Short-term outcomes of patients with neovascular exudative AMD: the effect of COVID-19 pandemic

Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology - To estimate the impact of delayed care during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the outcomes of patients with...     

Neoadjuvant therapy in the treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma:Review of the literature

Cholangiocarcinoma(CCA) is a malignant tumor of the biliary system and includes, according to the anatomical classification, intra hepatic CCA(iCCA),hilar CCA(hCCA) and distal CCA(dCCA). Hilar CCA is the most challenging type in terms of diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. Surgery is the only treatment possibly providing long-term survival, but only few patients are considered resectable at the time of diagnosis. In fact, tumor's extension to segmentary or subsegmentary biliary ducts, along with large lymph node involvement or intrahepatic metastases, precludes the surgical approach. To achieve R0 margins is mandatory for the disease-free survival and overall survival. In case of unresectable locally advanced hCCA, radiochemotherapy(RCT) as neoadjuvant treatment demonstrated to be a therapeutic option before either hepatic resection or liver transplantation. Before liver surgery, RCT is believed to enhance the R0 margins rate. For patients meeting the Mayo Clinic criteria, RCT prior to orthotopic liver transplant(OLT) has proved to produce acceptable 5-years survivals. In this review, we analyze the current role of neoadjuvant RCT before resection as well as before OLT.     

Fluorimetric determination of activity and isoenzyme composition of N-acetyl-beta-D-hexosaminidase in seminal plasma of fertile men and infertile patients with secretory azoospermia.

BACKGROUND: The activity and isoenzyme composition of N-acetyl-beta-D-hexosaminidase (EC.3.2.1.52) in seminal plasma of fertile and infertile men have been evaluated. However, no data are available on the isoenzyme content in seminal plasma from patients with secretory azoospermia. METHODS: The activity and isoenzyme composition of seminal plasma from 15 normozoospermic controls and 18 patients with secretory azoospermia were determined by fluorimetric methods. 4-Methylumbelliferil-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranoside and 4-methylumbelliferil-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranoside-6-sulfate were used as fluorigenic substrates. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of the assays. RESULTS: No significant difference was found in total enzyme activity between the two groups, while isoenzyme A activity was significantly lower (p=0.004) and the ratio between total enzyme activity and isoenzyme A activity was significantly higher (p=0.04) in azoospermic patients compared to controls. The diagnostic efficiency of these evaluations was low (< or =75.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that the isoenzyme composition of N-acetyl-beta-D-hexosaminidase in seminal plasma from patients with secretory azoospermia is significantly different from controls, but this difference does not represent a useful marker of secretory azoospermia. The fluorimetric assays are simple and rapid methods for evaluating the isoenzyme composition.     

Impaired helix 12 dynamics due to proline 892 substitutions in the androgen receptor are associated with complete androgen insensitivity

Human Molecular Genetics (2006) 15, 921–931;     

Circular dichroism detection in high-performance liquid chromatography: Evaluation of the anisotropy factor

The application of a circular dichroism (c.d.) detection system in HPLC using a chiral stationary phase is presented. The simultaneous measurement of the absorbance and c.d. signal allows the evaluation of the anisotropy factor (g = Δ/) and thus the determination of the enantiomeric excess (e.e.) of the eluates. When this detection system is used in preparative chiral chromatography the collection of the enantiomeric fractions can be readily optimized.     

Idiopathic Headache as a Possible Risk Factor for Phantom Tooth Pain

Following tooth pulp extirpation, some subjects suffer from persistent pain which affects edentate sites in absence of any local pathology. As regards this peculiar pain, called phantom tooth pain (PTP), what is puzzling is the fact there is a low prevalence of PTP in a very large population showing identical conditions of tooth pulp extirpation. The present investigation indicates that PTP mainly affects migraine (M) and cluster headache (CH) sufferers, whereas it does not affect subjects who have a negative personal and family history for idiopathic headache (IH). These results circumscribe the presence of PTP to a specific section of the population. The present results, besides indicating that PTP may be the result of a peculiar neuronal predisposition relating to IH pathogenesis, suggests some practical therapeutic hints. In fact, successful anti- M and anti-CH prophylactic treatment greatly improve PTP syndrome.     

A nationally representative survey of hospital malnutrition: the Italian PIMAI (Project: Iatrogenic MAlnutrition in Italy) study

Aim and methods  Nutrition, unhealthy lifestyles and cancer appear to be strictly related, but few authors have analysed the interest in dietary information of cancer patients and their families. This survey was conducted in the Veneto area (Italy) to investigate the concern of cancer patients and their family members about diet as a health tool before and after diagnosis of cancer. Results  Seven hundred and four questionnaires were collected: 380 from cancer patients and 324 from family members of cancer subjects. Breast cancer (BC) was the most frequent disease for patients (61.8%) as well as families (26.5%). Generally, the importance of having precise diet information after diagnosis is recognised by 40.3% of patients, with significant differences between the various types of cancer: gastric and colon/rectum cancer (GCC) patients were more concerned than BC women about precise information concerning a diet to follow immediately after diagnosis (p = 0.000, ODs = 3.10, CI 1.68–5.71) or during treatments (p = 0.001, ODs = 2.67, CI 1.46–4.89). The nutritional information is supplied to patients in 34% of cases and to relatives in 30.3%, often from non-medical sources. In total healthcare workers (family doctor, oncologist, surgeon, dietician) represented the exclusive source of dietary information for 24.9% of patients and 22.9% of family members. Diet after diagnosis changes in 69.1% of GCC patients and in 39.2% of BC women. Relatives, particularly women, report difficulties preparing patients’ meals in 30.7% of cases, changes in the eating habits of the entire family in 29.9% and discontent connected with patients diet in 13.9%. The concern about proper nutrition after diagnosis increases more in GCC subjects (p < 0.025) when compared to BC subjects and in patients with more recent diagnosis (p < 0.041) when compared with patients with diagnosis >5 years ago, while in family members the interest in diet after diagnosis increases more in women than in men (p < 0.030) without other differences regarding the degree of relationship, type of cancer or diagnosis time. Relatives (92.7%) have more interest in nutritional education than patients (74.9%). Cancer patients <65 years were more interested in educational initiatives concerning nutrition (p = 0.000, ODs = 4.46, CI 2.6–7.4) than older patients (>65 years) and female subjects were more concerned than male patients (p = 0.008, ODs = 2.11, CI 1.2–3.6). Conclusions  The interest in the dietary knowledge and in educational initiatives concerning nutrition is high in cancer patients and their relatives, although it decreases with the age. The poor attention paid to nutrition of cancer patients by various healthcare workers deserves consideration, since the psychophysical wellbeing and perhaps also survival of cancer patients can be improved by correct dietary management, as well as, naturally, by the principal treatments themselves.