Publications by authors named "Nazario Portolani"

Purposes: Evaluate the changes in quality of life (QoL) in patients affected by tertiary hyperparathyroidism (THPT) after surgical treatment using the Parathyroidectomy Assessment of Symptoms (PAS) and Short Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaires.

Methods: Single centre longitudinal retrospective, single-institution analysis of 34 patients with THPT and submitted to parathyroidectomy between 2015 and 2021. The PAS and SF-36 questionnaires were administered before surgery and 24 months after discharge.

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  • - This national survey aimed to assess the use of liver hypertrophy techniques in Italy, focusing on trends and differences among various medical centers.
  • - In December 2022, 46 centers completed a detailed online questionnaire, revealing that hypertrophy techniques were used in 6.2% of liver resections, with PVE and ALPPS being the most common techniques employed.
  • - The findings indicated that while these techniques play a crucial role in increasing resectability, there is substantial inconsistency in how centers define the need for them and the protocols used for patient allocation.
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  • The REDISCOVER consensus conference focused on creating guidelines for the perioperative care of patients with borderline-resectable and locally advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).
  • Using a structured methodology and expert consensus, the conference developed 34 recommendations on various aspects of surgical care, patient selection, and management of pancreatic cancer.
  • Despite the low evidence quality for most recommendations, participants highlighted the importance of establishing an international registry to enhance understanding and care for this patient group.
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Background: Stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) and Proton therapy (PT) are both options in the management of liver lesions. Limited clinical-dosimetric comparison are available. Moreover, dose-constraint routinely used in liver PT and SRT considers only the liver spared, while optimization strategies to limit the liver damaged are poorly reported.

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Objective: To develop and update evidence-based and consensus-based guidelines on laparoscopic and robotic pancreatic surgery.

Summary Background Data: Minimally invasive pancreatic surgery (MIPS), including laparoscopic and robotic surgery, is complex and technically demanding. Minimizing the risk for patients requires stringent, evidence-based guidelines.

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Introduction: Radiochemotherapy (RCHT) for the treatment of anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) has evolved dramatically, also thanks to intensity-modulated RT (IMRT) and 3D image guidance (3D IGRT). Despite most patients presenting fair outcomes, unmet needs still exist. Predictors of poor tumor response are lacking; acute toxicity remains challenging; and local relapse remains the main pattern of failure.

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  • Scientists wanted to create a clear definition for what "Textbook Outcome in Liver Surgery" (TOLS) means, which shows the best possible results after liver surgery.
  • They used a method called the Delphi process, where expert liver surgeons answered surveys, and they agreed on the definition only if 80% of them agreed on it.
  • The final definition includes things like no serious incidents during surgery, no major problems after surgery, and a good recovery without re-hospitalization.
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Non-coding RNAs are transcribed from telomeres and the telomeric repeat-containing RNAs () are implicated in telomere homeostasis and in cancer. In this study, we aimed to assess in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) the cellular and extracellular expression of , the telomerase RNA subunit () and the telomerase catalytic subunit (). We determined by qPCR the expression level of 1_2_10_13q, 15q, XpYp, and of mRNA in HCC tissues and in the plasma of HCC patients.

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Introduction: Indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence is an emerging technique in the surgical field. Among its various applications, it allows surgeons to have real-time visualization of the lymphatic drainage of an organ. The primary outcome of our study is the feasibility and safety of ICG-guided colorectal surgery.

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Background: This study compared patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery in 20 hospitals of northern Italy in 2019 versus 2020, in order to evaluate whether COVID-19-related delays of colorectal cancer screening resulted in more advanced cancers at diagnosis and worse clinical outcomes.

Method: This was a retrospective multicentre cohort analysis of patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery in March to December 2019 versus March to December 2020. Independent predictors of disease stage (oncological stage, associated symptoms, clinical T4 stage, metastasis) and outcome (surgical complications, palliative surgery, 30-day death) were evaluated using logistic regression.

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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is poorly beneficiated by intravenous chemotherapy due to inadequate availability of drugs at the tumor site. We previously demonstrated that human micro-fragmented adipose tissue (MFAT) and its devitalized counterpart (DMFAT) could be effective natural scaffolds to deliver Paclitaxel (PTX) to tumors in both in vitro and in vivo tests, affecting cancer growth relapse. Here we tested the efficacy of DMFAT-PTX in a well-established HCC in nude mice.

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Human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent primary tumor of the liver and the third cause of cancer-related deaths. The multikinase inhibitor sorafenib is a systemic drug for unresectable HCC. The identification of molecular biomarkers for the early diagnosis of HCC and responsiveness to treatment are needed.

