Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor for stem cell mobilisation in acute myocardial infarction: a randomised controlled trial.

Background: To determine whether granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) improves clinical outcomes after large ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) when administered early in patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction after successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods: STEM-AMI OUTCOME was designed as a prospective, multicentre, nationwide, randomised, open-label, phase III trial (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT01969890) to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of early G-CSF administration in reducing 2-year cardiac mortality and morbidity in patients with STEMI with LV ejection fraction ≤45% after PCI.

Recurrent pericarditis in older adults: Clinical and laboratory features and outcome.

Background: Current guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of pericarditis refer to the general adult population. Few and fragmentary data regarding recurrent pericarditis in older adults exist.

Objective Of The Study: Given the absence of specific data in scientific literature, we hypothesized that there might be clinical, laboratory and outcome differences between young adults and older adults affected by idiopathic recurrent pericarditis.

Gastrointestinal bleeding associated to aortic valve stenosis (Heyde's syndrome): a case series and literature review.

Background: The association among aortic valve stenosis, gastrointestinal bleeding, and anaemia due to arteriovenous malformations, known as Heyde's syndrome (HS), is poorly understood and controversial. Recently, acquired Type 2A von Willebrand syndrome (vWS 2A) was shown to be the most likely aetiological mechanism of anaemia.

Case Summary: We report two cases of HS in whom the percutaneous replacement of the aortic valve was resolutive for iron deficiency anaemia.

Chest CT opportunistic biomarkers for phenotyping high-risk COVID-19 patients: a retrospective multicentre study.

Objective: To assess the value of opportunistic biomarkers derived from chest CT performed at hospital admission of COVID-19 patients for the phenotypization of high-risk patients.

Methods: In this multicentre retrospective study, 1845 consecutive COVID-19 patients with chest CT performed within 72 h from hospital admission were analysed. Clinical and outcome data were collected by each center 30 and 80 days after hospital admission.

AI-SCoRE (artificial intelligence-SARS CoV2 risk evaluation): a fast, objective and fully automated platform to predict the outcome in COVID-19 patients.

Purpose: To develop and validate an effective and user-friendly AI platform based on a few unbiased clinical variables integrated with advanced CT automatic analysis for COVID-19 patients' risk stratification.

Material And Methods: In total, 1575 consecutive COVID-19 adults admitted to 16 hospitals during wave 1 (February 16-April 29, 2020), submitted to chest CT within 72 h from admission, were retrospectively enrolled. In total, 107 variables were initially collected; 64 extracted from CT.

Short-term lung function changes predict mortality in patients with fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis.

Background And Objective: A proportion of patients with fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (fHP) follow a progressive disease course despite immunosuppressive treatment. Little is known about predictors of mortality in fHP. We aimed to investigate the impact of short-term lung function changes in fHP on mortality.

Impact of clinical and subclinical coronary artery disease as assessed by coronary artery calcium in COVID-19.

Background And Aims: The potential impact of coronary atherosclerosis, as detected by coronary artery calcium, on clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients remains unsettled. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic impact of clinical and subclinical coronary artery disease (CAD), as assessed by coronary artery calcium score (CAC), in a large, unselected population of hospitalized COVID-19 patients undergoing non-gated chest computed tomography (CT) for clinical practice.

Methods: SARS-CoV 2 positive patients from the multicenter (16 Italian hospitals), retrospective observational SCORE COVID-19 (calcium score for COVID-19 Risk Evaluation) registry were stratified in three groups: (a) "clinical CAD" (prior revascularization history), (b) "subclinical CAD" (CAC >0), (c) "No CAD" (CAC = 0).

Coronary and total thoracic calcium scores predict mortality and provides pathophysiologic insights in COVID-19 patients.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread worldwide determining dramatic impacts on healthcare systems. Early identification of high-risk parameters is required in order to provide the best therapeutic approach. Coronary, thoracic aorta and aortic valve calcium can be measured from a non-gated chest computer tomography (CT) and are validated predictors of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality.

Outcomes of idiopathic chronic large pericardial effusion.

Objective: Aim of this paper is to evaluate the outcomes of 'idiopathic' chronic large pericardial effusions without initial evidence of pericarditis.

Methods: All consecutive cases of idiopathic chronic large pericardial effusions evaluated from 2000 to 2015 in three Italian tertiary referral centres for pericardial diseases were enrolled in a prospective cohort study. The term 'idiopathic' was applied to cases that performed a complete diagnostic evaluation to exclude a specific aetiology.

Evolution of the pericardiocentesis technique.

: Pericardiocentesis is a valuable technique for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade, although it may be associated with potentially serious complications. Through the years, many different imaging approaches have been described to reduce the complication rate of the procedure. This systematic review provides a focused overview of the different techniques developed in recent years to reduce the procedural complications and to increase the related success rate.

Safety, Efficacy, and Complications of Pericardiocentesis by Real-Time Echo-Monitored Procedure.

