Crossing-over to imatinib 800 mg in a patient with GIST, after progression with standarddosage: a case report

A 69-years-old patient underwent radical surgery to remove a lesion of small bowel with histological diagnosis of malignant primary stromal cancer of the gastro-intestinal wall (GIST). After a disease-free survival of 25 months instrumental evidence of loco-regional recurrence was detected with subsequent resection of the ileum: histology confirmed recurrent high risk GIST. After 34 months, TC scan showed peritoneal and hepatic progression of disease. Treatment with imatinib was started with standard dose of 400 mg/day, obtaining partial response on peritoneum and liver radiological complete response, after 5 months of therapy. Patient continued treatment with the same dose for 20 months. When radiological progression was detected we decided to increase imatinib to 800 mg/day based on the results of two principal phase III studies. Radiological partial response was reached after three months of therapy. Actually patient is still in treatment with imatinib showing stable disease with good tolerance

The promise of liquid biopsy in cancer: a clinical perspective

The clinical utility of liquid biopsy in cancer treatment will increase as circulating tumor cells (CTCs) analysis move from the enumeration to the real-time measurement of tumor characteristics. Intratumor heterogeneity is becoming increasingly recognized as a major drawback to the shift to personalized medicine. Spatial and temporal heterogeneity might be reflected by the serial assessment of CTCs. Indeed, the developing technologies for CTCs analysis now allow digital genomic and next-generation sequencing approaches, able to differentiate molecular subtypes of the disease and to monitor genetic variation over time. The liquid biopsy of cancer might offer a real-time assessment of tumor biology, providing the opportunity to serially evaluate patients most likely to benefit from targeted drugs based on a dynamic characterization of the disease at the molecular level. Although hurdles remain before liquid biopsy is seen in routine clinical practice, the information derived from CTCs may facilitate the real-time identification of actionable mutations in cancer leading the way toward personalized medicine

Relationship and predictive role of the dual expression of FGFR and IL-8 in metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with targeted agents

Background/Aim: The expression of IL-8 and FGFR has been related to prognosis and pathological features in renal cell carcinoma. We investigated the relationship between IL-8 and FGFR and the outcome in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients. Materials and Methods: Clinical data and histological samples of patients affected by mRCC and treated with targeted agents were reviewed. The expression of proteins was assessed using immunohistochemistry. Results: FGFR1, FGFR2, and IL-8 were found to be expressed in 16%, 30%, and 50% of cases, respectively. Significant correlations were found between selected proteins. A lack of expression of FGFR2 and IL8 was found to be correlated with increased progression-free survival (PFS). The survival rate at 24 months was 44%, 38%, and 79% of those expressing both, one, or none of the evaluated proteins, respectively (p=0.047). Conclusion: This analysis found a relationship between the expression of IL-8 and FGFR2 in mRCC patients treated with targeted agents

Soft molding lithography of conjugated polymers

We report on the nanopatterning of conjugated polymers by soft molding, and exploit the glass transition of the organic compound in conformal contact with an elastomeric element. We succeeded in printing different compounds with resolution down to 300 nm at temperatures up to 300 °C in vacuum. No significant variation of the photoluminescence (PL) spectra nor heavy degradation of the PL quantum yield was observed after the lithography process. Based on the high resolution achieved and on the well-retained luminescence properties of the patterned compounds, we conclude that high-temperature soft lithography is a valid, flexible and straightforward technique for one-step realization of organic-based devices

Nanostructuring poly-[2-methoxy-5-(2′-ethyl-hexiloxy)-p-phenylenevinylene] thin films by high-temperature soft lithography

Abstract Sub micron patterning of the conjugated polymer, poly-[2-methoxy-5-(2′-ethyl-hexiloxy)-p-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) has been achieved by high-temperature soft lithography. The process has been carried out by placing a spin-coated polymer film in conformal contact with elastomeric replicas of master structures fabricated by electron beam lithography. The system is then heated to decrease the polymer viscosity, allowing the pattern transfer with resolution down to 300 nm. The well-preserved photoluminescence spectrum and efficiency of the emissive polymer clearly indicate that high-temperature soft lithography can be successfully applied for the one-step realization of organic-based devices

Augmented reality and portable devices to increase safety in container terminals: the testing of A4S project in the port of Genoa

Port container terminals are intrinsically complex environments and the human factor is often the main cause of accidents. Industry 4.0 technologies enable to dispose of enormous quantity of data, process them with advanced algorithms also allowing predictivity, and provide virtual/augmented reality tools to interact with human operators. Promising solutions are spreading that use the loT paradigm to acquire data and apply Big Data techniques to manage them. The objective of “Awareness for Safey-A4S” project, is to test a complete solution that allows field operators to be equipped with intelligent wearable devices, allowing "conscious" interaction in complex environments. This solution provides for the visualization of environment information in real time through Augmented Reality devices. These devices themselves represent a "sensor" providing information to the general system. Such information, integrated with environmental data and gathered through a specific I-IoT cloud platform and customized field devices, can improve safety and effectiveness of operations. Further support for operator safety is provided by a route tracking system aimed at directing operators, walking in the terminal, on the shortest and safest path. Such system can consider in real time the risks due to the movements of terminal equipment. The current paper presents this solution and the first field tests at PSA SECH container terminal in the Italian port of Genoa port to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed solution in increasing safety in complex and dangerous environments

