Simultaneous versus staged approach in transcatheter aortic valve implantation for severe stenosis and endovascular aortic repair for thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Objectives: Thoracic/abdominal aortic aneurysms and aortic stenosis may be concomitant diseases requiring both transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and endovascular aneurysm repair (T/EVAR) in high-risk patients for surgical approaches, but temporal management is not clearly defined yet. The aim of the study was to analyse outcomes of simultaneous versus staged TAVI and T/EVAR.

Methods: Retrospective observational multicentre study was performed on patients requiring TAVI and T/EVAR from 2016 to 2022.

Halo Vest Immobilization: Is It Still a Valid Treatment for Atlantoaxial Fractures?

Background: Atlantoaxial injuries pose a significant threat to morbidity and mortality. This retrospective study aims to analyze clinical and radiologic results, failure rates, and complications in a series of patients treated with a halo vest, validating the effectiveness of this device through long-term follow-up.

Methods: This study reviewed adult patients with acute upper cervical spine injuries treated with halo vest immobilization from 1994 to 2022.

SICOB Italian clinical practice guidelines for the surgical treatment of obesity and associated diseases using GRADE methodology on bariatric and metabolic surgery.

Obesity is a chronic disease associated with increased morbidity and mortality and reduced quality of life. Pharmacotherapy can be associated with life style changes in increasing and maintaining weight loss and ameliorating obesity-related complications and comorbidities. In patients affected by obesity and uncontrolled obesity-associated complications or high degrees of BMI (> 40 Kg/m), metabolic bariatric surgery can be a valid therapeutic option.

Anti-Proliferative and Anti-Migratory Activity of Licorice Extract and Glycyrrhetinic Acid on Papillary Thyroid Cancer Cell Cultures.

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the 8th most common cancer among women overall. Licorice contains over 300 active compounds, many of them with anti-cancer properties. Glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) is a major component of licorice.

Predictors of hypercontractile heart phenotype in patients with chronic coronary syndromes or heart failure.

Hypercontractile phenotype (HP) of the left ventricle (LV) is an actionable therapeutic target in patients with chronic coronary syndromes (CCS) or heart failure (HF), but its clinical recognition remains difficult. To assess the clinical variables associated with the HP. In a prospective, observational, multicenter study, we recruited 5122 patients (age 65 ± 11 years, 2974 males, 58%) with CCS and/or HF with preserved ejection fraction (EF).

Echogenicity as a standalone nodule characteristic is not inferior to the TIRADS systems in the 10-20 mm nodule diameter range in patient selection for fine needle aspiration: a pilot study.

Objective: The ultrasound evaluation of thyroid nodules (TNs) in patient selection for fine needle aspiration (FNA) requires both uniformly accepted definitions of each nodule characteristic and extensive experience from the examiner. We hypothesized that nodule echogenicity alone may provide comparable performance to more complex approaches in patient selection for FNA.

Patients And Methods: Seven highly experienced investigators from four countries evaluated, online, the ultrasound (US) video recordings of 123 histologically verified TN by answering 17 nodule characteristics-related questions.

The safety of corticosteroid therapy in IGA nephropathy: analysis of a real-life Italian cohort.

Background: Systemic steroids are recommended for patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and proteinuria. However, there are concerns about their safety due to an excess of serious adverse events (SAEs) in previous randomised trials. This study evaluates the incidence of SAEs in IgAN patients receiving different treatment regimens in clinical practice.

Infrarenal Aortic Treatment With AFX2 Endograft: Results From a Multicentric, International, Non-Randomized, Prospective Registry-the AFX2-LIVE Study.

Introduction: To confirm real-world clinical practice results reported with anatomically fixed bifurcated endograft, a physician-initiated study was designed-AFX2-LIVE registry.

Materials And Methods: From November 2019 to August 2021, investigators enrolled all consecutive patients treated with AFX2 (Endologix Inc., Irvine, CA, USA) endograft.

Choroidal vascularity analysis in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis without acute uveitis.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate choroidal involvement and the degree of anterior chamber inflammation in a cohort of patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) without clinical signs of active uveitis and to compare it with healthy controls (HC).

Methods: Enhanced-depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) scans of 21 patients diagnosed with JIA and 22 HC of equal age were acquired. Images were binarised to measure subfoveal choroidal thickness (SCT), nasal choroidal thickness (NCT), temporal choroidal thickness (TCT), total choroidal area (TCA), luminal area (LA), stromal area (SA) and choroidal vascular index (CVI).

Brain Stem Glioma Recurrence: Exploring the Therapeutic Frontiers.

Gliomas of the brainstem represent a small percentage of central nervous system gliomas in adults. Due to the proximity of the tumor to critical structures, radical surgery is highly challenging and limited to selected cases. In addition, postoperative treatments, which become exclusive to non-operable patients, do not guarantee satisfactory disease control, making the progression of the disease inevitable.

Early and Mid-Term Results of Endovascular Aneurysm Repair with the Cordis Incraft Ultra-Low Profile Endograft: A High-Volume Center Experience.

: In recent years, manufacturers have developed new low-profile stent grafts to allow endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) in patients with small access vessels. We evaluated the early and mid-term outcomes of the Incraft (Cordis Corp, Bridgewater, NJ, USA) ultra-low profile endograft implantation in a high-volume single center. : Between 2014 and 2023, 133 consecutive endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) procedures performed using the Incraft endograft were recorded in a prospective database.

Performance Evaluation of Automated Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) Analyzers in a Multicentric Study.

Background: Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) is an easy test used to diagnose and monitor inflammatory and infectious diseases. The aim of this study was the evaluation of the performance of three ESR automated analyzers, VES-MATIC 5, CUBE 30 TOUCH, and MINI-CUBE, involving four Italian polyclinics in Rome, Siena, Como, and Arezzo, as well as inter-site variability assessment to detect possible device-dependent and operator-dependent influences.

Methods: Accuracy analysis was carried out by analyzing the same samples with all three instruments and comparing them with the Westergren method.

Innovative Bioscaffolds in Stem Cell and Regenerative Therapies for Corneal Pathologies.

Corneal diseases, which can result in substantial visual impairment and loss of vision, are an important worldwide health issue. The aim of this review was to investigate the novel application of bioscaffolds in stem cell and regenerative treatments for the treatment of corneal disorders. The current literature reports that organic and artificial substances create bioscaffolds that imitate the inherent structure of the cornea, facilitating the attachment, growth, and specialization of stem cells.

[Registers as central real world data source: the experience of the Italian Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders Register].

Registers collecting data from clinical practice (real world data) have gained increasing interest in recent years in the scientific, administrative, and regulatory fields. The value of longitudinal data collection in deepening knowledge about a specific pathology and its healthcare complexity is increasingly recognized. This article describes the development, organizational structure, and technical characteristics of the Italian Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders Register (RISM).

Rate and predictors of thromboprophylaxis in internal medicine wards: Results from the AURELIO study.

Background: Randomized controlled trials suggest that prophylactic doses of anticoagulants effectively prevent venous thromboembolism (VTE) in hospitalized medical patients with high thromboembolic risk. However, no prospective studies exist regarding the real-world prevalence of prophylactic anticoagulant use. This prospective study aimed to determine the rate and predictors of thromboprophylaxis in an unselected population of patients hospitalized in medical departments.