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OBJECTIVE To assess resident and faculty interest in, as well as content and preferred format for, a leadership curriculum during obstetrics and gynecology residency DESIGN: From June to July 2019, a needs assessment survey on leadership training was distributed to residents and academic faculty at 3 United States obstetrics and gynecology residency programs. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed. Open ended questions were analyzed for themes. SETTING Three ob/gyn residency programs across the United States: Kaiser Permanente East Bay in Oakland, California, Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, New York. PARTICIPANTS Surveys were distributed to all residents (n = 111) and affiliated academic faculty (n = 124) at each of the 3 participating sites. RESULTS Resident response rate was 71% (79/111) and faculty rate was 63% (78/124). Postgraduate year (PGY) 1 residents were more likely to believe there was sufficient leadership training during residency (17/23, 74%) compared to PGY 2-4s (16/56, 29%) and faculty (20/76, 26%; p < 0.01). Most residents (66/79, 84%) and faculty (74/78, 82%) expressed that residents would benefit from a leadership curriculum. Both deemed small group exercises and leadership case studies taught by physicians were the preferred format for this curriculum. Residents and faculty agreed on 3 of the top 4 topics for a leadership curriculum - effective communication, team management, and time management - while residents chose self-awareness and faculty chose professionalism as the fourth of their top domains. Open-ended survey questions revealed that leadership demands in obstetrics and gynecology are similar to other specialties but differ in emphasis on crisis management, situational awareness, and advocacy training. CONCLUSIONS Given unique aspects of leadership within the specialty, obstetrics and gynecology residents and faculty see benefit for specialty-specific formalized leadership training.

Objective To examine the effects of weight gain/loss on delivery outcomes stratified by class of obesity in an obese, low-income, predominantly minority population. Methods A retrospective review of a cohort of 1428 women receiving care at a large Medicaid clinic from 2013 to 2016 with pregravid body mass index ≥30 was conducted. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to compare differences in gestational weight change to the primary outcomes of birth-weight percentile and delivery type and secondary outcomes of preterm delivery, preterm labor, gestational diabetes mellitus, and gestational hypertension. Results Obesity class 1 patients who lost weight were more likely to have a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant compared with those who had recommended weight gain. Obesity classes 2 and 3 patients had no statistically significant increase in SGA infants with weight loss or weight gain below current recommendations. Obesity classes 1 and 2 patients with weight loss had a statistically significant increase in both preterm delivery and preterm labor; however, class 3 patients did not. Obesity class 3 patients who lost weight were significantly more likely to have gestational diabetes mellitus. Conclusions Obesity class 3 women may benefit from less weight gain than current recommendations without increasing their risk of SGA infants or preterm birth, especially if gestational diabetes mellitus is present.

Objective To examine how social support factors affect compliance with gestational weight gain (GWG) recommendations in an obese, low-income, predominantly minority population. Study Design A retrospective cohort of 772 pregnant women with body mass index > 30 was reviewed. Univariate and multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to compare GWG with pregnancy planning, relationship status, participation in group prenatal care, nutritional education, and demographic factors. Subgroup analysis was performed to determine if differences existed in entry into prenatal care. Results Planned nature of pregnancy, relationship status, nutritional education, and group prenatal care did not significantly affect GWG. Women with planned pregnancies and in group prenatal care had their first appointment during the first trimester at a higher rate than those with unplanned pregnancy and in traditional care, respectively. Regardless of timing of nutrition consult, GWG was not affected. Nulliparous patients and Class 1 obese patients were more likely to have excessive GWG. Conclusion Social support factors in this study did not individually affect compliance with GWG recommendations in a low-income, obese pregnant population, although some factors were associated with earlier entry to prenatal care. Multimodal, longitudinal programs are likely necessary to achieve increased compliance with GWG recommendations in this population.

