Stage IV pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) with synchronous liver metastasis: are there survival benefits in liver resection? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Metastatic PDAC has a very poor prognosis, and surgery has a limited role. The study aims to evaluate the OS of patients with PDAC and synchronous liver metastasis who undergo surgical therapy (ST) versus non-surgical therapies (NST).

Methods: We performed a random effects meta-analysis.

Contrast-enhanced US of High-Risk Indeterminate Focal Liver Observations Categorized as LR-4 or LR-M at CT/MRI.

Background Indeterminate focal liver observations in patients at risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) may require invasive biopsy or follow-up, which could lead to delays in definitive categorization and to postponement of treatment. Purpose To examine clinical effect of contrast-enhanced US (CEUS) in participants with high-risk indeterminate liver observations categorized as Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) category LR-4 (probably HCC) or LI-RADS category LR-M (probably or definitely malignant but not HCC specific) at CT or MRI. Materials and Methods This was a secondary analysis of a prospective international multicenter validation study for CEUS LI-RADS (January 2018 to August 2021).

Therapeutic approach to patients with early stage diffuse large B cell lymphoma: retrospective, multicenter, real-life study of the 'RTL' (regional Tuscan lymphoma network).

Treatment strategies for early stage diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (ES-DLBCL) include R-CHOP, with a similar schedule to that used in advanced stage, or a reduced number of cycles followed by radiation therapy (RT). We retrospectively analyzed 179 ES-DLBCL patients, managed according to the clinical practice. Treatment regimens include chemoimmunotherapy 4-6 cycles +/- RT as consolidation.

An immunosenescent CD8+ T cell subset in patients with axial Spondyloarthritis and Psoriatic Arthritis links spontaneous motility to telomere shortening and dysfunction.

Objective: A pathogenetic role of CD8+ T lymphocytes in radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA) and other spondyloarthritis (SpA) is sustained by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and by the expansion of public T cell clonotypes in the target tissues. This study investigates the migration of CD8+ T cells, along with their phenotype and functions in patients with r-axSpA and psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Methods: Peripheral blood CD8+ and CD4+ T cells were isolated from r-axSpA (n= 128), PsA (n= 60) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA, n= 74) patients and healthy donors (HD, n= 79).

Efficacy and safety of dapagliflozin in patients with CKD: real-world experience in 93 Italian renal clinics.

Background: Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) are recommended for reducing the renal and cardiovascular risk in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) based on the positive results reported by clinical trials. However, real-world data on the efficacy and the safety of these drugs in CKD population followed in nephrology setting are lacking.

Methods: We report the effects of dapagliflozin in CKD patients by using data collected during a learning program in which 105 nephrologists added dapagliflozin (10 mg/day) to consecutive patients referred to their renal clinics.

The risk of failure of subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapy: from PRAETORIAN score to clinical practice.

Background: The subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) is an alternative to traditional ICDs. The PRAETORIAN score, based on chest radiographs, has been validated to predict the probability of successful S-ICD defibrillation testing by assessing factors like fat thickness between the coil and sternum and generator placement.

Objective: This study evaluated the correlation between the PRAETORIAN score and clinical characteristics, as well as implantation variables.

Experience and role of Italian nurses working in genetic clinics: a descriptive phenomenological qualitative study.

Background: In several countries, the role of the genetic nurse has developed over decades, becoming well-recognized and integrated into healthcare systems. In contrast, in Italy, this role is still emerging, with no formal legal recognition and limited awareness among healthcare professionals and hospital administrators. Given this context, it is crucial to assess how the role and activities of nurses in genetic clinics in Italy are perceived.

Intensified Induction Therapy for Newly Diagnosed, Localized Skeletal Ewing Sarcoma (ISG/AIEOP EW-1): A Randomized, Open-Label, Phase 3, Non-Inferiority Trial.

Background: Several studies have shown that the intensity of treatment in Ewing sarcoma has an impact on outcome. The present trial tested the non-inferiority of intensive, shorter, induction chemotherapy (25 weeks total treatment time) compared to the standard treatment (37 weeks) in non-metastatic Ewing sarcoma (ES) at onset.

Procedure: This national, multicenter, parallel, randomized, controlled, open-label, non-inferiority, phase III trial was conducted in 14 specialized hospitals in Italy.

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.

Secondary cryofibrinogenemia is related to more severe microangiopathic involvement in systemic sclerosis: results from a retrospective observational study.

The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of cryofibrinogenemia in a cohort of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) regardless of clinical manifestations, who were admitted to our hospital and determine the associations among CF positivity, disease features and ongoing therapies. This was a monocentric and retrospective study. The inclusion criteria were a diagnosis of SSc (according to the ACR/EULAR 2013 classification criteria), regular administration of i.

Impact of calreticulin mutations on treatment and survival outcomes in myelofibrosis during ruxolitinib therapy.

Calreticulin (CALR) mutations are detected in around 20% of patients with primary and post-essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis (MF). Regardless of driver mutations, patients with splenomegaly and symptoms are generally treated with JAK2-inhibitors, most commonly ruxolitinib. Recently, new therapies specifically targeting the CALR mutant clone have entered clinical investigation.

Delphi consensus on the diagnostic criteria of polycystic ovary syndrome.

