GALAD, or des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin compared with alpha-foetoprotein for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in people with chronic liver disease.

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (diagnostic). The objectives are as follows: To estimate the diagnostic accuracy of des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin, GALAD (Gender, Age, Lens culinaris agglutinin-reactive AFP, AFP and DCP), and alpha-foetoprotein for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma of any size, and at any stage, in adults with chronic liver disease, in either a surveillance programme or a clinical setting. We acknowledge the possibility that theoretically, the accuracy of the tests in a surveillance programme may differ from that in a clinical setting due to variation in inclusion criteria and the prevalence of the target condition.

Heart failure after left atrial appendage occlusion: Insights from the LAAOS III randomized trial.

Aims: The left atrial appendage (LAA) produces natriuretic peptides and its removal or occlusion might increase the risk of heart failure (HF). We aimed to investigate the incidence of HF after LAA occlusion or removal (LAAO) in the Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Study (LAAOS III).

Methods And Results: Patients (n = 4811) with atrial fibrillation (AF) and a CHADS-VASc score ≥2, who were having cardiac surgery for another indication, were randomized to undergo surgical LAAO or not.

Biallelic NEXN variants and fetal onset dilated cardiomyopathy: two independent case reports and revision of literature.

Background: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is an etiologically heterogeneous group of diseases of the myocardium. With the rapid evolution in laboratory investigations, genetic background is increasingly determined including many genes with variable penetrance and expressivity. Biallelic NEXN variants are rare in humans and associated with poor prognosis: fetal and perinatal death or severe DCMs in infants.

A synchronous-twisting method to realize radial scalability in fibrous energy storage devices.

For wearable electronics, radial scalability is one of the key research areas for fibrous energy storage devices to be commercialized, but this field has been shelved for years due to the lack of effective methods and configuration arrangements. Here, the team presents a generalizable strategy to realize radial scalability by applying a synchronous-twisting method (STM) for synthesizing a coaxial-extensible configuration (CEC). As examples, aqueous fiber-shaped Zn-MnO batteries and MoS-MnO supercapacitors with a diameter of ~500 μm and a length of 100 cm were made.

Attachment, Mentalization, Emotion Dysregulation, and Empathy in Eating Disorders: Comparing Anorexic and Bulimic Patients.

Eating disorders (EDs) represent a wide range of clinical symptoms related to food intake, body image, and weight issues, and include anorexia nervosa-restricting type (AN-R), anorexia nervosa-binge-purge type (AN-BP), and bulimia nervosa (BN). The aim was to investigate the characteristics of attachment, mentalization, emotion dysregulation, and empathy in a sample of 102 patients with EDs. A sample of 102 patients and therapists completed a series of measures for the assessment of ED pathology, mentalization, empathy, and emotion dysregulation.

New echocardiographic screening tool for left ventricular tract obstruction risk assessment in TMVR.

Background: Transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) is an alternative to conventional surgery to treat severe mitral disease but its use is limited by the risk of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO). Screening depends on ECG-gated computed tomography (CT) that is not widely available and requires contrast. We developed and validated a transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE) method to assess the risk of LVOTO after TMVR with the Tendyne System.

The prophylactic use of negative-pressure wound therapy after cardiac surgery: a meta-analysis.

Surgical site infections (SSIs) pose a frequent complication in cardiac surgery patients and lead to increased patient discomfort and extended hospitalization. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the protective role of single-use negative-pressure wound therapy (sNPWT) devices on closed surgical wounds after cardiac surgery, and explored their potential preventive application across all cardiac surgery patients. A comprehensive literature search was conducted on ScienceDirect, focusing on studies related to "negative pressure wound therapy" or "PICO negative pressure wound therapy" combined with "cardiac surgery" or "sternotomy," published between 2000 and 2022.

Minimally invasive left atrial appendage occlusion plus reduced dose direct oral anticoagulant to prevent stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation-the LAAO-PlusRE.

