Cangrelor, Tirofiban, and Chewed or Standard Prasugrel Regimens in Patients With ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Primary Results of the FABOLUS-FASTER Trial.

Background: Standard administration of newer oral P2Y inhibitors, including prasugrel or ticagrelor, provides suboptimal early inhibition of platelet aggregation (IPA) in patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention. We aimed to investigate the effects of cangrelor, tirofiban, and prasugrel, administered as chewed or integral loading dose, on IPA in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Methods: The FABOLUS-FASTER trial (Facilitation Through Aggrastat or Cangrelor Bolus and Infusion Over Prasugrel: A Multicenter Randomized Open-Label Trial in Patients with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Referred for Primary Percutaneous Intervention) is an investigator-initiated, multicenter, open-label, randomized study.

Snuffbox approach for balloon aortic valvuloplasty: A case series.

In the era of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), the spectrum of indications for balloon aortic valvuloplasty is growing, especially in old and frail patients. Mini-invasive approaches via radial access reduce vascular complications and length of hospital stay. The snuffbox approach has never been described for Balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV).

P2Y12 inhibitors monotherapy after short course of dual antiplatelet therapy in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials including 29 089 patients.

Aims: Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) reduces the incidence of thrombotic complications at the cost of an increase in bleedings. New antiplatelet therapies focused on minimizing bleeding and maximizing antithrombotic effects are emerging. The aim of this study is to collect the current evidence coming from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on early aspirin interruption after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and current drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation and to perform a meta-analysis in order to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this strategy.

Resting distal to aortic pressure ratio and fractional flow reserve discordance affects the diagnostic performance of quantitative flow ratio: Results from an individual patient data meta-analysis.

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of quantitative flow ratio (QFR) related to fractional flow reserve (FFR) and resting distal-to-aortic pressure ratio (resting Pd/Pa) concordance.

Background: QFR is a method for computation of FFR based on standard coronary angiography. It is unclear how QFR is performed in patients with discordance between FFR and resting pressure ratios (distal-to-aortic pressure ratio [Pd/Pa]).

Genomewide Association Study of Platelet Reactivity and Cardiovascular Response in Patients Treated With Clopidogrel: A Study by the International Clopidogrel Pharmacogenomics Consortium.

Antiplatelet response to clopidogrel shows wide variation, and poor response is correlated with adverse clinical outcomes. CYP2C19 loss-of-function alleles play an important role in this response, but account for only a small proportion of variability in response to clopidogrel. An aim of the International Clopidogrel Pharmacogenomics Consortium (ICPC) is to identify other genetic determinants of clopidogrel pharmacodynamics and clinical response.

[Management of stent under-expansion].

Stent under-expansion represents a negative prognostic factor, because of the risk to develop intrastent restenosis and stent thrombosis. It is often due to excessive calcium burden at the target lesion level. The list of devices available for the treatment of stent under-expansion includes super high-pressure non-compliant (NC) balloons, excimer laser and intravascular lithotripsy.

Italian Multicenter Registry of Bare Metal Stent Use in Modern Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Era (AMARCORD): A multicenter observational study.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the use of bare metal stent (BMS) implantation in current percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) era, focusing on indications for use and clinical outcomes.

Background: Limited data on BMS usage in current clinical practice are available.

Methods: All patients who underwent PCI with at least one BMS implantation in 18 Italian centers from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2017, were included in our registry.

Exercise intervention improves quality of life in older adults after myocardial infarction: randomised clinical trial.

Objective: To establish the benefits of an early, tailored and low-cost exercise intervention in older patients hospitalised for acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Methods: The study was a multicentre, randomised assessment of an exercise intervention in patients with ACS ≥70 years with reduced physical performance (as defined by the short physical performance battery (SPPB), value 4-9). The exercise intervention included four supervised sessions (1, 2, 3, 4 months after discharge) and home-based exercises.

[The AUDIT tool in security management at work in companies operating in the port area of Trieste. An interinstitutional prevention project].

This work describes the experience realized in the period 2016 - 2018 in the firms actives in the Port of Triest for promoting good models of organization and management in the safety. The approach is based not only in the "construction" of the instruments of AUDIT, but started from the acquisition of the knowledge of employers and workers. This allowed to weigh the results of the AUDIT and create the consciousness of risks in all company components.

Ticagrelor Increases and mRNA Levels in Peripheral Blood Cells from Patients with Stable Coronary Artery Disease and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Ticagrelor is a powerful P2Y inhibitor with pleiotropic effects in the cardiovascular system. Consistently, we have reported that in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) and concomitant chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), 1-month treatment with ticagrelor was superior in improving biological markers of endothelial function, compared with clopidogrel. The objective of this study was to investigate the mechanisms underlying these beneficial effects of ticagrelor by conducting molecular analyses of RNA isolated from peripheral blood cells of these patients.

Facilitation Through Aggrastat or Cangrelor Bolus and Infusion Over PrasugreL: a MUlticenter Randomized Open-label Trial in PatientS with ST-elevation Myocardial InFarction Referred for PrimAry PercutaneouS InTERvention (FABOLUS FASTER) Trial: Design and Rationale : The FABOLUS FASTER Trial.

Antithrombotic therapy is a critical component of the management of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Rapid and profound inhibition of platelet reactivity has been shown to mitigate the ischemic risks and improve myocardial salvage. High residual platelet reactivity (HRPR) has been reported up to 4 or 6 h after loading dose of prasugrel or ticagrelor; therefore, multiple alternative strategies, including crushed or chewed oral tables or intravenous agents, have been investigated to provide a more rapid and sustained inhibition of platelet function and bridge the initial treatment gap.

Development, optimization and validation of an absolute specific assay for active myeloperoxidase (MPO) and its application in a clinical context: role of MPO specific activity in coronary artery disease.

Background Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is an enzyme with a recognized prognostic role in coronary artery disease (CAD), which is also emerging as a promising biomarker for cardiac risk stratification. However, the lack of a consensus method for its quantification has hindered its implementation in clinical practice. The aim of our work was to optimize an absolute sensitive assay for active MPO without external standards, to validate the method in the clinical context of CAD patients, and to estimate the enzyme specific activity.

A cytofluorimetric assay to evaluate T cell polyfunctionality.

The magnitude and the quality of T-cell response are critical endpoints in the immune-monitoring of cancer patients. The release of cytokines and lytic factors by T cells operate in each phase of the cancer immunity cycle. The simultaneous cytokine production, defined as T-cell polyfunctionality, is a dynamic state of different T-cell subsets and may represent a surrogate biomarker of response to immune-mediated therapies.

Cross Sectional Study on Exposure to BPA and Phthalates and Semen Parameters in Men Attending a Fertility Center.

Among the possible risk factors for male reproduction, exposure to phthalates and alkylphenols is widely documented. This study evaluated the possible association between chemical exposure and the quality of the seminal fluid of 105 subjects in a fertility clinic. The urinary levels of seven phthalate metabolites (monoethylphthalate, MEP; monobenzylphthalate, MBzP; mono -butylphthalate, MnBP; mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, MEHP; mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate, MEHHP; mono--octylphthalate, MnOP; mono-isononylphthalate, MiNP) and bisphenol A (BPA), were analysed by high performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry HPLC/MS/MS.

Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists, Blood Pressure, and Outcomes in Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) on systolic blood pressure (SBP) and outcomes according to baseline SBP in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).

Background: MRAs are greatly underused in patients with HFrEF, often because of fear of adverse events. Concern about hypotension has been raised by the demonstration that MRAs are particularly effective treatment for resistant hypertension.