Pharmacological differences and switching among anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies: A narrative review.

Antibodies targeting either the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), such as galcanezumab, fremanezumab, and eptinezumab, or the receptor (erenumab) have been approved for the prevention of episodic and chronic migraine. Although widely used and generally effective, a proportion of patients discontinue treatment due to lack of efficacy. In both randomized controlled trials and observational studies, all anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have consistently demonstrated comparable efficacy and tolerability, suggesting a pharmacological class effect.

Incidence of hospital-acquired infections due to carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in critically ill patients in Italy: a multicentre prospective cohort study.

Background: Carbapenem-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria, including Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) and Carbapenem-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA), are common causes of infections in intensive care units (ICUs) in Italy.

Objective: This prospective observational study evaluated the epidemiology, management, microbiological characterization, and outcomes of hospital-acquired CRE or CRPA infections treated in selected ICUs in Italy.

Methods: The study included patients with hospital-acquired infections due to CRE and CRPA treated in 20 ICUs from June 2021 to February 2023.

Multi-institutional Knowledge-Based (KB) plan prediction benchmark models for whole breast irradiation.

Purpose: To train and validate KB prediction models by merging a large multi-institutional cohort of whole breast irradiation (WBI) plans using tangential fields.

Methods: Ten institutions (INST1-INST10, 1481 patients) developed their KB-institutional models for left/right WBI (ten models for right and eight models for left). The transferability of models among centers was assessed based on the overlap of the geometric Principal Component (PC1) of each model when applied to other institutions and/or on the presence of significantly different optimization policies.

Cardiac strangulation with chronic ab-extrinseco occlusion of the left-circumflex artery from an epicardial lead: a case report.

Background: Cardiac strangulation (CS) from epicardial pacing leads (EPLs) is a rare and potentially lethal mechanical complication associated with epicardial pacemaker (PM) implantation.

Case Summary: We report a case of a 44-year-old-female patient presenting with chest and left shoulder pain in the absence of reported trauma with history of congenital atrioventricular block treated with epicardial PM implantation during the childhood and subsequent transvenous reimplantation over the years. Troponin I resulted within normal values and ECG, transthoracic echocardiography and chest X-ray documented no acute cardiopulmonary findings.

Impact of particulate matter exposure on melanoma risk: A multicentre case-control study.

Background: The relationship between particulate matter (PM) exposure and melanoma risk remains largely unexplored. This study aims to investigate the association between PM10 and PM2.5 long-term exposure and melanoma risk.

Unfolded protein response: An essential element of intestinal homeostasis and a potential therapeutic target for inflammatory bowel disease.

Different physiological and pathological situations can produce alterations in the cell's endoplasmic reticulum (ER), leading to a condition known as ER stress, which can trigger an intricate intracellular signal transduction system known as the unfolded protein response (UPR). UPR is primarily tailored to restore proteostasis and ER equilibrium; otherwise, if ER stress persists, it can cause programmed cell death as a cytoprotective mechanism and drive inflammatory processes. Therefore, since intestinal cells strongly rely on UPR for their biological functions and unbalanced UPR has been linked to inflammatory, metabolic, and immune disorders, here we discussed the role of the UPR within the intestinal tract, focusing on the UPR contribution to inflammatory bowel disease development.

Chronic Endometritis and Endometriosis: Two Sides of the Same Coin?

Both chronic endometritis and endometriosis are common entities in infertile patients. The association and the co-existence of these two entities are poorly evaluated. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the association between chronic endometritis and endometriosis and to find the prevalence of chronic endometritis in women with endometriosis.

Trisomy 18 and the possibility of choice: The importance of Perinatal Hospice's support.

Trisomy 18 is a severe aneuploidy associated with multiple malformations and a poor prognosis. The diagnosis is typically made prenatally, leading to a high rate of pregnancy terminations. The aim of this study is to demonstrate that even though the prognosis is heterogeneous, prolonged survival is possible and these children are an enrichment for their families after all.

Functional alignment in robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty for valgus deformity achieves safe coronal alignment and excellent short-term outcomes.

Purpose: Functional alignment (FA) in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) prioritizes soft tissue balancing and anatomical restoration without systematic correction to neutral alignment. Most studies have focused on varus deformity, with little evidence available about FA in valgus deformity. The hypothesis of the present study was that FA in robotic-assisted TKA for valgus deformity would demonstrate correction of the coronal alignment and yield satisfactory short-term outcomes.

Environmental maternal exposures and the risk of premature birth and intrauterine growth restriction: The Generation Gemelli study protocol of newborn exposome.

Background: The study of women exposures and child outcomes occurring in the first 1,000 days of life since conception enhances understanding of the relationships between environmental factors, epigenetic changes, and disease development, extending beyond childhood and spanning the entire lifespan. Generation Gemelli is a recently launched case-control study that enrolls mother-newborns pairs in one of the largest university hospitals in Italy, in order to examine the association between maternal environmental exposures and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and the risk of premature birth. The study will also evaluate the association of maternal exposures and the health and growth of infants and children up to 24 months of age.

