Publications by authors named "Spampinato M"

Background: Clonal myeloproliferation and fibrotic transformation of the bone marrow (BM) are the pathogenetic events most commonly occurring in myelofibrosis (MF). There is great evidence indicating that tumor microenvironment is characterized by high lactate levels, acting not only as an energetic source, but also as a signaling molecule.

Methods: To test the involvement of lactate in MF milieu transformation, we measured its levels in MF patients' sera, eventually finding a massive accumulation of this metabolite, which we showed to promote the expansion of immunosuppressive subsets.

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Background And Purpose: Magnetic Resonance Imaging is widely used to assess disease burden in multiple sclerosis (MS). This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a commercially available k-nearest neighbors (k-NN) software in quantifying white matter lesion (WML) burden in MS. We compared the software's WML quantification to expert radiologists' assessments.

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Minimally invasive liver surgery has become widely accepted as a safe and effective approach, especially with experienced surgeons. Robotic hepatectomy may offer significant benefits in challenging procedures like caudate lobe resection. The caudate lobe's intricate anatomy and deep-seated location make its resection particularly challenging, with limited reports on minimally invasive techniques.

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Background And Purpose: Aiming to achieve light sedation via intranasal administration, this study showed that propofol (PPF) did not permeate across the rabbit nasal mucosa ex vivo from its marketed emulsion for injection.

Experimental Approach: Dilution of the emulsion with methyl-β-cyclodextrin in saline solution increased propofol solubility in water and diffusion across the nasal epithelium.

Key Results And Conclusion: Despite these positive effects of the cyclodextrin, the amount of PPF permeated was minimal in 3 h, exceeding the formulation residence time in the nose.

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  • Secondary metabolites are compounds that help organisms defend against others or attract mates, and their production is influenced by evolutionary factors.
  • This study focused on the ecotoxicological effects of extracts from three marine sponges and two benthic diatoms on marine organisms, specifically the Mediterranean purple sea urchin and other diatoms.
  • Results indicated that while unfertilized eggs showed some protection from harmful sponge compounds, treatments with sponge extracts had significant negative effects post-fertilization, and diatom extracts led to increased malformations in both pre- and post-fertilization stages.
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Antifungal substances are essential for managing fungal infections in humans, animals, and plants, and their usage has significantly increased due to the global rise in fungal infections. However, the extensive application of antifungal agents in pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and agriculture has led to their widespread environmental dissemination through various pathways, such as excretion, improper disposal, and agricultural runoff. Despite advances in wastewater treatment, many antifungal compounds persist in the environment, affecting non-target organisms and contributing to resistance development.

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The present work aims at providing a multi-disciplinary approach for environmental monitoring in marine-coastal areas. A monitoring campaign of 13 months (October 2022-October 2023) was carried out on sandy foreshore sediments (SFSs). The SFSs were analysed for potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and rare earth elements (REEs) content determination.

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  • - Robotic surgery is gaining popularity in the surgical field, especially for liver resections, but its effectiveness near major blood vessels needs further investigation.
  • - A study of 1030 patients categorized them into two groups (lesions in contact with major vessels vs. those free from) to compare surgical outcomes before and after adjusting for other variables.
  • - Findings indicated that while the Pringle Manoeuvre was more frequently used in surgeries near major vessels, overall operative time, complication rates, and surgery success were similar between both groups, suggesting robotic surgery is safe even for challenging cases.
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Breast cancer remains a significant global health challenge, with diverse subtypes and complex molecular mechanisms underlying its development and progression. This review comprehensively examines recent advances in breast cancer research, with a focus on classification, molecular pathways, and the role of heme oxygenases (HO), heme metabolism implications, and therapeutic innovations. The classification of breast cancer subtypes based on molecular profiling has significantly improved diagnosis and treatment strategies, allowing for tailored approaches to patient care.

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Fish oil, renowned for its high content of omega-3 fatty acids, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), has gained considerable attention for its potential health benefits. EPA and DHA exhibit anti-inflammatory effects by promoting the production of specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs), such as resolvins and protectins. Fish oil has been studied for its potential to reduce bronchial inflammation, a key feature of respiratory conditions like asthma and COPD.

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Background: Chronic myeloid leukemia is a hematological malignancy characterized by the abnormal proliferation of leukemic cells. Despite significant progress with tyrosine kinase inhibitors, such as Dasatinib, resistance remains a challenge. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential of Selinexor, an Exportin-1 inhibitor, to improve TKI effectiveness on CML.

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  • Chest trauma often leads to emergency department admissions, and the serratus anterior plane (SAP) block is a potential pain management technique, but its effectiveness and safety in the ED are not well-studied.
  • This study compared patients receiving the SAP block combined with standard therapy to those receiving standard therapy alone, looking at pain levels, opioid use, respiratory function, and adverse events over the first 24 hours.
  • Results showed that patients receiving the SAP block had significantly reduced pain, required less opioid medication, and maintained better respiratory function, with no adverse events reported.
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Background: The rising diffusion of vascular resections during complex pancreatectomy for malignancy, for both oncological and technical matters, brought with it the use of vascular shunts, either temporary or definitive, to prevent bowel congestion and liver ischemia. This study aimed to systematically review the literature on the technical feasibility of vascular shunts during advanced pancreatic surgery, analyzing intraoperative and postoperative outcomes.

