How reliable is assessment of true vocal cord-arytenoid unit mobility in patients affected by laryngeal cancer? a multi-institutional study on 366 patients from the ARYFIX collaborative group.

Purpose: In clinical practice the assessment of the "vocal cord-arytenoid unit" (VCAU) mobility is crucial in the staging, prognosis, and choice of treatment of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). The aim of the present study was to measure repeatability and reliability of clinical assessment of VCAU mobility and radiologic analysis of posterior laryngeal extension.

Methods: In this multi-institutional retrospective study, patients with LSCC-induced impairment of VCAU mobility who received curative treatment were included; pre-treatment endoscopy and contrast-enhanced imaging were collected and evaluated by raters.

Depth of Invasion Assessment in Laryngeal Glottic Carcinoma: A Preoperative Imaging Approach for Prognostication.

Objective: The prognostic value of depth of invasion (DOI) in oral squamous cell cancer carcinoma and cutaneous melanoma is well established, while there is a lack of reports investigating the role of DOI in laryngeal cancer. This study aims to explore the association of glottic cancer DOI with other established pathological risk factors and nodal metastasis and evaluate the feasibility of measuring DOI preoperatively using tomographic imaging.

Methods: The medical records of glottic cancer patients treated between 2015 and 2020 in a single tertiary referral center were screened retrospectively.

Mono- and bi-plane sonographic approach for difficult accesses in the emergency department - A randomized trial.

Background: The insertion of peripheral intravenous (PIV) catheters is one of the most performed invasive procedures in acute healthcare settings. However, peripheral difficult vascular access (PDVA) is not uncommon and can lead to delays in administering essential medications. Ultrasound (US) has emerged as a valuable tool for facilitating PIV cannulation.

Can High-Frequency Intraoral Ultrasound Predict Histological Risk Factors in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma? A Preliminary Experience.

Despite advancements in multidisciplinary care, oncologic outcomes of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) have not substantially improved: still, one-third of patients affected by stage I and II can develop locoregional recurrences. Imaging plays a pivotal role in preoperative staging of OSCC, providing depth of invasion (DOI) measurements. However, locoregional recurrences have a strong association with adverse histopathological factors not included in the staging system, and any imaging features linked to them have been lacking.

Does the distal ureteral diameter ratio (UDR) matter in the surgical management of vesicoureteral reflux in children?

Purpose: To evaluate UDR reliability, sensitivity, specificity and to identify the best treatment basing on UDR among single or double endoscopic injections and ureteral reimplantation.

Methods: Data of patients affected by primary VUR and treated by endoscopic injection over a 10 years period were retrospectively analyzed. Two radiologist attributed reflux grade and UDR on voiding cystourethrogram twice and blinded.

Imaging assessment of deep neck spaces infections: an anatomical approach.

Despite the widespread use of antibiotics, deep neck infections are still a relevant clinical problem and can cause severe and potentially life-threatening complications. Imaging plays a pivotal role into the clinical management of deep neck infections, allowing identification of the source of infections, definition of the precise extension of the disease and early diagnosis of local or distant complications. The complex anatomy of deep neck spaces may hide the actual extent of disease: the knowledge of neck anatomy enables radiologists to rapidly evaluate expected routes of spread of infections and to effectively communicate crucial information to surgeons.

High-Frequency Intraoral Ultrasound for Preoperative Assessment of Depth of Invasion for Early Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Radiological-Pathological Correlations.

The eighth edition of the TNM classification officially introduced "depth of invasion" (DOI) as a criterion for determining the T stage in tongue squamous cell carcinoma. The DOI is a well-known independent risk factor for nodal metastases. In fact, several experts strongly suggest elective neck dissection for tongue cancer with a DOI > 4 mm due to the high risk of early and occult nodal metastases.

Myeloma Spine and Bone Damage Score (MSBDS) on Whole-Body Computed Tomography (WBCT): Multiple Reader Agreement in a Multicenter Reliability Study.

To assess the reliability of the myeloma spine and bone damage score (MSBDS) across multiple readers with different levels of expertise and from different institutions. A reliability exercise, including 104 data sets of static images and complete CT examinations of patients affected by multiple myeloma (MM), was performed. A complementary imaging atlas provided detailed examples of the MSBDS scores, including low-risk and high-risk lesions.

High-Resolution Ultrasound of Facial Muscles: Sonoanatomy, Scanning Technique, and Pathological Cases.

The aim of the present work is to review the sonographic appearance of facial muscles with high-frequency transducers and to illustrate a step-by-step scanning technique that enables an effective evaluation of them. In addition, we highlighted the clinical application showing some pathological cases demonstrated with ultrasound (US). The recent technological advances have greatly enlarged the potential of high-resolution US in the evaluation of the face.

Exploring Response to Immunotherapy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Using Delta-Radiomics.

