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A timely detection of visual hemifield deficits (VHFDs; hemianopias or quadrantanopias) is critical for both the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients. The present study determined the sensitivity and specificity of four qualitative visual field tests, including face description, confrontation tests (finger wiggle), and kinetic boundary perimetry, to screen large and dense VHFDs in right-brain-damaged (RBD) stroke patients. Previously, the accuracy of qualitative visual field tests was examined in unselected samples of patients with heterogeneous aetiology, in which stroke patients represented a very small fraction. Building upon existing tests, we introduced some procedural ameliorations (incl. a novel procedure for kinetic boundary perimetry) and provided a scoresheet to facilitate the grading. The qualitative visual field tests’ outcome of 67 consecutive RBD stroke patients was compared with the standard automated perimetry (SAP; i.e., reference standard) outcome to calculate sensitivity and specificity, as well as positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV), both for each individual test and their combinations. The face description test scored the lowest sensitivity and NPV, while the kinetic boundary perimetry scored the highest. No test returned false positives. Combining the monocular static finger wiggle test (by quadrants) and the kinetic boundary perimetry returned the highest sensitivity and specificity, in line with previous studies, but with higher accuracy (100% sensitivity and specificity). These findings indicate that the combination of these two tests is a valid approach with RBD stroke patients, prompting referral for a formal visual field examination, and representing a quick, easy-to-perform, and inexpensive tool for improving their care and prognosis.

The present study aims at defining the economic and organizational impacts of the introduction of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T) in Italy, for the management of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients in third-line therapy, defining the overall level of sustainability for both hospitals and the National Healthcare System (NHS). The analysis focused on CAR-T and Best Salvage Care (in the following BSC), assuming the Italian hospital and NHS perspectives, over a 36-month time horizon. Process mapping and activity-based costing methodologies were applied to collect the hospital costs related to the BSC and CAR-T pathways, including adverse event management. Anonymous administrative data on services provided (diagnostic and laboratory examinations, hospitalizations, outpatient procedures, and therapies) to 47 third-line patients with lymphoma, as well as any organizational investments required, were collected, in two different Italian Hospitals. The economic results showed that the BSC clinical pathway required less resources in comparison with CAR-T (excluding the cost related to the therapy) (BSC: 29,558.41 vs. CAR-T: EUR 71,220.84, −58.5%). The budget impact analysis depicts that the introduction of CAR-T would generate an increase in costs ranging from 15% to 23%, without considering treatment costs. The assessment of the organizational impact reveals that the introduction of CAR-T therapy would require additional investments equal to a minimum of EUR 15,500 to a maximum of EUR 100,897.49, from the hospital perspective. Results show new economic evidence for healthcare decision makers, to optimize the appropriateness of resource allocation. The present analysis suggests the need to introduce a specific reimbursement tariff, both at the hospital and at NHS levels, since no consensus exists, at least in the Italian setting, concerning the proper remuneration for the hospitals who guarantee this innovative pathway, assuming high risks related t

Aims: The aim of the study was to investigate the physiological mechanisms of Jatropha curcas seedlings exposed to drought and the possible influence of seedling age. Study Design: A pot experiment was carried out using a completely randomized design with two seedling ages (2- and 3-month-old seedlings), two treatments per age (Watered: fully irrigated, and Unwatered: Not irrigated), six replicates (24 pots). Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was performed in a greenhouse facility located at the Experimental Station “Mauro Deidda” (Department of Agriculture of University of Sassari) at Ottava (Sassari, Italy) between June and September 2011. Methodology: To investigate the responses of 2- and 3-month-old J. curcas seedlings exposed to drought stress on 4th, 8th, 12th, 19th, and 26th day from treatment’s beginning, leaf and soil water content, biometric, gas exchange, and chlorophyll a fluorescence measurements were performed; on 26th day from treatment’s beginning, biometric destructive measurements were carried out. Results: Results support the hypothesis that J. curcas is appropriate to be cultivated in areas with limited water availability or prolonged periods of drought and highlight that mechanisms of drought response are highly influenced by seedling age. J. curcas seedlings maintained a good leaf water status by means of an effective stomatal closure, associated with a reduced aboveground growth and an increased root:shoot ratio. Under drought stress, 2-month seedlings showed a higher allocation of resources to roots compared to 3-month seedlings. Drought resulted in more detrimental effects on the photosynthetic response of 3-month seedlings, inducing the reduction of stomata conductance and the loss of photosystem II integrity. 2-month seedlings were instead able to activate mechanisms of drought tolerance through the activation of excess energy dissipation mechanisms. Conclusion: In the early stage of crop establishment, the transplanting of J. c

