Synergistic Effect between SARS-CoV-2 Wave and COVID-19 Vaccination on the Occurrence of Mild Symptoms in Healthcare Workers.

Background: Since the beginning of the pandemic, five variants of epidemiological interest have been identified, each of them with its pattern of symptomology and disease severity. The aim of this study is to analyze the role of vaccination status in modulating the pattern of symptomatology associated with COVID-19 infection during four waves.

Methods: Data from the surveillance activity of healthcare workers were used to carry out descriptive analysis, association analyses and multivariable analysis.

Assessment of Anxiety, Depression, Work-Related Stress, and Burnout in Health Care Workers (HCWs) Affected by COVID-19: Results of a Case-Control Study in Italy.

This study aims to investigate whether HCWs infected with COVID-19 may experience potential psychological consequences and a higher incidence of depression, anxiety, work-related stress, and burnout compared to non-infected HCWs. A case-control study with 774 participants was conducted comparing COVID-19-infected HCWs (cases) and non-infected HCWs (controls) from the Occupational Medicine Unit at the Teaching Hospital Policlinico Umberto I, who were administered the same questionnaire including Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Copenhagen Burnout Inventory and Karasek's Job Content Questionnaire. No differences in the levels of burnout and decision latitude were found between the two groups.

Controlling Infectious Risk in Transfusion: Assessing the Effectiveness of Skin Disinfection in Blood Donors.

Bacterial infectious risk is a major problem in transfusion medicine. The type of micro-organisms isolated during bacterial contamination of blood products indicates that the donor’s skin is its main source. In this context, the primary measures to reduce this risk are: (a) optimal disinfection of the donor’s arm and (b) satellite bag diversion of the initial volume of blood collected.

Persistent B cell memory after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is functional during breakthrough infections.

Breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections in fully vaccinated individuals are considered a consequence of waning immunity. Serum antibodies represent the most measurable outcome of vaccine-induced B cell memory. When antibodies decline, memory B cells are expected to persist and perform their function, preventing clinical disease.

ATP Bioluminescence for Assessing the Efficacy of the Manual Cleaning Procedure during the Reprocessing of Reusable Surgical Instruments.

Achieving sterilization by adopting proper practices is essential to ensure that surgical instruments do not transmit microorganisms to patients. As the effectiveness of sterilization mandates effective cleaning, it is necessary to verify the success of cleaning procedures. In this study, we used the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence method for assessing the efficacy of the manual cleaning procedure during the reprocessing of reusable surgical instruments.

Molecular genetic alterations in egfr CA-SSR-1 microsatellite and egfr copy number changes are associated with aggressiveness in thymoma.

Background: The key role of egfr in thymoma pathogenesis has been questioned following the failure in identifying recurrent genetic alterations of egfr coding sequences and relevant egfr amplification rate. We investigated the role of the non-coding egfr CA simple sequence repeat 1 (CA-SSR-1) in a thymoma case series.

Methods: We used sequencing and egfr-fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to genotype 43 thymomas; (I) for polymorphisms and somatic loss of heterozygosity of the non-coding egfr CA-SSR-1 microsatellite and (II) for egfr gene copy number changes.

Extraosseus Ewing sarcoma: An uncommon periclavicular location.

A rapidly enlarging right sternoclavicular mass in a young male was labeled as a nonspecific mass. MRI played a crucial role in characterizing the lesion, helping to define the possible mesenchymal origin and the relative involvement of the surrounding structures. We also discuss the differential diagnosis of an extraosseus Ewing sarcoma (ES), with its imaging findings.

Unusual inflow sources and device introduction sites in aortic arch debranching.

Aim: Aim of the study was to evaluate a single center experience on hybrid treatment for thoracic aortic diseases, including aortic arch and ascending aorta endografting needing a total debranching from descending thoracic aorta and an antegrade endograft deployment from left ventricle.

