Gender Disparity in Surgical Research: An Analysis of Authorship in Randomized Controlled Trials.

Introduction: Despite increasing female representation in medical fields, women remain underrepresented in high-impact authorship positions. This study examines gender disparities in authorship of randomized controlled trials in general surgery journals over the past 20 y.

Methods: Utilizing PubMed and the Journal Citation Reports (Clarivate, 2023), we identified 8810 randomized controlled trials from 117 surgery journals, filtering down to 5694 studies for final analysis.

Spatial food webs in the Barents Sea: atlantification and the reorganization of the trophic structure.

Climate change affects ecosystems at several levels: by altering the spatial distribution of individual species, by locally rewiring interspecific interactions, and by reorganizing trophic networks at larger scales. The dynamics of marine food webs are becoming more and more sensitive to spatial processes and connections in the seascape. As a case study, we study the atlantification of the Barents Sea: we compare spatio-temporal subsystems at three levels: the identity of key organisms, critically important interactions and the entire food web.

Estimating the potential risk of transmission of arboviruses in the Americas and Europe: a modelling study.

Background: Estimates of the spatiotemporal distribution of different mosquito vector species and the associated risk of transmission of arboviruses are key to design adequate policies for preventing local outbreaks and reducing the number of human infections in endemic areas. In this study, we quantified the abundance of Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti and the local transmission potential for three arboviral infections at an unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution in areas where no entomological surveillance is available.

Methods: We developed a computational model to quantify the daily abundance of Aedes mosquitoes, leveraging temperature and precipitation records.

Hepatic Artery Anomalies in Pancreaticoduodenectomy: Outcomes from a High-Volume Center.

Introduction: Hepatic artery anomalies (HAA) may have an impact on surgical and oncological outcomes of patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD).

Methods: Patients who underwent PD at our institution between July 2015 and January 2020 were retrospectively reviewed and classified into two groups: group 1, with presence of HAA, and group 2, with no HAA. A weighted logistic regression model was employed to assess the association between HAA and postoperative complications, and to assess the association between HAA and R status in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Primary care pediatricians and job satisfaction: a cross sectional study in the Lazio region.

Background: The Order of Physicians and Dentists of the Province of Rome aims at focusing on the satisfaction of healthcare personnel as an essential factor for the quality of medical care in the health sector. The aim of this study is to assess and prioritize the factors that can be linked to a higher or lower degree of job satisfaction in Primary Care Pediatricians (PCPs).

Methods: This study is a cross sectional survey.

Epidemiology, surveillance and diagnosis of Usutu virus infection in the EU/EEA, 2012 to 2021.

BackgroundUsutu virus (USUV) is a flavivirus with an enzootic cycle between birds and mosquitoes; humans are incidental dead-end hosts. In Europe, the virus was first detected in Italy in 1996; since then, it has spread to many European countries.AimWe aimed to report on the epidemiology, surveillance, diagnosis and prevention of USUV infection in humans, mosquitoes and other animals in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) from 2012 to 2021.

Colonization Slightly Affects Gut Microbiota and Hematological Parameters in Clinically Healthy Dogs.

() is a worldwide cause of acute diarrheal disease both in humans and animals. The primary aim of this study was to investigate possible variations in gut microbiota in a population of asymptomatic dogs ( = 31), naturally infected or not by . Gut microbiota and the hematological, biochemical, and fecal parameters related to intestinal function were investigated.

Utility of Nephrologist-Performed Point of Care Ultrasonography in the Evaluation of Hyponatremia.

Point of care ultrasonography can be a valuable adjunct to conventional physical examination in patients with hyponatremia that aids in clinical decision making. It can address the shortcomings of traditional volume status assessment such as the inherent low sensitivity of 'classic' signs such as lower extremity edema. Herein, we present a case of a 35-year-old woman where discrepant clinical findings led to confusion in the accurate assessment of volume status but addition of point of care ultrasonography helped to guide the therapy.

Risk of Infection and Duration of Protection after the Booster Dose of the Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine BNT162b2 among Healthcare Workers in a Large Teaching Hospital in Italy: Results of an Observational Study.

