Risk Factors for 30-Day Mortality in Nosocomial Enterococcal Bloodstream Infections.

Enterococci commonly cause nosocomial bloodstream infections (BSIs), and the global incidence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) BSIs is rising. This study aimed to assess the risk factors for enterococcal BSIs and 30-day mortality, stratified by species, vancomycin resistance, and treatment appropriateness. We conducted a retrospective cohort study (2014-2021) including all hospitalized adult patients with at least one blood culture positive for or .

Predicting response to non-selective beta-blockers with liver-spleen stiffness and heart rate in patients with liver cirrhosis and high-risk varices.

Introduction: Non-selective beta-blockers (NSBB) are used for primary prophylaxis in patients with liver cirrhosis and high-risk varices (HRVs). Assessing therapeutic response is challenging due to the invasive nature of hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) measurement. This study aims to define a noninvasive machine-learning based approach to determine response to NSBB in patients with liver cirrhosis and HRVs.

Clinical Significance of Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Endodeoxyribonuclease 1 and MicroRNA Axis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background And Aims: Identification of prognostic factors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) opens new perspectives for therapy. Circulating and cellular onco-miRNAs are noncoding RNAs which can control the expression of genes involved in oncogenesis through post-transcriptional mechanisms. These microRNAs (miRNAs) are considered novel prognostic and predictive factors in HCC.

Diverticular Disease and Rifaximin: An Evidence-Based Review.

There have been considerable advances in the treatment of diverticular disease in recent years. Antibiotics are frequently used to treat symptoms and prevent complications. Rifaximin, a non-absorbable antibiotic, is a common therapeutic choice for symptomatic diverticular disease in various countries, including Italy.

Pylephlebitis: A Systematic Review on Etiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Infective Portal Vein Thrombosis.

Pylephlebitis, defined as infective thrombophlebitis of the portal vein, is a rare condition with an incidence of 0.37-2.7 cases per 100,000 person-years, which can virtually complicate any intra-abdominal or pelvic infections that develop within areas drained by the portal venous circulation.

MiR-3201 as a Prognostic Blood Biomarker for Curative Treatments in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatic resection, radiofrequency ablation (RF), and liver transplantation (LT) represent the only available curative treatments for early stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Various studies showed that the 5-year overall survival (OS) rate reaches ∼70% after resection and ∼60% after RF. To improve the success rate of curative therapies and consequently the OS, an improvement in patients' selection and management should be pursued.

Incisional hernia by liver cysts.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most commonly inherited kidney disease and is associated with cystic manifestation in the liver. Patients with ADPKD are at higher risk for hernias, here we present an image of an incisional hernia full of multiple liver cysts.

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Altered Neuropsychological Functions in Patients with Subcortical Vascular Dementia.

NAFLD is the most common cause of abnormality in liver function tests. NAFLD is considered a potential cardiovascular risk factor and is linked to cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and dyslipidemia. Few previous studies have investigated whether NAFLD could be independently associated with cognitive impairment.

Aspirin and Infection: A Narrative Review.

Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) is one of the most commonly used drugs in the world. It derives from the extract of white willow bark, whose therapeutic potential was known in Egypt since 1534 BC. ASA's pharmacological effects are historically considered secondary to its anti-inflammatory, platelet-inhibiting properties; however, human studies demonstrating a pro-inflammatory effect of ASA exist.

Antibiotics and Liver Cirrhosis: What the Physicians Need to Know.

The liver is the primary site of drug metabolism, which can be altered by a variety of diseases affecting the liver parenchyma, especially in patients with liver cirrhosis. The use of antibiotics in patients with cirrhosis is usually a matter of concern for physicians, given the lack of practical knowledge for drug choice and eventual dose adjustments in several clinical scenarios. The aim of the current narrative review is to report, as broadly as possible, basic, and practical knowledge that any physician should have when approaching a patient with liver cirrhosis and an ongoing infection to efficiently choose the best antibiotic therapy.

Hepatitis C Virus-Related Central and Peripheral Nervous System Disorders.

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), despite being a hepatotropic virus, is the causative agent of many systemic disorders, such as vasculitis, autoimmune diseases, lymphoproliferative disorders, and a broad spectrum of neurological and psychiatric manifestations. Although symptoms have been misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed, only recently, evidence of direct (inflammatory) or indirect (immune-mediated) HCV-dependent cerebral effects has been established. HCV infection can promote acute inflammatory response, pro-coagulative status and ischemic disorders, and neurodegeneration.

