Excimer laser technology in percutaneous coronary interventions: Cardiovascular laser society's position paper.

Excimer Laser Coronary Atherectomy (ELCA) is a well-established therapy that emerged for the treatment of peripheral vascular atherosclerosis in the late 1980s, at a time when catheters and materials were rudimentary and associated with the most serious complications. Refinements in catheter technology and the introduction of improved laser techniques have led to their effective use for the treatment of a wide spectrum of complex coronary lesions, such as thrombotic lesions, severe calcific lesions, non-crossable or non-expandable lesions, chronic occlusions, and stent under-expansion. The gradual introduction of high-energy strategies combined with the contrast infusion technique has enabled us to treat an increasing number of complex cases with a low rate of periprocedural complications.

Trends in management and outcome of patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes and peripheral arterial disease.

Objective: Patients with non ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) present a worse prognosis compared to those without PAD. We sought to describe contemporary trends of in-hospital management and outcome of patients admitted for NSTE-ACS with associated PAD.

Methods: We analyzed data from 6 Italian nationwide registries, conducted between 2001 and 2014, including consecutive NSTE-ACS patients.

Mode of birth and postnatal health-related quality of life after one previous cesarean in three European countries.

Background: How a woman gives birth can affect her health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study explored HRQoL at 3 months postpartum in women with a history of one previous cesarean in three European countries.

Methods: A prospective longitudinal survey, embedded within a cluster randomized trial in three countries, exploring women's postnatal HRQoL up to 3 months postpartum.

Recent trends in management and outcome of patients with acute coronary syndromes and atrial fibrillation.

Aims: To describe the clinical characteristics, contemporary trends of in-hospital management and outcome of patients admitted for an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with associated atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods: We analyzed data from four Italian nationwide prospective registries, conducted between 2001 and 2014, including consecutive ACS patients.

Results: Out of 16,803 ACS patients, 1019 (6.

Deregulated expression of miR-29a-3p, miR-494-3p and miR-660-5p affects sensitivity to tyrosine kinase inhibitors in CML leukemic stem cells.

The development of Imatinib mesylate (IM), which targets the oncogenic BCR-ABL fusion protein, has greatly improved the outcome of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) patients. However, BCR-ABL-positive progenitors can be detected in CML patients in complete cytogenetic response. Several evidence suggests that CML stem cells are intrinsically resistant to Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKI), and therefore they represent the most likely candidate responsible for disease relapse.

Contemporary Trends and Age-Specific Sex Differences in Management and Outcome for Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

Background: Age- and sex-specific differences exist in the treatment and outcome of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We sought to describe age- and sex-matched contemporary trends of in-hospital management and outcome of patients with STEMI.

Methods And Results: We analyzed data from 5 Italian nationwide prospective registries, conducted between 2001 and 2014, including consecutive patients with STEMI.

Clinicians' views of factors of importance for improving the rate of VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean section): a study from countries with low VBAC rates.

Background: Caesarean section (CS) rates are increasing worldwide and the most common reason is repeat CS following previous CS. For most women a vaginal birth after a previous CS (VBAC) is a safe option. However, the rate of VBAC differs in an international perspective.

Kidney Intragraft Homing of De Novo Donor-Specific HLA Antibodies Is an Essential Step of Antibody-Mediated Damage but Not Per Se Predictive of Graft Loss.

Donor-specific HLA antibody (DSA)-mediated graft injury is the major cause of kidney loss. Among DSA characteristics, graft homing has been suggested as an indicator of severe tissue damage. We analyzed the role of de novo DSA (dnDSA) graft homing on kidney transplantation outcome.

Larger Size of Donor Alloreactive NK Cell Repertoire Correlates with Better Response to NK Cell Immunotherapy in Elderly Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients.

Purpose: In acute myeloid leukemia (AML), alloreactive natural killer (NK) cells are crucial mediators of immune responses after haploidentical stem cell transplantation. Allogeneic NK cell infusions have been adoptively transferred with promising clinical results. We aimed at determining whether the composition of NK graft in terms of frequency of alloreactive NK cells influence the clinical response in a group of elderly AML patients undergoing NK immunotherapy.

Sonographic appearances of the postoperative testis.

Purpose: To describe the sonographic findings observed in the testis in patients who have undergone testicle-sparing surgery and surgical biopsies.

Methods: We reviewed the color Doppler sonographic findings from 14 patients after testicular interventions: 2 open biopsy procedures for infertility and 12 testicle-sparing surgical procedures (1 for spontaneous intratesticular hemorrhage and 11 for small tumors). Ten patients had benign tumors; one had a malignancy.

The Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cell-Derived Osteocyte Capacity to Modulate Dendritic Cell Functions Is Strictly Dependent on the Culture System.

In vitro differentiation of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) into osteocytes (human differentiated osteogenic cells, hDOC) before implantation has been proposed to optimize bone regeneration. However, a deep characterization of the immunological properties of DOC, including their effect on dendritic cell (DC) function, is not available. DOC can be used either as cellular suspension (detached, Det-DOC) or as adherent cells implanted on scaffolds (adherent, Adh-DOC).

PGE2-induced IDO1 inhibits the capacity of fully mature DCs to elicit an in vitro antileukemic immune response.

In the last years, dendritic cells (DC) have been evaluated for antitumor vaccination. Although DC-based vaccines have raised great expectations, their clinical translation has been largely disappointing. For these results, several explanations have been proposed.

CD103 marks a subset of human CD34+-derived langerin+ dendritic cells that induce T-regulatory cells via indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase-1.