Methods: Between January 2004 and December 2010 48 patients underwent thoracic aorta endografting, with coverage of at least one supra-aortic artery, because of atherosclerotic, dissecting and post-traumatic aneurysms or complications of previous aortic surgery. Supra-aortic trunks revascularization was obtained from ascending aorta, common carotid arteries and, in three cases, from descending thoracic aorta since the unavailability of common inflow sites.

[Assessment of seawater quality along the Asinara Gulf. Note 1: preliminary results of seawater monitoring using Dicentrarchus labrax and Sparus aurata as bioindicators].

In recent years, physical-chemical, chemical and microbiological testing systems to water's control was matched by the use of "biomarkers" such as algae, nematodes, Anellidi, Porifera, molluscs and arthropods (crustaceans), although these are phylogenetically distant from humans and they differ in methods of recruitment, toxico-kinetics and metabolism of xenobiotics. That is why today the predatory fishes (tuna, mackerel, sea bream, sea bass and swordfish) are among the most widely used in biomonitoring studies. In particular Sparus aurata and Dicentrarchus labrax (sea bream and sea bass) are appropriate in warning of environmental pollution.

[Thermal comfort in perioperatory risk's evaluation].

Studies till now conducted about operating rooms' microclimate have been focused mainly on operators' thermal comfort, considering that uneasiness conditions may compromise their working performance. In last years, nevertheless, the anesthesiologic community recalled attention on patients' risks determined by perioperatory variations of normothermia, underlining the necessity of orientating studies to individuate microclimate characteristics act to guarantee thermal comfort of the patient too. Looking at these considerations, a study has been conducted in the operating rooms of the hospital-university Firm and the n.

Hybrid endovascular treatment of aneurysm degeneration in a rare right-aortic arch anomaly with Kommerell diverticulum.

We present a hybrid endovascular approach to a 6.5-cm aneurysm of the right-sided aortic arch with an aberrant left subclavian artery arising from a Kommerell diverticulum, connected to the left pulmonary artery through the ligamentum arteriosum. The two-step procedure consisted of a bilateral carotid-subclavian bypass, followed by an ascending aorta-bicarotid bypass and completed by an endovascular exclusion of the aneurysms by covering the whole aortic arch and its branches.

Open repair for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm: is it possible to predict survival?

The aim of the study was to determine variables that could be used to predict survival in patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (RAAA) and to assess the accuracy of the Glasgow Aneurysm Score (GAS) and the Acute Physiology Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE-II). From January 1998 to July 2006, 103 patients underwent operations for RAAA. For each patient, 44 variables were retrospectively recorded in a database.

Role of the genetic study in the management of carotid body tumor in paraganglioma syndrome.

Diagnosis of carotid body tumor (CBT) was made in a 36 years old woman. The pre-operative examination included genetic analysis of the succinate dehydrogenase that showed a mutation in his subunit D responsible of multiple paraganglioma at slow growth. Subsequently a thoraco-abdominal CT and indium(111) octreotide body scan were performed and another paraganglioma was detected in the anterior mediastinum.

[A possible cause of misdiagnosis in tumors of the axilla: schwannoma of the brachial plexus].

The Authors report a rare case of a 57 years old man affected by a left radial nerve schwannoma that occurred as an asymptomatic lesion of the axilla. At clinical examination the lump was undistinguishable from the most common axillary lymphadenopathy. A lymphoadenopathy was erroneously diagnosed with ultrasonography (US).

Does the type of carotid artery closure influence the management of recurrent carotid artery stenosis? Results of a 6-year prospective comparative study.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the results of reoperative surgery and carotid artery stenting (CAS) in cases of recurrent carotid artery stenosis (RCS) and to compare the results of all RCS (reoperative surgery + CAS) with primary carotid endarterectomy (CEA) performed during the study period.

Summary Background Data: Consensus has not yet been established on the best treatment for RCS. Recently CAS has emerged as a potential alternative to carotid endarterectomy.

