Association between liver steatosis, fibrosis, and the onset of type 2 diabetes in overweight individuals: A fibroscan-based study in Southern Italy.

Objective: This study aims to explore the association between liver steatosis and fibrosis, as assessed by Fibroscan, and the onset of type 2 diabetes in overweight, medication-free men and women.

Methods: We analyzed data from 164 participants with overweight or obesity (41.4 % male), including 39 individuals (23.

Inorganic Polyphosphate Promotes Colorectal Cancer Growth via TRPM8 Receptor Signaling Pathway.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is characterized by a pro-inflammatory microenvironment and features high-energy-supply molecules that assure tumor growth. A still less studied macromolecule is inorganic polyphosphate (iPolyP), a high-energy linear polymer that is ubiquitous in all forms of life. Made up of hundreds of repeated orthophosphate units, iPolyP is essential for a wide variety of functions in mammalian cells, including the regulation of proliferative signaling pathways.

Effectiveness of Expressive Writing in Kidney Transplanted Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial Study.

The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an expressive writing (EW) intervention on psychological and physiological variables after kidney transplant. The final sample of 26 were randomly assigned to an expressive writing group (EWG) and control group (CG). Outcomes were focused on depression, anxiety, alexithymia, empathy, resilience, locus of control, creatinine, CDK-EPI, and azotemia.

Effect of a Default Order vs an Alert in the Electronic Health Record on Hepatitis C Virus Screening Among Hospitalized Patients: A Stepped-Wedge Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening has been recommended for patients born between 1945 and 1965, but rates remain low.

Objective: To evaluate whether a default order within the admission order set increases HCV screening compared with a preexisting alert within the electronic health record.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This stepped-wedge randomized clinical trial was conducted from June 23, 2020, to April 10, 2021, at 2 hospitals within an academic medical center.

Surgical Technique Notes of Arterial Vascular Reconstruction During Kidney Transplantation: Personal Experience and Literature Review.

Background: Arterial vascular anomalies in patients undergoing kidney transplantation (KT) are correlated with a higher incidence of early surgical complications, potentially causing graft loss. Arterial reconstruction allows patients to overcome these surgical challenges, thus minimizing the risk of poor outcomes. The aim of the present study is to retrospectively investigate the safety and effectiveness of the multiple arterial reconstruction technique with a Teflon patch in case of an unavailable aortic patch: to do so, surgical complications, graft function, and patient survival were evaluated.

Transport of Human Organs in Italy: Location, Time, and Performances.

Introduction: The outcome of transplantation activities depends on a variety of unpredictable factors. Up-to-date criteria on organ allocation foresee an efficient transport chain along with compliant performance parameters.

Methods And Objectives: The Centro Nazionale Trapianti and the Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering of the University of Bologna (respectively, CNT and DICAM) have been updating a national database of organ transplantation activities to investigate performance parameters and the main causes of disruption.

Patients on liver transplantation waiting list with Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score ≥ 30: experience in the Organizzazione Centro Sud Trapianti macro area.

Introduction: From 2011 a program was developed for liver transplant recipients with Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score ≥30. We examined its effectiveness and impact on the other subjects on the waiting list.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed requests received between January 2011 and May 2012 for the primary pathology, the outcome, the average waiting time, and the origin of the organ.

Urgent lung transplantation national program: the Italian experience.

Introduction: An urgent lung transplantation national program in Italy was developed over the past three years. Indispensable conditions that were included in the program were invasive respiratory support and/or extracorporeal vascular device (DECAP excluded). The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of the program.

The use of neoplastic donors to increase the donor pool.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the experience of the Centre-Sud Transplant Organization (OCST) area using cadaveric donor with neoplastic diseases to evaluate the possibility of transmission to recipients. From January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2010, the neoplastic risk has been reported to be 5.4% (377/4654 referred donors).

Italy-Greece cooperation for transplantation of medically urgent Greek patients: is it an effective, efficient model?

Introduction: In 2005 the Italian National Transplant Centre (CNT) signed a cooperation agreement with the Hellenic Transplant Organization (HTO) fostering the transfer and transplantation of urgent Greek liver patients at Italian transplantation centers. So as to not reduce access to transplantation for Italian patients, the agreement provided compensation for organs allocated to Greek transplant recipients. The aim of this study was to analyze the flow of patients from Greece to Italy and the number of received livers to consider the possibility to extend this kind of agreement to other countries, so that this should not penalize Italian recipients.

