Painful oral aphthous-like lesions in patient with kidney cancer after target therapy and bisphosphonate administration: a case report of adverse drug reaction.

Aim. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) targeting tu- mor angiogenesis and mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors (mTOR) are indicated for the management of several cancer types, as for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Oral ulcerations are reported as common adverse drug reactions of mTOR inhibitors and are currently classified as mTOR inhibitor associated stomatitis (mIAS). Interestingly, these lesions appear as aphthous-like stoma- titis rather than the mucositis seen with chemotherapy agent. Case report. A 49 years old male patient underwent to the left radical nephrectomy in May 2014 for clear RCC. From July to October 2014 he was treated with Pazopanib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. In December 2014 the patient started the treatment with Zoledronic acid and Everolimus, an amino-bisphosphonates and an mTOR inhibitor, respectively. Everolimus administration was suspended on the 1st of January 2015 and resumed on the 4th of February. In February 2015, the patient referred to our department for acute pain of mouth floor and tongue; the onset of these symptoms was subse- quent to mTOR therapy. This pain compromised his oral functions (chewing, swallowing, phonetic) and quality of life. Intraoral examination showed aphthous-like lesions on both borders of the tongue and on the right side of the mouth floor. Local antiseptic (0.2% chlorhexidine rinse, twice daily for 1 week), 0.050 g clobetasol propionate cream (twice a day for 4 week, and one times a day for the following 4 weeks) and a wound-healing promoter (Mucosamin Spray®, twice a day for 2 weeks) were administered. Since the oncologist decided to not discontinue the target therapy, the patient continued local therapy until the end of the treatment with everolimus. After two weeks from the first visit, a complete healing of the oral mucosa was observed and the patient complained no pain. Conclusion. This case report confirms the recent view that target therapy with everolimus may induce the onset of aphthous-like stomatitis as adverse drug reaction. Therefore, diagnostic algorithms for stomatitis should include a careful drug history, emphasizing the focus also on oral adverse effects the new target cancer therapies

Emotional states in patients with cancer or with suspected oral potentially malignant disorders: a cross-sectional study in an oral medicine setting

This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the emotional states (i.e., anxiety, depression, and stress) of 4 distinct groups of patients attending an Oral Medicine setting. four distinct subgroups of patients have been enrolled: 25 patients with OSCC (OSCC group); 25 patients with other solid tumor (ONCO group), 25 cancer patients with MRONJ (MRONJ group), 25 patients with oral potentially malignant disorder (OPMD group). Standardized assessment tools (i.e. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) questionnaires) were utilized to evaluate the patients’ emotional states. Among the 100 patients enrolled, 59% of whom were female, and most patients were aged between 70 and 80 years. The mean total BDI score was 16.57, and the mean total DASS-21 score was 15.32. The mean scores of the OSCC group showed moderate depression, all the other groups were classified as mild depression. The OPMD group showed a significantly higher level of anxiety. Patients in the oral medicine setting may face various diseases and may develop emotional states that affect their treatment adherence. For effective management of these emotional states, the presence of a multidisciplinary team, including a psychologist, and the adoption of individualized approaches, seem to be necessary

Leucocyte-and platelet-rich fibrin block: Its use for the treatment of a large cyst with implant-based rehabilitation

The management of critical-size bone defects is still demanding. Recently, autologous platelet concentrates in combination with bone substitute have been applied and reported in a few studies. Our aim is to report the healing of a critical-size alveolar bone defect treated with a new bone regeneration technique by means of L-PRF and L-PRF blocks. A 45-year-old woman presented a large cystic lesion; the extraction of three teeth, a cyst removal procedure, and bone regeneration procedures with L-PRF and L-PRF blocks were planned. The L-PRF block was prepared by mixing a bone substitute with a piece of L-PRF membrane and liquid fibrinogen. Additionally, after bone healing an implant-based rehabilitation was optimally performed. On the basis of the positive results, in terms of bone healing and tissue regeneration in a large bone defect, the application of LPRF and L-PRF blocks, in agreement with the scarce literature, is suggested as a feasible procedure in selected cases

Growth of thick [111]-oriented 3C-SiC films on T-shaped Si micropillars

In this paper we report the morphology and the microstructural properties of thick [1 1 1]-oriented 3C-SiC films epitaxially grown on T-shaped Si micropillars. This compliant substrate was designed to release the stress developed in 3C-SiC grown on Si, due to the lattice mismatch and the different thermal expansion coefficients between 3C-SiC and Si. In this way it was possible to have 3C-SiC films as thick as 10 and 16 μm, with small bowing and no cracks. Our study relies on the use of an Electron Microscopy approach and elucidates the structure of the crystallographic defects across the 3C-SiC film, such as stacking faults (SFs), nano-twins and grain boundaries (GBs). After examination of the morphological and structural characteristics of the Si micropillar array, we analyzed the crystallographic properties of the thin 3C-SiC deposit on the Si micropillar sidewalls, since it may have an impact on the upper film. To assess the crystal quality of the 3C-SiC film, we quantified the SF density at the 3C-SiC surface, even estimating semi-quantitatively the depletion of SFs at much larger thickness. Hence, we analyzed the regions where 3C-SiC microcrystals grown on neighboring Si micropillars coalesce and form a continuous layer. We found that the coalescence between adjacent 3C-SiC microcrystals produces twinned regions, which terminate with the formation of GBs. We noticed that SFs may annihilate at the GBs, leading to the SF reduction across the 3C-SiC film. Finally, we observed the closure of the GBs inside the 3C-SiC film, thus improving the crystal quality of its surface. This work endorses the use of Si micropillars as compliant substrate to grow thick [1 1 1]-oriented 3C-SiC films with good crystal quality and is preliminary to the exploitation of 3C-SiC for high performing microelectronic devices

