Lights and Shadows of Long COVID: Are Latent Infections the Real Hidden Enemy?

Long COVID-19 (LC) is a poorly understood, multifactorial condition that persists for at least three months following SARS-CoV-2 infection. The underlying pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for the wide range of associated symptoms-including fatigue, brain fog, and respiratory issues-remain unclear. However, emerging evidence suggests that the reactivation of latent viral infections, such as Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, and varicella-zoster virus, may significantly contribute to the complexity of LC.

Minimally invasive ultrasound-assisted evacuation of Spontaneous Supratentorial Intracerebral hemorrhages: Retrospective observational single-cohort study.

Objective: To assess safety and efficacy of minimally invasive evacuation of Spontaneous Supratentorial Intracerebral Hemorrhage (SSICH) by means of tailored minicraniotomies and intraoperative ultrasound (iUS) assistance.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of 55 patients who underwent microsurgical evacuation of SSICH using minicraniotomy and iUS assistance, between January 2015 and January 2022. Surgical complications, mortality rate, recurrent bleeding, percentage of hematoma evacuation and reliability of iUS were collected and investigated.

Real-world use of recombinant porcine sequence factor VIII in the treatment of acquired hemophilia A: EU PASS.

Background: Recombinant porcine factor VIII (rpFVIII; susoctocog alfa) is indicated for the treatment of bleeding events (BEs) in adults with acquired hemophilia A (AHA).

Objectives: To assess the safety, utilization, and effectiveness of rpFVIII in clinical practice.

Design: EU post-authorization safety study (PASS) (NCT03199794) was a multicenter, noninterventional, post-authorization safety study conducted in adults with AHA.

Mechanical thrombectomy using neurovascular catheter from radial artery during acute myocardial infarction: A case report.

Coronary occlusion due to large thrombus is frequently encountered during ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Despite guidelines discourage this practice, often thrombus aspiration is necessary to reduce thrombotic burden and to prevent embolization. We report a case of mechanical thrombectomy with a Neurovascular Catheter from radial artery during inferior STEMI.

CTA-based 3D virtual model for preoperative simulation and intraoperative neuronavigation in the surgical treatment of distal anterior cerebral artery aneurysms.

Objective: This study aims to assess the efficacy and limitations of Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA)-based 3D virtual models for preoperative simulation and intraoperative neuronavigation in the surgical treatment of Distal Anterior Cerebral Artery (DACA) Aneurysms.

Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted, analyzing patients who underwent surgical clipping of DACA aneurysms via an interhemispheric approach from 2016 to 2022. Outcomes measured included qualitative analyses of 3D reconstructions against actual intraoperative anatomy, neuronavigator accuracy, 6-month modified Rankin Scale (mRS), complete exclusion rates, and surgical complications.

Early intervention and cumulative life course impairment in psoriasis: a review.

Psoriasis is a chronic, systemic, inflammatory disease affecting the skin, joints and other organs. Psoriasis negatively affects patients' quality of life, causing social anxiety and negative coping, thus determining a cumulative life course impairment (CLCI). The concept of CLCI in psoriasis is reinforced by the understanding that psoriasis-associated comorbidities and stigma accumulate over a patient's life course, resulting from an interaction between the burden of stigmatization, physical and psychological comorbidities, coping strategies and external factors.

Gut Permeability and Immune-Mediated Inflammation in Heart Failure.

Heart failure (HF) is characterized by low-grade immune-mediated inflammation due to increased Toll-like receptor (TLR) expression as response to endotoxin increase and dysregulated gut barrier permeability. We investigated TLR expression and possible gut dysbiosis in HF patients compared to a control group. We enrolled 80 Caucasian HF patients and 20 controls.

Italian Association of Hospital Cardiologists position paper-obesity in adults: a clinical primer.

Obesity is a chronic and relapsing disease characterized by the interaction between individual predispositions and an obesogenic environment. Recent advances in understanding the mechanisms of energetic homoeostasis paved the way to more effective therapeutic approaches compared with traditional treatments. Since obesity is a complex disease, it necessitates a multi-disciplinary approach whose implementation remains challenging.

Computed tomography: Diagnostic detection of complete pericardial agenesis: A case report.

Congenital complete absence of the pericardium is a rare condition, often difficult to diagnose due to its incidental discovery or nonspecific clinical manifestations. Instrumental investigations commonly used as initial approaches, such as chest radiography and electrocardiogram, are often insufficient. Echocardiography is an imaging technique that is used for the initial evaluation of pericardial diseases.

Stereotactic placement of dual lumen catheter system for continuous drainage, irrigation, and intraventricular antibiotic therapy for treatment of brain abscess with ventriculitis - A case report and literature review.

Background: Cerebral abscesses complicated by ventriculitis present significant treatment challenges, often associated with high morbidity and mortality. Traditional management approaches, including systemic antibiotic therapy and external ventricular drainage (EVD), face limitations due to the blood-brain barrier and risks of catheter-related complications. This report discusses a case where the dual-lumen catheter system, an innovative neurosurgical tool integrating continuous irrigation with drainage, was employed.

[ANMCO Position paper: States General 2023 - Role of ANMCO in the setting of clinical research in Cardiology in Italy: current state and future perspectives].

For over 40 years, clinical research has been one of the most important aims of the Italian Association of Hospital Cardiologists (ANMCO), being an essential tool in pursuing promotion and fulfillment of good clinical practices in prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of cardiovascular diseases. Since 1992, with the creation of the Research Center (now part of the Heart Care Foundation), ANMCO is capable of independently and professionally managing all the aspects related to planning, management, and publication of the results of clinical studies. The other strength of ANMCO is the network built in Cardiology Departments on the whole territory of Italy, a human capital that allows ANMCO to deal with the new scientific challenges, in a context of profound changes in the social, economic, technological, and methodological setting.

[ANMCO Position paper: States General 2023 - Digital medicine in cardiology: evidence and state of progress in Italy].

Technological innovation provides easily accessible tools capable of simplifying healthcare processes. Notably, digital technology application in the cardiology field can improve prognosis, reduce costs, and lead to an overall improvement in healthcare. The digitization of health data, with the use of electronic health records and of electronic health files in Italy, represents one of the fields of application of digital technologies in medicine.

Pedicled multifidus muscle flaps to treat dural tears due to penetrating spinal stab wounds: Two case reports and a literature review.

Background: Penetrating spinal injuries occasionally lead to dural tears (DT) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks that risk both infectious and neurological complications. Here, we reviewed two cases and the literature regarding the safety/efficacy and limitations of repairing traumatic DT utilizing pedicled multifidus muscle flaps.

Case Description: Two males, ages 73 and 50, presented with Brown-Sequard syndromes and DT/CSF fistulas attributed to knife-induced spinal injuries at the D3-D4 and D11-D12 levels.

A Linear Predictor Based on FTIR Spectral Biomarkers Improves Disease Diagnosis Classification: An Application to Multiple Sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system that can lead to long-term disability. The diagnosis of MS is not simple and requires many instrumental and clinical tests. Sampling easily collected biofluids using spectroscopic approaches is becoming of increasing interest in the medical field to integrate and improve diagnostic procedures.

Mutual Effect Modification between Insulin Resistance and Endothelial Dysfunction in Predicting Incident Heart Failure in Hypertensives.

Insulin resistance and endothelial dysfunction are associated with heart failure (HF). Our objective was to investigate whether endothelial dysfunction and insulin resistance are independent predictors of incident HF and if a possible interaction exists between them. We enrolled 705 white never-treated hypertensives.