We have investigated gene expression profiles of human ovarian carcinomas in vivo during Taxol® (paclitaxel) treatment and observed a difference in expression. Nude mice bearing 1A9 or 1A9PTX22 xenografts were given 60 mg/kg of paclitaxel. Therapeutic efficacy was achieved for 1A9, while 1A9PTX22 did not respond. Tumor tissues harvested 4 and 24 h after treatment were evaluated by cDNA microarray against untreated tumors. Paclitaxel caused the modulation of more genes in 1A9 than in 1A9PTX22 tumors, in accordance to their therapeutic response. Most gene expression alterations were detected 24 h after paclitaxel administration and affected genes involved in various biological functions including cell cycle regulation and cell proliferation (CDC2, CDKN1A, PLAB, and TOP2A), apoptosis (BNIP3 and PIG8), signal transduction and transcriptional regulation (ARF1, ATF2, FOS, GNA11, HDAC3, MADH2, SLUG, and SPRY4), fatty acid biosynthesis and sterol metabolism (FDPS, IDI1, LIPA, and SC5D), and IFN-mediated signaling (G1P3, IFI16, IFI27, IFITM1, and ISG15). The modulation of two representative genes, CDKN1A and TOP2A, was validated by Northern analyses on a panel of seven ovarian carcinoma xenograft models undergoing treatment with paclitaxel. We found that the changes in expression level of these genes was strictly associated with the responsiveness to paclitaxel. Our study shows the feasibility of obtaining gene expression profiles of xenografted tumor models as a result of drug exposure. This in turn might provide insights related to the drugs' action in vivo that will anticipate the response to treatment manifested by tumors and could be the basis for novel approaches to molecular pharmacodynamics.

Rationale and objective Our previous studies have determined that the F11 receptor (F11R; aka JAM-A) exerts a critical force in the adhesion of human platelets to inflamed endothelial cells (ECs), and thus can play a significant role in the initiation of atherosclerotic plaque formation. In the present study, we focus on a subsequent event in plaque development – the migration of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) from the media to the intima of inflamed vessels. Here we report our investigation of the expression of F11R in atherosclerotic arteries of coronary artery disease (CAD) patients, and of the role of F11R in the migration of SMCs involved in atherogenesis. Methods and results Histological staining and specific-antibody immunofluorescence of excised, human atherosclerotic coronary arteries revealed the expression of F11R in the SMCs of the intima. RT-PCR and SDS-PAGE followed by immunoblotting procedures demonstrated that F11R mRNA and the F11R protein levels were enhanced by the stimulation of cultured human aortic SMCs with a combined treatment of proinflammatory cytokines (TNFα + INFγ + IL-β1). Neither the F11R message nor protein was expressed in non-stimulated SMCs. The functional role of F11R in SMCs’ migration was studied in cytokine-stimulated SMCs by interference of F11R expression with siRNA. Silencing of the F11R gene of cytokines-treated SMCs inhibited the expression of both F11R mRNA and F11R protein. Functionally, silencing of the F11R gene blocked the proliferation and migration of these inflamed SMCs, both critical events in atherogenesis. Conclusions The new findings of this study are that F11R mRNA and F11R protein are expressed in SMCs of the intima (but not in the media) of atherosclerotic arteries of CAD patients, and that F11R is required for the proliferation and migration of inflamed SMCs. Based on these findings, we conclude that in addition to the previously reported role of F11R in the initiation of plaque formation, F11R plays also an important role in the subsequent growth of atherosclerotic plaques. Identification of drugs that interfere with these pathophysiologic actions of F11R thus represents an effective new approach for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis, heart attacks and stroke.

