Total thyroidectomy associated to chemotherapy in primary squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid

Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid (PSCCT) is a rare malignant disease with rapid fatal prognosis. The onset is generally characterized by sudden bilateral latero-cervical lymphadenopathy. The Authors report patient of 58-year-old who referred for evaluation of rapidly aggravating bilateral latero-cervical lymphadenopathy. The US highlighted the presence of a hypoechoic nodular lesion characterized by peri and intra-nodular vascularization. Multilayer CT showed diffused involvement of mediastinal and bilateral latero-cervical lymph nodes, with no evidence of primary pulmonary neoplasia or elsewhere. The patient underwent total thyroidectomy. The peri-isthmic tissue was removed due to the presence of a small roundish formation, that was due to lymph node metastasis at histological examination. Histological diagnosis: PSCCT. The immunohistochemical panel of the thyroid lesion was indispensable for the differential diagnosis between PSCCT, medullary carcinoma, anaplastic carcinoma, and thyroid metastasis of neoplasia with unknown primitiveness. The patient underwent chemotherapeutic treatment with Carboplatin and Paclitaxel with modest improvement of dysphagia symptoms and reduction of 10-15% of the target lesions. The clinical course was characterized by loco-regional progression of the disease with exitus in 10 months after diagnosis. Survival and quality of life after surgical therapy and chemotherapy were like that of patients undergoing only chemotherapy. Due to the extreme rarity of the neoplasia, 60 cases described in Literature, no exclusive guidelines are reported for PSCCT. More extensive case studies are needed to evaluate the effects of total thyroidectomy with intent R0/R1 on improving survival and quality of life of patients with PSCCT

Healthcare Associated Infections. educational intervention by "Adult Learning" in an Italian teaching hospital

An educational intervention for HAI prevention based on a combination of training, motivation and subsequent application in the current clinical practice in an Italian teaching hospital

Nod2 Deficiency in mice is Associated with Microbiota Variation Favouring the Expansion of mucosal CD4+ LAP+ Regulatory Cells

Nucleotide-binding Oligomerization Domain-2 (NOD2) mutations are associated with an increased risk to develop Crohn's Disease. In previous studies, we have shown that Nod2-/- mice manifest increased proportion of Lamina Propria (LP) CD4+ LAP+ Foxp3- regulatory cells, when compared with Nod2+/+ mice, while CD4+ Foxp3 + regulatory cells were not affected. Here, we investigated the Nod2 gut microbiota, by 16S rRNA pyrosequencing, at steady state and after TNBS-colitis induction in mice reared separately or in cohousing, correlating the microbial profiles with LP regulatory T cells proportion and tissue cytokines content. We found that enrichment of Rikenella and Alistipes (Rikenellaceae) in Nod2-/- mice at 8 weeks of age reared separately was associated with increased proportion of CD4+ LAP+ Foxp3- cells and less severe TNBS-colitis. In co-housed mice the acquisition of Rickenellaceae by Nod2+/+ mice was associated with increased CD4+ LAP+ Foxp3- proportion and less severe colitis. Severe colitis was associated with enrichment of gram-negative pathobionts (Escherichia and Enterococcus), while less severe colitis with protective bacteria (Barnesiella, Odoribacter and Clostridium IV). Environmental factors acting on genetic background with different outcomes according to their impact on microbiota, predispose in different ways to inflammation. These results open a new scenario for therapeutic attempt to re-establish eubiosis in Inflammatory Bowel Disease patients with NOD2 polymorphisms

Nuclear Matter and Nuclear Dynamics

Highlights on the recent research activity, carried out by the Italian Community involved in the "Nuclear Matter and Nuclear Dynamics" field, will be presented.Comment: Proceedings of the 12th Conference on Problems in Theoretical Nuclear Physics, to appear in Journal of Physics, Conference Serie

Early melanoma invasivity correlates with gut fungal and bacterial profiles

7openInternationalItalian coauthor/editorBackground The microbiome is emerging as a crucial player of the immune checkpoint in cancer. Melanoma is a highly immunogenic tumour, and the composition of the gut microbiome has been correlated to prognosis and evolution of advanced melanoma and proposed as a biomarker for immune checkpoint therapy. Objectives We investigated the gut fungal and bacterial compositions in early-stage melanoma and correlated microbial profiles with histopathological features. Methods Sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA and the fungal internal transcribed spacer region was performed on faecal samples of patients with stage I and II melanoma, and healthy controls. A meta-analysis with gut microbiota data from patients with metastatic melanoma was also carried out. Results We found a combination of gut fungal and bacterial profiles significantly discriminating patients with melanoma from controls. In patients with melanoma, we observed an abundance of Prevotella copri and yeasts belonging to the order Saccharomycetales. We found that the bacterial and fungal community correlated to melanoma invasiveness, whereas the specific fungal profile correlated to melanoma regression. Bacteroides was identified as general marker of immunogenicity, being shared by regressive and invasive melanoma. In addition, the bacterial communities in patients with stage I and II melanoma were different in structure and richer than those from patients with metastatic melanoma. Conclusions The composition of the gut microbiota in early-stage melanoma changes along the gradient from in situ to invasive (and metastatic) melanoma. Changes in the microbiota and mycobiota are correlated to the histological features of early-stage melanoma, and to the clinical course and response to immune therapies of advanced-stage melanoma, through direct or indirect immunomodulation.openVitali, F.; Colucci, R.; Di Paola, M.; Pindo, M.; De Filippo, C.; Moretti, S.; Cavalieri, D.Vitali, F.; Colucci, R.; Di Paola, M.; Pindo, M.; De Filippo, C.; Moretti, S.; Cavalieri, D

