5 research outputs found
Digital innovation in healthcare: a device with a method for monitoring, managing and preventing the risk of chronic polypathological patients
New digital technologies can have a
huge impact on the traditional healthcare sector, both
from a clinical and economic perspective. Doctors and
health specialists will increasingly need technology to
improve the services they provide to their patients.
Here a novel patented device for automatic processing
of clinical data of chronic poly-pathological patients
is presented. The invention consists of a
reconfigurable equipment that allows the assessment
of clinical risk severity indexes that can be customized
for polypathological patients and which acts both as a
decision support system for specialist doctors in the
diagnosis and treatment phases, and as a monitoring
system in the clinical environment
The reference site collaborative network of the european innovation partnership on active and healthy ageing
Seventy four Reference Sites of the European Innovation
Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA)
have been recognised by the European Commission in
2016 for their commitment to excellence in investing and
scaling up innovative solutions for active and healthy
ageing. The Reference Site Collaborative Network
(RSCN) brings together the EIP on AHA Reference Sites
awarded by the European Commission, and Candidate
Reference Sites into a single forum. The overarching goals
are to promote cooperation, share and transfer good
practice and solutions in the development and scaling up
of health and care strategies, policies and service delivery
models, while at the same time supporting the action
groups in their work. The RSCN aspires to be recognized
by the EU Commission as the principal forum and
authority representing all EIP on AHA Reference Sites.
The RSCN will contribute to achieve the goals of the EIP
on AHA by improving health and care outcomes for
citizens across Europe, and the development of sustainable
economic growth and the creation of jobs
Pancreatic Cancer and Cellular Senescence: Tumor Microenvironment under the Spotlight
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has one of the most dismal prognoses of all cancers due to its late manifestation and resistance to current therapies. Accumulating evidence has suggested that the malignant behavior of this cancer is mainly influenced by the associated strongly immunosuppressive, desmoplastic microenvironment and by the relatively low mutational burden. PDAC develops and progresses through a multi-step process. Early in tumorigenesis, cancer cells must evade the effects of cellular senescence, which slows proliferation and promotes the immune-mediated elimination of pre-malignant cells. The role of senescence as a tumor suppressor has been well-established; however, recent evidence has revealed novel pro-tumorigenic paracrine functions of senescent cells towards their microenvironment. Understanding the interactions between tumors and their microenvironment is a growing research field, with evidence having been provided that non-tumoral cells composing the tumor microenvironment (TME) influence tumor proliferation, metabolism, cell death, and therapeutic resistance. Simultaneously, cancer cells shape a tumor-supportive and immunosuppressive environment, influencing both non-tumoral neighboring and distant cells. The overall intention of this review is to provide an overview of the interplay that occurs between senescent and non-senescent cell types and to describe how such interplay may have an impact on PDAC progression. Specifically, the effects and the molecular changes occurring in non-cancerous cells during senescence, and how these may contribute to a tumor-permissive microenvironment, will be discussed. Finally, senescence targeting strategies will be briefly introduced, highlighting their potential in the treatment of PDAC
Second-line therapy in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients with germline BRCA1-2 pathogenic variants (gBRCA1-2pv)
BackgroundPancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) harbouring germline BRCA1-2 pathogenic variants (gBRCA1-2pv) is a distinct nosological entity. Information on second-line therapy (2LT) outcome in this setting is lacking. MethodsData of gBRCA1-2pv metastatic PDAC patients treated with chemotherapy were collected. A primary analysis of 2LT RECIST response, median progression-free survival (mPFS(2)) and overall survival (mOS(2)), was performed. A secondary analysis addressed the impact of timing of platinum introduction on the outcome of patients receiving at least a first-line combination chemotherapy (1LT). ResultsEighty-four gBRCA1-2pv metastatic PDAC patients were enrolled. The primary analysis, including 43 patients, highlighted a significant improvement of mPFS(2) and a doubled response rate, in the platinum-based 2LT subgroup as compared to the platinum-free (8.8 versus 3.7 months, p = 0.013). Seventy-seven patients were included in the secondary analysis. Median PFS1 of 3- and 4-drug platinum-based 1LT significantly outperformed both platinum-free combinations and platinum-based doublets (11.4 versus 6.4 versus 7.9 months, p = 0.01). Albeit still immature, data on mOS paralleled those on mPFS. ConclusionsThis study highlighted the beneficial role of platinum agents in gBRCA1-2pv PDAC patients also in second-line treatment setting. However, our data suggest that early use of 3- and 4-drug platinum-based chemotherapy combinations provides a survival outcome advantage