Laparoscopic versus open resection for hepatocellular carcinoma according to the procedure's complexity: real-world weighted data from a national register.

Background: Minimal access liver surgery (MALS) is considered superior to open liver resection (OLR) in reducing the perioperative risk in patients affected by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). No national-level comparisons exist based on procedure complexity. This study aims to compare postoperative complications, postoperative ascites (POA), and major complications (MC) between MALS and OLR.

Machine learning to predict the decision to perform surgery in hepatic echinococcosis.

Background: Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a significant public health issue, primarily affecting the liver. While several management strategies exist, there is a lack of predictive tools to guide surgical decisions for hepatic CE. This study aimed to develop predictive models to support surgical decision-making in hepatic CE, enhancing the precision of patient allocation to surgical or non-surgical management pathways.

Preoperative prediction of post hepatectomy liver failure after surgery for hepatocellular carcinoma on CT-scan by machine learning and radiomics analyses.

Introduction: No instruments are available to predict preoperatively the risk of posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) in HCC patients. The aim was to predict the occurrence of PHLF preoperatively by radiomics and clinical data through machine-learning algorithms.

Materials And Methods: Clinical data and 3-phases CT scans were retrospectively collected among 13 Italian centres between 2008 and 2022.

DNA methylation analysis of multiple genes in thymic epithelial tumors.

To investigate DNA methylation levels of a panel of genes in thymic epithelial tumors (TETs). We selected 15 genes among the most promising epigenetic biomarkers of TETs and evaluated their methylation levels in 71 TET samples. thymic carcinomas (TCs) showed hypermethylation of and genes and reduced methylation levels compared with thymomas (TMs) and healthy thymic tissues.

Pre-operative evaluation of spontaneous portosystemic shunts as a predictor of post-hepatectomy liver failure in patients undergoing liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) can significantly compromise outcomes, especially in cirrhotic patients. The identification of accurate and non-invasive pre-operative predictors is of paramount importance to appropriately stratify patients according to their estimated risk and select the best treatment strategy.

Materials And Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing liver resection for HCC on cirrhosis between 1-2015 and 12-2020 at 10 international Institutions were enrolled and their pre-operative CT scans were evaluated for the presence of spontaneous portosystemic shunts (SPSS) to identify predictors of PHLF and develop a nomogram.

Single large hepatocellular carcinoma > 5 cm with surgical indication: is it mandatory a major hepatectomy? a propensity-score weighted analysis.

Purpose: Single large hepatocellular carcinoma >5cm (SLHCC) traditionally requires a major liver resection. Minor resections are often performed with the goal to reduce morbidity and mortality. Aim of the study was to establish if a major resection should be considered the best treatment for SLHCC or a more limited resection should be preferred.

Excessive daytime sleepiness in myotonic dystrophy: a narrative review.

Introduction: Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a common and debilitating symptom in both forms of myotonic dystrophy (DM), significantly impacting patients' quality of life. The review focuses on the purpose of examining the current understanding of EDS in these conditions, the difficulty in correctly accessing it, the recent findings related to its etiology and prevalence, and a summary of potential therapeutic implications.

Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search through PubMed, selecting studies that provided significant insights into the mechanisms, prevalence, and management of EDS in DM1 and DM2.

Pink-on-pink: hepatocellular carcinoma metastatic to oncocytic carcinoma of the thyroid.

Hepatocellular carcinoma typically metastasizes within the liver and may involve extrahepatic sites such as the lungs, adrenal glands, and bones at advanced stages. However, hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis to the thyroid is very uncommon and tumor-to-tumor metastasis from a hepatocellular cancer to a thyroid neoplasm is extremely rare. In this report, we present a case of a 70-year-old man with a hepatocellular carcinoma metastasizing to oncocytic thyroid carcinoma, emphasizing the importance of clinical history and of a multidisciplinary approach, as well as the usefulness of site-specific immunohistochemical markers, in diagnosing and managing cases of Rosai's metastasis, especially when donor and recipient neoplasms share similar histologic features.

Surface Carbon Formation and its Impact on Methane Dry Reforming Kinetics on Rhodium-Based Catalysts by Operando Raman Spectroscopy.

A mechanism for carbon deposition and its impact on the reaction kinetics of Methane Dry Reforming (MDR) using Rhodium-based catalysts is presented. By integrating Raman spectroscopy with kinetic analysis in an operando-annular chemical reactor under strict chemical conditions, we discovered that carbon deposition on a Rh/α-AlO catalyst follows a nucleation-growth mechanism. The dynamics of carbon aggregates at the surface is found to be ruled by the CO/CH ratio and the inlet CH concentration.

Increasing Computational Efficiency of CFD Simulations of Reactive Flows at Catalyst Surfaces through Dynamic Load Balancing.

We propose a numerical strategy based on dynamic load balancing (DLB) aimed at enhancing the computational efficiency of multiscale CFD simulation of reactive flows at catalyst surfaces. Our approach employs DLB combined with a hybrid parallelization technique, integrating both MPI and OpenMP protocols. This results in an optimized distribution of the computational load associated with the chemistry solution across processors, thereby minimizing computational overheads.

Quantitative Kinetic Insights from Operando-UV/Vis Spectroscopy: An Application to NH-SCR of NOx on Cu-CHA Catalysts.

We employ UV/Vis Diffuse Reflectance spectroscopy directly coupled with a packed bed flow reactor to extract quantitative kinetic information. We use as a show-case the Cu/Cu redox dynamics during the reduction half cycle of the NH-Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) on Cu-CHA catalysts. Our measurements enable quantification of the fraction of oxidized Cu, reconstructed by Multivariate Curve Resolution (MCR) together with monitoring of the gas-phase evolution during the reaction.

