Multiple beneficial effects of 1-year nutritional-behavioral intervention on anthropometric and metabolic parameters in overweight and obese boys

PURPOSE

Childhood obesity is on the rise worldwide increasing the risk for metabolic, cardiovascular and liver diseases in children. Eating habits and lifestyle changes are currently the standard of care for treating pediatric obesity. Our study aimed to determine the impact of a dietary intervention based on the Mediterranean Diet (MD) and the Health Eating Plate, on anthropometric and metabolic parameters in obese and overweight boys.

METHODS

We studied 126 overweight/obese boys with anthropometric measurements, blood biochemistry and nutrient intakes evaluation by means of Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) at baseline, at 6 and 12 months after a nutritional-behavioral intervention.

RESULTS

We observed a significant reduction in energy, macronutrients and micronutrients intakes. BMI-SDS significantly decreased after 1 year with the proportion of obese boys decreasing by 33% and of overweight boys by 41%, while also all fat mass measures decreased both in obese and overweight individuals. In obese boys, ALT decreased significantly after 1-year nutritional intervention and these changes correlated with BMI-SDS reduction. Insulin-resistance and secretion indexes correlated with fat mass and BMI-SDS. In obese boys, significant changes were observed at 6 months for insulin concentrations, 1/HOMA-IR and QUICKI. With regard to the lipid profile, significant decreases were observed for total and LDL cholesterol in obese boys.

CONCLUSION

Metabolic and anthropometric risk factors in overweight and obese boys can be improved by a nutritional-behavioral intervention of 1-year duration.

C-STIM: Protocol for a randomized, single-blind, crossover study of cerebellar repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for postural instability in people with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP)

Background

Methods for modulating the cerebellum with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) are well established, and preliminary data from our group and others has shown evidence of transient improvements in balance after cerebellar repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in progressive suprancuclear palsy (PSP). This study examines extensive posturography measures before and after 10 sessions of cerebellar rTMS and sham TMS in PSP.

Methods

Thirty subjects with PSP and postural instability will undergo cerebellar active and sham rTMS in a single-blind, crossover design with a randomized order of a 10-day intervention. Primary outcomes will be changes in sway area and medio-lateral range of sway with eyes open while standing on a stationary force-plate, and safety, tolerability, and blindedness. Secondary outcomes will include posturography and gait analysis with body-worn, triaxial inertial sensors, clinical balance scales and questionnaires, and a bedside test of vestibular function. Exploratory outcomes are changes in functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) signal over the prefrontal, supplementary motor, and primary motor cortices while standing and walking, and speech samples for future analysis.

Discussion

The C-STIM crossover intervention study adds a longer duration of stimulation and extensive posturography measures to more finely measure the improvements in balance and exploratory functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) over the prefronal, supplementary motor, and primary motor cortices during balance assessments before and after 10 sessions of cerebellar rTMS and 10 sessions of sham cerebellar TMS. This project will improve our understanding of the importance of the cerebellum for control of postural stability in PSP.

Correlation between bituberous diameter and mode of delivery in a cohort of low-risk nulliparous women

OBJECTIVE

The aim our study was to evaluate the association between the antepartum clinical measurement of the Bituberous Diameter (BTD) and the occurrence of unplanned obstetrical intervention (UOI) due to labor dystocia, including either operative vaginal delivery or caesarean section in a cohort of low-risk, nulliparous at term.

DESIGN

Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data.

SETTING

Tertiary maternity care.

INTERVENTIONS

With the women lying in lithotomic the distance between two ischial tuberosities was assessed using a tape measure during the routine antenatal booking between 37 and 38 weeks of gestation.

MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS

Overall, 116 patient were included, and of these 23(19.8%) were submitted to an UOI due to labor dystocia. Compared to women that had a spontaneous vaginal delivery, women submitted to an UOI had a shorter BTD (8.25 + 0.843 vs 9.60 + 1.12, p < 0.001), a higher frequency of epidural analgesia (21/23 or 91.3% vs 50/93 or 53.8%; p = 0.002) and of augmentation of labor (14/23 or 60.9% vs 19/93 or 20.4%; p < 0.001) as well as a longer first [455 (IQR 142-455 min vs 293 (IQR 142-455) min] and second stages of labor [129 (IQR 85-155) min vs 51 (IQR 27-78) min]. Multivariable logistic regression showed that the BTD (aOR 0.16, 95% CI 0.04-0.60; p = 0.007) and the length of the second stage of labor (aOR 6.83, 95% CI 2.10-22.23; p = 0.001) were independently associated with UOI. When evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of the BTD for the prediction of UOI due to labor dystocia, the BTD showed an AUC of 0.82 (95 %CI 0.73-0.91; p < 0.001) with an optimal cut-off value of 8.6 cm (78.3% (95 %CI 56.3-92.5) sensitivity, 77.4% (95 %CI 67.6-85.4) specificity, 46.2% (95% CI 30.1-62.8) PPV, 93.5% (95% CI 85.5-97.9) NPV, 3.5 (95% CI 2.3-5.4) positive LR, and 0.28 (95% CI 0.13-0.61) negative LR. A significant inverse correlation between the length of the second stage of labour and the BTD in patients that had a vaginal delivery was also demonstrated (Spearman's rho = -0.24, p = 0.01).

KEY CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggests that antepartum clinical assessment of the BTD might be used as a reliable predictor of UOI due to labor dystocia in low-risk, nulliparous women at term gestation.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Antenatal identification of women at higher risk for labor dystocia might trigger some interventions during the second stage of labor, such as maternal position shifting, to increase the pelvic capacity and potentially improve outcomes or might prompt a referral of the patient to a district hospital prior to the onset of labor.

TURN-IT: a novel turning intervention program to improve quality of turning in daily life in people with Parkinson's disease

BACKGROUND

People with Parkinson's disease (PD) have a high fall rate and many falls are associated with turns. Despite this, there is minimal research on effects of rehabilitation on the quality of turns. Further, quantifying turns in the home may have broader implications since rehabilitation of turns would ideally improve turning in real world mobility.

METHODS

Sixty people with PD and a history of falls will be randomized to receive either a novel TURNing InTervention (TURN-IT) or no intervention (control group). The TURN-IT group will be seen for 6 weeks (18 visits) for an individualized, progressive program that is based on the specific constraints of turning in PD. Wearable sensors will be used to measure 7 days of mobility, including turns, before and after intervention or control period. In addition, blinded assessments of gait, mobility and turns will occur before and after intervention for both groups and falls will be monitored for twelve months post intervention with bimonthly email questionnaires.

DISCUSSION

This study has the potential to change how we rehabilitate and assess turning in people with PD and falls. There are several novel aspects to our study including a comprehensive turning-focused intervention that is tailored to the underlying constraints that impair turning in people with PD. Further, our outcome measure of turning quality during 7 days of daily life is novel and has implications for determining real-life changes after rehabilitation. The ultimate goal of this rehabilitation intervention is to improve how patients turn in daily life and to reduce falls.

TRIALS REGISTRATION

This protocol is registered at clinicaltrials.gov; #NCT04897256; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04897256?term=Horak&cond=Parkinson+Disease&draw=2&rank=4 .

Hand grip support for rehabilitation and assistance: from patent to TRL5

In the last decades, the continuous increase in the number of the vast cohort of chronic patients that constantly need medical assistance and supervision, and the widespread lack of therapist has brought to an increased interest in the role of medical technologies in rehabilitative programs and assistive scenarios. Current clinical evidence in rehabilitation demonstrates that there is an important and increasing demand for innovative therapeutic solutions to recover the hand functions to prevent patients to need assistance in performing daily life activities. This works describes the pathway from patent to TRL5 of a device to support hand grip actions and interaction with daily life objects. E-KIRO is based on the use of electromagnets, which are able to attach/detach interactive objects equipped with a ferromagnetic plate. Five end-users used the device and scored it with excellent usability based on the System Usability Scale.