The onset of atrial fibrillation (AF) has a direct association with left atrial appendage (LAA) function, as demonstrated by recent studies demonstrating the link between left atrial (LA) wall fibrosis, impaired contractility, and the development of AF. Non-valvular AF (NVAF) affects almost 30 million people worldwide, with this number expected to increase in the next 20 years. It is the main cause of ischemic stroke, with significant subsequent economic and social impact.

Changes in mentalization in patients with personality disorders during sequential brief-Adlerian psychodynamic psychotherapy: The role of therapists' technique and countertransference.

Unlabelled: Mentalization, that is the capacity to understand our and others' behaviors in terms of intentional mental states, represents one of the core features of personality disorders (PDs) and can be related to therapists' countertransference (CT) and interventions.

Aims: The aim of the present work was to study the relationship between therapists' technique, therapists' CT, and patients' mentalization, in a sample of patients with PDs undergoing a 40-session program of sequential brief-adlerian psychodynamic psychotherapy, a psychodynamic therapeutic model specifically developed for the treatment of PDs in public mental health services.

Method: Eighty-seven patients with PD and their therapists completed ratings of mentalization (mentalization imbalances scale and reflective functioning questionnaire), CT (therapist response questionnaire), and therapists' intervention (comparative psychotherapy process scale) at five different time points (Sessions 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40).

Platelet Reduction after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: Results from the PORTRAIT Study.

An unexplained condition that follows transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is platelet count reduction (PR). According to published research, patients with balloon-expandable valves (BEVs) had a greater PR than those with self-expandable valves (SEVs). The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence and clinical effects of PR following TAVI.

mPAP/CO Slope and Oxygen Uptake Add Prognostic Value in Aortic Stenosis.

Background: Recent guidelines redefined exercise pulmonary hypertension as a mean pulmonary artery pressure/cardiac output (mPAP/CO) slope >3 mm Hg·L·min. A peak systolic pulmonary artery pressure >60 mm Hg during exercise has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular death, heart failure rehospitalization, and aortic valve replacement in aortic valve stenosis. The prognostic value of the mPAP/CO slope in aortic valve stenosis remains unknown.

Risk factors and scores for prediction of coronary artery aneurysms in Kawasaki disease: a European monocentric study.

Background: Japanese Kawasaki disease (KD) risk scores cannot be adopted in non-Japanese patients. In North American populations a baseline coronary artery Z-score > 2 and the Son score are associated with coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs) at 4 and 8 weeks from disease onset. In European populations, the Kawanet and Kawanet-echo scores are associated with intravenous immunoglobulin resistance.

Pragmatic Trial Design to Compare Real-world Effectiveness of Different Treatments for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: The PRACTICE-IBD European Consensus.

Background And Aims: Pragmatic studies designed to test interventions in everyday clinical settings can successfully complement the evidence from registration and explanatory clinical trials. The European consensus project PRACTICE-IBD was developed to identify essential criteria and address key methodological issues needed to design valid, comparative, pragmatic studies in inflammatory bowel diseases [BDs].

Methods: Statements were issued by a panel of 11 European experts in IBD management and trial methodology, on four main topics: [I] study design; [II] eligibility, recruitment and organisation, flexibility; [III] outcomes; [IV] analysis.

A Case of Enterococcal Patent Ductus Arteriosus-associated Endarteritis in a Preterm Neonate.

Introduction: The persistent patency of the ductus arteriosus frequently occurs in premature neonates and can cause infective endocarditis (IE) or ductal endarteritis (DE) during sepsis. Even though neonatal IE and DE are believed to be a rare eventuality, their incidence has been increasing in the last decades due to the improved survival of even more preterm babies, favored by highly invasive procedures and therapies. In parallel, antimicrobial resistance is another rising problem in neonatal intensive care units, which frequently compels to treat infections with broad-spectrum or last generation antibiotics.

Platelet Reduction after Aortic Bioprosthesis Implantation: Results from the PORTRAIT Study.

: Platelet count reduction (PR) is a common but unclear phenomenon that occurs after aortic bioprosthesis valve implantation (bio-AVR). This study aimed to investigate the occurrence and clinical impact of PR in patients receiving stented, rapid deployment (RDV), or stentless bioprostheses. : 1233 adult bio-AVR patients were enrolled.