Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a global health concern responsible for the ongoing pandemic. Histopathological pieces of evidence on COVID-19 are not fully investigated. This review aims to provide, through microscopy investigations, a histopathological overview of COVID-19 structural and ultrastructural alterations in different organs and tissues, excluding the respiratory system. The authors systematically reviewed the literature over the period February 2020–July 2022. Selected databases were PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The search strategy included the following terms: “COVID-19” or SARS-CoV-2 and “histopathology” or “pathology”; and “microscopy” and “liver”, “myocardium”,” spleen”, “testis”, and “placenta”. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were used. Thirty-one articles included in this systematic review demonstrated, at a histopathological level, that COVID-19 exerts detrimental effects on tissues, often promoting degenerative processes. Even if COVID-19 shows a histopathological tropism for the respiratory system, other tissues, from cardiovascular to reproductive, are affected by COVID-19. Therefore, this paper provides an up-to-date view of histopathological observations of the structural and ultrastructural alterations associated with COVID-19 and may contribute to a better knowledge of the physiopathological bases of this disease.

To date, the genes associated with susceptibility to Atopic Eczema (AE) are mainly implicated in immunity, inflammation, and maintenance of skin barrier. Little is known about the possible relationship between genes modulating Extra-Cellular Matrix (ECM) and AE etiopathogenesis. In this regard, the primary objective of the present study has been the investigation of susceptibility biomarkers localized within genes encoding collagen proteins. Several studies have shown that polymorphisms within the genes encoding such proteins may generate abnormal connective tissues, making them more susceptible to mechanical stress, loss of epidermal integrity, and aging. We therefore decided to investigate three polymorphisms located in COL6A5, COL8A1, and COL10A1 as potential susceptibility biomarkers for AE in a cohort of 1470 subjects of Mediterranean origin. The genes of interest have been selected considering that the ECM and immune/inflammatory response are strongly dysregulated in AE and other complex disorders. The study confirmed that the susceptibility to AE depends on a complex interaction between latitude, geographical localization, and the differential distribution of genetic variants among populations exposed to similar environmental factors.

Background and Objectives: This study aims to contribute to the definition of the defensive medicine phenomenon between obstetricians and gynecologists, as well as to possible effects on the frequency of deliveries performed by cesarean sections (CS). Materials and Methods: a digital questionnaire was administered through a mail-list including 600 gynecological specialists (of these 168 doctors completed the test), both in public and private settings. It was made of twenty multiple choice questions, concerning their awareness about the practice of defensive medicine and the planning and execution of CS. All doctors involved received clear and complete information about the purpose of this study and about the organizations that received their answers. Analyses of variance and regression were performed to describe differences between groups and to estimate the relationships between variables. The value of p < 0.5 was considered statistically relevant. Results: our analysis revealed that most respondents are confident with the defensive medicine definition and characteristics. This survey confirmed that gynecologists fear legal actions promoted by their patients and therefore modulate their choices by implementing professional behaviors of so-called “defensive medicine”. This relates to a greater number of medical liability judgements, which more often concern omission or delayed execution of cesarean section, rather than unskillful surgical procedures. Conclusions: there are few data to support a relation between the high rate of CS and defensive medicine. Numerous scientific studies associated this CS rate with the phenomenon of defensive medicine. This practice is constantly growing in all medical areas, especially in high-risk specialties such as obstetrics and gynecology. Our study highlights physicians’ awareness of adopting defensive medicine behaviors in their clinical practice, affecting the choice of the type of delivery to be performed.

The acronym TBI refers to traumatic brain injury, an alteration of brain function, or an evidence of brain pathology, that is caused by an external force. TBI is estimated to become the third leading cause of permanent disability and mortality worldwide. TBI-related injuries can be classified in many ways, according to the degree of severity or the pathophysiology of brain injury (primary and secondary damage). Numerous cellular pathways act in secondary brain damage: excitotoxicity (mediated by excitatory neurotransmitters), free radical generation (due to mitochondrial impairment), neuroinflammatory response (due to central nervous system and immunoactivation) and apoptosis. In this scenario, microRNAs are implicated in the regulation of almost all genes at the post-transcriptional level. Several microRNAs have been demonstrated to be specifically expressed in particular cerebral areas; moreover, physiological changes in microRNA expression during normal cerebral development upon the establishment of neural networks have been characterized. More importantly, microRNAs show profound alteration in expression in response to brain pathological states, both traumatic or not. This review summarizes the most important molecular networks involved in TBI and examines the most recent and important findings on TBI-related microRNAs, both in animal and clinical studies. The importance of microRNA research holds promise to find biomarkers able to unearth primary and secondary molecular patterns altered upon TBI, to ultimately identify key points of regulation, as a valuable support in forensic pathology and potential therapeutic targets for clinical treatment.

Rationale: Although the cancer incidence continues to rise, cancer mortality has declined over the past decade, in large part due to more efficacious chemotherapeutic regimens thus, the ability to use first-line chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of patients with cancer is crucial. Antineoplastic agents can potentially cause toxic and/or hypersensitivity reactions, that can have serious consequences. Anaphylaxis is a big pitfall in oncological patients; the most important aspect in diagnosing anaphylaxis is to precisely identify the offending agent to prevent future events. Paclitaxel (Taxol) is widely used as antitumor medication in the ovarian, breast, non-small-cell lung, and other cancers. Paclitaxel hypersensitivity reactions are frequently described in the literature, but fatalities are rarely reported. Due to the low solubility of paclitaxel, the compound requires dissolution in Cremophor EL, a derivative of castor oil. Patient concerns: A 79-year-old man was affected by high-grade non-papillary urothelial carcinoma and underwent a radical cystectomy and prostatectomy with locoregional lymphadenectomy. Diagnosis: Eight months later, relapse was detected, and penis amputation and left nephrostomy were performed. Multiple metastases to lymph nodes were detected. Interventions: Palliative chemotherapy was started with Paclitaxel (110 mg) infused at a rate of 50 mL/h. Despite premedication with cetirizine dihydrochloride, dexamethasone, ondansetron, ranitidine, 20 min after Paclitaxel infusion starts, the patient developed general distress, followed by cardiac arrest. Outcomes: The mechanism of fatal paclitaxel-associated hypersensitivity reaction is uncertain and its solvent vehicle Cremophor EL may be involved. Several mechanisms have been postulated: an IgE-mediated mast cell degranulation induced by paclitaxel or Cremophor EL, a non-IgE-mediated idiosyncratic mast cell degranulation by paclitaxel or by Cremophor EL, and complement activation. Severe hypersensitivity reactions with fatal outcome are considered rare. Lessons: The unpredictability and often dramatic reactions of Taxol cause substantial anxiety for doctors and caretakers. They also represent a significant logistic and financial burden on hospitals. Despite premedication, skin testing, and desensitization protocols administration of taxane-based, chemotherapy cannot be considered safe and severe to fatal hypersensitivity reactions cannot be prevented.