Update on the diagnosis and treatment of pericardial diseases: a position paper of the Italian Society of Cardiology in collaboration with the study group on cardiomyopathies and pericardial diseases.

The knowledge of pericardial diseases has now improved, including prospective and retrospective cohort studies focusing on the pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes. The complex interplay between genetic predisposition (especially for autoinflammatory conditions), inflammation, and autoimmunity is now known to trigger recurrences of pericarditis. Moreover, diagnostic capabilities have improved with the implementation of multimodality imaging, particularly cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), to detect and monitor pericardial inflammation, to allow diagnosis in more complicated cases, and tailor the duration of therapy based on objective parameters.

Neuroendocrine neoplasms of the breast: a multicenter retrospective Italian study.

Background: The aim of our retrospective study was to describe the immunophenotypic characteristics of neuroendocrine breast neoplasm (BNEN), a peculiar and rare type of breast carcinoma.

Methods: Pathological data from 51 patients affected by BNEN were retrospectively evaluated, and 44 patients were considered eligible (7 patients with incomplete data were excluded). The patients were followed in six different Italian hospitals between 2009 and 2019.

Cytoreductive surgery followed by hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy applications in upper and lower gastrointestinal cancer, a review.

Peritoneal metastases (PM) are the spread of tumor forms into the peritoneum as metastases from another organ. PM is a frequent condition in metastatic gastrointestinal cancer (colorectal, gastric, pancreatic, appendiceal, and cholangiocarcinoma); their presence confers a poor prognosis, reducing patient survival. The standard treatment consists of systemic chemotherapy according to current guidelines.

Nutritional status and gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms: lights and shadows with a clinical guide from the NIKE Group.

Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) originating in the gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) tract are rare tumors often associated with significant metabolic disturbances and nutritional challenges. This review explores the intricate relationship between nutritional status and the development, progression, and prognosis of GEP-NENs. Through an extensive literature search encompassing studies up to April 2024, we examined various factors, including obesity, malnutrition, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus, and their roles in the development and progression of GEP-NENs.

A bivariate reference interval for TSH and free thyroxine.

Frequently, the serum concentrations of TSH (s-TSH) and free thyroxine (s-FT4) are interpreted together when a physician considers the patient's thyroid status. Then, each measurement is compared with its univariate reference interval. However, a pair of s-TSH and s-FT4 may be more appropriately assessed if compared with a reference interval.

Combining treatments for migraine prophylaxis: the state-of-the-art.

Combination treatments for migraine prophylaxis present a promising approach to addressing the diverse and complex mechanisms underlying migraine. This review explores the potential of combining oral conventional prophylactics, onabotulinumtoxin A, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) pathway, and small molecule CGRP receptor antagonists (gepants). Among the most promising strategies, dual CGRP inhibition through mAbs and gepants may enhance efficacy by targeting both the CGRP peptide and its receptor, while the combination of onabotulinumtoxin A with CGRP treatments offers synergistic pain relief.

Biofilm and the effect of sonication in a chronic Staphylococcus epidermidis orthopedic in vivo implant infection model.

Background: In diagnosing chronic orthopedic implant infections culture of sonicate represents a supplement to tissue cultures. However, the extent to which biofilm forms on implant surfaces and the degree of dislodgement of bacteria by sonication remains unclear. In this in vivo study using a low bacterial inoculum, we aimed to determine whether a variable effect of sonication could be observed in a standardized in vivo model.

Elevated whole blood viscosity is associated with an impaired insulin-stimulated myocardial glucose metabolism.

Background: Increased whole blood viscosity (WBV) was associated with impaired peripheral glucose metabolism, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Impaired myocardial glucose metabolism is a risk factor for CVD. Whether an increased WBV is associated with impaired myocardial glucose metabolism is still undefined.

A genome-wide association study of European advanced cancer patients treated with opioids identifies regulatory variants on chromosome 20 associated with pain intensity.

Background: Opioids in step III of the WHO analgesic ladder are the standard of care for treating cancer pain. However, a significant minority of patients do not benefit from therapy. Genetics might play a role in predisposing patients to a good or poor response to opioids.

Differences in target organ damage in individuals with intermediate hyperglycemia and type 2 diabetes identified by 1-hour plasma glucose during an oral glucose tolerance test.

Aims: The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has recently recommended determination of 1-hour glucose during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to diagnose intermediate hyperglycemia (IH) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Herein, we investigated the implications of IDF recommendation for characterizing the risk of cardiovascular target organ damage including left ventricular mass normalized by body surface area (LVM index [LVMI]), and myocardial mechano-energetic efficiency normalized by LVM (MEEi) in individuals with IH and T2D.

Methods: LVMI, and MEEi were assessed in 1847 adults classified on the basis of fasting, 1-hour and 2- hour glucose during an OGTT according to the IDF recommendation as having normal glucose tolerance (NGT, n = 736), isolated impaired fasting glucose (iIFG, n = 105), IH (n = 676), and newly diagnosed T2D (n = 330).

Immune digital twins for complex human pathologies: applications, limitations, and challenges.

Digital twins represent a key technology for precision health. Medical digital twins consist of computational models that represent the health state of individual patients over time, enabling optimal therapeutics and forecasting patient prognosis. Many health conditions involve the immune system, so it is crucial to include its key features when designing medical digital twins.