Surgical Brain Metastases: Management and Outcome Related to Prognostic Indexes: A Critical Review of a Ten-Year Series

Brain metastasis are the most common neoplastic lesions of the nervous system. Many cancer patients are diagnosed on the basis of a first clinical presentation of cancer on the basis of a single or multiple brain lesions. Brain metastases are manifestations of primary disease progression and often determine a poor prognosis. Not all patients with a brain metastases undergo surgery: many are submitted to alternative or palliative treatments. Management of patients with brain metastases is still controversial, and many studies have been developed to determine which is the best therapy. Furthermore, management of patients operated for a brain metastasis is often difficult. Chemotherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, panencephalic radiation therapy, and surgery, in combination or alone, are the means most commonly used. We report our experience in the management of a ten-year series of surgical brain metastasis and discuss our results in the preoperative and postoperative management of this complex condition

Brain tumours in the time of COVID-19: An online survey on patients’ disease experience in one Italian region

BackgroundSince the outbreak, in 2019, of COVID-19, the world has experienced marked changes in daily habits, partly reflecting the exceptional social restrictions and health measures adopted to contain the disease. All these measures significantly affected not only peoples’s daily lives and psychological well-being but also the possibility for the healthcare system to function properly. In this setting, brain tumour patients were at risk due to their higher physical and mental fragility and their need for regular care. The aim of the present study was to assess, using a self-reported online questionnaire, the patients’s perceptions regarding their disease experience.Materials and methodsWe developed an online anonymous self-report survey to assess patients’s disease experience during the pandemic. We investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients’s cancer care schedules, their psychological distress and emotions felt during the pandemic, their levels of worry about COVID-19, and their oncological conditions.Results107 patients answered our survey, most of them suffering from a glioma. Less than one-third of the sample had their appointments cancelled, delayed or converted into online visits due to the pandemic. Of the patients who answered the survey, 95% declared they were satisfied with their Institute’s oncological management. The feelings reported most often were peacefulness or anxiety/worry; the majority of the sample reported high levels of loneliness, which tended to increase with age, whilst the psychological distress was correlated with age and with having a recurrence of the disease. Half of the sample declared severe worry about their oncological condition, in particular subjects with a recurrence or who were receiving adjuvant therapies. Patients with recurrence tended to worry more about the possibility of contracting COVID-19, and its effects.ConclusionOur findings illustrate how fragile and in need of care patients with a brain tumour may be, especially those with more severe clinical conditions. These data may help boost healthcare professionals’s knowledge about brain tumour patients’s needs and fears, so as to be able to offer them a better hospital experience and improve their clinical management, while possibly also reducing the psychological burden on patients and their families

Segmentary effects on the renal proximal tubule due to hexachloro-1,3-butadiene in rats: biomarkers related to gender.

Renal tissue biomarkers (glutamine synthetase and p-aminohippuric acid uptake) were studied in male and female rats after treatment with hexachloro-1,3-butadiene. Reduced glutathione content was also determined in liver and kidney. Histopathological examination (light microscopy) was then performed. The aim was to define sex differences in nephrotoxic effects caused by the solvent i.p. injected at 50, 100, and 200 mg kg-1 dose. The rats were sacrificed 24 and 48 h after treatment; after 24 h a significant (P<0.05) dose-dependent depletion of liver reduced glutathione was observed in male rats only; after 48 h male and female rats showed a significant (P<0.05) increase at 50 and 100 mg kg-1 doses. Reduced glutathione in the kidney was increased in male but not in female rats 24 and 48 h after treatment. Glutamine synthetase activity in renal tissue showed a significant (P<0.05) dose-dependent decrease 24 and 48 h after treatment in both sexes, but it was significantly (P<0.05) greater in female rats after 48 h. p-Aminohippuric acid uptake in renal cortical slices appeared significantly (P<0.05) decreased in both sexes at the higher dose 24 h after treatment but this was significantly (P<0.05) greater in female rats. A further significant (P<0.05) impairment was observed after 48 h in males treated with a 200 mg kg-1 dose. In addition, a slight but significant (P<0.05) loss of p-aminohippuric acid uptake was observed 48 h after treatment with 100 mg kg-1 dose in both sexes. Light microscopy showed that pars recta of the proximal tubule was mainly affected and tubular damage increased according to dose and time, involving the inner medulla and cortex. In conclusion, female rats show a significantly earlier and higher susceptibility of the kidney to toxic effects of hexachloro-1,3-butadiene

Boosting teamwork between scrub nurses and neurosurgeons: exploring the value of a role-played hands-on, cadaver-free simulation and systematic review of the literature

