Horizontal semicircular canal jam: Two new cases and possible mechanisms.

Introduction: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) of the horizontal semicircular canal (hSCC) can present with otoconia blocking its lumen (canalith jam), with signs and symptoms that make it difficult to distinguish from central nervous system pathology.

Objective: Here we report two cases of canalith jam affecting the hSCC and offer a theoretical mechanism based on known vestibular neurophysiology.

Methods: We use video-oculography to document the canalith jam and show the moment the otoconia loosen.

Glifozines and cardiorenal outcomes.

Diabetes mellitus, with its complications, is one of the major health problems in economically developed countries and its prevalence is constantly increasing. Kidneys and heart involvement represent main comorbidities in diabetic patients often leading to organ failure. The treatments available until a few years ago are often associated with hypoglycemia, weight gain, gastro-intestinal disorders and other side effects together with serious adverse effects on renal function.

MVP (Micro Vascular Plug®) embolization of severe renal hemorrhages after nephrostomic tube placement.

Background: We report our experience in managing iatrogenic renal bleedings after nephrostomic procedures by transarterial embolization using Micro Vascular Plug (MVP) (Medtronic, USA) as single or complementary embolization device with parenchimal sparing.

Materials And Methods: Five patients have been treated in a single center with transarterial embolization because of renal hemorrhages occurring after positioning of nephrostomic drainages. All patients presented with back pain, severe hematuria and/or bright red blood into the nephrostomic bag, with fall in hemoglobin value.

Insight into Dunbar syndrome: color-Doppler ultrasound findings and literature review.

Dunbar syndrome, also known as median arcuate ligament syndrome, is a rare clinical condition due to the external compression of the celiac trunk by the median arcuate ligament causing abdominal angina. We report a case of Dunbar syndrome and its borderline imaging findings focused on the crucial diagnostic role of color-Doppler ultrasound. We also reviewed the current literature, delineating the clinical manifestations and the diagnostic workup of the Dunbar syndrome with the objective to increase the knowledge of this clinical entity as a cause of postprandial abdominal pain and to underline the pivotal role of color-Doppler ultrasound to avoid incorrect or delayed diagnosis.

Impact of aspirin on takotsubo syndrome: a propensity score-based analysis of the InterTAK Registry.

Aims: The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of aspirin on prognosis in takotsubo syndrome (TTS).

Methods And Results: Patients from the International Takotsubo (InterTAK) Registry were categorized into two groups based on aspirin prescription at discharge. A comparison of clinical outcomes between groups was performed using an adjusted analysis with propensity score (PS) stratification; results from the unadjusted analysis were also reported to note the effect of the PS adjustment.

Chronic Kidney Disease: The Silent Epidemy.

Numerous observations suggest that chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an epidemic condition [...

Similarities and Differences in Left Ventricular Size and Function among Races and Nationalities: Results of the World Alliance Societies of Echocardiography Normal Values Study.

Background: The World Alliance Societies of Echocardiography (WASE) Normal Values Study evaluates individuals from multiple countries and races with the aim of describing normative values that could be applied to the global community worldwide and to determine differences and similarities among people from different countries and races. The present report focuses specifically on two-dimensional (2D) left ventricular (LV) dimensions, volumes, and systolic function.

Methods: The WASE Normal Values Study is a multicenter international, observational, prospective, cross-sectional study of healthy adult individuals.

Standards for European training requirements in interventional neuroradiology : Guidelines by the Division of Neuroradiology/Section of Radiology European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS), in cooperation with the Division of Interventional Radiology/UEMS, the European Society of Neuroradiology (ESNR), and the European Society of Minimally Invasive Neurological Therapy (ESMINT).

This document sets out standards for training in Interventional Neuroradiology (INR) in Europe. These standards have been developed by a working group of the European Society of Neuroradiology (ESNR) and the European Society of Minimally Invasive Neurological Therapy (ESMINT) on the initiative and under the umbrella of the Division of Neuroradiology/Section of Radiology of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS).

Real-world outcomes according to treatment strategies in ALK-rearranged non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients: an Italian retrospective study.

Purpose: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement confers sensitivity to ALK inhibitors (ALKis) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Although several drugs provided an impressive outcome benefit, the most effective sequential strategy is still unknown. We describe outcomes of real-life patients according to the treatment strategy received.

GreenLight Photoselective Vaporization of the Prostate: One Laser for Different Prostate Sizes.

GreenLight laser vaporization of the prostate (photoselective vaporization of the prostate [PVP]) is a safe and effective procedure for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. Long-term results and advantages of PVP in patients with large and symptomatic prostate are still under evaluation. In a multicenter experience, patients who underwent standard or anatomical PVP were retrospectively reviewed.

Associations of Calcium from Food Sources Versus Phosphate Binders with Serum Calcium and FGF23 in Hemodialysis Patients.

Background: Dysregulated serum calcium and FGF23 are associated with increased mortality and morbidity rates in patients receiving hemodialysis. Preliminary data suggest serum calcium regulates FGF23 secretion independently of serum phosphate, parathyroid hormone, and 25-OH vitamin D. It is unclear to what extent dietary and prescription sources of calcium influence calcium and FGF23 levels, and whether they confound this relationship.