Peritonectomy Procedures and HIPEC for Peritoneal Metastasis from Ovarian Cancer

Peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) is the most impressive and frequent evidence of loco-regional spread of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). For most of its natural history, PC remains confined to the peritoneal district, thus representing a target for various combinations of surgery and systemic or loco-regional chemotherapy. PC is observed both in primary settings, i.e. in patients first treated for locally advanced EOC, and in recurrent, previously treated, EOC patients at any FIGO stage. Since 2000s, the use of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) combined with maximum cytoreduction (peritonectomy) has gradually spread in the treatment of PC from ovarian cancer, as well as for gastrointestinal carcinomatosis and primary tumours of the peritoneum. Use of combined peritonectomy + HIPEC in the treatment of ovarian carcinomatosis is the most discussed issue among those concerning peritoneal surface malignancy (PSM). The main criticism concerns the use of HIPEC, since the need for maximal cytoreduction is consolidated and does not raise any doubts. Communities of surgeon and oncologic gynaecologists who believes in the role of HIPEC have started controlled clinical trials aimed at clarifying the role of HIPEC associated to peritonectomy, but these studies are difficult to conduct and time-consuming. At present and pending the results of future prospective trials, the role and limits of application of the procedure are drawn from experiences from three basic study groups: collective reviews, multicentre studies, monocentric case studies produced by high-volume HIPEC centers. A comprehensive literature review and an in-depth analysis of our personal experience, based on the largest monocentric case series (130 cases), have helped to provide an assessment on the role of peritonectomy + HIPEC in about 2000 patients treated for initial and recurrent PC from ovarian cancer. Comparison of the overall results drawn from these studies, indicates that peritonectomy + HIPEC is able to guarantee in these patients better overall survival (OS) and higher progression-free survival (PFS) rates than those derived from traditional treatments, with acceptable morbidity and mortality. Notwithstanding, some specific aspects, including the role of chemoresistance and neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatments, should be clarified by further experience and the results of on-going trials

An Italian Multicenter Study on the Epidemiology of Respiratory Syncytial Virus During SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic in Hospitalized Children

Since the beginning of 2020, a remarkably low incidence of respiratory virus hospitalizations has been reported worldwide. We prospectively evaluated 587 children, aged <12 years, admitted for respiratory tract infections from 1 September 2021 to 15 March 2022 in four Italian pediatric hospitals to assess the burden of respiratory viruses during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. At admission, a Clinical Respiratory Score was assigned and nasopharyngeal or nasal washing samples were collected and tested for respiratory viruses. Total admissions increased from the second half of October 2021 to the first half of December 2021 with a peak in early November 2021. The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) incidence curve coincided with the total hospitalizations curve, occurred earlier than in the pre-pandemic years, and showed an opposite trend with respect to the incidence rate of SARS-CoV-2. Our results demonstrated an early peak in pediatric hospitalizations for RSV. SARS-CoV-2 may exhibit a competitive pressure on other respiratory viruses, most notably RSV

Introduzione. Il pentecostalismo e le religioni in movimento

Il contributo, introducendo il volume, fa il punto su alcune questioni chiave del dibattito sul pentecostalismo e il carismatismo e più in generale sulle religioni in movimento. Un accento particolare è data alla transnazionalità e quindi ai movimenti di idee e pratiche religiose tra i vari contesti culturali e alla questione della secolarizzazione e della postsecolarizzion

Crossing-over to imatinib 800 mg in a patient with GIST, after progression with standard dosage: a case report

A 69-years-old patient underwent radical surgery to remove a lesion of small bowel with histological diagnosis of malignant primary stromal cancer of the gastro-intestinal wall (GIST). After a disease-free survival of 25 months instrumental evidence of loco-regional recurrence was detected with subsequent resection of the ileum: histology confirmed recurrent high risk GIST. After 34 months, TC scan showed peritoneal and hepatic progression of disease. Treatment with imatinib was started with standard dose of 400 mg/day, obtaining partial response on peritoneum and liver radiological complete response, after 5 months of therapy. Patient continued treatment with the same dose for 20 months. When radiological progression was detected we decided to increase imatinib to 800 mg/day based on the results of two principal phase III studies. Radiological partial response was reached after three months of therapy. Actually patient is still in treatment with imatinib showing stable disease with good tolerance