Strategies to increase heart transplantation in centre-sud transplant organization.

The 21 heart transplantations in Centre-Sud Transplant Organization (OCST) is a stable number despite increasing donations, especially among subjects aged 50 to 60 years. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the possibility to increase the usage of marginal hearts through dipyridamole ecostress. From 2008 to 2010 we analyzed OCST donors at 74 donation sites for echocardiography (31 yes versus 43 no) and heart utilization: (1) principal sites (n > 13) versus (2) minor sites (n < 13).

Living organ donation, a therapeutic possibility, is still poorly used in Italy: a national analysis.

Validity of living donor kidney transplantation is universally accepted. In contrast, after enthusiastic adoption in the 1990s, living donor liver transplantation has decreased in recent years. The aim of the present study was to evaluate retrospectively the current use of this form of donation in Italy by comparing liver and kidney cadaveric and living donations from 2002 to 2010.

Research for optimization in organ donation in a macro-area after federal reform of the Italian health system.

Law number 91, dated April 1, 1999, established an organizational model for the activities of donation, retrieval, and transplantation of organs consisting of 4 levels: national, interregional, regional, and local. After 12 years this organizational project, called the "National Transplant Network," has reached an excellent level of effectiveness and efficiency. Since 2001 regional administrative districts have been entrusted increasingly with responsibilities concerning health.

Risk management systems for health care and safety development on transplantation: a review and a proposal.

Unlabelled: Starting from the report on medical errors published in 1999 by the US Institute of Medicine, a number of different approaches to risk management have been developed for maximum risk reduction in health care activities. The health care authorities in many countries have focused attention on patient safety, employing action research programs that are based on quite different principles.

Materials And Methods: We performed a systematic Medline research of the literature since 1999.

Incidence of neoplastic donors in Organizzazione Centro Sud Trapianti area during the 2003-2005 period.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the incidence of malignant tumors in cadaver donors and the possibility of neoplastic disease transmission to the recipients in the Organizzazione Centro Sud Trapianti (OCST) area. Among 1744 potential donors identified from 2003 to 2005, 125 (7.1%) showed an elevated malignant neoplastic risk.

Exchange of organs and patients with foreign nations during the first 15 months of activity of the Italian gate to Europe.

The Italian Gate to Europe (IGE) was established in April 2005 to supply a single national coordinating center for the exchange of organs and patients with the rest of Europe. When an organ is offered from Italy, the IGE ascribes it to the first foreign organization that accepts it on a first-come, first-served basis. In the case of offers from abroad, the IGE allocates the organ to one of the three Italian Interregional Centres in rotation.

[The treatment of laparocele by means of a reticulo-laminar prosthesis (Composix Mesh). A technical note].

In this paper, the authors present a modified Rives' technique for the treatment of incisional hernias. This technique requires the use of a nonabsorbable prosthesis (Composix Mesh) made of a double-knit layer of monofilament polypropylene bonded with a single layer of low-porosity e-PTFE inserted behind the rectus muscles and fixed by metallic clips. The outer side (polypropylene) encourages complete host tissue incorporation to reduce recurrences, the inner side (e-PTFE) minimizes tissue attachment and, therefore, visceral complications.

Pubertal growth in children with chronic renal failure on conservative treatment.

The pubertal growth spurt was followed for at least 3 years in 5 boys and 6 girls with chronic renal failure on conservative treatment. The peak height velocity averaged 8.6 cm/year (range 5.

Local antibiotic treatment of soft tissue and bone infections of the foot.

Twenty-seven pedal soft tissue and bone infections in 26 patients were treated with surgical necrectomy of infected tissues and implantation of antibiotic-loaded polymethyl methacrylate bone cement beads on chains. The definitive diagnosis of the infected tissues was obtained by culture and histologic examination in all of the cases. A wide variety of foot infections was successfully treated in this manner.

Development and application of antibiotic-loaded bone cement beads.

The authors presented an overview of the development of antibiotic-loaded bone cement beads and their indications for usage, method of application, advantages, disadvantages, and causes of failure. This method of treatment for bone and soft tissue infections of the foot is not a panacea and should be used only in selected cases. The vascular status and the physiologic ability of the patient to heal a peripheral wound or infection are the basis for the success of this method of therapy.