High-resolution melting analysis for detection of nucleotide mutation markers in the polymerase-acidic (PA) gene of influenza virus that are associated with baloxavir marboxil resistance.

The I38T substitution in the influenza virus polymerase-acidic (PA) subunit is a resistance marker of concern for treatment with the antiviral baloxavir marboxil (BXM). Thus, monitoring PA/I38T mutations is of clinical importance. Here, we developed three rapid and sensitive assays for the detection and monitoring of the PA/I38T mutation.

[The CCM Project "Phenotypic and molecular screening methodologies for the detection of coloniza-tions due to carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE)"].

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CREs) are globally considered to be a major threat to public health. National and international guidelines emphasize the importance of routine active surveillance policies to prevent their transmission. Consequently, screening for the evaluation of the status of colonization by CREs in hospitalized patients in Italy is considered essential to contain and control the spread of these microorganisms and their evolution towards infection.

[ITACARE-P/SIGG/SIGOT/SICGE position paper: referral of elderly cardiac patient from geriatrics to cardiac rehabilitation.].

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is Class IA indication in patients after an acute cardiovascular (CV) event, with efficacy confirmed even in elderly or frail CV patients CV and geriatric outcomes. However, rate of referral and admission to CR of elderly CV patients remains very low. CV patients admitted in geriatric wards are often complex, multimorbid and frail.

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as a prognostic indicator of mortality in Polycythemia Vera: insights from a prospective cohort analysis.

We analyzed the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in 1508 patients with PV and found that those with an NLR ≥ 5 were generally older, had a longer disease history, and had higher cardiovascular risk factors, more arterial thrombosis, and more aggressive blood counts, indicating a more proliferative disease. NLR was an accurate predictor of mortality, with patients with NLR ≥ 5 having significantly worse overall survival and more than twice the mortality rate compared to those with NLR < 5. Multivariable models confirmed that increasing age, previous venous thrombosis and NLR ≥ 5 were strong predictors of death, further influenced by cardiovascular risk factors.

Thrombosis in myeloproliferative neoplasms: a viewpoint on its impact on myelofibrosis, mortality, and solid tumors.

This viewpoint summarizes findings from analyses of large personal patient databases of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) to assess the impact of thrombosis on mortality, disease progression, and second cancers (SC). Despite advances, the current incidence of arterial and venous thrombosis remains a challenge. These events appear to signal a more aggressive disease course, as evidenced by their association with myelofibrosis progression and mortality using multistate models and time-dependent multivariable analysis.

Damage source localisation in complex geometries using acoustic emission and acousto-ultrasonic techniques: an experimental study on clear aligners.

Passive non-destructive evaluation tools such as acoustic emission (AE) testing and acousto-ultrasonics (AU) approach present a complex problem in damage localisation in complex and nonhomogeneous geometries. A novel AU-guided AE frequency interpretation approach is proposed in this research work which aims at overcoming this limitation. For the experimental evaluation, the damage sources from a geometrically complex clear dental aligners are tested under cyclic compression load and their origins are evaluated.

Liver-related aspects of valoctocogene roxaparvovec gene therapy for hemophilia A: expert guidance for clinical practice.

Adeno-associated virus-based gene therapy (valoctocogene roxaparvovec) is an attractive treatment for hemophilia A. Careful clinical management is required to minimize the risk of hepatotoxicity, including assessment of baseline liver condition to determine treatment eligibility and monitoring liver function after gene therapy. This article describes recommendations (developed by a group of hemophilia experts) on hepatic function monitoring before and after gene therapy.

The use of reduced DOAC doses in atrial fibrillation patients does not always lead to good anticoagulation levels and avoid adverse events.

Background: The MAS study (Blood Advances 2024) showed that a high proportion of Italian AF patients treated with direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) receive reduced doses. This sub-analysis of MAS data aimed to analyze the effects of reduced (appropriate or not)- or standard-dose use on DOAC activity assessed at baseline and the occurrence of thrombotic or bleeding complications during follow-up.

Methods: The MAS study design, the methods for DOAC measurement, the results, and the adverse events during follow-up, are described in detail elsewhere.

