Life

Primary tumors can inhibit the growth of secondary lesions, particularly metastases, in a phenomenon termed "concomitant resistance". Several mechanisms have been proposed for this effect, each supported by experimental data. In this paper, we hypothesize that concomitant resistance is a form of hormesis, a biphasic dose response in which a stimulus has a positive and/or stimulatory effect at low dosages and a negative, inhibitory, and/or toxic effect at higher dosages. When this paradigm applies to tumorigenesis, it is referred to as "cancer hormesis"...

Radiotherapy (RT) is an integral part of many cancer treatment protocols. Chronic radiation-induced dermatitis (CRD) is a cutaneous toxicity that occurs in one-third of all patients treated with this method. CRD is usually observed several months after completion of treatment. Typical symptoms of CRD are telangiectasia, skin discoloration, atrophy, thickening, and cutaneous fibrosis. There are currently no data in the literature on the evaluation of the dermoscopic features of CRD. The aim of this prospective study was the identification of clinical and dermoscopic features in a group of 32 patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) in whom CRD developed after RT...

Cancer therapy can result in acute cardiac events, such as coronary artery spasm, acute myocardial infarction, thromboembolism, myocarditis, bradycardia, tachyarrhythmias, atrio-ventricular blocks, QT prolongation, torsades de pointes, pericardial effusion, and hypotension, as well as chronic conditions, such as hypertension, and systolic and diastolic left ventricular dysfunction presenting clinically as heart failure or cardiomyopathy. In cardio-oncology, when referring to cardiac toxicity and cardiovascular hypersensitivity, there is a great deal of misunderstanding...

The seeds, roots, leaves, flowers and fruits of the critically endangered (CR) species Saponaria jagelii Phitos & Greuter (Caryophyllaceae) were studied. The morphology of the seeds was investigated with scanning electron microscopy. The seeds were imbibed, germinated and developed into young plants. These plants, along with strictly selected wild-growing plants, were used for optical microscopic observations. The leaves and flowers were observed with scanning electron microscopy as well. At least two types of active glandular trichomes were detected on both the leaves and the calyxes of the flowers...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Efforts to humanize childbirth focus on promoting skin-to-skin contact, labor accompaniment, and breastfeeding. Despite these advancements, cesarean sections often lack a consideration of immediate mother-child contact, early breastfeeding initiation, and follow-up. This underscores the need for a 'natural' approach to cesarean sections, aiming to 'humanize' the procedure and emulate some aspects of vaginal birth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An observational longitudinal cohort study was conducted, involving pregnant women scheduled for a cesarean section...

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that integrate virtual reality with tactile feedback are increasingly relevant for neurorehabilitation in spinal cord injury (SCI). In our previous case study employing a BCI-based virtual reality neurorehabilitation protocol, a patient with complete T4 SCI experienced reduced pain and emergence of non-spastic lower limb movements after 10 sessions. However, it is still unclear whether these effects can be sustained, enhanced, and replicated, as well as the neural mechanisms that underlie them...

Apremilast, a phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor, has shown promise to have a potential beneficial metabolic effect. We conducted a single-centre retrospective study on adult patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis who underwent apremilast treatment over at least 12 and 52 weeks, respectively. Baseline characteristics, weight, lipid profile, and fasting glucose levels were collected at baseline and at 12, 24, and 52 weeks. Furthermore, we conducted a narrative review of the current scientific knowledge on the metabolic effects of apremilast in patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis...

Ustekinumab is a monoclonal antibody targeting the p40 subunit of IL-12 and IL-23, approved for treating psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease. Despite a remarkable success in treating chronic inflammatory conditions and a generally favorable safety profile, its role in inducing rare adverse events, such as interstitial pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), remains largely uncharted. We report a case of a 66-year-old male patient treated with Ustekinumab for severe psoriasis who, after almost two years of treatment, developed dyspnea, asthenia, and fever progressing to non-infectious pneumonia and ARDS leading to ICU admission...

Current advances in cancer therapy have increased survival, emphasizing the need for life quality improvement. Fertility loss is common post-chemotherapy. Current guidelines establish embryo and oocyte cryopreservation to address premature ovarian insufficiency (POI). Ovarian tissue cryopreservation has also recently become an acceptable option for fertility preservation, particularly as it is the only option for pre-pubertal patients. Few definitions for optimum fertility outcomes, and few systematic reviews comparing embryo, oocyte, and ovarian tissue cryopreservation as a means of fertility preservation (FP) in pre- and post-pubertal female cancer patients exist...

