Real-time Technical Support Using a Remote Technology During Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Follow-up: A Preliminary Multicenter Experience in Clinical Practice.

Industry-employed allied professionals (IEAPs) provide technical assistance to physicians during cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) implantation, programming, troubleshooting, and follow-up. The Heart Connect™ application (Boston Scientific Inc., Marlborough, MA, USA) is a data-sharing system that enables remote access and display sharing of the CIED Programmer.

Differentiating sensor changes in a composite heart failure ICD monitoring index: clinical correlates and implications.

Background: The HeartLogic algorithm (Boston Scientific, St Paul, MN) integrates data from implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) sensors to predict heart failure (HF) decompensation: first (S1) and third (S3) heart sounds, intrathoracic impedance, respiration rate, ratio of respiration rate to tidal volume (RSBI), and night heart rate.

Objective: This study assessed the relative changes in ICD sensors at the onset of HeartLogic alerts, their association with patient characteristics, and outcomes.

Methods: The study included 568 patients with HF carrying ICDs (CRT-D, n = 410) across 26 centers, with a median follow-up of 26 months.

Monitoring the psychopathological profile of inflammatory bowel disease patients treated with biological agents: a pilot study.

Background: Biological agents were found to alter the psychopathological profile of a small subgroup of patients treated for a variety of conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and psychiatric disorders. The association between the administration of biological agents and psychopathology needs to be further investigated.

Methods: In this naturalistic prospective cohort study, patients with IBD were assigned to two treatment groups, i.

Atrial High-Rate Episodes and Subclinical Atrial Fibrillation: State of the Art and Clinical Questions with Complex Solutions.

Atrial high-rate episodes (AHREs) and subclinical atrial fibrillation (AF) are frequently registered in asymptomatic patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) and insertable cardiac monitors (ICMs). While an increased risk of thromboembolic events (e.g.

The Interplay between Gender and Duration of Hospitalization Modulates Psychiatric Symptom Severity in Subjects with Long COVID-19.

Long COVID-19 is characterized by ongoing symptoms or prolonged or long-term complications of SARS-CoV-2 contraction which persist beyond 4 weeks from the initial onset of symptoms. Gender and duration of hospitalization (DH) are key risk factors for developing long COVID-19 syndrome, but their impact and interplay need further study. This research involved 996 long COVID-19 patients, and we compared the levels of general psychopathology, depression, agitated depression, anxiety, and medication use between hospitalized and non-hospitalized males and females.

This pain drives me crazy: Psychiatric symptoms in women with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.

Background: Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is an at least 6-mo noninfectious bladder inflammation of unknown origin characterized by chronic suprapubic, abdominal, and/or pelvic pain. Although the term cystitis suggests an inflammatory or infectious origin, no definite cause has been identified. It occurs in both sexes, but women are twice as much affected.

Selection of candidates for cardiac resynchronization therapy and implantation management: an Italian survey promoted by the Italian Association of Arrhythmology and Cardiac Pacing.

Background: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) represents an effective heart failure treatment, associated with reduction in mortality and heart failure hospitalizations. This Italian survey aimed to address relevant CRT issues.

Methods: An online survey was administered to AIAC members.

Exploring peripheral biomarkers in psychostimulant use: A systematic review on neurotrophins, stress-related hormones, oxidative stress molecules and genetic factors.

Background: This systematic review aims to comprehensively explore the impact of psychostimulant substances on neurotrophic and inflammatory pathways, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), pro-BDNF, cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), interleukins, and the role of genetic factors. The study seeks to address existing gaps in the literature by providing a thorough evaluation of neurotrophic and inflammatory system alterations associated with different stages of psychostimulant dependence for a more nuanced understanding of substance use disorder (SUD) neurobiology.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases following the PRISMA guidelines.

New Guidelines of Pediatric Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices: What Is Changing in Clinical Practice?

Guidelines are important tools to guide the diagnosis and treatment of patients to improve the decision-making process of health professionals. They are periodically updated according to new evidence. Four new Guidelines in 2021, 2022 and 2023 referred to pediatric pacing and defibrillation.

