Skin needling for the treatment of acne scarring: A comprehensive review

Background: Skin needling, also called “collagen induction therapy,” is a nonpharmacological treatment modality that has been increasingly utilized for the treatment of acne scars. Aims: To review the medical literature and to select the most significative and recent studies regarding skin needling as a treatment for acne scarring, used alone or combined with other treatments. Methods: A literature search was performed using the PubMed, Medline, and Embase databases, in addition to reviewing the bibliographies of relevant articles. Results: Almost all the articles evaluated showed improvement of acne scars severity after microneedling treatment. When combined with other treatments such as autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP), chemical peels, filler injections, or laser treatment, a greater improvement was reported. Needling technique is well-tolerated with erythema and dryness representing the most frequent adverse events. Conclusions: Microneedling is a useful treatment for acne scarring. Further studies are needed to evaluate its efficacy and safety and to create a standardized protocol to adopt for each patient according to the severity of acne scars

The sperm motility pattern in ecotoxicological tests. The CRYO-Ecotest as a case study

Changes in environmental stressors inevitably lead to an increasing need for innovative and more flexible monitoring tools. The aim of this work has been the characterization of the motility pattern of the cryopreserved sea bream semen after exposure to a dumpsite leachate sample, for the identification of the best representative parameters to be used as endpoints in an ecotoxicological bioassay.Sperm motility has been evaluated either by visual and by computer-assisted analysis; parameters concerning motility on activation and those describing it in the times after activation (duration parameters) have been assessed, discerning them in terms of sensitivity, reliability and methodology of assessment by means of multivariate analyses. The EC50 values of the evaluated endpoints ranged between 2.3 and 4.5 ml/L, except for the total motile percentage (aTM, 7.0 ml/L), which proved to be the less sensitive among all the tested parameters. According to the multivariate analyses, a difference in sensitivity among "activation" endpoints in respect of "duration" ones can be inferred; on the contrary, endpoints seem to be equally informative either describing total motile sperm or the rapid sub-population, as well as the assessment methodology seems to be not discriminating. In conclusion, the CRYO-Ecotest is a multi-endpoint bioassay that can be considered a promising innovative ecotoxicological tool, characterized by a high plasticity, as its endpoints can be easy tailored each time according to the different needs of the environmental quality assessment programs. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

How to Treat Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Elderly Patients

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the primary tumour of the liver with the greatest incidence, particularly in the elderly. Additionally, improvements in the treatments for chronic liver diseases have increased the number of elderly patients who might be affected by HCC. Little evidence exists regarding HCC in old patients, and the elderly are still underrepresented and undertreated in clinical trials. In fact, this population represents a complex subgroup of patients who are hard to manage, especially due to the presence of multiple comorbidities. Therefore, the choice of treatment is mainly decided by the physician in the clinical practice, who often tend not to treat elderly patients in order to avoid the possibility of adverse events, which may alter their unstable equilibrium. In this context, the clarification of the optimal treatment strategy for elderly patients affected by HCC has become an urgent necessity. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the available data regarding the treatment of HCC in elderly patients, starting from the definition of “elderly” and the geriatric assessment and scales. We explain the possible treatment choices according to the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) scale and their feasibility in the elderly population

Efficacy and Safety of Anti-TNF Biosimilars for Psoriasis in Pediatric and Geriatric Populations: A 72-Week Real-Life Study

Purpose: To determine the efficacy and safety of adalimumab (ADA) and etanercept (ETA) biosimilars in elderly and children with psoriasis. Methods: A real-life retrospective observational study was conducted on pediatric (<18 years) and geriatric (≥65 years) psoriasis patients treated with anti-TNF biosimilar agents referring to the Psoriasis Unit of the University of Naples Federico II, Italy, from January 2018 to January 2022. At baseline, demographic characteristics (age and sex), data on psoriasis duration and severity (measured by Psoriasis Area Severity Index [PASI] and body surface area [BSA]), presence of psoriatic arthritis if applicable, comorbidities, and previous psoriasis treatments were recorded. Patients were monitored by regular follow-ups (week 12, 24, 48 and 72) through clinical and haematological assessments and adverse events (AEs) were registered. Results: A total of 11 children and 23 elderly psoriasis patients were enrolled. Concerning children, 6 (54.5%) were under ADA biosimilar and 5 (45.5%) under ETA biosimilar. ETA and ADA biosimilars were equally effective and safe for up to 72 weeks (mean PASI and BSA < 3). No significant AEs were reported, and none discontinued treatment. In the elderly, 15 (65.2%) were treated with ADA biosimilar and 8 (34.8%) with ETA biosimilar. ETA and ADA biosimilars were equally effective up to 72 weeks (mean PASI < 4 and mean BSA < 5%). AEs (mainly mild) were registered in 9 subjects (39.1%). Also, 4 (17.4%) patients discontinued biologicals for secondary lack of efficacy (3, 75%) or AEs (1, 25%). Conclusion: Our study found that ADA and ETA biosimilars are effective and safe for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis in children and the elderly. No statistically significant efficacy and safety differences were found between ADA and ETA biosimilars in both children and the elderly. Geriatric patients displayed a higher discontinuation rate and side effects than the pediatric counterpart even if without approaching statistical significance

