Enithelioid hemangioendothelioma, an ultra-rare cancer : a consensus paper from the community of experts

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is an ultra-rare, translocated, vascular sarcoma. EHE clinical behavior is variable, ranging from that of a low-grade malignancy to that of a high-grade sarcoma and it is marked by a high propensity for systemic involvement. No active systemic agents are currently approved specifically for EHE, which is typically refractory to the antitumor drugs used in sarcomas. The degree of uncertainty in selecting the most appropriate therapy for EHE patients and the lack of guidelines on the clinical management of the disease make the adoption of new treatments inconsistent across the world, resulting in suboptimal outcomes for many EHE patients. To address the shortcoming, a global consensus meeting was organized in December 2020 under the umbrella of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) involving >80 experts from several disciplines from Europe, North America and Asia, together with a patient representative from the EHE Group, a global, disease-specific patient advocacy group, and Sarcoma Patient EuroNet (SPAEN). The meeting was aimed at defining, by consensus, evidence-based best practices for the optimal approach to primary and metastatic EHE. The consensus achieved during that meeting is the subject of the present publication.Peer reviewe

Current perspectives of the signaling pathways directing neural crest induction

The neural crest is a migratory population of embryonic cells with a tremendous potential to differentiate and contribute to nearly every organ system in the adult body. Over the past two decades, an incredible amount of research has given us a reasonable understanding of how these cells are generated. Neural crest induction involves the combinatorial input of multiple signaling pathways and transcription factors, and is thought to occur in two phases from gastrulation to neurulation. In the first phase, FGF and Wnt signaling induce NC progenitors at the border of the neural plate, activating the expression of members of the Msx, Pax, and Zic families, among others. In the second phase, BMP, Wnt, and Notch signaling maintain these progenitors and bring about the expression of definitive NC markers including Snail2, FoxD3, and Sox9/10. In recent years, additional signaling molecules and modulators of these pathways have been uncovered, creating an increasingly complex regulatory network. In this work, we provide a comprehensive review of the major signaling pathways that participate in neural crest induction, with a focus on recent developments and current perspectives. We provide a simplified model of early neural crest development and stress similarities and differences between four major model organisms: Xenopus, chick, zebrafish, and mouse

Depression and its correlates in older adults in Ukraine

Objective: Little is known about the epidemiology of late life depression in Eastern Europe. This study examined the 12-month prevalence and correlates of DSM-IV major depressive episode (MDE) in adults age 50 years and over in Ukraine. The correlates included demographic factors, mental health and alcohol history, physical conditions, and impairments in functioning. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Ukraine using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI-3.0) as part of the World Health Organization-World Mental Health Survey Initiative. The sample included 1843 respondents age 50-91. Unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios were used to examine associations of the risk factors with 12-month MDE in men and women separately. Results: The 12-month prevalence of MDE was 14.4% in women and 7.1% in men. In both sexes, history of MDE before age 50 and poor self-assessed mental/physical health were significantly associated with MDE. Additionally, in men, living alone, 5+ physician visits, and role impairment, but not alcoholism, were associated with depression; in women, poverty, history of anxiety disorder, medical conditions, and cognitive and self-care impairment were significant. Conclusions: The 12-month prevalence of late life MDE was substantially higher in Ukraine than in Western Europe and other developed countries. The risk factors, however, were similar to those found outside Ukraine. Depression is a recurrent condition, and history of depression was the strongest risk factor. Overall, the results show that older people in Ukraine constitute a high-risk group for MDE and would therefore benefit from targeted interventions by primary care physicians. Copyright (C) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

ROC curves for prediction of post-discharge SA by median transformed total (AUC = 0.731) and optimal 6-item subscale (AUC = 0.814) scores.

<p>ROC curves for prediction of post-discharge SA by median transformed total (AUC = 0.731) and optimal 6-item subscale (AUC = 0.814) scores.</p