An essential aspect of breast cancer is its different evolution among patients with the same histopathological disease. Moreover, cancer is a tissue growing in the context of a complex organism, thus it can be identified two main sources of variability responsible for the disease behavior: intrinsic and extrinsic factors which act, respectively, mainly inside the tumor cells and outside them at local or systemic levels. Our aim is to identify intrinsic factors to the tumor cells responsible for the different responses of breast cancer to chemotherapy with Doxorubicin and Docetaxel. For this purpose, we collected tumors developed in a cohort of genetically heterogeneous mice from a backcross between a resistant strain to breast cancer (C57BL/6) and a susceptible one (FVB) which overexpress the cNeu/ErbB2 protooncogene controlled by the MMTV promoter. The backcross mice were genotyped by SNP analysis. To identify tumor intrinsic factors controlling the response to chemotherapy, we transplanted 125 tumors collected from the backcross mice into singenic F1-C57/FVB mice to remove variability coming from the host compartments. Each tumor was transplanted into two F1 recipient mice; each one was treated with Doxorubicin or Docetaxel, and we studied tumor response to treatment. Linkage analysis permits us to identify QTL (Quantitative Trait Loci) controlling susceptibility to mammary cancer and evolution of the disease in the backcross population, and the specific intrinsic QTL associated with different chemotherapy responses in the F1 mice. Moreover, we are studying molecular and signalling pathways that control chemotherapy responses and the QTL associated with them. The identification of breast cancer susceptibility genes and their pathways associated with different response to chemotherapy will be important for the prediction of human breast cancer evolution during therapy, and to learn about the mechanisms involved in resistance to chemotherapy, thus it would help to d

An essential aspect of breast cancer is its different evolution among patients with the same histopathological disease. Moreover, cancer is a tissue growing in the context of a complex organism, thus it can be identified two main sources of variability responsible for the disease behavior: intrinsic and extrinsic factors which act, respectively, mainly inside the tumor cells and outside them at local or systemic levels. Our aim is to identify intrinsic factors to the tumor cells responsible for the different responses of breast cancer to chemotherapy with Doxorubicin and Docetaxel. For this purpose, we collected tumors developed in a cohort of genetically heterogeneous mice from a backcross between a resistant strain to breast cancer (C57BL/6) and a susceptible one (FVB) which overexpress the cNeu/ErbB2 protooncogene controlled by the MMTV promoter. The backcross mice were genotyped by SNP analysis. To identify tumor intrinsic factors controlling the response to chemotherapy, we transplanted 125 tumors collected from the backcross mice into singenic F1-C57/FVB mice to remove variability coming from the host compartments. Each tumor was transplanted into two F1 recipient mice; each one was treated with Doxorubicin or Docetaxel, and we studied tumor response to treatment. Linkage analysis permits us to identify QTL (Quantitative Trait Loci) controlling susceptibility to mammary cancer and evolution of the disease in the backcross population, and the specific intrinsic QTL associated with different chemotherapy responses in the F1 mice. Moreover, we are studying molecular and signalling pathways that control chemotherapy responses and the QTL associated with them. The identification of breast cancer susceptibility genes and their pathways associated with different response to chemotherapy will be important for the prediction of human breast cancer evolution during therapy, and to learn about the mechanisms involved in resistance to chemotherapy, thus it would help to d

An essential aspect of breast cancer is its different evolution among patients with the same histopathological disease. Moreover, cancer is a tissue growing in the context of a complex organism, thus it can be identified two main sources of variability responsible for the disease behavior: intrinsic and extrinsic factors which act, respectively, mainly inside the tumor cells and outside them at local or systemic levels. Our aim is to identify intrinsic factors to the tumor cells responsible for the different responses of breast cancer to chemotherapy with Doxorubicin and Docetaxel. For this purpose, we collected tumors developed in a cohort of genetically heterogeneous mice from a backcross between a resistant strain to breast cáncer (C57BL/6) and a susceptible one (FVB) which overexpress the cNeu/ErbB2 protooncogene controlled by the MMTV prometer. The backcross mice were genotyped by SNP analysis. To identify tumor intrinsic factors controlling the response to chemotherapy, we transplanted 125 tumors collected from the backcross mice into singenic F1-C57/FVB mice to remove variability coming from the host compartments. Each tumor was transplanted into two F1 reciplent mice; each one was treated with Doxorubicin or Docetaxel, and we studied tumor response to treatment. Linkage analysis permits us to identify QTL (Quantitative Trait Loci) controlling susceptibility to mammary cancer and evolution of the disease in the backcross population, and the specific intrinsic QTL associated with different chemotherapy responses in the F1 mice. Moreover, we are studying molecular and signalling pathways that control chemotherapy responses and the QTL associated with them. The identification of breast cancer susceptibility genes and their pathways associated with different response to chemotherapy will be important for the prediction of human breast cancer evolution during therapy, and to learn about the mechanisms involved in resistance to chemotherapy, thus it would help to d

We retrospectively evaluated predictive prognostic factors in 73 cats with vaccineassociated sarcoma given postsurgical curative (n=46, most with clean margins) or coarse fractionated radiotherapy (n=27, most with either macroscopic disease or dirty margins). The former animals displayed a median survival of 43 months and a median progression free interval (PFI) of 37 months, the latter reached a median survival of 24 months and a median PFI of 10 months. In cats undergoing coarse fractionated therapy, factors predictive of a better outcome included lack of visible mass (n=10) as opposed to macroscopic disease (n=17, survival: 30 vs. 7 months, P=0.025; PFI: 20 vs. 4 months, P=0.01), adjuvant chemotherapy for gross disease (n=5/17, survival: 29 vs. 5 months, P=0.04) and a smaller number of surgeries preceding radiation therapy (Coeff=0.41,^P=0.03). The Ki67-index was not predictive for survival. We concluded that postsurgical curative and coarse fractionated radiotherapy are both effective legitimate options for managing vaccine-associated sarcomas.