Requirements of a Supportive Environment for People on the Autism Spectrum: A Human-Centered Design Story

People on the autism spectrum have a different perception of the environment than neurotypical people and often require support in various activities of daily living. Assistive technology can support those affected, but very few smart-home-like technologies exist. To support people on the autism spectrum in their autonomy and safety and to help caregivers, a smart home and interior design environment was developed. Requirements were gathered by employing a holistic human-centered design approach through interactive workshops and questionnaires to create a useful and user-friendly solution. From this process, requirements for a comprehensive solution (the SENSHOME environment) emerged. These requirements include a set of functionalities tailored to the needs of people on the autism spectrum, such as a crowd warning that informs when many people are in a certain area (for example, the entrance), an automatic light regulation system, or a daily life planner that supports task completion. Furthermore, inclusive furniture elements such as a refuge seat or a table with dividers can support wellbeing, autonomy, and safety. This paper demonstrates a consequent and considerable participatory research approach and the story from the target group and context of use through design requirements to the initial design solution of the SENSHOME environment

Low-Dose Immunotherapy: Is It Just an Illusion?

The development and use of immunotherapy in the last decade have led to a drastic improvement in results in the onco-haematological field. This has implied, on the one hand, the need for clinicians to manage a new type of adverse event and, on the other hand, a significant increase in costs. However, emerging scientific evidence suggests that, as with other drugs in the recent past, the registry dosage can be drastically reduced for immunotherapies without penalizing their effectiveness. This would also lead to an important reduction in costs, expanding the audience of cancer patients who could access immunotherapy-based treatments. In this “Commentary”, we analyze the available evidence of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and the most recent literature in favor of low-dose immunotherapy

Targeting VEGF-VEGFR Pathway by Sunitinib in Peripheral Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor, Paraganglioma and Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma: Three Case Reports

Sunitinib malate (Sutent™; Pfizer Inc., New York, N.Y., USA) is a small molecule kinase inhibitor with activity against a number of tyrosine kinase receptors, including vascular endothelial growth factor receptors, stem-cell factor receptor, and platelet-derived growth factor receptors alpha and beta. Sunitinib, registered for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma and gastrointestinal stromal tumors, has recently been approved for the treatment of patients with advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor (pPNET), paraganglioma (PGL) and epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) are rare tumors in which there is an overexpression of pro-angiogenic factors and in which a high intratumoral microvessel density is a significant poor prognostic factor. On the basis of this preclinical rationale and the lack of effective treatments in pre-treated advanced stages of these rare diseases, we report our interesting experience of pPNET, PGL and EHE treatment with sunitinib

Quality of life in colon cancer patients with skin side effects: preliminary results from a monocentric cross sectional study

Abstract Background Epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors are widely prescribed anticancer drugs. Patients treated commonly develop dermatologic adverse drugs reactions, but rarely they are involved in systematic evaluation of their quality of life. This monocentric cross sectional study is carried out to assess quality of life in colon cancer patients experienced skin side effects due to anti epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors therapy. Methods Consecutive patients with skin side effects to therapy treated at Fondazione Poliambulanza were enrolled in this study. Quality of life was evaluated with the Italian validated version of Skindex-29 questionnaire, exploring three dimensions: symptoms, emotional, and physical functioning. Skindex-29 was administered one time between the eighth and the twelfth week of the treatment. Results Forty-five consecutive patients, mainly with metastatic colon cancer (29 female, 16 male), with an average age of 59.31 years (ranging from 34-78) were included in the study and analyzed. Patients showed a great impact of skin side effects on symptoms (mean 43), followed by emotional (mean 30), and functioning (mean 26) scales. In general women, the 55-65 age class, and patients with partial remission reported the worst quality of life. Conclusions Epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors' skin side effects have an important impact on quality of life in advanced colon cancer patients; symptoms scale is the most effect respect to emotional and functioning scales.</p

Primary Osteosarcoma of the Breast: A Case Report

Introduction. Primary osteosarcoma of the breast is a rare soft-tissue form of osteosarcoma without involvement of the skeletal system. Due to the rarity of the disease, its clinical features and optimal treatment remain unclear. Case Presentation. This case report deals with a 62-year-old woman with pure osteosarcoma of the breast. Conclusions. The prognosis of primary osteosarcoma of the breast is poor. Recurrence is frequent, and it is often associated with haematogenous spread of the disease to the lung. Treatment follows the model of sarcomas affecting other locations and must be planned in a multidisciplinary fashion. Adjuvant chemotherapy should be considered for patients with tumors showing aggressive features