Publications by authors named "Franchi M"

Purpose: To compare the overall survival and the risk of all-cause and heart failure-specific hospitalization in nonagenarian patients hospitalized for symptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AS) who underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) or conservative treatment.

Methods: Population-based retrospective cohort study based on healthcare utilization databases of the Italian region of Lombardy. The cohort included all nonagenarians hospitalized for AS between 2017 and 2021, who underwent TAVI within 90 days from first diagnosis or conservative treatment.

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Short-term unloading experienced following injury or hospitalisation induces muscle atrophy and weakness. The effects of exercise following unloading have been scarcely investigated. We investigated the functional and molecular adaptations to a resistance training (RT) programme following short-term unloading.

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Objectives: To report the first cases of surgical staging for apparently early-stage endometrial cancer performed using the Versius® next-generation robotic surgical system (Cambridge Medical Robots [CMR] Surgical, Cambridge, UK).

Design: Prospective case series. Participants/Materials: Women who underwent surgical staging, including total hysterectomy, bilateral adnexectomy, and sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy, for apparently early-stage endometrial cancer using the Versius® next-generation robotic surgical system (CMR Surgical, Cambridge, UK).

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the costs of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) compared to spontaneous pregnancies within the Italian NHS, focusing on individual-level data from Lombardy between 2007 and 2020.
  • It finds that ART pregnancies result in significantly higher costs, particularly due to increased hospital admissions (an additional €1611) and drug prescriptions (an extra €216) before delivery.
  • The research highlights the influence of clinical and social factors on the financial burden of ART, advocating for targeted support and evidence-based practices to improve resource allocation and outcomes in pregnancy care.
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Background: Obesity is continually growing not only in medium- and high-income countries but also in low-income countries, from where increasing numbers of migrants arrive in Western countries. We aimed to investigate the frequency and characteristics of obesity in a sample of undocumented migrants, a population for which official health data are not available.

Methods: We collected demographic and socio-economic data and information on medical diagnoses and pharmacologic treatments for 341 undocumented migrants consecutively attending the outpatient clinic of a big non-governmental organisation in Milan, Italy, from March to July 2023.

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Objective: Deep learning approaches such as DeepACSA enable automated segmentation of muscle ultrasound cross-sectional area (CSA). Although they provide fast and accurate results, most are developed using data from healthy populations. The changes in muscle size and quality following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury challenges the validity of these automated approaches in the ACL population.

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Objective: Postoperative pain management significantly influences recovery speed, hospital stay duration, and healthcare costs. In light of inconsistencies in clinical trial outcomes, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of the Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) block compared to local anesthetic wound infiltration (WI) for postoperative pain management in gynecological surgery.

Data Sources: Systematic searches were conducted across PubMed/MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases to identify all randomized controlled trials comparing TAP block and WI in adult patients undergoing gynecological surgical procedures.

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Background: Limited temporal data on in-hospital mortality trends of patients hospitalized with acute heart failure (AHF) have been reported. We evaluated whether, in AHF hospitalized patients, the rate of in-hospital and 30-day mortality, and 30-day re-hospitalization for AHF have changed in the past 15 years.

Methods And Results: We examined administrative data from the Lombardy region, Italy and analysed data of all adults hospitalized for AHF from 2003 to 2018.

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Purpose: Adolescent soccer players experience distinct physiological changes due to chronological and biological maturation, impacting their soccer performance. Here, we explored age-related variations and associations between quadriceps geometry and strength in male national-level adolescent soccer players.

Patients And Methods: We used ultrasonography to examine the regional architecture and morphology of the rectus femoris (RF) and vastus lateralis (VL) muscles, and we assessed knee extension strength by isometric and isokinetic dynamometry.

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Article Synopsis
  • A new predictive score, called the "Elderly Nursing Home Placement" (ENHP) score, has been developed to identify elderly individuals at risk of requiring nursing home care.
  • The study analyzed healthcare data from over 2.4 million citizens aged 65 and older in Lombardy, Italy, using case-control methodology to find key factors influencing nursing home admission.
  • The ENHP score demonstrated strong predictive performance, helping healthcare decision-makers target support services to those most in need, potentially reducing unnecessary nursing home placements.*
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Objective: Available data on the association between antihypertensive drugs and cancer are characterized by a few years follow-up. Our aim has been to evaluate the association between long-term exposure to antihypertensive drugs and the risk of cancer occurrence.

Methods: Using the healthcare utilization databases of the Lombardy region (Italy), individuals aged 40-85 years who had no previous history of cancer and were newly dispensed with at least one antihypertensive drug from the major drug classes between 2009 and 2011 were followed from the first drug dispensation to December 31, 2020.

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Background: Degeneration of the motoneuron and neuromuscular junction (NMJ) and loss of motor units (MUs) contribute to age-related muscle wasting and weakness associated with sarcopenia. However, these features have not been comprehensively investigated in humans. This study aimed to compare neuromuscular system integrity and function at different stages of sarcopenia, with a particular focus on NMJ stability and MU properties.