Delta-radiomics is a branch of radiomics in which features are confronted after time or after introducing an external factor (such as treatment with chemotherapy or radiotherapy) to extrapolate prognostic data or to monitor a certain condition. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are currently revolutionizing the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, there are still many issues in defining the response to therapy. Contrast-enhanced CT scans of 33 NSCLC patients treated with ICIs were analyzed; altogether, 43 lung lesions were considered.

A Machine Learning Application to Predict Early Lung Involvement in Scleroderma: A Feasibility Evaluation.

Introduction: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a systemic immune-mediated disease, featuring fibrosis of the skin and organs, and has the greatest mortality among rheumatic diseases. The nervous system involvement has recently been demonstrated, although actual lung involvement is considered the leading cause of death in SSc and, therefore, should be diagnosed early. Pulmonary function tests are not sensitive enough to be used for screening purposes, thus they should be flanked by other clinical examinations; however, this would lead to a risk of overtesting, with considerable costs for the health system and an unnecessary burden for the patients.

Prediction of 28-day mortality in critically ill patients with COVID-19: Development and internal validation of a clinical prediction model.

Background: COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly required a high demand of hospitalization and an increased number of intensive care units (ICUs) admission. Therefore, it became mandatory to develop prognostic models to evaluate critical COVID-19 patients.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively evaluate a cohort of consecutive COVID-19 critically ill patients admitted to ICU with a confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia.

Correlation Between Skin and Affected Organs in 52 Sclerodermic Patients Followed in a Diseases Management Team: Development of a Risk Prediction Model of Organ-Specific Complications.

Objective: To identify the existence of a correlation among the various organs affected, focusing primarily on immuno-dermatological aspects, and to create a risk prediction model of organ-specific complications.

Material And Methods: Fifty-two patients with stable scleroderma, followed between 2015 and 2019, were investigated through an extensive multidisciplinary evaluation in the last year.

Results: Patients with lung involvement presented a worse degree of skin fibrosis than patients without it (p <0.

Cancer patients with COVID-19: a retrospective study of 51 patients in the district of Piacenza, Northern Italy.

Background: Cancer patients are considered a highly fragile group in the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Material & Methods: In this study, patients with COVID-19 and cancer, hospitalized in Piacenza, Italy, from 4 April to 4 May 2020 were included. Risk factors for death were analyzed.

The deep impact of novel CoVID-19 infection in an Orthopedics and Traumatology Department: the experience of the Piacenza Hospital.

Since February 21st, 2020 CoVID-19 spread throughout all Italy expanding like a "tsunami" from Codogno (Lodi, Lombardy, Northern Italy) to neighboring cities. In a few days Lodi, Piacenza, Milano, Brescia and Bergamo were forced to deal with this disaster starting the lockdown at different time. No national plan had been prepared.

Bilateral inflammatory pseudotumour of the trigeminal nerve: a diagnostic challenge.

Inflammatory pseudotumour (IPT) is an uncommon disease with undefined pathogenesis. It is often characterized by local aggressiveness with compressive and displacing effects on surrounding structures. It may appear in different regions of the body, rarely involving perineural structures unilaterally.

Photodynamic effects of porphyrin and chlorin photosensitizers in human colon adenocarcinoma cells.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a cancer treatment involving systemic administration of a tumor-localizing photosensitizer; this, when activated by the appropriate wavelength of light, interacts with molecular oxygen to form a toxic, short-lived species known as singlet oxygen, which is thought to mediate cellular death. Photofrin, a complex mixture of porphyrin oligomers has recently received FDA approval for the photodynamic treatment of esophageal and endobronchial carcinoma, but its photodynamic and toxicity profiles are far from ideal. In the present study we evaluated a series of porphyrin-based PSs, some of which newly synthesized by our group, with the aim to identify agents with more favorable characteristics.

Duration of viral suppression in patients on stable therapy for HIV-1 infection is predicted by plasma HIV RNA level after 1 month of treatment.

Unlabelled: The aim of this study was to assess the predictive value of HIV RNA levels after 1 month of therapy on the long-term virologic outcome in an unselected general population of HIV-infected patients.

Design: Analysis was conducted retrospectively on an ongoing clinical cohort of HIV-positive patients who were receiving antiretroviral treatment. Data on 575 patients were analyzed.

Teicoplanin versus cefamandole in the prevention of infection in total hip replacement.

In a prospective, controlled, single-blind study the efficacy of teicoplanin versus cefamandole in preventing infections in total hip replacement was investigated in 496 consecutive patients. A single intravenous dose of teicoplanin (400 mg) was as effective as two intravenous doses of cefamandole (2 g before and 1 g after surgery). No major complications were observed in either group.

The effect of ciprofloxacin on oral contraceptive steroid treatments.

The effect of ciprofloxacin, a new broad-spectrum quinolone derivative, on concomitant oral contraceptive steroids has been studied in a double-blind cross-over placebo-controlled randomized trial. Ten healthy women using long-term oral contraceptive steroids received either ciprofloxacin 500 mg BID or placebo during two consecutive cycles. Therapy was continued for seven days from the first day of contraceptive treatment.