Search

In assisted reproductive technology (ART), the aim of sperm cells’ preparation is to select competent spermatozoa with the highest fertilization potential and in this context, the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) represents the most applied technique for fertilization. This makes the process of identifying the perfect spermatozoa extremely important. A number of methods have now been developed to mimic some of the natural selection processes that exist in the female reproductive tract. Although many studies have been conducted to identify the election technique, many doubts and disagreements still remain. In this review, we will discuss all the sperm cell selection techniques currently available for ICSI, starting from the most basic methodologies and continuing with those techniques suitable for sperm cells with reduced motility. Furthermore, different techniques that exploit some sperm membrane characteristics and the most advanced strategy for sperm selection based on microfluidics, will be examined. Finally, a new sperm selection method based on a micro swim-up directly on the ICSI dish will be analyzed. Eventually, advantages and disadvantages of each technique will be debated, trying to draw reasonable conclusions on their efficacy in order to establish the gold standard method.

In developed countries, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in both sexes. Although cigarette smoking represents the principal risk factor for lung cancer in females, the higher proportion of this neoplasm among non-smoking women as compared with non-smoking men implies distinctive biological aspects between the two sexes. Gender differences depend not only on genetic, environmental, and hormonal factors but also on the immune system, and all these aspects are closely interconnected. In the last few years, it has been confirmed that the immune system plays a fundamental role in cancer evolution and response to oncological treatments, specifically immunotherapy, with documented distinctions between men and women. Consequently, in order to correctly assess cancer responses and disease control, considering only age and reproductive status, the results of studies conducted in female patients would probably not categorically apply to male patients and vice versa. The aim of this article is to review recent data about gender disparities in both healthy subjects’ immune system and lung cancer patients; furthermore, studies concerning gender differences in response to lung cancer immunotherapy are examined.

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive malignancy that exhibits a rapid doubling time, a high growth fraction, and the early development of widespread metastases. The addition of immune checkpoint inhibitors to first-line chemotherapy represents the first significant improvement of systemic therapy in several decades. However, in contrast to its effects on non-SCLC, the advantageous effects of immunotherapy addition are modest in SCLC. In particular, only a small number of SCLC patients benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors. Additionally, biomarkers selection is lacking for SCLC, with clinical trials largely focusing on unselected populations. Here, we review the data concerning the major biomarkers for immunotherapy, namely, programmed death ligand 1 expression and tumour mutational burden. Furthermore, we explore other potential biomarkers, including the role of the immune microenvironment in SCLC, the role of genetic alterations, and the potential links between neurological paraneoplastic syndromes, serum anti-neuronal nuclear antibodies, and outcomes in SCLC patients treated with immunotherapy.

While walking on split-belt treadmills (two belts running at different speeds), the slower limb shows longer anterior steps than the limb dragged by the faster belt. After returning to basal conditions, the step length asymmetry is transiently reversed (after-effect). The lower limb joint dynamics, however, were not thoroughly investigated. In this study, 12 healthy adults walked on a force-sensorised split-belt treadmill for 15 min. Belts rotated at 0.4 m s−1 on both sides, or 0.4 and 1.2 m s−1 under the non-dominant and dominant legs, respectively. Spatiotemporal step parameters, ankle power and work, and the actual mean velocity of the body’s centre of mass (CoM) were computed. On the faster side, ankle power and work increased, while step length and stance time decreased. The mean velocity of the CoM slightly decreased. As an after-effect, modest converse asymmetries developed, fading within 2–5 min. These results may help to decide which belt should be assigned to the paretic and the unaffected lower limb when split-belt walking is applied for rehabilitation research in hemiparesis.

Background and Objectives: Feeding problems occur more frequently among children with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The aim of this study was to analyse eating difficulties of ASD children through the direct observation of the caregiver-child co-regulation system.Methods: We compared 60 ASD children with a control group of 50 typically developing Italian children on the Scale for the Assessment of Feeding Interaction (SVIA). The Brief Autism Mealtime Behaviour Inventory (BAMBI) was used to define the presence of an eating disorder.Results: The ASD group showed higher scores on all dimensions of the SVIA compared to the control group. The SVIA and the BAMBI showed significant correlations. In a second step, the ASD sample was divided into two subgroups, children with and without feeding difficulties. The comparison between the ASD subgroups with the control group on the SVIA scales showed significant differences on all dimensions. Finally, significant differences emerged between the two ASD subgroups in three SVIA dimensions.Conclusion: These data suggest the importance of direct observation of feeding in the assessment of children with ASD. The SVIA seems to be able to point out some feeding difficulties in these subjects and to discriminate ASD with and without an eating disorder. Critical aspects of the application of SVIA to autistic children are discussed.

Objectives: Never-smokers may be a distinct subgroup among patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, appearing to benefit less from immunotherapy than smokers. We report results from never-smokers enrolled in the Italian cohort of the nivolumab expanded access program in pre-treated patients with advanced squamous non-small cell lung cancer. Materials and methods: Nivolumab (3 mg/kg every 2 weeks for ≤24 months) was available on physician request. Efficacy data included objective tumor response, date of progression, and survival information. Safety was monitored. Results: Overall, 371 patients received at least one dose of nivolumab, including 31 never-smokers (8%). Objective response rate, disease-control rate, and median overall survival were 23%, 45%, and 12.1 months (95% confidence interval: 3.7–20.4), respectively, in never-smokers, and 18%, 47%, and 7.9 months (95% confidence interval: 6.2–9.6), respectively, in the overall expanded access program population. Any-grade and grade 3–4 treatment-related adverse events were reported in 12 (39%) and 3 (10%) never-smokers, respectively, and in 109 (29%) and 21 (6%) patients, respectively, in the overall expanded access program population. Grade 3–4 treatment-related adverse events in non-smokers were increased transaminases (n = 2; 6%) and diarrhea (n = 1; 3%). Treatment-related adverse events led to treatment discontinuation in 4 non-smokers (17%) and in 26 patients (9%) overall. Conclusion: Pre-treated never-smokers with advanced squamous non-small cell lung cancer in this Italian expanded access program demonstrated efficacy and safety that were consistent with those in the overall expanded access program population and clinical trials. These results suggest that a proportion of never-smoker patients with squamous non-small cell lung cancer may be responsive to immunotherapy. Other factors, such as the tumor mutational load and the status of programmed death-ligand 1, anaplastic lymphoma kinase, and epidermal growth factor receptor, might play a potential key role.

We report on a patient born to consanguineous parents, presenting with Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD) and osteoporosis. SNP-array analysis and exome sequencing disclosed long contiguous stretches of homozygosity and two distinct homozygous variants in HESX1 (Q6H) and COL1A1 (E1361K) genes. The HESX1 variant was described as causative in a few subjects with an incompletely penetrant dominant form of combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD). The COL1A1 variant is rare, and so far it has never been found in a homozygous form. Segregation analysis showed that both variants were inherited from heterozygous unaffected parents. Present results further elucidate the inheritance pattern of HESX1 variants and recommend assessing the clinical impact of variants located in C-terminal propeptide of COL1A1 gene for their potential association with rare recessive and early onset forms of osteoporosis.