Laser Therapy in Heavily Treated Oncological Patients Improves Vaginal Health Parameters.

This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and duration of multiple non-ablative intravaginal CO2 laser (V-lase) cycles in breast cancer patients, gynecological and other pelvic cancers previously subjected to multiple oncological treatments. This prospective study enrolled women under the age of 65 years who reported vaginal symptoms. Data on the Vaginal Health Index (VHI), vaginal length (VL), vaginal pain measured using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) were collected at baseline and before each laser application, and at subsequent follow-up visits.

Electrochemotherapy (ECT) in treatment of mucosal head and neck tumors. An international network for sharing practices on ECT (InspECT) study group report.

The aim of this multicenter study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of electrochemotherapy (ECT) for the treatment of mucosal tumors in the head and neck. A total of 71 patients with 84 nodules of different histologies in the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx treated by ECT were evaluated. The data were collected from the InspECT database from 10 participating centers throughout Europe.

Clinical outcomes of diverticular disease in young adults: results from a tertiary referral center.

Introduction: Diverticular disease (DD), commonly associated with the elderly, is becoming more prevalent among younger individuals. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the differences in the natural history and outcomes between young and old patients with DD.

Methods: Adult patients with DD diagnosed between 2010 and 2022 at an Italian tertiary referral center were enrolled, and their demographic and clinical data were retrieved.

Electrochemotherapy as adjuvant treatment in a sinonasal mucosal melanoma in elderly patient: a case report.

Background: Sinonasal Mucosal Melanoma (SNMM) is a rare but aggressive disease. Surgery with free margins, when feasible, is the treatment of choice. In the last three decades, electrochemotherapy (ECT) has emerged as a local ablative procedure, performed with the Cliniporator, for cutaneous and mucosal tumours of different histology.

Complementary feeding in infants born preterm: Aspects needing improvement.

Objective: The aim of our study was to collect data on complementary feeding (CF) in preterm infants (PIs).

Methods: We enrolled PI ≤ 34 weeks of gestational age discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the University Hospital of Padova. At 12 months of corrected age (CA), CF was investigated with questionnaires to the parents and a 24-h dietary recall.

Bone Status and Early Nutrition in Preterm Newborns with and without Intrauterine Growth Restriction.

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) together with preterm birth could be harmful to bone health. The aim of the study was to examine bone status in IUGR versus non-IUGR preterms and to analyze the nutritional management best correlated with its improvement. Newborns < 34 weeks of gestational age (wGA), 75 IUGR and 75 non-IUGR, admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the University Hospital of Padova were enrolled and monitored from birth until 36 wGA through anthropometry (weight, length, head circumference, lower limb length (LLL)), biochemistry, bone quantitative ultrasound assessment of bone status (metacarpus bone transmission time, mc-BTT, us) and nutritional intakes monitoring during parenteral nutrition.

Efficacy of Electrochemotherapy in Breast Cancer Patients of Different Receptor Status: The INSPECT Experience.

Electrochemotherapy has been proven to be an efficient treatment for cutaneous metastases of various cancers. Data on breast cancer (BC) patients with cutaneous metastases were retrieved from the INSPECT database. Patients were divided by their receptor status: HER2+, HR+ (ER/PgR+), and TN (triple negative).

Bleomycin electrosclerotherapy (BEST) for the treatment of vascular malformations. An International Network for Sharing Practices on Electrochemotherapy (InspECT) study group report.

Background: Biomedical applications of electroporation are expanding out of the field of oncology into vaccination, treatment of arrhythmias and now in the treatment of vascular malformations. Bleomycin is a widely used sclerosing agent in the treatment of various vascular malformations. The application of electric pulses in addition to bleomycin enhances the effectiveness of the drug, as demonstrated by electrochemotherapy, which utilizes bleomycin in the treatment of tumors.

European e-Delphi process to define expert consensus on electrochemotherapy treatment indications, procedural aspects, and quality indicators in melanoma.

Background: Skin metastases are an important co-morbidity in melanoma. Despite broad adoption, electrochemotherapy implementation is hindered by a lack of treatment indications, uncertainty regarding procedural aspects, and the absence of quality indicators. An expert consensus may harmonize the approach among centres and facilitate comparison with other therapies.

Electrochemotherapy with intravenous bleomycin for heavily pre-treated vulvar cancer patients.

Objective: The management of vulvar cancer recurrences is complicated by patients' advanced age and comorbidities. Bleomycin-based electrochemotherapy is a potential treatment option in this setting. However, no data on long-term outcomes are available.

Usefulness of High-Sensitivity Troponin I in Risk Stratification and Final Disposition of Patients with Acute Heart Failure in the Emergency Department: Comparison between HFpEF vs. HFrEF.

Background and Objectives: In patients with acute heart failure (AHF), there is no definite evidence on the relationship between high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTnI) and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) comparing the reduced and preserved EF conditions. Materials and Methods: Between January and April 2022, we retrospectively analyzed the data from 386 patients admitted to the emergency departments (ED) of five hospitals in Rome, Italy, for AHF. The criteria for inclusion were a final diagnosis of AHF; a cardiac ultrasound and hs-cTnI evaluations in the ED; and age > 18 yrs.

30 Days Mortality Prognostic Value of POCT Bio-Adrenomedullin and Proenkephalin in Patients with Sepsis in the Emergency Department.

