Exploring machine learning tools in a retrospective case-study of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer treated with first-line immunotherapy: A feasibility single-centre experience.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) models are emerging as promising tools to identify predictive features among data coming from health records. Their application in clinical routine is still challenging, due to technical limits and to explainability issues in this specific setting. Response to standard first-line immunotherapy (ICI) in metastatic Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) is an interesting population for machine learning (ML), since up to 30% of patients do not benefit.

Prevalence of Mitral Annular Disjunction at Cardiac MRI: Results from a Multicenter Registry.

Purpose To determine the prevalence of mitral annular disjunction (MAD) in patients undergoing cardiac MRI for various clinical indications and to assess the association of MAD with arrhythmia, mitral valve prolapse (MVP), and myocardial alteration. Materials and Methods This study analyzed data from a retrospective observational registry of consecutive patients undergoing cardiac MRI for different clinical indications. Cardiac MRI examinations were performed from January 2019 to June 2019 at 13 Italian hospitals.

Chest CT opportunistic biomarkers for phenotyping high-risk COVID-19 patients: a retrospective multicentre study.

Objective: To assess the value of opportunistic biomarkers derived from chest CT performed at hospital admission of COVID-19 patients for the phenotypization of high-risk patients.

Methods: In this multicentre retrospective study, 1845 consecutive COVID-19 patients with chest CT performed within 72 h from hospital admission were analysed. Clinical and outcome data were collected by each center 30 and 80 days after hospital admission.

Extracellular volume fraction (ECV) derived from pre-operative computed tomography predicts prognosis in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

Aims: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is the treatment of choice for high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). A portion of TAVI recipients has no long-term clinical benefit, and myocardial fibrosis may contribute to unfavourable outcomes. We aimed to assess the prognostic value of an interstitial fibrosis marker, extracellular volume fraction (ECV), measured at planning computed tomography (CT) before TAVI.

Week to week variability of pulmonary capillary blood volume and alveolar membrane diffusing capacity in patients with heart failure.

Background: Alveolar-capillary membrane diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DMCO) and pulmonary capillary volume (Vcap) can be estimated by the multi-step Roughton and Foster (RF, original method from 1957) or the single-step NO-CO double diffusion technique (developed in the 1980s). The latter method implies inherent assumptions. We sought to determine which combination of the alveolar membrane diffusing capacity for nitric oxide (DMNO) to DMCO ratio, an specific conductance of the blood for NO (θ) and CO (θ) gave the lowest week-to-week variability in patients with heart failure.

Associations of Preoperative Self-rated Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression on Length of Hospital Stay and Long-term Quality of Life in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery.

Background: Anxiety and depression are often associated with cardiovascular diseases. Nevertheless, few study authors have investigated psychological effects on immediate and long-term cardiac surgery-related outcomes, such as surgical complications, length of hospital stay (LOS), and long-term health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Objectives: The aims of this study were to (a) investigate the role of preoperative symptoms of anxiety and depression in predicting LOS in a sample of surgical patients and (b) evaluate the impact of preoperative symptoms of anxiety and depression on the patients' HRQoL 3 months after surgery.

Mental health and risk perception among Italian healthcare workers during the second month of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted to assess perceived risk and fear of contagion, as well as mental health outcomes among 650 Italian healthcare workers during the COVID-19 outbreak. A relevant proportion of the sample reported symptoms of anxiety, depression, and distress. Female sex, nursing profession, fear of being infected, as well as the time of exposure to the COVID-19 spread and the fact of directly attending infected patients were the main risk factors for developing mental health disturbances.

Examination of the best cut-off points of PHQ-2 and GAD-2 for detecting depression and anxiety in Italian cardiovascular inpatients.

Objective: Despite the frequent association between anxiety, depression and cardiovascular diseases (CVD), cardiovascular inpatients are not usually screened for these psychopathological conditions. To fill this gap, especially in hospital environments, there is the need of brief screening instruments that provide reliable information in a very short time. According to this need, the aim of this study was to examine the best cut-off points of two brief and easy-to-use questionnaires in a sample of Italian cardiovascular inpatients: the 2-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2) and the 2-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-2).

