Evolution of autoimmune diagnostics over the past 10 years: lessons learned from the UK NEQAS external quality assessment EQA programs.

Objectives: External quality assessment (EQA) programs play a pivotal role in harmonizing laboratory practices, offering users a benchmark system to evaluate their own performance and identify areas requiring improvement. The objective of this study was to go through and analyze the UK NEQAS "Immunology, Immunochemistry and Allergy" EQA reports between 2012 and 2021 to assess the overall level of harmonization in autoimmune diagnostics and identify areas requiring improvement for future actions.

Methods: The EQA programs reviewed included anti-nuclear (ANA), anti-dsDNA, anti-centromere, anti-extractable nuclear antigen (ENA), anti-phospholipids, anti-neutrophil cytoplasm (ANCA), anti-proteinase 3 (PR3), anti-myeloperoxidase (MPO), anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM), rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA), mitochondrial (AMA), liver-kidney-microsomal (LKM), smooth muscle (ASMA), APCA, and celiac disease antibodies.

What is new in the pathogenesis and treatment of IgA glomerulonephritis.

Recently, new findings have been clarified concerning both pathogenesis and treatment of IgA nephritis. The four hits theory has been confirmed but several genetic wide association studies have allowed finding several genes connected with the pathogenesis of the disease. All these new genes apply to each of the four hits.

Uncomplicated Type B Aortic Dissection: A European Multicentre Cross-Sectional Evaluation.

Background: A multicentre European randomized control trial - European Uncomplicated Type B Aortic Repair (EU-TBAR) is being developed to compare pre-emptive thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) with custom-made devices versus conventional optimal medical therapy. The pretrial set-up is confluent on different pillars, including evaluation of 1) European activity, trends, and governance; 2) outcome reporting; and 3) cost evaluation. This article aimed to demonstrate the observational cross-sectional survey results from participating centers and highlight the risk assessment, activity, practices, and governance of uncomplicated type B aortic dissection (uTBAD).

Actionable NSCLC Mutation Identification by Comprehensive Genomic Profiling for Clinical Trial Enrollment: The European Program for the Routine Testing of Patients With Advanced Lung Cancer (EPROPA).

Introduction: The advocacy Women Against Lung Cancer in Europe (WALCE) promoted the European Program for the Routine Testing of Patients With Advanced Lung Cancer (EPROPA) and provided a free-of-charge molecular profiling platform for NSCLC sample characterization with the aim of increasing the detection of targetable drivers and improving patients' access to clinical trials in Europe.

Methods: From January 2021 to December 2023, 20 centers located at five different European countries (Greece, Slovenia, Romania, Albania, and Italy) joined EPROPA, with 555 patients with advanced NSCLC registered to the program. Anonymized patients' clinical-pathological data were shared through the EPROPA web platform and tissue samples were collected at the Molecular Pathology Unit of the Reference Center (University of Turin) for molecular analyses.

Seasonal patterns of myositis-specific and myositis-associated autoantibodies in Italy: Seasonal patterns of myositis autoantibodies.

Objective: Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are a heterogeneous group of systemic autoimmune disorders affecting skeletal muscles but also other organs. There are different forms of IIM, each with peculiar clinical manifestations and prognosis. Accordingly, several autoantibodies have been described in IIM, with different prevalence in the different forms of the disease.

Outcomes of loop ileostomy after rectal resection for cancer: A prospective observational multicenter snapshot study from Multidisciplinary Italian Study group for STOmas (MISSTO).

Background: Diverting ileostomy is a common procedure in rectal cancer surgery, but it is sometimes associated with a nonnegligible rate of complications. The primary aim of this study was to analyze the incidence and types of stoma-related complications for ileostomy creation after rectal cancer resection. The secondary aims were to report the indications, the technical details, and the efficacy of stoma care provided by ostomy nurses.

Exploring Sex Differences in Outcomes of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy for Patients With Noncardioembolic Mild-to-Moderate Ischemic Stroke or High-Risk Transient Ischemic Attack: A Propensity-Matched Analysis of the READAPT Study Cohort.

Background: Sex may impact clinical outcomes in patients with stroke treated with dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). We aimed to investigate the sex differences in the short-term outcomes of DAPT within a real-world population of patients with noncardioembolic mild-to-moderate ischemic stroke or high-risk transient ischemic attack.

Methods: We performed a propensity score-matched analysis from a prospective multicentric cohort study (READAPT [Real-Life Study on Short-Term Dual Antiplatelet Treatment in Patients With Ischemic Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack]) by including patients with noncardioembolic mild-to-moderate stroke (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of 0-10) or high-risk transient ischemic attack (age, blood pressure, clinical features, duration of transient ischemic attack, presence of diabetes [ABCD] ≥4) who initiated DAPT within 48 hours of symptom onset.

Self-assembling nanoparticles for delivery of miR-603 and miR-221 in glioblastoma as a new strategy to overcome resistance to temozolomide.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain cancer with poor clinical outcome. Unfortunately, chemotherapy with temozolomide (TMZ) has a limited efficacy due to resistance mainly attributed to O6-methylguanine methyl transferase (MGMT) activity. Recently, miR-603 and miR-221 have been identified to target MGMT, thus improving the efficacy of temozolomide (TMZ) in the treatment of GBM.

Transient brain ischemic symptoms and the presence of ischemic lesions at neuroimaging: Results from the READAPT study.

