HCG--A new kid on the block in prematurity prevention

Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is a molecule with multiple endocrine, paracrine, and immunoregulatory actions. Its importance for the enhancement of fertility, successful implantation, and survival of the conceptus in early gestation is recognized. However, studies conducted worldwide in recent years indicate that HCG may also play a significant role in maintaining pregnancy well after the first trimester. Emerging evidence suggests that different biomolecular and physiologic effects of HCG are concordantly directed toward inhibition of myometrial contractility to maintain pregnancy. These studies have prompted preliminary animal and human testing of HCG for the prevention of preterm birth. This article reviews the current knowledge as well as the future perspectives on HCG as a useful new tool in prematurity prevention

Oleuropein-Rich Gellan Gum/Alginate Films as Innovative Treatments against Photo-Induced Skin Aging

Olea europaea L. leaf extracts (OLEs) represent highly value-added agro-industrial byproducts, being promising sources of significant antioxidant compounds, such as their main component, oleuropein. In this work, hydrogel films based on low-acyl gellan gum (GG) blended with sodium alginate (NaALG) were loaded with OLE and crosslinked with tartaric acid (TA). The films' ability to act as an antioxidant and photoprotectant against UVA-induced photoaging, thanks to their capability to convey oleuropein to the skin, were examined with the aim of a potential application as facial masks. Biological in vitro performances of the proposed materials were tested on normal human dermal fibroblasts (NhDFs), both under normal conditions and after aging-induced UVA treatment. Overall, our results clearly show the intriguing properties of the proposed hydrogels as effective and fully naturally formulated anti-photoaging smart materials for potential use as facial masks

Comparative ultrasonographic evaluation of the achilles paratenon in symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects: an imaging study

Medicine as well as in the common clinical practice. One of the most widely used modality to diagnose pathologies of the achilles tendon is ultrasonography (US), which is fast, repeatable, and allows dynamic assessment of the tendon gliding. However, literature studies demonstrate that only moderate correlation exists between the US appearance of the tendon and the clinical assessment of several achilles tendinopathies. For this reason we have recognized the need to consider the paratenon tissue as an integral part of the picture. In this study, sonography was used to evaluate 22 subjects complaining pain in the mid-portion of the achilles tendon and 22 healthy subjects; moreover the Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment-Achilles questionnaire, a reliable clinical index of Achilles tendinopathy severity, was administered to all participants. A significant inter-group difference was found in terms of paratenon thickness(p=0.0001). Moreover paratenon thickness was found to be positively correlated with Achilles tendinopathy severity and duration of symptoms. These findings confirm those of Harris and Leung, who found alterations in signal intensity and paratenon thickening in patients with tendinitis. In light of these results, we suggest a carefully analysis of paratenon thickness when evaluating patients with Achillodynia using ultrasound. We assume that an altered paratenon (1.27mm or above) can be not only a significant indicator of Achilles tendinophaty but, in line with the theory of Perez, it can also be a precursor sign of tendon alteration. Moreover it can be postulated that most of the symptoms are generated by the stretching of the free nerve ending of the paratenon rather than by morphological alteration of the tendon

Gut microbiota condition the therapeutic efficacy of trastuzumab in HER2-positive breast cancer

Emerging evidence indicates that gut microbiota affect the response to anticancer therapies by modulating the host immune system. In this study, we investigated the impact of the gut microbiota on immune-mediated trastuzumab antitumor efficacy in preclinical models of HER2-positive breast cancer (BC) and in 24 patients with primary HER2-positive BC undergoing trastuzumab-containing neoadjuvant treatment. In mice, the antitumor activity of trastuzumab was impaired by antibiotic administration or fecal microbiota transplantation from antibiotic-treated donors. Modulation of the intestinal microbiota was reflected in tumors by impaired recruitment of CD4+ T cells and GZMB+ cells after trastuzumab treatment. Antibiotics caused reductions in dendritic cell (DC) activation and the release of IL12p70 upon trastuzumab treatment, a mechanism that was necessary for trastuzumab effectiveness in our model. In patients, lower alpha-diversity and lower abundance of Lachnospiraceae, Turicibacteriaceae, Bifidobacteriaceae and Prevotellaceae characterized nonresponsive patients (NR) compared to those who achieved pathological complete response (R), similar to antibiotic-treated mice. The transfer of fecal microbiota from R and NR into mice bearing HER2-positive BC recapitulated the response to trastuzumab observed in patients. Fecal microbiota beta-diversity segregated patients according to response and positively correlated with immune signature related to interferon, IL12-NO, activated CD4+ T cells and activated DC in tumors. Overall, our data reveal the direct involvement of the gut microbiota in trastuzumab efficacy, suggesting that manipulation of the gut microbiota is an optimal future strategy to achieve a therapeutic effect or to exploit its potential as a biomarker for treatment response

Artificial intelligence applications in medical imaging: A review of the medical physics research in Italy

Purpose: To perform a systematic review on the research on the application of artificial intelligence (AI) to imaging published in Italy and identify its fields of application, methods and results. Materials and Methods: A Pubmed search was conducted using terms Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep learning, imaging, and Italy as affiliation, excluding reviews and papers outside time interval 2015-2020. In a second phase, participants of the working group AI4MP on Artificial Intelligence of the Italian Association of Physics in Medicine (AIFM) searched for papers on AI in imaging. Results: The Pubmed search produced 794 results. 168 studies were selected, of which 122 were from Pubmed search and 46 from the working group. The most used imaging modality was MRI (44%) followed by CT(12%) ad radiography/mammography (11%). The most common clinical indication were neurological diseases (29%) and diagnosis of cancer (25%). Classification was the most common task for AI (57%) followed by segmentation (16%). 65% of studies used machine learning and 35% used deep learning. We observed a rapid increase of research in Italy on artificial intelligence in the last 5 years, peaking at 155% from 2018 to 2019