Residual C-peptide secretion is associated with better CGM-metrics in adults with short-lasting type 1 diabetes.

Aim: To investigate whether the risk of hypoglycemia is associated with residual β-cell function in adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 61 subjects with T1D of <15 years' duration using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Random C-peptide levels were compared between participants with time below range (TBR) ≥3 % (n = 15) and TBR <3 % (n = 45).

Food Protein-Induced Allergic Proctocolitis: Real-World Experience from an Italian Cohort.

: Food protein-induced allergic proctocolitis (FPIAP) is a non-IgE-mediated food allergy, usually presenting as bloody stools in breastfed, well-appearing, and regularly growing infants. The aim of our study was to describe the clinical features of Italian infants affected by FPIAP and their management and natural history in a real-life setting. : A retrospective, observational study was performed at two tertiary pediatric hospitals (Florence and Trieste), including FPIAP-diagnosed infants between 2012 and 2022.

The Fibrosis-4 index predicts all-cause mortality in a cohort of patients at high cardiovascular risk partly through glomerular filtration rate reduction.

Background And Aim: Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index is a widely used test for non-invasively assessing liver fibrosis. We aimed to investigate the association between FIB-4 index and risk of all-cause mortality in patients at high cardiovascular (CV) risk and to determine whether coexisting renal dysfunction mediates this association.

Methods And Results: Single-center prospective study of 994 patients with established or suspected coronary artery disease undergoing coronary angiography, followed for a median of 44 months.

Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis/Macrophage Activation Syndrome in pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease: clinical characteristics and outcomes.

Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH)/Macrophage Activation Syndrome (MAS) in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been reported only anecdotally. This study aimed at describing the clinical features and outcomes of children diagnosed with both IBD and HLH/MAS. Data on IBD and HLH/MAS characteristics, biochemical, microbiological and genetic assessments, treatments, and outcomes were collected from the Italian Pediatric IBD Registry and presented using descriptive statistics.

Deterioration of Vestibular Motion Perception: A Risk Factor for Postural Instability and Falls in Elderly With Type 2 Diabetes.

Aims: To assess whether impaired vestibular perception of self-motion is a risk factor for unsteadiness and falls in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Materials And Methods: 113 participants (65-75 years old) with T2D underwent tests of roll and pitch discrimination, postural stability (Berg Balance Scale, Modified Romberg Test, and quantitative posturography), clinical examination and blood chemistry analyses. Falls 1-year after enrolment were self-reported.

Association between RCHADS-VASc score and three-vessel coronary artery disease in a large population at high cardiovascular risk.

Coronary artery disease (CAD), particularly three-vessel coronary disease (3VD), is the main cause of death in industrialized countries. Chronic kidney disease is an independent risk factor for CAD. The CHADS-VASc score shows a good ability to predict CV events in high-risk population independently from atrial fibrillation.

Preoperative Echocardiographic Unknown Valvopathy Evaluation in Elderly Patients Undergoing Neuraxial Anesthesia during Major Orthopedic Surgery: A Mono-Centric Retrospective Study.

The assessment of cardiac risk is challenging for elderly patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery with preoperative functional limitations. Currently, no specific cardiac risk scores are available for these critical patients. Echocardiography may be a reliable and safe instrument for assessing cardiac risks in this population.

Modeling Melanoma Heterogeneity In Vitro: Redox, Resistance and Pigmentation Profiles.

Microenvironment and transcriptional plasticity generate subpopulations within the tumor, and the use of BRAF inhibitors (BRAFis) contributes to the rise and selection of resistant clones. We stochastically isolated subpopulations (C1, C2, and C3) from naïve melanoma and found that the clones demonstrated distinct morphology, phenotypic, and functional profiles: C1 was less proliferative, more migratory and invasive, less sensitive to BRAFis, less dependent on OXPHOS, more sensitive to oxidative stress, and less pigmented; C2 was more proliferative, less migratory and invasive, more sensitive to BRAFis, less sensitive to oxidative stress, and more pigmented; and C3 was less proliferative, more migratory and invasive, less sensitive to BRAFis, more dependent on OXPHOS, more sensitive to oxidative stress, and more pigmented. Hydrogen peroxide plays a central role in oxidative stress and cell signaling, and PRDXs are one of its main consumers.