Why are we not exploring the potential of lower limb muscle power to identify people with sarcopenia?

Sarcopenia refers to a neuromuscular disease characterized by age-related declines in muscle mass and function. Since Professor Rosenberg first introduced the concept of sarcopenia in 1989, numerous operational paradigms have been proposed, tested, and validated against negative outcomes. The most recent recommendations advocate that dynapenia, or reduced of muscle strength, should be used alongside low muscle mass for the identification of sarcopenia.

Chimeric anterolateral thigh-vastus lateralis free flap with propeller skin island for functional quadriceps reconstruction.

Introduction: Soft-tissue sarcomas arising in the thigh may require total or subtotal compartmentectomy, with subsequent need for functional reconstruction with free functional muscle transfer (FFMT). We present our series, describing a new approach with chimeric propeller antero-lateral thigh-vastus lateralis (ALT-VL) free flap, which allows for independent muscle inset and soft tissue defect resurfacing.

Patient And Methods: A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database was performed, analyzing all patients referred to Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy, between 2018 and 2023 for soft-tissue sarcomas of the thigh requiring wide excision and reconstruction with functional ALT-VL.

Incidence and management of internal hernia after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass without preventive closure of mesenteric defects: a single-center retrospective study.

The rising prevalence of obesity has led to an increase in bariatric procedures, with laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) being one of the most commonly performed surgeries due to its efficacy and safety. However, internal hernia (IH) remains a significant complication post-LRYGB. The debate over preventive closure of mesenteric defects (MD) during LRYGB continues, with no consensus on the optimal technique.

Efficacy of Renuvion Helium Plasma to Improve the Appearance of Loose Skin in Patients Undergoing Abdominoplasty After Massive Weight Loss: A Prospective Controlled Randomized Study.

Introduction: Renuvion was the first FDA approved helium plasma device utilized for subdermal tissue heating to reduce skin laxity. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that the use of Renuvion improves the outcomes, skin quality and reduces the edema faster after lipoabdominoplasty.

Materials And Methods: Patients with abdominal skin laxity after a weight loss of at least 20 kg, nonsmokers, without major comorbidities, with a minimum 2-year follow-up and standardized pre- and postoperative photographs were included in this study.

A comprehensive RCT in screening, surveillance, and diagnostic AI-assisted colonoscopies (ACCENDO-Colo study).

Background And Aims: Adenoma detection rate (ADR) serves as a primary quality metric in colonoscopy. Various computer-aided detection (CADe) tools have emerged, yielding diverse impacts on ADR across different demographic cohorts. This study aims to evaluate a new CADe system in patients undergoing colonoscopy.

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Incidence in Scleroderma Patients Treated with Bosentan for Digital Ulcers: Evidence from the Italian SPRING Registry.

Objective: Bosentan (BOS) is approved for treating pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and preventing digital ulcers (DU) in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Our study aimed to evaluate whether BOS prescribed for DU could reduce the incidence of PAH in a large SSc cohort from the SPRING registry.

Methods: Patients with SSc from the SPRING registry, meeting ACR/EULAR 2013 classification criteria with data on PAH onset, DU status, BOS exposure, and at least a one-year follow-up between 2015 and 2020, and no known PAH at baseline were included.

Outcomes of mechanical thrombectomy for medium vessel occlusion in acute ischemic stroke patients with ASPECTS 4-5 vs. 6-7: a retrospective, multicenter, and multinational study.

Introduction: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) efficacy in medium vessel occlusion (MeVO) stroke, particularly in patients with low Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score (ASPECTS), remains less explored.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed data from 443 AIS patients treated with MT for MeVO and low ASPECTS (4-7) at 37 centers across North America, Asia, and Europe, from September 2017 to July 2021. Patients were categorized into ASPECTS of 4-5 and 6-7.

Bipolar vs. monopolar sealer in decreasing blood loss and transfusion rate in patients undergoing two-stage exchange in infected total knee arthroplasty: propensity score-matched study.

Background: Two-stage revision in infected total knee arthroplasty increases the risk of blood loss and the need for transfusion. The present study aimed to test the hemostatic efficacy of a bipolar sealer to reduce blood loss and transfusion requirements after the first stage in patients affected by peri-prosthetic knee infections.

Methods: Twenty-four patients undergoing 2-stage arthroplasty for infected TKA using a bipolar sealer (Haemodiss, Kylix, Naples, IT) were compared with 24 patients of a historical control group in which conventional electrocautery was used.

Impact of optimal secondary cytoreductive surgery on survival outcomes in women with recurrent endometrial carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Management of recurrent endometrial carcinoma (EC) represents a challenge. Although a complete resection of visible disease at secondary surgery (R0) is recommended, the impact of R0 on survival outcomes is unclear and pooled data are lacking.

Objective: To quantitatively assess the impact of R0 on survival outcomes in women with EC recurrence.