Vascular Access Device Infections: Current Management Practices and the Role of Multidisciplinary Teams at a Large Hospital in Northern Italy.

: Vascular access device (VAD)-associated infections, including catheter-related (CRBSI) and catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CABSI), present significant challenges in patient care. While multidisciplinary VAD teams (VATs) are equipped with protocols for managing these infections, adherence to these guidelines in real-life practice is inconsistent. This study aims to evaluate the alignment between actual VAD infection management practices and VAT-recommended protocols.

Duration of Disease and Long-Term Outcomes in Patients With Difficult-To-Treat Recurrent Pericarditis: A Chronic Condition Treated With Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, Colchicine, Corticosteroids, and Anti-Interleukin-1 Agents.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the remission rate and disease duration in idiopathic or post-cardiac injury pericarditis and risk factors for disease duration and anti-interleukin-1 (IL-1) agent discontinuation.

Methods: This was a multicenter, longitudinal, observational study including 370 patients (51.4% female).

Assessing the Fear of Covid-19 in Psychiatric Patients: Results from an Italian Multicentric Study.

Objective: Even though the COVID-19 emergency has concluded, its consequences are still relevant. Recent evidence suggests that a significant proportion of individuals experience persistent symptoms long after the initial infection has resolved, classified as "Long COVID" condition. Fear of COVID-19 increases anxiety and stress levels in healthy individuals and exacerbates the symptoms of those with pre-existing psychiatric disorders; therefore understanding the impact of the pandemic on psychiatric disorders remains of utmost importance.

The clinical assessment of lung involvement in patients with Still's disease, results from the multicentre international AIDA Network Still's Disease Registry.

Objectives: To assess the lung involvement in patients with Still's disease, an inflammatory disease assessing both children and adults. To exploit possible associated factors for parenchymal lung involvement in these patients.

Methods: A multicentre observational study was arranged assessing consecutive patients with Still's disease characterized by the lung involvement among those included in the AIDA (AutoInflammatory Disease Alliance) Network Still's Disease Registry.

Punctate Inner Choroidopathy (PIC)-like Reaction in Stage 3 Extensive Macular Atrophy with Pseudodrusen-like Appearance (EMAP).

Purpose: To describe a rare complication in a patient with extensive macular atrophy with pseudodrusen-like appearance (EMAP), suggesting immune dysregulation in advanced stages of the disease.

Methods: Case Report. Multimodal imaging -including true-color fundus photography, blue autofluorescence, high-resolution optical coherence tomography (Hi-Res OCT), swept-source OCT angiography, and dye-based angiography- was used to evaluate retinal alterations.

Esketamine Treatment Trajectory of Patients with Treatment-Resistant Depression in the Mid and Long-Term Run: Data from REAL-ESK Study Group.

Introduction/objective: Data on long-term treatment with Esketamine Nasal Spray (ESKNS) in real-world patients with treatment resistant depression (TRD) is scarce. The primary aim of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of ESK-NS treatment at 6 and 12-month follow-ups.

Methods: This is part of an observational, retrospective, multicentric Italian study (REAL-ESK study).

Patterns and predictors of statin therapy after ischemic stroke and TIA: insights from the LIPYDS multicenter study.

Background: Patients with ischemic stroke (IS) or TIA face an elevated cardiovascular risk, warranting intensive lipid-lowering therapy. Despite recommendations, adherence to guidelines is suboptimal, leading to frequent undertreatment. This study aims to evaluate the statin use after IS and TIA.

Safety and Efficacy of Portal Vein Recanalization with Creation of Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (PVR-TIPS) to Treat Chronic Portal Vein Thrombosis in Non-cirrhotic Patients.

Purpose: This study assesses the efficacy and safety of Portal Vein Recanalization with Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (PVR-TIPS) in non-cirrhotic patients with chronic portal vein occlusion (CPVO), cavernomatous transformation, and symptomatic portal hypertension (PH) and/or portal vein thrombotic progression.

Material And Methods: Medical records of 21 non-cirrhotic patients with CPVO and portal cavernoma undergoing PVR-TIPS were analyzed. Hemodynamic (intraprocedural reduction in portosystemic pressure gradient), clinical (data on gastrointestinal bleeding, abdominal pain, ascites, and presence of esophageal varices from imaging exams) and technical success (PVR-TIPS) assessed efficacy.

Assessing Lifestyle in a Large Cohort of Undergraduate Students: Significance of Stress, Exercise and Nutrition.

Background/objectives: Lifestyle (in particular, nutrition and exercise) determines present and future youths' health. The goal of the present study was to identify specific student groups who deserve precise lifestyle improvement interventions, tailored to their characteristics.

Methods: An anonymous web-based questionnaire to assess lifestyle was posted on the websites of two main Italian Academic Institutions, and 9423 students voluntarily participated.

Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in the General Population Under Stressful Conditions: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic.

: The COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on mental health in the general population. The fear, stress, and uncertainty surrounding that traumatic period could have contributed to the aggravation or possible new onset of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. The COvid Mental hEalth Trial (COMET) is a nationwide project organized by the University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", designed as an observational investigation that aimed to gather data from a representative sample of the Italian general population.