Learning from public health practice: the development of a library of community-centered practice examples

BACKGROUND

Valuable learning derived from public health practice can be captured through practice-based case studies, also known as practice examples. Practice examples of participatory interventions supplement the evidence base by providing information on the complexities of implementation in communities. This paper reports on a Public Health England project to build a bank of community-centered practice examples based on robust processes of collection and curation.

METHODS

The multidisciplinary project had three phases: (i) development and piloting a process to collect practice examples, (ii) refining review processes and gathering further examples via national and regional teams (iii) maintenance of an accessible collection on the library platform.

RESULTS

The project resulted in a searchable collection of 55 practice examples illustrating participatory approaches in public health practice. The collection shows diversity in terms of settings, population, focus and type of approach used to work with communities. A secondary outcome was the development of generic guidance and templates for further collections on public health topics.

CONCLUSIONS

This project illustrates how information on the implementation of community-centered approaches in real-life contexts can be gathered and disseminated through a transferable process. Having collections of practice examples supports knowledge exchange in public health as learning is shared.

Domestic trauma with penile and scrotum skin degloving and testicular avulsion

Traumatic lesions of male external genitalia are certainly less frequent than the other body sites and in the majority of cases they are caused by work accidents in the metalworking environment or by gunshot wounds. We present a rare case of traumatic degloving lesion of the male external genitalia with avulsion of the left testis caused by an accidental fall from the ladder. Reconstructive surgery was carried out in a single procedure, obtaining an excellent esthetic and functional result.

Involvement of transcribed lncRNA uc.291 and SWI/SNF complex in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

While non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) are the most common tumours in humans, only the sub-type cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), might become metastatic with high lethality. We have recently identified a regulatory pathway involving the lncRNA transcript uc.291 in controlling the expression of epidermal differentiation complex genes via the interaction with ACTL6A, a component of the chromatin remodelling complex SWI/SNF. Since transcribed ultra-conserved regions (T-UCRs) are expressed in normal tissues and are deregulated in tumorigenesis, here we hypothesize a potential role for dysregulation of this axis in cSCC, accounting for the de-differentiation process observed in aggressive poorly differentiated cutaneous carcinomas. We therefore analysed their expression patterns in human tumour biopsies at mRNA and protein levels. The results suggest that by altering chromatin accessibility of the epidermal differentiation complex genes, down-regulation of uc.291 and BRG1 expression contribute to the de-differentiation process seen in keratinocyte malignancy. This provides future direction for the identification of clinical biomarkers in cutaneous SCC. Analysis of publicly available data sets indicates that the above may also be a general feature for SCCs of different origins.

Cardiac care of Non-COVID-19 patients during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: The pivotal role of CCTA

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: None.

Aims

To describe the role of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) as the sole available non-invasive diagnostic test for symptomatic patients with suspected CAD in a hub center for cardiovascular emergencies in the presence of limited access to hospital facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods and Results

From March 9th to April 30th, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, a consecutive cohort of symptomatic patients with high clinical suspicion of CAD and clinical indication to CCTA were enrolled in a hub hospital in Milan, Italy. When obstructive coronary artery disease was detected (>70% diameter stenosis in a proximal coronary segment or >90% stenosis in any coronary segment) patients were referred to invasive coronary angiography (ICA). Clinical follow-up was assessed in patients in whom ICA was considered deferrable.

Overall, 58 consecutive patients were included. Ten (17.2%) symptomatic patients underwent ICA according to CCTA findings, while in 48 (82.8%) patients ICA was deferred. No clinical events were recorded after a mean follow-up of 49.7 ± 16.8 days. In nine out of ten patients referred to ICA, severe coronary artery disease was confirmed and treated accordingly. Changes in medical therapy were significantly more prevalent in patients with vs. those without CAD at CCTA.

