Publications by authors named "Paola Villa"

Objective: Breast cancer (BC) survivors often experience vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA) due to endocrine therapies, affecting quality of life (QoL) and well-being. We aimed to evaluate impact of ospemifene treatment in postmenopausal women with history of BC and moderate to severe VVA.

Methods: PEONY is a real-world, prospective, multicenter study.

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: To assess the impact of intravenous ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) on fetal and maternal adverse effects in pregnant women diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia (IDA). : This is a multicenter retrospective study on 472 pregnant women diagnosed with moderate to severe IDA undergoing treatment with FCM between 2019 and 2025 at Careggi University Hospital (Florence) and Vittore Buzzi Children Hospital (Milan). Fetal wellbeing was assessed using computerized cardiotocography (cCTG) or ultrasound, based on gestational age at treatment.

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Menopause is an inevitable event in the life of women who live long enough to reach this milestone. The experience of menopause varies amongst individuals. Menopause has a negative impact on women's life and is associated with symptoms including vasomotor symptoms (VMS), such as hot flushes and night sweats, sleep disturbances and low mood.

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Objective: The real-world PatiEnt satisfactiON studY (PEONY) involves postmenopausal women already treated or starting local estrogen therapy (LET) or ospemifene. The aim of the present analysis was to assess treatment satisfaction and persistence, effectiveness and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in sexual function and quality of life after 6 months of therapy with LET or ospemifene to treat vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA).

Methods: PEONY is an ongoing prospective, observational study conducted in 17 gynecology centers.

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Article Synopsis
  • * ET/HT can be cautiously used after vulvar cancers, melanoma, and certain endometrial cancers, while more caution is needed with adenocarcinomas and uterine sarcomas.
  • * For breast cancer survivors, ET/HT is likely safe after ER/PR-negative cancers but should be applied carefully after ER/PR-positive cases.
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Objective: evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of PureCyTonin against hot flashes (HF) in breast cancer survivors (BCS).

Methods: a prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial was conducted in Italy.

Interventions: administration of PureCyTonin or placebo, for 3 months.

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Background: We assess the impact of bone health clinical management in breast cancer (BC) patients receiving adjuvant endocrine therapy and design a personalized clinical pathway to reduce bone loss in an Italian research hospital.

Methods: The primary endpoint was to assess (through the process improvement organizational method) the clinical pathway that post-surgical BC patients prescribed with endocrine therapy undergo to prevent bone loss. The secondary endpoint was to design a personalized clinical pathway for a prompt implementation of guidelines, to assess and possibly prescribe antiresorptive therapy.

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Background: Advances in the treatment of gynecological cancer have led to improvements in survival but also an increase in menopausal symptoms, especially in young women with premature iatrogenic menopause.

Methods: A narrative review was performed to clarify the possibility of prescribing hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after hormone-dependent gynecological cancers (ovarian cancer [OC], cervical adenocarcinoma [AC], and endometrial cancer [EC]).

Results: HRT can be prescribed to patients with early-stage, grade I-II OC who experience bothersome menopausal symptoms non-responsive to alternative non-hormone therapy after optimal surgery.

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Objectives: To assess clinical characteristics of postmenopausal women with moderate/severe vulvovaginal atrophy, as well as its impact on sexual function, well-being, and quality of life, and to provide an overview of most used treatments.

Study Design: Ongoing longitudinal, observational study conducted in 17 Italian gynecology centers, involving women already treated or initiating a local vaginal estrogen therapy or ospemifene. We report baseline data for women with and without a history of breast cancer.

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Introduction: Evaluating bone density and body composition by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and analyzing their relationships among young anorexic women in comparison with normal-lean matched controls.

Materials And Methods: In this observational cohort study, 98 normal-underweight young females were enrolled (aged more than 16 and less than 24 years). The study group included 68 anorexic patients and 30 healthy age-matched controls.

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Glucocorticoids have numerous applications in short and/or long-term therapy both in pediatric and young adults, based on their significant anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects. Different routes of administration can be provided including topical, inhalatory and oral. Topical treatments are the first choice for many dermatologic conditions.

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Maternal nutrition represents a critical risk factor for adverse health outcomes in both mother and offspring. We aimed to investigate associations between maternal nutritional habits, biomarker status, and pregnancy outcome among Italian healthy normal-weight pregnancies. Multicenter prospective cohort study recruiting Italian healthy normal-weight women with singleton spontaneous pregnancies at 20 ± 2 weeks (T1) in Milan and Naples.

