Catheter ablation of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and disease progression: Magnitude of the antiprogression effect and role of intervention timing.

Background: Recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have shown that catheter ablation of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with a lower incidence of progression to persistent AF compared with the use of antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) therapy.

Objective: This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the magnitude of the antiprogression effect of catheter ablation as well as the effect of intervention timing.

Methods: MEDLINE/EMBASE databases were searched until April 1, 2024 for RCTs comparing catheter ablation and AAD therapy for the treatment of paroxysmal AF and reporting the rate of progression to persistent AF at 3 years (PROSPERO CRD42024534288).

Dysregulation of MMP2-dependent TGF-ß2 activation impairs fibrous cap formation in type 2 diabetes-associated atherosclerosis.

Type 2 diabetes is associated with cardiovascular disease, possibly due to impaired vascular fibrous repair. Yet, the mechanisms are elusive. Here, we investigate alterations in the fibrous repair processes in type 2 diabetes atherosclerotic plaque extracellular matrix by combining multi-omics from the human Carotid Plaque Imaging Project cohort and functional studies.

Normative values of the brief international cognitive assessment for multiple sclerosis (BICAMS) in an Italian young adolescent population: the influence of age, sex, and education.

Background: The Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) is the most widely used in clinical practice and the least time-consuming battery to estimate cognitive function in adults with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), while it has been included in few studies on young MS, also because of the absence of normative values.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of age, sex and education on BICAMS scores in a young adolescent population.

Methods: We administered the BICAMS to 169, 11-to-18-year-old, healthy subjects.

The effect of swimmer position during prone ventilation on the onset of brachial plexus injury in the intensive care unit: A multiprofessional clinical study protocol.

Background: Prone positioning improves oxygenation in adults with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and has been extensively applied in intensive care units (ICU) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although some complications due to the manoeuvre are well known, brachial plexus injury after prone positioning is reported as a rare complication and the phenomenon could be either very rare or underestimated.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of swimmer position during prone ventilation on the onset of brachial plexus injury in patients admitted to ICU for ARDS.