Publications by authors named "Piva T"

Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) poses a significant healthcare burden and is a major concern for patients who experience debilitating symptoms and face a poorer prognosis. Cardiologists are showing renewed interest in TR, as the previous belief that it was merely a bystander of left-sided heart disease has evolved. As a result, more transcatheter techniques addressing TR are emerging.

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  • Microbubbles, initially used for ultrasound imaging, show promise as therapeutic agents that can release treatments when stimulated by ultrasound, potentially enhancing radiation therapy outcomes.
  • A systematic review analyzed 57 eligible studies, highlighting that most research supports the idea that ultrasound-stimulated microbubbles (USMB) improve results compared to radiation alone.
  • The review suggests that USMB may enhance radiation therapy by either damaging tumors indirectly or facilitating better uptake of treatments directly by cancer cells.
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To evaluate the muscle thickness and prevalence of muscle atrophy of the biceps brachii/brachialis (BB) and quadriceps femoris (QF) in critically ill children using ultrasound (US). The prospective longitudinal study was conducted in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of a tertiary hospital in southern Brazil with children and adolescents of both sexes, aged 1 month to 12 years, on invasive mechanical ventilation for 24 h. US measurements were taken up to 24 h after admission, 72 h after, and weekly until discharge from the PICU.

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Background: Body image perception can significantly influence various aspects of adolescent lives. The study analyzed the relationship between body image satisfaction and sports participation in adolescents, examining various factors that contribute to body image concerns and their implications for sports engagement.

Methods: A total of 237 schoolchildren were recruited from lower secondary Italian schools.

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Objective: To identify the influence of obesity on mortality, time to weaning from mechanical ventilation and mobility at intensive care unit discharge in patients with COVID-19.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study was carried out between March and August 2020. All adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit in need of ventilatory support and confirmed to have COVID-19 were included.

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  • The FAITAVI study is investigating how to best treat coronary artery disease in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis who are undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), comparing angiography-guided and physiology-guided strategies.
  • The study involves 320 participants across 15 sites in Italy and focuses on determining when to perform percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) based on specific physiological measurements like fractional flow reserve (FFR).
  • Patients will be monitored for 24 months post-procedure to evaluate outcomes related to serious complications such as death, heart attack, and stroke, aiming to define a more effective approach to treatment.
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The management of cardiogenic shock (CS) after ACS has evolved over time, and the development of a multidisciplinary team-based approach has been shown to improve outcomes, although mortality remains high. All consecutive patients with ACS-CS admitted at our CICU from March 2012 to July 2021 were included in this single-center retrospective study. In 2019, we established a "shock team" consisting of a cardiac intensivist, an interventional cardiologist, an anesthetist, and a cardiac surgeon.

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Research suggests the potential of using cannabinoid-derived compounds to function as anticancer agents against melanoma cells. Our recent study highlighted the remarkable in vitro anticancer effects of PHEC-66, an extract from , on the MM418-C1, MM329, and MM96L melanoma cell lines. However, the complete molecular mechanism behind this action remains to be elucidated.

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  • Current European guidelines recommend TAVI for patients aged 75 and older, but its effectiveness based on age is uncertain.
  • In a study of 2,685 intermediate-to-low-risk patients, mortality rates at a mean follow-up of 437 days were similar for those under and over 75 years old.
  • The findings indicate that age does not significantly predict all-cause mortality for TAVI patients, suggesting that the age threshold in guidelines may not accurately reflect risk.
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Background: The response of oxygen uptake (VO2) and heart rate (HR) to continuous progressive large muscle mass exercise is not always linear. This study aimed to compare the patterns of the Speed/VO2 (S/VO2) and speed/HR (S/HR) relationships during an incremental treadmill-running test in professional rugby players.

Methods: Fourteen professional rugby athletes performed a maximal incremental treadmill-running test, following the Conconi test protocol.

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Melanoma is one of the leading fatal forms of cancer, yet from a treatment perspective, we have minimal control over its reoccurrence and resistance to current pharmacotherapies. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) has recently been accepted as a multifaceted homeostatic regulator, influencing various physiological processes across different biological compartments, including the skin. This review presents an overview of the pathophysiology of melanoma, current pharmacotherapy used for treatment, and the challenges associated with the different pharmacological approaches.

