1. Editorial : The role of immune cells in the progression of autoimmune diseases affecting the CNSCzeslawa Kowal, Jelka Pohar, Flora Zavala, 2022, other scientific articles Abstract: Insights into the dynamics of immune responses in immune-privileged tissues such as the central nervous system (CNS) are critical to understanding the etiology of autoimmune diseases. Essential in this field is understanding the ways immune cells access and traffic across different types of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), and how the therapeutics alter these processes (see excellent review by Mapunda et al.). The current Research Topic brought into attention a diverse panel of original research papers and two reviews on the immune cells involved in CNS pathophysiology, including dendritic cells (DC), mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells, neutrophils, and pathogenic Th17 cells, as well as a different aspects of that pathophysiology, including molecular signaling pathways (PP2Cδ) and the role of signaling complexes, known as supramolecular organizing centers (SMOCs), therapeutic interventions (STAT3-specific nanobody, treatment of rheumatoid meningitis with intravenous immunoglobulin - IVIg), possible new forms of autoantigens (neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus - NPSLE), and assessment of correlation between inflammatory markers and severity of autoimmune encephalitis (AE).
Keywords: CNS pathophysiology, dendritic cells, mucosal-associated invariant T cells, STAT3, Th17 cells, PP2Cδ, supramolecular organizing centers (SMOCs), neutrophil extracellular traps, cytology
Published in DiRROS: 06.08.2024; Views: 189; Downloads: 78
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2. Ocena pridobljenih let življenja v populacijskih presejalnih programih za rakaVesna Zadnik, Maja Pohar Perme, Tina Žagar, Bor Vratanar, Katja Jarm, Katarina Lokar, Maja Jurtela, Sonja Tomšič, 2024, professional article Abstract: Zaradi možnih negativnih zdravstvenih posledic presejalnih programov in velikih sredstev, vloženih vanje, je pomembno spremljati njihovo učinkovitost. Umrljivost v ciljni populaciji je eden od kazalnikov, ki služi za prikaz dolgoročne učinkovitosti organiziranih populacijskih presejalnih programov – po 10 do 20 letih se pričakuje padec umrljivosti v ciljni populaciji za 20 % do 30 %. Ena od glavnih omejitev kazalnika umrljivosti je, predvsem pri rakih z dobrim preživetjem, da pokaže učinkovitost presejanja šele v daljšem časovnem obdobju. Mnogokrat se zato za oceno učinkovitosti populacijskih presejalnih programov za raka uporablja analiza preživetja, pri kateri so rezultati dostopni prej. Tudi analiza preživetja ima svoje omejitve, saj se lahko v rezultate prikradejo številne pristranosti (npr. pristranost časa trajanja, prednosti in prediagnosticiranja). Nedavno smo slovenski raziskovalci predlagali nov analitični pristop, ki omogoča primerjavo preživetja pri rakih, ki so oz. niso odkriti v presejalnem programu, z upoštevanjem vseh pomembnih pristranosti. Izračunana preživetja so osnova za izračun pridobljenih let življenja, to je mere, ki izraža dodatno število let življenja, ki bi jih osebe preživele zaradi vključitve v presejalni program.V testnem primeru smo ocenili učinke uvedbe Državnega prese-jalnega program za raka dojk DOR A, ki smo ga prvim prebival-kam ponudili leta 2008, na celotno populacijo pa je bil razširjen leta 2018. Ženske, ki so bile povabljene v program DOR A v obdobju 2008–2018, so do leta 2022 pridobile skupaj 90,6 leta življenja, če bi bile v program DOR A že od leta 2008 vključene vse ženske, pa bi pridobile 552,7 leta življenja. Z vsakim dodatnim letom opazovanja, ko posamezne ženske od vključitve v program DOR A preživijo, se seštevek pridobljenih let življenja poveča.Nova metoda bo v pomoč pri upravljanju obstoječih presejalnih programov za raka, njihovi promociji in vrednotenju učinkov pri spremembah presejalnih politik.