Fluctuations of physicochemical characteristics in sediments and overlying water during an anoxic event: a case study from Lesina lagoon (SE Italy)

Coastal lagoons are vulnerable systems often affected by severe anoxic events, also as direct consequence of excessive accumulation of organic matter. During these events, also in function of their location and geomorphology, they are characterized by large temporal and spatial fluctuations of physical and chemical conditions. Results presented in this work are related to an anoxic event occurred in Lesina lagoon (SE Italy) in summer 2008. The main aim is to describe the short-term dynamics of physicochemical characteristics of both sediment and overlaying water, inside and outside the critical area of the anoxic event. Nine sampling campaigns were carried out on a weekly basis between the first week of July and the second week of September 2008. The water sampling was performed at three sites located in the western side (inside and outside area interested by crisis) and in the eastern zone of the lagoon, close to the communicating channel with the sea, while the sediment samples were collected in four stations, including two sites within crisis area and two outside. At each occasion T, S, pH, DO, nutrients and chl a were measured in water and TOC, TN, TP, TFe and ORP were performed on superficial sediments. In relation to the water, wide temporal fluctuations of physico-chemical parameters were observed for the site inside the anoxic area, which exhibited the highest concentrations of chl a at the beginning of the observation period, with a peak of biomass of 180 µg.L-1 followed by saturation of oxygen higher than 100%. A strong significant difference among sampling sites was observed in relation to nutrients; in particular, the site within the anoxic area exhibited broader concentration ranges of both SRP and TP than the other sites, while TN was in general higher in the site outside. Significant differences related to the sedimentary variables were also observed between anoxic and reference area, except for TP which was homogeneously distributed during the observation period in all the sites. Disturbed sites showed the highest contents of TOC at the beginning of the observation period (July 2008), TN contents almost two times lower and mean contents of TFe higher than those obtained in control sites. All sites were characterized by highly reducing conditions despite the well oxygenated conditions of the overlying waters. These findings highlight wider time-related fluctuations of physico-chemical parameters (for both sediments and overlying water) within anoxic area than in control area, but, at the same time, stress the significant role of the factor "space" (anoxic sites and control sites) for the observed physico-chemical diferences. Also, this integrated approach between sediments and water indicates sediment-related source of nutrients in the anoxic overlying water, suggesting that quick mineralization processes and nutrient release in mid-term happened mainly in disturbed area. The high biomass production observed along the overlying water within the anoxic area at the beginning of the observation period was related to this greater availability of nutrients in disturbed area

Antiflammatory activity and potential dermatological applications of characterized humic acids from a lignite and a green compost

Long-term exposure to air pollution has been associated with the development of some inflammatory processes related to skin. The goal of modern medicine is the development of new products with antiflammatory action deriving from natural sources to improve environmental and economic sustainability. In this study, two different humic acids (HA) were isolated from from lignite (HA-LIG) and composted artichoke wastes (HA-CYN) and characterized by infrared spectrometry, NMR spectroscopy, thermochemolysis-GC/MS, and high-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC), while their antiflammatory activity was evaluated on HaCaT cells. Spectroscopic results showing the predominance of apolar aliphatic and aromatic components in HA-LIG, whereas HA-CYN revealed a presence of polysaccharides and polyphenolic lignin residues. The HA application on human keratinocyte pre-treated with Urban Dust revealed a general increase of viability suggesting a protective effect of humic matter due to the content of aromatic, phenolic and lignin components. Conversely, the gene expression of IL-6 and IL-1β cytokines indicated a significant decrease after application of HA-LIG, thus exhibiting a greater antiflammatory power than HA-CYN. The specific combination of HA protective hydrophobic components, viable conformational arrangements, and content of bioactive molecules, suggests an innovative applicability of humic matter in dermatology as skin protectors from environmental irritants and as antiflammatory agents

Bryostatin 1 enhances lymphokine activated killer sensitivity and modulates the b1 integrin profile of cultured human tumor cells.

Bryostatin 1 interferes with protein kinase C (PKC) signaling which is involved in the activation of human and murine cytotoxic T lymphocytes, and in the growth and differentiation of tumor cells. Bryostatin 1 has immunomodulating and antitumor properties as demonstrated by preclinical and clinical studies. Here we report that bryostatin 1 increases the susceptibility to lymphokine activated killers and modifies the pattern of beta 1 integrin expression of human tumor cells. On the basis of these results the use of bryostatin 1 in combination with immunostimulating cytokines such as interleukin-2 in the treatment of human cancer is suggested

The Use of JAK/STAT Inhibitors in Chronic Inflammatory Disorders

: The Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway plays a critical role in orchestrating immune and inflammatory responses, and it is essential for a wide range of cellular processes, including differentiation, cell growth, and apoptosis. Over the years, this pathway has been heavily investigated due to its key role in the pathogeneses of several chronic inflammatory conditions, e.g., psoriasis, atopic dermatitis (AD), and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). Nevertheless, the impact of this pathway on the pathogenesis of inflammatory conditions remains unclear. This review describes the role of the JAK/STAT signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis (Pso), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), AD, and IBD with a focus on ulcerative colitis (UC) and briefly resumes the use of JAK inhibitors in their clinical management