DISENGAGE Registry.

Background: During fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurement, the simple presence of the guiding catheter (GC) within the coronary ostium might create artificial ostial stenosis, affecting the hyperemic flow. We aimed to investigate whether selective GC engagement of the coronary ostium might impede hyperemic flow, and therefore impact FFR measurements and related clinical decision-making.

Methods: In the DISENGAGE (Determination of Fractional Flow Reserve in Intermediate Coronary Stenosis With Guiding Catheter Disengagement) registry, FFR was prospectively measured twice (with GC engaged [FFR] and disengaged [FFR]) in 202 intermediate stenoses of 173 patients.

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting or Fractional Flow Reserve-Guided Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Diabetic Patients With Multivessel Disease.

Background: In diabetic patients with multivessel coronary artery disease, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has shown long-term benefits over percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Physiology-guided PCI has shown to improve clinical outcomes in multivessel coronary artery disease, though its impact in diabetic patients has never been investigated. We evaluated long-term clinical outcomes of diabetic patients with multivessel coronary artery disease treated with fractional flow reserve (FFR)-guided PCI compared with CABG.

The Rationale of Neprilysin Inhibition in Prevention of Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury during ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

During the last three decades, timely myocardial reperfusion using either thrombolytic therapy or primary percutaneous intervention (pPCI) has allowed amazing improvements in outcomes with a more than halving in 1-year ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) mortality. However, mortality and left ventricle (LV) remodeling remain substantial in these patients. As such, novel therapeutic interventions are required to reduce myocardial infarction size, preserve LV systolic function, and improve survival in reperfused-STEMI patients.

Insulin Resistance the Hinge Between Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes.

Epidemiological studies have documented a high incidence of diabetes in hypertensive patients.Insulin resistance is defined as a less than expected biologic response to a given concentration of the hormone and plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of diabetes. However, over the last decades, it became evident that insulin resistance is not merely a metabolic abnormality, but is a complex and multifaceted syndrome that can also affect blood pressure homeostasis.

Antithrombotic therapy after percutaneous coronary intervention of bifurcation lesions.

Coronary bifurcations exhibit localised turbulent flow and an enhanced propensity for atherothrombosis, platelet deposition and plaque rupture. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of bifurcation lesions is associated with an increased risk of thrombotic events. Such risk is modulated by anatomical complexity, intraprocedural factors and pharmacological therapy.

Sustained Safety and Performance of the Second-Generation Sirolimus-Eluting Absorbable Metal Scaffold: Pooled Outcomes of the BIOSOLVE-II and -III Trials at 3 Years.

Background/purpose: To avoid long-term effects associated with permanent implants, bioresorbable vascular scaffolds were developed, as they provide transient vessel support and disappear thereafter. The aim of the BIOSOLVE-II and -III studies was to assess the safety and performance of a magnesium-based sirolimus-eluting scaffold; we report the clinical outcomes at 3 years, 2 years after scaffold resorption.

Methods/materials: BIOSOLVE-II and BIOSOLVE-III are international, prospective multi-center studies, including 184 patients with 189 de novo lesions and stable or unstable angina, or documented silent ischemia.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction or non-cardiac dyspnea in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: The role of left atrial strain.

Background: Diagnosis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) in patients with dyspnea and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) is challenging. Speckle tracking-derived left atrial strain (LAS) provides an accurate estimate of left ventricular (LV) filling pressures and left atrial (LA) phasic function. However, data on clinical utility of LAS in patients with dyspnea and AF are scarce.

Physiology-guided revascularization versus optimal medical therapy of nonculprit lesions in elderly patients with myocardial infarction: Rationale and design of the FIRE trial.

Background: Myocardial infarction (MI) in elderly patients is associated with unfavorable prognosis, and it is becoming an increasingly prevalent condition. The prognosis of elderly patients is equally impaired in ST-segment elevation (STE) or non-STE (NSTE), and it is markedly worsened by the common presence of multivessel disease (MVD). Given the limited evidence available for elderly patients, it has not yet been established whether, as for younger patients, a complete revascularization strategy in MI patients with MVD should be advocated.

Computer-guided palatal canine disimpaction: a technical note.

Aim: To present a minimally invasive approach to solve the impaction of palatal canines using computer-guided orthodontic miniscrews.

Materials And Methods: Miniscrew-supported appliances for palatal canine disimpaction are performed with CAD/CAM technology. With adequate software, it is possible to match the STL files of the dental arch with the DICOM images of the maxilla, previously transformed into STL files.

Comparative Methodological Assessment of the Randomized GLOBAL LEADERS Trial Using Total Ischemic and Bleeding Events.

