Arch Med Sci
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Particulate matter exposure has been associated with the appearance and severity of several diseases, including viral infections. The aim of this study was to investigate whether coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and deaths across Italian regions and provinces in March 2020 were linked to past exposure to fine and coarse particulate matter (namely, PM2.5 and PM10, respectively). ⋯ Exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 is associated with COVID-19 cases and deaths, suggesting that particulate matter pollution may play a role in the COVID-19 outbreak and explain the heterogeneous distribution of COVID-19 in Italian regions and provinces.
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Reelin (RELN) is an extracellular glycoprotein best known to be crucial for neuronal migration during the embryonic period and regulation of synaptic plasticity in the adult brain, with recent studies pointing to reelin playing an important part in the organization of peripheral organs as well. Abnormalities in RELN function are associated with a variety of medical conditions in human beings. These alterations partly also reflect in RELN's blood levels, which gives it a clinical relevance as a potential biomarker. Requirement for a possible clinical use is a profound understanding of RELN's physiology. We hypothesized blood RELN levels could underlie time-dependent variations and therefore examined individuals' serum reelin concentrations in the course of one day. ⋯ Our findings point to short-term fluctuations in blood RELN levels being part of physiological RELN homeostasis. This is of special interest with regard to a potential clinical use of RELN as a biomarker.
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In recent years, an increasing number of studies have revealed the possible prognostic significance of Golgi protein 73 (GP73) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the results are still controversial. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to explore the possible correlation between GP73 and prognostic value in HCC. ⋯ The meta-analysis suggested that overexpression of GP73 may be associated with poor prognosis in HCC and may also have a predictive role for HCC invasion and metastasis.
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Outcomes of rectal cancer treatment depend on preoperative staging and the effectiveness of treatments. According to disease staging, different variants of combined therapy (surgery, chemo- and radiotherapy) are used. Available parameters such as overall survival rates and disease- free survival rates as well as the presence of recurrence are inaccurate and should be jointly considered. ⋯ In using a combined therapy, it is possible to optimise rectal cancer treatment outcomes. The OTO parameter is a useful tool for defining these results of cancer combination treatment.