Pericardiocentesis is useful in the diagnosis and treatment of pericardial effusive disease. To date, a number of methods have been developed to reduce complications and increase the success rate of the procedure. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and the safety of echocardiography-guided pericardiocentesis under continuous echocardiographic monitoring in the management of pericardial effusion.

The role of early contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography in the aetiological diagnosis of patients presenting with cardiac tamponade or large pericardial effusion.

Aims: The role of chest computed tomography (CT) is not well defined for either diagnosis or management of pericardial disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the added value of early chest CT in the diagnostic workup for patients presenting with cardiac tamponade or large pericardial effusion of unknown aetiology as the first manifestation of disease.

Methods And Results: We performed CT scan on 55 patients with pericardial effusion as defined above, undergoing echo-guided pericardiocentesis.

Complexity analyses show two distinct types of nonlinear dynamics in short heart period variability recordings.

Two diverse complexity metrics quantifying time irreversibility and local prediction, in connection with a surrogate data approach, were utilized to detect nonlinear dynamics in short heart period (HP) variability series recorded in fetuses, as a function of the gestational period, and in healthy humans, as a function of the magnitude of the orthostatic challenge. The metrics indicated the presence of two distinct types of nonlinear HP dynamics characterized by diverse ranges of time scales. These findings stress the need to render more specific the analysis of nonlinear components of HP dynamics by accounting for different temporal scales.

Migraine prophylaxis: key points for the practising clinician.

Migraine is a significant burden on individuals and society. Patients with most severe forms require preventive treatments, whose aim is to reduce the frequency and severity of attacks and consequently the overall impact of migraine. Although various medications are available for migraine prophylaxis, only a minority of migraineurs receive these drugs.

Homocysteine plasma levels in patients with migraine with aura.

We investigated homocysteine plasma levels in 136 MA sufferers and in 117 sex-and age-matched controls. Mean homocysteine plasma levels - as well as the proportion of subjects with hyperhomocysteinaemia - were significantly higher in patients with MA than in healthy controls. Hyperhomocysteinaemia may be a link between MA and ischaemic stroke.

The role of the clinician in interpreting conventional neuroimaging findings in migraine patients.

Changes in cerebral white matter at CT or MRI have been reported in patients with migraine, especially in those with migraine with aura. Similar pictures may be present in asymptomatic subjects, and their nature is not completely understood, but their infarct-like nature is strongly suggested. Clinicians play an important role in the evaluation of those migraine patients in whom these nonspecific abnormalities are present.

Naratriptan in the short-term prophylaxis of pure menstrual migraine.

Menstrual migraines are particularly difficult-totreat. Few studies on the use of triptans in short-term prophylaxis of menstrually related migraine have been recently conducted, but evidences of triptans' efficacy in the specific case of pure menstrual migraine (PMM) are lacking. The aim of this study is to explore the efficacy and tolerability of naratriptan as short-term prophylaxis of pure menstrual migraine (PMM) attacks.

Early triptan intervention in migraine: an overview.

Although triptans are highly effective for the acute treatment of migraine, sustained pain-free rates--considered the optimal end-point--are in the range of 18%-27% for all triptans in clinical trials. A recently proposed strategy for treating migraine attacks is that triptans should be given early, when the pain is mild, rather than moderate or severe. Studies with different triptans have shown that early intervention can result in higher pain-free rates, together with reductions in rescue medication use and recurrence rates.

Coagulation abnormalities in migraine and ischaemic cerebrovascular disease: a link between migraine and ischaemic stroke?

Migraine, particularly migraine with aura, is a risk factor for ischaemic stroke. The mechanisms underlying this association are obscure. One hypothesis is that shared risk factors may be the cause of this association.

Neurobiology of chronic migraine.

Chronic daily headache (CDH) is an important problem for clinicians. It is frequent in tertiary care structures, although at present there is no clear consensus about definitions and operational criteria. In fact, CDH is a group of headache disorders that includes chronic migraine (CM).

Simultaneous independent lung ventilation in pediatric patients.

Current methods of ventilation do not allow adequate ventilation of the affected lungs in the presence of unilateral disease, e.g., unilateral atelectasis, diaphragmatic hernia, or lobar emphysema.

[The effects of administering surfactant to two adolescents with leukemia suffering from respiratory distress].

Two adolescents (12 years old, suffering from acute lymphoid leukaemia (LLA) and 16 years old with acute myeloid leukaemia (LMA)) were treated with porcine surfactant (Curosurf). The indication for this treatment was a severe Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) which appeared during leukaemia treatment. Pulmonary thrombo-embolism was suspected.

Follow-up on infants treated with porcine surfactant replacement for severe neonatal and infant respiratory distress syndrome: antigenic reactivity evaluation.

A follow-up was carried out on twenty-two children (thirteen of whom were newborn) who had been treated with porcine surfactant (Curosurf) for respiratory distress syndrome. All the infants were enrolled in the follow-up at different times after surfactant replacement to evaluate the clinical status and the incidence (if any) of respiratory disease, adverse drug effects and allergic conditions. Twelve of the twenty-two children treated completed the follow-up.