Purpose: To gather the current opinion among Italian gynecologists and endocrinologists regarding the definition, diagnosis, and treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Method: A Delphi survey consisting of 26 statements was designed by a nine-member panel (consisting of members from the Italian Society of Endocrinology (SIE) and the Experts Group AQon Inositol in Basic and Clinical Research and on PCOS (EGOI-PCOS)) and distributed to 102 experts in PCOS across the fields of gynecology and endocrinology. Consensus was defined as an agreement between at least 70% of responders.

Impact of Pre-Treatment Comorbidity Burden on Survival in Patients Receiving Venetoclax Plus Hypomethylating Agents.

Expectation of survival of patients receiving HMA + VEN is influenced by pre-treatment comorbidity burden.

Use of the anatomical formulae for predicted postoperative (PPO) evaluation overestimates the loss of FEV1 and DLCO after minimally invasive lung resections.

Background: Pulmonary function assessment is mandatory before oncological lung resection surgery. To do so, subjects undergo a pulmonary function test (PFT) and the calculation of predicted postoperative (PPO) values to estimate the residual lung function after surgery. The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of anatomical formulae in estimating postoperative pulmonary function in patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery (MIS).

Role of Hb to RDW ratio in metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients treated with first-line immunotherapy combinations.

Background: The present study aimed to investigate the prognostic and predictive roles of Hb/RDW ratio in patients with mRCC treated with first-line immunotherapy combinations (TKI plus ICI or ICI plus ICI).

Materials And Methods: We performed a sub-analysis of a multicenter retrospective observational study (ARON-1 project) involving patients with mRCC treated with first-line immunotherapy combinations.

Results: Three hundred and twenty-nine patients were enrolled, 244 males and 85 females.

The role of myocardial bridge of the left anterior descending artery in a sudden death of a ketamine and cannabis user. Addressing the uncertainties on the cause of death in a forensic pathologist's casework.

In this case report, the role of a myocardial bridge of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) and recent use of cannabis in a sudden death of a drug user is discussed, also considering the relevance of histopathological pulmonary findings. A 37-year-old man with a history of drug abuse was found dead in his house. External and autoptic examination were performed, as well as histologic and toxicologic analyses of tissues, organs and body fluids samples.

Ultrasound guided procedures in the head and neck: a clinician centered model.

Background: US guided sampling is a validated diagnostic approach for non-thyroid deep head and neck masses.

Aim: To describe the setting of a clinician-driven Lump Clinic and analyze a monoinstitutional 7-year database of 849 patients undergoing US-guided sampling.

Methods: FNA with Rapid OnSite Evalutation (ROSE) was the first diagnostic step.

Bile acid diarrhea in patients with chronic diarrhea. Current appraisal and recommendations for clinical practice.

Bile Acid Diarrhea (BAD) is a common cause of chronic diarrhea, often accompanied by urgency, occasional fecal incontinence, abdominal pain, and fatigue. A nationwide survey has shown limited awareness of BAD within the Italian medical community, prompting a panel of experts to develop a Position Paper that outlines the most practical and cost-saving diagnostic investigations and treatments for this frequently overlooked condition. The document provides an overview of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and classification of the different types of Bile Acid Diarrhea (BAD).

Assessment of Outcomes & Anatomical Changes in the Upper Urinary Tract following Flexible Ureteroscopy with a Flexible and Navigable Suction Ureteral Access Sheath (FANS): 3-Month Results from a Multicenter Study.

Objectives: To study the long-term outcomes of the flexible and navigable suction ureteral access sheath (FANS) in flexible ureteroscopy (FURS). FANS has well-established efficiency and 30-day perioperative safety; however, its influence on pelvicalyceal and ureteric anatomy remains to be investigated.

Methods: This was a prospective study of patients with normal renal anatomy who underwent FURS with FANS for renal stones from April 2023 to August 2024 in 16 centers worldwide.

Therapeutic Management in Elderly Male Breast Cancer Patients: A Scoping Review.

Purpose Of Review: Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare entity which often arises in elderly people. Aim of this review is to evaluate the principal issues related to MBC in elderly, because the therapeutic management of disease is not only related to the biological behavior of the tumor, but also to the comorbidities and frailty of older population. A scoping literature review was performed on Pubmed and Cochrane Database using the following keywords: therapeutic management/ male/ breast cancer/ elderly patients.

Screening of primary aldosteronism and pheochromocytoma among patients with hypertension: an Italian nationwide survey.

Purpose: The delayed or missed diagnosis of secondary hypertension contributes to the poor blood pressure control worldwide. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic approach to primary aldosteronism (PA) and pheochromocytoma (PHEO) among Italian centers associated to European and Italian Societies of Hypertension.

Methods: Between July and December 2023, a 10-items questionnaire was administered to experts from 82 centers of 14 Italian regions and to cardiologists from the ARCA (Associazioni Regionali Cardiologi Ambulatoriali) Piemonte.

Molecular clustering on ctDNA improves the prognostic stratification of DLBCL patients compared to ctDNA levels.

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) levels can help predict outcomes in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), but its integration with DLBCL molecular clusters remains unexplored. Using the LymphGen tool in 77 DLBCL with both ctDNA and tissue biopsy, a 95.8% concordance rate in molecular cluster assignment was observed, showing the reproducibility of molecular clustering on ctDNA.