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Antioxidants are essential for mitigating oxidative stress and maintaining vascular health. Endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) are pivotal in endothelial regeneration and angiogenesis and serve as a model to study the diversity of endothelial cells across various organs. This study evaluated the effects of peel, pulp, and seed extracts from Diospyros digyna Jacq. fruit (black persimmon) on human cord blood-derived ECFCs (CB-ECFCs) to determine how the distinct antioxidant profiles of the fruit's different parts influence cellular functions. The extracts did not affect endothelial marker expression, cell proliferation, or nitric oxide production, indicating no cytotoxic or inflammatory effects. However, functional assays revealed that the seed extract significantly enhanced tube formation, increasing closed tubular networks by 1.5-fold. All extracts promoted cell migration, with the seed extract demonstrating the most substantial effect, surpassing even vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Additionally, the seed extract exhibited the strongest reduction in cellular senescence, both before and after oxidative stress induction with H 2 O 2 . These findings underscore the potential of black persimmon extracts, especially from the seed, to enhance the regenerative capabilities of CB-ECFCs and reduce cellular senescence without affecting the normal endothelial phenotype. This positions them as promising candidates for developing endothelial cell therapies and advancing vascular regeneration.

Fumarate hydratase (FH)-deficient renal cell carcinomas are rare neoplasms characterized by wide morphologic heterogeneity and pathogenetic mutations in the FH gene. They often show aggressive behavior with rapid diffusion to distant organs, so novel therapeutic scenarios have been explored, including EGFR inhibitors and PD-L1 expression for targeted immunotherapy. Herein, we investigated a series of 11 primary FH-deficient renal cell carcinomas and 7 distant metastases to evaluate tumor heterogeneity even in metastatic sites and estimate the specific spread rates to various organs. Furthermore, the tumors were tested for immunohistochemical PD-L1 expression and EGFR mutations. Most metastatic cases involved the abdominal lymph nodes (4/7; 57%), followed by the peritoneum (3/7; 42%), the liver (2/7; 29%), and the lungs (1/7; 14%). Six metastatic localizations were histologically documented, revealing a morphologic heterogeneous architecture often differing from that of the corresponding primary renal tumor. Peritoneal involvement morphologically resembled a benign reactive mesothelial process or primary peritoneal mesothelioma, thus advocating to perform an accurate immunohistochemical panel, including PAX8 and FH, to reach a proper diagnosis. A pure low-grade succinate dehydrogenase-looking primary FH-deficient renal cell carcinoma was also recorded. As for therapy, significant PD-L1 labeling was found in 60% of primary renal tumors, whereas none of them carried pathogenetic EGFR mutations. Our data show that FH-deficient renal cell carcinoma may be morphologically heterogeneous in metastases as well, which involve the lymph nodes, the liver, and the peritoneum more frequently than other renal tumors. Due to the high frequency of this latter (42%), pathologists should always be concerned about ruling out mesothelial-derived mimickers, and the occurrence of rarer, primary, low-grade-looking types. Finally, contrary to EGFR mutations, PD-L1 expression could be a possible predictive biomarker for the therapy of these tumors., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic brought about unprecedented problems for contemporary society. Among the numerous challenges faced following the spread of the virus, the need to provide assessment tools and remote psychological assistance certainly deserves particular attention. Indeed, this profound paradigm shift in psychological assessment and care occurred during a period of fragility for people already suffering from the restrictions imposed to stem the spread of the virus. One population particularly affected by the pandemic was students, including university students. The latter faced the pandemic in a particularly critical formative period., Methods: For these reasons, our systematic review has two main objectives: (i) identify the assessment tools and psychological dimensions most used/investigated during the pandemic in Italian university students; (ii) systematize and deepen our knowledge about the impact of the pandemic on the psychological wellbeing of Italian university students. Our search used PRISMA 2020 guidelines on Web of Science, Pubmed, Scopus, and EBSCOHost., Results: The results indicated that the psychological dimensions most investigated in university students during the pandemic were anxiety and depression. At the same time, the most used assessment instruments were the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y) and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Furthermore, it is clear from the results that the pandemic has harmed the psychological wellbeing of university students. Finally, we dedicated a section to discuss the interventions implemented by university counseling services during the pandemic., Discussion: This review could improve the work of university counseling services in this post-pandemic period and contribute to developing specific screening and assessment programs for future emergencies., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The handling editor GC declared a past co-authorship with the authors FT and MC., (Copyright © 2024 Celia, Serio, Trotta, Tessitore and Cozzolino.)

