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Endometrial cancer incidence and related mortality are on the rise due to aging demographics. This population often presents with unfavorable features, such as myometrial invasion, non-endometrioid histology, high-grade tumors, worse prognosis, etc. The role of age as an independent prognostic factor is still debated, and screening tools addressing frailty emerge as pivotal in guiding treatment decisions; however, they are still underutilized. Treatment disparities are evident in the case of older patients with endometrial cancer, who frequently receive suboptimal care, hindering their survival. Radiotherapy and minimally invasive surgical approaches could be performed in older patients. Data on chemotherapy and immunotherapy are scarce, but their potential remains promising and data are being gathered by recent trials, contingent on optimal patient selection through geriatric assessments. Overall, we recommend personalized, screening tool-guided approaches, adherence to guideline-recommended treatments, and inclusion of older people in clinical trials to help identify the best course of treatment., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest Teresa Troiana received honoraria and research funding from Amgen, Novartis Bristol, Pierre Fabre, MSD, and Bayer. Sandro Pignata received honoraria from MSD, AstraZeneca, GSK, PharmaMar, Roche, Norvartis, and research funding from Roche, Pfizer, MSD, GSK, and AstraZeneca. The other Authors declare no conflict of interest related to this work., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aim: In this study, we investigated culturable yeast community, present in grape must sampled from vineyards with apiaries on the borders, and in honey bees collected in these apiaries., Methods and Results: To this aim, yeasts isolated from spontaneously fermented grapes randomly collected in two vineyards (P1 and P2) with apiaries on the borders (A1 and A2) were compared to those isolated from spontaneously fermented grapes collected from a vineyard without apiary (P4). At the same time, yeast community was analyzed on bees collected in each apiary placed in the vineyards, in comparison to yeasts isolated from an apiary (A3) located far from the vineyards. The analysis was performed for two consecutive years (2021 and 2022). The isolated yeasts were identified by restriction analysis of amplified ITS region, followed by sequencing of ITS fragment.Our research showed that the presence of apiaries seems to increase yeast counts of grape must, in particular of Saccharomyces cerevisiae; furthermore, the permanence of apiaries in the vineyards allowed the recovering of these yeasts also from bees., Conclusions: Our findings seem to corroborate the role of bees as vectors and reservoirs of oenologically relevant yeasts, such as a source of non-conventional yeasts with potential biotechnological applications., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Applied Microbiology International.)

Background: As recommended in the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) guidelines, assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) should be a relevant endpoint in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) testing new anticancer therapies. However, previous publications by our group and others revealed a frequent underestimation and underreporting of HRQoL results in publication of RCTs in oncology. Herein, we systematically reviewed HRQoL reporting in RCTs testing new treatments in advanced prostate, kidney and urothelial cancers and published between 2010 and 2022., Methods: We searched PubMed RCTs testing novel therapies in genitourinary (GU) cancers and published in fifteen selected journals (Annals of Oncology, BMC Cancer, British Journal of Cancer, Cancer Discovery, Clinical Cancer Research, Clinical Genitourinary cancer, European Journal of Cancer, European Urology, European Urology Oncology, JAMA, JAMA Oncology, Journal of clinical Oncology, Lancet, Lancet Oncology and The New England Journal of Medicine). We excluded trials investigating exclusively best supportive care or behavioral intervention, as well as subgroup or post hoc analyses of previously published trials. For each RCT, we investigated whether HRQoL assessment was performed by protocol and if results were reported in the primary manuscript or in a secondary publication., Results: We found 85 eligible trials published between 2010 and 2022. Only 1/85 RCTs (1.2%) included HRQoL among primary endpoints. Of note, 25/85 (29.4%) RCTs did not include HRQoL among study endpoints. HRQoL results were non-disclosed in 56/85 (65.9%) primary publications. Only 18/85 (21.2%) publications fulfilled at least one item of the CONSORT-PRO checklist. Furthermore, 14/46 (30.4%) RCTs in prostate cancer, 12/25 (48%) in kidney cancer and 3/14 (21.4%) in urothelial cancer reported HRQoL data in primary publications. Next, HRQoL data were disclosed in primary manuscripts of 12/32 (37.5%), 5/13 (38.5%), 5/16 (31.3%) and 5/15 (33.3%) trials evaluating target therapies, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and new hormonal agents, respectively. Next, we found that HRQoL data were reported in 16/42 (38%) and in 13/43 (30.2%) positive and negative trials, respectively. Finally, the rate of RCTs reporting HRQoL results in primary or secondary publications was 55.3% (n = 47/85)., Conclusions: Our analysis revealed a relevant underreporting of HRQoL in RCTs in advanced GU cancers. These results highlight the need to dedicate more attention to HRQoL in RCTs to fully assess the value of new anticancer treatments.

We report a case of secondary skin tuberculosis due to endogenous secondary infection in a 27-year-old subject affected by ulcerative colitis. The clinical appearance the lesion was atypical and its classification uncertain. The morphology of the lesion and the fact that the primary tubercular complex, at pulmonary level, was masked by a simultaneous candidiasis infection were probably due to cell-mediated immunodeficiency consequent to the ulcerative colitis and on-going therapy (Salazopyrin and prednisone). Rapid remission of cutaneous and pulmonary lesions was achieved following specific therapy (rifampicin, isoniazid, ethambutol).

The Authors describe two cases of Sporotrichoid infection characterized by the onset, above previous skin accidental injuries, of a papulo-pustular lesion, with further development of centripetal satellite lesions similar to the first one. A precise etiological definition was possible only after the cultural,l mycological and bacteriological examination of biopsy material. The very similar clinical features of the two cases were due to different etiological pathogens: Sporothrix schenckii in one case and Mycobacterium marinum in the other case. A complete healing of the skin lesion was obtained with Itraconazole in the first case and Rifampin in the second case.

The profiles of estradiol (E2), progesterone (P), and androstenedione (A), have been studied for the first time in cyclic Gentile di Puglia ewes. Estradiol peaks at estrus whereas progesterone levels are high during the luteal phase. Androstenedione does not show meaningful cyclic fluctuation. All hormones examined show also a pulsatile pattern when plasma was collected hourly.

The Authors describe two cases of notalgia paresthesica, a disorder with localized pruritus of the back and hypesthesia for touch possibly due to a sensory neuropathy involving the posterior primary rami of thoracic nerve T2 through T6. The condition is not rare, but underdiagnosed for the poor clinical relevance. The possible X-linked hereditary transmission and other pathogenetic hypotheses are discussed.

Seasonal plasma testosterone and androstenedione levels were determined by radioimmunoassay in the Gentile di Puglia ram. Androstenedione remains steady throughout the years, while testosterone shows seasonal changes. Testosterone is at high levels in winter, spring and summer and drops to a low concentration in autumn.

Ile-de-France ewes had high plasma progesterone concentrations during early summer-late winter. Gentile-di-Puglia ewes had high progesterone values during the winter-spring-summer period but during autumn progesterone values were very low and oestrous behaviour was not displayed. The comparison with Ile-de-France ewes indicates that a phase shift occurs in the annual ovarian activity in ewes of the Gentile-di-Puglia breed.