Treatment of metabolic acidosis with sodium bicarbonate delays progression of chronic kidney disease: the UBI Study.

Background: Metabolic acidosis is associated with accelerated progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Whether treatment of metabolic acidosis with sodium bicarbonate improves kidney and patient survival in CKD is unclear.

Methods: We conducted a randomized (ratio 1:1).

[Dyslipidemia management for secondary prevention in cardiovascular disease: from guidelines to clinical practice].

Despite improvements in the treatment and prevention of risk factors (i.e. dyslipidemia), cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in countries with a high degree of socio-economic development.

Exploratory findings from a prematurely closed international, multicentre, academic trial: RAVELLO, a phase III study of regorafenib versus placebo as maintenance therapy after first-line treatment in RAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer.

Background: In patients with RAS wild-type (WT) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), the role of maintenance therapy after first-line treatment with chemotherapy plus antiepidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) is still an object of debate.

Methods: We assessed the efficacy and safety of regorafenib as a switch maintenance strategy after upfront 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy plus an anti-EGFR MoAb in patients with RAS WT mCRC. RAVELLO was a phase III, international, double-blind, placebo-controlled, academic trial.

Computed Tomography Imaging in Lemmel Syndrome: A Report of Two Cases.

Lemmel syndrome is a rare and misdiagnosed cause of acute abdominal pain due to a juxtapapillary duodenal diverticulum causing mechanical obstruction of the common bile duct. Frequently, patients suffering from Lemmel syndrome have a history of recurrent access to the emergency room for acute abdominal pain referable to a biliopancreatic obstruction, in the absence of lithiasis nuclei or solid lesions at radiological examinations. Ultrasonography (US) may be helpful in evaluation of upstream dilatation of extra-/intra-hepatic biliary duct, but computed tomography (CT) is the reference imaging modality for the diagnosis of periampullary duodenal diverticula compressing the intrapancreatic portion of the common bile duct.

Kidney Disease in HIV Infection.

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has significantly improved life expectancy of infected subjects, generating a new epidemiological setting of people aging withHuman Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). People living with HIV (PLWH), having longer life expectancy, now face several age-related conditions as well as side effects of long-term exposure of ART. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common comorbidity in this population.

Carbapenem-Resistant KPC- and TEM-Producing ST131 Isolated from a Hospitalized Patient with Urinary Tract Infection: First Isolation in Molise Region, Central Italy, July 2018.

In July 2018, a carbapenemase (KPC)-producing ST131 was isolated from a patient admitted to the Vascular Surgery Unit of the main hospital of Molise region, Central Italy. Sequencing and alignment with the available sequences revealed that the isolate harbored the KPC-2 variant and TEM-1 beta-lactamase. This observation raises great concerns about the spread of carbapenem resistance in national and local settings with high endemicity level of KPC in , and underlines the importance of strengthening a proactive surveillance.

Acute Epiploic Appendagitis: A Nonsurgical Abdominal Pain.

Epiploic appendagitis is a relatively rare disease characterized by an inflammation of fat-filled serosal outpouchings of the large intestine, called epiploic appendices. Diagnosis of epiploic appendagitis is made challenging by the lack of pathognomonic clinical features and should therefore be considered as a potential diagnosis by exclusion first of all with appendicitis or diverticulitis which are the most important causes of lower abdominal pain. Currently, with the increasing use of ultrasound and computed tomography in the evaluation of acute abdominal pain, epiploic appendagitis can be diagnosed by characteristic diagnostic imaging features.

Identification of Novel Biomarkers of Homologous Recombination Defect in DNA Repair to Predict Sensitivity of Prostate Cancer Cells to PARP-Inhibitors.

One of the most common malignancies in men is prostate cancer, for which androgen deprivation is the standard therapy. However, prostate cancer cells become insensitive to anti-androgen treatment and proceed to a castration-resistant state with limited therapeutic options. Therefore, besides the androgen deprivation approach, novel biomarkers are urgently required for specific targeting in this deadly disease.

Efficacy and Safety of Cetuximab plus Radiotherapy in Cisplatin-Unfit Elderly Patients with Advanced Squamous Cell Head and Neck Carcinoma: A Retrospective Study.

Introduction: Concurrent platinum-based chemoradiation currently represents the standard treatment for advanced head and neck cancer (HNC), but it induces a significant toxicity, in particular among elderly patients. Elderly and unfit patients have been underrepresented in clinical trials and there is a need for tailored guidelines.

Methods: A retrospective review of clinical data of HNC patients treated at the Operative Oncology Unit of the San Giovanni di Dio Hospital in Frattamaggiore (Naples, Italy) was performed.

Endotracheal metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma: a case report.

We describe the case of a 75 years old patient with a history of hepatocellular carcinoma, with acute respiratory failure due to tracheal obstruction by metastasis, successfully treated with airway disobstruction with rigid bronchoscope.