F11R is the gene name for an adhesion protein, called the F11-receptor, aka JAM-A, which under normal physiological conditions is expressed constitutively on the surface of platelets and localized within tight junctions of endothelial cells (EC). Previous studies of the interactions between human platelets and EC suggested that F11R/JAM-A plays a crucial role in inflammatory thrombosis and atherosclerosis. The study reported here obtained in-vivo confirmation of this conclusion by investigating F11R/JAM-A protein and mRNA in patients with aortic and peripheral vascular disease and in an animal model of atherosclerosis. Molecular and immunofluorescence determinations revealed very high levels of F11R/JAM-A mRNA and F11R/JAM-A protein in atherosclerotic plaques of cardiovascular patients. Similar results were obtained with 12-week-old atherosclerosis-prone apoE-/- mice, an age in which atherosclerotic plaques are well established. Enhanced expression of the F11R/JAM-A message in cultured EC from human aortic and venous vessels was observed following exposure of the cells to cytokines. Determinations of platelet adhesion to cultured EC inflamed by combined cytokine treatment in the presence of F11R/JAM-A - antagonists provided data indicating that de novo expression of F11R/JAM-A on the luminal surface of inflamed EC has an important role in the conversion of EC to a thrombogenic surface. Further studies of these interactions under flow conditions and under in-vivo settings could provide a final proof of a causal role for F11R/JAM-A in the initiation of thrombosis. Based on our in-vitro and in-vivo studies to date, we propose that therapeutic drugs which antagonize the function of F11R/JAM-A should be tested as novel means for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis, heart attacks and stroke.

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecologic cancer, and novel therapeutic options are crucial to improve overall survival. Here we provide evidence that impairment of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) can help control ovarian cancer progression, and this benefit correlates with expression of the two mitochondrial master regulators PGC1α and PGC1β. In orthotopic patient-derived ovarian cancer xenografts (OC-PDX), concomitant high expression of PGC1α and PGC1β (PGC1α/β) fostered a unique transcriptional signature, leading to increased mitochondrial abundance, enhanced tricarboxylic acid cycling, and elevated cellular respiration that ultimately conferred vulnerability to OXPHOS inhibition. Treatment with the respiratory chain complex I inhibitor IACS-010759 caused mitochondrial swelling and ATP depletion that consequently delayed malignant progression and prolonged the lifespan of high PGC1α/β-expressing OC-PDX-bearing mice. Conversely, low PGC1α/β OC-PDXs were not affected by IACS-010759, thus pinpointing a selective antitumor effect of OXPHOS inhibition. The clinical relevance of these findings was substantiated by analysis of ovarian cancer patient datasets, which showed that 25% of all cases displayed high PGC1α/β expression along with an activated mitochondrial gene program. This study endorses the use of OXPHOS inhibitors to manage ovarian cancer and identifies the high expression of both PGC1α and β as biomarkers to refine the selection of patients likely to benefit most from this therapy. Significance: OXPHOS inhibition in ovarian cancer can exploit the metabolic vulnerabilities conferred by high PGC1α/β expression and offers an effective approach to manage patients on the basis of PGC1α/β expression.

Background:Personal values influence nursing students’ development of professional values, which affect professional outcomes, and how nursing students react to different situations. Personal values can be shaped by different factors, including culture, gender, and age.Aims:To explore personal values held by nursing students, and to verify if and how gender and year of study affect nursing students’ personal values.Research design:A multicenter, cross-sectional study was used.Participants and research context:The whole population of nursing undergraduate students available at the time was recruited from eight centers of two Universities, composing a sample of 947 students. Demographic data were collected and it was administered the Portrait Values Questionnaire.Ethical considerations:Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Boards of the University of the participating centers.Findings:The study sample was mainly composed of young (92.6%, n = 877), female (77.3%, n = 732), Italian (95.8%, n = 907), and unmarried (98.6%, n = 934) nursing students. The most important value for nursing students, consistently through the years of nursing school, was Self-transcendence, which has the motivational emphasis on helping others and selflessness. Then, we found that male students had higher levels of Power (p < 0.001) and Achievement (p = 0.031), while female students outscored male students in Benevolence (p = 0.005) and Security (p = 0.006). Year of study showed no statistically significant difference.Discussion:Nursing students express high levels in hetero-directed values. Male nursing students, although they choose a stereotypically feminine profession, outscored females in stereotypical masculine values such as dominance and success. This is the first study that describes the personal value profile of undergraduate nursing students, according to the Theory of Basic Human Values, and it is a starting point for future research.Conclusion:Nursing educators might want to consider the findings from this study while guiding students in developing awareness for their personal values.