Conclusion

We report a potential pivotal role for CCTA in the triage of non-COVID-19 patients with suspected  CAD during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. CCTA may be helpful for identifying patients who necessitate ICA, ensuring adequate resource utilization during the pandemic.

Costs and Resource Use Associated with Alzheimer's Disease in Italy: Results from an Observational Study

BACKGROUND

The GERAS II study aimed to assess societal costs and resource use associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) for patients and their primary caregivers in Italy and Spain, stratified for different severity stages of AD at baseline. This report presents baseline results for Italy.

DESIGN

GERAS II was a prospective, multicentre, observational study of routine care in AD.

SETTING

Community-dwelling patients attending specialist secondary care centres (memory clinics/Alzheimer's Evaluation Units) and their primary informal caregivers were recruited into the study.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients were aged ≥55 years, presented within the normal course of care, had a diagnosis of probable AD and a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of ≤26. Patients and caregivers were stratified according to patient AD dementia severity at baseline: mild, MMSE score 21-26; moderate, MMSE score 15-20; or moderately severe/severe, MMSE score <15.

MEASUREMENTS

Data collected for patients and caregivers included demographics/clinical characteristics; current medication; patient cognitive, functional and behavioural assessments; patient and caregiver health-related quality of life (HRQoL); and patient and caregiver resource use. The costs associated with the resources used were calculated. Costs were broken down into patient healthcare costs, patient social care costs and caregiver informal care costs.

RESULTS

Of 198 patients enrolled from Italy, 29 (15%) had mild AD dementia, 80 (40%) had moderate AD dementia, and 89 (45%) had moderately severe/severe AD dementia. Patient and caregiver characteristics showed some differences between AD dementia severity groups; for example, a numerically higher proportion of patients with mild and moderately severe/severe AD dementia were taking memantine compared with those with moderate AD dementia. Patient functioning and behavioural and psychological symptoms worsened with increasing AD dementia severity (p<0.05 between groups for all measures). No significant difference between the disease severity groups was observed in patient HRQoL, and there was no clear pattern in resource use. However, all measures of caregiver time spent helping the patient differed significantly between groups (p<0.05) and were highest in patients with moderately severe/severe AD dementia. Mean (standard deviation) total monthly societal costs per patient (2013 values) were €1850 (1901), €1552 (1322) and €2728 (2184) for patients with mild, moderate and moderately severe/severe AD dementia, respectively (p<0.001 between groups). Caregiver informal care costs were the greatest contributor to total societal costs and amounted to €1370, €1223 and €2223 per patient per month for mild, moderate and moderately severe/severe AD dementia groups, respectively (p<0.001 between groups).

CONCLUSION

Total Italian societal costs generally increased with increasing AD dementia severity. However, costs were slightly lower for moderate than for mild AD dementia, possibly reflecting the observed unusual trend of greater caregiver time and higher memantine use in patients with mild versus moderate AD dementia.

Oral management of adult patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) are the current treatments for patients with hematological diseases; they result in myelosuppression, and increase the susceptibility of patients to severe infections. The oral cavity is a potential site of complications in HSCT patients, because it is the entrance for agents that can cause systemic infections; it is one of the most frequent locations for side effects deriving from conditioning therapy. The importance of dental pre-chemotherapy and transplant prescription is often stressed, since both therapies depress the immune system and platelets, making each intervention at this stage a high risk. The aim of this article is to review the potential complications of HSCT, and to extrapolate from the scientific literature the treatments and timeframes in which dental therapies can be performed, avoiding important risks for patients.

Cerebellar rTMS for motor control in progressive supranuclear palsy

BACKGROUND

Stimulatory cerebellar TMS is a promising tool to improve motor control in neurodegenerative disorders.

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS

Our goal was to use 10Hz cerebellar rTMS to augment cerebellar-brain inhibition (CBI) for improved postural stability and speech in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).

