0000000000057368

AUTHOR

Francesco Graziano

Ipertransaminasemia: analisi di una casistica di bambini ricoverati presso la UO "Clinica Pediatrica" Ospedale dei Bambini "G. Di Cristina" di Palermo.

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PML as a potential predictive factor of oxaliplatin/fluoropyrimidine-based first line chemotherapy efficacy in colorectal cancer patients

PML regulates a wide range of pathways involved in tumorigenesis, such as apoptosis, which is also one of the main mechanisms through which oxaliplatin and fluoropyrimidine exert their antineoplastic activity. The present study aims to investigate PML expression as a predictive factor of oxaliplatin/fluoropyrimidine therapy efficacy. Seventy-four metastatic colorectal cancer patients who received oxaliplatin/floropyrimidine-based first line therapy have been included in this retrospective study. PML expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry. PML down-regulation was detected in 39 (52.7%) patients (14 complete and 25 partial PML loss). RR was significantly lower (25.6%) in patients wit…

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Prognostic role of human equilibrative transporter 1 (hENT1) in patients with resected gastric cancer.

Nucleoside transporter proteins are specialized proteins that mediate the transport of nucleosides and nucleoside analog drugs across the plasma membrane. The human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT1) is a member of these proteins and mediates cellular entry of gemcitabine, cytarabine, and fludarabine. The hENT1 expression has been demonstrated to be related with prognosis and activity of gemcitabine-based therapy in breast, ampullary, lung, and pancreatic cancer. We investigated the immunohistochemical expression of hENT in tumor samples from 111 patients with resected gastric adenocarcinoma, correlating these data with clinical parameters and disease outcomes. None of the patie…

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Cefalea persistente in una bambina con rettocolite ulcerosa: pensa alla trombosi venosa

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease have an increased risk of thromboembolic complications, especially during the active phase of the disease. Cerebral thromboembolism is a rare extra-intestinal complication, associated with high risk of morbidity and mortality. Due to the nonspecific clinical presentation and low incidence, a cerebral thromboembolic event may be undiagnosed. For this reason neurological symptoms, such as headache, should not be underestimated in inflammatory bowel disease patients. The paper describes a case of a three-year-old girl with ulcerative colitis complicated by cerebral thrombosis.

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Preliminary Evaluation of Plasmix Compound from Plastics Packaging Waste for Reuse in Bituminous Pavements

Finding an appropriate technical solution for reusing waste plastics is crucial for creating a circular plastic economy. Although mechanical recycling is the best option for recycling post-consumer plastics, some heterogeneous mixed plastics cannot be recycled to produce secondary material due to their very low properties. In this case, alternative routes should be considered in order to limit their disposal as much as possible. Therefore, in order to solve the environmental problems in the landfills of plastic waste recycling, and to improve the mechanical performance of bitumen for road pavement, the reuse of these post-consumer plastic wastes are preliminarily evaluated for the modificat…

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A Phase II Trial of Fixed-Dose Rate Gemcitabine plus Capecitabine in Metastatic/Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer Patients

<i>Background:</i> This phase II trial was conducted to determine the activity and safety of the combination of fixed-dose rate (FDR) gemcitabine and capecitabine in metastatic biliary tract cancer (BTC) patients. <i>Methods:</i> Patients with unresectable BTC who had pathologically confirmed adenocarcinoma, no prior chemotherapy, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status ≤1 and measurable disease were enrolled. Treatment consisted of FDR gemcitabine at 800 mg/m<sup>2</sup> on days 1 and 8 every 21 days with capecitabine administered orally b.i.d. in equal doses (650 mg/m<sup>2</sup> b.i.d.) for 14 days (28 doses). <i>…

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High concordance of KRAS status between primary colorectal tumors and related metastatic sites: implications for clinical practice.