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Background: Preoperative biliary drainage may be essential to reduce the risk of postoperative liver failure after hepatectomy for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. However, infectious complications related to preoperative biliary drainage may increase the risk of postoperative mortality. The strategy and optimal drainage method continues to be controversial.

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Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are human carcinogens, based on sufficient evidence for melanoma and limited evidence for non-Hodgkin lymphoma and breast cancer. Few data are available for liver cancer, although PCBs cause it in rats and determined liver damage in poisoned people. We investigated the association between PCB serum levels and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with a case-control study in a PCB-polluted area in North Italy.

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Background: The existence of a link between Graves' Disease (GD) and Thyroid Cancer (TC) has long been investigated, however a clear pathogenic correlation is yet to be found.

Objective: We verified the presence of TC in patients submitted to surgery for GD, both with and without thyroid nodules (TN).

Methods: In this study we analyzed retrospectively a cohort of 151 patients treated at our clinic with total thyroidectomy between 2013 and 2018.

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Importance: There are limited data on mortality and complications rates in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who undergo surgery.

Objective: To evaluate early surgical outcomes of patients with COVID-19 in different subspecialties.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This matched cohort study conducted in the general, vascular and thoracic surgery, orthopedic, and neurosurgery units of Spedali Civili Hospital (Brescia, Italy) included patients who underwent surgical treatment from February 23 to April 1, 2020, and had positive test results for COVID-19 either before or within 1 week after surgery.

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Background: Improvement of survival rates for hepatocellular carcinoma during the last two decades and related factors are still debated. This study aimed to evaluate the risk of death and the role of prognostic factors in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosed in 1995-2001 and 2004-2006.

Methods: We performed univariate and multivariable survival analyses of subjects with a first hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis in 1995-2001 and in 2004-2006, all residing in Brescia province, Italy.

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The epidemiology and the outcomes of acute appendicitis in elderly patients are very different from the younger population. Elderly patients with acute appendicitis showed higher mortality, higher perforation rate, lower diagnostic accuracy, longer delay from symptoms onset and admission, higher postoperative complication rate and higher risk of colonic and appendiceal cancer. The aim of the present work was to investigate age-related factors that could influence a different approach, compared to the 2016 WSES Jerusalem guidelines on general population, in terms of diagnosis and management of elderly patient with acute appendicitis.

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Objective: The goal of this study was to analyze our 10-year experience in the treatment of aneurysms of the collateral circulation secondary to steno-occlusions of the celiac trunk (CT) or superior mesenteric artery (SMA).

Methods: In the last 10 years, 32 celiac-mesenteric aneurysms were detected (25 true aneurysms and seven pseudoaneurysms) in 25 patients with steno-occlusion of the CT or SMA. All cases were diagnosed and treated at our center, with either surgical or endovascular approach.

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Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs are involved in numerous physio-pathological conditions included cancer. To better understand the molecular mechanism of the oral antitumor multikinase inhibitor sorafenib, we profiled the expression of a panel of lncRNAs and miRNAs by qPCR array in a sorafenib-treated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell line. Among the most affected ncRNAs, we found that sorafenib mediated the dysregulation of the lncRNAs GAS5, HOTTIP and HOXA-AS2 and the miR-126-3p, in a panel of human cancer cell lines (HCC, renal and breast carcinomas).

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Background: About 10% of cervico-mediastinal goiter need to associate cervicotomy with a total or partial sternotomy to allow a safe removal of the goiter. Aim of this study is to identify preoperative predictors of sternotomy for mediastinal goiter.

Methods: Between January 2008 and December 2015, 586 patients were submitted to total thyroidectomy at Surgical Clinic of Brescia, Italy.

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Background: Nowadays, very few patients with non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding fail endoscopic hemostasis (refractory NVUGIB). This subset of patients poses a clinical dilemma: should they be operated on or referred to transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE)?

Objectives: To carry out a systematic review of the literature and to perform a meta-analysis of studies that directly compare TAE and surgery in patients with refractory NVUGIB.

Materials And Methods: We searched PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and Embase.

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Background: Mediastinal leakage (ML) is one of the most feared complications of esophagectomy. A standard strategy for its diagnosis and treatment has been difficult to establish because of the great variability in their incidence and mortality rates reported in the existing series.

Aim: To assess the incidence, predictive factors, treatment, and associated mortality rate of mediastinal leakage using the standardized definition of mediastinal leaks recently proposed by the Esophagectomy Complications Consensus Group (ECCG).

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Local anesthesia in laparoscopic operations is gaining increasing consensus. To standardize analgesia, a prospective case-control study was created over a 1-year period, in collaboration with the anesthesiology service in our community hospital. Starting from February 2016, we prospectively enrolled adult patients (more than 16 years old) undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy or cholecystectomy, either in emergency or elective setting.

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