Publications by authors named "Petracca G"

Article Synopsis
  • This study compares two surgical methods, Hartmann's procedure (HP) and resection with primary anastomosis (RPA), for treating acute left-sided colonic emergencies among 1215 patients from 204 centers globally.
  • Results showed that while HP was the more common treatment (57.3%), RPA was favored for younger patients with fewer health issues and those needing surgery sooner.
  • The study concluded that although HP is still widely used, RPA might be the better option, emphasizing the importance of patient characteristics and surgeon experience in determining treatment choice.
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Purpose: Pneumatosis intestinalis is a radiological finding with incompletely understood pathogenesis. To date, there are no protocols to guide surgical intervention.

Methods: A systematic review of literature, according to PRISMA criteria, was performed.

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Purpose: Selection of an appropriate mesh reinforcement for hernia repair in contaminated fields is a significant problem for surgeons. To date the proper mesh for contaminated fields has not been found. Biosynthetic meshes have emerged as new treatment option in contaminated fields.

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  • This study investigates the relationship between plasma leucine-rich α-2 glycoprotein 1 (LRG1), a proinflammatory molecule, and plasma ceramides in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
  • It measured six specific ceramides, known to be linked to cardiovascular risk, among a group of 99 non-insulin-treated postmenopausal women with an average age of 72.
  • The findings indicate that higher levels of LRG1 are significantly associated with increased concentrations of certain ceramides, even after accounting for other health factors.
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  • Recent studies suggest a link between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and a higher risk of developing new-onset heart failure (HF), but the extent of this risk and its relation to liver disease severity is unclear.
  • A meta-analysis of 11 studies involving over 11 million middle-aged individuals found that NAFLD increases the risk of new-onset HF by about 50%, independent of other health factors like age, sex, and existing cardiovascular risks.
  • The findings highlight a significant association, but further research is needed to establish causation due to the observational nature of the studies.
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In this report, three cases of human cutaneous anthrax are described, one complicated by meningitis, and all were linked to a single infected bullock. A 41-year-old male truck driver, along with two male slaughterhouse workers, 45 and 42, were hospitalized for necrotic lesions of the arm associated with edema of the limb and high fever. All three patients were involved in transporting a bullock to the slaughterhouse.

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Background: The management of recurrent diverticulitis after initial non-operative treatment remains controversial. Recurrences after medical treatment have been described up to 36% but only 3 to 5% develop complicated disease.

Aim: To investigate the effectiveness of conservative treatment during a prolonged follow-up after first episode of complicated diverticulitis.

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Background: Patients undergoing emergency surgery for peritonitis are at increased risk of abdominal wall-related complications. In patients with peritonitis, the risk of incisional hernia (IH) is extremely elevated. The evaluation of quality of life of patients with incisional hernia showed lower mean scores on physical components of health-related quality of life and body image.

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  • The study investigates the relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) concentrations in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) who do not have heart failure.
  • A total of 171 patients were analyzed, revealing that those in the highest SUA group had significantly higher NT-proBNP levels compared to lower SUA groups, even after considering various health factors.
  • The findings suggest that elevated SUA levels are linked to increased NT-proBNP concentrations in CAD patients, indicating a potential health risk, irrespective of other cardiovascular factors.
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: The management of complicated diverticulitis in the elderly can be a challenge and initial non-operative treatment remains controversial. In this study, we investigate the effectiveness of conservative treatment in elderly people after the first episode of complicated diverticulitis. : This retrospective single-centre study describes 71 cases of elderly patients with complicated acute colonic diverticulitis treated with conservative management at Parma University Hospital from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2019.

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: The aim of this study was to evaluate longitudinal changes using both upper limb muscle Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) at shoulder, arm and forearm levels and Performance of upper limb (PUL) in ambulant and non-ambulant Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) patients. We also wished to define whether baseline muscle MRI could help to predict functional changes after one year. : Twenty-seven patients had both baseline and 12month muscle MRI and PUL assessments one year later.