METHODS

We performed CBI assessments with neuronavigation before and after high frequency cerebellar rTMS or sham TMS in two patients with PSP, using a double cone coil for the conditioning pulse and a figure-of-eight coil for the test pulse and treatments. We collected posturography data and speech samples before and after treatment.

RESULTS

After treatment, CBI increased by 50% in subject 1 and by 32% in subject 2, and postural stability and speech improved. The protocol was well tolerated, but the sham was not consistently believable.

CONCLUSION

Cerebellar rTMS may improve postural stability and speech in PSP, but cooled coils with vibrotactile sham capability are needed for larger future studies.

Hyper-activation of Aurora kinase a-polo-like kinase 1-FOXM1 axis promotes chronic myeloid leukemia resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors

BACKGROUND

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative disease caused by the constitutive tyrosine kinase (TK) activity of the BCR-ABL1 fusion protein. Accordingly, TK inhibitors have drastically changed the disease prognosis. However, persistence of the transformed hematopoiesis even in patients who achieved a complete response to TK inhibitors and the disease relapse upon therapy discontinuation represent a major obstacle to CML cure.

METHODS

Thiostrepton, Danusertib and Volasertib were used to investigate the effects of FOXM1, AKA and Plk1 inhibition in K562-S and K562-R cells. Apoptotic cell death was quantified by annexin V/propidium iodide staining and flow cytometry. Quantitative reverse transcription (RT)-PCR was used to assess BCR-ABL1, FOXM1, PLK1 and AURKA expression. Protein expression and activation was assessed by Western Blotting (WB). Clonogenic assay were performed to confirm K562-R resistance to Imatinib and to evaluate cells sensitivity to the different drugs.

RESULTS

Here we proved that BCR-ABL1 TK-dependent hyper-activation of Aurora kinase A (AURKA)-Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1)-FOXM1 axis is associated with the outcome of Imatinib (IM) resistance in an experimental model (K562 cell line) and bone marrow hematopoietic cells. Notably, such a biomolecular trait was detected in the putative leukemic stem cell (LSC) compartment characterized by a CD34+ phenotype. Constitutive phosphorylation of FOXM1 associated with BCR-ABL1 TK lets FOXM1 binding with β-catenin enables β-catenin nuclear import and recruitment to T cell factor/lymphoid enhancer-binding factor (TCF/LEF) transcription complex, hence supporting leukemic cell proliferation and survival. Lastly, the inhibition of single components of AURKA-PLK1-FOXM1 axis in response to specific drugs raises the expression of growth factor/DNA damage-inducible gene a (GADD45a), a strong inhibitor of AURKA and, as so, a critical component whose induction may mediate the eradication of leukemic clone.

CONCLUSIONS

Our conclusion is that AURKA, PLK1 and FOXM1 inhibition may be considered as a promising therapeutic approach to cure CML.

TP3-5 Structural connectivity driven stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) electrode targeting in suspected pseudotemporal and temporal plus epilepsy

Objectives

One third of patients with drug resistant focal mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) fail to achieve long-term seizure freedom following temporal lobe resections. Reasons for failure may include ictal onset outside the temporal lobe (TL), termed ‘pseudotemporal lobe epilepsy’ (pTLE), with propagation from strongly connected neighboring areas or temporal plus (TL+) epilepsy, when the epileptogenic zone primarily involves the temporal lobe and also extends to neighboring regions. In such cases the perisylvian and orbito-frontal (OF) cortices, cingulum and temporo-parieto-occipital junction may be implicated. Stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) is a procedure in which electrodes are stereotactically placed within predefined brain regions to delineate the SOZ and allows evaluation of deep anatomical structures adjacent to the TL. SEEG electrode contacts sample from a core radius of 3–5 mm. It is unclear which sub-regions of target structures should be preferentially implanted to optimally detect the network involved in seizure onset and rapid propagation. Using normalized average group templates of structural connectivity from patients with hippocampal sclerosis (HS), we determine the greatest connectivity to critical sub-regions and based upon this propose optimal locations for SEEG targeting.

Design

Observational cross-sectional study.