Celiac crisis, transient hypertransaminasemia and positive smooth muscle antibodies (SMA): A celiac disease case report.

Celiac crisis (CC) is a rare complication of celiac disease (CD), usually observed in younger children with unrecognized CD or poor compliance with a gluten-free diet (GFD). We present a case of celiac crisis in a 3-year-old girl who was recently diagnosed with celiac disease. She was referred to our clinic with anasarca, tetany, and severe malnutrition, with hypokalemia, hypocalcemia, hypomagnesemia, and hypoalbuminemia.

Dexamethasone versus Dexmedetomidine as Adjuvants in Ultrasound Popliteal Sciatic Nerve Block for Hallux Valgus Surgery: A Mono-Centric Retrospective Comparative Study.

Background And Aim: Ultrasound popliteal sciatic nerve block (UPSNB) is commonly performed in foot and ankle surgery. This study aims to assess the use of dexmedetomidine and dexamethasone as adjuvants in UPSNB for hallux valgus (HV) surgery, comparing their efficacy in producing motor and sensory block and controlling postoperative pain. The adverse event rate was also evaluated.

A scalable and cost-efficient rRNA depletion approach to enrich RNAs for molecular biology investigations.

Transcriptomics analyses play pivotal roles in understanding the complex regulatory networks that govern cellular processes. The abundance of rRNAs, which account for 80%-90% of total RNA in eukaryotes, limits the detection and investigation of other transcripts. While mRNAs and long noncoding RNAs have poly(A) tails that are often used for positive selection, investigations of poly(A) RNAs, such as circular RNAs, histone mRNAs, and small RNAs, typically require the removal of the abundant rRNAs for enrichment.

Evaluation of the effect of sample suspension concentration and viral load on the outcome of the rabies tissue culture infection test.

In this study, we examined various brain suspension concentrations and viral loads in Neuro-2a cell cultures using 20 rabies-positive bovine samples. The reproducibility of results varied: 65% showed consistent outcomes across all concentrations, while 35% disagreed in at least one. Viral titers ranged from less than 25 × 10 to 25 × 10 TCID/mL, with 20% below 25 × 10 TCID/mL.

Potential Role of Focal Microvibration (Equistasi) in the Management of Chronic Pain: A Pilot Study.

Introduction: Chronic pain is one of the leading causes of medical consultation with a dramatic psychophysical and socioeconomic impact. Focal microvibration (Equistasi) is a revolutionary technology that converts the thermal energy of the skin into vibration. Equistasi was shown to be effective in the treatment of gait and balance dysfunction in many pathological conditions such as Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis.

The PATIENT Approach: A New Bundle for the Management of Chronic Pain.

Background: Chronic pain is one of the most challenging diseases for physicians as its etiology and manifestations can be extremely varied. Many guidelines have been published and many therapeutic options are nowadays available for the different types of pain. Given the enormous amount of information that healthcare providers must handle, it is not always simple to keep in mind all the phases and strategies to manage pain.

Impact of Ultrasound-Assisted Method on Success Rate of Spinal Anesthesia Performed by Novice Trainees: A Retrospective Comparative Study.

In current practice, single-shot spinal anesthesia has traditionally been performed using the conventional surface-anatomic-Landmark-Guided technique. This "blind" technique has significant critical issues such as a high risk of complications due to the numerous attempts at spinal needle placement and the negative impact on the learning curve of the trainees. Ultrasound-Assisted spinal anesthesia could reduce these critical issues and allow trainees to perform the procedure more easily and with fewer complications for the patient.

Impact of ventilation strategies on pulmonary and cardiovascular complications in patients undergoing general anaesthesia for elective surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Many RCTs have evaluated the influence of intraoperative tidal volume (tV), PEEP, and driving pressure on the occurrence of postoperative pulmonary complications, cardiovascular complications, and mortality in adult patients. Our meta-analysis aimed to investigate the association between tV, PEEP, and driving pressure and the above-mentioned outcomes.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs from inception to May 19, 2022.

Robot-Assisted versus Laparoscopic Gastrointestinal Surgery: A Systematic Review and Metanalysis of Intra- and Post-Operative Complications.