Calprotectin and SARS-CoV-2: A Brief-Report of the Current Literature.

In late December 2019, a novel coronavirus (lately referred to as SARS-CoV-2) spread in the city of Wuhan, China, causing an outbreak of unusual viral pneumonia. In many people, the disease is mild and self-limiting, but in a considerable number of patients, the disease may present more severe or even fatal. Therefore, determining which patients are at higher risk of developing a more severe disease is critical.

High fecal calprotectin levels are associated with SARS-CoV-2 intestinal shedding in COVID-19 patients: A proof-of-concept study.

Background: One third of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients have gastrointestinal symptoms. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA has been detected in stool samples of approximately 50% of COVID-19 individuals. Fecal calprotectin is a marker of gastrointestinal inflammation in the general population.

Peritoneal Tuberculosis during Infliximab Treatment in a Patient with Ulcerative Colitis Despite a Negative Quantiferon Test.

Infliximab is an IgG1 antitumor necrosis factor monoclonal antibody that is commonly used to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other autoimmune disorders. However, it is known to increase the risk of reactivation of latent tuberculosis (LTBI) due to its capability to disrupt TB granulomas. We describe a case of extrapulmonary TB in a patient with ulcerative colitis who was treated with Infliximab after a negative Quantiferon Test.

Comparison between hepatocellular carcinoma prognostic scores: A 10-year single-center experience and brief review of the current literature.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents the most common primitive liver malignancy. A relevant concern involves the lack of agreement on staging systems, prognostic scores, and treatment allocation algorithms.

Aim: To compare the survival rates among already developed prognostic scores.

Repeated double cross-validation applied to the PCA-LDA classification of SERS spectra: a case study with serum samples from hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Intense label-free surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of serum samples were rapidly obtained on Ag plasmonic paper substrates upon 785 nm excitation. Spectra from the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients showed consistent differences with respect to those of the control group. In particular, uric acid was found to be relatively more abundant in patients, while hypoxanthine, ergothioneine, and glutathione were found as relatively more abundant in the control group.

You Talking to Me? Says the Enteric Nervous System (ENS) to the Microbe. How Intestinal Microbes Interact with the ENS.

Mammalian organisms form intimate interfaces with commensal and pathogenic gut microorganisms. Increasing evidence suggests a close interaction between gut microorganisms and the enteric nervous system (ENS), as the first interface to the central nervous system. Each microorganism can exert a different effect on the ENS, including phenotypical neuronal changes or the induction of chemical transmitters that interact with ENS neurons.

Weighted miRNA co-expression networks analysis identifies circulating miRNA predicting overall survival in hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

The weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) has been used to explore gene expression datasets by constructing biological networks based on the likelihood expression profile among genes. In recent years, WGCNA found application in biomarker discovery studies, including miRNA. Serum samples from 20 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were profiled through miRNA 3.

Spontaneous Rectal Perforation in a Patient with SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is mostly perceived as a respiratory disease. However, there is increasing evidence of patients showing gastrointestinal symptoms, with increasing rates of presentation according to the severity of the disease. In a few cases, the abdominal involvement of COVID-19 resulted in spontaneous bowel perforation.

Optimization of Point-Shear Wave Elastography by Skin-to-Liver Distance to Assess Liver Fibrosis in Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery.

Background: Obesity is a primary limiting factor in liver stiffness measurement (LSM). The impact of obesity has always been evaluated in terms of body mass index (BMI), without studying the effects of skin-to-liver distance (SLD) on LSM. We studied the impact of SLD on LSM in a cohort of obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery and intra-operatory liver biopsy.

Circulatory miRNA as a Biomarker for Therapy Response and Disease-Free Survival in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

The clinical outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment remains unsatisfactory, contributing to the high mortality of HCC worldwide. Circulating miRNAs have the potential to be a predictor of therapy response. Microarray profiling was performed in serum samples of 20 HCC patients before treatment.

Spontaneous porto-femoral shunting in long-standing portal hypertension.

Spontaneous portosystemic shunting is a compensation mechanism that is supposed to relieve the portal circulation from high pressures. Here we report an unusual shunt that originates from a patent paraumbilical vein and reaches the femoral vein via the inferior epigastric vein. Despite being merely anecdotal, this finding is fascinating from an anatomical point of view.