Th.o.m.a.s.: new insights into theory of mind in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.

Previous studies indicated atypical Theory of Mind (ToM) abilities in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at different ages. However, research focused on adolescents with ASD is still rare. This study aims to fill the gaps in the literature, by investigating ToM abilities in adolescents with ASD and in a group of typically developing ones.

Social Support at School for Students with Sensory Disabilities.

Social support is the gratification of basic social needs (affection, belonging, esteem or approval, security, identity) through interaction with others. Social support at school allows students to perceive themselves as competent during learning and to enjoy school in general. Little is known about social support at school for students with sensory disabilities.

Attention toward Social and Non-Social Stimuli in Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Paired Preference Eye-Tracking Study.

Different dimensions of visual attention to social (human faces) and non-social stimuli (objects) were assessed in 19 preschool children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and 19 typically developing (TD) age, gender, and IQ-matched controls through an original paired preference eye-tracking paradigm. The present study found a significantly reduced attentional bias toward human faces in children with ASD compared to TD controls. The analysis of the total fixation time showed a significantly reduced preference for faces in children with ASD compared to TD children.

Pulmonary valve replacement for treatment of severe pulmonary regurgitation in patients with previous tetralogy of Fallot repair surgery.

Tetralogy of Fallot was classically described as the combination of pulmonary stenosis, right ventricle hypertrophy, perimembranous ventricular septal defect and an aortic root that overrides the ventricular septal defect. Full surgical repair, which is usually indicated in toddlers, comprises closure of the ventricular septal defect and alleviation of the pulmonary stenosis. Because there is a wide anatomical spectrum, the cause and severity of the pulmonary stenosis are variable.

The importance of diaphragmatic surgery, chemical pleurodesis and postoperative hormonal therapy in preventing recurrence in catamenial pneumothorax: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Catamenial pneumothorax (CP) is defined as a recurrent, spontaneous pneumothorax occurring within a day before or 72 h after the onset of menstruation. Most first episodes go undiagnosed and treated as primary spontaneous pneumothorax, and only after recurrence is the clinical suspicion of CP raised. No gold-standard management approach exists, especially in terms of managing diaphragmatic involvement.

Neonatal Rupture of the Tricuspid Valve and Maternal Lupus: Is There a Correlation?

Valve dysfunction is not widely recognized as a feature in newborns born to mothers with positive anti-Ro/SSA antibodies, and only scarce reports have suggested an association between rupture of the atrioventricular valve tensor apparatus and these maternal antibodies. We report the follow-up from fetal life to the time of postnatal surgery of a patient with severe tricuspid regurgitation due to a flail of the anterior tricuspid valve leaflet who was born to an anti-Ro/SSA antibodies positive mother.

Oxidative stress response in children undergoing cardiac surgery: Utility of the clearance of isoprostanes.

Introduction: Cardiac surgery (CS) in pediatric patients induces an overt oxidative stress (OS) response. Children are particularly vulnerable to OS related injury. The immaturity of their organs and antioxidant systems as well as the induction of OS in cardio-pulmonary bypass (CPB) surgery may have an important impact on outcomes.

Sleeve Lobectomy: To Wrap or Not to Wrap the Bronchial Anastomosis?

Background: Bronchoplastic procedures have become the reference standard in the lung parenchyma-sparing treatment of centrally located bronchopulmonary tumors. Two schools of thought exist regarding performing a bronchial sleeve resection: those who wrap the anastomosis with a pedicled flap and those who leave the anastomosis unprotected. We performed a study comparing these 2 methods.

A strange case of foreign body embolism in the right lower pulmonary artery.

Foreign bodies in the pulmonary circulation have been documented in the literature, with almost all cases being iatrogenic, involving venous catheters, or due to penetrating foreign body emboli. Foreign body pulmonary emboli are often difficult to diagnose due to their varied clinical presentation, the nature of the embolizing material and dubious radiological features. We describe the case of a patient who experienced episodes of massive hemoptysis with inconclusive radiological findings, who underwent a thoracotomy with the discovery of a wooden object of 7 cm in length in the right lower lobe artery, with no apparent mechanism of injury.

Sternal reconstruction after post-sternotomy dehiscence and mediastinitis.

Purpose: Post-sternotomy dehiscence and mediastinitis remains a serious complication in cardiothoracic surgery. The aim of this work is to report our experience over a period of 8 years in the surgical treatment and risk factor analyses of post-sternotomy dehiscence and mediastinitis.

Methods: All patients treated for post-sternotomy dehiscence at our Thoracic Surgery Unit in the last 8 years were retrospectively collected.

Giant Intrathoracic Schwannoma of the Left Vagus Nerve Manifesting as Atrial Fibrillation.

Posterior mediastinal tumors are not infrequent, and among them neurogenic masses and schwannomas are the most common histologic varieties. These benign, initially asymptomatic tumors later become symptomatic as a result of mass effect. Surgical excision is the preferred therapy, and the approach can be determined according to the dimensions of the lesion.

Core-shell silica-rhodamine B nanosphere for synthetic opals: from fluorescence spectral redistribution to sensing.

