Publications by authors named "Maria G Vassallo"

Article Synopsis
  • Over the past few decades, bioprosthetic heart valves have become more common than mechanical valves in surgical aortic valve replacements, but structural valve deterioration is a frequent issue that may require further intervention.
  • * The innovation of valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement (ViV TAVR) has emerged as a practical solution for patients with failed bioprosthetic valves, especially those at high surgical risk.
  • * This review highlights the importance of multidisciplinary planning, current clinical evidence, procedural techniques, and potential complications to optimize ViV TAVR outcomes for both surgical and transcatheter heart valve failures.
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Medication adherence in chronic conditions is a long-term process. Modeling longitudinal trajectories using routinely collected prescription data is a promising method for describing adherence patterns and identifying at-risk groups. The study aimed to characterize distinct long-term sacubitril/valsartan adherence trajectories and factors associated with them in patients with heart failure (HF).

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to assess the prognostic value of the SYNTAX score (SS) and SYNTAX score II (SS-II) in myocardial infarction (MI) patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
  • Conducted at the University Hospital of Salerno from January 2015 to April 2020, the study included 915 MI patients and found that both SS and SS-II were linked to increased risks of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. However, only SS-II was associated with recurrent MI.
  • The results indicated that SS-II was more effective than SS in predicting long-term mortality, with a better ability to differentiate risk levels over a five-year follow-up period.
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An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a degenerative pathology that affects the infrarenal segment of the aorta, leading to its progressive dilatation and eventually rupture. The infrarenal segment is involved in 80% of the aortic aneurisms, and represents alone 30% of all aneurysms. The natural history of the disease is characterized by the progressive increase of the aortic diameter associated with proportionally higher risk of rupture, particularly for cases with diameter greater than 5.

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Patients with acute coronary syndrome and multivessel disease experience several recurrent adverse events that lead to poor outcomes. Given the complexity of treating these patients, and the extremely high risk of long-term adverse events, the assessment of non-culprit lesions becomes crucial. Recently, two trials have shown a possible clinical benefit into treat non-culprit lesions using a fraction flow reserve (FFR)-guided approach, compared to culprit-lesion-only PCI.

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Current research on cardiovascular prevention predominantly focuses on risk-stratification and management of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) to optimize their prognosis. Several basic, translational and clinical research efforts aim to determine the etiological mechanisms underlying CAD pathogenesis and to identify lifestyle-dependent metabolic risk factors or genetic and epigenetic parameters responsible for CAD occurrence and/or progression. A log-linear association between the absolute exposure of LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) and the risk of atherosclerotic cardio-vascular disease (ASCVD) was well documented over the year.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) has been identified as a key factor predicting adverse outcomes after ACS, leading to the development of new therapies that can lower Lp(a) levels and improve long-term outcomes.
  • * Recent research highlights the roles of inflammation, gut microbiome, and novel targets in secondary prevention strategies, suggesting a need for personalized approaches in managing high-risk patients post-ACS.
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The scarcity of bilingual psychiatrists, as well as appropriate mental health services for populations with limited English proficiency, has led to inequitable health outcomes. A fellowship program was developed, which draws from a clinical model staffed by bilingual (Spanish-English) professionals from racial-ethnic minority groups, to address access to care and the structural determinants of health. This new Hispanic Psychiatry Fellowship focuses on health inequality and racism in policy and leadership, clinical care for Spanish-speaking patients, cultural psychiatry, recovery, forensics, substance use, and education.

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We present the case of a giant distal aortic pseudoaneurysm 35 years after a classic mechanical Bentall operation. Computed tomography and coronary angiography showed that this originated from the distal suture line. The proximal suture and coronary ostia appeared to be intact.

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We describe the case of a patient with an ascending aorta and aortic root aneurysm who underwent aortic valve replacement, 14 years earlier, with a mechanical prosthesis, which was normally functioning at time of reoperation. We describe the "completion Bentall" technique - a modified Bentall technique -, a procedure for prosthesis-sparing aortic root replacement. This technique simplifies the original procedure in reinterventions, reducing complication rates and aortic cross-clamping and cardiopulmonary bypass times, with a good surgical result.

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