Incidence and Prognostic Value of Metastases to "Posterior" and Para-aortic Lymph Nodes in Resectable Gastric Cancer.

Background: The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the incidence and prognostic value of metastases to "posterior" (8p, 12b/p, 13) and para-aortic lymph nodes in a large cohort of Western patients submitted to D2 plus lymphadenectomy.

Methods: Removal of "posterior" nodes was performed in 743 patients, and para-aortic lymphadenectomy in a subgroup of 390 patients. After lymph node mapping and retrieval on the fresh specimen, a median number of 41 total lymph nodes were analyzed.

Enhanced recovery after surgery protocol in patients undergoing esophagectomy for cancer: a single center experience.

This article is about an emerging issue in esophageal surgery: enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) Few data are published in literature and its safety and feasibility is still debated. The focus of our paper is on the feasibility of an ERAS protocol for esophagectomy (including both the Ivor-Lewis and McKeown procedure) in a high volume center comparing to a standard perioperative protocol. We introduced a novelty item on this type of surgery: resume of oral feeding in the first postoperative day.

Meditation training for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a randomized clinical trial.

Background And Purpose: Studies investigating psychological interventions for the promotion of well-being in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are lacking. The purpose of the current study was to examine the use of an ALS-specific mindfulness-based intervention for improving quality of life in this population.

Methods: A randomized, open-label and controlled clinical trial was conducted on the efficacy of an ALS-specific meditation programme in promoting quality of life.

The MOTIV-HEART Study: A Prospective, Randomized, Single-Blind Pilot Study of Brief Strategic Therapy and Motivational Interviewing among Cardiac Rehabilitation Patients.

Psychological distress, biomedical parameters, and unhealthy lifestyles contribute to a poorer prognosis for cardiac disease. Public health's challenge is to motivate patients to utilize self-care. This prospective, randomized, single-blind pilot study aimed at testing the incremental efficacy of Brief Strategic Therapy (BST) combined with Motivational Interviewing (MI) in improving selected biomedical and psychological outcomes over and beyond those of the stand-alone BST in a residential Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR) program.

The PACE study: lifetime and past-year prevalence of headache in Parma's adult general population.

Headache is a widespread disorder and therefore it has a strong impact on quality of life. In the present work we focused on lifetime and past-year prevalence of headache in general and by gender, in a population-based sample in Parma. A total of 904 subjects representative of Parma's adult general population were interviewed face-to-face by a physician from the Parma Headache Centre, using a validated questionnaire.

A case-report of migraine "sine headache".

Background and objectives We describe a case of a female patient whose otherwise "typical" migraine attacks turned into episodes with a full spectrum of associated symptoms but without headache. Case report We evaluated a 53-year-old woman with a long history of migraine without aura. In concomitance with premenopausal menstrual dysregulation, she reported episodes of nausea and vomiting, associated with photophobia, phonophobia and osmophobia, but without headache; these episodes were responsive to oral triptans.

Western strategy for EGJ carcinoma.

In this paper, the epidemiological and clinicobiological behavior of esophagogastric junction (EGJ) adenocarcinoma in the West is compared and contrasted to that in the East, and an overview is provided of current therapeutic strategies employed for this type of tumor in Western countries. It is well known that multimodal treatment is the therapeutic standard in locally advanced EGJ adenocarcinoma, but whether neoadjuvant/perioperative chemotherapy (CT) or neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is the optimal approach is still debated. Neoadjuvant CRT improves local control in locally advanced Siewert type I and II tumors, so it should be considered the treatment of choice.

Evidence for a Strong Topological Insulator Phase in ZrTe_{5}.

The complex electronic properties of ZrTe_{5} have recently stimulated in-depth investigations that assigned this material to either a topological insulator or a 3D Dirac semimetal phase. Here we report a comprehensive experimental and theoretical study of both electronic and structural properties of ZrTe_{5}, revealing that the bulk material is a strong topological insulator (STI). By means of angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, we identify at the top of the valence band both a surface and a bulk state.

Extreme ultraviolet resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) at a seeded free-electron laser.

In the past few years, we have been witnessing an increased interest for studying materials properties under non-equilibrium conditions. Several well established spectroscopies for experiments in the energy domain have been successfully adapted to the time domain with sub-picosecond time resolution. Here we show the realization of high resolution resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) with a stable ultrashort X-ray source such as an externally seeded free electron laser (FEL).

