Simultaneous Carotid Artery Stenting and Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Urgent Patients: A Single Center Experience.

: Coexisting coronary artery disease and critical carotid stenosis present challenges in revascularization, particularly in urgent cases requiring surgery. Combining carotid artery stenting (CAS) with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has gained popularity. : This study analyzed 36 patients who underwent simultaneous CAS and CABG from 2014 to 2024.

Does DNA extraction affect the specificity of a PCR method claiming the specific detectability of a genome-edited plant?

Under current EU legislation, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and derived food and feed products must be authorized as GM food, feed, or seed and appropriate detection methods must be made available for use in official controls. A Real-Time PCR method has recently been published by Chhalliyil et al. claiming to be specific for the detection and identification of genome-edited oilseed rape (OSR) lines commercialized in North America.

Zero-Contrast Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation vs. Standard Practice: Periprocedural and Long-Term Clinical Outcomes.

: We aimed to compare the procedural efficacy and long-term clinical results of a totally contrast-free Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) procedure (i.e., contrast dye was not used for either the pre-procedural assessment or during the procedure) to those of standard practice in patients with severe renal dysfunction.

The Role of Microbes in Surgical Decision Making for Infective Endocarditis: Mitral Valve Repair or Replacement?

Background: The benefits of mitral repair versus replacement for endocarditis are inconclusive. This study compares outcomes of patients with infective endocarditis undergoing mitral valve repair versus replacement and investigates the impact of microbial etiology.

Methods: All 251 patients undergoing mitral valve surgery for active endocarditis between 2010 and 2023 were enrolled, 180 (71.

Chronic consumption of a bergamot-based beverage does not affect glucose, lipid and inflammatory biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk in healthy subjects: a randomised controlled intervention study.

: Pure bergamot juice exerts lipid lowering effects in dyslipidemic subjects. It is unknown whether bergamot-based beverages exert similar effects in healthy subjects. : To assess the effects, if any, of a bergamot-based beverage (BBB, bergamot juice ≤25%) on lipid, metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers.

[Antithrombotic therapy after surgical mitral valve repair: review of the evidence and updated proposals].

Surgical mitral valve repair (SMVR) is performed with various techniques that involve the implantation of non-biological material, such as the prolene of the suture threads, the polytetrafluoroethylene of the neo-chordae or the prosthetic ring for the remodeling of the valve annulus, whose exposure to the bloodstream is capable of triggering the blood coagulation cascade and consequently the development of thrombotic/thromboembolic events. The indications of the literature on the use of antithrombotic drugs after SMVR are weak and not univocal given the absence of randomized data and the availability of only small observational case series, which are generally contaminated by the lack of homogeneity of the populations examined. Indeed in these studies, patients not only undergoing SMVR, but also transcatheter repair of the mitral valve or surgical implantation of a biological valve prosthesis (not only in the mitral position) are included.

Intraoperative indocyanine green imaging as an adjunctive technique to reduce any circumflex artery damage during mitral valve surgery: a feasibility study.

Iatrogenic injuries to the circumflex coronary artery during mitral valve surgery are probably underestimated (reported rates of 0.3-1.8%).

Surgical Treatment of Active Endocarditis Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Onset.

Background: Despite advanced diagnosis and treatment, infective endocarditis (IE) is a potentially life-threatening condition. The impact of COVID-19 on the diagnosis and outcome of the surgical treatment of IE is uncertain. The aim of this study was to analyze the incidence, characteristics, and outcomes of surgically treated IE before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Post-Operative Delirium and Cognitive Dysfunction in Aged Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: A Randomized Comparison between Two Blood Oxygenators.

In elderly patients undergoing cardiac surgery, extracorporeal circulation affects the incidence of post-operative delirium and cognitive impairment with an impact on quality of life and mortality. In this study, a new oxygenator system (RemoweLL 2) was tested against a conventional system to assess its efficacy in reducing the onset of postoperative delirium and cognitive dysfunction and the levels of serum inflammatory markers. A total of 154 patients (>65 y.

Less Is More? Combined Approaches to Improve Mortality and Morbidity after Aortic Valve Replacement.