Abstract Purpose. Several studies have suggested that KRAS somatic mutations may predict resistance to cetuximab- and panitumumab-based treatments in metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Nevertheless, most experiences were conducted on samples from primaries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the grade of concordance in terms of KRAS status between primaries and related metastases. Patients and Methods. We analyzed KRAS codon 12 and 13 mutations from formalin-fixed sections of 107 CRC primaries and related metastases. Eight pairs were excluded from the analysis because of the low amount of tumor tissue in the available samples. The main characteristics were: 50 men, 49 women; me…

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UN APPROCCIO BASATO SULLA MODELLAZIONE 3D E IL LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT PER UNA GESTIONE SOSTENIBILE DELLA MANUTENZIONE STRADALE

Among several goals of the road agencies, one of the most relevant is the maintenance and rehabilitation of the road pavement. The growth of traffic, the longstanding lack of funding and, sometimes, an emergency-based planning of intervention, are common drivers leading to low level of pavement conditions in terms of ride quality and safety. In addition both cost and environmental concerns due to monitoring stage are relevant issues within the management system of local and urban road network, especially. With the purpose of implementing sustainability in the road pavement management, this paper provides an approach based on coupled low- cost 3D image modelling distress identification and L…

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Real-Life Use of Biosimilars in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Nation-Wide Web Survey on Behalf of the SIGENP IBD Working Group

Objective: The aim was to assess the awareness and real-life use of biosimilars in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) among the members of the Italian Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (SIGENP). Methods: An anonymous web survey involving all SIGENP IBD units which can prescribe biosimilars was conducted between July 1st and December 1st, 2020. The questionnaire included 18 questions addressing the most relevant aspects of biosimilars in pediatric IBD, i.e., advantages, disadvantages, costs, traceability, general knowledge, and real-life use. A descriptive analysis of responses was performed. Results: Responses came from 26 pediatric IBD units in Italy, with repre…

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Inhaled nitric oxide as a rescue therapy in a preterm neonate with severe pulmonary hypertension: a case report

Abstract Background Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) has been approved for the treatment of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) in term and near-term newborns. Its role in the management of persistent pulmonary hypertension in preterm infants is not clear. Although guidelines do not exist, some studies have shown that iNO could be used as a rescue therapy in preterm neonate with severe pulmonary hypertension. Case presentation We describe the case of a preterm neonate, born at 30 + 1 weeks of gestation, with hypoxic respiratory failure not responding to maximal conventional therapy. On the third day of life echocardiography showed severe pulmonary hypertension with right to le…

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Weekly oxaliplatin, 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid (OXALF) as first-line chemotherapy for elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer: results of a phase II trial.

Abstract Background Elderly patients have been often excluded from or underrepresented in the study populations of combination chemotherapy trials. The primary end point of this study was to determine the response rate and the toxicity of the weekly oxaliplatin, 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid (OXALF) regimen in elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer. The secondary objective was to measure the time to disease progression and the survival time. Methods Chemotherapy-naive patients with advanced gastric cancer aged 70 or older were considered eligible for study entry. Patients received weekly oxaliplatin 40 mg/m2, fluorouracil 500 mg/m2 and folinic acid 250 mg/m2. All drugs were given i…

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Epidemiological trends of pediatric IBD in Italy: A 10-year analysis of the Italian society of pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition registry

Introduction: The present study aimed at evaluating Italian epidemiological trends of pediatric inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) over the period 2009–2018. Materials and methods: Data from 1969 patients enrolled in the Italian Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Registry, by 49 pediatric IBD centers throughout the country, were analyzed, comparing three different time intervals (2009–2012, 2013–2015, 2016–2018). Results: The number of new IBD diagnoses ranged from 175 to 219 per year, evenly distributed over the examined period of time. From 2009 to 2018, the minimal incidence ranged from 1.59 to 2.04 /105 inhabitants aged < 18 years, with an overall slight p…

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The role of macrophages polarization in predicting prognosis of radically resected gastric cancer patients

Tumour-associated Macrophages (TAM) present two different polarizations: classical (M1) characterized by immunostimulation activity and tumour suppression; alternative (M2) characterized by tumour promotion and immune suppression. In this retrospective study, we evaluated the correlation between the two forms of TAM with survival time in radically resected gastric cancer patients. A total of 52 chemo- and radio- naive patients were included. Two slides were prepared for each patient and double-stained for CD68/NOS2 (M1) or CD68/CD163 (M2) and five representative high-power fields per slide were evaluated for TAM count. The median value of the two macrophage populations density and the media…

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