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The activation of microglia, the inflammatory cells of the central nervous system (CNS), has been linked to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. How microglia sense the changing brain environment, in order to respond appropriately, is still being elucidated. Microglia are able to sense and respond to the mechanical properties of their microenvironment, and the physical and molecular pathways underlying this mechanosensing/mechanotransduction in microglia have recently been investigated. The Hippo pathway functions through mechanosensing and subsequent protein kinase cascades, and is critical for neuronal development and many other cellular processes. In this review, we examine evidence for the potential involvement of Hippo pathway components specifically in microglia in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. We suggest that the Hippo pathway is worth investigating as a mechanosensing pathway in microglia, and could be one potential therapeutic target pathway for preventing microglial-induced neurodegeneration in AD.

In order to ascertain their external environment, cells and tissues have the capability to sense and process a variety of stresses, including stretching and compression forces. These mechanical forces, as experienced by cells and tissues, are then converted into biochemical signals within the cell, leading to a number of cellular mechanisms being activated, including proliferation, differentiation and migration. If the conversion of mechanical cues into biochemical signals is perturbed in any way, then this can be potentially implicated in chronic disease development and processes such as neurological disorders, cancer and obesity. This review will focus on how the interplay between mechanotransduction, cellular structure, metabolism and signalling cascades led by the Hippo-YAP/TAZ axis can lead to a number of chronic diseases and suggest how we can target various pathways in order to design therapeutic targets for these debilitating diseases and conditions.

Behçet’s disease is a chronic and multisystemic inflammatory vascular disease of unknown etiology, affecting vessels of all kinds and sizes. The involvement of the vascular system is observed in approximately 5-30% of patients. The most frequent vascular manifestations are venous thrombosis followed by arterial aneurysms and arterial thrombosis. The identification of vascular involvement is very important for prognosis, indeed the rupture of an arterial aneurysm represents the leading cause of sudden death in patients with Behçet’s disease. Computed tomography (CT) plays a crucial role in the identification and in the follow-up of vascular involvement. In this paper, we report the case of a 42-year-old woman with Behçet’s disease, admitted to our emergency department for hemoptysis, showing pulmonary and visceral artery aneurysms identified at CT examination. A particular “string of beads” appearance of pulmonary arteries is described. We report, also, follow-up CT examination after medical therapy showing pulmonary artery aneurysms reduction and visceral artery aneurysms stability.

Bronchiolitis is the most common disease of the lower respiratory tract occurring in children during their first year of life, becoming the most frequent cause of hospitalization. Although the disease can also be caused by other viruses, more than 70% of bronchiolitis cases are caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). RSV bronchiolitis clinically presents rhinitis, coughing, increased breathing and eating difficulties; the symptoms are usually mild, but in some cases may be so severe as to require hospitalization. Diagnosis is mainly clinical and is based on a thorough medical history and a physical examination. Therapy is substantially of support, and has the aim of ensuring alimentation/hydration and optimal oxygenation. It has been recently noted that RSV infections may cause extra-pulmonary manifestations, including liver problems, as rarely described in the literature. The aim of this paper is to present three cases of RSV bronchiolitis in children with elevated transitory transaminase levels.

Introduction: Nowadays, based on several epidemiological data, iatrogenic disease is an emerging public health problem, especially in industrialized countries. Adverse drugs reactions (ADRs) are extremely common and, therefore, clinically, socially, and economically worthy of attention. Spontaneous reporting system for suspected ADRs represents the cornerstone of the pharmacovigilance, because it allows rapid detection of potential alarm signals related to drugs use. However, spontaneous reporting system shows several limitations, which are mainly related to under-reporting. In this paper, we describe two particular case reports, which emphasize some reasons of under-reporting and other common criticisms of spontaneous reporting systems. Materials and Methods: We performed a computer-aided search of Medline, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library databases, national and international databases of suspected ADRs reports in order to identify previous published case reports and spontaneous reports about the ADRs reviewed in this paper, and to examine the role of suspected drugs in the pathogenesis of the described adverse reactions. Results: First, we reported a case of tizanidine-induced hemorrhagic cystitis. In the second case report, we presented an episode of asthma exacerbation after taking bimatoprost. Through the review of these two cases, we highlighted some common criticisms of spontaneous reporting systems: under-reporting and false causality attribution. Discussion and Conclusion: Healthcare workers sometimes do not report ADRs because it is challenging to establish with certainty the causal relationship between drug and adverse reaction; however, according to a key principle of pharmacovigilance, it is always better to report even a suspicion to generate an alarm in the interest of protecting public health.

The term Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is used to describe several idiopathic gastrointestinal disorders; among these diseases, the most commonly encountered in clinical practice are Crohn’s Disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC). CD and UC are different both in distribution of gastrointestinal tract involvement and depth of inflammation. 25% of patients reveals IBD during childhood or adolescence. [1] No consensus exists regarding the optimal techniques and imaging modalities when evaluating IBD, especially in the paediatric age. [2] The correct imaging choice often depends on clinical presentation of patients. The most common situations are: the initial diagnosis of suspected IBD; patients with known IBD presenting with acute symptoms; follow-up of patients with or without new symptoms. [2] Multiple methods can be used to diagnose and examine paediatric patients with IBD, including Computed Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance (MR), Small Bowel Follow-through radiographic examination (SBFT), Endoscopy, and Ultrasound (US). [3,4] While UC is mainly clinically managed with endoscopy and US, CD very often needs cross-sectional imaging to assess the exact distribution and activity of the disease, and to detect extraluminal complications (phlegmon, abscess, fistula, bowel perforation). Due to early onset of disease, paediatric patients obviously need additional attention to minimize radiation exposure: it is mandatory to avoid unnecessary ionizing radiation techniques in IBD imaging. [2-4] Consequence of the foregoing statements, US and (more recently) MR-enterography have become the preferred imaging modalities in management of young patients with IBD. [2-6] In clinical practice, in Europe, US is currently the first examination requested to evaluate patients with abdominal symptoms. US is accurate in diagnosis of several paediatric (intestinal and non-intestinal) diseases; US may also help when selecting patients needing additional caring among children suffering from gastroenteric tract diseases. [5] Furthermore, US may offer information that are difficult to obtain with other diagnostic modalities, and in fact it is the only technique which could possibly investigate in real time all the followings: the morphological and functional aspects of the bowel wall, the vascularisation (with color-Doppler) of thickened bowel, the stiffness of intestinal loops, and perivisceral spaces. [5] The aim of this review is to elucidate the current role of US in diagnosis and follow-up of paediatric patients with UC and CD, and to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this radiation-free imaging methods in terms of cost, safe, diagnostic accuracy and accessibility compared with other diagnostic modalities.