The Safety and Outcome of Minimally Invasive Staged Segmental Artery Coil Embolization (MISACE) Prior Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair: A Single-Center Study, Systematic Review, and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Minimally Invasive Staged Segmental Artery Coil Embolization (MISACE) is a novel technique of spinal cord preconditioning used to reduce the risk of paraplegia in thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) repair. In this study, we report our experience with MISACE, including both degenerative and post-dissection TAAA, while we attempt to systematically summarize relevant data available in the literature.

Design: single-center observational study with systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis.

Potential use of sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors during acute illness: a systematic review based on COVID-19.

Objective: SGLT-2i are increasingly recognized for their benefits in patients with cardiometabolic risk factors. Additionally, emerging evidence suggests potential applications in acute illnesses, including COVID-19. This systematic review aims to evaluate the effects of SGLT-2i in patients facing acute illness, particularly focusing on SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Who Let the Dogs Out? Unmasking the Neglected: A Semi-Systematic Review on the Enduring Impact of Toxocariasis, a Prevalent Zoonotic Infection.

Toxocariasis remains an important neglected parasitic infection representing one of the most common zoonotic infections caused by the parasite or, less frequently, by . The epidemiology of the disease is complex due to its transmission route by accidental ingestion of embryonated eggs or larvae from tissues from domestic or wild paratenic hosts. Even though the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control classified toxocariasis amongst the top six parasitic infections of priority to public health, global epidemiological data regarding the relationship between seropositivity and toxocariasis is limited.

Antiphospholipid syndrome nephropathy: Current knowledge and unanswered questions.

The definition of acute and chronic antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) nephropathy was recently updated using a multiphase methodology in the context of the development of the new APS classification criteria. Currently, there is no consensus for the treatment of APS nephropathy, which mainly relies on the general recommendations for the management of APS. Based on evidence from experimental studies and a few clinical studies and case series, targeted treatments such as B-cell depletion, anti-B-cell activating factor antibody, complement inhibition, mammalian target of rapamycin inhibition, and neutrophil extracellular traps or interferon targeting may show promise for the treatment of microvascular manifestations in APS, including APS nephropathy.

Mortality of intubated patients with COVID-19 during first and subsequent waves: a meta-analysis involving 363,660 patients from 43 countries.

Background: We attempted to investigate the change in mortality of intubated patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from first to subsequent waves across several countries.

Methods: We pre-registered our meta-analysis with PROSPERO [Anonymized]. We searched PubMed, Scopus, and gray literature for observational studies reporting data on all-cause mortality of intubated patients with COVID-19 recruited both during first and subsequent waves of the pandemic.

Association between timing of intubation and clinical outcomes of critically ill patients: A meta-analysis.

Purpose: Optimal timing of intubation is controversial. We attempted to investigate the association between timing of intubation and clinical outcomes of critically ill patients.

Methods: PubMed was systematically searched for studies reporting on mortality of critically ill patients undergoing early versus late intubation.

Effect of Vitamin C on Clinical Outcomes of Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19: An Observational Study and Subsequent Meta-Analysis.

Background: Whether vitamin C provides any benefit when administered in critically ill patients, including those with coronavirus disease (COVID-19), is controversial. We endeavored to estimate the effect of administration of vitamin C on clinical outcomes of critically ill patients with COVID-19 by performing an observational study and subsequent meta-analysis.

Methods: Firstly, we conducted an observational study of critically ill patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who consecutively underwent invasive mechanical ventilation in an academic intensive care unit (ICU) during the second pandemic wave.

Abnormal Right Ventricular Free Wall Strain Prior to Prone Ventilation May Be Associated With Worse Outcome of Patients With COVID-19-Associated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

We investigated the effect of prone ventilation on right ventricular (RV) function of intubated patients with COVID-19-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome by measuring both conventional RV functional variables (namely, tricuspid annular peak systolic velocity, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, and fractional area change) and right ventricular free wall strain (RVFWS) using transthoracic speckle-tracking echocardiography at baseline (before prone positioning), 18 hours after prone positioning, and 1 hour after supine repositioning. We found that transthoracic echocardiography was feasible in a considerable proportion (nine patients, 75% of our cohort) of patients undergoing prone ventilation. Also, abnormal as opposed to normal RVFWS values (in the absence of conventional variables of RV dysfunction) at baseline were associated with higher mortality (100% vs 20%; = 0.

An Update on Antiphospholipid Syndrome.

Purpose Of Review: To review the recent available evidence on epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical phenotypes, and management of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) and summarize potential future research perspectives.

