Donor-derived mold infections in lung transplant recipients: The importance of active surveillance.

Unexpected donor-derived fungal infections represent a rare but potentially fatal complication in lung transplant (Tx) recipients. Timely communication of the results of donor cultures and prompt treatment of recipients are crucial to mitigate the consequences of donor-derived transmissions. In this prospective cohort study, all consecutive patients who underwent lung transplantation from 2015 to 2022 were included.

Body Lift with Lateral Thigh Lift: Surgical Technique and Comparison with the Inferior Body Lift.

Background: Despite its rarity, cutaneous adipose tissue excess in the trochanteric region following massive weight loss is a surgical challenge. The aim of this work is to propose a surgical technique for lifting the outer thighs by describing its indications and its limitations.

Methods: Seventy-four patients were recruited into the study between 2018 and 2021.

High dose proton and photon-based radiation therapy for 213 liver lesions: a multi-institutional dosimetric comparison with a clinical perspective.

Background: Stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) and Proton therapy (PT) are both options in the management of liver lesions. Limited clinical-dosimetric comparison are available. Moreover, dose-constraint routinely used in liver PT and SRT considers only the liver spared, while optimization strategies to limit the liver damaged are poorly reported.

Donor-derived carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacterial infections in solid organ transplant recipients: Active surveillance enhances recipient safety.

Donor-derived infections (DDIs) caused by carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria (CR-GNB) in solid organ transplant recipients are potentially life-threatening. In this prospective study, we evaluated the incidence, factors associated with transmission, and the outcome of recipients with unexpected CR-GNB DDIs after the implementation of our local active surveillance system (LASS). LASS provides for early detection of unexpected donor CR-GNB infections, prophylaxis of recipients at high risk, and early diagnosis and treatment of DDIs.

Locally advanced cervical cancer: how the improvement in techniques in external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy impacts on survival outcomes and long-term toxicities.

Background: Platinum-based chemoradiotherapy and brachytherapy are the standard treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer. Reported long-term outcomes for treated with both IMRT and 3D-Image-guided-adaptive brachytherapy are lacking.

Methods: This retrospective study included 165 patients with FIGO Stage IB-IVB cervical cancer, treated with chemoradiotherapy in combination with brachytherapy.

Beyond Meat: Alternative Sources of Proteins to Feed the World.

A number of changes and social factors such as the expected population growth, the raising demand for animal proteins, food chain disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic and conflicts are placing food security and sustainable diet at the very centre of the political agenda [...

Stakeholder Beliefs about Alternative Proteins: A Systematic Review.

In recent years, a great deal of research has been conducted on consumers' attitudes and beliefs in favor and against alternative proteins (AP). By contrast, a much more limited research effort has been devoted to understanding stakeholders' point of view. The current work provides a first systematic review of the existing literature on stakeholders' beliefs towards alternative protein sources.

The Interaction between Message Sensation Value and Food Neophobia in Communication about Insect-Based Foods: An Experiment with Italian Consumers.

Currently, insects are considered as a promising alternative protein source due to their nutritional content and their environmental sustainability. Notwithstanding this, generally consumers show reluctance towards the introduction of edible insects into their diet, mostly influenced by food neophobia. Persuasive communication strategies (e.

Stereotactic prostate radiotherapy with or without androgen deprivation therapy, study protocol for a phase III, multi-institutional randomized-controlled trial.

Objective: The therapeutic landscape for localized prostate cancer (PC) is evolving. Stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) has been reported to be at least not inferior to standard radiotherapy, but the effect of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in this setting is still unknown and its use is left to clinical judgment. There is therefore the need to clarify the role of ADT in association with SRT, which is the aim of the present study.

Anal squamous cell carcinoma: Impact of radiochemotherapy evolution over years and an explorative analysis of MRI prediction of tumor response in a mono-institutional series of 131 patients.

Introduction: Radiochemotherapy (RCHT) for the treatment of anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) has evolved dramatically, also thanks to intensity-modulated RT (IMRT) and 3D image guidance (3D IGRT). Despite most patients presenting fair outcomes, unmet needs still exist. Predictors of poor tumor response are lacking; acute toxicity remains challenging; and local relapse remains the main pattern of failure.

Molecular Analysis With 16S rRNA PCR/Sanger Sequencing and Molecular Antibiogram Performed on DNA Extracted From Valve Improve Diagnosis and Targeted Therapy of Infective Endocarditis: A Prospective Study.

Background: Molecular analysis (MA) on heart valve (HV) improves the microbiologic diagnosis of infectious endocarditis (IE). The main drawback of MA is the lack of antimicrobial susceptibility information.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort observational study of consecutive adult patients from April 2012 to May 2021 who underwent valve surgery at our hospital.

A retrospective molecular epidemiological scenario of carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolates in a Sicilian transplantation hospital shows a swift polyclonal divergence among sequence types, resistome and virulome.

