Modern Management of Hypertensive Emergencies.

Acute increases of blood pressure values are common causes of patients' presentation to emergency departments, and their management represents a clinical challenge. They are usually described as 'hypertensive crises', 'hypertensive urgencies', terms that should be abandoned because they are misleading and inappropriate according to a recent task force of the European Society of Cardiology, which recommended to focus only on 'hypertensive emergencies'. The latter can be esasily identified by using the Brain, Arteries, Retina, Kidney, and/or Heart (BARKH) strategy as herein described.

Using high sensitivity cardiac troponin values in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19): The Padova experience.

Background: The spectrum of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is broad and thus early appropriate risk stratification can be helpful. Our objectives were to define the frequency of myocardial injury using high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) and to understand how to use its prognostic abilities.

Methods: Retrospective study of patients with COVID-19 presenting to an Emergency Department (ED) in Italy in 2020.

Changes in Accident & Emergency Visits and Return Visits in Relation to the Enforcement of Daylight Saving Time and Photoperiod.

Daylight saving time (DST) is a source of circadian disruption impinging on millions of people every year. Our aim was to assess modifications, if any, in the number, type, and outcome of Accident & Emergency (A&E) visits/return visits over the DST months. The study included 366,527 visits and 84,380 return visits to the A&E of Padova hospital (Northern Italy) over 3 periods between the years 2007 and 2016: period 1 (2 weeks prior to DST to 19 weeks after), period 2 (2 weeks prior to the return to "winter time" to 4 weeks after), and period 3 (5 consecutive non-DST weeks).

D-Meson Azimuthal Anisotropy in Midcentral Pb-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s]_{NN}=5.02 TeV.

The azimuthal anisotropy coefficient v_{2} of prompt D^{0}, D^{+}, D^{*+}, and D_{s}^{+} mesons was measured in midcentral (30%-50% centrality class) Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV, with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The D mesons were reconstructed via their hadronic decays at midrapidity, |y|<0.

Production of and in p-Pb collisions at TeV.

The transverse momentum distributions of the strange and double-strange hyperon resonances (, ) produced in p-Pb collisions at TeV were measured in the rapidity range for event classes corresponding to different charged-particle multiplicity densities, d/d. The mean transverse momentum values are presented as a function of d/d, as well as a function of the particle masses and compared with previous results on hyperon production. The integrated yield ratios of excited to ground-state hyperons are constant as a function of d/d.

J/ψ Elliptic Flow in Pb-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV.

We report a precise measurement of the J/ψ elliptic flow in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The J/ψ mesons are reconstructed at midrapidity (|y|<0.

Anomalous Evolution of the Near-Side Jet Peak Shape in Pb-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=2.76 TeV.

The measurement of two-particle angular correlations is a powerful tool to study jet quenching in a p_{T} region inaccessible by direct jet identification. In these measurements pseudorapidity (Δη) and azimuthal (Δφ) differences are used to extract the shape of the near-side peak formed by particles associated with a higher p_{T} trigger particle (1 View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Production of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] mesons up to high transverse momentum in pp collisions at 2.76 TeV.

The invariant differential cross sections for inclusive [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] mesons at midrapidity were measured in pp collisions at [Formula: see text] TeV for transverse momenta [Formula: see text] GeV/ and [Formula: see text] GeV/, respectively, using the ALICE detector. This large range in [Formula: see text] was achieved by combining various analysis techniques and different triggers involving the electromagnetic calorimeter (EMCal). In particular, a new single-cluster, shower-shape based method was developed for the identification of high-[Formula: see text] neutral pions, which exploits that the showers originating from their decay photons overlap in the EMCal.

Energy dependence of forward-rapidity [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] production in pp collisions at the LHC.

We present results on transverse momentum ([Formula: see text]) and rapidity ([Formula: see text]) differential production cross sections, mean transverse momentum and mean transverse momentum square of inclusive [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] at forward rapidity ([Formula: see text]) as well as [Formula: see text]-to-[Formula: see text] cross section ratios. These quantities are measured in pp collisions at center of mass energies [Formula: see text] and 13 TeV with the ALICE detector. Both charmonium states are reconstructed in the dimuon decay channel, using the muon spectrometer.

Comparison of cyclophosphamide-thalidomide-dexamethasone to bortezomib-cyclophosphamide-dexamethasone as induction therapy for multiple myeloma patients in Brazil.

Objective/background: Chemotherapy followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) remains the standard treatment for multiple myeloma (MM). Thalidomide or bortezomib may be combined with cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone, in what are known as the CTD and VCD protocols, respectively. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics and response rates obtained with CTD and VCD, observing whether the inclusion of bortezomib to treat MM patients in Brazil increases therapeutic efficiency.

