The Impact of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases on Patients' Quality of Life and Work Functionality: An Observational Study.

Background: This study aimed to assess the employment status, quality of life, and work functionality in patients affected by inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs).

Methods: Patients (N = 216) were enrolled between June 2020 and October 2021. Personal, clinical, and occupational features were investigated.

Target-controlled infusion during MitraClip procedures in deep-sedation with spontaneous breathing.

Objective: Percutaneous mitral valve repair with the MitraClip system is an alternative procedure for high-risk patients not suitable for conventional surgery. The MitraClip can be safely performed under general anesthesia (GA) or deep sedation (DS) with spontaneous breathing using a combination of propofol and remifentanil. This study aimed to evaluate the benefits of target-controlled infusion (TCI) of remifentanil and administration of propofol during DS compared with manual administration of total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) medication during GA in patients undergoing MitraClip.

The Impact of Gitelman Syndrome on Cardiovascular Disease: From Physiopathology to Clinical Management.

Gitelman syndrome (GS), or congenital hypokalemic hypomagnesemia hypocalciuria with metabolic alkalosis, is a congenital inherited tubulopathy. This tubulopathy is associated with disorders of water-electrolyte homeostasis, such as metabolic alkalosis, hypokalemia, hyponatremia, hypomagnesemia and hypocalciuria. GS has an autosomal recessive inheritance.

Combined MitraClip and Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion: Is It Still a Utopia?

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, affecting 32 million individuals worldwide, particularly the elderly. It is the main cause of ischemic strokes. Oral anticoagulation (OAC) is the gold standard strategy for stroke prevention.

A Rare Case of Left Ventricular Non-Compaction with Coronary Artery Anomaly Complicated by ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction and Subcutaneous Defibrillator Implantation.

Left ventricular non-compaction (LVNC) is a rare congenital cardiomyopathy caused by arrest of normal endomyocardial embryogenesis and characterized by the persistence of ventricular hypertrabeculation, isolated or associated to other congenital defects. A 33-year-old male, with family history of sudden cardiac death (SCD), presented to our ER with typical chest pain and was diagnosed with anterior STEMI. Coronary angiography showed an anomalous origin of the circumflex artery from the right coronary artery and a critical stenosis on the proximal left anterior descending artery, treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Inflammatory bowel diseases and work disability: a systematic review of predictive factors.

Objective: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn's disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC), are chronic, relapsing intestinal disorders that may severely compromise patients' labour force participation. In this context, the present review aims to provide an overview on possible IBD pathological, socio-demographic, and treatment-related factors predictive for work disability with the purpose to provide guidance for a successful clinical and occupational management.

Materials And Methods: A systematic review of PubMed, Scopus, and ISI Web of Science databases was performed to retrieve all the studies addressing IBD-related predictors for work disability.

Every minute counts: in-hospital changes of left ventricular regional and global function in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

Aims: The aim of our study was to assess the effects of an early percutaneous coronary intervention on changes of in-hospital left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and wall motion score index (WMSI) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

Methods: The study population consisted of 324 consecutive patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, divided into two groups, according to the first medical contact (FMC)-to-reperfusion time, respectively, 90 min or less (n = 173) and more than 90 min (n = 151). Moreover, we performed a sub-analysis in the group of patients who showed at discharge an improvement in the LVEF of at least 10%.

Who Has Seen Patients With ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction? First Results From Italian Real-World Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Background After the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak, social isolation measures were introduced to contain infection. Although there is currently a slowing down of the infection, a reduction of hospitalizations, especially for myocardial infarction, was observed. The aim of our study is to evaluate the impact of the infectious disease on ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) care during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, through the analysis of recent cases of patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention.

The effects of a 50 km ultramarathon race on high sensitivity cardiac troponin I and NT-proBNP in highly trained athletes.

Background: High sensitivity cardiac troponins I (hs-cTnI) and T (hs-cTnT) and natriuretic peptides (BNP and NT-proBNP) are universally recognized as cardiac reference biomarkers in patients with acute coronary syndromes and heart failure respectively. However, while on one hand the high sensitivity methods of cardiac biomarkers have provided answers to fundamental pathophysiological and clinical questions in patients with heart disease, less information is available on their assessment in paraphysiological conditions, such as high intensity exercise in healthy athletes. The aim of this study was to evaluate hs-cTnI and NT-proBNP in highly trained runners after a 50 km ultramarathon.

Shift work and migraine: A systematic review.

Objectives: Migraine is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent attacks of headache, mainly affecting the working age population with a great socioeconomic impact. The etiology of migraine is still uncertain, and various individual and/or environmental risk factors have been suggested as triggers of the attacks, including irregularities in the sleep-wake rhythm. In this perspective, it is possible that shift and night work, affecting circadian rhythms, may play a key function in the disease pathogenesis.

Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide and Nanomaterial Exposure in Workplaces.

Background: The widespread application of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) and the increasing likelihood of general and occupational exposure raised concerns on their possible human health impact. ENMs, in fact, may induce alterations in different organ systems, and particularly in the respiratory tract. This makes it important to identify possible biomarkers of early lung effect in exposed workers.

MiR-423 is differentially expressed in patients with stable and unstable coronary artery disease: A pilot study.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are the leading causes of death worldwide. Since only a subset of CAD patients develops myocardial infarction, it is likely that unique factors predispose to AMI. Circulating microRNAs represent diagnostic powerful biomarkers for detection of heart injuries and patients' risk stratification.

Carotid Doppler sonography: additional tool to assess hemodynamic improvement after transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Purpose: The aim of our study was to assess the arterial cerebral blood flow variations in patients with aortic valve stenosis, immediately after the transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

Methods: The study population includes 62 consecutive patients who underwent TAVI for aortic valve stenosis (95%) and sugical bioprosthesis degeneration (5%). Carotid Doppler examination was performed recording blood flow, systolic peak velocity, time average mean velocity and mean acceleration time at baseline, after balloon aortic valvuloplasty, and within 10 min after the device release.

Cardiovascular medicine heart failure (CVM-HF) index as prognostic model for candidates to MitraClip therapy.

Transcatheter MitraClip repair is a new tool for the management of severe mitral regurgitation in patients at very high risk for conventional surgery. Aim of our study was reporting one-year clinical outcomes in candidates to MitraClip procedures, divided into three groups according to the cardiovascular medicine heart failure (CVM-HF) index. The study population consists of 46 consecutive patients, divided, in accordance with CVM-HF index, as follows: one patient in the low-risk category (group A); 27 patients in the medium-risk (group B) and 18 patients in high-risk category (group C).

Clinical results with the 31 mm CoreValveª in large aortic annuli: the importance of implantation technique.

Aims: The CoreValve Revalving System (CRS) (Medtronic Inc., Minneapolis, MN, USA) is currently available in four sizes: 23 mm, 26 mm, 29 mm and 31 mm. Aim of our study was to assess the acute clinical results after implantation of a 31 mm CRS.

Percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale with Atriasept II device in nickel allergic patients.

There are concerns about percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO) using nitinol-alloys devices in patients with nickel hypersensitivity. We describe our experience with Atriasept II (Cardia Eagan, Minnesota, USA) used in four patients with known nickel allergy. No intraprocedural or in-hospital adverse events occurred.