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) is an immunosuppressive molecule expressed in some subsets of normal and neoplastic cells. Mature human dendritic cells (DCs) have been shown to express IDO1, but little is known about its expression and function during DC differentiation from bone marrow hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs). Here, we show that during in vitro differentiation along the myeloid DC lineage, CD34(+) HSPCs acquire IDO1 expression, which acts in a tolerogenic manner by inducing a population of fully functional CD4(+)CD25(+) FOXP3(+) T-regulatory cells.

Glycogen synthase kinase 3 regulates cell death and survival signaling in tumor cells under redox stress.

Targeting tumor-specific metabolic adaptations is a promising anticancer strategy when tumor defense mechanisms are restrained. Here, we show that redox-modulating drugs including the retinoid N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide (4HPR), the synthetic triterpenoid bardoxolone (2-cyano-3,12-dioxooleana-1,9(11)-dien-28-oic acid methyl ester), arsenic trioxide (As2O3), and phenylethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), while affecting tumor cell viability, induce sustained Ser9 phosphorylation of the multifunctional kinase glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β). The antioxidant N-acetylcysteine decreased GSK3β phosphorylation and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage induced by 4HPR, As2O3, and PEITC, implicating oxidative stress in these effects.

Posttransplant soluble B-cell activating factor kinetics in pediatric recipients of first kidney allograft.

Background: Development of de novo donor-specific antibodies (dnDSA) is associated with late or chronic antibody-mediated rejection (CAMR) and poor graft outcome in low-risk kidney transplant recipients. High-level soluble B-cell activating factor (sBAFF) was observed in kidney recipients at higher risk of developing dnDSA.

Methods: We longitudinally analyzed sBAFF levels in 81 consecutive primary pediatric kidney recipients monitored for de novo human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibody (Ab) occurrence to gain insight into the events conditioning B-cell activation posttransplant and to analyze the usefulness of paired DSA-sBAFF monitoring in this clinical setting.

Fast course ALS presenting with vocal cord paralysis: clinical features, bioinformatic and modelling analysis of the novel SOD1 Gly147Ser mutation.

In this report we describe a novel SOD1 mutation (Gly147Ser) in an Italian sporadic ALS patient. The patient presented with hoarseness due to bilateral vocal cord paralysis and a rapid clinical course. Mutational analysis of the SOD1 gene was carried out by direct sequencing.

Adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) deficiency: a new genetic mutation with early recurrent renal stone disease in kidney transplantation.

Adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) deficiency, a rare inborn error inherited as an autosomic recessive trait, presents with 2,8-dihydroxyadenine (2,8-DHA) crystal nephropathy. We describe clinical, biochemical and molecular findings in a renal transplant recipient with renal failure, 2,8-DHA stones and no measurable erythrocyte APRT activity. Homozygous C > G substitution at -3 in the splicing site of exon 2 (IVS2 -3 c > g) was found in the APRT gene.

Conclusions. Anidulafungin is a new echinocandin developed for more effective treatment of serious systemic fungal infections.

Anidulafungin is a new echinocandin developed for more effective treatment of serious systemic fungal infections. Anidulafungin is a well tolerated echinocandin with a favorable pharmacokinetic profile; in particular, its lack of hepatic metabolism and renal excretion enables drug administration without dosage adjustment to subjects with any degree of impaired hepatic or renal function. This simplifies dosing, with a requirement for only once-daily administration and a lack of drug-drug interactions in patients who require multiple medications.

[Desensitization protocols in immunized living donor kidney transplant recipients].

It is well known that the presence of alloantibodies against human HLA class I (A, B, C) and class II (DR, DQ) antigens in transplant recipients waiting for a first or subsequent kidney transplant has a significant negative impact on graft outcome, with increased acute and chronic rejection rates. HLA antibodies, present in hyperimmunized patients (PRA > 80%) as a result of pregnancies, blood transfusions and previous failed grafts, once thought to be a formidable barrier to renal transplantation, can now be overcome with excellent results by means of desensitization protocols in kidney transplant recipients from living or cadaver donors. Such pretransplant desensitization protocols consist of high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin infusions (IVIg-HD), plasmapheresis associated with low-dose IVIg (IVIg-LD) and immunoabsorption by protein-A sepharose or Ig-sepharose columns.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for systemic lupus erythematosus, the antiphospholipid syndrome and bullous skin diseases.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is considered the paradigm of autoimmune diseases (AD), and the murine models are known to be curable by means of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). However autologous transplantations were predominantly utilized in the clinic, starting from 1996, and by now well over 150 very severe patients have been transplanted worldwide. Transplant-related mortality (TRM) in 153 cases was 7%, with a wide center effect (from 0-2% to 13%).

Effect of sirolimus on left ventricular hypertrophy in kidney transplant recipients: a 1-year nonrandomized controlled trial.

Background: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) after renal transplantation may be affected by immunosuppressive therapy.

Study Design: Nonrandomized controlled trial evaluating the effect of sirolimus (SRL) on LVH of renal transplant recipients (RTRs).

Setting & Participants: 13 RTRs without diabetes who had received a single-kidney transplant from a deceased donor with chronic allograft dysfunction and biopsy-proven allograft nephropathy who were converted from calcineurin-inhibitor (CNI) to SRL treatment; 26 controls matched for age and year of transplantation who were not converted from CNI to SRL treatment.

Will hematopoietic stem cell transplantation cure human autoimmune diseases?

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is becoming an accepted therapy for severe autoimmune diseases, and over 1,000 patients have been transplanted worldwide. Diseases include neurological (multiple sclerosis, others), rheumatological (systemic sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis), haematological (aplastic anemia, single line immune mediated cytopenias) and others. The aim of this article is not to review the copious specific literature, but to analyze whether the up to now existing evidence satisfies the requirements of cure.