Background: The search for biomarkers to evaluate ovarian cancer (OC) homologous recombination (HR) function and predict the response to therapy is an urgent clinical need to improve the selection of patients who could benefit from platinum- and olaparib (poly-ADP ribose polymerase inhibitors, PARPi)-based therapies. Methods: We used a large collection of OC patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) (n = 47) and evaluated their HR status based on BRCA1/2 mutations, BRCA1 promoter methylation and the HRDetect score. RAD51 foci were quantified in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded untreated tumour specimens by immunofluorescence and the messenger RNA expression of 21 DNA repair genes by real-time PCR. Results: Tumour HR deficiency predicted both platinum and olaparib responses. The basal level of RAD51 foci evaluated in geminin-positive/replicating cells strongly inversely correlated with olaparib response (p = 0.011); in particular, the lower the foci score, the greater the sensitivity to olaparib, while low RAD51 foci score seems to associate with platinum activity. Conclusions: The basal RAD51 foci score is a candidate predictive biomarker of olaparib response in OC patients as it can be easily translatable in a clinical setting. Moreover, the findings corroborate the importance of OC-PDXs as a reliable tool to identify and validate biomarkers of response to therapy. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].

AIM: To verify the role of dispositional mindfulness, difficulties in emotion regulation and empathy in explaining burnout levels of Emergency Room (ER) nurses. BACKGROUND: Many studies have examined the variables that can affect burnout among ER nurses, but little is known about factors that can protect ER nurses against work-related stress. METHOD: A multi-center cross-sectional design was used. Burnout level intensity, dispositional mindfulness facets, difficulties in emotion regulation, and empathy dimensions were assessed using valid and reliable self-report questionnaires in a sample of ER nurses (N = 97) from three different hospitals. RESULTS: Higher dispositional mindfulness and cognitive empathy levels, and lower difficulties in emotion regulation, were negatively associated with emotional exhaustion levels. CONCLUSION: ER nurses with more mindful, emotion regulation, and empathy skills are more able to manage work-related distress. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Experiential interventions to promote mindfulness skills, emotion regulation variability and flexibility in a clinical context, and the cognitive side of empathy are recommended for ER nurses to reduce professional distress, and to enhance personal and work satisfaction. Future research should assess the effectiveness of new multi-factorial interventions which combine the development of mindfulness, emotion regulation, and empathy skills in ER nurses. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Background Collaboration in healthcare is essential but differences in personal values can be a potential source of disagreements between physicians and nurses. Objectives The purpose of this study was to verify if and to what extent there were divergences in the personal values profile between medical and nursing students at the beginning of their education and training. A second aim was to explore gender differences in personal values. Design This is an observational cross-sectional study. Settings This study was conducted at one University in northern Italy. Participants We compared the personal values of 393 first-year medical students with those of 403 first-year nursing students. Methods The Portrait Values Questionnaire-40 was administered and analyses of variance were performed to assess degree group and gender differences in terms of personal values. Results Medical students scored significantly higher than nursing ones on values related to dominance over others and personal success. Female students significantly outscored males on personal values that reflect other-oriented and social focus, whereas male students obtained higher scores than females on personal values related to personal and selfish orientation. Conclusions Schwartz's Theory of Basic Human Values may be a valuable theoretical framework for interprofessional education to promote a common reflection on personal values held by medical and nursing students since the early years of study.