A pilot study of the role of corn dextrin and milk peptides supplementation on faecal microbiota in healthy adults

The gastrointestinal microbiota has an important role in human health. Dietary interventions are of great interest to modulate the composition and metabolic functions of the gut microbial communities and to improve health, and prevent or treat diseases. Consumption of prebiotics is one dietary strategy for beneficial manipulation of the gut microbiota, because it allows increasing the fibre intake, especially in people with western dietary habits, who do not take the recommended daily amount of fiber. Interestingly, milk peptides can also positively affect the beneficial gut microorganisms. The present work is a pilot study aimed to investigate the effect of a prebiotic supplementation on composition and metabolic activity of microorganisms living in the human gut. In this trial, 12 healthy subjects received 10g/die of supplement Biotransit\uae, composed by corn derived dextrin and milk peptides, produced and marketed in Italy by Depofarma (Italy), for 4 weeks with a 2 weeks washout. Outcome measures were assessed at four time points (before the supplementation T0-1, T0-2, at the end of intervention, T30 and after washout, T45), including gut microbiota profiling by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and intestinal functional metabolism measuring faecal Short Chain Fatty Acid concentrations (SCFAs). The effects of the Biotransit supplementation on bifidobacteria were also assessed with culture dependent techniques. Gut microbiota analysis revealed that Biotransit\uae supplementation after 30 days did not exert effects on the overall gut microbiota structure. Although no significant differences on alpha diversity were obtained, we observed an increase of diversity after 30 days of treatment. Beta diversity analysis, calculated on Bray-Curtis distances revealed significant differences comparing T0 vs T45 and T30 vs T45. Interestingly, at T45, we found an enrichment of Porphyromonadaceae. Biotransit\uae induced quantitative changes in cultivable bifidobacteria with increased amount at T45, even if the total number of species has not been influenced. Biotransit\uae supplementation is also associated to an increase total SCFAs concentration in T30 and T45, in particular related to acetate, propionate and butyrate (p < 0.05). Future study will be aimed to follow the time course of the persistence of this effect after the end of treatment

Vernal keratoconjunctivitis: state of art and update on treatment

Vernal keratocongiuntivitis (VKC) is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the ocular conjunctiva and cornea. It is a rare and underestimated pathology, whose missed or delayed diagnosis can lead to the development of serious ocular complications. Moreover, despite VKC symptoms are well known, they can overlap and be mistaken with allergic conjunctivitis. In fact, diagnostic criteria and severity grading are not standardized yet. The pathogenesis of VKC is still controversial and it is difficult to identify a single mechanism underlying the chronic ocular inflammation. Different studies hypothesized both allergies and autoimmune diseases and also oxidative stress contribute significantly to the origin of the disease. However, the unclear pathogenesis and the lack of specific disease biomarkers make treatment a challenge. The standard therapy includes antihistamines, anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant drugs and novel therapies are currently under investigation. However, considering treatment guidelines and recommendations are not well defined yet, therapy should be personalized on the clinical features of the patient. This paper provides an overview of the VKC and updates on the challenges that need to be addressed in the future to improve the management of the patient with this disease and improve his quality of life

Morphological and molecular characterization of trichuris sp. (nematoda: Trichuridae) in crested porcupines (hystrix cristata; rodentia: Hystricidae) from Italy

Adult specimens of Trichuris sp. collected from crested porcupines (Hystrix cristata) from Italy were characterized using an integrative taxonomic approach involving morphological and molecular tools. The morphological features of this Trichuris sp. were compared to data already available for Trichuris spp. from Hystrix sp., revealing diagnostic traits, such as spicule length in males or vulva shape in females, which distinguish this Trichuris sp. from the other species. Evidence from sequences analysis of the partial mitochondrial COX1 region indicated that the taxon under study is a distinct lineage. Biometrical and genetic data suggested this Trichuris sp. to be a valid and separated taxon. However, since molecular data from other Trichuris spp. infecting Hystrix, such as T. infundibulus, T. hystricis, T. javanica, T. landak and T. lenkorani, are missing in public repositories, the number and identity of distinct lineages able to infect porcupines remain only partially defined