International multicenter validation of AI-driven ultrasound detection of ovarian cancer.

Ovarian lesions are common and often incidentally detected. A critical shortage of expert ultrasound examiners has raised concerns of unnecessary interventions and delayed cancer diagnoses. Deep learning has shown promising results in the detection of ovarian cancer in ultrasound images; however, external validation is lacking.

Outliers of Treatment Frequency in Retinal Vein Occlusion: 24-Month Comparative Analysis of Fight Retinal Blindness! Practitioners.

Background: We aimed to describe a 2-year outcome of eyes managed by practitioners benchmarked using a funnel plot by their frequency of treatment using vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors for naive retinal vein occlusion (RVO).

Methods: A multicentre, international, observational study of 29 doctors in 12 countries managing 1110 eyes with RVO commencing VEGF inhibitors between 1 January 2012-2022 tracked in the Fight Retinal Blindness! registry.

Results: We identified 3 outlying 'intensive' practitioners (managing 350/1110 eyes [32%]), 22 'typical' practitioners (604/1110, [54%]) and 4 outlying 'relaxed' practitioners (156/1110, [14%]) with respective 24-month outcomes in Branch and Central RVO including the primary outcome, mean adjusted change in visual acuity (VA) in BRVO: +16.

Does syndromic surveillance assist public health practice in early detecting respiratory epidemics? Evidence from a wide Italian retrospective experience.

Background: Large-scale diagnostic testing has been proven ineffective for prompt monitoring of the spread of COVID-19. Electronic resources may facilitate enhanced early detection of epidemics. Here, we aimed to retrospectively explore whether examining trends in the use of emergency and healthcare services and the Google search engine is useful in detecting Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus outbreaks early compared with the currently used swab-based surveillance system.

Two-fold increased risk of cardiovascular events in people with MDR HIV: a matched cohort analysis with data from the PRESTIGIO registry.

Background: Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) may contribute to the high morbidity in people with four-class drug-resistant HIV (4DR-PWH).

Objectives: To explore the probability of MACEs in 4DR-PWH compared with non-4DR controls.

Methods: This was a retrospective, propensity score-matched cohort study on 4DR-PWH (cases) and non-4DR-PWH (controls), on ART, without previous MACEs.

Stage 1 Extensive Macular Atrophy with Pseudodrusen-Like Appearance Complicated by Multiple Evanescent White Dot Syndrome-Like Reaction.

Purpose: To describe a case of early-stage Extensive Macular Atrophy with Pseudodrusen-like appearance (EMAP) presenting with acute monocular loss and atypical retinal lesions suggestive of posterior uveitis.

Methods: Case report with longitudinal follow-up including visual field testing and multimodal imaging.

Results: A 53-year-old woman presented with sudden vision loss in her right eye (RE).

Multimodal imaging features of retinal neovascularization in response to 3 anti-VEGF injections.

Objective: To analyze longitudinal changes of retinal neovessels (NV) in eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) after 3 monthly intravitreal injections (IVI) of ranibizumab by means of different imaging modalities, particularly focusing on optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT-angiography (OCT-A) features.

Methods: Prospective, monocentric study, Luigi Sacco Hospital, Milan. Consecutive patients with PDR were enrolled.

Extensive macular atrophy with pseudodrusen-like appearance (EMAP) clinical characteristics, diagnostic criteria, and insights from allied inherited retinal diseases and age-related macular degeneration.

Extensive macular atrophy with pseudodrusen-like appearance (EMAP) was first described in France in 2009 as a symmetric and rapidly progressive form of macular atrophy primarily affecting middle-aged individuals. Despite the recent identification of a significant number of cases in Italy and worldwide, EMAP remains an underrecognized condition. The clinical triad typical of EMAP consists of vertically oriented macular atrophy with multilobular borders, pseudodrusen-like deposits across the posterior pole and mid-periphery, and peripheral pavingstone degeneration.

Burden and Risk Factors for Coinfections in Patients with a Viral Respiratory Tract Infection.

Which patients should be monitored for coinfections or should receive empirical antibiotic treatment, in patients with an acute viral respiratory infection, is largely unknown. We evaluated the prevalence, characteristics, outcomes of coinfected patients, and risk factors associated with a coinfection among patients with an acute viral infection. A retrospective, single-center study recruited consecutive patients from October 2022 to March 2023 presenting to the emergency department with signs of a respiratory tract infection.

Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors in Diabetic Patients with Heart Failure: An Update.

Diabetes mellitus and heart failure are two diseases that are commonly found together, in particular in older patients. High blood glucose has a detrimental effect on the cardiovascular system, and worse glycemic control contributes to the onset and the recrudesce of heart failure. Therefore, any specific treatment aimed to reduce glycated hemoglobin may, in turn, have a beneficial effect on heart failure.

Assessment of cognitive and psychiatric disturbances in people with post-COVID-19 condition: a cross-sectional observational study.

Objective: Cognitive and psychiatric symptoms have been increasingly reported after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, developing soon after infection and possibly persisting for several months. We aimed to study this syndrome and start implementing strategies for its assessment.

Methods: Consecutive patients, referred by the infectious disease specialist because of cognitive complaints after COVID-19, were neurologically evaluated.