Transthyretin amyloid deposition in the ligamentum flavum of an Italian cohort of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.

Transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR amyloidosis) is a rare systemic disorder characterized by the extracellular deposition of amyloid fibrils, which can affect multiple tissues. Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), a condition involving narrowing of the lumbar spinal canal, has been frequently associated with amyloid deposition in the ligamentum flavum (LF). This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of ATTR deposits in LF samples obtained from patients undergoing LSS surgery at two Italian centers.

Superb Microvascular Imaging Is Superior to Doppler Imaging in Ruling Out Ulcerative Colitis Disease Activity.

Background: There is an unmet medical need for noninvasive techniques to determine disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and intestinal ultrasound (IUS) has shown promising performance in this regard. In addition to parameters such as bowel wall thickness, stratification, and mesenteric fat, color Doppler signals are used to determine inflammatory activity in the gut. However, whether superb microvascular imaging (SMI), a microvascular flow imaging technique, improves the diagnostic accuracy is currently unclear.

Automated pupillometry is a predictor of outcome of stroke patients: an observational, prospective, cohort study.

Automated pupillometry (AP) is a rapid, non-invasive tool to assess the pupillary light reflex, extensively used for monitoring patients with traumatic brain injury. In acute ischaemic stroke, quantitative tools to monitor neurological status and predict outcome are lacking. This study aims to evaluate the ability of AP to predict stroke outcome, defined through the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores.

Neurofibrillary Tangles Predict Dementia in Patients with Carotid Stenosis.

Objective: There is growing appreciation that extracranial carotid atherosclerotic disease (ECAD) is associated with increased dementia risk. Despite this, clinical management of ECAD does not involve evaluation for cognitive outcomes or risk stratification for dementia. One impediment to studying and improving clinical care for this cohort (roughly 10% of adults aged >60) is that factors to identify ECAD patients at-risk for dementia are not known.

Patisiran in ATTRv amyloidosis with polyneuropathy: "PatisiranItaly" multicenter observational study.

Background: Hereditary amyloid transthyretin amyloidosis with polyneuropathy (ATTRv-PN) is a rare, inherited, multisystemic, progressive adult-onset disease, affecting sensorimotor nerves, and various organs. It is caused by mutations in the TTR gene, leading to misfolded monomers that aggregate, forming amyloid fibrils. Patisiran is a small, double-stranded interfering RNA encapsulated in a lipid nanoparticle, designed to enter hepatocytes and selectively target TTR mRNA to reduce both variant TTR and wild-type TTR (wt).

IMPACT OF PULPECTOMY VERSUS EXTRACTION OF PRIMARY TEETH ON PATIENT-CENTERED OUTCOMES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF CLINICAL STUDIES.

Objectives: Although pulpectomy is recommended as the choice treatment for primary teeth with pulpal involvement, some clinicians and parents consider tooth extraction a viable option. This systematic review aimed to assess the impact of pulpectomy versus extraction of primary teeth on patient-centered outcomes.

Methods: Seven electronic databases and grey literature were searched on April 05, 2024.

Role of metabolism, resistance, and/or antagonism as drivers of endomicrobiomes assemblage in Origanum heracleoticum L.

The understanding of selective forces driving the compartmentalization of microbiota in plants remains limited. In this study, we performed a phenotypic characterization of bacterial endophytes isolated from the medicinal plant Origanum heracleoticum, together with the determination of the antibiotic resistance profiles and the antagonistic interactions of communities within and across different plant organs. Results revealed organ-related differences in the metabolic capabilities of bacteria, with those associated with stems displaying the highest metabolic activity for carbon sources.

Weight trajectories in aging humanized APOE mice with translational validity to human Alzheimer's risk population: A retrospective analysis.

Translational validity of mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is variable. Because change in weight is a well-documented precursor of AD, we investigated whether diversity of human AD risk weight phenotypes was evident in a longitudinally characterized cohort of 1,196 female and male humanized APOE (hAPOE) mice, monitored up to 28 months of age which is equivalent to 81 human years. Autoregressive Hidden Markov Model (AHMM) incorporating age, sex, and APOE genotype was employed to identify emergent weight trajectories and phenotypes.

Basic psychological needs satisfaction, coping functions, and emotional experiences in competitive athletes: a multi-states theory perspective.

The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between basic psychological needs satisfaction, coping functions, cognitive appraisals, emotions, and psychobiosocial experiences in competitive athletes. Multi-states (MuSt) theory was used as the theoretical framework. The study involved a convenience sample of 183 Italian athletes (102 men), aged 16 to 48 years (M = 24.

IgM Flare in Anti-MAG Neuropathy Post Rituximab Treatment: A Clinical Case and a Systematic Review of the Literature.

Background/objectives: Anti-MAG polyneuropathy is a demyelinating peripheral neuropathy associated with IgM monoclonal gammopathies, particularly MGUS (monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance) and Waldenström macroglobulinemia. It is characterized by a subacute onset of distal sensory symptoms, with distal motor dysfunction typically appearing only in the later stages of the disease. The condition is caused by the presence of autoantibodies directed against myelin-associated glycoprotein, a structural protein of myelin.

Serum Biomarkers in Transthyretin Amyloidosis: An Overview of Neurofilaments, Cardiac, Renal, and Gastrointestinal Involvement.

Hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTRv, v for variant) is a genetic disorder characterized by the deposition of misfolded transthyretin (TTR) protein in tissues, resulting in progressive dysfunction of multiple organs, including the nervous system, heart, kidneys, and gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Noninvasive serum biomarkers have become key tools for diagnosing and monitoring ATTRv. This review examines the role of available biomarkers for neurological, cardiac, renal, gastrointestinal, and multisystemic involvement in ATTRv.

Cognitive appraisals linking dispositional mindfulness to athletes' emotions: a multi-states theory approach.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between dispositional mindfulness, cognitive appraisals, emotions, and psychobiosocial experiences in athletes within the framework of multi-states (MuSt) theory.

Method: A convenience sample of 334 Italian athletes (188 men and 146 women), aged 18-48 years ( = 24.77,  = 7.

Adherence to Registration and Selective Outcome Reporting in Randomized Clinical Trials Published in Endodontic Journals Over the Past 5 Years: A Meta-Research Study.

Introduction: Prospective registration of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) is highly recommended to ensure research transparency and prevent selective outcome reporting (SOR). This study aimed to evaluate the adherence to registration and the presence of SOR in RCTs published in endodontic journals over the past 5 years.

Methods: Electronic searches were conducted in PubMed and the libraries of the Journal of Endodontics, International Endodontic Journal, European Endodontic Journal, and Australian Endodontic Journal.

Clinical Management of Orofacial Trauma Including Multiple Avulsions, Lateral Luxation, and Alveolar Fracture: A Case Report with 7-Years of Follow-Up.

The occurrence of different types of trauma concomitantly can complicate the establishment of the most appropriate treatment. This report describes the clinical management of orofacial trauma including multiple avulsions, lateral luxation, alveolar fracture, and their sequelae after 7 years of follow-up. A 19-year-old woman presented to emergency care 4 hours after an accidental fall that resulted in the avulsion of teeth #8, #9, and #25; a complicated crown fracture and lateral luxation of tooth #7; an uncomplicated crown fracture of tooth #10; and a fracture of the maxillary alveolar bone.

Paraduodenal pancreatitis as diagnostic challenge: clinical and morphological features of patients with pancreatic pathology involving the pancreatic groove.

Background: Paraduodenal pancreatitis (PP) is an inflammation involving the groove zone, delimited by the duodenum lumen, bile duct, and the head of the pancreas. This area may also be involved during acute pancreatitis (AP). The differential diagnosis is clinically relevant, since PP generally persists, whereas AP resolves.

Supplementary methods for filling material removal: A systematic review and meta-analysis of micro-CT imaging studies.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of supplementary methods, including Passive Ultrasonic Irrigation (PUI), ultrasonic inserts, XP-Endo Finisher, XP-Endo Finisher R, Easy Clean, sonic activation, and the Er:YAG laser (SWEEPS), in removing residual filling material (RFM) during endodontic retreatment.

Method: Five electronic databases and gray literature were searched on May 5, 2024. Two independent reviewers selected laboratory studies that assessed the efficacy of supplementary methods for RFM removal using micro-CT imaging.

Tooth Discoloration Induced by Endodontic Sealers of Different Chemical Bases: A Systematic Review.

The present study aimed to assess the tooth discoloration induced by endodontic sealers and establish a correlation between their distinct chemical compositions and this aesthetic concern. Five electronic databases and grey literature were systematically screened to identify studies comparing the tooth discoloration potential of endodontic sealers with different chemical bases. Studies that did not evaluate human teeth or did not employ spectrophotometry as a method for color measurement were excluded.

Ultrasound-guided vs. fluoro-guided axillary venous access for cardiac implantable electronic devices: a patient-based meta-analysis.

Aims: The use of ultrasound (US)-guided venous puncture for cardiac pacing/defibrillation lead placement may minimize the risk of periprocedural complications and radiation exposure. However, none of the published studies have been sufficiently powered to recommend this approach as the standard of care. We compare the safety and efficacy of ultrasound-guided axillary venous puncture (US-AVP) vs.

Gut microbiota drives colon cancer risk associated with diet: a comparative analysis of meat-based and pesco-vegetarian diets.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) risk is strongly affected by dietary habits with red and processed meat increasing risk, and foods rich in dietary fibres considered protective. Dietary habits also shape gut microbiota, but the role of the combination between diet, the gut microbiota, and the metabolite profile on CRC risk is still missing an unequivocal characterisation.

Methods: To investigate how gut microbiota affects diet-associated CRC risk, we fed Apc-mutated PIRC rats and azoxymethane (AOM)-induced rats the following diets: a high-risk red/processed meat-based diet (MBD), a normalised risk diet (MBD with α-tocopherol, MBDT), a low-risk pesco-vegetarian diet (PVD), and control diet.

Rigid iatrogenic hallux varus: a decades' worth experience with arthrodesis of the metatarsophalangeal joint.

Purpose: Arthrodesis of the first ray metatarsophalangeal joint (MPJ) is the gold standard in iatrogenic hallux varus (IHV) in the presence of stiffness and osteoarthritis. The purpose of this study is to collect clinical and radiographic results and complications of MPJ arthrodesis in rigid iatrogenic HV.

Methods: A retrospective evaluation of rigid iatrogenic HV undergoing arthrodesis with a minimum follow-up (FU) of two years was performed.