Is There Scientific Evidence on the Practice of Rib Resection or Remodeling for Body Contouring Purposes?-A Systematic Review.

Introduction: Rib resection and remodeling have gained attention as cosmetic procedures to enhance body contours, particularly waist-to-hip ratio. Historically, rib resection has been used for medical reasons; however, plastic surgeons have recently adopted it for aesthetic purposes. However, concerns remain regarding the safety and effectiveness of the procedure, particularly due to the potential for complications, such as pneumothorax, chronic pain, and impaired respiratory function.

Correlation between intrapartum CTG findings and interleukin-6 levels in the umbilical cord arterial blood: A prospective cohort study.

Objective: to investigate the correlation between the intrapartum CardioTocoGraphic (CTG) findings "suggestive of fetal inflammation" ("SOFI") and the interleukin (IL)-6 level in the umbilical arterial blood.

Study Design: prospective cohort study conducted at a tertiary maternity unit and including 447 neonates born at term.

Methods: IL-6 levels were systematically measured at birth from a sample of blood taken from the umbilical artery.

Optimization of Laboratory Diagnostics of Primary Biliary Cholangitis: When Solid-Phase Assays and Immunofluorescence Combine.

The laboratory diagnostics of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) have substantially improved, thanks to innovative analytical opportunities, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and multiple immunodot liver profile tests, based on recombinant or purified antigens. This study aimed to identify the best diagnostic test combination to optimize PBC diagnosis. Between January 2014 and March 2017, 164 PBC patients were recruited at the hospitals of Parma, Modena, Reggio-Emilia, and Piacenza.

Distribution of the Clinical Manifestations of Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency in Respiratory Outpatients from an Area of Northern Italy.

Background: Alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is an autosomal codominant genetic condition that affects Caucasians of the European population due to the presence of a deficient allele of the SERPINA1 gene. A frequency of about 1/5,000 individuals has been estimated in Italy.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the distribution of the clinical manifestations of severe and intermediate genetic AATD in the geographic area around Parma in Northern Italy.

Levothyroxine-induced serum free thyroxine response following radioactive iodine administration in patients thyroidectomized for differentiated thyroid cancer: A randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: Patients undergoing thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) may require 131-radioactive iodine (RAI) administration for remnant ablation or disease treatment. After ingestion, RAI resides within the gastrointestinal tract potentially leading to mucosal damage and abnormalities in the absorption of levothyroxine (LT4). The aim of this study was to evaluate whether serum FT4 peak, induced by a LT4 challenge, changes according to the LT4 formulation (solid or liquid) in both RAI and non-RAI-treated DTC patients.