Ampicillin and Ceftobiprole Combination for the Treatment of Invasive Infections: "The Times They Are A-Changin".

Background: is responsible for a large variety of severe infections. This study is a case series reporting our experience in the treatment of invasive infections with ampicillin in combination with ceftobiprole (ABPR).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all the medical records of patients admitted to the University Hospital of Udine from January to December 2020 with a diagnosis of infective endocarditis or primary or non-primary complicated or uncomplicated bacteremia caused by .

The Effect of Adjuvant Radiotherapy on One- and Two-Stage Prosthetic Breast Reconstruction and on Autologous Reconstruction: A Multicenter Italian Study among 18 Senonetwork Breast Centres.

Purpose: In modern breast cancer treatment, a growing role has been observed for breast reconstruction together with an increase in clinical indications for postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT). Choosing the optimum type of reconstructive technique is a clinical challenge. We therefore conducted a national multicenter study to analyze the impact of PMRT on breast reconstruction.

Eosinophilic myocarditis: comprehensive update on pathophysiology, diagnosis, prognosis and management.

Hypereosinophilic syndromes are a group of disorders secondary to the accumulation of eosinophils leading to the injury of one or more organs. Among them, eosinophilic myocarditis (EM) is a rare form of inflammatory cardiomyopathy characterized by eosinophilic infiltration into myocardial tissue and subsequent release of substances with cell membrane damage and cell destruction. The degree of infiltration is thought to depend on the underlying condition, as well as the degree and duration of eosinophil exposure and ranges from mild localized disease to diffuse multifocal infiltrates associated with myocardial necrosis, thrombotic complications and endomyocardial fibrosis.

A Rare Case of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence in Ovarian Site after 12 Years Mimicking a Hepatoid Adenocarcinoma: Case Report.

Hepatoid carcinoma of the ovary (HCO) is a tumor that resembles, both histologically and cytologically, hepatocarcinoma (HCC) in a patient with a non-cirrhotic liver not involved by the disease. Hepatoid carcinoma is an extremely rare histologic subtype of ovarian cancer and should be distinguished from metastatic HCC. Here, we report the rare case of a 67-year-old woman with ovarian recurrence of HCC 12 years after first diagnosis.

Bloodstream infections due to Gram-negative bacteria in patients with hematologic malignancies: updated epidemiology and risk factors for multidrug-resistant strains in an Italian perspective survey.

Bloodstream infections (BSI) caused by Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) in patients with hematological malignancies (HM) have been associated with high mortality rates, particularly with infections caused by antibiotic-resistant strains. A multicenter cohort study including all consecutive episodes of GNB BSI in HM patients was conducted to update the epidemiology and antibiotic resistance patterns (compared to our previous survey conducted between 2009 and 2012) and investigate risk factors for GNB BSI due to multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates. A total of 834 GNB were recovered in 811 BSI episodes from January 2016 to December 2018.

Performance of risk stratification scores and role of comorbidities in older vs younger patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Background: Risk scores are important tools for the prognostic stratification of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Their performance and the additional impact of comorbidities across age groups is unknown.

Methods: Patients with PAH enrolled from 2001 to 2021 were divided in ≥65 years old vs <65 years old patients.

Radiation Recall Pneumonitis Anticipates Bilateral Immune-Induced Pneumonitis in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Radiation recall pneumonitis (RRP) is a rare inflammatory reaction that occurs in previously irradiated fields, and it may be caused by various triggering agents. Immunotherapy has been reported to potentially be one of these triggers. However, precise mechanisms and specific treatments have not been explored yet due to a lack of data in this setting.

Management of Patients Diagnosed with Endometrial Cancer: Comparison of Guidelines.

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological malignancy in Europe and its management involves a variety of health professionals. In recent years, big discoveries were made concerning the management of patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer, particularly in the field of molecular biology and minimally invasive surgery. This requires the continuous updating of guidelines and protocols over the years.

Oncological and functional impact of adjuvant treatments after open partial laryngeal surgery: a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis.

Background: The oncological and functional role of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) after open partial laryngeal surgery (OPLS) remains debatable.

Methods: A systematic review and a meta-analysis of the literature were conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. Outcomes of patients receiving OPLS with and without PORT for laryngeal cancer were summarized.

Comparison between azacitidine and decitabine as front-line therapy in elderly acute myeloid leukemia patients not eligible for intensive chemotherapy.

We compared the efficacy of azacitidine (AZA) and decitabine (DEC) in elderly patients with untreated AML, diagnosed according to WHO criteria. In the two groups, we evaluated complete remission (CR), overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS). The AZA and DEC groups included 139 and 186 patients, respectively.

Primary Tumor Resection for Metastatic Colorectal, Gastric and Pancreatic Cancer Patients: In Search of Scientific Evidence to Inform Clinical Practice.

The management of the primary tumor in metastatic colorectal, gastric and pancreatic cancer patients may be challenging. Indeed, primary tumor progression could be associated with severe symptoms, compromising the quality of life and the feasibility of effective systemic therapy, and might result in life-threatening complications. While retrospective series have suggested that surgery on the primary tumor may confer a survival advantage even in asymptomatic patients, randomized trials seem not to definitively support this hypothesis.

Temporal evolution of quality of life in patients endoscopically treated for sinonasal malignant tumors.