Keywords: presejalni programi, kakovost, register raka
Published in DiRROS: 26.07.2024; Views: 228; Downloads: 130
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3. Evaluation of the training program for p16/ Ki-67 dual immunocytochemical staining interpretation for laboratory staff without experience in cervical cytology and immunocytochemistryVeronika Kloboves-Prevodnik, Živa Pohar-Marinšek, Janja Zalar, Hermina Rozina, Nika Kotnik, Tine Jerman, Jerneja Varl, Urška Ivanuš, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: ackground p16/Ki-67 dual immunocytochemical staining (DS) is considered easy to interpret if evaluators are properly trained, however, there is no consensus on what constitutes proper training. In the present study we evaluated a protocol for teaching DS evaluation on students inexperienced in cervical cytology. Methods Initial training on 40 DS conventional smears was provided by a senior cytotechnologist experienced in such evaluation. Afterwards, two students evaluated 118 cases. Additional training consisted mainly of discussing discrepant cases from the first evaluation and was followed by evaluation of new 383 cases. Agreement and accuracy of students' results were compared among the participants and to the results of the reference after both evaluations. We also noted time needed for evaluation of one slide as well as intra-observer variability of the teacher's results. Results At the end of the study, agreement between students and reference was higher compared to those after initial training (overall percent agreement [OPA] 81.4% for each student, kappa 0.512 and 0.527 vs. OPA 78.3% and 87.2%, kappa 0.556 and 0.713, respectively). However, accuracy results differed between the two students. After initial training sensitivity was 4.3% points and 2.9% points higher, respectively compared to the reference, while specificity was 30.6% points and 24.4% points lower, respectively, compared to the reference. At the end of the study, the sensitivity reached by one student was the same as that of the reference, while it was 2.6% points lower for the other student. There was a statistically significant difference in specificity between one student and the reference and also between students (16.7 and 15.1% points). Towards the end of the study, one student needed 5.2 min for evaluating one slide while the other needed 8.2 min. The intra-observer variability of the senior cytotechnologist was in the range of "very good" in both arms of the study. Conclusions In teaching DS evaluation, the students' progress has to be monitored using several criteria like agreement, accuracy and time needed for evaluating one slide. The monitoring process has to continue for a while after students reach satisfactory results in order to assure a continuous good performance. Monitoring of teacher's performance is also advisable.
Keywords: cervical cytology, cervical cancer, immunocytochemistry, accuracy
Published in DiRROS: 11.07.2024; Views: 255; Downloads: 190
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4. Clinical relevance of the borderline results of the Hybrid Capture 2 High-Risk HPV DNA assay with cervical samples collected in Specimen Transport MediumJerneja Varl, Urška Ivanuš, Živa Pohar-Marinšek, Tine Jerman, Anja Oštrbenk Valenčak, Mario Poljak, Veronika Kloboves-Prevodnik, 2019, original scientific article Keywords: Hybrid Capture 2, cervical cancer, HPV test, borderline results
Published in DiRROS: 05.07.2024; Views: 270; Downloads: 133
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5. Long-term outcomes of high dose treatment and autologous stem cell transplantation in follicular and mantle cell lymphomas : a single centre experienceLučka Boltežar, Karlo Pintarić, Jože Pretnar, Maja Pohar Perme, Barbara Jezeršek Novaković, 2017, original scientific article Abstract: Background. Advanced follicular lymphoma (FL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) are incurable diseases with conventional treatment. The high dose treatment (HDT) with autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), however, offers a certain proportion of these patients the prospect of a prolonged disease-free and overall survival. The aim of this study was to investigate the event free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with FL and MCL treated with ASCT. Patients and methods. Seventeen patients with FL and 29 patients with MCL were included, 15 of them were trans- planted to consolidate the response to second line treatment and 24 to consolidate their first remission, respectively. All were conditioned with total body irradiation (TBI) and high dose cyclophosphamide between 2006 and 2014 and all were transplanted with peripheral blood stem cells. Results. The estimated 5-year OS for FL was 87.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 59.5%-96.8%) and for MCL 79.3% (95% CI 56.1%-91.1%), respectively. The estimated 5-year EFS for FL was 76.0% (95% CI 48.0%-90.3%) and for MCL 69.8% (95% CI 45.5%-84.8%), respectively. There were no secondary hematological malignancies observed in either group. Conclusions. Based on above results, the ASCT with TBI is a good treatment option in terms of long-term survival for patients with follicular and mantle cell lymphoma demonstrating a relatively low rate of late toxicities and secondary malignancies.