Cluster Headache With Accompanying Migraine-Like Features: A Possible Clinical Phenotype.

Background: There are limited literature data on migraine-like accompanying features (MLF) in patients with cluster headache (CH). These symptoms are frequently reported by patients and may delay CH diagnosis.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the occurrence of migraine-like symptoms in an Italian case series of CH patients and to determine whether these features influence the clinical phenotype of CH.

Management of critically ill surgical patients Case reports.

Unlabelled: The acute abdomen (AA) still remains a challenging situation for surgeons. New pathological conditions have been imposed to our attention in this field in recent years. The definition of abdominal compartmental syndrome (ACS) in surgical practice and the introduction of new biological matrices, with the concepts of tension-free (TS) repair of incisional hernias, prompted us to set up new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of patients with AA.

The role of gender, psycho-social factors and anthropological-cultural dimensions on pain in neurorehabilitation. Evidence and recommendations from the Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation.

Pain is frequent in patients undergoing neurorehabilitation, but there is a number of still unanswered questions on this topic. The Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation (ICCPN) was constituted with the purpose to identify the best practices that can be used in this context. In this article we summarize the existing evidence and recommendations provided by the ICCPN about the role of gender, psycho-social factors and anthropological-cultural dimensions on pain in neurorehabilitation.

New minimally invasive technique for cystoscopic laser treatment of fetal ureterocele.

Prenatal ultrasound detection of fetal ureterocele with bilateral hydroureteronephrosis, obstruction of the bladder outlet and progressive amniotic fluid reduction have been associated with a significant risk of end-stage chronic renal disease after birth. Fetal cystoscopic laser incision of the ureterocele, using standard 3.5-mm fetoscopic access to the amniotic cavity and the fetal bladder with the aim of relieving the bladder outflow obstruction to preserve renal function, has been reported previously in a case with a favorable outcome.

Pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies in the integrated treatment of pain in neurorehabilitation. Evidence and recommendations from the Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation.

The interplay between pain and neurorehabilitation is very complex, in that pain may be a target for treatment, but can also have negative effects on neurorehabilitation procedures. Moreover, side effects of drugs, which are currently used to treat pain, may negatively influence rehabilitation outcomes. Because of the lack of guidelines or consensus, the Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation (ICCPN) was aimed to answer some open questions on the treatment of pain in this setting.

Targeted therapies for advanced and metastatic adenocarcinoma of the gastroesophageal junction: is there something new?

Despite improvements in systemic chemotherapy (CT), the prognosis of metastatic adenocarcinoma of the gastroesophageal junction remains poor. Over the years, new targeting agents have become available and were tested, with or without CT, in first or subsequent lines of therapy. The epidermal growth factor receptor family was targeted with monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) (trastuzumab, cetuximab, panitumumab) and tyrosin kinase inhibitors (TKIs) (lapatinib, erlotinib, gefitinib).

hERG1 behaves as biomarker of progression to adenocarcinoma in Barrett's esophagus and can be exploited for a novel endoscopic surveillance.

Barrett's esophagus (BE) is the only well-known precursor lesion of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA). The exact estimates of the annual progression rate from BE to EA vary from 0.07% to 3.

ypN0: Does It Matter How You Get There? Nodal Downstaging in Esophageal Cancer.

Background: ypN0 following induction treatment for advanced esophageal cancer improves survival. Importance of how ypN0 is achieved is unknown. This study evaluates survival in "natural" N0 (cN0/ypN0) and "downstaged" N0 (cN+/ypN0) patients.

Extranodal Extension of Nodal Metastases Is a Poor Prognostic Indicator in Gastric Cancer: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Introduction: The extranodal extension (ENE) of nodal metastases (the extension of neoplastic cells through the nodal capsule into the perinodal soft tissue) is a histological feature that has been considered a prognostic factor in several cancers, but the role in gastric cancer was not yet investigated. We aimed to investigate the prognostic role of ENE in patients affected by gastric cancer through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Material And Methods: Two independent authors searched major databases until 09/30/2015 to identify studies providing data on gastric cancer patients' prognostic parameters and comparing patients with ENE (ENE+) vs intra-nodal extension (ENE-).