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The use of bone as raw material for implements is documented since the Early Pleistocene. Throughout the Early and Middle Pleistocene bone tool shaping was done by percussion flaking, the same technique used for knapping stone artifacts, although bone shaping was rare compared to stone tool flaking. Until recently the generally accepted idea was that early bone technology was essentially immediate and expedient, based on single-stage operations, using available bone fragments of large to medium size animals.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Hormonal changes during and after pregnancy impact the maternal microbiota, with potential associations between microbiotic composition changes at various body sites (gut, vagina, endometrium) and pregnancy complications.
  • - The gut microbiota shifts significantly during pregnancy, with increases in lactic acid bacteria and decreases in butyrate-producing types, which could influence autoimmune and chronic diseases.
  • - Vaginal microbiota changes, like reduced lactobacilli and increased diversity, have been linked to preterm births, highlighting the need for a better understanding of endometrial microbiota for developing personalized treatments to prevent pregnancy-related complications.
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Objective: To estimate the incidence and recurrence of breast cancer (BC) in patients with vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA) treated with ospemifene and matched untreated VVA patients using real-world data.

Study Design: Retrospective matched cohort study.

Main Outcome Measures: VVA patients were identified from the 2011-2018 US MarketScan® insurance claims database.

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Purpose: VVA is a common disease, with approximately 50% of all postmenopausal women having related symptoms. VVA has a significant impact on the personal and sexual lives and on many aspects of women's self-esteem and emotional well-being. It is particularly frequent and severe in patients treated for BC, where it originates significant economic and social costs.

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  • Grotta dei Moscerini, excavated in 1949, is a significant Neandertal site in Italy featuring 171 retouched shell tools across 21 layers, compared to 126 at Grotta del Cavallo.
  • Research reveals that Neandertals not only collected shells from dead mollusks but also actively fished live clams from the sea floor, highlighting their hunting skills.
  • Evidence from various archaeological sites indicates that Neandertals routinely engaged in fishing and the collection of pumice stones, showcasing their complex behaviors prior to the arrival of modern humans in Western Europe.
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Vulvo-vaginal atrophy (VVA) is a chronic condition affecting many postmenopausal women. Local estrogen treatment is recommended. Evaluating efficacy and safety of long-term VVA treatment with ultra-low-dose estriol gel, 120 postmenopausal VVA women were enrolled in a prospective study.

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Data emerging from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study point toward an association between menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) and cardiovascular (CV) risk. However, post hoc subgroup analyses stratifying participants according to their age and time since menopause, have opened the way to a better understanding of the relationship between estrogen and CV risk. The aim of this review was to revise the current literature and evaluate the CV risk or benefit following administration of MHT considering several factors such as MHT timing, dose, route of administration, and formulation.

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Hafting of stone tools was an important advance in the technology of the Paleolithic. Evidence of hafting in the Middle Paleolithic is growing and is not limited to points hafted on spears for thrusting or throwing. This article describes the identification of adhesive used for hafting on a variety of stone tools from two Middle Paleolithic caves in Latium, Fossellone Cave and Sant'Agostino Cave.

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Having thrived in Eurasia for 350,000 years Neandertals disappeared from the record around 40,000-37,000 years ago, after modern humans entered Europe. It was a complex process of population interactions that included cultural exchanges and admixture between Neandertals and dispersing groups of modern humans. In Europe Neandertals are always associated with the Mousterian while the Aurignacian is associated with modern humans only.

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In the second half of the 19th century Pleistocene faunas were discovered in two sites, Sedia del Diavolo and Monte delle Gioie, contained in deposits of the Aniene River in the area of Rome (Latium, Italy). Fieldwork by A.C.

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Over the last decade, the risk benefits ratio of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been reevaluated mainly in tens of cardiovascular risk. Present Consensus Statement is largely inspired by the Global Consensus on Menopausal Hormone Therapy in 2013 and 2016 by leading global menopause societies (The American Society for Reproductive Medicine, The Asia Pacific Menopause Federation, The Endocrine Society, The European Menopause and Andropause Society, The International Menopause Society, The International Osteoporosis Foundation and The North American Menopause Society). The aim of these recommendations is to provide a simple and updated reference on postmenopausal HRT.

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