Background: The use of robotic surgery is attracting ever-growing interest for its potential advantages such as small incisions, fine movements, and magnification of the operating field. Only a few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have explored the differences in perioperative outcomes between the two approaches.

Methods: We screened the main online databases from inception to May 2023.

Sirtuins Modulators Counteract Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Cellular Models of Hypoxia: Relevance to Schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a neurodevelopmental-associated disorder strongly related to environmental factors, such as hypoxia. Because there is no cure for SZ or any pharmacological approach that could revert hypoxia-induced cellular damages, we evaluated whether modulators of sirtuins could abrogate hypoxia-induced mitochondrial deregulation as a neuroprotective strategy. Firstly, astrocytes from control (Wistar) and Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR), a model of both SZ and neonatal hypoxia, were submitted to chemical hypoxia.

Clinical and molecular overview of immunotherapeutic approaches for malignant skin melanoma: Past, present and future.

Traditional therapeutic approaches for malignant melanoma, have proved to be limited and/or ineffective, especially with respect to their role in improving patient survival and tumor recurrence. In this regard, immunotherapy has been demonstrated to be a promising therapeutic alternative, boosting antitumor responses through the modulation of cell signaling pathways involved in the effector mechanisms of the immune system, particularly, the so-called "immunological checkpoints". Clinical studies on the efficacy and safety of immunotherapeutic regimens, alone or in combination with other antitumor approaches, have increased dramatically in recent decades, with very encouraging results.

Electric impedance tomography and protective mechanical ventilation in elective robotic-assisted laparoscopy surgery with steep Trendelenburg position: a randomized controlled study.

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) reconstructs functional lung images and evaluates the variations of impedance during the breathing cycle. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of protective mechanical ventilation on ventilation distributions recorded by the EIT during elective robotic-assisted laparoscopy surgery with steep Trendelenburg position. This prospective, randomized single center study included patients with healthy lungs undergoing elective robot-assisted laparoscopic urological surgery in general anesthesia.

Septic Arthritis of the Atlanto-Occipital Joint Caused By S. Intermedius in a 5-Year-Old Girl: A Case Report.

Septic arthritis of the atlanto-occipital joint caused by Streptococcus intermedius is extremely rare. We present the first case report of this entity in a fully immunocompetent 5-year-old girl. The magnetic resonance imaging and blood tests were consistent with septic arthritis, so she started empirical antibiotic therapy.

Preoperative anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic: A single-center observational study and comparison with a historical cohort.

Background: Preoperative anxiety is a common sensation experienced by patients undergoing surgical interventions. It can influence intraoperative and postoperative management through the activation of the neuroendocrine system, leading to tachycardia, hypertension, pulmonary complications, higher consumption of anesthetic drugs, and increased postoperative pain. Our aim was to investigate the level of preoperative anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic; we also compared it to the preoperative anxiety of a historical cohort before the outbreak.

Reduced early response to SARS-CoV2 vaccination in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, a 6 months follow-up study: The CoVaDiab study I.

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus worsens the prognosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and vaccination has been the major tool for reducing the risk of hospitalisation, and mortality. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the response to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in subjects with diabetes and controls. Differences between type 1 (T1D) and type 2 (T2D) diabetes and clinical determinants of vaccination response were also evaluated.

The Sodium-Glucose Co-Transporter-2 (SGLT2) Inhibitors Reduce Platelet Activation and Thrombus Formation by Lowering NOX2-Related Oxidative Stress: A Pilot Study.

Sodium−glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors or gliflozins, the newest anti-hyperglycemic class, induce cardioprotective benefits in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). As platelet activation and oxidative stress play a key role in atherothrombotic-related complications, we hypothesized that gliflozins might modulate oxidative stress, platelet activation and thrombus formation. We performed an interventional open-label single-arm before-after study in 32 T2D patients on top of their ongoing metformin therapy.

Redox-Related Proteins in Melanoma Progression.

Melanoma is the most aggressive type of skin cancer. Despite the available therapies, the minimum residual disease is still refractory. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS) play a dual role in melanoma, where redox imbalance is involved from initiation to metastasis and resistance.