Keywords: follicular lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma, autologous stem cell transplantation
Published in DiRROS: 03.06.2024; Views: 252; Downloads: 160
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6. Selection of non-small cell lung cancer patients for intercalated chemotherapy and tyrosine kinase inhibitorsMatjaž Zwitter, Antonio Rossi, Massimo Di Maio, Maja Pohar Perme, Gilberto Lopes, 2017, original scientific article Abstract: Background. When treating patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with tyrosine kinase inhibitors and chemotherapy, intercalated schedule with time separation between the two classes of drugs should avoid their mutual antagonism. In a survey of published trials, we focus on relation between eligibility criteria and effectiveness of intercalated treatment. Methods. Published documents were identified using major medical databases, conference proceedings and references of published trials. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was taken as the basic parameter of treatment efficacy. Correlation between characteristics of patients and median PFS was assessed through the Pearson%s correlation coefficient and the coefficient of determination, separately for first-line and second-line setting. Results. The series includes 11 single-arm trials and 18 randomized phase II or phase III trials with a total of 2903 patients. Treatment-naive patients or those in progression after first-line treatment were included in 16 and 13 trials, respectively. In 14 trials, only patients with non-squamous histology were eligible. Proportion of patients with nonsquamous carcinoma (in first-line setting), proportion of never-smokers (both in first- and second-line setting) and proportion of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutant patients (both in first- and second-line setting) showed a moderate or strong correlation with median PFS. In six trials of intercalated treatment applied to treatment-naive EGFR%mutant patients, objective response was confirmed in 83.1% of cases and median PFS was 18.6 months. Conclusions. Most suitable candidates for intercalated treatment are treatment-naive patients with EGFR%mutant tumors, as determined from biopsy or liquid biopsy. For these patients, experience with intercalated treatment is most promising and randomized trials with comparison to the best standard treatment are warranted.
Keywords: lung cancer, NSCLC, intercalated treatment, EGFR, tyrosine -kinase inhibitors
Published in DiRROS: 31.05.2024; Views: 335; Downloads: 208
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8. Evolving strategies in the treatment of childhood rhabdomyosarcoma : Slovenian experienceŽiva Pohar-Marinšek, Jožica Anžič, Berta Jereb, 2001, original scientific article Abstract: Background. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (Cht) has changed the treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) in children. The purpose of our study was to review thechildren treated for RMS between 1974 and 1996. Patients and methods. Fifty-one children, 1-15 years old, were included. Primary sites of tumour were: head and neck 15, orbit 6, genitourinary 12, extremity 9, torso 5 and paratesticular 4. Twelve patients were in stage 1, 10 in stage II, 26 in stage111 and 3 in stage IV. Of 43 histologically confirmed RMS 25 were embryonal, 13 alveolar, 1 botryoid, 1 spindle cell and 3 sarcoma NOS. In 8 patients, only fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) was available. All patients had Cht, 29 neoadjuvant, 20 had surgery first, 40 had irradiation (RT), 2 stage IV patients had bone marrow transplant (ABMT). Multidrug Cht varied: VCR, AMD, and cyclophosphamide (VAC) were used in the 1970s, with Adriablastine (T2), methotrexat (MTX) and/or other drugs (T6, T11) in the 1980s; and in the 1990s, cyclophosphamide was replaced by ifosfamide (VAIA). The treatment was started with Cht in orbital and head and neck tumours and inthe majority of genitourinary tumours, but surgery was first in paratesticular and in the majority of extremity tumours. Results. The 3 patients with stage IV disease died. Of those with localised tumour, 34 (70%) were alive and well 5 years after treatment, 80% stage I, 75% stage II and 61%stage III. One patient died of heart failure, 3 of Cht toxicity and 1 of intereurrent disease. Conclusions. (Abstract truncated at 2000 characters)
Published in DiRROS: 26.01.2024; Views: 379; Downloads: 106
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9. Resections of pelvic bone and sacrum, Ljubljana experienceJanez Novak, Marjana Čuček-Pleničar, Darja Eržen, Franc Srakar, Mojca Senčar, Boštjan Baebler, Jožica Červek, Alenka Vodnik-Cerar, Matej Bračko, Živa Pohar-Marinšek, Jožica Anžič, 1997, original scientific article Published in DiRROS: 16.01.2024; Views: 461; Downloads: 122
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