Outcome Measures of Open versus Minimally Invasive Surgery for Thoracolumbar Spinal Traumatic Fractures: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

To evaluate the efficacy of open and percutaneous pedicle screw fixation in the treatment of thoracolumbar fractures. Online databases MEDLINE (PubMed), SCOPUS, and Cochrane were searched for English language articles published between January 2001 and December 2023, limited to articles that included the clinical and radiological outcomes of adult patients. The main outcome measures of the study were the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) score, and the Cobb angle.

Right subclavian artery cannulation for aortic dissection surgery, without infraclavicular incision.

The choice of arterial cannulation strategy for acute type A dissection surgery remains a controversial  issue and a subject of great debate because of its impact on clinical outcomes. A review of retrospective studies shows that surgeons are tending to switch from a retrograde to an antegrade perfusion strategy. Innominate artery cannulation has a number of advantages when compared to other cannulation techniques; however when the vessel is dissected, the proximal right subclavian artery can be used for arterial return.

Risk of bleeding and thrombosis in inherited qualitative fibrinogen disorders.

Objectives: Inherited dysfibrinogenemia is a rare disorder, for which clinical studies related to the risk of bleeding or thrombosis and the type of causative mutation are scanty.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed the laboratory, clinical, and genotypic features of 50 patients with inherited dysfibrinogenemia belonging to 19 unrelated families.

Results: In all the index cases, fibrinogen activity by Clauss method was below the normal range, while it was observed in 57.

One-stage transmediastinal surgical approach for extensive aortic pathology.

"One-stage" transmediastinal replacement of the thoracic aorta provides an alternative treatment to single or multiple stage hybrid procedures for patients with ascending, arch, and descending thoracic aorta aneurysm. The patient is placed on bypass and cooled. During circulatory arrest, after surgical treatment of the aortic valve and root where appropriate, the entire ascending aorta is excised and the transverse arch is opened longitudinally.

The Economic Impact of Clinical Research in an Italian Public Hospital: The Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Case Study.

Background: The current economic constraints cause hospital management to use the available public resources as rationally as possible. At the same time, there is the necessity to improve current scientific knowledge. This is even more relevant in the case of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), given the severity of the disease, its dismal prognosis, and the cost of chemotherapy drugs.

New ultrasonic device for internal thoracic artery harvesting.

The internal thoracic artery skeletonization method typically involves careful dissection with electrocautery. However, skeletonization using harmonic technology is safer than the conventional method. Ultrasonic shears may be faster than traditional methods, and may optimize the quality of skeletonized grafts during harvesting, preserving their functional and structural conduit integrity, and facilitating harvesting of the bilateral internal thoracic artery.

An Integrated Model of Executive Functioning is Helpful for Understanding ADHD and Associated Disorders.

Objective: The aim of this study is to test the discriminative capacity of executive function (EF) tasks to better define the cognitive functioning of children with ADHD and comorbidities.

Method: One hundred four children were presented with a battery of new EF tasks and a rating scale filled out by parents.

Results: Preliminary analysis of the neuropsychological tasks revealed the presence of five factors: Speed of Processing, Inhibition, Planning, Execution, and Retrospective Memory.

Complex ovarian pregnancy.

Background: Ovarian pregnancy is a rare occurrence. Normally it ends spontaneously in the first trimester. However, it can turn into a life-threatening condition if it ruptures, leading to hemoperitoneum and hypovolemic shock.

Recurrent chromosome 6 abnormalities in malignant mesothelioma.

The long latency period between asbestos exposure and the onset of malignant mesothelioma (MM) suggests that a multistep tumorigenesis process occurs whilst the capability of asbestos fibres to interfere directly with chromosomes focuses on the critical role of the chromosomal abnormalities in this neoplasm. The aim of our study was to identify any recurrent chromosomal changes in ten primary MM cell cultures derived from pleural effusions of patients with MM from the same geographic area and environmental and/or occupational exposure to asbestos fibers. Cytogenetic analysis was performed in accordance with International System for Human Cytogenetic Nomenclature.