Dopaminergic dysfunction in the left putamen of patients with major depressive disorder.

Introduction: Dopaminergic transmission impairment has been identified as one of the main neurobiological correlates of both depression and clinical symptoms commonly associated with its spectrum such as anhedonia and psychomotor retardation.

Objectives: We examined the relationship between dopaminergic deficit in the striatum, as measured by I-FP-CIT SPECT imaging, and specific psychopathological dimensions in patients with major depressive disorder.

Methods: To our knowledge this is the first study with a sample of >120 subjects.

A Wireless Gamma-Ray Monitoring System for Cemented Radwaste Drums.

In the framework of the PREDIS EU project, a wireless battery-operated gamma-ray detection system was developed in order to provide a medium-to-long-term monitoring system for radioactive waste drums. It was initially proposed to monitor the gamma radioactivity outcoming from steel drums containing cemented radwaste, even though it could be usefully employed in a wider range of applications. Gamma rays are penetrating and convey information from the drum's internal structure, as the count rate measured on the surface depends on the thickness and density of the crossed materials.

Low Dose Pregabalin Improves Gastrointestinal Symptoms of Crohn's Disease.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, are lifelong conditions with no definite cure. Several studies demonstrated that patients with IBD more frequently experience symptoms of common mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression, because of bidirectional communication through the gut-brain axis and the chronicity of symptoms, as well as because of impaired quality of life and reduced social functioning. However, psychological conditions of affected patients are often underestimated and not fully considered.

Effect of Anti-Interleukin-6 Agents on Psychopathology in a Sample of Patients with Post-COVID-19 Syndrome: An Observational Study.

Interleukin 6 (IL-6) receptor inhibitors tocilizumab and sarilumab have recently been approved for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). They also affect mood, even though their effect on the post-COVID-19 syndrome-related psychopathology still has to be investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate their effect on psychopathology in a sample of patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome.

Long-term clinical outcomes of patients with drug-induced type 1 Brugada electrocardiographic pattern: A nationwide cohort registry study.

Background: There are limited real-world data on the extended prognosis of patients with drug-induced type 1 Brugada electrocardiogram (ECG).

Objective: We assessed the clinical outcomes and predictors of life-threatening arrhythmias in patients with drug-induced type 1 Brugada ECG.

Methods: This multicenter retrospective study, conducted at 21 Italian and Swiss hospitals from July 1997 to May 2021, included consecutive patients with drug-induced type 1 ECG.

Leadless Pacemaker Infection Risk in Patients with Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Infections: A Case Series and Literature Review.

(1) Background: Leadless pacemakers (LPs) have been proposed as a reimplantation strategy in pacing-dependent patients undergoing cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) extraction for infection. In this study, we analysed the risk of LP infection when this device is implanted before lead extraction. (2) Methods: This was a retrospective study including patients who underwent LP implantation between 2017 and 2022.

A global analysis of implants and replacements of pacemakers and cardioverter-defibrillators before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 emergency, non-urgent surgical procedures had to be deferred, but also emergencies were reduced. To assess the global trend of pacemaker (PM) and implantable cardiac-defibrillator (ICD) procedures performed in Italy before, during, and after the first COVID-19 emergency, all the Italian hospital discharge records related to PM/ICD procedures performed between 2012 and 2021, sent to the National Institute of Health, were reviewed. Compared to 2019, in 2020, there was a reduction of first PM implants (52,216 to 43,962, -16%; p < 0.

Basic science of cardiac contractility modulation therapy: Molecular and electrophysiological mechanisms.

In heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, profound cellular and molecular changes have recently been documented in the failing myocardium. These changes include altered calcium handling and metabolic efficiency of the cardiac myocyte, reactivation of the fetal gene program, changes in the electrophysiological properties of the heart, and accumulation of collagen (fibrosis) at the interstitial level. Cardiac contractility modulation therapy is an innovative device-based therapy currently approved for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction in patients with narrow QRS complex and under investigation for the treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.