Background And Aims: Presence of active hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection may influence the outcome of patients treated for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), although this issue has never been adequately assessed in a large series of patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the presence of active HCV affects the survival of patients treated for HCC.
Methods: This study assessed the outcome of 3123 anti-HCV-positive patients with HCC, subdivided according to the presence of active HCV infection or previous sustained virological response (SVR).
Background & Aims: Chronic hepatitis D virus (HDV) often leads to end-stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Comprehensive data pertaining to large populations with HDV and HCC are missing, therefore we sought to assess the characteristics, management, and outcome of these patients, comparing them to patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.
Methods: We analysed the Italian Liver Cancer database focusing on patients with positivity for HBV surface antigen and anti-HDV antibodies (HBV/HDV, n = 107) and patients with HBV infection alone (n = 588).
Background And Aims: The efficacy of systemic therapy for unresectable advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC) has not been proven in patients with Child-Pugh (C-P) B cirrhosis. Nevertheless, in real-world these patients are treated both with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and with metronomic capecitabine (MC). This study aimed to compare sorafenib and MC outcomes versus best supportive care (BSC) in C-P B patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The availability of a simple and reliable marker of biological age might allow an acceleration of the research in the field of longevity extension. Previous studies suggest that this marker might be the N-terminal of B-type natriuretic peptide precursor (NT-proBNP), from which proBNPage, a biological age surrogate, can be calculated. Objectives of the study: 1) To fine-tune the method of proBNPage progression assessment and 2) To establish whether 4 "anti-aging" treatments, which provided promising results in previous studies, can modify proBNPage progression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence is common in patients treated with liver resection (LR). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the incidence and preoperative predictors of non-transplantable recurrence in patients with single HCC ≤5 cm treated with frontline LR.
Methods: From the Italian Liver Cancer (ITA.
Background & Aims: Alcohol abuse and metabolic disorders are leading causes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide. Alcohol-related aetiology is associated with a worse prognosis compared with viral agents, because of the lower percentage of patients diagnosed with HCC under routine surveillance and a higher burden of comorbidity in alcohol abusers. This study aimed to describe the evolving clinical scenario of alcohol-related HCC over 15 years (2006-2020) in Italy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The combination of atezolizumab-bevacizumab has been proven to be superior to sorafenib for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma not amenable to locoregional treatments, becoming the standard of care of systemic therapy.
Aim: This study aimed at assessing real-world feasibility of atezolizumab-bevacizumab in patients treated with tyrosine-kinase inhibitors.
Methods: Among 1447 patients treated with tyrosine-kinase inhibitors from January 2010 to December 2020, we assessed the percentage of those potentially eligible to atezolizumab-bevacizumab (according to IMbrave-150 trial criteria), and the overall survival of eligible and non-eligible patients.
Background: Comprehensive and contemporary data pertaining large populations of patients with Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are missing.
Aim: To describe main characteristics and outcome of PBC patients with HCC diagnosed in the new millennium.
Methods: Analysing the Italian Liver Cancer registry we identified 80 PBC patients with HCC diagnosed after the year 2000, and described their clinical characteristics, access to treatment and survival.
Background: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is one of the most frequently applied treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide. In this study, we aimed at evaluating whether and how TACE application and repetition, as well as the related outcome, have changed over the last three decades in Italy.
Methods: Data of 7,184 patients with HCC were retrieved from the Italian Liver Cancer (ITA.
NT-proB-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) serum concentration can be transformed by simple formulas into proBNPage, a surrogate of biological age strongly associated with chronological age, all-cause mortality, and disease count. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess whether proBNPage is also associated with other manifestations of the aging process in comparison with other variables. The study included 1117 noninstitutionalized older adults (73.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Lung ultrasound (LUS) showed a promising role in the diagnosis and monitoring of patients hospitalized for novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). However, no data are available on its role in elderly patients.
Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic role of LUS in elderly patients hospitalized for severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pneumonia.
NT-proB-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) increases with age and is associated with all-cause mortality. With this study, we assessed its possible utilization as a marker of biological age in comparison with other variables. The study included 1079 non-institutionalized elderly subjects (mean age 72.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the liver manifestation of metabolic syndrome, a risk factor for mortality and cardiovascular morbidity, but we ignore the role of steatosis per se in survival, and there is very little information about this condition in the geriatric patient.
