Publications by authors named "Lisa Birritella"

Background: Cardiovascular (CV) diseases are a cause of increased long-term morbidity and mortality in childhood cancer survivors (CCSs) treated with anthracyclines. These drugs may affect not only the heart, but also the vascular system. Left ventricular-arterial coupling (LVAC) represents a reliable parameter of altered ventricular and vascular performance, with validated prognostic value and never investigated in this setting.

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Background: Right ventricle-pulmonary artery (RV-PA) coupling is a strong prognostic marker in several clinical settings, but few studies have focused on its role in repaired tetralogy of Fallot (rToF) with pulmonary regurgitation.

Aim: To assess whether differences exist in RV-PA coupling, estimated by echocardiography, between patients with rToF and pulmonary regurgitation with or without an indication for pulmonary valve replacement (PVR).

Methods: The study population included 40 patients with rToF, who were allocated to two groups: 20 with an indication for PVR (i-PVR group); and 20 without an indication for PVR (ni-PVR group).

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Costello syndrome (CS) is a rare disorder affecting development and growth characterized by cancer predisposition and caused by mutations in HRAS proto-oncogene. Somatic HRAS mutations drive bladder carcinogenesis. The aim of this study was to analyze prevalence and histological characterization of bladder cancer (BC) in a cohort of patients with CS to help clinicians plan effective management strategies.

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Background: In childhood cancer survivors (CCSs) anthracycline-related cardiotoxicity is an important cause of morbidity and late mortality, but the optimal modality of cardiac surveillance still remains to be defined. The aim of this study was to assess whether non-invasive echocardiography-based functional cardiac measures can detect early subclinical myocardial changes in long-term pediatric cancer survivors who received anthracycline therapy.

Methods: Twenty anthracycline-treated long-term CCSs and 20 age, sex, and body surface area matched healthy controls were enrolled in this study.

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Objectives: The main aim of this study was to evaluate BMI changes in children and adolescent with obesity or overweight, analyzing the possible risk factors that contributed to weight gain during a pandemic-associated lockdown.

Material And Methods: The study was conducted at the Pediatric Endocrinology Department of a third-level University Hospital in Rome, including children and adolescents with overweight and obesity. Personal, anthropometrics data and other information about physical activity, eating habits and psychological aspects were collected.

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