Minerva medica
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Ovarian cancer, the most aggressive gynecologic cancer, is the foremost cause of death from gynecologic malignancies in the developed world. Over 90% of ovarian cancers arise from the surface epithelium, which are classified as epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). EOCs can be categorized as serous, mucinous, endometrioid, clear cell, and transitional cell types. ⋯ The presence of regulatory T cells, the inhibition of natural killer cytotoxic responses, the accumulation of myeloid suppressor cells in the tumor, deficiencies on interferon signaling, the secretion of cytokines that enhance tumor growth (i.e., IL-6, IL-10, CSF-1, TGF-b, TNF), and the expression of surface molecules (i.e., HLA-G, B7-H1, B7-H4, CD40, CD80) that have a role on immune suppression, are discussed in detail. The aim of this review is to provide insight of the evidence that supports the role of immunodeficiency in the progression of ovarian cancer and future directions for ovarian cancer therapies. It also discusses the genetic alterations in the subtypes of ovarian cancers.
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The epidemiology of lower respiratory tract (LRT) viral infections in adults is probably underestimated and the high frequency of multiple viral infections complicates the evaluation of the possible role of the single viruses. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical epidemiology and impact of respiratory viral pathogens, in particular of those singularly detected, in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens from hospitalized adult patients. ⋯ The use of a comprehensive diagnostic panel for respiratory viral infections may be useful to clarify the epidemiology and clinical impact of viral pathogens in hospitalized adult patients. The occurrence of multiple infections is a common finding and results should be interpreted taking into account the clinical context as well as viral load and the biological characteristics of each virus.