Application of Agents Against Interferon-Gamma-Dependent Chemokines in Immunotherapy

The CXC chemokine receptor (CXCR) 3 and its chemokines (CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11) are involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disesases. Under the influence of interferon (IFN) γ, the IFNγ-inducible chemokines are secreted by lymphocytes, and by target cells (fibroblasts, epithelial cells, etc). In target tissues, Th1 lymphocytes are recruited; hence IFNγ is enhanced, which stimulates IFNγ-inducible chemokines (CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11) secretion reiterating the autoimmune process. Many studies have evaluated if blockade of ..

The impact of lockdown on sleep patterns of children and adolescents with ADHD

STUDY OBJECTIVES: The current study examined the impact of home confinement (lockdown) due to the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep patterns of children and adolescents with ADHD.METHODS: Nine hundred ninety-two parents of children and adolescents with ADHD filled out an anonymous online survey through the ADHD family association website. The survey investigated the sleep patterns and disturbances (using a modified version of the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children) and screen exposure time before and during the lockdown.RESULTS: During the lockdown, 59.3% of children and 69.4% of adolescents with ADHD reported a change of bedtime with significant increase of ADHD patients that went to sleep at 11pm or later. Sleep duration, in contrast, resulted in two opposing processes with more children and adolescent sleeping either less than 6 hours/night or 10-11 hours/night. Among children and adolescents, respectively, 19.9% and 22% slept less than they did before lockdown, while 21.4% and 27.4% slept more hours. Bedtime delay and decreased sleep duration were associated with an increase in the screen time exposure. Moreover, ADHD patients reported an increase in sleep disturbances when compared to previous condition, including mainly difficulties falling asleep, anxiety at bedtime, night awakenings, nightmares and daytime sleepiness.CONCLUSIONS: The lockdown impacted on sleep-wake rhythms by strengthening the maladaptive sleep patterns reported in usual life conditions in ADHD children

Thyroid Involvement in Hepatitis C Virus-Infected Patients with/without Mixed Cryoglobulinemia

Thyroid involvement is a common condition that can be recorded during the natural course of different systemic rheumatic diseases, including the mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC) syndrome or cryoglobulinemic vasculitis. MC is triggered by hepatitis C virus (HCV) chronic infection in the majority of cases; it represents the prototype of autoimmune-lymphoproliferative disorders complicating a significant proportion of patients with chronic HCV infection. HCV is both hepato- and lymphotropic virus responsible for a great number of autoimmune/lymphoproliferative and/or neoplastic disorders. The complex of HCV-related hepatic and extrahepatic manifestations, including MC and thyroid involvement, may be termed "HCV syndrome." Here, we describe the prevalence and clinico-serological characteristics of thyroid involvement, mainly autoimmune thyroiditis and papillary thyroid cancer, in patients with HCV syndrome with or without cryoglobulinemic vasculitis

Circulating Levels of Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 and Arterial Stiffness in a Large Population Sample: Data From the Brisighella Heart Study

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) circulating levels are significantly associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between circulating levels of PCSK9 and arterial stiffness, an early instrumental biomarker of cardiovascular disease risk, in a large sample of overall healthy participants

Cytokines and HCV-Related Disorders

Cytokines are intercellular mediators involved in viral control and liver damage being induced by infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV). The complex cytokine network operating during initial infection allows a coordinated, effective development of both innate and adaptive immune responses. However, HCV interferes with cytokines at various levels and escapes immune response by inducing a T-helper (Th)2/T cytotoxic 2 cytokine profile. Inability to control infection leads to the recruitment of inflammatory infiltrates into the liver parenchyma by interferon (IFN)-gamma-inducible CXC chemokine ligand (CXCL)-9, -10, and -11 chemokines, which results in sustained liver damage and eventually in liver cirrhosis. The most important systemic HCV-related extrahepatic diseases—mixed cryoglobulinemia, lymphoproliferative disorders, thyroid autoimmune disorders, and type 2 diabetes—are associated with a complex dysregulation of the cytokine/chemokine network, involving proinflammatory and Th1 chemokines. The therapeutical administration of cytokines such as IFN-alpha may result in viral clearance during persistent infection and reverts this process

Hepatitis C Virus Infection: Evidence for an Association With Type 2 Diabetes: Response to Skowroński et al.

We agree with Skowronski et al. (1) that the type of diabetes manifested by patients with HCV chronic infection (HCV+) may not be classical type 2 diabetes, and the phenotypic characterization of our patients shows just that. The labeling of HCV+ patients as type 2 diabetes is purely conventional and possibly inaccurate: the lines separating type 1 diabetes, from latent autoimmune diabetes in

Take a picture! The role of visual methods in understanding psychiatric patient's everyday life

Understanding the patient's experience of mental illness can foster better support for this population and greater partnership with healthcare professionals. This study aims to explore the application of visual methods in the psychiatric field and, in particular, the experience of people suffering from psychotic disorders because it is still an open question that has not been only partially empirically examined

New Targeted Molecular Therapies for Dedifferentiated Thyroid Cancer

Dedifferentiated thyroid cancer (DeTC) derived from follicular epithelium is often incurable because it does not respond to radioiodine, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy. In cases, RET/PTC rearrangements are found in 30%–40%, RAS mutations in about 10%, and BRAF mutations in around 40%–50%, with no overlap between these mutations results in papillary thyroid cancer, while a higher prevalence of BRAF mutations (up to 70%) has been observed in DeTC. The identification of these activating mutations in DeTC makes this malignancy an excellent model to examine the effect of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Clinical trials with several TKIs targeting RET, and to a lesser extent BRAF, and other TKRs have shown positive results, with about one-third of DeTC showing a reduction in tumor size up to 50%, with the longest treatment duration of approximately three-four years. Angiogenesis inhibitors have also shown promising activity in DeTC. Progress is being made toward effective targeted DeTC therapy. The possibility of testing the sensitivity of primary DeTC cells from each subject to different TKIs could increase the effectiveness of the treatment

A Stage-Based Approach to Therapy in Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that features progressive, disabling motor symptoms, such as bradykinesia, rigidity, and resting tremor. Nevertheless, some non-motor symptoms, including depression, REM sleep behavior disorder, and olfactive impairment, are even earlier features of PD. At later stages, apathy, impulse control disorder, neuropsychiatric disturbances, and cognitive impairment can present, and they often become a heavy burden for both patients and caregivers. Indeed, PD increasingly compromises activities of daily life, even though a high variability in clinical presentation can be observed among people affected. Nowadays, symptomatic drugs and non-pharmaceutical treatments represent the best therapeutic options to improve quality of life in PD patients. The aim of the present review is to provide a practical, stage-based guide to pharmacological management of both motor and non-motor symptoms of PD. Furthermore, warning about drug side effects, contraindications, as well as dosage and methods of administration, are highlighted here, to help the physician in yielding the best therapeutic strategies for each symptom and condition in patients with PD

Design and validation of a Cloth Face Covering (CFC) with low breathing resistance for sports practice

A Cloth Face Covering (CFC) to prevent the spread of SARS-COVID 2 was designed and tested with the aim of minimising interference with athletic performance. A highly rigid 3D mesh fabric was chosen as the reusable frame and an electrospun non-woven fabric as the replaceable filter. A product with extremely high breathability was developed that complies with the Italian standard UNI/PdR 90.1:2020. Measurements of the pressure in the dead space during sports practise confirmed the low breathing resistance of CFC. In maximal tests, no differences were found in maximum heart rate and duration of exertion, while the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) was slightly higher when wearing CFC compared to not wearing the mask