Background: Time-to-first-event analysis considers only the first event irrespective of its severity. There are several methods to assess trial outcomes beyond time-to-first-event analysis, such as analyzing total events and ranking outcomes. In the GLOBAL LEADERS study, time-to-first-event analysis did not show superiority of ticagrelor monotherapy following one-month dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after percutaneous coronary intervention to conventional 12-month DAPT followed by aspirin monotherapy in the reduction of the primary composite end point of all-cause mortality or new Q-wave myocardial infarction.

Familiar occurrence of facial asymmetry: a pilot study.

Background: The point at which "normal" asymmetry becomes "abnormal" can be defined by an aesthetic limit and a functional limit. The underlying causes are still not fully discovered; the etiology includes congenital disorders, acquired diseases, and traumatic and developmental deformities. Our purpose was to investigate the possible genetic liability in the transmissibility of the asymmetric traits, through an analysis developed by twofold approach: 1) exploring and recording the family history through the use of a specific questionnaire; and 2) examining differences in laterality between the patients and their corresponding parent by a facial analysis.

Modulation of Insulin Sensitivity by Exercise Training: Implications for Cardiovascular Prevention.

The beneficial effects of physical activity on the cardiovascular system nowadays have achieved the relevance of clinical evidence. In fact, several studies have documented the benefits of exercise training in the prevention of the cardiovascular risk. Abnormalities of insulin signaling transduction account for the impairment of insulin sensitivity and development of insulin resistance, which, in turn, is responsible for the enhancement of cardiovascular risk.

Temporomandibular disorders in Venezuelan and Italian adolescents.

Objective: The aim of this research was to compare the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) among Venezuelan and Italian adolescents.

Methods: One hundred-seventeen Venezuelan and 138 Italian adolescents aged 11-18 years were examined according to the Diagnostic Criteria for TMDs (DC/TMD). Signs and symptoms were registered.

Insulin Resistance Predicts Severity of Coronary Atherosclerotic Disease in Non-Diabetic Patients.

Background: Insulin resistance (IR) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) represents a predictor of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, how IR is able to impact the severity of coronary atherosclerosis in non-diabetic patients is unknown.

Objectives: We investigated the relation between the IR and the extent and severity of coronary atherosclerosis in non-diabetic patients referred to coronary angiography (CA) Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing to CA for acute coronary syndromes or stable angina were analyzed.

Relationship between upper lateral incisors anomalies and palatal displaced canine: a case-control retrospective study.

Background: An observational case-control study was designed to retrospectively assess the association among sex, skeletal and dental variables and the and the palatal maxillary canine impaction.

Methods: The STROBE guidelines were followed. The records of 2195 subjects were analyzed.

Management of myocardial revascularisation failure: an expert consensus document of the EAPCI.

Myocardial revascularisation represents the most frequently performed therapeutic intervention worldwide. Current percutaneous and surgical revascularisation techniques provide excellent short- and long-term clinical outcomes. However, despite the technological and procedural advances with the widespread use of drug-eluting stents and arterial bypass grafts in contemporary practice, a considerable proportion of patients require repeat revascularisation procedures during long-term follow-up.

Mapping interventional cardiology in Europe: the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI) Atlas Project.

Aims: The European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI) Atlas of Interventional Cardiology has been developed to map interventional practice across European Society of Cardiology (ESC) member countries. Here we present the main findings of a 16-country survey in which we examine the national availability of interventional infrastructure, human resource, and procedure volumes.

Methods And Results: Sixteen ESC member countries participated in the EAPCI Atlas survey.

Clinical Outcomes Following Coronary Bifurcation PCI Techniques: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis Comprising 5,711 Patients.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare clinical outcomes of different bifurcation percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) techniques.

Background: Despite several randomized trials, the optimal PCI technique for bifurcation lesions remains a matter of debate. Provisional stenting has been recommended as the default technique for most bifurcation lesions.

Assessment of carotid cross-sectional area in hypertensive patients: phenotyping and prognostic validation in The Campania Salute Network.

Increased intima-media thickness (IMT) of common carotid artery (CA) is considered the hallmark of vascular hypertension-mediated target organ damage, even if vessel remodeling due to mechanical stress may also induce changes in diameter. We developed a method computing both diameter and IMT of CA, to assess correlates and prognostic impact of carotid cross-sectional area (CCSA) in a large registry of treated hypertensive patients. We selected 6300 hypertensive patients of the Campania Salute Network registry free of overt cardiovascular (CV) disease and with available CA ultrasound (54 ± 11 years; 57% male).

Determinants of aortic root dilatation over time in patients with essential hypertension: The Campania Salute Network.

Background: Determinants of changes of aortic root dimension over time are not well defined.

Design: We investigated whether specific phenotype and treatment exist predicting changes in aortic root dimension in hypertensive patients from the Campania Salute Network.

Methods: N = 4856 participants (age 53 ± 11 years, 44% women) were included.