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  • This study examines the influence of sex on fatigue resistance during single-limb dynamic exercises, focusing on performance fatigability (PF), cardiovascular responses, and muscle metabolism.
  • Twenty-four young healthy participants (12 males and 12 females) performed knee extension exercises while their neuromuscular performance and muscle oxidative characteristics were assessed.
  • Results showed that while both sexes performed similarly in total work and time to exhaustion, females exhibited less decline in muscle strength post-exercise, higher mitochondrial capacity, and different cardiovascular responses compared to males.
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Background: Binder phenotype (BP) is a term used to define a form of maxillo-nasal dysplasia defined by the presence of flattened nose, verticalized nasal bones, and retrusion of the maxilla (BP triad). This facial anomaly can be associated with other anomalies in both genetic and acquired conditions as well as in isolation. This systematic review aimed to summarize the antenatal findings, maternal and obstetrics characteristics as well as the obstetrics and neonatal outcomes of all cases of BP diagnosed in utero.

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Given the recent global surge in Legionnaires' disease cases, the monitoring of Legionella pneumophila becomes increasingly crucial. Epidemiological cases often stem from local outbreaks rather than widespread dissemination, emphasizing the need to study the characteristics of this pathogen at a local level. This study focuses on isolates of L.

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  • - The study evaluated how different medically assisted reproduction (MAR) strategies, like ovarian stimulation with insemination and various IVF techniques, affect the risk of multiple births over a 15-year period in Lombardy, Italy.
  • - Out of 30,900 births after MAR, 15.6% were multiple births, but this rate decreased significantly from 22.0% in 2007 to 8.7% in 2022, particularly due to changes in IVF practices.
  • - First line treatments had a stable multiple birth rate, while IVF-related multiple births saw a sharp decline, illustrating the impact of legislative changes on reproductive strategies in Italy.
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Introduction: We aimed to compare the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness profiles of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1-RA), sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i), and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP-4i) compared with sulfonylureas and glinides (SU).

Research Design And Methods: Population-based retrospective cohort study based on linked regional healthcare utilization databases. The cohort included all residents in Lombardy aged ≥40 years, treated with metformin in 2014, who started a second-line treatment between 2015 and 2018 with SU, GLP-1-RA, SGLT2i, or DPP-4i.

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  • The study aimed to explore medication adherence over time in undocumented migrants with chronic diseases and identify influencing factors.
  • It included 1,918 patients (with a mean age of 49.2) over ten years, finding a notable decrease in medication adherence within the first two months of treatment.
  • The research concluded that targeted interventions, especially during initial treatment, and more frequent medical consultations are essential to improve adherence, particularly for those with mental health disorders and multiple medications.
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Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by spp. bacteria. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, problems related to this pathogen showed a significant surge in recent years, making its monitoring critical.

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  • The study investigates how muscle disuse affects the nervous system's ability to generate force, focusing on a specific neural mechanism called persistent inward current (PIC).
  • After 10 days of lower limb suspension, participants exhibited a significant decrease in force production, linked to lower levels of neuromodulatory input associated with PIC.
  • A subsequent period of resistance exercise showed that these effects could be reversed, restoring both PIC levels and force generation capacity back to pre-suspension values.
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  • Comparing vaccination campaigns' effectiveness in preventing deaths shows a significant public health impact, focusing on overall excess deaths rather than just COVID-19 specific fatalities.
  • A predictive model analyzed daily deaths in three Italian regions from 2015-2019 to estimate excess deaths during vaccination from December 2020 to October 2022.
  • Lombardy had the highest vaccination rates and prevented more deaths (65%) compared to Marche (60%) and Sicily (58%), but due to lower overall excess mortality, the actual number of averted deaths per 10,000 people was less in Lombardy than in the other two regions.
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  • Preterm birth is linked to an increased risk of starting antidepressant medication in the year following delivery, with a 38% increase for moderate to late preterm and 83% for extremely and very preterm births.
  • A study conducted in Lombardy, Northern Italy, examined 727,701 deliveries from 2010 to 2020 and found that 0.9% of women filled at least one antidepressant prescription within a year after giving birth.
  • The risk of antidepressant use, even when excluding those with a single prescription or other psychotropic drug users, remained significantly higher for women who experienced preterm births.
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Background: Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) techniques are new diagnostic tools able to identify changes in structural and material properties of the investigated tissue. For the first time, we evaluated the capability of QUS techniques in determining the in vivo transient changes in knee joint cartilage after a stressful task.

Methods: An ultrasound scanner collecting B-mode and radiofrequency data simultaneously was used to collect data from the femoral cartilage of the right knee in 15 participants.

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Aim: Force expression is characterized by an interplay of biological and molecular determinants that are expected to differentiate males and females in terms of maximal performance. These include muscle characteristics (muscle size, fiber type, contractility), neuromuscular regulation (central and peripheral factors of force expression), and individual genetic factors (miRNAs and gene/protein expression). This research aims to comprehensively assess these physiological variables and their role as determinants of maximal force difference between sexes.

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