3 research outputs found
Management of venous thromboembolism in pregnancy
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) in pregnancy, consisting of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), is a major factor of maternal mortality. Several patient-specific risk factors along with the physiologic changes of pregnancy promote a state of hypercoagulability in pregnant women. Detailed assessment of all pregnant women can establish a risk profile that would guide clinical decisions, and balance potential therapeutic benefits with side effects. Differentiating between physiologic changes of pregnancy and symptoms of VTE can be challenging and warrants meticulous clinical evaluation. Timely and accurate diagnosis of VTE with proper imaging is essential for its management, and systemic anticoagulation remains the cornerstone of VTE prevention and therapy. Furthermore, advanced invasive treatment options such as inferior vena cava filters and thrombectomy can be considered for complex cases. Importantly, the risk of systemic anticoagulation should be balanced against the risk of VTE-associated morbidity and mortality for mother and fetus, and an informed decision should be made. In this review, we present an up-to-date overview of VTE management in pregnancy and the postpartum period.
Keywords: Anticoagulants; Deep venous thrombosis; Pregnancy; Pulmonary embolism; Venous thromboembolism
The interplay of obesity, gut microbiome and diet in the immune check point inhibitors therapy era
Immunotherapy has recently emerged as a promising treatment option for
many patients, revolutionizing the established therapeutic approach
against cancer. Immune checkpoints inhibitors (ICIs) have demonstrated
clinical activity in a wide spectrum of malignancies; however, only a
minority of patients exhibit durable responses. This response
heterogeneity may be partly attributed to host related factors, such as
body mass index (BMI), diet and gut microbiome, that have recently
emerged as strong influences in ICI responsiveness. Obesity not only
directly impacts on cancer promotion but also on the immune homeostasis
and the elimination, equilibrium, and escape phases of immune-editing.
Paradoxically, emerging clinical data indicate that obese patients are
benefited from ICI therapy when compared to normal BMI cancer patients.
Interestingly, strong evidence supports the role of the microbiome in
cancer immunotherapy, with several recent animal, translational/hybrid
and clinical studies demonstrating its influence in the response to ICIs
across several malignancies. Noteworthy, nutrition, through its
well-established links to obesity, microbiome composition and
oncogenicity, may contribute towards leveraging its effects in favor of
cancer patients alongside with gold standard treatments. The aim of this
review is to delineate the associations of ICIs with obesity, host
microbiome and nutrition, and to explore how these factors can be
effectively leveraged in enhancing the effectiveness of immunotherapy.
More specific aims include the determination of how patients with
obesity are differentially affected by ICI therapy; how the host
microbiome affects response to ICIs; and how the microbiome itself is
modulated by obesity and nutrition. In conclusion, immunometabolism,
microbiome and nutrition research present the potential to offer unique
tools in unleashing ICIs full potential; providing host-derived,
actionable, modifiable targets directly associated with therapeutic
outcomes that can be efficiently leveraged. Future efforts, provided
that they adhere to robustness of methodology, can facilitate
transferring these findings, from bench to bedside
The Role of Adipokines in Breast Cancer: Current Evidence and Perspectives
Purpose The current review shows evidence for the role of adipokines in
breast cancer (BC) pathogenesis summarizing the mechanisms underlying
the association between adipokines and breast malignancy. Special
emphasis is given also on intriguing insights into the relationship
between obesity and BC as well as on the role of novel adipokines in BC
development. Recent Findings Recent evidence has underscored the role of
the triad of obesity, insulin resistance, and adipokines in
postmenopausal BC. Adipokines exert independent and joint effects on
activation of major intracellular signal networks implicated in BC cell
proliferation, growth, survival, invasion, and metastasis, particularly
in the context of obesity, considered a systemic endocrine dysfunction
characterized by chronic inflammation. To date, more than 10 adipokines
have been linked to BC, and this catalog is continuously increasing. The
majority of circulating adipokines, such as leptin, resistin, visfatin,
apelin, lipocalin 2, osteopontin, and oncostatin M, is elevated in BC,
while some adipokines such as adiponectin and irisin (adipo-myokine) are
generally decreased in BC and considered protective against breast
carcinogenesis. Further evidence from basic and translational research
is necessary to delineate the ontological role of adipokines and their
interplay in BC pathogenesis. More large-scale clinical and longitudinal
studies are awaited to assess their clinical utility in BC prognosis and
follow-up. Finally, novel more effective and safer adipokine-centered
therapeutic strategies could pave the way for targeted oncotherapy