Theory: There is a growing interest in identifying the psychological variables that promote and sustain empathy in medical students during their studies. Dispositional mindfulness has been shown to be empirically associated with socio-demographic characteristics and empathy among the general population. This research aimed to assess dispositional mindfulness in a sample of undergraduate medical students and to investigate its association with gender, age, and empathy. Hypotheses: It is hypothesized that male medical students would show, on average, higher dispositional mindfulness than their female counterparts, and that older students would exhibit higher dispositional mindfulness than younger ones. Dispositional mindfulness was also expected to be positively associated with the ability to feel compassion for others and to adopt their perspective, and negatively associated with the personal distress in tense interpersonal settings. Method: An exploratory cross-sectional study was conducted. Data were gathered from a large sample (N = 933) of Italian non-meditating second- and fifth-year medical students. Dispositional mindfulness and empathy were assessed using the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, respectively. Gender and age differences in dispositional mindfulness scores were calculated by analyses of variance, whereas hierarchical multiple regression models were used to assess the association between dispositional mindfulness and empathy scores. RESULTS Female medical students were more able to Act with Awareness than males, whereas males had higher levels than females of Describing and Nonreactivity to their feelings. When compared to their older counterparts, younger students scored higher on Observing and lower on Nonreactivity facets. Dispositional mindfulness facets correlated differently with both emotional and cognitive empathy dimensions, beyond the effects of gender and age. Medical students who displayed higher dispositional mindfulness appeared to be less emotionally distressed in tense interpersonal settings and more able to take others’ cognitive perspective. Conclusions: The findings support the notion that dispositional mindfulness is related to empathy and may have implications for the design of mindfulness-based training for use in the medical educational setting. Tailored interventions that cultivate specific dispositional mindfulness facets may be implemented along the medical curriculum to prevent the emotional distress in tense interpersonal settings and to sustain the cognitive capability to take others’ viewpoints among medical students.

Undergraduate nursing students show high-stress levels. In students, stress has been linked to adverse physical and psychological health outcomes and academic and clinical demands. To date, there are few studies dealing with psychological predictors of stress amongst nursing students. This study aimed to assess psychological distress in a sample of Italian nursing students and to explore its relationship with sociodemographic and psychological factors, specifically dispositional mindfulness, emotional regulation difficulties, and empathy. A multicenter cross-sectional survey design was employed. Participants were recruited from five teaching hospitals associated with a public university in northern Italy. A sample of 622 undergraduate nursing students was recruited. Participants were recruited on campus and completed a paper-and-pencil survey. More than 70% of nursing students reported meaningful levels of psychological distress. Students with higher dispositional mindfulness scores had lower psychological distress, whereas emotional regulation difficulties and empathic personal distress were positively associated with perceived stress. No gender differences were found in stress levels, but senior students showed lower psychological distress than more junior students. Interventions aimed at increasing mindfulness facets and improving emotional regulation strategies may help to reduce perceived psychological stress in nursing students.

Psychological problems—from the most minor such as exams anxiety to the more severe such as personality disorders—are not rare in young adults. University Counselling Services often present the only opportunity for undergraduates to meet health professionals and to be confronted with their difficulties in a non-clinical setting or—in cases of more severe psychopathology—to be referred to mental health services. Recent research attests to the increasing severity of psychological problems among undergraduate and graduate university students. The question necessarily arises as to whether this trend is replicated in the general population being referred to mental health services and, if such is the case, whether there are differences between the two populations. This paper analyses the change in the severity of self-reported symptoms in a sample of 194 students attending a University Counselling Service over a course of 5 years (2010–2014). Clinical severity was assessed in both groups by Symptoms Check List 90-Revised, Clinical Outcome in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure, and Emotion Regulation Questionnaire scores. Results show a substantial stability in severity level across time, and a comparison with an age-matched sample of patients referred to a public hospital clinical psychology service shows overlapping data with respect to disease severity level. As the mental health of university students is an important public health issue, the implications for the organization and structure of university counselling services and the connection with public mental health hospital centres are discussed.

Objective To assess medical students’ attachment profile and to explore its relationship with empathy dimensions. Methods Three cohorts of medical students were consecutively enrolled in the study at the beginning of their second year, before their clinical internship experience, and assessed using the Attachment Style Questionnaire (a self-report measure of attachment styles) and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (a self-report measure of empathy). t-test, partial correlations, and multiple linear regression models were used to analyze relationships between attachment styles and gender, age, and empathy dimensions. Results A total of 361 out of 450 (80.2%) Italian second-year medical students participated in the study. Female students considered interpersonal relationships more important and showed a higher need for approval than did their male counterparts. Among the attachment styles, considering relationships as secondary to achievement was the most important significant predictor of both emotional and cognitive empathy variables. Conclusions This study shows that the attachment styles of medical students are related to self-evaluated empathy, over and above the effects of gender and age differences. Practice implications The Attachment Style Questionnaire may be a useful tool for medical educators to identify medical students with low empathy scores during their pre-clinical years of study.

