Lung ultrasound and procalcitonin, improving antibiotic management and avoiding radiation exposure in pediatric critical patients with bacterial pneumonia: a randomized clinical trial.

Background: Pneumonia is a major public health problem with an impact on morbidity and mortality. Its management still represents a challenge. The aim was to determine whether a new diagnostic algorithm combining lung ultrasound (LUS) and procalcitonin (PCT) improved pneumonia management regarding antibiotic use, radiation exposure, and associated costs, in critically ill pediatric patients with suspected bacterial pneumonia (BP).

Inflammatory profiles in women with eating disorder: Linking inflammatory biomarkers to clinical phenotypes.

Introduction: Eating disorders (ED) represent a group of very complex and serious diagnoses characterized by emotional dysregulation and impulsivity. New approaches are necessary to achieve effective diagnosis and treatments. Shifting biomarker research away from the constraints of diagnostic categories may effectively contribute to a dimensional differentiation across disorders according to neurobiology (e.

Comparison of Direct Oral Anticoagulants vs Vitamin K Antagonists After Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement.

Background: There is currently no established recommendation for antithrombotic treatment following transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR). However, based on the analogy with surgical mitral bioprosthesis, vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) are predominantly used.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare bleeding and thrombotic events associated with direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) or VKAs in a prospective cohort of TMVR patients.

Neurocognitive profile associated with borderline personality disorder: building specific indices of executive function.

The objective of this work is the creation of specific indices of the different executive functions (EF).

Oxidative stress and inflammatory pathways in female eating disorders and borderline personality disorders with emotional dysregulation as linking factors with impulsivity and trauma.

Background: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) and eating disorders (ED) are both disorders with emotional dysregulation that may share some similar biological underpinnings, leading to oxidative/inflammatory alterations. Unfortunately, to date, no studies have assessed the relationship between clinical features, inflammatory alterations and childhood trauma across these disorders. Our aim was to identify the potential common and disorder-specific inflammatory pathways and examine possible associations between these dysregulated pathways and the clinical features.

Telocytes/CD34+ Stromal Cells in the Normal, Hyperplastic, and Adenomatous Human Parathyroid Glands.

Telocytes/CD34+ stromal cells (TCs/CD34+ SCs) have been studied in numerous organs and tissues, but their presence and characteristics in the parathyroid glands have not been explored. Using immunological and ultrastructural procedures, we assess the location, arrangement, and behavior of TCs/CD34+ SCs in normal human parathyroids, during their development and in their most frequent pathologic conditions. In normal parathyroids, TCs/CD34+ SCs show a small somatic body and long thin processes with a moniliform aspect, form labyrinthine systems, connect other neighboring TCs/CD34+ SCs, vessels, adipocytes, and parenchymal cells directly or by extracellular vesicles, and associate with collagen I.

Delimiting CD34+ Stromal Cells/Telocytes Are Resident Mesenchymal Cells That Participate in Neovessel Formation in Skin Kaposi Sarcoma.

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is an angioproliferative lesion in which two main KS cell sources are currently sustained: endothelial cells (ECs) and mesenchymal/stromal cells. Our objective is to establish the tissue location, characteristics and transdifferentiation steps to the KS cells of the latter. For this purpose, we studied specimens of 49 cases of cutaneous KS using immunochemistry and confocal and electron microscopy.

Executive dysfunction in eating disorders: Relationship with clinical features.

Unlabelled: Eating disorders (ED) are severe mental disorders that may result in significant functional impairment and disability. Neuropsychological studies have consistently found impaired executive function (EF) among ED patients. EF is particularly involved in fundamental skills of daily living and in behavioral and emotional regulation.

Comparison of the Behavior of Perivascular Cells (Pericytes and CD34+ Stromal Cell/Telocytes) in Sprouting and Intussusceptive Angiogenesis.