Azimuthally Differential Pion Femtoscopy in Pb-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=2.76 TeV.

We present the first azimuthally differential measurements of the pion source size relative to the second harmonic event plane in Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon pair of sqrt[s_{NN}]=2.76  TeV. The measurements have been performed in the centrality range 0%-50% and for pion pair transverse momenta 0.

Flow Dominance and Factorization of Transverse Momentum Correlations in Pb-Pb Collisions at the LHC.

We present the first measurement of the two-particle transverse momentum differential correlation function, P_{2}≡⟨Δp_{T}Δp_{T}⟩/⟨p_{T}⟩^{2}, in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=2.76  TeV. Results for P_{2} are reported as a function of the relative pseudorapidity (Δη) and azimuthal angle (Δφ) between two particles for different collision centralities.

Clinical performance of cardiac Troponin I: A comparison between the POCT AQT90 FLEX and the Dimension Vista analyzer in an emergency setting.

Background: Cardiac troponin [cTn (I or T)] is the preferred biomarker for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI).

Aim: We studied the analytical performance of the POCT AQT90 FLEX cTnI assay and its diagnostic accuracy, in comparison to the Dimension Vista cTnI method, in patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) with suspect of acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Methods: 786 consecutive patients were enrolled.

In vitro susceptibility of chromoblastomycosis agents to five antifungal drugs and to the combination of terbinafine and amphotericin B.

Chromoblastomycosis is a chronic mycosis that affects the skin and subcutaneous tissues caused by several genera of dematiaceous fungi. There is not a treatment of choice. Thus, tools that help guide clinical practice are fundamental.

From the rat to the beta cell: a fast and effective technique of separation of Langerhans islets and direct purification of pancreatic beta cells.

Isolated Langerhans islets represent a useful model for the study of the endocrine pancreas. The possibility to purify pancreatic beta cells from a mixed Langerhans islet cell population may lead towards a dedicated focus on beta cell research. We describe an effective and rapid immunomagnetic technique for the direct purification of beta cells from isolated Langerhans islets of rat.

Pancreatic acellular matrix supports islet survival and function in a synthetic tubular device: in vitro and in vivo studies.

Increasing pancreatic islet survival and function is a starting point for obtaining a valuable bioartificial pancreas for the treatment of type 1 diabetes. In this context, decellularized matrices, obtained after the removal of tissue cellular part, are known to support in vitro adhesion, growth, and function of several cell types. We demonstrate that a homologous acellular pancreatic matrix is a suitable scaffold for rat islet cultures maintaining their long-term viability and function.

In vitro and in vivo proposal of an artificial esophagus.

Artificial materials and autologous tissues used for esophageal reconstruction often induce complications like stenosis and leakage at long-term follow-up. This study evaluates the possibility to obtain in vitro an implantable tissue-engineered esophagus composed of homologous esophageal acellular matrix and autologous smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Acellular matrices obtained by detergent-enzymatic method did not present any major histocompatibility complex marker and expressed bFGF as protein, showing angiogenic activity in vivo on the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM).

Tracheal matrices, obtained by a detergent-enzymatic method, support in vitro the adhesion of chondrocytes and tracheal epithelial cells.

Several attempts have been performed to achieve a suitable tracheal replacement for the treatment of different conditions characterized by a lack of sufficient tissue for surgical reconstruction. Actually, tracheal homografts can induce long-term stenosis and their growth potential is not known. Thus, in this work porcine tracheal matrices have been obtained by a detergent-enzymatic method.

Effects of some vanadyl coordination compounds on the in vitro insulin release from rat pancreatic islets.

Many lines of evidence indicate that vanadium inorganic salts possess insulin-mimetic and insulinotropic properties. However, they are poorly absorbed, so high oral doses are required to achieve effective plasma concentrations with possible undesirable toxic side-effects ensuing. Various organically-chelated vanadium compounds have been synthesized that are more potent than inorganic vanadium salts in their insulin-like effects due to their greater bioavailability.

Effects of hyperbaric oxygen on proliferative and apoptotic activities and reactive oxygen species generation in mouse fibroblast 3T3/J2 cell line.

Background: Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy is widely used to treat problem wounds associated with pathologic conditions compromising blood supply and tissue oxygenation because increased tissue oxygen levels enhance collagen synthesis, cell proliferation, and angiogenesis. However, little is known about the dose of hyperoxia needed to achieve optimal therapeutic effects. Moreover, HBO, by enhancing the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), may also exert cytotoxic effects.