Transcatheter mitral valve implantation in severe mitral annular calcification: a case report.

Background: Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is characterized by severe calcification of mitral annulus and might be associated with both mitral regurgitation and stenosis. It is technically challenging for both surgical and percutaneous approach and is burdened by high mortality.

Case Summary: The present case report describes a complex case of mitral steno-insufficiency (baseline transvalvular gradient = 5 mmHg, effective regurgitant orifice area 0.

Prognostic role of aetiological agent vs. clinical pattern in candidates to lead extraction for cardiac implantable electronic device infections.

Cardiac implantable electronic devices infections (CIEDI) are associated with poor survival despite the improvement in transvenous lead extraction (TLE). Aetiology and systemic involvement are driving factors of clinical outcomes. The aim of this study was to explore their contribute on overall mortality.

Correlation Hyperspectral Imaging.

Hyperspectral imaging aims at providing information on both the spatial and the spectral distribution of light, with high resolution. However, state-of-the-art protocols are characterized by an intrinsic trade-off imposing to sacrifice either resolution or image acquisition speed. We address this limitation by exploiting light intensity correlations, which are shown to enable overcoming the typical downsides of traditional hyperspectral imaging techniques, both scanning and snapshot.

Characterization of Defocused Coherent Imaging Systems with Periodic Objects.

Recent advancements in quantum and quantum-inspired imaging techniques have enabled high-resolution 3D imaging through photon correlations. These techniques exhibit reduced degradation of image resolution for out-of-focus samples compared to conventional methods (i.e.

The emerging HER2 landscape in colorectal cancer: the key to unveil the future treatment algorithm?

Colorectal cancer (CRC) represents a global health threat, standing as the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Targeted therapies brought new hope for the metastatic stage, which historically bore a very poor prognosis. Human epidermal growth receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression concerns about 5 % of the metastatic CRC (mCRC) patients, including both gene amplifications and point mutations.

An autonucleolytic suspension HEK293F host cell line for high-titer serum-free AAV5 and AAV9 production with reduced levels of DNA impurity.

We sought to engineer mammalian cells to secrete nuclease activity as a step toward removing the need to purchase commercial nucleases as process additions in bioprocessing of AAV5 and AAV9 as gene therapy vectors. Engineering HeLa cells with a serratial nuclease transgene did not bring about nuclease activity in surrounding media whereas engineering serum-free, suspension-adapted HEK293F cells with a staphylococcal nuclease transgene did result in detectable nuclease activity in surrounding media of the resultant stable transfectant cell line, "NuPro-1S." When cultivated in serum-free media, NuPro-1S cells yielded 3.

Holographic mixed reality for planning transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Background: Using three-dimensional (3D) modalities for optimal pre-procedure planning in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is critical for procedural success. However, current methods rely on visualizing images on a two-dimensional screen, using shading and colors to create the illusion of 3D, potentially impeding the accurate comprehension of the actual anatomy structures. In contrast, a new Mixed Reality (MxR) based software enables accurate 3D visualization, imaging manipulation, and quantification of measurements.

Selection of candidates for cardiac resynchronization therapy and implantation management: an Italian survey promoted by the Italian Association of Arrhythmology and Cardiac Pacing.

Background: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) represents an effective heart failure treatment, associated with reduction in mortality and heart failure hospitalizations. This Italian survey aimed to address relevant CRT issues.

Methods: An online survey was administered to AIAC members.

Phthalate levels in common sea anemone Actinia equina and Anemonia viridis: A proxy of short-term microplastic interaction?

Phthalates are widely employed plasticizers blended to plastic polymers that, during plastic aging and weathering are prone to leach in the surrounding environment. Thus, phthalates were proposed to indirectly evaluate MPs contamination in marine environments, with still uncertain and scarce data, particularly for wildlife. This study investigates simultaneously microplastics (MPs) and phthalates (PAEs) occurrence in wild Actinia equina and Anemonia viridis, two common and edible sea anemone species.

The treatment of advanced melanoma: Current approaches and new challenges.

In recent years, advances in melanoma treatment have renewed patient hope. This comprehensive review emphasizes the evolving treatment landscape, particularly highlighting first-line strategies and the interplay between immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and targeted therapies. Ipilimumab plus nivolumab has achieved the best median overall survival, exceeding 70 months.

