Operator experience impact on the evaluation of still images of a first trimester cardiac assessment protocol.

Objective: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect and represents the leading cause for mortality and morbidity in infants and young adults. Early fetal echocardiography is usually considered a highly specialized scan. The goal of this study is to evaluate the impact of operator's experience in assessing still images of the 4-chamber view and 3-vessels view and to evaluate the feasibility and the performance of a first trimester screening protocol for CHD.

Debulking Surgery for Moderately Differentiated Neuroendocrine Gastric Carcinoma - A Case Report and Literature Review.

Background/aim: Gastroenteropancreatic neuro-endocrine carcinomas represent poorly differentiated neoplasms with a high capacity of spreading inducing the development of distant metastases. In such cases debulking surgery seems to offer a good chance for survival especially in well and moderately differentiated lesions. The aim of this study was to report the case of a 48-year-old patient submitted to surgery for moderately differentiated neuroendocrine gastric carcinoma with distant metastases.

Endometrial stromal sarcoma in a 27-year-old woman. Case report and literature review.

Endometrial stromal tumors are very rare, representing approximately 0.2% of uterine malignancies, having an incidence of one to two from a million of women. The diagnosis cannot be established by imaging, it is histopathological only, often necessitate supplementary immunohistochemistry tests.

Bipolar en bloc tumor resection versus standard monopolar TURBT - which is the best way to go in non-invasive bladder cancer?

The aim of the study was to observe similarities and differences regarding surgical safety and prognosis between en bloc bipolar resection and monopolar transurethral resection of bladder tumors (TURBTs) in medium size papillary non-muscle invasive bladder tumors (NMIBTs). A total of 90 patients with papillary bladder tumors presenting a diameter between 1 and 3 cm were equally divided and alternatively assigned for en bloc bipolar ablation (the study group) and conventional TURBT (the control group). During one year, every three months, the follow-up was performed and the protocol included urinary cytology and cystoscopy.

Supersonic Shear Wave Ultrasonography for Assessing Tissue Stiffness in Native Kidney.

Recent years have brought shear wave elastography to the attention of nephrologists as a non-invasive method for detecting kidney fibrosis and, therefore, as a potential tool for reducing the need for kidney biopsy. Few studies are performed on native kidney. We aimed to compare cortical stiffness, assessed by measuring Young's modulus (YM, kPa) with SuperSonic Imaging technology, in patients with various degrees of chronic kidney disease (CKD) compared with healthy individuals.

Nephrotic syndrome secondary to amyloidosis in a patient with monoclonal gammopathy with renal significance (MGRS).

Monoclonal gammopathy with renal significance (MGRS) is a relative new-described entity, diagnosed especially in older patients and deriving from the group with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). Various renal lesions may arise in MGRS, according to the ultrastructural characteristics of the monoclonal immunoglobulin deposition in the kidney, from proliferative glomerulopathies and amyloidosis to light chain proximal tubulopathy and crystal-storing histiocytosis. Although both are considered premalign or non-malignant hematological conditions, kidney involvement in MGRS aggravates the prognosis of the patients and need to be treated aggressively.

Coronary risk score for mineral bone disease in chronic non-diabetic hemodialysis patients: results from a prospective pilot study.

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorder enhances coronary artery impairment (often occult and difficult to diagnose) in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The aim of the study was to correlate biochemical and imagistic parameters of MBD with the degree of documented coronary artery disease (CAD) in non-diabetic HD patients, in order to obtain a MBD-coronary risk score as a screening algorithm.

Methods: A 3-year prospective study was conducted on 168 non-diabetic HD patients, evaluating MBD biochemical parameters along with pulse wave velocity (PWV) determination and valve/coronary calcification assessment; coronary angiography was performed in symptomatic patients.

Very low protein diets supplemented with keto-analogues in ESRD predialysis patients and its effect on vascular stiffness and AVF Maturation.

Background: Native arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the most appropriate type of vascular access for chronic dialysis. Its patency rates depend on vascular wall characteristics. Ketoacid analogues of essential amino acids (KA/EAA) are prescribed in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) pre-dialysis patients to lower toxic metabolic products generation and improve nutritional status.

Value of ultrasound elastography in the diagnosis of native kidney fibrosis.

In the last decade, ultrasound elastography, an already widely used technique in the diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis, has raised the attention of nephrologists as a potential valuable noninvasive tool for the diagnosis of renal fibrosis. Due to renal deep location and anatomic complexity, the shear wave techniques are the most appropriate elastography methods for exploring native kidneys. Recent research offers promising results, but further larger studies are required for a better standardization of this method and also for establishing reference values of normal kidney elasticity.

Renal artery bilateral arteriosclerosis cause of resistant hypertension in hemodialysed patients.

We present the case of a 57-year-old hemodialysed male patient known with severe hypertension resistant to six classes of hypotensive medication, in maximal doses, correlated with increased ultrafiltration during the hemodialysis session. In this case, bilateral nephrectomy was performed as final treatment option for malignant hypertension, and histopathological examination of both kidneys emphasized arteriosclerosis lesions. The results consisted in better hypertension management, with a reduction in both the number and doses of antihypertensive drugs.

New molecular insights in diabetic nephropathy.

Diabetes mellitus represents one of the major causes of functional kidney impairment. The review highlights the most significant steps made over the last decades in understanding the molecular basis of diabetic nephropathy (DN), which may provide reliable biomarkers for early diagnosis and prognosis, along with new molecular targets for personalized medicine. There is an increased interest in developing new therapeutic strategies to slow DN progression for improving patients' quality of life and reducing all-cause morbidity and disease-associated mortality.