Exploring well-being and satisfaction with physiotherapy efficacy: an Italian study of cancer patients

Several studies have shown that rehabilitation can alleviate post-treatment side effects, maintain quality of life, and improve survival. However, information on the experience of physiotherapy care among patients with cancer is scarce. This study aimed to explore well-being and satisfaction with and perceptions of efficacy of physiotherapy care among patients diagnosed with cancer. The participants were 100 subjects in rehabilitation therapy after surgery for cancer (mean age = 57.1 years, 87.1% women). The study collected quantitative data through a questionnaire on well-being and satisfaction with and efficacy of physiotherapy treatment. The results showed that participants had good levels of well-being, and compared to a control population, these participants showed significant differences in environmental mastery, personal growth and positive relationships with others. Participants in this study had higher levels of satisfaction with and perceptions of the efficacy of their physiotherapy care. Correlation analyses indicated that there is a moderate positive correlation between global satisfaction and the dimensions of treatment efficacy. The results are discussed in relation to the need to give attention to well-being and rehabilitation treatment in cancer patients

Amphibians as a model for studying xenoestrogen-dependent neuroendocrine disruption.

Several environmental chemicals are known to interact with functions related with the neuroendocrine system, and many of the endocrine disruptors present in the aquatic environment have estrogenic activity and can be responsible for feminization processes in wild fish and amphibians. The estrogenic effects of such disruptors include several levels of investigation: biological significance 'in vivo', and 'in vitro' by use of estrogenic biomarkers, and effects on the brain-pituitary-gonadal axis. Amphibians spend a great part of their life in the water, and can be considered 'sentinel species'; therefore, the effects of an estrogenic compound, 4-nonylphenol, were studied by 'in vivo' and 'in vitro' experiments. As a biomarker of estrogenic effects, vitellogenin changes were assayed in male frogs and newts; the plasma sex steroid trend was evaluated, and brain aromatase-like-immunoreactivity was described. 4-Nonylphenol treatment was able to induce plasma vitellogenin in male frogs and newts, changes in the secondary sexual characteristics, and increase of androgen plasma levels in the treated male newts. Moreover, a reduction in both the number of ARO-LI containing neurons and their immunolabeling intensity was seemingly observed in the more caudal cluster of aromatase containing cells or ventral infundibular nucleus. In conclusion, 4-nonylphenol seems to affect different targets variously involved in amphibian reproduction

MiR-126-3p contributes to parathyroid tumor angiogenesis

Tumors of the parathyroid glands are highly vascularized and display a microRNAs (miRNAs) profile divergent from normal parathyroid glands (PaNs). Angiogenic miRNAs, namely miR-126-3p, miR-126-5p, and miR-296-5p, have been found downregulated in parathyroid tumors. Here, we show that miR-126-3p expression levels are reduced in parathyroid adenomas (PAds; n=12) compared with PaNs (n=4). In situ hybridization (ISH) of miR-126-3p and miR-296-5p in 10 PAds show that miR-126-3p is expressed by endothelial cells lining the walls of great vessels and by cells within the thin stroma surrounding acinar structures. At variance, miR-296-5p was detectable in most PAd epithelial cells. Combining ISH for miR-126-3p with immunohistochemistry for the endothelial and mesenchymal markers CD34, CD31 and α-smooth-muscle-actin (αSMA), we could identify that miR-126-3p is localized in the αSMA-positive thin stroma. Further, miR-126-3p-expressing cells are enriched in the CD34-positive stromal cells surrounding epithelial cell acinar structures, a cellular pattern consistent with tumor-associated myofibroblasts (TAMs). In line with this, CD34-positive cells, sorted by FACS from PAds tissues, express miR-126-3p at higher levels than CD34-negative cells, suggesting that miR-126-3p downregulation promotes the endothelial-to-αSMA+ mesenchymal transition. In human mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow (hBM-MSCs), a model of TAMs, the co-culture with PAds-derived cells for 5 days decreases miR-126-3p, while it increases VEGFA expression. At variance, adrenomedullin (ADM) expression is unaffected. Finally, overexpression of the miR-126-3p mimic in both hBM-MSCs and PAds-derived explants downregulates VEGFA expression levels. In conclusion, miR-126-3p is expressed by both endothelial cells and TAMs in PAds, and its downregulation promotes neoangiogenesis, possibly through VEGFA over-expression

Areas of intervention for genetic counselling of dementia: Cross-cultural comparison between Italians and Americans

OBJECTIVE: Purposes of this study are: (1) to evaluate attitudes, beliefs and experiences towards dementia among relatives of Italian familial cases; (2) to perform a cross-cultural comparison between Italian and American samples; (3) to identify predictors of intentions to undergo hypothetical genetic testing. METHODS: Participants were 134 relatives of patients affected by familial forms of dementia. We administered tests measuring health psychological styles, social variables, illness perceptions, intentions regarding genetic testing, and perceptions of the pros and cons of genetic testing. RESULTS: Respondents had a poor Alzheimer's disease knowledge and a low perceived dementia threat. When compared to Americans, Italians reported greater willingness to undergo genetic testing and perceived a different subset of benefits and risks. The strongest predictors of test intention were decisional balance, homemaker status and two beliefs concerning dementia causes. CONCLUSIONS: Italians had a poor knowledge of the disease and a low awareness of personal risk of developing dementia. As compared to Americans, they expressed higher intentions to undergo genetic testing and they have a different perception of benefits and risks. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Understanding of cultural differences in knowledge, attitudes and perception of the disease is important to design optimal health services and education programs for dementia