Engineering an Autonucleolytic Mammalian Suspension Host Cell Line to Reduce DNA Impurity Levels in Serum-Free Lentiviral Process Streams.

We engineered HEK293T cells with a transgene encoding tetracycline-inducible expression of a nuclease incorporating a translocation signal. We adapted the unmodified and nuclease-engineered cell lines to grow in suspension in serum-free media, generating the HEK293TS and NuPro-2S cell lines, respectively. Transient transfection yielded 1.

Deep learning approach for denoising low-SNR correlation plenoptic images.

Correlation Plenoptic Imaging (CPI) is a novel volumetric imaging technique that uses two sensors and the spatio-temporal correlations of light to detect both the spatial distribution and the direction of light. This novel approach to plenoptic imaging enables refocusing and 3D imaging with significant enhancement of both resolution and depth of field. However, CPI is generally slower than conventional approaches due to the need to acquire sufficient statistics for measuring correlations with an acceptable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

PPAR-gamma agonist pioglitazone recovers mitochondrial quality control in fibroblasts from -deficient patients.

Biallelic variants in are associated with a slowly progressive syndrome characterized by intellectual disability, spinocerebellar ataxia, cognitive decline and psychosis. The pitrilysin metallopeptidase 1 (PITRM1) is a mitochondrial matrix enzyme, which digests diverse oligopeptides, including the mitochondrial targeting sequences (MTS) that are cleaved from proteins imported across the inner mitochondrial membrane by the mitochondrial processing peptidase (MPP). Mitochondrial peptidases also play a role in the maturation of Frataxin, the protein affected in Friedreich's ataxia.

Correlated-photon imaging at 10 volumetric images per second.

The correlation properties of light provide an outstanding tool to overcome the limitations of traditional imaging techniques. A relevant case is represented by correlation plenoptic imaging (CPI), a quantum-inspired volumetric imaging protocol employing spatio-temporally correlated photons from either entangled or chaotic sources to address the main limitations of conventional light-field imaging, namely, the poor spatial resolution and the reduced change of perspective for 3D imaging. However, the application potential of high-resolution imaging modalities relying on photon correlations is limited, in practice, by the need to collect a large number of frames.

Immunomodulation Therapies for Atherosclerosis: The Past, the Present, and the Future.

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of morbidity and death worldwide. Recent studies have demonstrated that this chronic inflammatory disease of the arterial wall can be controlled through the modulation of immune system activity. Many patients with cardiovascular disease remain at elevated risk of recurrent events despite receiving current, state-of-the-art preventive medical treatment.

Intermittent Normal Ventricular Conduction in Left Bundle Branch Block After TAVR.

In a patient who previously developed left bundle branch block after transcatheter aortic valve replacement, intermittent narrow QRS complexes were recorded on ambulatory electrocardiography monitoring. The peculiar distribution of wide and narrow QRS complexes suggested the presence of a window of supernormality in the refractory period of a branch block that on other occasions exhibited the Wenckebach phenomenon. ().

Treatment with gentamicin-impregnated collagen sponges in reducing infection of implantable cardiac devices: 10-year analysis with propensity score matching.

Introduction And Objectives: The incidence of device infection has increased over time and is associated with increased mortality in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). Gentamicin-impregnated collagen sponges (GICSs) are useful in preventing surgical site infection (SSI) in cardiac surgery. Nevertheless, to date, there is no evidence concerning their use in CIED procedures.

Successful percutaneous catheter-directed treatment of high-risk pulmonary embolism: a case report.

Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is an acute cardiovascular syndrome characterized by high incidence and mortality. The therapy of this condition is based on anticoagulation and hemodynamic support, but in case of high-risk mortality, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines recommend systemic thrombolytic therapy and surgical embolectomy if thrombolysis is contraindicated or has failed; nowadays several percutaneous catheter-directed treatments for local thrombolysis or mechanical embolectomy are available, but they have IIa class of recommendation, because of lack of robust scientific evidence favoring their use.

Case Description: We described a case of high-risk PE treated with a novel percutaneous system for mechanical embolectomy, which consists of a large aspiration catheter that was advanced in the pulmonary artery, capturing and removing a vast thrombus, of 15 centimeters in length.