The clinical management of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is hampered by the lack of reliable biomarkers. This study investigated the value of soluble stroma‐related molecules as PDAC biomarkers. In the first exploratory phase, 12 out of 38 molecules were associated with PDAC in a cohort of 25 PDAC patients and 16 healthy subjects. A second confirmatory phase on an independent cohort of 131 PDAC patients, 30 chronic pancreatitis patients, and 131 healthy subjects confirmed the PDAC association for MMP7, CCN2, IGFBP2, TSP2, sICAM1, TIMP1, and PLG. Multivariable logistic regression model identified biomarker panels discriminating respectively PDAC versus healthy subjects (MMP7 + CA19.9, AUC = 0.99, 99% CI = 0.98–1.00) (CCN2 + CA19.9, AUC = 0.96, 99% CI = 0.92–0.99) and PDAC versus chronic pancreatitis (CCN2 + PLG+FN+Col4 + CA19.9, AUC = 0.94, 99% CI = 0.88–0.99). Five molecules were associated with PanIN development in two GEM models of PDAC (PdxCre/LSL‐Kras G12D and PdxCre/LSL‐Kras G12D/+ /LSL‐Trp53 R172H/+ ), suggesting their potential for detecting early disease. These markers were also elevated in patient‐derived orthotopic PDAC xenografts and associated with response to chemotherapy. The identified stroma‐related soluble biomarkers represent potential tools for PDAC diagnosis and for monitoring treatment response of PDAC patients.

The efficacy of therapeutic regimens incorporating weekly or every-3-weeks paclitaxel (PTX) for ovarian cancer is debated. We investigated the addition of bevacizumab in regimens of chemotherapy with different PTX doses and schedules in preclinical models. Treatments were cisplatin (DDP) with weekly PTX (conventional), or dose-dense-equi (every other day to the conventional cumulative dose), or dose-dense-high (total dose 1.5 times higher), with or without bevacizumab. Treatment efficacy was evaluated analyzing tumor growth in different time-windows in two patient-derived ovarian cancer xenografts with different sensitivity to cisplatin. Tumor progression, metastasis and survival were studied in ovarian cancer models growing orthotopically and disseminating in the mouse peritoneal cavity. Short-term effects on cell cycle, tumor cell proliferation/apoptosis and vasculature were evaluated by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. PTX dose-dense (with/without DDP) was superior to the conventional scheme in a dose-dependent manner; the high efficacy was confirmed by the lower ratio of tumor to normal cells. All schemes benefited from bevacizumab, which reduced tumor vessels. However, DDP/PTX dose-dense-high (only chemotherapy) was at least as active as DDP/PTX conventional plus bevacizumab. DDP/PTX dose-dense-high plus bevacizumab was the most effective in delaying tumor progression, though it did not prolong mouse survival and the continuous treatment with bevacizumab was associated with a malignant disease. These findings indicate that the effect of bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy may depend on the schedule-dose of the treatment and help to explain the unclear benefits after bevacizumab.

