The University of Pavia (Italian: Università degli Studi di Pavia, UNIPV or Università di Pavia; Latin: Alma Ticinensis Universitas) is a university located in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. There was evidence of teaching as early as 1361, making it one of the oldest universities in the world. It was the sole university in Milan and the greater Lombardy region until the end of the 19th century.Currently, it has 18 departments and 9 faculties. It does not have a main campus, its buildings and facilities are scattered around the city, earning the city of Pavia its title "a city campus". The university caters to more than 20,000 students who come from Italy and all over the world.The university offers more than 80 undergraduate programs, more than 40 master programs and about 20 doctoral programs, including 8 English programs. About 1,500 students who enter the university every year are international students.The university operates multiple cultural and scientific museums, including the University History Museum, a botanical garden, research centers, university libraries and a university press. The university is also affiliated with Policlinico San Matteo, where every year, hundreds of medical students from the university perform clinical rotations during their clinical years.The University of Pavia is a member of the COIMBRA Group and European University Association. It also participates in the Erasmus Programme, which allows student exchanges between the University of Pavia and various universities in Europe.
Severe asthma (SA) is a heterogeneous disease that remains uncontrolled despite optimized, high-dose inhaled therapy. It is also associated with substantial morbidity, corticosteroid exposure, and a significant healthcare burden. The advent of targeted biologic therapies has transformed SA management, making accurate biomarker-guided phenotyping essential. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), a noninvasive biomarker of IL-4/IL-13-driven airway inflammation, is widely used in asthma; however, interpreting its levels in SA is complex. This narrative review provides a biology-driven analysis of FeNO in SA, focusing on mechanistic foundations, interpretive limitations, and biologic-specific behavior. Chronic exposure to high-dose inhaled or systemic corticosteroids, overlap with reference ranges in healthy populations, and common SA comorbidities, such as obesity, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, and bronchiectasis, can substantially modify FeNO levels. This limits the usefulness of fixed cutoffs. We summarize the available evidence on FeNO dynamics across biologic classes, highlighting the rapid and pronounced suppression observed with anti-IL-4Rα and anti-TSLP therapies. This is in contrast to the variable and often modest changes seen with anti-IL-5/IL-5R agents. We also review data linking baseline FeNO values and early FeNO trajectories to clinical outcomes and asthma remission. FeNO should be integrated with blood eosinophils, IgE, sputum cytology, and clinical features to guide biologic selection and longitudinal monitoring, rather tham being used in isolation. Key evidence gaps include the need for prospective FeNO-guided biologic trials, harmonized SA-specific FeNO thresholds, and integration with multi-omics approaches to fully realize the full potential of FeNO as a precision biomarker in SA.
The purpose of this editorial is to explore the potential and risks of using AI in the medical field, particularly in oncology. We describe the history of AI from its origins to the present day, highlighting its positive aspects and potential for each type of AI (expert system, machine learning, generative AI). Technologies like ChatGPT are increasingly being used across various domains; however, without proper caution, they can give rise to phenomena such as 'AI hallucinations'—responses that may appear precise, detailed, clear, and logical, but are in fact entirely fabricated and unfounded, potentially confusing those who read them. We want to caution oncologists against the unconditional use of these technologies, where human input remains still essential both in interpreting the responses and in formulating the questions.
Functional and myocardial tissue modifications can occur in treatment-naïve cancer patients, driven by uncontrolled inflammation and neuro-hormonal activation. These mechanisms may result in myocardial alterations that serve as subclinical imaging markers of potential cardiac dysfunction. This study aims to evaluate the role of cardiac magnetic resonance in investigating cancer-associated immune activation and identifying early biomarkers of myocardial damage in treatment-naive cancer patients. This prospective study enrolled 100 participants, including 50 treatment-naive cancer patients affected by diffuse large B cell lymphoma and 50 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. All participants underwent comprehensive cardiac magnetic resonance imaging before starting chemotherapy. Correlation analysis was conducted to identify differences in myocardial tissue characterization and functional parameter between the two groups. Native T1 values were significantly higher in the cancer cohort compared to controls (1007 ± 29 ms vs. 976 ± 29 ms; p < 0.001), while global longitudinal strain was significantly reduced (− 14 ± 2
The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy, procedural features, and safety profile of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) versus microwave ablation (MWA) for the treatment of non-functioning benign thyroid nodules (BTNs). This retrospective, single-centre, cohort study included 203 nodules treated with RFA and 71 with MWA by a single experienced operator. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of treatment response, defined as 12-month volume reduction rate (VRR). Complication rates were also compared between RFA and MWA. A 1:1 case-control matching was performed based on baseline nodule volume and composition, yielding two matched cohorts of 66 patients each. VRRs after 6 and 12 months were compared between two groups. In the overall population, similar VRRs were observed after 6 and 12 months. Significant differences in baseline nodule volume (24.35 ± 17.15 ml vs. 17.25 ± 15.22ml; p = 0.001) and in procedure times (519.96 ± 289.45s vs. 649.61 ± 321.05s; p = 0.003) were found for MWA and RFA, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified baseline volume (p < 0.001) and composition (p < 0.033) as significant and independent predictors of VRR. Both techniques showed comparable safety. In the matched cohorts, VRRs after 6-months were similar, while a higher VRR after 12-months was observed for MWA compared to RFA (64.70 ± 13.89
