocation or dissociation, and isolated condylar fractures. This part of the report covers isolated and combination fractures of the atlas and axis.

Imaging of Bronchial Pathology in Antibody Deficiency: Data from the European Chest CT Group.

Studies of chest computed tomography (CT) in patients with primary antibody deficiency syndromes (ADS) suggest a broad range of bronchial pathology. However, there are as yet no multicentre studies to assess the variety of bronchial pathology in this patient group. One of the underlying reasons is the lack of a consensus methodology, a prerequisite to jointly document chest CT findings.

Re-comparing of three different epidemic seasons of bronchiolitis: different prophylaxis approaches.

During the last epidemic season of bronchiolitis (S2, years 2016-2017) we performed a single Centre analysis in inborn infant of 30-32 gestational age and age < 12 months who did not receive prophylaxis with palivizumab (PLV), in light of the current AIFA (Italian Drug Agency) guidelines restricting the time of the prophylaxis to those born < 30 weeks of gestational age. During that epidemic season, we observed a rising trend of bronchiolitis-related hospitalization and an increased rate of mechanical ventilation in preterm child compared to the previous one (S1, years 2015-2016) during which infants of this same gestational age received palivizumab (PLV) prophylaxis, according to the 2015 Italian Guidelines.In light of the revised AIFA guidelines (November 2017), allowing once again prophylaxis with PLV in infants of > 30 weeks gestational age, we decided to repeat our observation during the last epidemic season (S3, years 2017-2018), in order to compare ours infants of 30-32 gestational age with preterm of the same gestational age born in our unit in the previous seasons (S1 and S2), to evaluate the clinical impact of the different prophylaxis approaches.

Predictors of Residual T1 High Grade on Re-Transurethral Resection in a Large Multi-Institutional Cohort of Patients with Primary T1 High-Grade/Grade 3 Bladder Cancer.

The aim of this multi-institutional study was to identify predictors of residual high-grade (HG) disease at re-transurethral resection (reTUR) in a large cohort of primary T1 HG/Grade 3 (G3) bladder cancer patients. A total of 1155 patients with primary T1 HG/G3 bladder cancer from 13 academic institutions that underwent a reTUR within 6 weeks after first TUR were evaluated. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association of predictive factors with residual HG at reTUR.

Epstein-Barr Virus Infection of Cell Lines Derived from Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphomas Alters MicroRNA Loading of the Ago2 Complex.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive lymphoid tumor which is occasionally Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) positive and is further subtyped as activated B-cell DLBCL (ABC-DLBCL) and germinal center B-cell DLBCL (GCB-DLBCL), which has implications for prognosis and treatment. We performed Ago2 RNA immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput RNA sequencing (Ago2-RIP-seq) to capture functionally active microRNAs (miRNAs) in EBV-negative ABC-DLBCL and GCB-DLBCL cell lines and their EBV-infected counterparts. In parallel, total miRNA profiles of these cells were determined to capture the cellular miRNA profile for comparison with the functionally active profile.

Patient-Oriented Aesthetic Outcome After Lumbar Spine Surgery: A 1-Year Follow-Up Prospective Observational Study Comparing Minimally Invasive and Standard Open Procedures.

Background: Despite recent treatment developments, back pain and related disabilities still represent a challenge for practitioners. Among the available surgical techniques, many different features and outcomes have been investigated; however, aesthetic result was missing among them. The present investigation was designed to prospectively compare patient-oriented aesthetic results after minimally invasive surgery (MIS) and standard open surgery (SOS) for the lumbar spine.

Intratympanic steroids as a salvage therapy for severe to profound idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

Background: Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) is defined as a decline in hearing affecting three or more frequencies by 30 dB Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of intratympanic steroids as a salvage treatment for severe ISSNHL.

Materials And Methods: A regimen of three IT steroid injections was offered to patients who failed a 7-days intravenous steroid treatment. Eighty-four patients underwent IT salvage treatment (IT group).

Levodopa may affect cortical excitability in Parkinson's disease patients with cognitive deficits as revealed by reduced activity of cortical sources of resting state electroencephalographic rhythms.

We hypothesized that dopamine neuromodulation might affect cortical excitability in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients set in quiet wakefulness, as revealed by resting state eyes-closed electroencephalographic (rsEEG) rhythms at alpha frequencies (8-12 Hz). Clinical and rsEEG rhythms in PD with dementia (N = 35), PD with mild cognitive impairment (N = 50), PD with normal cognition (N = 35), and normal (N = 50) older adults were available from an international archive. Cortical rsEEG sources were estimated by exact low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography.

Height and Body Mass Index as Modifiers of Breast Cancer Risk in BRCA1/2 Mutation Carriers: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Background: BRCA1/2 mutations confer high lifetime risk of breast cancer, although other factors may modify this risk. Whether height or body mass index (BMI) modifies breast cancer risk in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers remains unclear.

Methods: We used Mendelian randomization approaches to evaluate the association of height and BMI on breast cancer risk, using data from the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 with 14 676 BRCA1 and 7912 BRCA2 mutation carriers, including 11 451 cases of breast cancer.

Autophagy processes are dependent on EGF receptor signaling.

Autophagy is a not well-understood conserved mechanism activated during nutritional deprivation in order to maintain cellular homeostasis. In the present study, we investigated the correlations between autophagy, apoptosis and the MAPK pathways in melanoma cell lines. We demonstrated that during starvation the EGF receptor mediated signaling activates many proteins involved in the MAPK pathway.

The Nefarious Nexus of Noncoding RNAs in Cancer.

The past decade has witnessed enormous progress, and has seen the noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) turn from the so-called dark matter RNA to critical functional molecules, influencing most physiological processes in development and disease contexts. Many ncRNAs interact with each other and are part of networks that influence the cell transcriptome and proteome and consequently the outcome of biological processes. The regulatory circuits controlled by ncRNAs have become increasingly more relevant in cancer.

European Multicentre Tics in Children Studies (EMTICS): protocol for two cohort studies to assess risk factors for tic onset and exacerbation in children and adolescents.

Genetic predisposition, autoimmunity and environmental factors [e.g. pre- and perinatal difficulties, Group A Streptococcal (GAS) and other infections, stress-inducing events] might interact to create a neurobiological vulnerability to the development of tics and associated behaviours.