Background: The contribution of monocyte activation in the development of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders is not completely understood. This study aimed to explore the predictive value of peripheral monocyte/macrophage (M/M) phenotypes on the evolution of cognitive performance in a population of virologically suppressed HIV-infected patients. Setting: Prospective, observational, longitudinal study. Methods: HIV-1-infected patients with HIV-RNA 12 months underwent neuropsychological examination at baseline and after 1 year. Cognitive performance was evaluated using Z-transformed scores, and neurocognitive impairment (NCI) was defined according to Frascati criteria. Peripheral M/M phenotypes (classic CD14 ++ CD16 -, intermediate CD14 ++ CD16 +, and nonclassic CD14 + CD16 ++) and specific surface activation markers (eg, CD163, CD11b, and CD38) were evaluated using flow cytometry at baseline. Predictive value of peripheral M/M phenotypes on the evolution of cognitive performance over 1-year follow-up was also evaluated. Results: Overall, 54 patients [85.2% men, median age 50 years (range 27-60 years), 27.8% hepatitis C virus coinfected, 48.1% with past AIDS-defining events, median nadir CD4 83 cells/L (range 1-334), median baseline CD4 547 cells/L (range 136-1652)] were enrolled. Proportion of patients with NCI was low, accounting for 13% at baseline and 16.5% after 1 year (P = 0.687). Memory was the only single domain in which decreased performance after 1 year was observed (-0.25 Z-score, P = 0.025). In patients with significant decrease (≥0.5 SD) in memory performance (n = 20), significantly lower CD14 ++ CD16 + CD163 + (% CD14 ++ CD16 +) (P = 0.038) and higher CD14 + CD38 + (% CD14 +) (P = 0.030) levels were observed. Conclusions: In virologically suppressed HIV-infected patients, the evolution of memory performance could be linked to the expression of certain peripheral activated M/M phenotypes. Such associations should be verified in larger populations over the long term.

The literature contains numerous reports on motivation in blood donors, although none of these are specific to blood donation in Italy and almost all of them focus on altruism and the desire to help others. Altruism is important, but a comprehensive analysis of donor motivation should examine all the factors affecting the decision to donate, including commitment to voluntary blood donor organizations. The aims of this paper are to verify if the motivational factors that influence the choice to donate blood in Italy are generally consistent with the findings from other countries reported in the literature and to focus on commitment to donor organizations as an additional factor. A sample of 895 whole blood donors completed a self-report questionnaire containing questions about: reasons for beginning to donate, people who influenced this choice, and level of commitment to voluntary blood donor organizations. The most frequently reported reasons for giving blood for the first time were "to help others" (56%), "influence of family/friends" (22%), and "social/moral obligation" (11.2%); commitment did not vary as a function of the leading motivation reported. Differences emerged between males, who more frequently reported having been influenced by parents and friends, and females, who referred more often to altruistic motives. The opportunity to check one's own state of health also played an important role (6.9%), especially for male donors. Overall, however, the decision to donate was primarily a personal choice (41.3%), although influence was also attributed to relatives (21.8%), friends (22.3%), and voluntary blood donor organizations (21.8%). The reported level of commitment to the donor organization was positively correlated with the number of total and annual donations made and number of new donors recruited.

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. On the basis of its histopathology and molecular-genomic changes, ovarian cancer has been divided into subtypes, each with distinct biology and outcome. The aim of this study was to develop a panel of patient-derived EOC xenografts that recapitulate the molecular and biologic heterogeneity of human ovarian cancer. Thirty-four EOC xenografts were successfully established, either subcutaneously or intraperitoneally, in nude mice. The xenografts were histologically similar to the corresponding patient tumor and comprised all the major ovarian cancer subtypes. After orthotopic transplantation in the bursa of the mouse ovary, they disseminate into the organs of the peritoneal cavity and produce ascites, typical of ovarian cancer. Gene expression analysis and mutation status indicated a high degree of similarity with the original patient and discriminate different subsets of xenografts. They were very responsive, responsive, and resistant to cisplatin, resembling the clinical situation in ovarian cancer. This panel of patient-derived EOC xenografts that recapitulate the recently type I and type II classification serves to study the biology of ovarian cancer, identify tumor-specific molecular markers, and develop novel treatment modalities. Cancer Res; 74(23); 6980–90. ©2014 AACR.

Women are under-represented among blood donors and this difference is particularly strong in Italy. This study explore the reasons for the gender gap using a sample of donors who had stopped donating at least two years previously and analyzing the role of frequency of donation. No significant gender differences emerged between the reasons provided by subjects but Italy was the country with the longest prescribed interval between whole blood donations for women. The gender gap is related to the lengthy interval between successive donations of whole blood and reducing this interval could help increase the proportion of women donors.