Medicina
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A Novel Immune Gene-Related Prognostic Score Predicts Survival and Immunotherapy Response in Glioma.
Background and Objectives: The clinical prognosis and survival prediction of glioma based on gene signatures derived from heterogeneous tumor cells are unsatisfactory. This study aimed to construct an immune gene-related prognostic score model to predict the prognosis of glioma and identify patients who may benefit from immunotherapy. Methods: 23 immune-related genes (IRGs) associated with glioma prognosis were identified through weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and Univariate Cox regression analysis based on large-scale RNA-seq data. ⋯ Patients with low IGRPS harbor a high proportion of natural killer cells and are sensitive to ICB treatment. While patients with high IGRPS display relatively poor prognosis, a higher expression level of DNA mismatch repair genes, high infiltrating of immunosuppressive cells, and poor ICB therapeutic outcomes. Conclusions: We demonstrated that the IGRPS model can independently predict the clinical prognosis as well as the ICB therapy responses of glioma patients, thus having important implications on the design of immune-based therapeutic strategies.
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Case Reports
Pregnancy and Lactation-Associated Osteoporosis Successfully Treated with Romosozumab: A Case Report.
Pregnancy- and lactation-associated osteoporosis (PLO) is a rare type of premenopausal osteoporosis that occurs mainly in the third trimester or immediately after delivery; one of its most common symptoms is back pain caused by a vertebral fracture. The pathogenesis of PLO is unclear, and there is no accepted consensus regarding the treatment of PLO. Although treatments with drugs such as bisphosphonate, strontium ranelate, denosumab, and teriparatide were reported, there is no report of a patient with PLO treated with romosozumab. ⋯ After the romosozumab treatment, her BMD was increased from the baseline by 23.6% at L1-L4, 6.2% at the femoral neck, and 11.2% at the total hip. Treating PLO with 12-month romosozumab after 4 months of teriparatide injection remarkably increased the BMD of the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total hip without subsequent fracture. Romosozumab has potential as a therapeutic option to improve the BMD and reduce the subsequent fracture risk of patients with PLO.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The Effectiveness of Allergen Immunotherapy in Adult Patients with Atopic Dermatitis Allergic to House Dust Mites.
Background and objectives: Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is not a first-line therapy in atopic dermatitis (AD) and its effectiveness has been criticised. Objectives: The efficacy and safety of AIT in adult patients with AD and monosensitisation to house dust mites (HDMs) were investigated. Materials and Methods: A total of 37 patients were included in this double-blind, placebo-controlled study. ⋯ Results: In the study group, significant improvement was observed in terms of the EASI score from 43 ± 8.2 to 21 ± 5.9 points, % BSA from 72 ± 18 to 28 ± 11 points, and IsGA from 4.5 ± 0.5 to 1.5 ± 0.5 points in comparison with the placebo after 1 year of AIT. Additionally, the proportion of patients who achieved success in the IsGA (IsGA < 2) was significantly better in comparison to the placebo with 13/20 (65%) vs. 4/14 (29%), respectively (p < 0.05). Conclusions: HDM-AIT effectively improved atopic dermatitis in patients that strictly qualified for desensitisation with a confirmed monovalent mite allergy.
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Background and Objectives: The aim of the study is to assess macular ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL) thickness in deprivational amblyopic eyes (AE), fellow non-amblyopic eyes (FE) and normal eyes (NE) using spectral. domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Materials and Methods: Twenty two children (64% boys) who underwent surgical removal of unilateral congenital or developmental cataracts and exhibited visual impairment despite postoperative visual rehabilitation were included in the study. Cataract surgery was performed in patients aged 55.82 ± 35.85 months (range 6 to 114 months). ⋯ The minimum thickness of mGCIPL was respectively: 62.68 ± 13.2 μm, 70.3 ± 7.61 μm, and 74.5 ± 5.47, and also differed between AE and FE (p = 0.023) and AE and NE (p = 0.0004). Also, measurements in the inferior, inferotemporal, and superotemporal sectors showed thinning of mGCIPL in AE compared to NE. Conclusions: This analysis may suggest that deprivational amblyopia caused by unilateral congenital or developmental cataract in children may be associated with mGCIPL thinning.
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Background and Objectives: In this study, we aimed to describe the clinical and ultrasound (US) features and the outcome in a group of patients suspected of or diagnosed with early onset intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) requiring iatrogenic delivery before 32 weeks, having no structural or genetic fetal anomalies, managed in our unit. A secondary aim was to report the incidence of the condition in the population cared for in our hospital, data on immediate postnatal follow-up in these cases and to highlight the differences required in prenatal and postnatal care. Materials and Methods: We used as single criteria for defining the suspicion of early IUGR the sonographic estimation of fetal weight < p10 using the Hadlock 4 technique at any scan performed before 32 weeks’ gestation (WG). ⋯ In the very early suspected IUGR subgroup, the newborns required significantly more NICU days and total hospitalization days. Conclusions: Patients with isolated very early and early IUGR—defined as ultrasound (US) estimation of fetal weight < p10 using the Hadlock 4 technique requiring iatrogenic delivery before 32 weeks’ gestation—require closer care prenatally and postnatally. These patients represent an economical burden for the health system, needing significantly longer hospitalization intervals, GA at birth and UtA PI centiles being related to it.