Bayesian Calibration to Address the Challenge of Antimicrobial Resistance: A Review.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) emerges when disease-causing microorganisms develop the ability to withstand the effects of antimicrobial therapy. This phenomenon is often fueled by the human-to-human transmission of pathogens and the overuse of antibiotics. Over the past 50 years, increased computational power has facilitated the application of Bayesian inference algorithms.

Comparison Between Twenty-Four-Hour Collection and Single Spot Urines for the Detection of Biogenic Amines by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

Background: Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGL) are neuroendocrine tumors that originate from adrenal medulla or extra-adrenal chromaffin cells, respectively. They produce an excess of catecholamines and their metabolites. Abnormal levels of these biomolecules have been also found in pediatric patients with neuroblastoma (NB).

The Operating Room management for emergency Surgical Activity (ORSA) study: a WSES international survey.

Background: Despite advances and improvements in the management of surgical patients, emergency and trauma surgery is associated with high morbidity and mortality. This may be due in part to delays in definitive surgical management in the operating room (OR). There is a lack of studies focused on OR prioritization and resource allocation in emergency surgery.

Efficacy of bi-level erector spinae plane block versus bi-level thoracic paravertebral block for postoperative analgesia in modified radical mastectomy: a prospective randomized comparative study.

Background: Postoperative analgesia in breast surgery is difficult due to the extensive nature of the surgery and the complex innervation of the breast; general anesthesia can be associated with regional anesthesia techniques to control intra- and post-postoperative pain. This randomized comparative study aimed to compare the efficacy of the erector spinae plane block and the thoracic paravertebral block in radical mastectomy procedures with or without axillary emptying.

Methods: This prospective randomized comparative study included 82 adult females who were randomly divided into two groups using a computer-generated random number.

Kinetics of Humoral Immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in Healthcare Workers after the Third Dose of BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccine.

Protection provided by COVID-19 vaccines is compromised due to waning immunity over time. This study aimed to assess the level of antibodies anti-S-RBD of SARS-CoV-2 in a cohort of healthcare workers before and, on average, one and four months after the third dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine. The determination of antibodies was carried out in serum samples using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA).

Refining epidemiological forecasts with simple scoring rules.

Estimates from infectious disease models have constituted a significant part of the scientific evidence used to inform the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. These estimates can vary strikingly in their bias and variability. Epidemiological forecasts should be consistent with the observations that eventually materialize.

Redox and Calcium Alterations of a Müller Cell Line Exposed to Diabetic Retinopathy-Like Environment.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common complication of diabetes mellitus and is the major cause of vision loss in the working-age population. Although DR is traditionally considered a microvascular disease, an increasing body of evidence suggests that neurodegeneration is an early event that occurs even before the manifestation of vasculopathy. Accordingly, attention should be devoted to the complex neurodegenerative process occurring in the diabetic retina, also considering possible functional alterations in non-neuronal cells, such as glial cells.

Clinical, electromyographical, histopathological characteristics of COVID-19 related rhabdomyolysis.

Rhabdomyolysis is an uncommon complication of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Previous reports have described its management and treatment in medical units, but have not discussed confirmatory tests or differential diagnosis. We report a case of a 58 year-old male patient, who was admitted for COVID-19 pneumonia and subsequently developed severe weakness, inability to move limbs, acute renal failure, significantly elevated myoglobin and creatinine kinase, and was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis.

Predictive markers of long-term recurrence in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.

Background: In last years, many attempts were made to recognize chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) phenotypes focusing on identifying relevant key pathogenic molecules. Polyps recurrence rate ranges from 4% to 60%, so it's clear that not all clinical and immunologic factors associated with recurrence are known.

Objective: We investigate the inflammatory profile in patients with long term recurrent and non-recurrent CRSwNPs and if a specific profile is associated with recurrence, comparing eosinophilic, neutrophilic and lymphocytic infiltration, as well as IL-5 and IL-8 expression to long term recurrence rate.

Parkinson's disease: Autoimmunity and neuroinflammation.

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that causes the death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. The resulting dopamine deficiency in the basal ganglia leads to a movement disorder that is characterized by classical parkinsonian motor symptoms. Parkinson's disease is recognized as the most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's disease.

Features of Residual Dizziness after Canalith Repositioning Procedures for Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo.

Objectives: To assess factors related to residual dizziness (RD) in patients who underwent successful canalith repositioning procedures (CRPs) for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).

Study Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Academic center.