Methods: A systematic literature search was performed on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library Central, according to PRISMA guidelines.

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This study examines the barriers to integrating portable Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) systems into ambulance services to enable effective triaging of patients to the appropriate hospitals for timely stroke care and potentially reduce door-to-needle time for thrombolytic administration. The study employs a qualitative methodology using a digital twin of the patient handling process developed and demonstrated through semi-structured interviews with 18 participants, including 11 paramedics from an Emergency Medical Services system and seven neurologists from a tertiary stroke care centre. The interview transcripts were thematically analysed to determine the barriers based on the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety framework.

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  • Minimally invasive liver surgery has become safer and more feasible over time, prompting this study to explore its effectiveness in elderly patients.
  • The research analyzed data from 1070 robotic liver resections across nine European hospitals, focusing on 131 major liver resections and comparing outcomes between patients under and over 65 years old.
  • Results show that while elderly patients had some increased complications, overall short-term outcomes for robotic major liver resection in this group were still satisfactory.
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Cyanobacterial blooms, a natural phenomenon in freshwater ecosystems, have increased in frequency and severity due to climate change and eutrophication. Some cyanobacteria are able to produce harmful substances called cyanotoxins. These metabolites possess different chemical structures and action mechanisms representing a serious concern for human health and the environment.

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  • The demand for rare earth elements, particularly gadolinium (Gd), is rising in various industries, but its environmental impact is becoming a concern, especially in marine ecosystems due to wastewater release.
  • This study investigates the ecotoxicological effects of Gd, specifically its detrimental effects on embryonic development and sperm functionality in marine organisms.
  • Findings reveal Gd's significant embryotoxic effects at high concentrations and a notable decrease in sperm motility, indicating serious ecological risks associated with its presence in the environment.
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Background And Purpose: The first-generation photon-counting detector CT was recently introduced into clinical practice and represents a promising innovation in high-resolution CT imaging. The purpose of this study was to assess the image quality of ultra-high-resolution photon-counting detector CT compared with energy-integrating detector CT and to explore different reconstruction kernel sharpness levels for the evaluation of intracranial aneurysms.

Materials And Methods: Ten patients with intracranial saccular aneurysms who had previously undergone conventional energy-integrating detector CT were prospectively enrolled.

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  • The study focused on the perioperative outcomes of pancreatic cancer surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic, comparing data from 2019 and 2020.
  • Researchers analyzed 1815 patients, finding no significant difference in cancer stages between the two years, but noted a decrease in neoadjuvant chemotherapy use and an increase in minimally invasive procedures in 2020.
  • Despite some changes in treatment protocols and a rise in medical complications during surgery in 2020, the overall outcome for patients undergoing surgery for pancreatic cancer remained largely unaffected.
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  • Sex and gender are crucial factors in health that can affect how treatments work, but their influence is often overlooked in medical research.
  • This paper investigates the availability of data regarding sex and gender in studies supporting the use of norepinephrine for septic shock treatment as recommended by the Surviving Sepsis Campaign.
  • The analysis of nine studies involving over 2100 patients revealed that while 43.2% were females, there was no focused analysis on sex differences or gender considerations, indicating a gap in creating more tailored treatment guidelines.
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  • This study compares two surgical methods, Hartmann's procedure (HP) and resection with primary anastomosis (RPA), for treating acute left-sided colonic emergencies among 1215 patients from 204 centers globally.
  • Results showed that while HP was the more common treatment (57.3%), RPA was favored for younger patients with fewer health issues and those needing surgery sooner.
  • The study concluded that although HP is still widely used, RPA might be the better option, emphasizing the importance of patient characteristics and surgeon experience in determining treatment choice.
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Screening methods available for colorectal cancer (CRC) to date are burdened by poor reliability and low patient adherence and compliance. An altered pattern of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath has been proposed as a non-invasive potential diagnostic tool for distinguishing CRC patients from healthy controls (HC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of an innovative portable device containing a micro-gas chromatograph in enabling rapid, on-site CRC diagnosis through analysis of patients' exhaled breath.

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Introduction And Importance: Amyand's hernia is a rare type of inguinal hernia which contains vermiform appendix in the inguinal sac, seldom complicated by acute appendicitis. It is usually repaired by open inguinal approach, but laparoscopic technique has been increasingly described in literature; nevertheless, standard of care is far from being defined. Here we report the case of Amyand's hernia complicated by acute appendicitis and simultaneous symptomatic left inguinal hernia, both repaired by laparoscopic technique.

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Introduction: Lemmel's syndrome is a rare disease presenting with obstructive jaundice, secondary to common bile duct compression by duodenal diverticulum.

Presentation Of Case: A 79-year-old female was admitted to our emergency department with cholangitis and obstructive jaundice, due to choledocal compression by two periampullary diverticula, with major papilla opening near the biggest one (periampullary diverticulum type III). Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography didn't succeed sphincterotomy, therefore laparoscopic rendez-vous was performed.

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Purpose: Pulmonary Embolism (PE) is the third leading cause of cardiovascular death, following myocardial infarction and stroke. The latest European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines on PE recommend short-term prognostic stratification based on right ventricular (RV) overload detected by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) or contrast-enhanced chest CT. The aim of the study is to find out which of the signs of right ventricular dysfunction best predicts in-hospital mortality (IHM).

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