BACKGROUND: Brief Resolved Unexplained Events (BRUEs), formerly known as Apparent Life-Threatening Events (ALTEs), are concerning episodes of short duration (typically <1 min) characterized by a change in breathing, consciousness, muscle tone, and/or skin color. In some cases, SARS-CoV-2 infection has been associated with episodes of BRUEs in previously healthy children. This study aimed to compare the demographic, respiratory, perinatal, and infectious characteristics in children affected by BRUEs before the COVID-19 pandemic and after the spread of SARS-CoV-2...

Phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) describes the interaction of two separate frequencies in which the lower frequency phase acts as a carrier frequency of the higher frequency amplitude. It is a means of carrying integrated streams of information between micro- and macroscale systems in the brain, allowing for coordinated activity of separate brain regions. A beta-gamma PAC increase over the sensorimotor cortex has been observed consistently in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). Its cause is attributed to neural entrainment in the basal ganglia, caused by pathological degeneration characteristic of PD...

The importance of diet and lifestyle in maintaining overall health has long been recognised. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as key players in the intricate interplay between health and disease. This study, including 305 participants, examined the role of miRNAs from capillary blood as indicators of individual physiological characteristics, diet, and lifestyle influences. Key findings include specific miRNAs associated with inflammatory processes and dietary patterns. Notably, miR-155 was associated with subjects with metabolic diseases and upregulated in age...

Remarkable advancements have been made in the treatment outcomes of multiple myeloma (MM) patients; however, for frail elderly patients, these treatment outcomes are still insufficient. Elderly MM patients are increasing, as are their treatment regimens. There is a heightened demand to assess these patients in order to provide optimized treatments. While continuous treatment is more common for MM patients when compared to fixed-duration treatment, due to the risk of treatment interruption causing reduced survival rates, effectiveness and safety are essential...

In the original publication [...].

Morton's foot syndrome (MFS) is characterized by a distally longer head of the second metatarsal bone compared to the head of the first metatarsal bone. Few studies have investigated the effects of a foot orthosis on kinetic characteristics, such as ground reaction force (GRF), during walking in individuals with MFS. This study aimed to verify dynamic GRF using a 3D motion analysis system, including two platforms with and without a foot orthosis condition. Kinetic GRF data of 26 participants with MFS were collected using a motion analysis system and a force platform...

The previous endometrial cancer (EC) FIGO staging primarily relied on the extent of the disease spread into the anatomical sites at diagnosis. The most recent one (2023) incorporates clinicopathological features such as histological subtype, tumor grade, the extent of lymphovascular space invasion (LVI), and, when available, molecular subtypes of EC. The emphasis on accurate histological typing, tumor grading, and the molecular features of the cancer is stronger than ever. This review addresses challenging diagnostic patterns in the histologic subtyping and grading EC under five categories: 1...

The association between Primary cutaneous CD4 small/medium T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder (PCSM-TCLPD) and COVID-19 immunization has been sparsely documented in the medical literature. Reviewing the literature, albeit infrequently, we can find cases of the recurrence and new onset of lymphoproliferative processes and cutaneous lymphomas following the COVID-19 vaccine. Many of the entities we encounter are classified as cutaneous lymphoproliferative disorders. The prevailing hypothesis suggests that the predominant cutaneous reactions to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines may stem from T-cell-mediated immune activation responses to vaccine components, notably messenger RNA (mRNA)...

BACKGROUND: This study compared perioperative outcomes and long-term survival of saphenous vein grafts (SVGs) versus left internal thoracic artery (LITA) to left anterior descending artery (LAD) in isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). METHODS: In this retrospective, single-centre study, we included patients with primary isolated CABG from January 2001 to July 2022. Baseline demographics were compared between SVG-LAD and LITA-LAD. Univariable and multivariable regressions were performed for predictors of in-hospital death...

Selinexor (Seli) is a first-in-class, oral selective inhibitor of the nuclear export protein, exportin-1 (XPO1). Seli exhibits its antitumor effect through the blockage of XPO1, which increases nuclear retention of tumor suppressor proteins (TSPs), including p53, thereby limiting the translation of oncogenes, triggering cell cycle arrest and the death of malignant cells. Multiple Myeloma (MM) patients with del17p are deficient in TP53 and have a particularly poor prognosis. Given its unique mechanism of action, we investigated whether Seli has increased efficacy in RRMM patients with del17p compared to other high-risk cytogenetics (OHRC)...

Quinolone resistance has been largely related to the presence of specific point mutations in chromosomal targets, with an accessory role of impaired uptake and enhanced pump-out. Meanwhile the relevance of transferable mechanisms of resistance able to protect the target of pump-out or inactivate quinolones has been increasingly reported since 1998. Nevertheless, bacteria have other strategies and mechanisms allowing them to survive and even proliferate in the presence of quinolones, which might be qualified as resistance or resilience mechanisms...