Subjects

Twelve patients with HS (6 right) that had undergone SEEG and pre-operative diffusion imaging were identified from a prospectively maintained database.

Methods

Whole brain connectomes with 10 million tracts were generated using cortical seed regions derived from whole brain GIF parcellations. Normalized group templates were generated separately for right and left HS patients. Orbitofrontal cortex (OF), insula (INS), cingulum (Cing) and temporo-parietal-occipital junction (supramarginal gyrus, angular gyrus, precuneus, fusiform gyrus and lingual gyrus) were segmented into surgically targetable subregions. All subregions had similar volumes. Connectivity of the amygdalohippocampal complex (AHC) was defined based on the number of streamlines terminating in the subregions of interest.

Results

Left HS showed preferential connections to the ipsilateral: posterior part of lateral OF cortex, posterior short gyrus of anterior INS, posterior part of the posterior Cing, middle part of lingual gyrus, posterior part of precuneus and middle part of fusiform gyrus. Right HS showed preferential connections to the ipsilateral: posterior part of the lateral OF cortex, anterior long gyrus of posterior INS, posterior part of posterior Cing, anterior part of lingual gyrus and posterior part of precuneus.

Conclusions

Using whole brain connectomes we determine surgically feasible targets in sub-regions based on greatest connectivity to the AHC. We propose that SEEG targeting utilizing computer-assisted planning may improve the understanding of the overall network connectivity in order to enhance the diagnostic utility of the SEEG implantation. SEEG electrode placement within structures associated with pTLE and TL +may aid in delineating the SOZ if the correct sub-regions are targeted. This should be evaluated prospectively.

Anticipatory postural responses prior to protective steps are not different in people with PD who do and do not freeze

BACKGROUND

Protective stepping after a loss of balance is related to falls. Anticipatory postural responses (APAs) prior to protective stepping can impact step performance, may be larger in people with PD, and have been suggested to be related to freezing of gait (FOG). However, whether people with PD and FOG (PD + FOG) exhibit larger APAs than people with PD and no FOG (PD-FOG) is unknown.

RESEARCH QUESTION

Determine the impact of freezing status on APAs prior to protective steps, thus providing a better understanding of the link between FOG and APAs.

METHODS

Twenty-eight people with PD (13 PD + FOG) were exposed to 50 support surface translations (25 forward, 25 backward, random order) resulting in protective steps. The size of medio-lateral weight shifts prior to the protective step (i.e. APAs), and the percentage of trials with an APA were calculated via force-plates. FOG status was assessed at the time of testing as well as 3.25(+/-0.43) years later. Participants without FOG at testing, but with FOG at follow-up were identified as "converters".

RESULTS AND SIGNIFICANCE

For both forward and backward protective stepping, size and percentage trials with an APA were not statistically different between PD + FOG and PD-FOG, even after excluding converters from the PD-FOG group (p > 0.27 for all). No group by direction interactions were observed. These data suggest that, in mild to moderate PD, an inability to couple APAs with stepping, rather than an inappropriately sized APA, may be most related to freezing of gait.

A multiparametric and multiscale approach to automated segmentation of brain veins

Cerebral vein analysis provides a fundamental tool to study brain diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders or traumatic brain injuries. In order to assess the vascular anatomy, manual segmentation approaches can be used but are observer-dependent and time-consuming. In the present work, a fully automated cerebral vein segmentation method is proposed, based on a multiscale and multiparametric approach. The combined investigation of the R2(*)- and a Vesselness probability-map was used to obtain a fast and highly reliable classification of venous voxels. A semiquantitative analysis showed that our approach outperformed the previous state-of-the-art algorithm both in sensitivity and specificity. Inclusion of this tool within a parametric brain framework may therefore pave the way for a quantitative study of the intracranial venous system.

