Case report: An ultrasound-based approach as an easy tool to evaluate hormone receptor-positive HER-2-negative breast cancer in advanced/metastatic settings: preliminary data of the Plus-ENDO study.

Background: Hormone receptor-positive tumors are unlikely to exhibit a complete pathological tumor response. The association of CDK 4/6 inhibitor plus hormone therapy has changed this perspective.

Case Presentation: In this study, we retrospectively reviewed the charts of patients with a diagnosis of luminal A/B advanced/metastatic tumors treated with a CDK 4/6 inhibitor-based therapy.

Polymer-free biolimus-A9-eluting stent performance according to renal impairment: insights from the RUDI-FREE registry.

Aims: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease and have a worse prognosis after percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). The BioFreedom polymer-free biolimus-A9-eluting stent (PF-BES) has shown promising results in patients at high bleeding risk; however, its performance in CKD patients has yet to be analyzed.

Methods: The all-comers RUDI-FREE registry documented patients undergoing PCI with PF-BES in routine clinical practice.

Polymer-Free Biolimus-Eluting Stents or Polymer-Based Zotarolimus-Eluting Stents for Coronary Bifurcation Lesions.

Background: A polymer-free biolimus-eluting stent (PF-BES) and a zotarolimus-eluting stent (ZES) recently showed similar clinical profiles and appear to be competing options in specific clinical settings of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Whether they perform similarly also in complex procedural settings as coronary bifurcation lesions remains unaddressed.

Methods: All consecutive patients undergoing coronary bifurcation PCI with PF-BES or the new iteration of the ZES from three large multicenter real-world registries were included.

Cardiac surgery practice during the COVID-19 outbreak: a multicentre national survey.

Objectives: Healthcare systems worldwide have been overburdened by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Accordingly, hospitals had to implement strategies to profoundly reshape both non-COVID-19 medical care and surgical activities. Knowledge about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiac surgery practice is pivotal.

Safety and Efficacy of Polymer-Free Drug-Eluting Stents.

Background Polymer-free drug-eluting stents are based on different technologies for drug binding and release without the use of polymer coatings. It is unknown whether different polymer-free drug-eluting stents are comparable in terms of safety and efficacy profiles. Methods and Results Polymer-free BioFreedom biolimus-eluting stents (BES) and polymer-free Cre8 amphilimus-eluting stents (AES) were investigated in 2 recent multicenter registries including 2320 all-comer patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions at 22 Italian centers.

Safety and feasibility of balloon aortic valvuloplasty in non-TAVI centers: The "BAV for life" experience.

Objectives: To evaluate the safety and the feasibility of balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) procedure made by trained operators in centers not performing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

Background: BAV is a valuable therapeutic tool for patients with symptomatic severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) at prohibitive risk for TAVI or surgery.

Methods: Consecutive high-risk AS patients underwent BAV in five non-TAVI centers, where BAV operators had completed a 6-month training period in high-volume TAVI centers (Group A).

[SICI-GISE commuNity CAmpania survey doNna TAVI (INCANTA): perioperative and short-term outcome of transcatheter aortic valve implantation in women].

Background: Nowadays the prognostic role of gender as a relevant factor after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is still unfair, since available data in the literature are few and uneven. The aim of this survey was to collect acute and 30-day safety and efficacy clinical data in high- and intermediate-risk women, who underwent TAVI with new-generation devices, in the Campania Region.

Methods: All medium and high-volume TAVI centers in Campania have been invited to fulfill an online, ad-hoc questionnaire, collecting pre-, peri- and post-procedural data concerning female patients, treated between January and December 2016.

[Position paper of the Italian Society of Invasive Cardiology (SICI-GISE) on indications for coronary angiography in patients with stable angina].

Available data suggest a steep increase in stable coronary artery disease with age. Its prevalence reaches a peak of almost 12-14% in men aged 65-84 years with an annual mortality ranging from 1.2% to 2.

Synergy between direct coronary stenting technique and use of the novel thin strut cobalt chromium Skylor™ stent: the MACE in follow up patients treated with Skylor stent [MILES Study].

Background: Despite significant improvements in stent platform, currently available bare-metal stents (BMS) are still associated with restenosis. Thin-strut design cobalt-chromium alloys hold the promise of improving results of BMS, especially when implanted with direct technique. We performed an observational study to appraise outcomes of the novel Skylor™ stent, stratifying outcomes according to stenting technique.

Surgery for left ventricular aneurysm: is there still any role for simple linear repair?

The aim of left ventricular aneurysm (LVA) surgery is to eliminate the diskinetic portion of the left ventricle and to restore the patient's clinical condition. This can be obtained with two surgical procedures: linear repair and endoventricular patch technique. We investigated early- and long-term results in patients who underwent both procedures.

Imaging assessment of acute pancreatitis: a review.

Acute pancreatitis is one of the more commonly encountered etiologies in the emergency setting. While in the majority of cases it is a self-limiting disease which responds rapidly to conservative management, in some cases acute pancreatitis may present with a more pronounced, sometimes dramatic, clinical picture and requires immediate medical care to avoid fatal complication. In this context, imaging plays a significant role because it enables identification of the development of the disease and local/systemic complications.

FK506 can activate transforming growth factor-beta signalling in vascular smooth muscle cells and promote proliferation.

Aims: FK506-binding protein (FKBP) 12 is an inhibitor of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta type I receptors. Several lines of evidence support the view that TGF-beta stimulates vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation and matrix accumulation. We investigated the effect of FK506, also known as tacrolimus, on cellular proliferation and on matrix protein production in human VSMCs.

Results, outcome predictors, and complications after stapled transanal rectal resection for obstructed defecation.

Purpose: Obstructed defecation may be treated by stapled transanal rectal resection, but different complications and recurrence rates have been reported. The present study was designed to evaluate stapled transanal rectal resection results, outcome predictive factors, and nature of complications.

Methods: Clinical and functional data of 123 patients were retrospectively analyzed.

Inguinal neurectomy for nerve entrapment after open/laparoscopic hernia repair using retroperitoneal endoscopic approach.

Background: Inguinal neuralgia after open and laparoscopic hernia, repair occurs in about 0.5% of treated patients. If the pain and the functional inability persist, it is possible that the genitofemoral nerve and ileoinguinal nerve are involved in entrapment, and surgical treatment is a possible option.

[Scrofuloderma. a clinical case].

Scrofuloderma is a form of colliquative cutaneous tuberculosis resulting from the spread of an underlying focus, generally represented by lymphnodes; osteoarticular tubercular locations or epididimus locations can also lead to ulcerative cutaneous involvement. We report the case of a female patient aged 12 who had been in Italy for 15 days following her arrival from Marocco. In the left clavicular region she presented an ulcerated lesion with palpable lymphnodes on the corresponding side of the neck.