Background: Nowadays, one of the main goals of aortic valve surgery is to reduce the biological impact, mortality, and complications. It is well-known that long operative times in terms of the extracorporeal circulation, but above all, of the aortic cross-clamp time (ACC), represent a risk factor for mortality in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. In order to shorten the aortic cross-clamp time, many technological improvements, such as sutureless prostheses, have been introduced, but their actual effectiveness has not been proven yet.

Neurological outcomes in minimally invasive mitral valve surgery: risk factors analysis from the Mini-Mitral International Registry.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the incidence and predictors of stroke after minimally invasive mitral valve surgery (mini-MVS) and to assess the role of preoperative CT scan on surgical management and neurological outcomes in the large cohort of Mini-Mitral International Registry.

Methods: Clinical, operative and in-hospital outcomes in patients undergoing mini-MVS between 2015 and 2021 were collected. Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to identify predictors of stroke.

Endoglin, a Novel Biomarker and Therapeutical Target to Prevent Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Growth and Metastasis.

Purpose: Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST) are highly aggressive soft-tissue sarcomas that lack effective treatments, underscoring the urgent need to uncover novel mediators of MPNST pathogenesis that may serve as potential therapeutic targets. Tumor angiogenesis is considered a critical event in MPNST transformation and progression. Here, we have investigated whether endoglin (ENG), a TGFβ coreceptor with a crucial role in angiogenesis, could be a novel therapeutic target in MPNSTs.

Simplified Tool for Sizing in Minimally Invasive Mitral Annuloplasty: A Homemade Technique.

Currently, minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) has been developing and has been largely approved for mitral valve surgery. The more development of MICS, the more the entire surgical setup needs to be appropriate. We developed a homemade tool for mitral annular sizing that is simple and fits the mini surgical access.

Correlation Between Endoglin and Malignant Phenotype in Human Melanoma Cells: Analysis of hsa-mir-214 and hsa-mir-370 in Cells and Their Extracellular Vesicles.

Endoglin (CD105) is an auxiliary receptor of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β family members that is expressed in human melanomas. It is heterogeneously expressed by primary and metastatic melanoma cells, and endoglin targeting as a therapeutic strategy for melanoma tumors is currently been explored. However, its involvement in tumor development and malignancy is not fully understood.

Cardiac Surgery in Nonagenarians Following the TAVI/TMVI Era: A Multicenter 23-Year Comparative Analysis.

Background: Studies reporting on the outcome of 90-year-old patients undergoing cardiac surgery are scant in literature; and currently, those regarding the implementation of trans-catheter techniques number even fewer.

Methods: We compared patients aged >89 years operated on between 1998 and 2008 at 8 Italian cardiac surgery centers, with patients of the same age operated on between 2009 and 2021. All of the patients were operated on with "open" surgery, with the exclusion of percutaneous valve repair/implantation procedures.

Risk-related clinical outcomes after minimally invasive mitral valve surgery: insights from the Mini-Mitral International Registry.

Objectives: With the popularization of catheter-based mitral valve procedures, evaluating risk-specific differentiated clinical outcomes after contemporary mitral valve surgery is crucial. In this study, we assessed the operative results of minimally invasive mitral valve operations across different patient risk profiles and evaluated the value of EuroSCORE (ES) II predicted risk of mortality model for risk prediction, in the large cohort of Mini-Mitral International Registry (MMIR).

Methods: The MMIR database was used to analyse mini-mitral operations between 2015 and 2021.

Vascular Access in Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease Undergoing TAVR: The Hostile Registry.

Background: The optimal access route in patients with severe peripheral artery disease (PAD) undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) remains undetermined.

Objectives: This study sought to compare clinical outcomes with transfemoral access (TFA), transthoracic access (TTA), and nonthoracic transalternative access (TAA) in TAVR patients with severe PAD.

Methods: Patients with PAD and hostile femoral access (TFA impossible, or possible only after percutaneous treatment) undergoing TAVR at 28 international centers were included in this registry.

Pacemaker after Sutureless and Rapid-Deployment Prostheses: A Progress Report from the SURD-IR.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the need for postoperative permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) following sutureless and rapid-deployment aortic valve replacement (SuRD-AVR) in the context of a progress report from a large multicenter international registry (SURD-IR).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 4,166 patients who underwent SuRD-AVR between 2008 and 2019. The primary outcome was the need for PPI before discharge.