The efficacy of the first schedule of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines has decreased after the surge of the Delta variant, posing the need to administer a booster dose to enhance the neutralising immune response. This study aims at evaluating the duration of protection given by the booster dose of Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine in healthcare workers (HCWs) of a large teaching hospital in Rome and to analyse the factors associated with post-booster vaccination infections. Data about vaccinations of HCWs with the BNT162b2 vaccine and nasal swabs positive for SARS-CoV-2 were extracted from the digital archives of the hospital from 27 September 2021 to 31 May 2022.

Rectal Sparing Approaches after Neoadjuvant Treatment for Rectal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Comparing Local Excision and Watch and Wait.

Local Excision (LE) or Watch and Wait (WW) for patients with complete clinical response or near-complete clinical response after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) were proposed to avoid morbidity and impairment of quality of life after rectal resection. The aim of this study is to perform a systematic review of the literature, and to compare rectal-sparing approaches, in terms of rectum-preservation rate, local control, and distant recurrences. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed of studies published until July 2022 (PROSPERO, registration CRD42022341480), and the quality of evidence was assessed using a GRADE approach.

Limits of Clinical Restaging in Detecting Responders After Neoadjuvant Therapies for Rectal Cancer.

Background: Accurate clinical restaging is required to select patients who respond to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer and who may benefit from an organ preservation strategy.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to review our experience with the clinical restaging of rectal cancer after neoadjuvant therapy to assess its accuracy in detecting major and pathological complete response to treatment.

Design: This was a retrospective cohort study.

Medical Residents' Behaviours toward Compulsory COVID-19 Vaccination in a Tertiary Hospital in Italy.

To maintain safety conditions in the provision of care and assistance, and to protect healthcare workers (HCWs) and patients, the Italian government required compulsory COVID-19 vaccination for HCWs, including medical residents (MRs). The aim of this study was to assess COVID-19 vaccination coverage in MRs in a large tertiary hospital in Italy, before and after the introduction of compulsory vaccination, according to demographic characteristics and specific residency. A database on COVID-19 vaccination status and infection of resident medical doctors was created.

Vector-borne and other pathogens of potential relevance disseminated by relocated cats.

Large populations of unowned cats constitute an animal welfare, ecological, societal and public health issue worldwide. Their relocation and homing are currently carried out in many parts of the world with the intention of relieving suffering and social problems, while contributing to ethical and humane population control in these cat populations. An understanding of an individual cat's lifestyle and disease status by veterinary team professionals and those working with cat charities can help to prevent severe cat stress and the spread of feline pathogens, especially vector-borne pathogens, which can be overlooked in cats.

Rapid spread of a new West Nile virus lineage 1 associated with increased risk of neuroinvasive disease during a large outbreak in northern Italy, 2022: One Health analysis.

Background: A new strain of WNV lineage 1 (WNV - 1) emerged in the Veneto Region, northern Italy, in 2021, eight years after the last outbreak of WNV - 1 in Italy. The virus, which co-circulates with WNV-2, has become endemic in the Region, where, in 2022, most human cases of neuroinvasive disease (WNND) reported in Europe have occurred.

Methods: Comparative analysis of the epidemiology and clinical presentation of WNV-1 and WNV-2 infection in humans, as well as the temporal and geographic distribution of WNV-1 and WNV-2 among wild birds and Culex pipiens mosquitoes in Veneto, from May 16th to August 21st, 2022, to determine if the high number of WNND cases was associated with WNV-1.

COVID-19 free pathways decrease postoperative complications in patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery.

Background: To reduce the exposition risk to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in surgical patients more prone to develop serious forms of Coronavirus disease 2019, a reorganization that previewed the creation "COVID-19-free" hospitals or units was pursued. The aim of this study was to quantify the effect of clear pathways to reduce the risk of SARS-Cov-2 transmission, on postoperative complications.

Methods: Data of all consecutive patients undergoing surgical procedure for colorectal diseases, between November 2019 and July 2020 in two Italian referral centers, were retrospectively analyzed.

Contrast-Enhanced CT Texture Analysis in Colon Cancer: Correlation with Genetic Markers.

Background: The purpose of the study was to determine whether contrast-enhanced CT texture features relate to, and can predict, the presence of specific genetic mutations involved in CRC carcinogenesis. Materials and methods: This retrospective study analyzed the pre-operative CT in the venous phase of patients with CRC, who underwent testing for mutations in the KRAS, NRAS, BRAF, and MSI genes. Using a specific software based on CT images of each patient, for each slice including the tumor a region of interest was manually drawn along the margin, obtaining the volume of interest.