Robotic cardiac surgery for removal of iliac venous stent embolized in the right cardiac chambers: a case report.

A 42-year-old female patient with a surgical history of iliac venous angioplasty with stenting developed dyspnea on exertion 9 months later. Chest computed tomography angiography revealed a fractured vascular stent in the right cardiac chamber. Doppler echocardiography confirmed that the stent was anchored by the tricuspid valve, causing mild obstruction of the right ventricular filling.

Macrophages and Mast Cells in the Gastric Mucosa of Patients with Obesity Undergoing Sleeve Gastrectomy.

Adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) and mast cells (MCs) play a role in immune responses. More recently, their involvement in tumor angiogenesis and chronic inflammatory conditions in patients with obesity has been discovered. Furthermore, a higher BMI (Body Mass Index) value corresponds to a higher inflammatory state.

Close relationship between mediators of inflammation and pancreatic cancer: Our experience.

In this editorial, we focus specifically on the mechanisms by which pancreatic inflammation affects pancreatic cancer. Cancer of the pancreas remains one of the deadliest cancer types. The highest incidence and mortality rates of pancreatic cancer are found in developed countries.

Metaverse and Telementoring: From Surgery to Workshop.

Background: The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has favored the growth of telemedicine systems and in this context the idea of Metaverse was born and developed. A 3D reality in which people can interact with each other through digital reproductions of themselves. Metaverse has already been tested in numerous medical fields due to its ability to combine visual and auditory information with tactile sensations.

Charge carrier transport in perylene-based and pyrene-based columnar liquid crystals.

Electron and hole transport characteristics were evaluated for perylene-based and pyrene-based compounds using electron-only and hole-only devices. The perylene presented a columnar hexagonal liquid crystal phase at room temperature with strong molecular π-stacking inside the columns. The pyrene crystallizes bellow 166 °C, preserving the close-packed columnar rectangular structure of the mesophase.

Dermatan Sulfate/Chitosan Nanoparticles Loaded with an Anti-Inflammatory Peptide Increase the Response of Human Colorectal Cancer Cells to 5-Fluorouracil.

The gold standard drug for colorectal cancer (CRC) treatment, 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), induces pharmacological tolerance in long-term management. The transcriptional factor nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NFκB) plays a key role in 5-FU resistance. The aim of this work is to study the capability of polyelectrolytes complex nanoparticles of dermatan sulfate (DS) and chitosan (CS), loaded with the anti-inflammatory tripeptide IRW, to sensitize colorectal cancer cells to 5-FU.

Technical aspects of a totally endoscopic, robotic-assisted pericardial cyst resection.

A pericardial cyst is a rare mediastinal mass, often diagnosed as an incidental finding. Symptomatic patients or those with suspicion of malignancy may warrant surgical resection. In this video tutorial, we demonstrate the technical aspects of a totally endoscopic robotic-assisted pericardial cyst resection.

Neuropsychiatric or Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD): Focus on Prevalence and Natural History in Alzheimer's Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia.

Neuropsychiatric or behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) represent a heterogeneous group of non-cognitive symptoms that are virtually present in all patients during the course of their disease. The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence and natural history of BPSD in a large cohort of patients with behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) in three stages: (i) pre-T0 (before the onset of the disease); (ii) T0 or manifested disease (from the onset to 5 years); (iii) T1 or advanced (from 5 years onwards). Six hundred seventy-four clinical records of patients with bvFTD and 1925 with AD, from 2006 to 2018, were studied.

Three-Dimensional Printing in Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery: Optimizing Surgical Planning and Education with Life-Like Models.

Over recent years, the surgical community has demonstrated a growing interest in imaging advancements that enable more detailed and accurate preoperative diagnoses. Alongside with traditional imaging methods, three-dimensional (3-D) printing emerged as an attractive tool to complement pathology assessment and surgical planning. Minimally invasive cardiac surgery, with its wide range of challenging procedures and innovative techniques, represents an ideal territory for testing its precision, efficacy, and clinical impact.

A Novel Mutation (D395A) in Valosin-Containing Protein Gene Is Associated With Early Onset Frontotemporal Dementia in an Italian Family.

Inclusion body myopathy (IBM) with Paget's disease of bone (PDB) and/or frontotemporal dementia (FTD) (IBMPFD) was recently identified as rare autosomal dominant disorder due to mutations in gene. However, mutations have also been documented in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2 (CMT2) disease, and hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), underlining the heterogeneity of the phenotypes due to mutations. In this study, we reported a novel missense heterozygous variant c.

A Comparison of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) and BPSD Sub-Syndromes in Early-Onset and Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) have a large impact on the quality of life of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Few studies have compared BPSD between early-onset (EOAD) and late-onset (LOAD) patients, finding conflicting results.

Objective: The aims of this study were to: 1) characterize the presence, overall prevalence, and time of occurrence of BPSD in EOAD versus LOAD; 2) estimate the prevalence over time and severity of each BPSD in EOAD versus LOAD in three stages: pre-T0 (before the onset of the disease), T0 (from onset to 5 years), and T1 (from 5 years onwards); 3) track the manifestation of BPSD sub-syndromes (i.

Advanced descriptors for long-range noncovalent interactions between SARS-CoV-2 spikes and polymer surfaces.

The recent pandemic triggered numerous societal efforts aimed to control and limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2. One of these aspects is related on how the virion interacts with inanimate surfaces, which might be the source of secondary infection. Although recent works address the adsorption of the spike protein on surfaces, there is no information concerning the long-range interactions between spike and surfaces, experimented by the virion when is dispersed in the droplet before its possible adsorption.

Role of testosterone in SARS-CoV-2 infection: A key pathogenic factor and a biomarker for severe pneumonia.

