RESTORE Survey on the Public Perception of Advanced Therapies and ATMPs in Europe — Why the European Union Should Invest More!

Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) are potential game changers in modern medical care with an anticipated major impact for patients and society. They are a new drug class often referred to as "living drugs," and are based on complex components such as vectors, cells and even tissues. The production of such ATMPs involves innovative biotechnological methods. In this survey, we have assessed the perception of European citizens regarding ATMPs and health care in Europe, in relation to other important topics, such as safety and security, data protection, climate friendly energy supply, migration, and others. A crucial question was to determine to what extent European citizens wish to support public funding of innovations in healthcare and reimbursement strategies for ATMPs. To answer this, we conducted an online survey in 13 European countries (representative of 85.3% of the entire EU population including the UK in 2020), surveying a total of 7,062 European citizens. The survey was representative with respect to adult age groups and gender in each country. Healthcare had the highest ranking among important societal topics. We found that 83% of the surveyed EU citizens were in support of more public funding of technologies in the field of ATMPs. Interestingly, 74% of respondents are in support of cross-border healthcare for patients with rare diseases to receive ATMP treatments and 61% support the reimbursement of very expensive ATMPs within the European health care system despite the current lack of long-term efficacy data. In conclusion, healthcare is a top ranking issue for European Citizens, who additionally support funding of new technologies to enable the wider application of ATMPs in Europe

Characteristics and patterns of care of endometrial cancer before and during COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has correlated with the disruption of screening activities and diagnostic assessments. Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the most common gynecological malignancies and it is often detected at an early stage, because it frequently produces symptoms. Here, we aim to investigate the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on patterns of presentation and treatment of EC patients. Methods: This is a retrospective study involving 54 centers in Italy. We evaluated patterns of presentation and treatment of EC patients before (period 1: March 1, 2019 to February 29, 2020) and during (period 2: April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021) the COVID-19 outbreak. Results: Medical records of 5,164 EC patients have been retrieved: 2,718 and 2,446 women treated in period 1 and period 2, respectively. Surgery was the mainstay of treatment in both periods (p=0.356). Nodal assessment was omitted in 689 (27.3%) and 484 (21.2%) patients treated in period 1 and 2, respectively (p<0.001). While, the prevalence of patients undergoing sentinel node mapping (with or without backup lymphadenectomy) has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic (46.7% in period 1 vs. 52.8% in period 2; p<0.001). Overall, 1,280 (50.4%) and 1,021 (44.7%) patients had no adjuvant therapy in period 1 and 2, respectively (p<0.001). Adjuvant therapy use has increased during COVID-19 pandemic (p<0.001). Conclusion: Our data suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the characteristics and patterns of care of EC patients. These findings highlight the need to implement healthcare services during the pandemic

Ameliorative effect of myo-inositol on red blood cell alterations in polycystic ovary syndrome: in vitro study

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)is a gynecological endocrine disorder which is associated with systemic inflammatory status inducing red blood cells (RBC) membrane alterations related to insulin resistance and testosterone levels which could be greatly improved by myo-inositol (MYO) uptake. In this study we aim to evaluate the effect of MYO in reducing oxidative-related alterations through in vitro study on PCOS RBC. Blood samples from two groups of volunteers, control group (CG, n\u2009=\u200912) and PCOS patient group (PG, n\u2009=\u200912), were analyzed for band 3 tyrosine phosphorylation (Tyr-P), high molecular weight aggregate (HMWA), IgG in RBC membranes, and glutathione (GSH) in cytosol, following O/N incubation in the presence or absence of MYO. PCOS RBC underwent oxidative stress as indicated by higher band 3 Tyr-P and HMWA and increased membrane bound autologous IgG. Twenty four hours (but not shorter time) MYO incubation, significantly improved both Tyr-P level and HMWA formation and concomitant membrane IgG binding. However, no relevant modification of GSH content was detected. PCOS RBC membranes are characterized by increased oxidized level and enhanced sensitivity to oxidative injuries leading to potential premature RBC removal. MYO treatment is effective in reducing oxidative related abnormalities in PCOS patients probably restoring the inositol phospholipid pools of the membranes