Nanostructured 3C-SiC on Si by a network of (111) platelets: a fully textured film generated by intrinsic growth anisotropy

In this paper, we address the unique nature of fully textured, high surface-to-volume 3C-SiC films, as produced by intrinsic growth anisotropy, in turn generated by the high velocity of the stacking fault growth front in two-dimensional (111) platelets. Structural interpretation of high resolution scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy data is carried out for samples grown in a hot-wall low-pressure chemical vapour deposition reactor with trichlorosilane and ethylene precursors, under suitable deposition conditions. By correlating the morphology and the X-ray diffraction analysis we also point out that twinning along (111) planes is very frequent in such materials, which changes the free-platelet configuration

Moscato Cerletti, a rediscovered aromatic cultivar with oenological potential in warm and dry areas

Baron Antonio Mendola was devoted to the study of grapevine, applying ampelography and dabbling in crosses between cultivars in order to select new ones, of which Moscato Cerletti, obtained in 1869, was the most interesting. Grillo, one of the most important white cultivars in Sicily, was ascertained to be an offspring of Catarratto Comune and Zibibbo, the same parents which Mendola claimed he used to obtain Moscato Cerletti. Thus the hypothesis of synonymy between Moscato Cerletti and Grillo or the same parentage for both sets of parents needs to be verified. In the present study, historical documents were consulted and genetic analyses and ampelographic, agronomic and qualitative characterisation carried out to determine the distinctiveness of each cultivars. These were also compared with Catarratto Comune and Zibibbo in order to establish the Moscato Cerletti pedigree. Due to their different SSR profiles, Grillo and Moscato Cerletti were confirmed as two distinct cultivars; they also differed in ripening times and sugar storage ability, as well as in the aromatic grape produced by Moscato Cerletti only. The trio genotype genetic analysis confirmed that Zibibbo is a parent of Moscato Cerletti (justifying the aromatic grape), whilst the SSR profiles did not show Catarratto Comune to be a second parent. Moscato Cerletti was found to have oenological potential in the production of sparkling muscat wines due to its ability to adapt to a changing climate in warm and dry environments and in different winegrowing regions

SNP genotyping elucidates the genetic diversity of Magna Graecia grapevine germplasm and its historical origin and dissemination

Background: Magna Graecia is the ancient name for the modern geopolitical region of South Italy extensively populated by Greek colonizers, shown by archeological and historical evidence to be the oldest wine growing region of Italy, crucial for the spread of specialized viticulture around Mediterranean shores. Here, the genetic diversity of Magna Graecia grape germplasm was assessed and its role in grapevine propagation around the Mediterranean basin was underlined. Results: A large collection of grapevines from Magna Graecia was compared with germplasm from Georgia to the Iberian Peninsula using the 18 K SNP array. A high level of genetic diversity of the analyzed germplasm was determined; clustering, structure analysis and DAPC (Discriminant Analysis of Principal Components) highlighted the genetic relationships among genotypes from South Italy and the Eastern Mediterranean (Greece). Gene flow from east (Georgia) to west (Iberian Peninsula) was identified throughout the large number of detected admixed samples. Pedigree analysis showed a complex and well-structured network of first degree relationships, where the cultivars from Magna Graecia were mainly involved. Conclusions: This study provided evidence that Magna Graecia germplasm was shaped by historical events that occurred in the area due to the robust link between South Italian and Greek genotypes, as well as, by the availability of different thermal resources for cultivars growing in such different winegrowing areas. The uniqueness of this ampelographic platform was mainly an outcome of complex natural or human-driven crosses involving elite cultivars

A new intra-specific and high-resolution genetic map of eggplant based on a ril population, and location of QTLS related to plant anthocyanin pigmentation and seed vigour

Eggplant is the second most important solanaceous berry-producing crop after tomato. Despite mapping studies based on bi-parental progenies and GWAS approaches having been performed, an eggplant intraspecific high-resolution map is still lacking. We developed a RIL population from the intraspecific cross ‘305E40’, (androgenetic introgressed line carrying the locus Rfo-Sa1 conferring Fusarium resistance) x ‘67/3’ (breeding line whose genome sequence was recently released). One hundred and sixty-three RILs were genotyped by a genotype-by-sequencing (GBS) approach, which allowed us to identify 10,361 polymorphic sites. Overall, 267 Gb of sequencing data were generated and ~773 M Illumina paired end (PE) reads were mapped against the reference sequence. A new linkage map was developed, including 7249 SNPs assigned to the 12 chromosomes and spanning 2169.23 cM, with iaci@liberoan average distance of 0.4 cM between adjacent markers. This was used to elucidate the genetic bases of seven traits related to anthocyanin content in different organs recorded in three locations as well as seed vigor. Overall, from 7 to 17 QTLs (at least one major QTL) were identified for each trait. These results demonstrate that our newly developed map supplies valuable information for QTL fine mapping, candidate gene identification, and the development of molecular markers for marker assisted selection (MAS) of favorable alleles