Effect of Radiofrequency Thermal Ablation Treatment on Nasal Ciliary Motility: A Study with Phase-Contrast Microscopy.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of nasal ciliary motility after radiofrequency ablation treatment in patients with isolated inferior turbinate hypertrophy and to clarify how long until normal ciliary function is restored.

Study Design: Prospective, single-group, pretest-posttest design.

Setting: Academic tertiary care medical center.

Myringotomy and ventilation tube insertion with endoscopic or microscopic technique in adults: a pilot study.

The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of endoscopic-assisted myringotomy and ventilation tube insertion in adults affected by chronic otitis media with effusion, comparing the outcomes of this approach with those obtained with the traditional microscopic technique. Twenty-four patients were enrolled in this trial and alternately assigned to 2 groups of 12 subjects each. In group A, patients underwent myringotomy and ventilation tube insertion under endoscopic view, whereas in group B, the same procedure was performed traditionally using a microscope.

Cytologic and functional alterations of nasal mucosa in smokers: temporary or permanent damage?

Objective: Tobacco smoke is a significant risk factor for respiratory diseases. The purpose of this study is to analyze the cytologic and functional features of nasal mucosa in smokers, nonsmokers, and ex-smokers to evaluate if nasal alterations in smokers are permanent or reversible conditions after smoking cessation.

Study Design: Case series with planned data collection.

Networking and data sharing reduces hospitalization cost of heart failure: the experience of GISC study.

Rationale, Aims And Objectives: Heart failure (HF) is a concerning public health burden in Western society because, despite the improvement of medical treatments, it is still associated with adverse outcomes (high morbidity and mortality), resulting in one of the most expensive chronic disease in Western countries. Hospital admission particularly is the most expensive cost driver among the several resources involved in the management of HF. The aim of our study was to investigate the cost of hospitalization before and after the enrolment to a new strategy (GISC) in the management of patients with HF.

EMLA(®) cream as local anesthetic for radiofrequency turbinate tissue reduction.

Radiofrequency volumetric tissue reduction is a minimally invasive technique in the treatment of turbinate hypertrophy and is generally performed under local anesthesia. However, perioperative discomfort and pain are common side effects and studies concerning the technique of choice to anesthetize the nasal mucosa in this procedure are lacking. The aim of this prospective controlled trial is to assess the effectiveness of EMLA(®) cream as a topical anesthetic for radiofrequency volumetric tissue reduction of inferior turbinates comparing its effect with that obtained using a traditional anesthetic technique.

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the tongue base mimicking an ectopic thyroid.

A 69-year-old woman with mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of the tongue base came under our observation complaining of repeated episodes of haemoptysis. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the tongue base gives rise to a rather vague and aspecific symptomatology. Early symptoms include foreign body sensation in the oral cavity, undefined paraesthesia, and sialorrhoea.

Wharton's duct repair after combined sialolithectomy: is ductoplasty necessary?

The aim of this prospective study is to establish whether ductoplasty is necessary to repair the Wharton's duct after a combined endoscopic and external approach to remove large submandibular gland stones or if simple suturing of the oral floor mucosa after stent placement may be sufficient to achieve proper duct healing. Ten patients were enrolled. Ductoplasty was performed in 6 cases, whereas in 4 cases, only the mucosa of the oral floor was sutured.

Posttraumatic parotid fistula treated with transdermal scopolamine: a case report.

A parotid fistula is a rare and extremely unpleasant condition. In this paper, we present the case of a 53-year-old woman with a diagnosis of posttraumatic fistula of the parotid gland. After exclusion of other therapeutic alternatives, it was decided to use transdermal scopolamine patches at sustained release (Scopoderm TTS).

Use of a rainbow trout oligonucleotide microarray to determine transcriptional patterns in aflatoxin B1-induced hepatocellular carcinoma compared to adjacent liver.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide, and its occurrence is associated with a number of environmental factors including ingestion of the dietary contaminant aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1)). Research over the last 40 years has revealed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to be an excellent research model for study of AFB(1)-induced hepatocarcinogenesis; however, little is known about changes at the molecular level in trout tumors. We have developed a rainbow trout oligonucleotide array containing 1672 elements representing over 1400 genes of known or probable relevance to toxicology, comparative immunology, carcinogenesis, endocrinology, and stress physiology.

Conserved simple sequence repeats for the Limnanthaceae (Brassicales).

The Limnanthaceae (Order Brassicales) is a family of 18 taxa of Limnanthes (meadowfoam) native to California, Oregon, and British Columbia. Cultivated meadowfoam ( L. alba Benth.