Endovascular treatment of asymptomatic popliteal aneurysms: 8-year concurrent comparison with open repair.

Aim: The aim of this prospective comparative study was to compare the results of 8-years experience of endovascular treatment (ET) of popliteal aneurysms (PAs) using the Hemobahn/Viabahn endograft with those achieved with open repair (OR). Endpoints were primary and secondary patency rate.

Methods: The study was a prospective randomized clinical trial from January 1999 to December 2003 and a prospective comparative study from January 2004 to December 2006.

Glasgow aneurysm score predicts the outcome after emergency open repair of symptomatic, unruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Objective: To determine the predictor factors of in-hospital postoperative mortality in patients presenting with symptomatic but not ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) at our institution.

Patients And Methods: Forty-two patients who underwent urgent open repair for symptomatic, non-ruptured AAA were evaluated retrospectively.

Results: Five patients (11.

Hyaluronan biodegradable scaffold for small-caliber artery grafting: preliminary results in an animal model.

Objective: To evaluate a new Hyaluronan-based graft.

Material And Methods: Hyaluronan-based grafts (HYAFF 11trade mark tube, diameter 2 mm, length 1.5 cm) were implanted in an end-to-end fashion in the abdominal aorta of 15 rats.

Do hypertension and diabetes mellitus influence the site of atherosclerotic plaques?

Background: The concomitant occurrence of atherosclerotic plaques in carotid, coronary and peripheral vessels has been described in a number of studies. A few studies were, on the contrary, done for determining the role of hypertension and/or type 2 diabetes mellitus for the occurrence of the atherosclerotic plaques in different anatomical sites. Moreover these studies deal with atherosclerotic lesions that are generally considered, without differentiating their morphology as a function of the underlying disease, territory, and risk factors.

Laminin alpha2 chain-positive vessels and epidermal growth factor in lung neuroendocrine carcinoma: a model of a novel cooperative role of laminin-2 and epidermal growth factor in vessel neoplastic invasion and metastasis.

Capillaries expressing the laminin alpha2 chain in basement membranes may be considered early developing vessels in normal and neoplastic human tissues. Therefore, we investigated whether up-regulation of this extracellular matrix protein favors transendothelial migration of neoplastic cells and then metastasis. In lung small and large cell neuroendocrine carcinomas, which exhibit a stronger metastatic tendency among carcinomas, laminin alpha2 chain-positive vessels were more numerous than in carcinoid tumors and supraglottis, breast, and lung non-small cell carcinomas, suggesting a direct relationship between these vessels and metastasis.

Successful surgical treatment of ''globus hystericus''.

We report the case of a 52-year old woman who presented with a 4-year history of depression associated with intermittent dysphagia and globus sensation for which she was admitted to a nursing home. Physical examination revealed a murmur on the right carotid artery, while the routine biochemical tests were normal. Chest computer tomography (CT) demonstrated the presence of an anomalous vessel departing from the aortic arch; angiography showed an aberrant right subclavian artery of large lumen and a severe stenosis at the origin of the right internal carotid artery.

In vivo regeneration of small-diameter (2 mm) arteries using a polymer scaffold.

The difficulty of obtaining significant long-term patency and good wall mechanical strength in vivo has been a significant obstacle in achieving small-diameter vascular prostheses. The aim of the present study was to develop a prosthetic graft that could perform as a small-diameter vascular conduit. Tubular structures of hyaluronan (HYAFF-11 tubules, 2 mm diameter, 1 cm length) were grafted in the abdominal aorta of 30 rats as temporary absorbable guides to promote regeneration of vascular structures.

Is carotid endarterectomy in octogenarians more dangerous than in younger patients?

Aim: The risk for developing stroke increases with the advancing age, peaking over age 80. In elderly patients, carotid endarterectomy may provide prophylaxis against stroke. Aim of our study was to compare patients 80 years or older with patients younger than 80 undergoing carotid endarterectomy.