Prognostic Role of Basal Serum Alpha-Fetoprotein in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Suitable for Curative Treatment.

: Serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a recognized affordable oncological marker in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, AFP's prognostic role has been assessed mainly after specific treatments, and no unanimously recognized cut-offs have been identified. The aim of this study is to investigate the prognostic role of different basal AFP cut-offs on survival and HCC course.

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors are ineffective in MuSK-antibody positive myasthenia gravis: Results of a study on 202 patients.

Background: Myasthenia gravis (MG) with MuSK antibodies (MuSK-MG) represents a distinct subtype with different responses to treatments compared to patients with AChR antibodies, especially in terms of tolerance to acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEI). However, AChEI are often used as first line symptomatic treatment in MuSK-MG, despite reports that they are poorly tolerated, seldom effective or even deleterious.

Methods: We analyzed demographic, clinical and therapeutic responses and side-effects in the large cohort of 202 MuSK-MG patients cared for at the MG Clinic of Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana.

A retrospective multicenter study on clinical and serological parameters in patients with MuSK myasthenia gravis with and without general immunosuppression.

Introduction: Muscle-specific kinase (MuSK)- myasthenia gravis (MG) is caused by pathogenic autoantibodies against MuSK that correlate with disease severity and are predominantly of the IgG4 subclass. The first-line treatment for MuSK-MG is general immunosuppression with corticosteroids, but the effect of treatment on IgG4 and MuSK IgG4 levels has not been studied.

Methods: We analyzed the clinical data and sera from 52 MuSK-MG patients (45 female, 7 male, median age 49 (range 17-79) years) from Italy, the Netherlands, Greece and Belgium, and 43 AChR-MG patients (22 female, 21 male, median age 63 (range 2-82) years) from Italy, receiving different types of immunosuppression, and sera from 46 age- and sex-matched non-disease controls (with no diagnosed diseases, 38 female, 8 male, median age 51.

UV-vis spectroscopy for real-time monitoring of nanoparticle size in reaction conditions: a case study on WGS over Au nanoparticles.

We propose the use of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) as a distinctive marker for real-time monitoring in reaction conditions of gold nanoparticles supported on α-AlO. The study leverages the SPR shape-and-size dependency to monitor metal nanoparticles in reaction conditions, evidencing an influence of both dimensions and agglomerations on the SPR peak position. measurements, coupling UV-vis spectroscopy and catalytic testing, allows to follow the dynamics during nanoparticle formation (Au to Au reduction) and during the reverse water gas shift reaction (CO + H → CO + HO).

Intraoperative transcystic laparoscopic common bile duct stone clearance with SpyGlass™ discover during emergency and elective cholecystectomy: a single-center case series.

Background And Study Aim: The development of a new cholangioscope, the SpyGlass™ Discover (Boston Scientific), has allowed the laparoscopic transcystic common bile duct exploration and stone clearance. The possibility of simultaneous treatment of choledocholithiasis during early laparoscopic cholecystectomy offers the opportunity to enormously reduce the time between acute cholecystitis diagnosis and the execution of cholecystectomy with better outcomes for patients. Furthermore, an altered anatomy of the gastrointestinal tract is not an obstacle to this technique.

Role of apparent diffusion map in the evaluation of retinoblastoma.

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the association between magnetic resonance imaging apparent diffusion coefficient map value and histopathological differentiation in patients who underwent eye enucleation due to retinoblastomas.

Methods: An observational chart review study of patients with retinoblastoma that had histopathology of the lesion and orbit magnetic resonance imaging with apparent diffusion coefficient analysis at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre between November 2013 and November 2016 was performed. The histopathology was reviewed after enucleation.

National Multicenter Study on the Comparison of Robotic and Open Thymectomy for Thymic Neoplasms in Myasthenic Patients: Surgical, Neurological and Oncological Outcomes.

Thymectomy is the gold standard in the treatment of thymic neoplasm and plays a key role in the therapeutic path of myasthenia gravis. For years, sternotomy has been the traditional approach for removing anterior mediastinal lesions, although the robotic thymectomy is now widely performed. The literature is still lacking in papers comparing the two approaches and evaluating long-term oncological and neurological outcomes.

Ultrasound Patterns of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Their Prognostic Impact: A Retrospective Study.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death. Abdominal ultrasound (US) is by far the most widely used first-level exam for the diagnosis of HCC. We aimed to assess whether different ultrasound patterns were related to tumor prognosis.

Simultaneous Echinococcal superinfection in a patient with polycystic liver disease.

Key Clinical Message: Concurrent polycystic liver disease and echinococcus infection can hinder diagnosis. Surgery may be needed for accurate diagnosis and treatment. Multidisciplinary collaboration is crucial.

Isolated Femoral or Tibial Component Revision in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review.

Objective: The purpose of this systematic review is to assess clinical and radiographic outcomes, complications rates, rates and reasons of re-revision of isolated femoral or tibial component revisions, comparing them with total knee revisions.

Methods: A review of the published literature was performed using Medline, Embase and Cochrane libraries. The terms "isolate" and "revision" and "knee arthroplasty" or "knee replacement" were together used as MESH terms.

Somatic mutations of thymic epithelial tumors with myasthenia gravis.

Background: Thymic epithelial tumors are rare malignant neoplasms that are frequently associated with paraneoplastic syndromes, especially myasthenia gravis. GTF2I is an oncogene mutated in a subgroup of thymomas that is reputed to drive their growth. However, for GTF2I wild-type tumors, the relevant mutations remain to be identified.