Recent Findings: Accumulating evidence has further expanded our understanding of the disease, including new data about the incidence and prevalence of APS, novel pathways supporting the role of thrombo-inflammation in APS including platelet, monocyte and endothelial cell activation, pro-inflammatory cytokine and chemokine production, complement activation, neutrophil extracellular trap release, and type I interferon gene expression that could yield to new potential treatment targets, better identification of criteria and non-criteria clinical phenotypes, antiphospholipid antibody profiles and their associations with clinical outcomes, prognostic tools, and treatment strategies based on recent evidence-based recommendations for patients with thrombotic and obstetric APS, with or without systemic lupus erythematosus. Ongoing research efforts and international collaborations enhance our knowledge of this rare and often devastating syndrome and help improve patient care and health outcomes.

Effect of timing of intubation on clinical outcomes of critically ill patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis of non-randomized cohort studies.

Background: Although several international guidelines recommend early over late intubation of patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), this issue is still controversial. We aimed to investigate the effect (if any) of timing of intubation on clinical outcomes of critically ill patients with COVID-19 by carrying out a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: PubMed and Scopus were systematically searched, while references and preprint servers were explored, for relevant articles up to December 26, 2020, to identify studies which reported on mortality and/or morbidity of patients with COVID-19 undergoing early versus late intubation.

Effect of Early vs. Delayed or No Intubation on Clinical Outcomes of Patients With COVID-19: An Observational Study.

Optimal timing of initiation of invasive mechanical ventilation in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure due to COVID-19 is unknown. Thanks to early flattening of the epidemiological curve, ventilator demand in Greece was kept lower than supply throughout the pandemic, allowing for unbiased comparison of the outcomes of patients undergoing early intubation vs. delayed or no intubation.

Management of Non-criteria Manifestations in Antiphospholipid Syndrome.

Purpose Of The Review: To review the available evidence on the management of a variety of non-criteria manifestations in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), including valvular disease, alveolar hemorrhage, thrombocytopenia, hemolytic anemia, APS nephropathy, skin ulcers, livedo reticularis, cognitive dysfunction, and epilepsy.

Recent Findings: Current treatment relies on low-level evidence and mainly on expert consensus due to the rarity and the heterogeneity of non-criteria APS manifestations and the diversity in management approaches. Conventional anticoagulation and/or antiplatelet APS treatment do not adequately control most of non-criteria manifestations.

Type I interferon gene expression in antiphospholipid syndrome: Pathogenetic, clinical and therapeutic implications.

Type I Interferon gene expression has been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of several systemic autoimmune disorders, paving the way for its potential use as a surrogate marker or a therapeutic tool. While the concept of type I interferon signature and its correlation with clinical phenotypes and disease activity, along with anti-interferon targeted therapy have been vastly investigated in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, there is a paucity of data concerning antiphospholipid syndrome patients. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the pathogenetic and clinical implications of type I interferon expression in antiphospholipid syndrome and discuss the therapeutic possibility of targeting molecules along the interferon signaling pathway.

Antidiabetic treatment on memory and spatial learning: From the pancreas to the neuron.

The detrimental effects of constant hyperglycemia on neural function have been quantitatively and qualitatively evaluated in the setting of diabetes mellitus. Some of the hallmark features of diabetic encephalopathy (DE) are impaired synaptic adaptation and diminished spatial learning capacity. Chronic and progressive cognitive dysfunction, perpetuated by several positive feedback mechanisms in diabetic subjects, facilitates the development of early-onset dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Anti-diabetic treatment leads to changes in gut microbiome.

Numerous micro-organisms naturally reside in the human body assuming a symbiotic, or, at times, even a dysbiotic relationship with the host. These microbial populations are referred to as the human microbiota. Host microbial populations are an important mediator of gastro-intestinal mucosal permeability, bile acid metabolism, short-chain fatty acids synthesis, fermentation of dietary polysaccharides and FXR/TGR5 signaling.

Circulating microRNAs as biomarkers for diabetic neuropathy: A novel approach.

Oxidative stress stemming from tissue exposure to constant hyperglycemia is one of the major pathogenetic pathways of diabetic macro- and microvascular complications. Diabetic polyneuropathy, commonly manifesting as distal, symmetrical sensorimotor polyneuropathy, is characterized by progressive severity of symptoms, with rates analogous to the quality of glycemic control achieved by the patients and physicians. Palliative care with analgesics and aggressive glycemic control often improve quality of life in the absence of causative treatment.

Effects of antidiabetic drugs on epicardial fat.

Epicardial adipose tissue is defined as a deposit of adipocytes with pathophysiological properties similar to those of visceral fat, located in the space between the myocardial muscle and the pericardial sac. When compared with subcutaneous adipose tissue, visceral adipocytes show higher metabolic activity, lipolysis rates, increased insulin resistance along with more steroid hormone receptors. The epicardial adipose tissue interacts with numerous cardiovascular pathways vasocrine and paracrine signalling comprised of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines excretion.