Retraction Note: Autoantibodies detection in patients affected by autoimmune retinopathies.

The article "Autoantibodies detection in patients affected by autoimmune retinopathies", by M.R. Ceccarini, M.

Determinants of Carotid Wall Echolucency in a Cohort of European High Cardiovascular Risk Subjects: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of IMPROVE Baseline Data.

Echolucency, a measure of plaque instability associated with increased cardiovascular risk, can be assessed in both the carotid plaque and the plaque-free common carotid intima-media (IM) complex as a gray-scale median (plaque-GSM and IM-GSM, respectively). The impact of specific vascular risk factors on these two phenotypes remains uncertain, including the nature and extent of their influence. This study aims to seek the determinants of plaque-GSM and IM-GSM.

Multiparametric MRI-based 5-year Risk Prediction Model for Biochemical Recurrence of Prostate Cancer after Radical Prostatectomy.

Background Current predictive tools to estimate the risk of biochemical recurrence (BCR) after treatment of prostate cancer do not consider multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) information. Purpose To develop a risk prediction tool that considers mpMRI findings to assess the risk of 5-year BCR after radical prostatectomy. Materials and Methods In this retrospective single-center analysis in 1459 patients with prostate cancer who underwent mpMRI before radical prostatectomy (in 2012-2015), the outcome of interest was 5-year BCR (two consecutive prostate-specific antigen [PSA] levels > 0.

Impact of Udenafil on Echocardiographic Indices of Single Ventricle Size and Function in FUEL Study Participants.

Background: The FUEL trial (Fontan Udenafil Exercise Longitudinal) demonstrated statistical improvements in exercise capacity following 6 months of treatment with udenafil (87.5 mg po BID). The effect of udenafil on echocardiographic measures of single ventricle function in this cohort has not been studied.

Molecular Epidemiology in 591 Italian Probands With Nonsyndromic Retinitis Pigmentosa and Usher Syndrome.

Purpose: To describe the molecular epidemiology of nonsyndromic retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and Usher syndrome (US) in Italian patients.

Methods: A total of 591 probands (315 with family history and 276 sporadics) were analyzed. For 155 of them, we performed a family segregation study, considering a total of 382 relatives.

Guidelines for the use of flow cytometry and cell sorting in immunological studies (second edition).

These guidelines are a consensus work of a considerable number of members of the immunology and flow cytometry community. They provide the theory and key practical aspects of flow cytometry enabling immunologists to avoid the common errors that often undermine immunological data. Notably, there are comprehensive sections of all major immune cell types with helpful Tables detailing phenotypes in murine and human cells.

Expiratory muscle strength and functional exercise tolerance in adults with cystic fibrosis: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: A 6-minute walk work (6MWW), that is the product of distance walked at the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) multiplied by body weight, has been suggested as an appropriate variable for estimating functional capacity. Under the hypothesis that 6MWW strongly correlates with expiratory muscle strength (P max), as found in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), the aim of the study was to determine the degree of this correlation in adults with cystic fibrosis.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out at the Regional Referral Centre for Cystic Fibrosis, where patients with cystic fibrosis attending their regular follow-up, aged 18 years or older with mild-to-normal lung disease, were asked to participate.

Changes in respiratory and hemodynamic parameters during low-dose propofol sedation in combination with regional anesthesia for herniorrhaphy and genitourinary surgery in children.

Background: Spontaneous vs mechanical ventilation during propofol sedation has been a subject of debate. We evaluated the safety of low-dose propofol sedation as an adjunct to regional anesthesia during herniorrhaphy and genitourinary surgery in infants and children.

Methods: The study was conducted in a prospective, nonrandomized manner using a consecutive sample of 62 American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status class I patients between 5 months to 11 years of age in the surgery unit of an urban University Hospital.

Is there still an avoidable fraction of post-operative thromboembolic complications with heparin prophylaxis? The results of a case-control surveillance. Collaborative Group on Heparin Prophylaxis in Surgery (S.E.P.E.C.).

A case-control multicenter study was set up in 68 general and specialistic wards in Italian regional hospitals in order to assess whether underuse of heparin prophylaxis may account for at least a fraction of the thromboembolic events still occurring in surgical patients. 100 cases with clinically relevant thromboembolic or hemorrhagic events occurring during hospitalization for major surgery and 200 controls were identified. Controls were selected among patients not presenting any of the events under study during the same period of observation and were matched with cases for age, sex, and type of surgery.