Prolonged disease-free survival in elderly relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients treated with lenalidomide plus rituximab

open4non/aopenZinzani, PIER LUIGI; Pellegrini, Cinzia; Argnani, Lisa; Broccoli, AlessandroZinzani, PIER LUIGI; Pellegrini, Cinzia; Argnani, Lisa; Broccoli, Alessandr

Body Image and Growth in Italy

The worrying increase of nutritional disorders and psychological discomfort in young population, mainly from western societies, shows that body image could be a basic variable in a population screening especially during growth when physical changes and biological and emotional development occur. This is one of the first studies in northern Italy investigating differences in body shape concerns among different age-groups and sexes. The sample consisted of 1754 Italian youths aged 11–23 years. Participants were examined during a cross-sectional study. Body image perception was assessed using appropriate Body Silhouette Charts. Body Mass Index was calculated from measured height and weight. The results demonstrated age variability and sexual dimorphism in body image perception. The analysis of body image perception is a valid source of information and should be assessed in studies on youth growth, since it varies with age, sex, population, pathologies and socio-cultural environment

Chinese Women in Italy – Menarche, Pregnancy and Maternity

The purpose of this study was to assess the well-being and health status of Chinese immigrant women in Italy. The subjects (mean 29.5 years) frequented the »Health Center for Foreign Women and their Children« in Bologna, Italy. Information on living conditions, biological characteristics and pregnancy or maternity was obtained through interviews of the women in the Center during normal medical visits. Data on menarche age were based on the retrospective method since all the women were in China at the onset of menarche. Social factors influencing the health and behavior of Chinese women in Italian society are discussed. The analysis on children sex ratio at birth indicates that the old cultural Chinese tradition of son preference still continues to exist. These women have achieved a socio-economic improvement and generally good health status in Italy. The difficult living conditions they faced in China are indirectly reflected in their delayed puberty (14.4±1.4 years). The delayed sexual development was probably due to the same situation of severe poverty that forced them to migrate

Growth and Nutritional Status of Tibetan Children at High Altitude

Growth and development are clearly affected by high-altitude exposure to hypoxia, nutritional stress, cold or a combination of these factors. Very little research has been conducted on the growth and nutritional status of children living on the Tibetan Plateau. The present study evaluated the environmental impact on human growth by analyzing anthropometric characteristics of Tibetan children aged 8–14, born and raised above 4000 m altitude on the Himalayan massif in the prefecture of Shegar in Tibet Autonomous Region. Data on anthropometric traits, never measured in this population, were collected and the nutritional status was assessed. A reference data set is provided for this population. There was no evidence of wasting but stunting was detected (28.3%). Children permanently exposed to the high-altitude environment above 4000 m present a phenotypic form of adaptation and a moderate reduction in linear growth. However, it is also necessary to consider the effects of socioeconomic deprivation

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Cardiovascular Risk: Retrospective Matched-Cohort Analysis Based on the RECORD Study of the Italian Society for Rheumatology

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with an increase in cardiovascular (CV) risk. This issue maybe not only explained by a genetic component, as well as by the traditional CV risk factors, but also by an underestimation and undertreatment of concomitant CV comorbidities. Method: This was a retrospective matched-cohort analysis in the Italian RA real-world population based on the healthcare-administrative databases to assess the CV risk factors and incidence of CV events in comparison with the general population. Persistence and adherence to the CV therapy were also evaluated in both groups. Results: In a RA cohort (N = 21,201), there was a greater prevalence of hypertension and diabetes with respect to the non-RA subjects (N = 249,156) (36.9 vs. 33.4% and 10.2 vs. 9.6%, respectively), while dyslipidemia was more frequent in the non-RA group (15.4 vs. 16.5%). Compared with a non-RA cohort, the patients with RA had a higher incidence of atrial fibrillation (incidence rate ratio, IRR 1.28), heart failure (IRR 1.53), stroke (IRR 1.19), and myocardial infarction (IRR 1.48). The patients with RA presented a significantly lower persistence rate to glucose-lowering and lipid-lowering therapies than the controls (odds ratio, OR 0.73 [95% CI 0.6-0.8] and OR 0.82 [0.8-0.9], respectively). The difference in the adherence to glucose-lowering therapy was significant (OR 0.7 [0.6-0.8]), conversely no statistically significant differences emerged regarding the adherence to lipid-lowering therapy (OR 0.89 [95% CI 0.8-1.0]) and anti-hypertensive therapy (OR 0.96 [95% CI 0.9-1.0]). Conclusion: The patients with RA have a higher risk of developing CV events compared with the general population, partially explained by the excess and undertreatment of CV risk factors