Effects of Fluvastatin and Bezafibrate Combination on Plasma Fibrinogen, t-plasminogen Activator Inhibitor and C Reactive Protein Levels in Coronary Artery Disease Patients with Mixed Hyperlipidaemia (FACT Study)

We studied the effects of fluvastatin and bezafibrate in monotherapy and in combination on plasma fibrinogen, t-plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) and C reactive protein (CRP) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and mixed hyperlipidaemia

In this randomised, double blind, multicentre trial 333 patients with stable angina pectoris or previous myocardial infarction or coronary revascularisation and mixed hyperlipidaemia (LDL-cholesterol 135-250 mg/dl and triglycerides (TG) 180-400 mg/dl) were randomised to fluvastatin 40 mg, bezafibrate 400 mg, fluvastatin 20 mg + bezafibrate 400 mg or fluvastatin 40 mg + bezafibrate 400 mg treatments for 24 weeks.

Plasma fibrinogen significantly decreased after treatment with the combinations fluvastatin+bezafibrate (−14 and −16%) and with bezafibrate monotherapy (−9%). No significant reduction was observed after fluvastatin monotherapy (−4%). No significant changes were observed in PAI-1 and CRP plasma levels. Combination therapy significantly decreased both LDL-C and TG, and significantly increased HDL-C.

The combined effects on fibrinogen and plasma lipids achieved by fluvastatin and bezafibrate combination treatment might be more useful than the simple reduction of cholesterol in preventing ischaemic cardiovascular disease.

Curing effectiveness of single-peak and multi-peak led light curing units on tpo-containing resin composites with different chromatic characteristics

This study evaluated the surface microhardness of Lucirin-TPO (TPO) containing resin based composite (RBC) cured with three light-emitting diode (LED) light curing units (LCUs) (two single-peak LED and one multi-peak LED), and two different energy density (ED) (8 J/cm² and 16 J/cm²). Ninety specimens (8 mm wide and 2 mm thick) (n=5), were prepared with three different shades: translucent (T), A2 dentin (A2d), and A4 dentin (A4d). Specimens were subjected to micro-hardness Vickers measurements (Vickers Hardness Number, VHN) on both top and bottom surfaces. Hardness ratio (rHV) was also calculated. Data were analyzed using multifactorial ANOVA and Bonferroni tests (<=0.05). Results indicated that higher ED performed better than lower ED. Multi-peak LED achieved higher VHNs and rHV than single-peak LED when curing a TPO-containing RBC. A4d invariably achieved lower rHV and VHN than T and A2d. Single-peak LED achieved comparable VHNs and rHVs with multi-peak LED only curing A2d and T shades with 16J/cm².

SETD2 and histone H3 lysine 36 methylation deficiency in advanced systemic mastocytosis

The molecular basis of advanced systemic mastocytosis (SM) is not fully understood and despite novel therapies the prognosis remains dismal. Exome sequencing of an index-patient with mast cell leukemia (MCL) uncovered biallelic loss-of-function mutations in the SETD2 histone methyltransferase gene. Copy-neutral loss-of-heterozygosity at 3p21.3 (where SETD2 maps) was subsequently found in SM patients and prompted us to undertake an in-depth analysis of SETD2 copy number, mutation status, transcript expression and methylation levels, as well as functional studies in the HMC-1 cell line and in a validation cohort of 57 additional cases with SM, including MCL, aggressive SM and indolent SM. Reduced or no SETD2 protein expression—and consequently, H3K36 trimethylation—was found in all cases and inversely correlated with disease aggressiveness. Proteasome inhibition rescued SETD2 expression and H3K36 trimethylation and resulted in marked accumulation of ubiquitinated SETD2 in SETD2-deficient patients but not in patients with near-normal SETD2 expression. Bortezomib and, to a lesser extent, AZD1775 alone or in combination with midostaurin induced apoptosis and reduced clonogenic growth of HMC-1 cells and of neoplastic mast cells from advanced SM patients. Our findings may have implications for prognostication of SM patients and for the development of improved treatment approaches in advanced SM.

