Hormonal responses to water deficit in cambial tissues of Populus alba L.

Changes of the concentration of bioactive gibberellins and abscisic acid in the cambial region of white poplar (Populus alba L.) were investigated in one-year-old plants, to highlight how these phytohormone signals are modulated in response to water deficit. Plants were cultivated in pots outdoor and, at the time of maximum cambial growth (T0), irrigation was withdrawn for 8 d, inducing a mild water deficit, thus mimicking a condition that is recurrent in mediterranean climates when white poplar attains its maximum growth rate. The water deficit was suspended by resuming irrigation (Tmax), throughout a recovery period of two weeks (Trec). Cambial tissues were sampled at T0, Tmax and Trec. Significant changes of leaf and stem relative water content, leaf water potential, stomatal conductance, transpiration, carbon assimilation, stem shrinkage and leaf number were induced by soil water shortage, which also negatively affected cambium development. Nevertheless, these responses were almost fully reversed following the resumption of irrigation. Water deficit induced the accumulation of large amounts of abscisic acid in cambial tissues, but the hormone was brought back to pre-stress levels after the recovery period. With regard to bioactive gibberellins, GA1 was several fold more abundant than GA4 and reached the greatest level in the plants recovering from the water status imbalance. The possible functions of gibberellins and abscisic acid in the response of cambial tissues to water deficit are discussed in view of the known physiological roles and molecular mechanisms of action of these hormonal signals

Tonsillar carcinoma spreading metastases to central nervous system – Case report and literature review

We present a case report of a 51-year-old left-handed gentleman with a background of HPV 16-positive tonsil squamous cell carcinoma presenting with tonic-clonic seizure and a radiological diagnosis of secondary metastatic deposits. These were initially treated with Stereotactic RadioSurgery (SRS), and subsequently with surgery. Surgical resection was performed under general anaesthesia with right-sided temporal and parietal approaches. Both the parietal and temporal deposits were removed, while the intraventricular mass was intentionally left to avoid post-op deficits. Adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy were administered post-op. The patient experienced a satisfactory recovery post-op and was re-operated for recurrence 4 months later. He maintained a good quality of life and an excellent performance status throughout, but unfortunately passed away in November 2018 due to septic complications. This case history stresses the difficulty in managing SCC with brain metastatic deposits. There are no current guidelines about the management of patients presenting with such a rare condition. More data is thus desirable in order to better define treatment guidelines and protocols when SCC brain metastases are present

Rational Use of Monoclonal Antibodies as Therapeutic Treatment in an Oncologic Patient with Long COVID

We present the case of a 76-year-old male patient persistently infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the setting of a stage IIIC cutaneous melanoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). Due to the persistent coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), all cancer treatments were discontinued. Because of the worsening of his clinical state and the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 positivity for more than six months, the patient was treated with sotrovimab, which was ineffective due to resistance mutations acquired during that time. In order to resume cancer treatment and make the patient free from SARS-CoV-2, an in vitro screening of Evusheld monoclonal antibodies (tixagevumab–cilgavimab) against the viral strains isolated from the subject was performed. The promising results obtained during in vitro testing led to the authorization of the off-label use of Evusheld, which made the patient negative for SARS-CoV-2, thus, allowing him to resume his cancer treatment. This study highlights the Evusheld monoclonal antibodies’ efficacy, not only in prevention but also in successful therapy against prolonged COVID-19. Therefore, testing neutralizing monoclonal antibodies in vitro against SARS-CoV-2 mutants directly isolated from patients could provide useful information for the treatment of people affected by long COVID

Cancer immunotherapy:From the lab to clinical applications - Potential impact on cancer centres' organisation

This report covers the Immunotherapy sessions of the 2016 Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI) Oncology Days meeting, which was held on 15th–17th June 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. Immunotherapy is a potential cancer treatment that uses an individual’s immune system to fight the tumour. In recent years significant advances have been made in this field in the treatment of several advanced cancers. Cancer immunotherapies include monoclonal antibodies that are designed to attack a very specific part of the cancer cell and immune checkpoint inhibitors which are molecules that stimulate or block the inhibition of the immune system. Other cancer immunotherapies include vaccines and T cell infusions. This report will summarise some of the research that is going on in this field and will give us an update on where we are at present

MACROGLOSSIA AS A CAUSE OF ATYPICAL SWALLOWING: COMPARISON OF EVALUATION AND LOGOPEDIC TREATMENT BETWEEN BECKWITH-WIEDEMANN AND DOWN PATIENTS

n/