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Mesenteric cysts are defined as a heterogeneous group of intra-abdominal cystic lesions of the mesentery or omentum that may be found in any portion of the gastrointestinal tract from the duodenum to the rectum. The clinical condition is entirely asymptomatic in many patients, particularly with small cysts. The diagnosis is typically incidental and secondary to imaging performed for other purposes. In symptomatic patients, the clinical picture is characterized by nonspecific gastrointestinal signs and symptoms. Treatment may be surgical or via interventional radiology. We report the case of a 55-year-old female patient complaining of left-sided abdominal discomfort and constipation lasting three months. An abdominal ultrasound showed the presence of a 10 × 14 × 16 cm anechoic cystic mass filling the whole anterior and left abdominal cavity, confirmed by CT and MRI. The cyst, removed laparoscopically, was histologically a simple mesothelial cyst. We reviewed the international literature over the last 10 years of all cases with mesenteric cysts > 10 cm in evaluating gastrointestinal symptoms at diagnosis, histology, performed treatment, and outcome.

Background and Objectives: Lymph node management in cutaneous melanoma has undergone a paradigm shift, transitioning from routine complete lymph node dissection (CLND) to a more selective, individualized approach. This narrative review explores the historical evolution, current evidence and clinical guidelines surrounding lymphadenectomy for a patient with Stage III of melanoma. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science, focusing on randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses and updated international guidelines published in the past 15 years. Results: Traditional surgical approaches favored radical lymphadenectomy for regional disease control. However, pivotal trials such as the Multicenter Selective Lymphadenectomy Trial II (MSLT-II) and German Dermatologic Cooperative Oncology Group Selective Lymphadenectomy Trial (DeCOG-SLT) demonstrated no survival advantage from immediate CLND following a positive sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), underscoring increased surgical morbidity. Consequently, guidelines from Associazione Italiana di Oncologia Medica (AIOM), the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) now endorse SLNB as the standard for nodal staging, reserving CLND for select high-risk cases. Conclusions: The role of lymphadenectomy in melanoma is increasingly becoming selective, shaped by tumor burden, nodal involvement and response to systemic therapy. SLNB remains central to staging and treatment planning, while CLND is no longer routine. Continued clinical trials and integration with immunotherapy will further refine surgical strategies in melanoma care.

Over the last few years, a great advance has been made in the comprehension of the molecular pathogenesis underlying thyroid cancer progression, particularly for the papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), which represents the most common thyroid malignancy. Putative cancer driver mutations have been identified in more than 98% of PTC, and a new PTC classification into molecular subtypes has been proposed in order to resolve clinical uncertainties still present in the clinical management of patients. Additionally, the prognostic stratification systems have been profoundly modified over the last decade, with a view to refine patients’ staging and being able to choose a clinical approach tailored on single patient’s needs. Here, we will briefly discuss the recent changes in the clinical management of thyroid nodules, and review the current staging systems of thyroid cancer patients by analyzing promising clinicopathological features (i.e., gender, thyroid auto-immunity, multifocality, PTC histological variants, and vascular invasion) as well as new molecular markers (i.e., BRAF/TERT promoter mutations, miRNAs, and components of the plasminogen activating system) potentially capable of ameliorating the prognosis of PTC patients.

BackgroundAnisakiasis, a zoonotic disease caused by the nematode Anisakis, poses a significant concern for public health, particularly in regions with high consumption of raw or undercooked fish.Case PresentationWe present a case report of a 41-year-old woman who developed severe abdominal symptoms, ultimately diagnosed with intestinal obstruction due to Anisakis infestation, requiring surgery. Despite the absence of prominent eosinophilia or specific radiological findings, the diagnosis was confirmed through histological examination, highlighting the importance of considering anisakiasis in patients with a history of raw seafood consumption.ConclusionThe case underscores the diagnostic challenges associated with anisakiasis, emphasizing the need for increased awareness among healthcare professionals and the public regarding the risks of consuming raw or undercooked seafood. Effective management requires a multidisciplinary approach, including clinical assessment, imaging studies, and histological evaluation, to ensure timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is an extremely difficult disease to tackle, with an overall patient survival of only a few months. The currently used therapeutic drugs, such as kinase inhibitors or immune checkpoint inhibitors, can prolong patient survival but fail to eradicate the tumor. In addition, the onset of drug resistance and adverse side-effects over time drastically reduce the chances of treatment. We recently showed that Twist1, a transcription factor involved in the epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT), was strongly upregulated in ATC, and we wondered whether it might represent a therapeutic target in ATC patients. To investigate this hypothesis, the effects of harmine, a β-carboline alkaloid shown to induce degradation of the Twist1 protein and to possess antitumoral activity in different cancer types, were evaluated on two ATC-derived cell lines, BHT-101 and CAL-62. The results obtained demonstrated that, in both cell lines, harmine reduced the level of Twist1 protein and reverted the EMT, as suggested by the augmentation of E-cadherin and decrease in fibronectin expression. The drug also inhibited cell proliferation and migration in a dose-dependent manner and significantly reduced the anchorage-independent growth of both ATC cell lines. Harmine was also capable of inducing apoptosis in BHT-101 cells, but not in CAL-62 ones. Finally, the activation of PI3K/Akt signaling, but not that of the MAPK, was drastically reduced in treated cells. Overall, these in vitro data suggest that harmine could represent a new therapeutic option for ATC treatment.

