This study suggests that elevated S100B protein represents a useful tool for the early detection of intraventricular hemorrhage in the postasphyxia period when clinical examination and cerebral ultrasound might still be silent.

From our systematic review, we could identify six instruments specifically designed for assessing body image in the oncological area. In this paper, we discuss their general characteristics, psychometrics properties and the clinical implications, and body image relevance on the quality of life in cancer patients.

These data support an ongoing specific interest in the QoL of long-term cancer survivors and suggest the need for further study of multidimensional functioning in this population.

Adrenomedullin is a novel vasoactive peptide that participates in cerebral blood flow regulation and circulates in human plasma. To verify whether plasma adrenomedullin is able to identify preterm newborns at risk of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), we performed a case-control study. Plasma samples collected within 6 h after birth in 24 preterm newborns who developed IVH, as diagnosed at 72 h, were assessed for adrenomedullin and compared with those obtained from 48 preterm newborns, matched for gestational age, who did not develop IVH. Cerebral ultrasound and Doppler velocimetry waveform patterns in the middle cerebral artery were also recorded at the time of blood sampling. Adrenomedullin blood concentrations and middle cerebral artery pulsatility index values were significantly higher in infants developing IVH (20.1 Ϯ 4.5 fmol/mL and 1.71 Ϯ 0.21 fmol/mL, respectively) than in controls (7.5 Ϯ 3.0 fmol/mL and 1.49 Ϯ 0.19 fmol/mL, respectively). Adrenomedullin blood concentrations correlated with middle cerebral artery pulsatility index (r ϭ Ϫ0.77, p Ͻ 0.01) and with the grade of IVH extension (r ϭ 0.83, p Ͻ 0.01). This study suggests that adrenomedullin blood concentration might be a promising tool for identifying preterm infants at risk of IVH immediately after birth, when imaging assessment and clinical symptoms of hemorrhage are still silent. Abbreviations: IVH, intraventricular hemorrhage CGRP, calcitonin gene-related peptide FHR, fetal heart rate MCA PI, middle cerebral artery pulsatility index NICU, neonatal intensive care unit RDS, respiratory distress syndrome PvO 2 , venous oxygen partial pressure PvCO 2 , venous carbon dioxide partial pressure IVH is the most common variety of cerebral hemorrhage, affecting about 15 to 20% of preterm infants, which continues to represent one of the major problems in the NICU (1). Perinatal asphyxia constitutes a risk in preterm infants by altering cerebral blood flow regulatory mechanisms (e.g.; hemodynamic, neurogenic, and metabolic mechanisms) and causing loss of cerebral vascular autoregulation. Hypotension, cerebral ischemia, and reperfusion are the main events involved in vascular autoregulation (2-4). Severe and prolonged hypoxia or ischemia result in cell death and tissue damage. Reperfusion could be critical because organ damage, particularly of the brain, may be amplified during this period. An exaggerated release of vasoactive agents, acting in autocrineparacrine manner, could be responsible for reperfusion injury (5), which, in turn, leads to IVH.Adrenomedullin is a 52-amino acid, newly discovered vasoactive peptide first isolated from pheochromocytoma, that shares some homology with CGRP (6). Cultured vascular endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells produce adrenomedullin (7), which elicits its vasodilator activity through an increase in intracellular cAMP (8). Adrenomedullin has been identified in a variety of tissues, including the CNS, and adrenomedullin-like immunoreactivity has been also described in human cerebrospinal fluid (9). More recently, i...