Effects of Novel Antidiabetic Agents on Contrast-Associated Acute Kidney Injury in Diabetic Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI) remains a serious complication after percutaneous coronary revascularization (PCI), with limited effective preventive strategies especially for diabetic patients. This study aimed to assess the effects of novel antidiabetic agents (NAD), i.e.

Risk factors for COVID-19 associated pulmonary aspergillosis and outcomes in patients with acute respiratory failure in a respiratory sub-intensive care unit.

Background: COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) is burdened by high mortality. Data are lacking about non-ICU patients. Aims of this study were to: (i) assess the incidence and prevalence of CAPA in a respiratory sub-intensive care unit, (ii) evaluate its risk factors and (iii) impact on in-hospital mortality.

Double-Layered Hand-Sewn versus Stapled Intestinal Anastomosis in Patients Who Underwent Ileal Urinary Diversion in Radical Cystectomy: A Comparative and Cost Effective Study.

Introduction: Intestinal anastomosis can be performed by hand suturing (single layer or double layer) or by a mechanical suturing machine. The aim of the study was to compare complications, operative time, and costs of the intestinal anastomosis techniques.

Methods: A retrospective comparative study was conducted including patients who underwent radical cystectomy and uretero-ileo-cutaneostomy or vescica ileale Padovana orthotopic neobladder.

Preliminary Results of ERAS Protocol in a Single Surgeon Prospective Case Series.

Background and Objectives: The aim was to compare the intra and postoperative outcomes between the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol versus the standard of care protocol (SCP) in patients who underwent radical cystectomy performed by a single surgeon. Materials and Methods: A retrospective comparative study was conducted including patients who underwent radical cystectomy from 2017 to 2020. Length of stay (LOS), incidence of ileus, early postoperative complications, and number of re-hospitalizations within 30 days were considered as primary comparative outcomes of the study.

Usefulness of Adding Pre-procedural Glycemia to the Mehran Score to Enhance Its Ability to Predict Contrast-induced Kidney Injury in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Development and Validation of a Predictive Model.

The Mehran score is the most widely accepted tool for predicting contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI), a major complication of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Similarly, abnormal fasting pre-procedural glycemia (FPG) represents a modifiable risk factor for CI-AKI, but it is not included in current risk models for CI-AKI prediction. We sought to analyze whether adding FPG to the Mehran score improves its ability to predict CI-AKI following PCI.

Platelet Effects of Anti-diabetic Therapies: New Perspectives in the Management of Patients with Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease.

In type 2 diabetes, anti-thrombotic management is challenging, and current anti-platelet agents have demonstrated reduced efficacy. Old and new anti-diabetic drugs exhibited-besides lowering blood glucose levels-direct and indirect effects on platelet function and on thrombotic milieu, eventually conditioning cardiovascular outcomes. The present review summarizes existing evidence on the effects of glucose-lowering agents on platelet properties, addressing pre-clinical and clinical research, as well as drug-drug interactions with anti-platelet agents.

Spinal anaesthesia with Chloroprocaine HCl 1% for elective lower limb procedures of short duration: a prospective, randomised, observer-blind study in adult patients.

Background: This prospective, randomised, observer-blinded study has been conducted in patients undergoing procedures of the lower extremities to evaluate the time to complete block resolution of 2-chloroprocaine 1% at three intrathecal doses (30, 40 and 50 mg).

Methods: After informed consent, we enrolled 45 male and female patients, aged 18-65 years, ASA score I-II, BMI 18-32 kg/m, undergoing elective lower limb procedures lasting ≤40 min and with a requested dermatomeric level of sensory block ≥ T12. The patients were randomised in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive Chloroprocaine HCl 1% at one of the three different intrathecal doses (Group 30 = 30 mg, Group 40 = 40 mg or Group 50 = 50 mg).

Non-invasive haemodynamic monitoring with Clearsight in patients undergoing spinal anaesthesia for total hip replacement. A prospective observational cohort study.

Background: Patients undergoing elective primary total hip replacement and spinal anesthesia may encounter significant hemodynamic instability Objective: The study is aimed at observing the haemodynamic modifications after spinal anaesthesia during total hip replacement in patients managed to "preload independence" with goal directed fluid therapy (GDFT) and monitored non-invasively with Clearsight.

Methods: Thirty patients, aged 50-80 years, with an American Society of Anaesthesiologists' (ASA) score II-III, undergoing elective primary total hip replacement and spinal anaesthesia were enrolled. Patients were monitored with the EV1000 platform and the Clearsight finger-cuff and managed with a goal directed fluid therapy.

Fucosylation of ADAMTSL2 is required for secretion and is impacted by geleophysic dysplasia-causing mutations.

mutations cause an autosomal recessive connective tissue disorder, geleophysic dysplasia 1 (GPHYSD1), which is characterized by short stature, small hands and feet, and cardiac defects. ADAMTSL2 is a matricellular protein previously shown to interact with latent transforming growth factor-β binding protein 1 and influence assembly of fibrillin 1 microfibrils. ADAMTSL2 contains seven thrombospondin type-1 repeats (TSRs), six of which contain the consensus sequence for -fucosylation by protein fucosyltransferase 2 (POFUT2).

Tapia's syndrome as an uncommon complication after cervical spine surgery with tracheostomy: a case report and literature review.

Purpose: The aim of the present work is to present a rare case of Tapia's syndrome (hypoglossal and recurrent laryngeal nerve apraxia) following cervical spine surgery with tracheostomy.

