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Standardized treatment protocols are hindered by the rarity of the PCas. However, literature concludes that optimal debulking is mandatory, whereas the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy remains to be elucidated.

Background and aimsEndometriosis is a commonly encountered disorder in women of reproductive age, consisting of the presence of active ectopic endometrial tissue outside the endometrial cavity. Surgical scar endometriosis is a rare condition representing about 2% of all endometriosis cases. The purpose of this study was to assess the main characteristics, diagnostic tools and therapeutic options in abdominal wall endometriosis (AWE).MethodsWe have reviewed a series of fourteen cases with histopathological confirmation of AWE that were managed in our institution.ResultsThe main characteristic of AWE were emphasized, showing that 78.57% of the patients had at least one previous caesarian section and that in only 57.14% of all cases an accurate diagnosis of AWE was established preoperatively.ConclusionA direct relationship between gynecological and obstetrical surgery and AWE is well established and as the caesarian section rates increase constantly, the awareness regarding AWE should also be increased.

An important class of biosensors is immunosensors, affinity biosensors that are based on the specific interaction between antibodies and antigens. They are classified in four classes based on the type of employed transducer: electrochemical, optical, microgravimetric, and thermometric and depending on the type of recognition elements, antibodies, aptamers, microRNAs and recently peptides are integrating parts. Those analytical devices are able to detect peptides, antibodies and proteins in various sample matrices, without many steps of sample pretreatment. Their high sensitivity, low cost and the easy integration in point of care devices assuring portability are attracting features that justify the increasing interest in their development. The use of nanomaterials, simultaneous multianalyte detection and integration on platforms to form point-of-care devices are promising tools that can be used in clinical analysis for early diagnosis and therapy monitoring in several pathologies. Taking into account the growing incidence of autoimmune disease and the importance of early diagnosis, electrochemical biosensors could represent a viable alternative to currently used diagnosis methods. Some relevant examples of electrochemical assays for autoimmune disease diagnosis developed in the last several years based on antigens, antibodies and peptides as receptors were gathered and will be discussed further.

Summary Background The objective of this prospective study was to evaluate whether soluble programmed cell death-1/programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) and serum amyloid A1 (SAA1) are potential diagnostic, predictive or prognostic biomarkers in lung cancer. Methods Lung cancer patients (n=115) with advanced metastatic disease, 101 with non-small cell lung cancer, NSCLC (77 EGFR wild-type NSCLC patients on chemotherapy, 15 EGFR mutation positive adenocarcinoma patients, 9 patients with mPD-L1 Expression ≥50% NSCLC – responders to immunotherapy), and 14 patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) were examined. ELISA method was used to determine sPD-L1 and SAA1 concentrations in patients’ plasma. Results Significantly higher blood concentrations of sPD-L1 and SAA1 were noted in lung cancer patients compared with a healthy control group. In PD-L1+ NSCLC patients, a significantly higher sPD-L1 level was noticed compared to any other lung cancer subgroup, as well as the highest average SAA1 value compared to other subgroups. Conclusions It seems that sPD-1/PD-L1 might be a potential biomarker, prognostic and/ or predictive, particularly in patients treated with immunotherapy. Serum amyloid A1 has potential to act as a good predictor of patients’ survival, as well as a biomarker of a more advanced disease, with possibly good capability to predict the course of disease measured at different time points.

A biomimetic electrochemical sensor based on molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) containing chitosan and graphene oxide was designed for direct highly sensitive and selective detection of serotonin, an important neurotransmitter, with a significant role in various body functions, in real samples such as serum, tears and saliva. The composite MIP film was immobilized in a reproducible manner onto the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) via amperometry while the optimization and complete characterization of the sensor was performed with cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X‐Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The direct electrochemical detection based on the oxidation signal of the target analyte was performed by differential pulse voltammetry, the biomimetic sensor exhibiting a wide dynamic range (5 nm–10 μm), with an estimated limit of detection of 1.6 nm. The sensor demonstrated reproducibility, stability in time and reusability, excellent selectivity over other possible interferents and good recoveries in real samples, being promising for biomedical applications.

A novel magnetoimmunosensor, designed for sensitive and selective quantification of interleukin 6, is herein reported. The experimental design involves the covalent immobilization of anti‐interleukin 6 antibody through an amidic bond formed with the carboxyl functionalities provided at the surface of protein G‐functionalized magnetic microparticles, assuring a sandwich‐type immunoassay with electrochemical label free detection. All the experimental parameters involved in the elaboration and testing protocol were optimized. A linear calibration plot between the charge transfer resistance and the logarithmic concentration of interleukin‐6 was achieved in the 1 pg mL−1 to 1 μg mL−1 range. A limit of quantification of 1 pg mL−1 and a detection limit of 0.3 pg mL−1 were obtained. The optimized magnetoimmunosensor showed an excellent selectivity against some potentially interfering proteins and has been successfully applied for the determination of target protein in human serum, proving its clinical relevance.

Lung cancer continues to be the leading topic concerning global mortality rate caused by can-cer; it needs to be further investigated to reduce these dramatic unfavorable statistic data. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been shown to be important cellular regulatory factors and the alteration of their expression levels has become correlated to extensive number of pathologies. Specifically, their expres-sion profiles are correlated with development and progression of lung cancer, generating great interest for further investigation. This review focuses on the complex role of non-coding RNAs, namely miR-NAs, piwi-interacting RNAs, small nucleolar RNAs, long non-coding RNAs and circular RNAs in the process of developing novel biomarkers for diagnostic and prognostic factors that can then be utilized for personalized therapies toward this devastating disease. To support the concept of personalized medi-cine, we will focus on the roles of miRNAs in lung cancer tumorigenesis, their use as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and their application for patient therapy.