Grey Matter Volume Patterns in Thalamic Nuclei are Associated with Schizotypy in Healthy Subjects

Introduction

Schizotypy refers to a set of temporally stable traits that are observed in the general population and that resemble, in attenuated form, the symptoms of schizophrenia. In a previous work, we identified volumetric patterns in thalamic subregions which were associated with disease status, and trained a random forests classifier, accounting for such thalamic volumetric patterns, that discriminated healthy controls (HC) from patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) (81% accuracy) [1].

Objectives

i) to assess performance of random forests classifier developed by Pergola and coworkers [1], in an independent sample of healthy subjects; ii) to test whether false positives (FP), i.e. HC classified as SCZ based on such classifier would be associated with greater schizotypy compared with true negatives (TN), i.e. HC classified as such.

Methods

A total of 167 HC participated in the MRI study and filled the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). We pre-processed MRI data with SPM8 and DARTEL. Then, we used thalamic grey matter volumes (GMV) as features in the random forests prediction of disease status at the single subject level. Finally, we tested SPQ scores differences between FP and TN with Mann-Whitney test.

Results

The classification accuracy was 71%. FP had greater SPQ scores compared to TN (P = 0.007).

Conclusions

Classification accuracy of our classifier in an independent sample suggests that thalamic GMV patterns are reproducible markers of disease status. Furthermore, the present results also suggest that variability of thalamic GMV patterns in HC may have relevance for subclinical phenotypes related to schizophrenia spectrum.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Smart fusion vs. double scan: a comparison between two data-matching protocols for a computer guided implant planning

AIM

To make a comparison between two different approaches of data matching during the preparation of a computer guided implant planning.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Electronic and manual literature searches were performed to collect information about the double-scan protocol and the smart fusion protocol. The two systems were then tested to identify or confirm their advantages and disadvantages.

RESULTS

The double scan protocol is a reliable and well-known process to obtain a fusion between the anatomical data (CBCT) and the prosthetic data (radiographic template). It is possible to use this protocol both in dentate and edentulous patients. The newly developed smart fusion technique offers the possibility to superimpose the anatomical data (CBCT) onto the prosthetic data (cast + wax-up scan) without the production of a radiographic template. This system is still being tested by the clinicians even though dental manufacturers already consider it as the best solution for the dentate patients selected for a static computer guided implant surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Smart fusion protocol offers a reasonable time and cost reduction even though its application is limited to dentate patients. A noticeable drawback of the workflow is the matching step: often a manual intervention is necessary to obtain a correct alignment of the CBCT data with the lab scan of the cast. This issue is partially due to the use of non-volume stable materials during the preparation of the cast. Future improvements could be made by combining CBCT data with direct optical scans of patient dental arches in order to create the so-called 'virtual patient'.

Adjuvant treatment with a symbiotic in patients with inflammatory non-allergic rhinitis

Inflammatory non-allergic rhinitis (INAR) is characterized by the presence of an inflammatory infiltrate and a non-IgE-mediated pathogenesis. This retrospective, controlled, multicentre study investigated whether a symbiotic, containing Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, Bifidobacterium lactis, and fructo-oligosaccharides (Pollagen®, Allergy Therapeutics, Italy), prescribed as adjunctive therapy to a standard pharmacological treatment, was able to reduce symptom severity, endoscopic features, and nasal cytology in 93 patients (49 males and 44 females, mean age 36.3±7.1 years) with INAR. The patients were treated with nasal corticosteroid, oral antihistamine, and isotonic saline. At randomization, 52 patients were treated also with symbiotic as adjunctive therapy, whereas the remaining 41 patients served as controls. Treatment lasted for 4 weeks. Patients were visited at baseline, after treatment, and after 4-week follow-up. Adjunctive symbiotic treatment significantly reduced the percentages of patients with symptoms and endoscopic signs, and diminished inflammatory cells. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that a symbiotic was able, as adjuvant treatment, to significantly improve symptoms, endoscopic feature, and cytology in patients with INAR, and its effect may be long lasting.