This structured domiciliary fitness programme is feasible and provides sustained anthropometric and physiological benefits in some morbidly obese individuals.

BackgroundNaloxone is viewed as a specific competitive opioid antagonist acting at the level of opioid receptors (μ, δ, and κ) with blended agonist-adversary or agonist action. The role of naloxone in tumor cell growth has been poorly studied in human cancer cell lines.Materials and methodsIn the present study, we report findings from in vitro and in vivo experiments performed to evaluate the effects of naloxone on human breast cancer cell growth and progression. In vitro assays were conducted on estrogen receptor-negative human breast carcinoma cells, MDA.MB231, treated with naloxone at different concentrations (10–100 μM). In vivo experiments were performed on a mouse model of human triple-negative breast cancer generated by using MDA.MB231 injected subcutaneously in mice. Naloxone was daily intraperitoneally injected in mice at 0.357 mg/kg for 2 weeks and at 0.714 mg/kg for the next 2 weeks. Microvessels formation was detected by fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran (100 μL) injected into the tail vein of mice and confirmed by immunohistochemistry with CD31 on mice tumor sections.ResultsIn vitro tests showed that the cell proliferation of MDA.MB231 was inhibited by naloxone in a dose-dependent manner, whereas the cell death was increased. In vivo studies demonstrated that tumors of mice treated with naloxone were significantly smaller than those observed in the control groups, as long as naloxone was administered. Finally, naloxone was not able to impair the microvessel formation in tumors of treated mice.ConclusionOur data showed, for the first time, that naloxone reduced breast cancer progression without affecting angiogenesis.

Despite careful selection, the recurrence rate after upfront surgery for pancreatic adenocarcinoma can be very high. We aimed to construct and validate a model for the prediction of early distant recurrence (<12 months from index surgery) after upfront pancreaticoduodenectomy. After exclusions, 147 patients were retrospectively enrolled. Preoperative clinical and radiological (CT-based) data were systematically evaluated; moreover, 182 radiomics features (RFs) were extracted. Most significant RFs were selected using minimum redundancy, robustness against delineation uncertainty and an original machine learning bootstrap-based method. Patients were split into training (n = 94) and validation cohort (n = 53). Multivariable Cox regression analysis was first applied on the training cohort; the resulting prognostic index was then tested in the validation cohort. Clinical (serum level of CA19.9), radiological (necrosis), and radiomic (SurfAreaToVolumeRatio) features were significantly associated with the early resurge of distant recurrence. The model combining these three variables performed well in the training cohort (p = 0.0015,HR = 3.58,95%CI = 1.98–6.71) and was then confirmed in the validation cohort (p = 0.0178,HR = 5.06,95%CI = 1.75–14.58). The comparison of survival curves between low and high-risk patients showed a p-value <0.0001. Our model may help to better define resectability status, thus providing an actual aid for pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients’ management (upfront surgery vs. neoadjuvant chemotherapy). Independent validations are warranted.

This hospital-based CR provides indication for effectiveness in advanced morbidly obese subjects and warrants further controlled trials to confirm the results.

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