Spontaneous Participation in Secondary Prevention Programs: The Role of Psychosocial Predictors.

Disease prevention is a multifaceted construct that has been widely studied. Nevertheless, in spite of its importance, it is still not sufficiently considered by the general population. Since the reasons for this lack of consideration are not yet fully understood, we created an Online Prevention Survey (OPS) to investigate the role of both sociodemographic and psychological factors in predicting individuals' spontaneous participation in secondary prevention programs.

Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms Screening in Cardiac Inpatients: A Virtuous Italian Approach to Psychocardiology.

Despite the fact that American Heart Association (AHA) recommended a systematic screening for depression in cardiovascular inpatients, poor attention has been given to this issue. Furthermore, no specific guidelines exist for anxiety screening in cardiovascular inpatients. Thus, the aims of this study were to verify the feasibility of a depressive and anxiety symptoms screening protocol in an Italian hospital specializing in cardiovascular diseases and to evaluate both anxiety and depressive symptoms prevalence.

Variability in pulmonary diffusing capacity in heart failure.

Background: As pulmonary diffusing capacity is related to mortality risk and prognosis in patients with heart failure (HF), it is measured frequently. As such, it would be essential to know the week-to-week variability (reproducibility) of pulmonary diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) and nitric oxide (DLNO). This variability would let clinicians understand what a clinically measurable change in DLCO and DLNO would be in these patients.

Effects of β-receptor stimulation by indacaterol in chronic heart failure treated with selective or non-selective β-blockers: a randomized trial.

Alveolar β-receptor blockade worsens lung diffusion in heart failure (HF). This effect could be mitigated by stimulating alveolar β-receptors. We investigated the safety and the effects of indacaterol on lung diffusion, lung mechanics, sleep respiratory behavior, cardiac rhythm, welfare, and exercise performance in HF patients treated with a selective (bisoprolol) or a non-selective (carvedilol) β-blocker.

Untargeted Metabolomics to Go beyond the Canonical Effect of Acetylsalicylic Acid.

Given to its ability to irreversibly acetylate the platelet cyclooxygenase-1 enzyme, acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) is successfully employed for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Recently, an antitumoral effect of ASA in colorectal cancer has been increasingly documented. However, the molecular and metabolic mechanisms by which ASA exerts such effect is largely unknown.

Feasibility of thulium laser enucleation of the prostate in a large case series. Are results enhanced by experience?

Objective: To provide the first large single-operator case series of patients who undergo "" thulium laser enucleation of the prostate (ThuLEP) and to demonstrate an improvement in enucleation efficacy with experience.

Methods: We prospectively evaluated a cohort of patients with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) who underwent "" ThuLEP between May 2015 and November 2017. Association between dependent variables (delivered energy and operating time) and independent variables (adenoma volume and experience) were estimated with regression analysis.

Iron deficiency in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: Iron deficiency (ID) is a known co-morbidity and a potential therapeutic target in heart failure. Whether ID is frequent also in ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients and is associated with worse in-hospital outcomes has never been evaluated.

Methods: We defined ID as a serum ferritin < 100 μg/L or transferrin saturation < 20% at hospital admission.

Aortic Valve Sclerosis Adds to Prediction of Short-Term Mortality in Patients with Documented Coronary Atherosclerosis.

Aims: Aortic valve sclerosis (AVSc), a non-uniform thickening of leaflets with an unrestricted opening, is characterized by inflammation, lipoprotein deposition, and matrix degradation. In the general population, AVSc predicts long-term cardiovascular mortality (+50%) even after adjustment for vascular risk factors and clinical atherosclerosis. We have hypothesized that AVSc is a risk-multiplier able to predict even short-term mortality.

Activation of Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway and Human Atherosclerotic Plaque Vulnerability:an In Vitro and In Vivo Study.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) induce nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) activation as an adaptive defense mechanism, determining the synthesis of antioxidant molecules, including heme-oxygenase-1 (HO-1). HO-1 protects cells against oxidative injury, degrading free heme and inhibiting ROS production. HO-1 is highly expressed in macrophages during plaque growth.