Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist semaglutide through the lens of psychiatry: a systematic review of potential benefits and risks.

Semaglutide (SEM), a long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, affects neural circuits regulating food intake and satiety, and it provides neuroprotective effects; however, SEM may influence psychological functioning, possibly leading to psychopathological symptoms. This review examines studies on SEM, focusing on its effects on mental health and potential neuropsychiatric side effects. A systematic search in PubMed and Google Scholar was conducted for studies up to March 2025, yielding 342 papers, of which 37 met the eligibility criteria.

Transforming Gastrointestinal Diagnosis with Molecular Endoscopy: Challenges and Opportunities.

Molecular endoscopy represents a transformative advance in the detection, diagnosis, and management of gastrointestinal diseases, addressing the critical limitations of conventional techniques. Current diagnostic standards, such as white light endoscopy (WLE), often fail to detect early-stage lesions, particularly in high-risk populations like Barrett's esophagus or inflammatory bowel disease patients. To overcome these challenges, molecular endoscopy, using fluorescent molecular probes, may offer ultimate precision by targeting disease-specific biomarkers.

Outcomes of a Risk-Stratified Protocol for Preventing Peristomal Skin Complications in Patients with an Ostomy: A Cohort Study.

Background/objectives: Peristomal skin complications (PSCs) are common among patients with ostomies, significantly impacting quality of life and increasing healthcare utilization. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the Dermamecum protocol, a risk-stratified educational intervention, on the prevention of PSCs, self-care improvements, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and patient satisfaction over a 90-day follow-up period.

Methods: This prospective cohort study included 305 patients stratified into three risk-based groups (green, yellow, and red paths) according to the Dermamecum protocol.

Endocarditis and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Infective endocarditis (IE) is an uncommon but potentially fatal complication in patients affected by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The risk has been described to be significantly higher than in the general population, but the incidence of IE in HCM population remains unknown. The complex pathophysiology of this disease, characterized by structural alterations of the mitral valve apparatus and the presence of turbulent flow that promotes the deposition of microorganisms, could provide a substrate for IE and may, to some extent, explain its higher incidence in this specific population.

Evolutionary fingerprints of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.

Mesenchymal plasticity has been extensively described in advanced epithelial cancers; however, its functional role in malignant progression is controversial. The function of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cell plasticity in tumour heterogeneity and clonal evolution is poorly understood. Here we clarify the contribution of EMT to malignant progression in pancreatic cancer.

A machine learning approach to predict treatment efficacy and adverse effects in major depression using CYP2C19 and clinical-environmental predictors.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is among the leading causes of disability worldwide and treatment efficacy is variable across patients. Polymorphisms in cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) play a role in response and side effects to medications; however, they interact with other factors. We aimed to predict treatment outcome in MDD using a machine learning model combining CYP2C19 activity and nongenetic predictors.

Exploring the Impact of a Structured Educational Approach on Peristomal Skin Complications: An Interim Analysis.

This study, employing an interim analysis, investigates the effects of the Dermamecum protocol, a structured educational and tailored approach that stratifies ostomy patients into risk paths (green, yellow, red) based on pre-operative and post-operative characteristics. The green path indicates a low risk of peristomal skin complications (PSCs), focusing on sustaining healthy behaviours and basic stoma care. The yellow path represents a moderate risk, emphasizing the need for patients to self-monitor and recognize early signs of complications.

Biliary drainage in patients with malignant distal biliary obstruction: results of an Italian consensus conference.

Background: Malignant Distal Biliary Obstruction (MBDO) is a common event occurring along the natural history of both pancreatic cancer and cholangiocarcinoma. Epidemiological and biological features make MBDO one of the key elements of the clinical management of patients suffering for of pancreatic cancer or cholangiocarcinoma. The development of dedicated biliary lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMS) is changing the clinical work up of patients with MBDO.

Thinking in context: Fibroids-to-uterine volume ratio in pre-surgical fertility evaluation for intramural fibroids.