Objectives: To investigate the association between sex hormones and the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Furthermore, associations between sex hormones and systemic inflammation markers, viral shedding and length of hospital stay were studied.

Design And Methods: This case-control study included a total of 48 male patients with COVID-19 admitted to an Italian reference hospital.

Transmission of SARS-Cov-2 and other enveloped viruses to the environment through protective gear: a brief review.

Over the past two decades, several deadly viral epidemics have emerged, which have placed humanity in danger. Previous investigations have suggested that viral diseases can spread through contaminants or contaminated surfaces. The transmission of viruses via polluted surfaces relies upon their capacity to maintain their infectivity while they are in the environment.

Synthesis of 2,1,3-Benzoxadiazole Derivatives as New Fluorophores-Combined Experimental, Optical, Electro, and Theoretical Study.

Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of fluorophores containing a 2,1,3-benzoxadiazole unit associated with a π-conjugated system (D-π-A-π-D). These new fluorophores in solution exhibited an absorption maximum at around ~419 nm (visible region), as expected for electronic transitions of the π-π type (ε ~2.7 × 10 L mol cm), and strong solvent-dependent fluorescence emission (Φ ~0.

Intravascular ultrasound-guided shockwave treatment of stents overlapping underexpansion of calcified left anterior descending artery.

Heavily calcified lesions may limit optimal stent deployment resulting in stent underexpansion, thus increasing the risk of restenosis and thrombosis. We describe the case of overlapping stents underexpansion treated with a shockwave intravasuclar lithoplasty system (Shockwave Medical Inc., Santa Clara, CA, USA).

Interactions between Proteins and the Membrane Surface in Multiscale Modeling of Organic Fouling.

In the present paper, an improved multiscale modeling aimed at describing membrane fouling in the UltraFiltration (UF) process was proposed. Some of the authors of this work previously published a multiscale approach to simulate ultrafiltration of Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) aqueous solutions. However, the noncovalent interactions between proteins and the membrane surface were not taken into account in the previous formulation.

Extraction of lignin, structural characterization and bioconversion of sugarcane bagasse after ionic liquid assisted pretreatment.

The primary focus of this work was to recover lignin and investigate the structural changes in sugarcane bagasse after pretreatment with ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([EMIM]oAc). 90% lignin recovery was achieved while bagasse was treated with [EMIM]oAc at 140 °C, 120 min reaction time and 1:20 bagasse to the ionic liquid ratio (w/w). The impact of ionic liquid pretreatment on bagasse was confirmed by qualitative analysis of untreated and pretreated bagasse.

Increases in Peripheral Systolic Pressure Levels and Z-score Associate Gradual Aortic Pressure Increase and Functional Arterial Impairment in Children and Adolescents.

Background: Arterial changes associated with children and adolescents high blood pressure (HBP) states would vary depending on the arterial type, arterial indexes considered and/or on blood pressure (BP) levels.

Aims: To determine in children and adolescents: 1) if there is gradual structural-functional arterial impairment associated with gradual peripheral (brachial) systolic BP (pSBP) level or z-score increases, and 2) whether subjects with HBP levels and those with normal BP differ in the profiles of arterial changes associated with pSBP deviations.

Methods: 1005 asymptomatic children and adolescents were included.

Forward and Backward Aortic Components and Reflection Indexes in Children and Adolescents: Determinants and Role in High Pressure States.

Background: High blood pressure states (HBP) would differ in wave components and reflections indexes, which could associate clinical and prognostic implications. The study aims: 1) to characterize the association of aortic wave components and reflection parameters (backward [Pb], forward [Pf], Pb/Pf ratio and augmentation index [AIx]) with demographic, anthropometric, hemodynamic and arterial parameters in healthy children and adolescents; 2) to generate multivariate prediction models for the associations, to contribute to understand the main determinants of Pf, Pb, Pb/Pf and AIx; 3) to identify if differences in wave reflection indexes observed in HBP could be explained by differences in the analyzed parameters.

Methods: Healthy children and adolescents (n=816, females: 386; Age: 3-20 years) were studied.

Frequency of Cardiovascular Genetic Risk Factors in a Calabrian Population and Their Effects on Dementia.

Background: Several genetic variants playing a key role in cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and vascular dysfunction influence the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD). The many meta-analysis studies carried out on large numbers of samples in different populations have not provided clear results to date, because a trans-ethnic shift of risk genotypes in different populations is often observed.

Objectives: To determine genotypes allele frequencies of the polymorphisms most frequently identified to be correlated with cardio-cerebrovascular disease and AD in a Southern Italy population and to investigate their possible association with dementia.

DNA Methylation and Age-Independent Cardiovascular Risk, an Epigenome-Wide Approach: The REGICOR Study (REgistre GIroní del COR).

Objective: The objectives of this study were to decipher whether age-independent cardiovascular risk is associated with DNA methylation at 5'-cytosine-phosphate-guanine-3' (CpG) level and to determine whether these differential methylation signatures are associated with the incidence of cardiovascular events.

Approach And Results: We designed a 2-stage, cross-sectional, epigenome-wide association study. Age-independent cardiovascular risk calculation was based on vascular age and on the residuals of the relationship between age and cardiovascular risk.

Comparative Analysis of Arterial Parameters Variations Associated with Inter-Individual Variations in Peripheral and Aortic Blood Pressure: Cross-Sectional Study in Healthy Subjects Aged 2-84 years.

Introduction: The association between arterial parameters and blood pressure (BP) interindividual variations could depend on the arterial segment, BP component (systolic, SBP; diastolic, DBP; pulse pressure, PP) and/or on whether central (cBP) or peripheral (pBP) BP variations are considered.

Aim: To assess and compare arterial parameters variations associated with interindividual variations in cBP and pBP.

Methods: Healthy subjects (n = 923; 488 males, 2-84 years) were included.