BackgroundRecently, non-technical skills (NTS) and teamwork in particular have been demonstrated to be essential in many jobs, in business as well as in medical specialties, including plastic, orthopedic, and general surgery. However, NTS and teamwork in neurosurgery have not yet been fully studied. We reviewed the relevant literature and designed a mock surgery to be used as a team-building activity specifically designed for scrub nurses and neurosurgeons.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review by searching PubMed (Medline) and CINAHL, including relevant articles in English published until 15 July 2023. Then, we proposed a pilot study consisting of a single-session, hands-on, and cadaver-free activity, based on role play. Scrub nurses were administered the SPLINTS (Scrub Practitioners’ List of Intraoperative Non-Technical Skills) rating form as a self-evaluation at baseline and 20–30 days after the simulation. During the experiment, surgeons and scrub nurses role-played as each other, doing exercises including a simulated glioma resection surgery performed on an advanced model of a cerebral tumor (Tumor Box, UpSurgeOn®) under an exoscope. At the end, every participant completed an evaluation questionnaire.ResultsA limited number of articles are available on the topic. This study reports one of the first neurosurgical team-building activities in the literature. All the participating scrub nurses and neurosurgeons positively evaluated the simulation developed on a roleplay. The use of a physical simulator seems an added value, as the tactile feedback given by the model further helps to understand the actual surgical job, more than only observing and assisting. The SPLINTS showed a statistically significant improvement not only in “Communication and Teamwork” (p = 0.048) but also in “Situation Awareness” (p = 0.031).ConclusionOur study suggests that team-building activities may play a role in improving interprofessional teamwork and other NTS in neurosurgery

Risk of obesity during a gluten-free diet in pediatric and adult patients with celiac disease: a systematic review with meta-analysis

Context Obesity is a significant risk factor for many pathological conditions. Whether a gluten-free diet (GFD) is a risk factor for overweight or obesity remains controversial. Objective The primary aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of body mass index (BMI) categories at disease presentation and the variation in BMI category from underweight/normal to overweight/obese and vice versa during a GFD. Data Sources PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched through February 2021 for retrospective, cross-sectional, and prospective studies reporting BMI categories at disease diagnosis and during a GFD. Data Extraction Data were extracted by 2 reviewers independently. Disagreements were resolved by consensus; a third reviewer was consulted, if necessary. Risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane ROBINS-I tool. Data Analysis Subgroup analysis based on age (pediatric/adult patients), study design (prospective, cross-sectional, retrospective), and duration of GFD was performed.. Forty-five studies were selected (7959 patients with celiac disease and 20 524 healthy controls). The mean BMI of celiac patients at presentation was significantly lower than that of controls (P &lt; 0.001). During a GFD, the mean BMI increased significantly (mean difference = 1.14 kg/m(2) [95%CI, 0.68-1.60 kg/m(2)]; I-2 = 82.8%; P &lt; 0.001), but only 9% of patients (95%CI, 7%-12%; I-2 = 80.0%) changed from the underweight/normal BMI category to the overweight/obese category, while 20% (95%CI, 11%-29%; I-2 = 85.8%) moved into a lower BMI category. Conclusion Most celiac patients had a normal BMI at presentation, although the mean BMI was significantly lower than that of controls. A GFD does not increase the risk of becoming overweight/obese, especially in children. The quality of several studies was suboptimal, with moderate or high overall risk of bias and heterogeneity

Long term follow–up of neuropsychological functions in patients with high grade gliomas: can cognitive status predict patient’s outcome after surgery?

Background: Patients affected by a high-grade glioma (HGG) have a poor prognosis with a median survival of 12-16 months. Such poor prognosis affects the perception of the remaining life by patients and the neuropsychological status can strongly affect every-day functioning of these patients. Monitoring changes of neuropsychological functioning (NPF) over time may provide better clinical information and optimize the neuro-oncological management. Aims of our work were: 1) to investigate the feasibility of a complex neuropsychological battery in HGG patients before and during follow-up after surgery; 2) to study the neuropsychological profile of patients affected by HGGs and their relation with the disease status (relapse/death) across time after surgery. Methods: 102 patients who received surgery for HGG between 2011 and 2017 were studied. All clinical data were prospectively recorded. NPF was assessed during the neuro-oncological follow-up through the Milano-Bicocca Battery (MIBIB). Statistical analysis was performed on the neuropsychological results of the tests administered. Results: First, MIBIB proved to be suitable for patients with HGG tumors before and after surgery, and during long-term follow-up; it also showed a cluster structure representative of the principal cognitive domains. Second, we found a steep decline in the neuropsychological profile before death and/or tumor relapse for the 52% of the neuropsychological tests administered. Conclusion: Complex neuropsychological batteries can be administered to HGG patients before and during follow-up after surgery. There is a correlation between neuropsychological deterioration and tumor relapse and/or death, which may reflect a progressive damage to cognitive functions due to tumor infiltration and progression

WP3—Innovation in Agriculture and Forestry Sector for Energetic Sustainability

Papers submitted and published in this Special Issue &ldquo;WP3&mdash;Innovation in Agriculture and Forestry Sector for Energetic Sustainability&rdquo; bring together some of the latest research results in the field of biomass valorization and the process of energy production and climate change and other items about energetic sustainability [...