Università Campus Bio-Medico

About: Università Campus Bio-Medico is a education organization based out in Rome, Italy. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Medicine. The organization has 2829 authors who have published 8519 publications receiving 193689 citations. The organization is also known as: Universita Campus Bio-Medico & Campus Bio-Medico University.

High density of CD68+/CD163+ tumour-associated macrophages (M2-TAM) at diagnosis is significantly correlated to unfavorable prognostic factors and to poor clinical outcomes in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Abstract: To the Editor Tumour-Associated Macrophages (TAM) may have both anti-tumoural and tumour-promoting functions, depending on their acquired immunophenotype (M1 or M2). Recent studies have shown that TAM expression was related with prognosis in hematologic malignancies, particularly in Hodgkin’s lymphoma [1]. However, the role of microenvironment in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has been less studied in the last years, and contrasting results about the role of TAM concentration on prognosis were obtained. Hasselblom et al. demonstrated that it is not possible to predict worse clinical outcomes in terms of disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in DLBCL patients just evaluating CD68+ TAM concentration [2], whereas other studies showed that high TAM density was significantly related to poor prognosis [3] and worse therapy-response [4]. More recently, Nam et al. suggested that an increase ofM2-TAM predicts poor outcome in DBLCL patients treated with R-CHOP regimen [5]. The aim of this study is to quantify TAM concentration making use of a double immunofluorescence in DLBCL patients at diagnosis and to evaluate the presence of a significant correlation between the prevalent subtype of macrophages, clinical and biological disease features and clinical outcomes in terms of therapy response, DFS and OS. Sixty-one patients diagnosed with de novo DLBCL were enrolled in our study. Fifty-seven patients were treated with R-CHOP regimen (Rituximab, Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, Vincristine and Prednisone), whereas the remaining four received R-CHOP-like regimens (with liposomal Doxorubicin). Every patient gave an informed written consent to authorize sensitive data processing for scientific purposes; this study has been approved by a local Ethical Committee. Treatment responses were evaluated according to Cheson’s criteria [6]. Different subtypes of macrophage infiltration were identified by a double indirect immunofluorescence for CD68/CD163 (M2) and CD68/HLA-DR (M1). Antibodies against CD68 were used as primary antibodies to recognise CD68+ cells. Then we used a secondary antibody (Ab) binding the Fc fragment of the primary Ab. The secondary Ab was marked with Alexa Fluor 488 fluorochrome (Life

Oxidative stress and ERK1/2 phosphorylation as predictors of outcome in hepatocellular carcinoma patients treated with sorafenib plus octreotide LAR.

Abstract: We reported a relevant activity of the combination between sorafenib and octreotide long-acting release (LAR) in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. In this work, we have studied if oxidative stress in both serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and pERK activation status in PBMC could be predictive of response. In the 20 responsive patients, the decrease of reactive oxygen species levels was already detectable after 10 days (T10) from the beginning of sorafenib administration, and this effect was enhanced by the combined treatment with sorafenib+octreotide LAR (T21). This effect correlated with the modulation of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity (physiological scavenger of O2−) and of serum nitric oxide (NO) levels. Sorafenib alone induced an increase of about 40% of NO levels and of about two-fold of SOD activity in responsive patients, and both effects were significantly potentiated by the combined treatment. We found a gradual reduction of Erk1/2 activity, as evaluated by cytofluorimetric analysis, in 15 responsive patients reaching about 50% maximal decrease at T21. On the other hand, in 17 resistant patients, Erk1/2 activity was about 80% increased at T21. The determination of both the oxidative stress status and pERK activity in PBMC has high value in the prediction of response to sorafenib+octreotide therapy in HCC patients.

‘If it is not recorded, it has not been done!’? consistency between nursing records and observed nursing care in an Italian hospital

Abstract: Aims. The aim of this study is to evaluate the consistency between the care given to patients and that documented, by comparing care observations with nursing records and describing which interventions were reported and which were omitted. Background. Assumptions have been made about the relationship between documentation and care actually delivered, but there is insufficient evidence on the relationship between the actual care given and its recording. Design. Observational study of the care given, completed by interviews and retrospective survey of records. Methods. Structured observation during day shifts in the first six days of admission of pre and postsurgical care provided to 21 consecutive patients undergoing major abdominal surgery and audit of their nursing records. Each observation was completed by short interviews to nurses to ensure observations validity. Results. Only 40% of nursing activities observed were included in the nursing records (37% of the assessments and 45% of the interventions). This indicated that nurses carry out more activities than they report. Consistency between performed and recorded care decreased significantly during the days when a higher number of activities were performed. Consistency between recording and observation of assessment activities was 38% for physical needs and 0% for educational needs. Consistency was higher for the assessments of physical signs/symptoms and risk factors for complications compared to the assessment of basic needs and pain. Consistency was 47% for technical interventions and 3% for educational activities. Conclusions. Nursing records were not found to be an adequate tool for quality care evaluation, because they did not include all the caring activities that the nurses had carried out. Relevance to clinical practice. This study supports the need to identify documentation systems that are easy to complete. Moreover, nursing education should pay more attention to the competences in the field of holistic care and patient education.

Prognostic value of immunohistochemical expression of p53, bax, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL in resected non-small-cell lung cancers

Abstract: Aims : Some experimental evidence suggests that in lung cancer, development, progression and an increased proliferation rate can be linked to apoptosis-related factors. In this study we evaluated the possible role of p53 and Bcl-2 gene family members as prognostic factors for non-small-cell lung cancer. Methods and results : We investigated the immunohistochemical expression of p53 and Bcl-2 gene family members (bax, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL) in 94 non-small-cell lung cancer specimens to establish the role of these genes in lung cancer pathogenesis, and to evaluate their prognostic importance. The expression of Bcl-2 was correlated with a shorter patient survival time and with the nodal status of the neoplasm. We also found frequent over-expression of bax and Bcl-xL to be of no prognostic significance. Finally, we found no correlation between frequent detection of aberrant p53 protein and expression of either Bcl-2, bax or Bcl-xL or with patient survival time. Conclusions : This study confirms a relevant role for apoptosis-regulatory proteins in the pathogenesis of lung cancer, and highlights the possible role of Bcl-2 as a prognostic factor for this tumour.

A therapeutic window for platelet reactivity for patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention: results of the ARMYDA-PROVE (Antiplatelet therapy for Reduction of MYocardial Damage during Angioplasty-Platelet Reactivity for Outcome Validation Effort) study.

Abstract: Objectives This study sought to validate the ability of the VerifyNow P2Y12 assay (Accumetrics, San Diego, California) in predicting both ischemic and bleeding events after elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Background High and low levels of platelet reactivity are associated with ischemic and bleeding events, respectively, after PCI. Methods A total of 732 patients on dual antiplatelet therapy undergoing elective PCI were recruited. Platelet reactivity was measured before PCI. The primary endpoint was the 30-day incidence of net adverse clinical events (NACE), defined as the occurrence of ischemic or bleeding events, in relation to P2Y 12 reaction unit (PRU) distribution. Results At receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis, PRU values could significantly discriminate between patients with and without bleeding events (area under the curve [AUC]: 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.65 to 0.80; p Conclusions A therapeutic window for platelet reactivity measured with the VerifyNow P2Y12 assay can be identified using specific thresholds that define a group of patients at lower risk for both ischemic and bleeding events. Adjunctive measures may be beneficial in patients with higher or lower platelet reactivity in order to improve clinical outcomes after PCI.