Sepsis is a worldwide severe disease with a high incidence and mortality rate. Sepsis is a frequent cause of admission to the emergency department (ED). Although prognostic scores (Sequential Organ Failure Assessment, SOFA; New Early Warning Score, NEWS; Rapid Emergency Medicine Score, REMS) are commonly used for risk stratification in septic patients, many of these scores are of poor utility in the ED.

Electrochemotherapy for the treatment of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma: The INSPECT experience (2008-2020).

Introduction: Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is a frequent skin cancer with a high risk of recurrence characterized by tumor infiltration and, in advanced cases, a poor prognosis. ECT (electrochemotherapy) is an alternative treatment option for locally advanced or recurrent cSCC that is unsuitable for surgical resection. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the data in the InspECT (International Network for Sharing Practice on ECT) registry of the referral centers and to clarify the indications for the use of ECT as a treatment modality for cSCC.

Treatment of Basal Cell Carcinoma with Electrochemotherapy: Insights from the InspECT Registry (2008-2019).

This prospective registry-based study aims to describe electrochemotherapy (ECT) modalities in basal cell carcinoma (BCC) patients and evaluate its efficacy, safety, and predictive factors. The International Network for Sharing Practices of Electrochemotherapy (InspECT) multicentre database was queried for BCC cases treated with bleomycin-ECT between 2008 and 2019 (n = 330 patients from seven countries, with 623 BCCs [median number: 1/patient; range: 1-7; size: 13 mm, range: 5-350; 85% were primary, and 80% located in the head and neck]). The procedure was carried out under local anaesthesia in 68% of cases, with the adjunct of mild sedation in the remaining 32%.

Health-related quality of life trajectories in melanoma patients after electrochemotherapy: real-world insights from the InspECT register.

Background: Electrochemotherapy (ECT) effectively controls skin metastases from cutaneous melanoma.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in melanoma patients pre-/post-ECT and its effect on treatment outcome.

Methods: The analysis included prospective data from the International Network for Sharing Practices of ECT register.

Electrochemotherapy of skin metastases from malignant melanoma: a PRISMA-compliant systematic review.

The main treatment of MM metastases are systemic therapies, surgery, limb perfusion, and intralesional talimogene laherparepvec. Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is potentially useful also due to the high response rates recorded in cancers of any histology. No randomized studies comparing ECT with other local therapies have been published on this topic.

Prospektive Kohortenstudie von InspECT zur Sicherheit und Wirksamkeit der Elektrochemotherapie bei Hauttumoren und Metastasen in Abhängigkeit von Ulzeration.

Hintergrund: Elektrochemotherapie (ECT) ist eine wirksame lokale Behandlung von Hauttumoren. Ziel dieser Studie war es, die Wirksamkeit der ECT bei ulzerierten gegenüber nichtulzerierten Tumoren zu vergleichen und den Effekt auf tumorassoziierte Symptome zu untersuchen.

Methodik: 20 Krebszentren des International Network for Sharing Practices on Electrochemotherapy (InspECT) sammelten prospektiv Daten.

Prospective cohort study by InspECT on safety and efficacy of electrochemotherapy for cutaneous tumors and metastases depending on ulceration.

Background: Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is an effective local treatment for cutaneous tumors. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of ECT in ulcerated vs. non-ulcerated tumors and investigate the effect on tumor-associated symptoms.

Electrochemotherapy Is Effective in the Treatment of Bone Metastases.

Bone metastases induce pain, risk of fracture, and neural compression, and reduced mobility and quality of life. Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is a minimally invasive local treatment based on a high-voltage electric pulse combined with an anticancer drug. Preclinical and clinical studies have supported the use of ECT in patients with metastatic bone disease, demonstrating that it does not damage the mineral structure of the bone and its regenerative capacity, and that is feasible and efficient for the treatment of bone metastases.

Percutaneous electrochemotherapy in primary and secondary liver malignancies - local tumor control and impact on overall survival.

Background: Local nonsurgical tumor ablation currently represents a further option for the treatment of patients with liver tumors or metastases. Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is a welcome addition to the portfolio of local therapies. A retrospective analysis of patients with liver tumors or metastases treated with ECT is reported.

Impact of COVID-19 in immunosuppressive drug-naïve autoimmune disorders: Autoimmune gastritis, celiac disease, type 1 diabetes, and autoimmune thyroid disease.

Few conflicting data are currently available on the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with autoimmune disorders. The studies performed so far are influenced, in most cases, by the treatment with immunosuppressive drugs, making it difficult to ascertain the burden of autoimmunity per se. For this reason, herein we assessed the susceptibility to COVID-19 in immunosuppressive drug-naïve patients with autoimmune diseases, such as autoimmune gastritis (AIG), celiac disease (CD), type 1 diabetes (T1D), and autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD).

The Role of Electrochemotherapy in the Cutaneous and Subcutaneous Metastases From Breast Cancer: Analysis of Predictive Factors to Treatment From an Italian Cohort of Patients.

The treatment of cutaneous and subcutaneous localizations from breast cancer (BC) is still a therapeutic challenge. Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is one of the available options, and it is characterized by the association between the administration of a chemotherapic agent (Bleomycin) with the temporary raise of permeability of the cellular membrane induced by the local administration of electrical impulses (electroporation). ECT represents an effective therapy for loco-regional control of this disease.