Context.—: Mesothelioma subtyping into epithelioid and nonepithelioid categories plays a crucial role in prognosis and treatment selection, with emerging recognition of the impact of various histologic patterns., Objective.—: To investigate the prognostic implications of transitional and pleomorphic patterns in sarcomatoid mesothelioma., Design.—: A total of 132 mesothelioma cases (87 biphasic, 45 sarcomatoid) were analyzed. Histologic slides were assessed, treatment data collected, and cases categorized into predominant epithelioid or sarcomatoid patterns. The sarcomatoid mesotheliomas were classified into usual, pleomorphic, and transitional patterns, with reticulin staining for the latter. Statistical analysis included Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier methods., Results.—: Younger age (P = .02) and receiving therapy (P < .001) correlated with improved survival for both histotypes. Advanced stage was associated with shorter survival in sarcomatoid cases (P = .02). Predominant epithelioid pattern in biphasic cases led to longer survival (P < .001). Transitional and pleomorphic patterns were indicative of worse prognosis, with significantly lower survival in cases with both patterns than with usual sarcomatoid (P = .046). Multivariate analysis identified independent survival factors, including predominant epithelioid component in biphasic mesothelioma (P = .001) and chemotherapy (P < .001)., Conclusions.—: Histologic subtyping in mesothelioma plays a pivotal role in prognosis. Transitional and pleomorphic patterns, even in low percentages, indicate poorer outcomes. This study highlights the need for standardized diagnostic support and suggests the potential utility of histochemical staining in identifying more aggressive morphologic aspects. Recognizing the significance of these patterns can guide treatment decisions and patient care strategies., (© 2024 College of American Pathologists.)

Teratomas are neoplasms arising from germ cells and encompass tissues derived from two or more embryonic germ layers, including ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. These tumours typically localize along the midline or in paramedian positions and can manifest as gonadal (20%) or extragonadal (80%) entities. Although gonadal teratomas are uncommon, they represent the predominant type of gonadal tumour in the paediatric population. They comprise approximately 20-25% of all ovarian tumours in females and about 3-5% of all testicular tumours in males. Ovarian teratomas exhibit a higher incidence in early childhood and adolescence, whereas testicular teratomas are more prevalent during the first three months of life and between the ages of 15 and 19. While the majority of paediatric gonadal teratomas are benign, malignant or mixed variants may also arise, necessitating more aggressive therapeutic interventions.

The COVID-19 pandemic drastically affected many areas and contexts of today's society, including school and family. Several studies focused on the worldwide effects of school closures on students' learning outcomes, context, and well-being. However, the data emerging from these studies are often inconsistent and fragmentary, highlighting the need of a comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon. This need is especially urgent for the countries with the most severe school closure, like Italy. This systematic review aims to collect the opinions of parents, teachers, and students on: other dimensions of Italian primary school students affected by school closures, beyond academic performance; hypothetical agreement between the opinions of parents, teachers, and students regarding the different effects of school closures on Italian primary school students; possible differences between the effects of school closures on Italian primary school students and the students in other countries. Our search was conducted using PRISMA 2020 guidelines on Web of Science, Pubmed, Scopus, and EBSCOHost. The results obtained from 34 articles revealed a strong concern on the part of all stakeholders involved in learning during the pandemic, with evident negative effects for Italian school students. The constraint on distance learning led to a drastic change in everyone's routine, and a negative emotional change on the part of young students. Parents and teachers generally considered distance learning to be ineffective for the education of their children and students; they encountered technical-practical difficulties in the use of electronic devices for participation in school activities; overall learning deficits on the part of students, especially in mathematics, as confirmed by INVALSI results were also found. The investigation reveals a condition of shared emotional and academic performance difficulty, and a further challenging circumstance for students previously at risk of marginalization. Further research in this field is paramount to identify new and adequate recovery strategies., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Trotta et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)