Perivascular cells in the pericytic microvasculature, pericytes and CD34+ stromal cells/telocytes (CD34+SCs/TCs), have an important role in angiogenesis. We compare the behavior of these cells depending on whether the growth of endothelial cells (ECs) from the pre-existing microvasculature is toward the interstitium with vascular bud and neovessel formation (sprouting angiogenesis) or toward the vascular lumen with intravascular pillar development and vessel division (intussusceptive angiogenesis). Detachment from the vascular wall, mobilization, proliferation, recruitment, and differentiation of pericytes and CD34+SCs/TCs, as well as associated changes in vessel permeability and functionality, and modifications of the extracellular matrix are more intense, longer lasting over time, and with a greater energy cost in sprouting angiogenesis than in intussusceptive angiogenesis, in which some of the aforementioned events do not occur or are compensated for by others (e.

Intussusceptive angiogenesis facilitated by microthrombosis has an important example in angiolipoma. An ultrastructural and immunohistochemical study.

The microvasculature of angiolipoma frequently presents thrombi. Our objectives are to assess whether intussusceptive angiogenesis (IA) participates in vasculature formation in non-infiltrating angiolipoma and, if so, to explore how thrombi are involved in the IA process. For this purpose, we studied angiolipoma specimens (n: 52), using immunohistochemistry, and confocal and electron microscopy.

Ultrastructural Study of Platelet Behavior and Interrelationship in Sprouting and Intussusceptive Angiogenesis during Arterial Intimal Thickening Formation.

Platelets in atherosclerosis, bypass stenosis, and restenosis have been extensively assessed. However, a sequential ultrastructural study of platelets in angiogenesis during the early phases of these lesions has received less attention. Our objective was the study of platelets in angiogenesis and vessel regression during intimal thickening (IT) formation, a precursor process of these occlusive vascular diseases.

Cd34+ Stromal Cells/Telocytes in Normal and Pathological Skin.

We studied CD34+ stromal cells/telocytes (CD34+SCs/TCs) in pathologic skin, after briefly examining them in normal conditions. We confirm previous studies by other authors in the normal dermis regarding CD34+SC/TC characteristics and distribution around vessels, nerves and cutaneous annexes, highlighting their practical absence in the papillary dermis and presence in the bulge region of perifollicular groups of very small CD34+ stromal cells. In non-tumoral skin pathology, we studied examples of the principal histologic patterns in which CD34+SCs/TCs have (1) a fundamental pathophysiological role, including (a) fibrosing/sclerosing diseases, such as systemic sclerosis, with loss of CD34+SCs/TCs and presence of stromal cells co-expressing CD34 and αSMA, and (b) metabolic degenerative processes, including basophilic degeneration of collagen, with stromal cells/telocytes in close association with degenerative fibrils, and cutaneous myxoid cysts with spindle-shaped, stellate and bulky vacuolated CD34+ stromal cells, and (2) a secondary reactive role, encompassing dermatitis-e.

Impact of Mitral Annular Calcium and Mitral Stenosis on Outcomes After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

Mitral annular calcium (MAC) is a common finding in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and may be associated with mitral stenosis (MAC-MS). Their impact on post-TAVI outcomes remains controversial. We sought to assess the impact of MAC and MAC-MS on clinical outcomes following TAVI.

Causes and predictors of mortality after transcatheter mitral valve implantation in patients with severe mitral annulus calcification.

Objectives: To evaluate the causes and predictors of mortality after valve-in-mitral annulus calcification (MAC) transcatheter mitral valve implantation (TMVI).

Background: Conventional surgical mitral valve replacement is associated with a high risk in patients with mitral valve disease associated with severe MAC. In this population, TMVI may be an attractive alternative option.

CD34+ Stromal Cells/Telocytes as a Source of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts (CAFs) in Invasive Lobular Carcinoma of the Breast.

Several origins have been proposed for cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), including resident CD34+ stromal cells/telocytes (CD34+SCs/TCs). The characteristics and arrangement of mammary CD34+SCs/TCs are well known and invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast (ILC) is one of the few malignant epithelial tumours with stromal cells that can express CD34 or αSMA, which could facilitate tracking these cells. Our objective is to assess whether tissue-resident CD34+SCs/TCs participate in the origin of CAFs in ILCs.