Photonic crystals are a unique tool to modify the photoluminescence of light-emitting materials. A variety of optical effects have been demonstrated by infiltrating opaline structures with photoactive media. On the other hand, the fabrication of such structures includes complex infiltration steps, that often affect the opal lattice and decrease the efficiency of light emission control.

Extracorporeal life support during and after bilateral sequential lung transplantation in patients with pulmonary artery hypertension.

The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenator instead of standard cardiopulmonary bypass during lung transplantation is debatable. Moreover, recently, the concept of prolonged postoperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenator (ECMO) support has been introduced in many transplant centers to prevent primary graft dysfunction (PGD) and improve early and long-term results. The objective of this study was to review the results of our extracorporeal life support strategy during and after bilateral sequential lung transplantation (BSLT) for pulmonary artery hypertension.

A Rare Case of Cardiogenic Shock: Cor Triatriatum With Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return.

Obstructive total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR) is a potentially life-threatening clinical condition and a surgical emergency. Left-sided partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVR) in association with a subdivided left atrium, also known as cor triatriatum sinister (CTS), is a very rare malformation that can mimic obstructive TAPVR. We present a case of a newborn with clinical manifestation of cardiogenic shock caused by CTS and PAPVR.

Urgent lung transplantation in acute fibrinous and organizing pneumonia: a sliding door or a new perspective?

Background: Lung transplantation is nowadays the standard therapy for certain well-defined chronic end-stage lung diseases, even in patients on mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal life support. While these latter techniques have been used worldwide as bridging options to lung transplantation for listed patients, they are not commonly used in previously healthy patients developing acute not-reversible lung failure.

Methods: We will discuss two patients without any relevant medical history developing acute lung failure evolving to irreversible acute fibrinous and organising pneumonia (AFOP), thus listed for urgent lung transplantation.

Reoperation for left atrioventricular valve failure in repaired atrioventricular septal defect: Can more valves be preserved in the current era?

Objective: Left atrio-ventricular valve (LAVV) regurgitation after repair of an atrio-ventricular septal defect (AVSD) may necessitate further surgery. However, redo-LAVV repair remains challenging. We sought to determine if more LAVV valves are preserved in the current era, and analyze early and longer-term results.

Unilateral pulmonary vein atresia without anomalous connection in adult patient with recurrent severe hemoptysis.

Isolated unilateral pulmonary vein atresia (UPVA) is a rare congenital malformation and the management remains controversial. In adults, pneumonectomy is the treatment of choice when significant hemoptysis becomes life-threatening. We report a case of a 28-year-old male with isolated unilateral right atresia of the pulmonary vein who had life-threatening hemoptysis treated with bronchial arteries embolization followed by successful right pneumonectomy.

The influence of the trocar choice on post-operative acute pain after thoracoscopy.

Background: Acute post-operative pain following thoracic surgery procedures is still an unresolved problem despite the introduction of minimally invasive procedures such as video assisted surgery. Until now it is never investigated if different surgical instruments could influence post-operative pain. The aim of our study is to investigate the role of different type of trocar on post-operative pain in minimally invasive thoracic surgery.

A new image-guided technique for intraoperative localization of lung small solid nodules or ground-glass opacities with a self-expanding tract sealant device: a preliminary experience.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate a new self-expanding tract sealant device, designed to prevent pneumothorax after computed tomography (CT)-guided lung biopsy, as an intraoperative marker for small pulmonary nodules or ground-glass opacities during minimally invasive thoracic surgery.

Methods: Three patients with pulmonary nodules underwent CT-guided biopsies in our radiology department. During the same procedure, using a 19-gauge coaxial needle, a self-expanding tract sealant device was positioned in the lung nodule to be used not only for the prevention of pneumothorax but also as an intraoperative marker.

Uniportal thoracoscopic resection of intralobar and extralobar pulmonary sequestration.

Pulmonary sequestration (PS) is a rare congenital malformation of the respiratory tract. Two main variants are described, the intralobar and the extralobar PS. Clinical manifestations vary from accidental findings to life threatening complications.

Uniportal video-assisted removal of a right paratracheal pericardial cyst: an unusual location.

Cystic lesions of the pericardium are a rare entity. Generally, they are congenital and located in the cardiophrenic angle. The right paratracheal location is unusual and differential diagnosis in particular with bronchogenic cyst is difficult even when using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Micro-incision thoracoscopic treatment of primary spontaneous pneumothorax: the "loop" technique.

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax has been defined as the disease of the 'young and healthy'. There are multiple possible therapies and in recent years, surgery has evolved towards the use of the uniportal thoracoscopic approach. The objective of our study is to describe and present an innovative approach to access to the thoracic cavity in patients with spontaneous pneumothorax.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy using "the caudal approach": results and evolution.

Background: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has become a common surgical approach in the diagnosis and treatment of lung and mediastinal diseases. In this study, we reported our current experience of thoracoscopic surgery using a new caudal position technique for anatomical lung resections and compared it with the standard anterior VATS technique.

Methods: From January 2016 to October 2017, 92 consecutive patients with lung cancer underwent VATS lobectomy.