Aims: With the present study, we investigated the independent prognostic value of NAFLD on overall mortality in the elderly.
Methods: Within the Pianoro Project, involving people ≥ 65 years, anamnestic, clinical and laboratoristic data related to NAFLD, insulin resistance, diabetes/hyperglycemia, hypertension, obesity and dyslipidemia were collected in 804 subjects (403 male, 401 female).
Background: Several predictors of cognitive impairment assessed by Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) have previously been identified. However, which predictors are the most relevant and what is their effect on MMSE categories remains unclear.
Methods: Cross-sectional and longitudinal study using data from 1116 older adults (72.
Objective: In a previous study, we found an apparent protective effect of neck pain on all-cause mortality in subjects older than age 85 years. The present longitudinal investigation was performed to verify this unexpected finding in a larger sample and to establish its significance.
Design: Population follow-up study.
Some cryptogenic strokes are caused by undetected paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) and could benefit from oral anticoagulation. In this study, we searched for echocardiographic parameters associated with first diagnosed AF, to form a scoring system for the identification of patients with AF. We examined 571 patients with ischemic stroke (72.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Ritonavir-boosted Paritaprevir, Ombitasvir and Dasabuvir plus Ribavirin is one of the current recommended therapies for HCV genotype 1b monoinfected patients in compensated (Child-Pugh A) cirrhosis. Whether it is known that the worsening of liver function is a rare but possible complication of Ritonavir-boosted Paritaprevir, Ombitasvir and Dasabuvir therapy, to our knowledge no description of treatment-related acute liver failure is available in the literature.
Case Presentation: An 84-year-old Caucasian man with chronic compensated HCV genotype 1b cirrhosis received Ritonavir-boosted Paritaprevir, Ombitasvir and Dasabuvir plus Ribavirin therapy.
Objectives: To determine the role of physical activity as a possible survival determinant in the oldest adults.
Design: Prospective, longitudinal, population-based cohort.
Setting: The Pianoro Study of community-dwelling older adults in three towns in northern Italy.
Interventional radiology and hemodynamic procedures have rapidly grown in number in the past decade, increasing the importance of personnel dosimetry not only for patients but also for medical staff. The optimization of the absorbed dose during operations is one of the goals that fostered the development of real-time dosimetric systems. Indeed, introducing proper procedure optimization, like correlating dose rate measurements with medical staff position inside the operating room, the absorbed dose could be reduced.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The ultrasound investigation of carotid and vertebral arteries is routinely performed in stroke patients to determine the etiopathogenetic classification and possible need of revascularization. However, the medium and long-term prognostic implications of carotid and vertebral ultrasound in ischemic stroke patients are not yet known.
Methods: This study included 309 ischemic stroke patients (mean age 76.
Objectives: To assess the relationship between light to moderate alcohol consumption and mortality, particularly accounting for baseline health status and physical activity.
Design: Prospective, longitudinal, population-based study.
Setting: The Pianoro Study, which consisted of community-dwelling older adults in three towns in northern Italy.
Background: Small changes of bilirubin and liver enzymes are often detected during the acute phase of stroke, but their origin and significance are still poorly understood.
Methods: On days 0, 3, 7, and 14 after admission, 180 patients with ischemic stroke underwent serial determinations of bilirubin, GOT, GPT, γGT, alkaline phosphatase, C-reactive protein (CRP) and complete blood count. On days 0 and 7 common bile duct diameter was measured by ultrasound, and on day 3 cerebral infarct volume (IV) was calculated from CT scan slices.
Background: Many risk factors are known to predict ischaemic events and mortality in the elderly people, but their ranking of importance remains uncertain. This study was designed to identify and compare the main predictors of total mortality (TM), cardiovascular mortality (CVM) and non-cardiovascular mortality (NCVM) in older adults.
Methods: Nine hundred and seventy-nine community resident adults aged ≥ 65 years, free of previous heart failure and cardiovascular events, participated in the study.
Background: Prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) increases with age, but its association with all-cause mortality in older persons remains uncertain. This study investigated the association of all-cause mortality with MetS and its individual components in older men and women.
Methods: A total of 917 men and 1043 women aged 65 years and older from two Italian population-based cohorts were included in the study.