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Article Synopsis
  • A meta-analysis examined the link between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in adults, finding a significant association.
  • The study included 36 longitudinal studies with over 5 million participants, revealing that NAFLD increased the risk of fatal and non-fatal CVD events by 45%, and this risk intensified with the severity of NAFLD.
  • The findings indicate that the risk persists regardless of other factors like age, sex, and common cardiometabolic issues, emphasizing NAFLD as a serious health concern related to CVD.
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  • A meta-analysis of observational studies was conducted to examine the link between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the risk of developing extrahepatic cancers, using data from 10 studies involving over 182,000 middle-aged individuals.
  • It was found that NAFLD significantly increases the risk of various cancers, particularly gastrointestinal cancers (1.5 to 2 times higher risk) and other cancers like lung and breast cancer (1.2 to 1.5 times higher risk).
  • The study concluded that while NAFLD is linked to a moderately increased long-term cancer risk, further research is needed to understand how NAFLD contributes to cancer development.
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To assess the efficacy of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) for treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or steatohepatitis (NASH), we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Three large electronic databases were systematically searched (up to 15 December 2020) to identify placebo-controlled or active-controlled RCTs using different GLP-1 RAs. We included eleven placebo-controlled or active-controlled phase-2 RCTs (involving a total of 936 middle-aged individuals) that used liraglutide ( = 6 RCTs), exenatide ( = 3 RCTs), dulaglutide ( = 1 RCT) or semaglutide ( = 1 RCT) to specifically treat NAFLD or NASH, detected by liver biopsy ( = 2 RCTs) or imaging techniques ( = 9 RCTs).

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  • The study investigates the impact of bariatric surgery (BS) on the severity of COVID-19 among patients in Italy during the spring outbreak of 2020.
  • Researchers conducted a survey of 594 patients to compare COVID-19 incidence and symptoms between those who underwent BS and candidates waiting for the surgery.
  • Results indicated that operated patients experienced fewer COVID-19 symptoms and complications compared to candidates for surgery, suggesting that BS may lead to milder COVID-19 infections among individuals with obesity.
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Recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) tested the efficacy of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors to specifically treat nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We systematically searched three electronic databases (up to 31 October 2020) for identifying placebo-controlled or head-to-head RCTs that used SGLT-2 inhibitors for treatment of NAFLD. No published RCTs with paired liver biopsy data were available for the meta-analysis.

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Objective: Studies reported a significant association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, whether this risk changes with increasing severity of NAFLD remains uncertain. We performed a meta-analysis of observational studies to quantify the magnitude of the association between NAFLD and risk of incident CKD.

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Objective: Follow-up studies have shown that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with an increased risk of incident diabetes, but currently, it is uncertain whether this risk changes with increasing severity of NAFLD. We performed a meta-analysis of relevant studies to quantify the magnitude of the association between NAFLD and risk of incident diabetes.

Design: We systematically searched PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases from January 2000 to June 2020 using predefined keywords to identify observational studies with a follow-up duration of at least 1 year, in which NAFLD was diagnosed by imaging techniques or biopsy.

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Article Synopsis
  • Bariatric surgery (BS) is increasingly used to treat severe obesity, but post-operative neurological complications are becoming more recognized and relevant.
  • A study at Parma University involving 61 patients from 2012 to 2015 determined that 11.4% experienced new neurological symptoms like numbness and muscle weakness after surgery, which generally resolved within two years.
  • The findings suggest that post-operative neuropathy could be linked to lower levels of certain vitamins, specifically B1, B2, and B12, but showed no significant impact on body mass index or weight loss outcomes; further research with larger groups is needed for confirmation.
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Gallstone ileus is a complication of cholelithiasis which is due to gallstone migration through a fistula between the gallbladder and the gastrointestinal tract followed by intraluminal impaction. This uncommon form of mechanical bowel obstruction occurs in <1% of patients with cholelithiasis. Gallstone ileus due to cholecystocolonic fistula is rare, and therefore appropriate surgical treatment is still a matter of debate.

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The endoscopic inaccessibility of the gastric remnant after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP) for morbid obesity represents an important issue for patients with familiar history of gastric cancer (GC) or affected by premalignant lesions, such as intestinal metaplasia. If a different bariatric procedure is contraindicated, RYGBP with remnant gastrectomy represents a reasonable alternative, significantly reducing the risk of GC but potentially increasing postoperative morbidity. For this reason, only few cases have been reported in the recent Literature and none regarding a super-super obese patient.

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Unlabelled: Gallstone ileus is a rare complication of cholelithiasis which occurs in less than 1% of patients and is the cause of 1- 4% of cases of small bowel obstruction. The pathogenesis involves the formation of a bilioenteric fistula. We report the case of gallstone ileus in an 81-year old woman with typical abdominal pain, arterial hypertension and coronary artery disease.

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