Extracellular vesicles released by LPS-stimulated spinal organotypic slices spread neuroinflammation into naïve slices through connexin43 hemichannel opening and astrocyte aberrant calcium dynamics.

Introduction: Neuroinflammation is a hallmark of multiple neurodegenerative diseases, shared by all pathological processes which primarily impact on neurons, including Central Nervous System (CNS) injuries. In reactive CNS, activated glia releases extracellular vesicles (EVs), nanosized membranous particles known to play a key role in intercellular communication. EVs mediate neuroinflammatory responses and might exacerbate tissue deterioration, ultimately influencing neurodegenerative disease progression.

Consensus paper on the management of acute isolated vertigo in the emergency department.

Acute vertigo is defined as the perception of movement of oneself or the surroundings in the absence of actual motion and it is a frequent cause for emergency department admissions. The utilization of medical resources and the duration of hospital stay for this kind of symptom is high. Furthermore, the efficiency of brain imaging in the acute phase is low, considering the limited sensitivity of both CT and MRI for diagnosing diseases that are the causes of central type of vertigo.

Organizational Health Literacy as a supportive tool for the effective implementation of the 2013/59/EURATOM Directive in Italy.

Introduction: Since 2013, European countries have transposed the 2013/59/EURATOM Directive that lays down basic safety standards for protection against dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation. In the years between the issuance of the European Directive and its formal transposition, Italian researchers investigated solutions to renew the technological, educational, and organizational culture in radiology departments.

Scope: This article proposed a reflection on the contribution of Organizational Health Literacy (OHL) to implement Legislative Decree 101/2020 in the practice of Italian radiology departments.

Multidisciplinary care use in neurodegenerative complex diseases: The example of progressive supranuclear palsy and advanced Parkinson's disease in real-life.

Background: In spite of being considered the gold-standard of care, little is known about the real-life use of in-home and multidisciplinary care in atypical parkinsonism.

Objective: Primary: Examine real-life multidisciplinary care use for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). Secondary: a) Compare PSP care to advanced Parkinson's disease (APD) care; (b) Explore demographic and clinical variables associated with care needs in both groups.

Underlying systemic mastocytosis in patients with unexplained osteoporosis: score proposal.

Background: A score to predict the association between unexplained osteoporosis and an underlying systemic Mastocytosis (SM) is lacking.

Objective: This study aimed at identifying criteria able to predict the diagnosis of SM without skin involvement and provide an indication for bone marrow (BM) assessment.

Methods: We included 139 adult patients with unexplained osteoporosis and suspected SM.

Interhemispheric functional connectivity: an fMRI study in callosotomized patients.

Introduction: Functional connectivity (FC) is defined in terms of temporal correlations between physiological signals, which mainly depend upon structural (axonal) connectivity; it is commonly studied using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Interhemispheric FC appears mostly supported by the corpus callosum (CC), although several studies investigating this aspect have not provided conclusive evidence. In this context, patients in whom the CC was resected for therapeutic reasons (split-brain patients) provide a unique opportunity for research into this issue.

A neurophysiological profiling of the heartbeat-evoked potential in severe acquired brain injuries: A focus on unconsciousness.

Unconsciousness in severe acquired brain injury (sABI) patients occurs with different cognitive and neural profiles. Perturbational approaches, which enable the estimation of proxies for brain reorganization, have added a new avenue for investigating the non-behavioural diagnosis of consciousness. In this prospective observational study, we conducted a comparative analysis of the topological patterns of heartbeat-evoked potentials (HEP) between patients experiencing a prolonged disorder of consciousness (pDoC) and patients emerging from a minimally consciousness state (eMCS).

Sustained Effectiveness of Benralizumab in Naïve and Biologics-Experienced Severe Eosinophilic Asthma Patients: Results from the ANANKE Study.

Purpose: Severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) patients often present overlapping inflammatory features rendering them eligible for multiple biologic therapies; switching biologic treatment is a strategy adopted to optimize asthma control when patients show partial or no response to previous biologics.

Patients And Methods: ANANKE is a retrospective, multicenter Italian study (NCT04272463). Here, we outline the characteristics and long-term clinical outcomes in naïve-to-biologics and biologics-experienced patients treated with benralizumab for up to 96 weeks.