BRAF V600E-positive monomorphic epitheliotropic intestinal T-cell lymphoma complicating the course of hairy cell leukemia

Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) is an uncommon B-cell chronic lymphoproliferative disorder whose pathogenesis and recurrence are strictly dependent on the presence of the BRAF V600E mutant. A 65-year-old male presented a monomorphic epitheliotropic intestinal T-cell lymphoma (formerly enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma, type II) with HCL not responding to first-line induction with cladribine. The intestinal lymphoma bears the BRAF V600E mutant, which is the molecular hallmark of HCL, being implicated in its pathogenesis. The case is of interest, as it provides the first description of a BRAF V600E-positive intestinal T-cell lymphoma, along with immunohistochemical and molecular demonstration, occurring in concomitance with HCL. A novel digital PCR-base method for HCL disease assessment is also suggested

Brentuximab vedotin in the treatment of elderly Hodgkin lymphoma patients at first relapse or with primary refractory disease: a phase 2 study of FIL ONLUS

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A phase II study on the role of gemcitabine plus romidepsin (GEMRO regimen) in the treatment of relapsed/refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma patients

Background: There is no consensus regarding optimal treatment for peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL), especially in relapsed or refractory cases, which have very poor prognosis and a dismal outcome, with 5-year overall survival of 30 %. Methods: A multicenter prospective phase II trial was conducted to investigate the role of the combination of gemcitabine plus romidepsin (GEMRO regimen) in relapsed/refractory PTCL, looking for a potential synergistic effect of the two drugs. GEMRO regimen contemplates an induction with romidepsin plus gemcitabine for six 28-day cycles followed by maintenance with romidepsin for patients in at least partial remission. The primary endpoint was the overall response rate (ORR); secondary endpoints were survival, duration of response, and safety of the regimen. Results: The ORR was 30 % (6/20) with 15 % (3) complete response (CR) rate. Two-year overall survival was 50 % and progression-free survival 11.2 %. Grade >= 3 adverse events were represented by thrombocytopenia (60 %), neutropenia (50 %), and anemia (20 %). Two patients are still in CR with median response duration of 18 months. The majority of non-hematological toxicities were mild and transient. No treatment-related death occurred and no toxicity led to treatment interruption. Conclusions: GEMRO combination regimen shows efficacy data similar to those of single-agent romidepsin with additional hematologic toxicities. Synergy observed in preclinical phase did not turn into ability to improve clinical outcomes

Single-agent rituximab is an effective salvage therapy in pretreated patients with hairy cell leukemia

No abstract availabl

90-yttrium-ibritumomab tiuxetan consolidation of fludarabine, mitoxantrone, rituximab in intermediate/high-risk follicular lymphoma: updated long-term results after a median follow-up of 7\ua0years

Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) after an induction phase with conventional chemoimmunotherapy became an attractive strategy of consolidation for patients with advanced follicular lymphoma: in particular, in many studies RIT was represented by yttrium-90-ibritumomab tiuxetan (90Y-IT). Independently by the different front-line treatment, updates on the long-term follow-up of these studies are needed because the disease course of follicular lymphoma is characterised by multiple relapses and progressively shorter durations of response. We report updated long-term efficacy and toxicity results of a multicenter phase II study on sequential treatment with four cycles of fludarabine, mitoxantrone, and rituximab followed by 90Y-IT as front-line therapy for untreated patients with intermediate/high-risk follicular lymphoma. With a median follow-up of 84 months, only 19/49 (38.8%) complete response patients relapsed, yielding an estimated long-term disease-free survival of 62.6%. The 7-year overall survival was 72.7%. Four (7.3%) second acute myeloid leukemia occurred, with a median time following RIT of 42 months. A relevant patients' responsiveness to subsequent therapies occurred: approximately 65% of relapsed patients obtained a good clinical response after the second-line treatment. These data represented the first evidence of a real role even in the long period of 90Y-IT after a fludarabine-containing regimen plus rituximab in the treatment of high-risk follicular lymphoma