Telocytes/CD34+ Stromal Cells in Pathologically Affected White Adipose Tissue.

We studied telocytes/CD34+ stromal cells (TCs/CD34+SCs) in pathologically affected white adipose tissue after briefly examining them in normal fat. To this aim, we reviewed pathological processes, including original contributions, in which TCs/CD34+SCs are conserved, increased, and lost, or acquire a specific arrangement. The pathologic processes in which TCs/CD34+SCs are studied in adipose tissue include inflammation and repair through granulation tissue, iatrogenic insulin-amyloid type amyloidosis, non-adipose tissue components (nerve fascicles and fibres in neuromas and hyperplastic neurogenic processes) and tumours (signet ring carcinoma with Krukenberg tumour and colon carcinoma) growing in adipose tissue, adipose tissue tumours (spindle cell lipoma, dendritic fibromyxolipoma, pleomorphic lipoma, infiltrating angiolipoma of skeletal muscle and elastofibrolipoma), lipomatous hypertrophy of the interatrial septum, nevus lipomatosus cutaneous superficialis of Hoffman-Zurhelle and irradiated adipose tissue of the perirectal and thymic regions.

Myriad pillars formed by intussusceptive angiogenesis as the basis of intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia (IPEH). IPEH is intussusceptive angiogenesis made a lesion.

Intussusceptive angiogenesis (IA) is the process by which pre-existing blood vessels split, expand and remodel through intravascular pillar formation. In previous works, we studied the morphologic characteristics of intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia (IPEH) and suggested the participation of IA in the histogenesis of the lesion. Our current goal is to demonstrate that myriad papillae in IPEH are in fact myriad pillars, the hallmarks of IA.

Predictors and clinical impact of thrombosis after transcatheter mitral valve implantation using balloon-expandable bioprostheses.

Aims: The aim of this study was to report the predictors and clinical impact of transcatheter heart valve (THV) thrombosis in patients undergoing transcatheter mitral valve implantation (TMVI).

Methods And Results: We included 130 patients who consecutively underwent TMVI. Transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) and/or computed tomography (CT) were performed in 91.

Intussusceptive Angiogenesis and Peg-Socket Junctions between Endothelial Cells and Smooth Muscle Cells in Early Arterial Intimal Thickening.

Angiogenesis in arterial intimal thickening (AIT) has been considered mainly in late AIT stages and only refers to sprouting angiogenesis. We assess angiogenesis during early AIT development and the occurrence of the intussusceptive type. For this purpose, we studied AIT development in (a) human arteries with vasculitis in gallbladders with acute cholecystitis and urgent ( = 25) or delayed ( = 20) cholecystectomy, using immunohistochemical techniques and (b) experimentally occluded arterial segments ( = 56), using semithin and ultrathin sections and electron microscopy.

Presence/Absence and Specific Location of Resident CD34+ Stromal Cells/Telocytes Condition Stromal Cell Development in Repair and Tumors.

CD34+ stromal cells/telocytes (CD34+SCs/TCs) can have a role as mesenchymal precursor cells. Our objective is to assess whether the myofibroblastic stromal cell response in repair and in desmoplastic reactions in tumors depend on the presence or absence of resident CD34+SCs/TCs in specific regions/layers of an organ and on the location of their possible subpopulations. For this purpose, using conventional and immunohistochemical procedures, we studied specimens of (a) acute cholecystitis, with early repair phenomena (n: 6), (b) surgically resected segments of colon tattooed with India ink during previous endoscopic removal of malignant polyps, with macrophage infiltration and stromal cell reaction (n: 8) and (c) infiltrative adenocarcinomas of colon, with desmoplastic reaction (n: 8).

Outcomes of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Patients Receiving Chronic Systemic Corticosteroid Treatment.

The aim of this study was to describe the effects of chronic systemic corticosteroid treatment (SCT) on early and late outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). From October 2006 to November 2018, 1,299 patients underwent TAVI in our institution. Among them, 48 (3.