Background: According to the literature, about one third of patients with brain ischemic symptoms lasting <24 h, which are classified as Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) according to the traditional "time-based" definition, show the presence of acute ischemic lesions at neuroimaging. Recent evidence has shown that the presence of acute ischemic lesions at neuroimaging may impact on the outcome of patients with transient ischemic symptoms treated with dual antiplatelet treatment (DAPT). This uncertainty is even more compelling in recent years as short-term DAPT has become the standard treatment for any non-cardioembolic TIA or minor ischemic stroke.

Feasibility and Safety of Exclusively Using Carbon Dioxide in Regular Endovascular Aortic Aneurysm Repair: Results of a Multicentre, Prospective, Zero Iodine Contrast Endovascular Aneurysm Repair Study.

Objective: Carbon dioxide (CO) angiography has emerged as a viable alternative to regular iodinated contrast medium (ICM) for guiding endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) procedures. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of a standardised EVAR procedure using only CO angiography.

Methods: A prospective, multicentre, national study enrolled consecutive patients between January 2023 and January 2024 with asymptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysms measuring ≥ 55 mm and for whom standard endovascular graft (instructions for use) was anatomically feasible.

Five-year clinical outcomes of STEMI patients treated with a pre-specified bioresorbable vascular scaffold implantation technique: Final results of the BVS STEMI STRATEGY-IT.

Background: Data on Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) use in patients presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) are limited. Furthermore, Absorb studies including STEMI patients lacked a prespecified implantation technique to optimize BVS deployment. This study examines the 5-year outcomes of BVS in STEMI patients using an optimized implantation strategy and the impact of prolonged dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT).

Symptom profile, case and symptom clustering, clinical and demographic characteristics of a multicentre cohort of 1297 patients evaluated for Long-COVID.

Background: Long-COVID symptoms remain incompletely defined due to a large heterogeneity in the populations studied, case definitions, and settings of care. The aim of this study was to assess, in patients accessing care for Long-COVID, the profile of symptoms reported, the possible clustering of symptoms and cases, the functional status compared to pre-infection, and the impact on working activity.

Methods: Multicentre cohort study with a collection of both retrospective and prospective data.

Multidimensional Assessment of Physical Function for People in Dialysis: The Rehabilitation in Hemodialysis Area Centro Toscana (REACT) Study.

Background: Physical performance is poorly addressed in dialysis patients, due to several clinical and organizational barriers. In this study we investigated the physical functional status of a cohort of dialysis patients, using a multidimensional assessment.

Methods: Four hundred and forty-six individuals from 8 hemodialysis centers (176 females), mean age 67.

(L) H. Ohba leaves juice improves herpetic lesions: new findings from investigations.

The efficacy of (L.) H. Ohba (better known with its botanical synonym L.

Did Michelangelo paint a young adult woman with breast cancer in "The Flood" (Sistine Chapel, Rome)?

The Flood is the first pictorial scene that Michelangelo Buonarroti painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. On the right side of the fresco a woman with abnormal breast morphology is presented and the nature of her disease is considered using the Guidelines for Iconodiagnosis. A team of experts covering art history, art expertise, medicine, genetics, and pathology undertook the process and concluded that the pathology shown is probably breast cancer, most likely linked to the symbolic significance of an inevitable death as expressed in the Book of Genesis.

The Lumbosacral Erector Spinae Plane Block for Abdominal Hysterectomy: A Case Report.

After major abdominal surgery and open hysterectomy, postoperative pain management is often challenging. Various abdominal fascial and truncal blocks, including paravertebral, erector spinae plane, transversus abdominis plane, and quadratus lumborum blocks, have been evaluated for their efficacy. When used in a multimodal pain control strategy, after an open abdominal hysterectomy under spinal anesthesia, the novel sacral erector spinae plane block showed promising results in terms of safety, efficacy, and minimal invasiveness.

Diagnosis of pulmonary embolism in patients with haemoptysis: the POPEIHE study.

Aim: To determine the prevalence and characteristics of pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients presenting with haemoptysis. Additionally, we assessed the efficiency and failure rates of different clinical diagnostic algorithms for PE in this patient population.

Methods: We enrolled consecutive adult patients who presented to nine Italian emergency departments with haemoptysis as the primary complaint.

The Added Value of Controlling Nutritional Status (Conut) Score for Preoperative Counselling on Significant Early Loss of Renal Function After Radical Nephrectomy for Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Background And Objectives: We aimed at evaluating the impact of Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score on clinically significant decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in patients with non-metastatic Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (ccRCC) undergoing radical nephrectomy (RN).

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a multi-institutional cohort of 140 patients with ccRCC who underwent RN between 2016 and 2018 at three Urological Centers. The CONUT score was calculated with an algorithm including serum albumin, total lymphocyte count, and cholesterol.

Scientific evidence for the updated guidelines on indications for metabolic and bariatric surgery (IFSO/ASMBS).

The 2022 American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) updated the indications for metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS), replacing the previous guidelines established by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) over 30 years ago. The evidence supporting these updated guidelines has been strengthened to assist metabolic and bariatric surgeons, nutritionists, and other members of multidisciplinary teams (MDTs), as well as patients. This study aims to assess the level of evidence and the strength of recommendations compared to the previously published criteria.

Gastric Cancer in One-Anastomosis Mini-gastric Bypass: Case Report and Systematic Review.

In the last years, one-anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) has been proposed more frequently as obesity surgery technique. Several trials have demonstrated that the easier technical feasibility does not affect the long-term surgical result. However, concern about increased risk of gastric and esophageal cancers has been expressed by several bariatric surgeons.