Methods: Clinical data were collected from patient's medical records.

Results: After uneventful cervical spine surgery with tracheostomy, the patient reported mild dysphagia and dysphonia.

Antithrombotic treatment in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing coronary angioplasty: rational convincement and supporting evidence.

Background: The management of antithrombotic therapy in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with an indication for long-term oral anticoagulant therapy (OAT) is still a matter of debate. We aim to evaluate the safety and the efficacy of dual therapy (DT) compared to triple therapy (TT) in this clinical setting.

Methods: A study level meta-analysis and a review of randomized trials selected using PubMed, Embase, EBSCO, Cochrane database of systematic reviews, Web of Science, and abstract from major cardiology congresses.

A randomized comparison between Accuro and palpation-guided spinal anesthesia for obese patients undergoing orthopedic surgery.

Background: Although obese patients benefit from neuraxial anesthesia, technical difficulties often discourage its use. The current randomized trial compared Accuro, a hand-held, battery-operated ultrasound (US) device, and conventional palpation for spinal anesthesia in obese patients undergoing orthopedic surgery. We hypothesized that Accuro would decrease the number of needle redirections.

Effect of different anaesthetic techniques on gene expression profiles in patients who underwent hip arthroplasty.

Objectives: To investigate the modulation of genes whose expression level is indicative of stress and toxicity following exposure to three anaesthesia techniques, general anaesthesia (GA), regional anaesthesia (RA), or integrated anaesthesia (IA).

Methods: Patients scheduled for hip arthroplasty receiving GA, RA and IA were enrolled at Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute of Bologna, Italy and the expression of genes involved in toxicology were evaluated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) collected before (T0), immediately after surgery (T1), and on the third day (T2) after surgery in association with biochemical parameters.

Results: All three anaesthesia methods proved safe and reliable in terms of pain relief and patient recovery.

Acute pancreatitis after major spine surgery: a case report and literature review.

Background: Acute pancreatitis has been described as potential complication of both abdominal and non-abdominal surgeries. The pathogenetic mechanism underlying acute pancreatitis in spine surgery may include intraoperative hemodynamic instability causing prolonged splanchnic hypoperfusion, as well as mechanical compression of the pancreas due to scoliosis correction, with a higher risk in cases of more extended fusions, especially in young adults with lower body mass index (BMI).

Case Presentation: We report here a case of postoperative acute pancreatitis with benign evolution in a young female patient after the first and second surgery of a two-stage correction of right thoracic idiopathic scoliosis.

Goal-Directed Fluid Therapy Based on Stroke Volume Variation in Patients Undergoing Major Spine Surgery in the Prone Position: A Cohort Study.

Study Design: A retrospective observational study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to test whether a goal-directed fluid therapy (GDFT) protocol, based on stroke volume variation (SVV), applied in major spine surgery performed in the prone position, would be effective in reducing peri-operative red blood cells transfusions.

Summary Of Background Data: Recent literature shows that optimizing perioperative fluid therapy is associated with lower complication rates and faster recovery.

Gene expression profile analysis in human T lymphocytes from patients with Down Syndrome.

Down Syndrome (DS) is caused by the presence of three copies of the whole human chromosome 21 (HC21) or of a HC21 restricted region; the phenotype is likely to have originated from the altered expression of genes in the HC21. We apply the cDNA microarray method to the study of gene expression in human T lymphocytes with trisomy 21 in comparison to normal cells. Two patients with DS were investigated, along with two normal subjects as a control, all being tested in independent, duplicated cell culture experiments.

mRNA 5' region sequence incompleteness: a potential source of systematic errors in translation initiation codon assignment in human mRNAs.

The amino acid sequence of gene products is routinely deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the relative cloned cDNA, according to the rules for recognition of start codon (first-AUG rule, optimal sequence context) and the genetic code. From this prediction stem most subsequent types of product analysis, although all standard methods for cDNA cloning are affected by a potential inability to effectively clone the 5' region of mRNA. Revision by bioinformatics and cloning methods of 109 known genes located on human chromosome 21 (HC 21) shows that 60 mRNAs lack any in-frame stop upstream of the first-AUG, and that in five cases (DSCR1, KIAA0184, KIAA0539, SON, and TFF3) the coding region at the 5' end was incompletely characterized in the original descriptions.

Segmental paralogy in the human genome: a large-scale triplication on 1p, 6p, and 21q.

Few cases of large-scale segmental paralogy have been reported in the human genome. We have identified a large (approximately 500 kb) segment on human chromosome (HC) 21 (21q22) that is triplicated on HC 1 (1p35) and HC 6 (6p12-21). We also identified a new member of CLIC (Chloride Intracellular Channel) family on 21q, namely CLIC6.

Cysteine and tyrosine-rich 1 (CYYR1), a novel unpredicted gene on human chromosome 21 (21q21.2), encodes a cysteine and tyrosine-rich protein and defines a new family of highly conserved vertebrate-specific genes.

A novel human gene has been identified by in-depth bioinformatics analysis of chromosome 21 segment 40/105 (21q21.1), with no coding region predicted in any previous analysis. Brain-derived DNA complementary to RNA (cDNA) sequencing predicts a 154-amino acid product with no similarity to any known protein.

Ropivacaine-clonidine combination for caudal blockade in children.

Background: Adding clonidine to weak ropivacaine solutions (<0.2%) could potentially enhance analgesia as well as further reduce the risk for unwanted motor blockade. The aim of the present study was to compare the postoperative pain-relieving quality of a ropivacaine 0.