In this work, we assessed and characterized the epidemiological scenario of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains (CR-Kp) at IRCCS-ISMETT, a transplantation hospital in Palermo, Italy, from 2008 to 2017. A total of 288 K. pneumoniae clinical isolates were selected based on their resistance to carbapenems.

Liver Transplantation for Unresectable Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: The Role of Sequencing Genetic Profiling.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is a rare and aggressive primary liver tumor, characterized by a range of different clinical manifestations and by increasing incidence and mortality rates even after curative treatment with radical resection. In recent years, growing attention has been devoted to this disease and some evidence supports liver transplantation (LT) as an appropriate treatment for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma; evolving work has also provided a framework for better understanding the genetic basis of this cancer. The aim of this study was to provide a clinical description of our series of patients complemented with Next-Generation Sequencing genomic profiling.

The Effect of Verbal and Iconic Messages in the Promotion of High-Quality Mountain Cheese: A Non-Hypothetical BDM Approach.

To ensure the sustainable development of mountain livestock farming, the adequate remuneration of high-quality dairy products is fundamental. In this sense, communication strategies aimed at promoting mountain products and ensure better positioning and higher market prices are fundamental. The present research seeks to expand the literature regarding consumers' willingness to pay for mountain foods by using an online real auction experiment aimed at evaluating the premium price that consumers are willing to pay for summer over winter mountain cheese, depending on the information provided concerning the taste anticipation or animal welfare.

The Periareolar Approach: All Seasons Technique for Multiple Breast Conditions.

Unlabelled: The periareolar approach was first introduced by Hollander in 1924 and, since then, numerous contributions have been reported by different authors. Despite all the strengths associated with this versatile technique, the periareolar approach still poses three main problems: large areolar diameter with poor quality scar, flattening of the breast cone, and poor stability of the results. The purpose of this article is to show how this surgical technique, with a good patient selection, can be applied to different situations and obtain excellent results.

Edible Insects and Global Food Security.

Starting in 2008 and lasting up until 2011, the crisis in agricultural and, in particular, cereal prices triggered a period of riots that spread from the Mediterranean basin to the rest of the world, reaching from Asia to Central America and the African continent. [..

Perceived Risk of Insect-Based Foods: An Assessment of the Entomophagy Attitude Questionnaire Predictive Validity.

Insects are a promising alternative protein source and their possible integration in the human diet has been extensively studied, also with reference to the degree of consumer acceptability and the main factors determining reluctance among Western consumers. Several studies have also proposed the use of protein meals derived from insects in animal feed as a possible way to promote the development of the insect chain. Consumer attitudes, perceived risks, and intention to eat insect-based foods have been extensively researched, yet the relationships between those factors are still unclear.

Evaluation of the Effects of Tamoxifen on Adipose-Derived Stem Cells: A Pilot Study.

Autologous fat grafting (AFG) is a safe and minimally invasive procedure to correct soft tissue defects. The benefit of AFG is attributed to adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) in fat tissue graft. This technique is useful also in patients undergoing reconstructive surgery following quadrantectomy for breast cancer.

Successful Use of Heterologous CMV-Reactive T Lymphocyte to Treat Severe Refractory Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Infection in a Liver Transplanted Patient: Correlation of the Host Antiviral Immune Reconstitution with CMV Viral Load and CMV miRNome.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the most significant viral infection in hosts with compromised immune systems as solid organ transplant patients. Despite significant progress being made in the prevention of CMV disease in these patients, further therapeutic strategies for CMV disease and for the CMV reactivation prevention are needed. Here, we describe the outcome of the infusion of in vitro expanded CMV-reactive T-cells, taken from a healthy CMV-seropositive donor, in a liver-transplanted recipient with a refractory recurrent CMV.

Understanding Support for European Integration Across Generations: A Study Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior.

Recent events, such as failed constitutional referenda, low voting turnout in the European Union parliamentary elections, and the 2016 Brexit referendum in the United Kingdom call for a better understanding of people's voting behavior in relation to the EU. The current study is the first attempt to use the theory of planned behavior to explore the antecedents of voting for EU integration in an Italian convenience sample (N = 441) of varying age. A structural equation model of voting intentions showed an excellent fit to the data, both for the whole sample and for subsamples of young vs.

Control Interactions in the Theory of Planned Behavior: Rethinking the Role of Subjective Norm.

Research with the theory of planned behavior (TPB) has typically treated attitude (ATT), subjective norm (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) as independent predictors of intention (INT). However, theoretically, PBC moderates the effects of ATT and SN on intention. In three studies dealing with different behaviors (voting, reducing household waste, and energy consumption) we show that greater PBC tends to strengthen the relative importance of ATT in the prediction of intention, whereas it tends to weaken the relative importance of SN.