Background: The aim of our study is to assess which factors may affect the quality of life (QoL) and its fluctuation over time in adult patients who received endonasal endoscopic oncologic sinus surgery (EOSS) for sinonasal malignancies (SNM) in our center.

Methodology: We analyzed EOSS cases for primary SNM from January 2015 to June 2020. For each patient, we have recorded the age at treatment, gender, smoking habits, use of psychotropic drugs for mood disorders, stage, histotype, type of surgical resection, need for skull-base reconstruction, development of postoperative major complications, and the use of adjuvant intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).

CDK4/6 Inhibitors as Upfront Treatment in a Patient with Breast Cancer Presenting with a Clinical Critic Situation: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

CDK4/6 inhibitors have revolutionized the treatment algorithm of luminal metastatic breast cancer, becoming the recommended first-line therapy in association with endocrine therapy. However, due to its theoretically greater and more rapid tumor shrinkage, the upfront use of chemotherapy is considered in some clinical situations like visceral crisis. At the state of the art level, a paucity of data is available about the use of CDK4/6 inhibitors in patients presenting with visceral crisis or with life-threatening conditions since this population was historically excluded from clinical trials.

Sjögren's syndrome: one year in review 2022.

Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is a complex disabling systemic autoimmune disorder. The hallmark of pSS is the T-cell-mediated hyperactivation of B-cells, evolving from asymptomatic conditions to systemic complications and lymphoma development. On tissue level, the typical feature is the lymphocytic infiltration of the salivary gland by B-, T- and antigen presenting cells, as mirrored by the diagnostic cornerstone role of minor salivary gland (MSG) biopsy.

SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination in patients with hairy-cell leukaemia.

Little is known of the course of COVID-19 and the antibody response to infection or vaccination in patients with hairy-cell leukaemia (HCL). Among a total of 58 HCL cases we studied in these regards, 37 unvaccinated patients, mostly enjoying a relatively long period free from anti-leukaemic treatment, developed COVID-19 between March 2020 and December 2021 with a usually favourable outcome (fatality rate: 5/37, 14%); however, active leukaemia, older age and more comorbidities were associated with a worse course. Postinfection (n = 11 cases) and postvaccination (n = 28) seroconversion consistently developed, except after recent anti-CD20 or venetoclax therapy, correlating with perivaccine B-cell count.

Mesonephric-Like Adenocarcinomas a Rare Tumor: The Importance of Diagnosis.

Mesonephric-like adenocarcinomas (MLA) are rare neoplasms that arise in the uterine body and ovary and have been added to the World Health Organisation's recent 2020 classification of female genital cancers. The pathogenesis of MLA is unknown and it remains debated whether they represent mesonephric carcinomas (Wolffian) arising in the endometrium/ovary or endometrioid carcinomas (Müllerian) closely mimicking mesonephric carcinomas. Here we report the case of a 57-year-old woman with an initial misdiagnosis of endometrioid adenocarcinoma on diagnostic biopsy.

Evaluation of qualitative and semi-quantitative cut offs for rapid diagnostic lateral flow test in relation to serology for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies: findings of a prospective study.

Background: There is limited information to compare the qualitative and semi-quantitative performance of rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) and serology for the assessment of antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Therefore, the objective of the study was (a) to compare the efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection between RDT and laboratory serology, trying to identify appropriate semi-quantitative cut-offs for RDT in relation with quantitative serology values and to (b) evaluate diagnostic accuracy of RDT compared to the NAAT gold standard in an unselected adult population.

Methods: SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were simultaneously measured with lateral flow immunochromatographic assays (LFA), the Cellex qSARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM Rapid Test (by capillary blood), the iFlash-SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) (by venous blood) and the nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) in samples from in- and out-patients with confirmed, suspected and negative diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) attending Udine Hospital (Italy) (March-May 2020).

Rare and Insidious Toxicities from New Combination Therapies in Metastatic Renal Cell Cancer: Lessons Learned from Real-Practice.

The advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors in combination with multitarget tyrosine kinase inhibitors has become a standard first-line treatment for metastatic renal cell cancer. Along with survival improvement, new toxicities have emerged. Such adverse events are still complex to be managed and some of them are rare and could be insidious or even fatal.

The impact of body composition on mortality of COVID-19 hospitalized patients: A prospective study on abdominal fat, obesity paradox and sarcopenia.

Background & Aims: Obesity has been described as a predisposing risk factor to severe forms of COVID-19, but conflicting results are emerging on its real impact on the mortality of COVID-19. We aimed to compare clinical outcomes and mortality among COVID-19 patients according to obesity, metabolic syndrome and adiposity distribution.

Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study of all consecutive adult patients with a confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection admitted to the Infectious Diseases Clinic at Udine Hospital, Italy, from January 2021 to February 2021.

Coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination-related pericarditis: a single tertiary-center experience.

Aims: Vaccination represents a cornerstone of prevention in the COVID-19 pandemic. Rare adverse events including acute pericarditis and myopericarditis have been reported.

Methods: All consecutive patients referred to our referral center for pericardial diseases following COVID-19 vaccination from 1 April 2021 to 15 April 2022 were included.

Relationship between cytokine release and stress hyperglycemia in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 infection.

Introduction: Stress hyperglycemia is a frequent finding in patients with COVID-19 infection and could affect the outcome of disease. Cytokines released in response to infection could have adverse effects on insulin sensitivity and pancreatic beta-cell function. The aim of the study was to examine the relationships of stress hyperglycemia with cytokines and clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.