Publications by authors named "Mastronardi M"

The standardization of preoperative imaging in primary hyperparathyroidism is one of the current challenges of endocrine surgery. A correct localization of the hypersecretory gland by neck ultrasound and 99mTc-sestamibi (MIBI) scintigraphy are not sufficiently sensitive in some cases. In recent years, CT-4D, 18F-Fluorocholine PET/CT, and radio-guided parathyroidectomy have come into common use.

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Purpose: Rib fractures account for 10-15% of trauma-related hospital admissions. Few data are available regarding long-term follow-up of patients undergoing non-operative management. Our aim is to evaluate quality of life at 1, 2, 4, 12 and 24 weeks from the trauma.

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Background: Climate change poses significant challenges to global health, exacerbated by healthcare systems' carbon footprint and waste generation. Surgical activities contribute to these impacts, necessitating sustainable practices to mitigate environmental harm. This study aims to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of a recycling program in reducing waste, carbon emissions, and disposal costs in the operating rooms (ORs).

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Background: More than half of patients with Crohn's disease develop intestinal fibrosis induced intestinal obstruction with debilitating symptoms throughout their disease course. The incidence of stricture formation in CD has remained unchanged over the last several decades. Factors promoting intestinal fibrosis are currently unclear, but diet may represent an underestimated risk factor for intestinal fibrosis by modification of both the host immune response and intestinal microbial composition.

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Background: Left colon cancer obstruction treatment is a debated topic in the literature. Stent placement is effective as a bridge-to-surgery strategy, but there are some concerns about the oncological safety for the reported higher risk of local and peritoneal recurrence. This study aims to compare the surgical and oncological outcomes of patients treated with stent followed by elective surgery with those treated with primary resection.

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Purpose: Metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) became integral to managing severe obesity. Understanding surgical risks associated with MBS is crucial. Different scores, such as the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP), aid in patient selection and outcome prediction.

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Introduction: Mastectomy skin flap (MSF) necrosis remains a significant complication in breast reconstruction. This study aims to identify a correlation between the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the MSF perfusion grade and the skin necrosis rate 1 month after surgery using indocyanine green angiography (ICGA), focusing on lag time and perfusion metrics.

Methods: Consecutive women scheduled for nipple/skin-sparing/skin-reducing mastectomy between May 2020 and October 2022 were prospectively enrolled.

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Background: The inferior hypogastric plexus (IHP) is a crucial structure for female continence and sexual function. A nerve-sparing approach should be pursued to reduce the risk of pelvic plexus damage during retroperitoneal pelvic surgery.

Objectives: To analyse the relationship between the female IHP and several pelvic anatomical landmarks.

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Individuals with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) are more susceptible to experiencing severe complications of COVID-19 if infected. Nevertheless, sub-optimal immunization rates have been reported among these patients. Our study aims to assess COVID-19 VH among a global population of patients with IBD and to investigate the role of healthcare professionals, particularly gastroenterologists, in promoting immunization.

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Purpose: The main research aim was to inspect whether pre-operative body shape concerns and discomfort as Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) scores moderate post-operative weight loss trajectory in bariatric patients.

Methods: Two studies were conducted. Study 1 analyzed cross-sectional data and verified the structural validity of the 34-item BSQ questionnaire on a sample of 327 candidates for bariatric surgery.

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Purpose: Recently, the link between gut microbiota, liver inflammation, and obesity has become an interesting focus of research. The aim of this study is to show the possible relation between gut microbiota dysbiosis in patients with obesity and the presence of bacterial genomes in their liver biopsies.

Materials And Methods: A prospective study on patients undergoing bariatric surgery was carried out.

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Extraintestinal manifestations occur rather frequently in ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease patients and are usually related to an exacerbation of the underlying intestinal bowel disease but sometimes may run a course independent of the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). About one-third of patients with IBD develop extraintestinal manifestations, such as pyoderma gangrenosum (PG). PG is an uncommon inflammatory skin disorder of unknown pathogenesis.

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Article Synopsis
  • Acute left-sided colonic diverticulitis is a common issue for surgeons, and this study compares three classification systems (modified Hinchey, AAST, WSES) to see how well they predict patient outcomes.
  • Researchers analyzed data from 597 patients across four medical centers, measuring outcomes like the need for intervention and complications to assess the accuracy of each classification system.
  • They found that while the AAST and modified Hinchey classifications were the best at predicting surgery needs and major complications, all three systems were generally similar in predicting complications and mortality rates.
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Background: In recent years, improvement of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in Ulcerative colitis (UC) has become a relevant measure for treatment efficacy.

Methods: We report results from a multicenter prospective study in Italy investigating HRQoL in adult patients with UC treated with golimumab (GLM). Patients who had shown clinical response after a 6-week induction phase (w0), were followed for an additional 48 weeks (w48) (total 54-week treatment).

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Background: The administration of biological drugs in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is increasingly moving from intravenous to subcutaneous formulations.

Aims: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of vedolizumab subcutaneous administration after switching from intravenous administration in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients in corticosteroid-free clinical remission.

Methods: An observational, multicentre, prospective study was conducted by the Italian Group for the study of IBD (IG-IBD).

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Information regarding Pentatomoidea is scarce in Southern Italy, and in particular concering the Apulia region (Sourthern Italy), an area of high biodiversity potential. We conducted an extensive survey of Pentatomoidea fauna in the Alta Murgia National Park, a Site of Community Importance, and neighbouring areas located in central part of Apulia region. The survey was carried out in 2016, 2017 and 2020, sampling different habitat types.

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Article Synopsis
  • Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis, involve chronic inflammation and rely on biologic drugs like infliximab for treatment, though some patients stop responding over time.
  • A study with 48 IBD patients explored the relationship between serum levels of the biomarker 90K and the effectiveness of infliximab, finding that high baseline 90K levels were linked to the development of anti-infliximab antibodies.
  • The researchers suggested that measuring 90K alongside other inflammatory markers could help predict which patients might benefit from biologics, improving treatment outcomes and preventing unnecessary medication changes.
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The immunoproteasome is a multi-catalytic protein complex expressed in hematopoietic cells. Increased expression of immuno-subunits followed by increased proteasome activities is associated with the pathogenesis of IBD. Therefore, the identification of molecules that could inhibit the activities of this complex has been widely studied.

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Malignant melanoma is a fatal disease that affects all skin sites. Among these, vulvar melanoma (VM) is a rare gynecological condition that accounts for 5% of all vulvar neoplasms. VM primarily affects older Caucasian women and its relationship to sun exposure is undefined.

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Malabsorptive disorders are closely associated with micronutrient deficiencies. In inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), trace element deficiencies pose a clinical burden from disease onset throughout its course, contributing to morbidity and poor quality of life. We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of zinc deficiency in IBD.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated the immune response to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in 390 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) undergoing various therapies.
  • The findings indicated that patients receiving Vedolizumab showed a significant increase in IgG antibody levels post-vaccination compared to those on other therapies.
  • However, those on steroid therapy experienced a reduced immune response, highlighting the impact of different treatments on vaccine efficacy in IBD patients.
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Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality seems to be lower in women than in men. The present study aims to evaluate the impact of gender on CRC diagnosis, treatment, and survival. This is a retrospective cohort study based on a single-center dataset of CRC patients from the University Hospital of Trieste (Italy).

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We describe our experiences with the first offering of a new program, BMEntored, for supporting first-year doctoral students in Biomedical Engineering (BME) during their first semester. The goal of BMEntored was to enhance the first-semester experience of first-year doctoral students in BME with an emphasis on guiding students in selecting a research supervisor and promoting cross-cohort, cross-lab social connections.

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