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Melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer, can be fatal if not diagnosed and treated early. Melanoma is widely recognized to resist advanced cancer treatments, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, kinase inhibitors, and chemotherapy. Numerous studies have shown that various extracts exhibit potential anticancer effects against different types of tumours both in vitro and in vivo.

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Background: Myocardial infarction (MI) with non-obstructed coronary arteries (MINOCA) is an increasingly recognized condition with challenging management. Some MINOCA patients ultimately experience recurrent acute MI (re-AMI) during follow-up; however, clinical and angiographic factors predisposing to re-AMI are still poorly defined.

Methods: In this retrospective multicenter cohort study we enrolled consecutive patients fulfilling diagnostic criteria of MINOCA according to the IV universal definition of myocardial infarction; characteristics of patients experiencing re-AMI during the follow-up were compared to a group of MINOCA patients without re-AMI.

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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the ability of the moderate 1-km treadmill walking test (1km-TWT) to predict changes in peak oxygen uptake (V˙O 2peak ) in patients with stable cardiovascular disease (CVD) during an exercise-based secondary prevention program.

Methods: Sixty-four male outpatients with stable CVD (age 64 [41-85] yr) performed the 1km-TWT before and after an 8-wk walking training program. Patient V˙O 2peak was estimated using a sex-specific equation including age, body mass index, 1km-TWT performance time, and heart rate (V˙O 2peakEST ).

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Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) induces immunosuppression and DNA damage, both of which contribute to the rising global incidence of skin cancer including melanoma. Nucleotide excision repair, which is activated upon UVR-induced DNA damage, is linked to expression of interleukin-12 (IL-12) which serves to limit immunosuppression and augment the DNA repair process. Herein, we report an immunomodulating peptide, designated IK14800, that not only elicits secretion of IL-12, interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) but also reduces DNA damage in the skin following exposure to UVR.

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Introduction: Cardiogenic shock (CS) is a severe syndrome with poor prognosis. Short-term mechanical circulatory support with Impella devices has emerged as an increasingly therapeutic option, unloading the failing left ventricle (LV) and improving hemodynamic status of affected patients. Impella devices should be used for the shortest time necessary to allow LV recovery because of time-dependent device-related adverse events.

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Objective: This review aimed to collect evidence about the effectiveness of exercise programs for managing binge eating disorder (BED) (recurrent binge eating episodes).

Methods: Meta-analysis was developed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol. Articles were searched in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library.

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  • * Methods: An analysis of 279 patients from the IMP-IT registry who received Impella 2.5 or CP devices was conducted, assessing the relationship between in-hospital LVEF recovery and occurrences of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) over a year, excluding patients who died in the hospital or lacked recovery data.
  • * Results: In-hospital L
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Background: Clinical thromboembolism in Fontan patients is often a catastrophic event resulting in death and adverse long-term outcomes. The treatment of acute thromboembolic complications in these patients is very controversial.

Case Summary: We describe the use of rheolytic thrombectomy in a Fontan patient with life-threatening pulmonary embolism, employing a cerebral protection system to reduce the risk of stroke through the fenestration.

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Introduction: Ultrasound has been used to quantify and qualify muscle morphology in critically ill children and can detect changes in muscle thickness. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of ultrasound measurement of muscle thickness in critically ill children and to compare the assessments made by an expert with those made by inexperienced sonographers.

Material And Methods: Cross-sectional observational study conducted in the paediatric intensive care unit of a tertiary care university hospital in Brazil.

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Objective: To investigate the feasibility of an ultra-low radiation dose and contrast volume protocol using third-generation dual-source (DS) CT for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) planning with coronary artery disease (CAD) assessment, coronary artery calcium score (CACS) and aortic valve calcium score (AVCS) quantification and to evaluate their relationship with TAVI outcome.

Methods: In this retrospective study were selected 203 patients (131 males, 79.4 ± 5.

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Background: Traditional cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is effective in improving physical performance and prognosis after myocardial infarction (MI). Anyway, it is not consistently recommended to older adults, and its attendance rate is low. Previous studies suggested that alternative, early and tailored exercise interventions are feasible and effective in improving physical performance in older MI patients.

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Background: Initial data about the performance of the new-generation SAPIEN 3 Ultra (S3U) valve are highly promising. However, evidence about the longer-term performance and safety of the S3U is scarce.

Aims: We aimed to investigate the 1-year clinical and echocardiographic outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) using the S3U compared with its predecessor, the SAPIEN 3 valve (S3).

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Introduction: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the principal cause of death in U.S. women.

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