Background. Cholinergic nerve fibres were studied in the human coronary vascular tree by means of acetylcholinesterase staining and  choline acetyltransferase activities on autopsy samples of coronary vessels (arteries, veins, and micro-vessels). Methods. Samples of human coronary vessels were harvested in younger and older subjects. Samples were exposed to the enzymatic and or immune staining for acetylcholinesterase and  choline acetyltransferase, two enzymes linked to the metabolism of acetylcholine. The morphological data were subjected to the quantitative analysis of images and to the statistical analysis of data. Results. Both acetylcholinesterase and  choline acetyltransferase activities are localised in the human coronary vessels. Structures resembling cholinergic nerve fibres are located in the extra-parenchymal and intra-parenchymal branches of these vessels. Discussion and Conclusions. The quantitative analysis of images and statistical analysis of data demonstrate that the cholinergic innervation of coronary vessels (especially the extra-parenchymal branches) is well represented. Moreover, in older subjects both the enzymes are strongly decreased. The extra- and intraparenchymal branches of the human coronary arteries and veins are provided with cholinergic nerve fibres, which could control the efferent sensitive pathways and the autonomic nerve fibres of the coronary vascular tree.

First described during an anatomical dissection in 1889 (Batujeff1889), with its first angiographic description dating back to 1961 (Begg 1961), PPHA may occur in association with aneurysms (Nakamura et al. 2000) and its well-known association with the ipsilateral vertebral artery agenesia (VA) seems to play an ischemic role in the event of inflow reduction in ICA, which alone supplies vascularisation on its own side (Zhang et al. 2016). CASE REPORT A 55-year-old female patient referred to our Cardiology Outpatient Service with a high cardiovascular risk (i.e. smoking, high cholesterol levels) without specific symptoms: since atherosclerosis, as is currently known, is multi-district disease, there is a tendency shared between radiologists and cardiologists to perform a single exam to study both the coronaries and epiaortic vessels, thus benefiting from a single administration of contrast medium. The multi-slice CardioSync CT Scan (Siemens Somatom Volume Zoom) for the study of coronary arteries and epiaortic vessels after riodine non-ionic contrast medium administration was used: the volume rendering reconstruction (Fig. 1) of the epiaortic vessels shows an anomalous bifurcation of the ICA, which gives rise to the ICA itself, which ascends without collateral branches up to the carotid foramen in the cranial base, and to an accessory artery, which enters the hypoglossal canal on the contour of the great occipital foramen, as a PPHA. The arteries of the sixth branchial arch contribute to the formation of the two primitive pulmonary arteries with their proximate portion, while there is no scientific agreement on the role of the artery of the fifth branchial arch (Klostranee & Krings 2022). b. Vascular anomalies The most common vascular anomalies of the vessels of the neck (Fig. 5) include the common origin of the brachiocephalic trunk and leftCommon Carotid Artery (CCA), the aberrant right subclavian artery, also called arteria lusoria, the ICA aplasia or hypoplasia; ICA is embryologically divided into 7 segments (I - cervical, II - ascending petrosus, III - horizontal petrosus, IV - ascending cavernous, V - horizontal cavernous, VI - clinoid and VII - terminal): ICA hypoplasia is frequently seen close to the bifurcation (segment I) (Kathuria et al. 2011), while the aplasia is observed at carotid foramen (segment II, with canal of reduced caliber or even absent) (Given et al. 2001).

Background In the last decade, two research groups, the French group by Clough et al. (Br J Surg. 97:1659–65, 2010) and the Chinese one by Li et al. (ISRN Oncol 2013:279013, 2013), proposed two types of classification of axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer, identifying novel anatomic landmarks for dividing the axillary space in lymph node dissection. Main body Knowledge of the exact location of the sentinel node helps to focus the surgical dissection and to reduce the morbidity of sentinel lymph node biopsy procedures, in particular the risk of arm lymphedema, without compromising sensitivity. Conclusion In this article, we aimed at focusing on the clinical impact that the most recent classifications of axillary lymph nodes have obtained in literature, highlighting the importance of defining new demarcations to preserve the axillary lymph nodes as much as possible in breast surgery.

Clinical and epidemiological evidence indicate a relationship between thyroid diseases and melanoma. In particular, the hypothyroidism condition appears to promote melanoma spread, which suggests a protective role of thyroid hormones against disease progression. In addition, experimental data suggest that, in addition to thyroid hormones, other hormonal players of the hypothalamic–pituitary–thyroid (HPT) axis, namely the thyrotropin releasing hormone and the thyrotropin, are likely to affect melanoma cells behavior. This information warrants further clinical and experimental studies in order to build a precise pattern of action of the HPT hormones on melanoma cells. An improved knowledge of the involved molecular mechanism(s) could lead to a better and possibly personalized clinical management of these patients.

This brief note aims to offer some historical and methodological clarification on four key anatomical words (anatomy, dissection, autopsy and prosection) which are often used incorrectly by students and members of the public when referring to human anatomy. The origin, meaning and – for the most important ones – correct pronunciation of the words is given as well as recommendations on how to use them correctly.