Objective: To explore the utility of the total fibroids-to-uterine volume (FTUV) ratio as a simple, preoperative tool to assist in counseling patients seeking pregnancy who are undergoing myomectomy for intramural (IM) fibroids.

Study Design: This is an historical cohort study on reproductive-aged patients seeking pregnancy who underwent laparotomic myomectomy for intramural fibroids from January 2017 to December 2021. Only G3 to G5 fibroids, according to the 2011 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) classification, were included.

VAC-Stent in the Treatment of Post-Esophagectomy Anastomotic Leaks: A New "Kid on the Block" Who Marries the Best of Old Techniques-A Review.

Esophagectomy, while a pivotal treatment for esophageal cancer, is not without adverse events. Among these, anastomotic leak (AL) is the most feared complication, threatening patient lives and incurring significant healthcare costs. The management of AL is complex and lacks standardization.

Protein family annotation for the Unified Human Gastrointestinal Proteome by DPCfam clustering.

Technological advances in massively parallel sequencing have led to an exponential growth in the number of known protein sequences. Much of this growth originates from metagenomic projects producing new sequences from environmental and clinical samples. The Unified Human Gastrointestinal Proteome (UHGP) catalogue is one of the most relevant metagenomic datasets with applications ranging from medicine to biology.

Dendritic cell-targeted therapy expands CD8 T cell responses to bona-fide neoantigens in lung tumors.

Cross-presentation by type 1 DCs (cDC1) is critical to induce and sustain antitumoral CD8 T cell responses to model antigens, in various tumor settings. However, the impact of cross-presenting cDC1 and the potential of DC-based therapies in tumors carrying varied levels of bona-fide neoantigens (neoAgs) remain unclear. Here we develop a hypermutated model of non-small cell lung cancer in female mice, encoding genuine MHC-I neoepitopes to study neoAgs-specific CD8 T cell responses in spontaneous settings and upon Flt3L + αCD40 (DC-therapy).

In Vitro Selection of Engineered Transcriptional Repressors for Targeted Epigenetic Silencing.

Gene inactivation is instrumental to study gene function and represents a promising strategy for the treatment of a broad range of diseases. Among traditional technologies, RNA interference suffers from partial target abrogation and the requirement for life-long treatments. In contrast, artificial nucleases can impose stable gene inactivation through induction of a DNA double strand break (DSB), but recent studies are questioning the safety of this approach.

Location and condition based reconstruction of colon cancer microbiome from human RNA sequencing data.

Background: The association between microbes and cancer has been reported repeatedly; however, it is not clear if molecular tumour properties are connected to specific microbial colonisation patterns. This is due mainly to the current technical and analytical strategy limitations to characterise tumour-associated bacteria.

Methods: Here, we propose an approach to detect bacterial signals in human RNA sequencing data and associate them with the clinical and molecular properties of the tumours.

Add-On Treatment with during Benzodiazepine Tapering in Patients with Depression and Anxiety: A Real-World Study.

Chronic and inappropriate benzodiazepine intake represents an important health and social concern worldwide. The aim of our study was to investigate the effectiveness of in reducing benzodiazepine misuse in a real-world population of depressed and anxious patients in a long-term treatment with benzodiazepines. We conducted a retrospective naturalistic study on 186 patients undergoing benzodiazepine downtitration, 93 with the addition of a dry extract of (Group A), and 93 without any add-on treatment (Group B).

Dexmedetomidine versus remifentanil for sedation under monitored anesthetic care in complex endovascular aortic aneurysm repair: a single center experience with mid-term follow-up.

Background: Sedation protocols in patients undergoing complex endovascular aortic aneurysm repair are not fully investigated. The aim of this study was to compare a dexmedetomidine (DEX) based sedation protocol with a remifentanil-based sedation protocol.

Methods: Seventy-nine consecutive patients undergoing complex endovascular aortic repair were enrolled and retrospectively analyzed.