Retraction of: "Network meta-analysis: a new analysis tool of the experimental evidence".

The paper entitled "Network meta-analysis: a new analysis tool of the experimental evidence" by Renato De Vecchis et al., which was published in Minerva Medica 2019 Apr;110(2):173-5, has been retracted by the Publisher due to self-plagiarism. The originally published version of this article is available at https://doi.

Retraction of: "Ablation, rate or rhythm control strategies for patients with atrial fibrillation: how do they affect mid-term clinical outcomes?".

The paper entitled "Ablation, rate or rhythm control strategies for patients with atrial fibrillation: how do they affect mid-term clinical outcomes?" by Renato De Vecchis et al., which was published in Minerva Cardioangiologica 2019 August;67(4):272-9, has been retracted by the Publisher due to self-plagiarism.

Retraction of: "Authorship growth and self- citations: a scholarly expedient that demonstrates that the use of the metrics for career decisions generates malpractice and misbehavior?".

The paper entitled "Authorship growth and self- citations: a scholarly expedient that demonstrates that the use of the metrics for career decisions generates malpractice and misbehavior?" by Renato De Vecchis et al., which was published in Minerva Cardiology and Angiology 2021 October;69(5):619-20, has been retracted by the Publisher due to self-plagiarism.

Retraction of: "Antihypertensive effect of sacubitril/valsartan: a meta-analysis".

The paper entitled "Antihypertensive effect of sacubitril/valsartan: a meta-analysis" by Renato De Vecchis et al., which was published in Minerva Cardioangiologica 2019 June;67(3):214-22, has been retracted by the Publisher due to self-plagiarism.

Retraction of: "Sacubitril/valsartan improves left ventricular longitudinal deformation in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction".

The paper entitled "Sacubitril/valsartan improves left ventricular longitudinal deformation in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction" by Renato De Vecchis et al., which was published in Minerva Cardioangiologica 2019 December;67(6):456-63, has been retracted by the Publisher due to self-plagiarism.

A Case of Fatal Intestinal Infarct Preceded by Recurrent Ischaemic Colitis due to the Enterotoxic Effect of Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate.

Case Description: A 64-year-old patient with chronic renal failure and persistent hyperkalaemia not corrected by dialysis, was prescribed sodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS) at a low dose (30 g/day for 2 days a week during the long interdialytic interval). After 3 months of therapy, the patient developed intense abdominal pain with non-specific colitis identified with a colonoscopy. In addition, the biopsy specimens showed rhomboid SPS crystals in the intestinal mucosa.

Thyrotoxic dilated cardiomyopathy: personal experience and case collection from the literature.

Summary: The authors examine several reports of the literature concerning thyrotoxic dilated cardiomyopathy. In particular, it is pointed out that this clinical manifestation of hyperthyroidism is rare in readily diagnosed and properly treated hyperthyroidism. Case reports are analyzed comparatively.

Thrombocytopenia-Related Problems in Patients with Concomitant Atrial Fibrillation Requiring Antithrombotic Prevention: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Low-dose edoxaban and enoxaparin sodium have been the subject of a retrospective comparison implemented with the propensity score technique in order to mitigate the effects of the differences in the basal clinical features of two cohorts and minimize the risk of bias. Subsequently, using a Cox proportional-hazards model, the association of each type of therapy with the risk of the composite of all-cause death, stroke/transient ischemic attack, hospitalizations and major bleeding events was assessed. For this analysis, a p-value < 0.

A case series about the favorable effects of sacubitril/valsartan on anthracycline cardiomyopathy.

Anthracyclines are the cornerstone of treatment for many solid and hematological cancers such as breast cancer or lymphoma for the past 50 years. Nevertheless, in a non-negligible proportion of patients, they elicit dilated cardiomyopathy as a side effect, which causes in turn cardiac decompensation. Conversely, for some years, sacubitril/valsartan has been proposed as a new therapeutic paradigm for all varieties of heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, due to its balanced enhancement of natriuretic peptides' properties coupled with a blocking effect on the AT1 angiotensin receptors.

Upstream Therapy for Atrial Fibrillation Prevention: The Role of Sacubitril/Valsartan.

The therapy or prevention of atrial fibrillation (AF) is defined as upstream therapy when conducted with the use of drugs, e.g., angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), angiotensin receptor antagonists, statins, and omega-3 fatty acids, not included in the classes of antiarrhythmic drugs recognized by the Vaughan Williams classification.

Favorable Effects of Sacubitril/Valsartan on the Peak Atrial Longitudinal Strain in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure and a History of One or More Episodes of Atrial Fibrillation: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: The peak atrial longitudinal strain (PALS) is primarily an index of the reservoir function of atrial chambers. The conceptual basis exists to hypothesize that sacubitril/valsartan improves the expandability of atrial chambers in the reservoir phase of the atrial mechanical cycle, as a consequence of its effect of prolonging the half-life of natriuretic peptides. Therefore in this retrospective study we evaluated the repercussions of the administration of sacubitril/valsartan maintained for at least 12 months on the PALS.

Withdrawn: Health-related quality of life and unscheduled re-hospitalizations after coronary revascularization: significant predictive role of the MacNew questionnaire.

The paper entitled "Health-related Quality of Life and Unscheduled Re-Hospitalizations After Coronary Revascularization: Significant Predictive Role of the MacNew Questionnaire" by Renato De Vecchis et al, which was published online on February 20, 2020, has been withdrawn by the Publisher due to self-plagiarism.

Withdrawn: Effects of a restricted water intake on various clinical and laboratory outcomes in patients with heart failure: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

The paper entitled "Effects of a restricted water intake on various clinical and laboratory outcomes in patients with heart failure: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials" by Renato De Vecchis et al, which was published online on February 20, 2020, has been withdrawn by the Publisher due to self-plagiarism.

Atrial mechanical hypofunction after electrical cardioversion of persistent or long-lasting persistent atrial fibrillation: a retrospective cohort study.

In the present retrospective cohort study, we have evaluated the missed or delayed atrial mechanical recovery in a population of patients with persistent or long-lasting persistent AF who achieved restoration of sinus rhythm on the ECG by electrical cardioversion (ECV).  The endpoint of our   study was   the failure to recover the normal mechanics of the left atrium.  Inclusion criterion was the persistent or long-lasting persistent atrial fibrillation successfully treated by means of    ECV , provided that  a pertinent documentation  was made available, comprising ECG, conventional 2D echo-color-Doppler and   speckle tracking echocardiography(STE)  evaluation, with also a STE assessment  of the atria at the days 1, 30 and 90  from the ECV freely available within  the clinical record  of the patient.

Sacubitril/Valsartan Therapy for 14 Months Induces a Marked Improvement of Global Longitudinal Strain in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Clinical efficacy of sacubitril/valsartan administered for the recommended indication of chronic heart failure (CHF) patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) classes II-III appears to be higher than one would expect based on the drug-induced variations of the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). More thorough investigations with the use of indicators of longitudinal systolic function have been therefore recommended to verify whether a part of the clinical improvement achieved with the use of sacubitril/valsartan could be supported by a reverse remodeling ensuing from changes other than a simple LVEF increase.

Methods: In the present retrospective cohort study, which collected the pertinent data from two centers devoted to clinical management of outpatients with CHF and dating back to the years 2017 and 2018, we separated patients treated with sacubitril/valsartan from those treated with conventional medical therapy, including angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs).

Sacubitril/valsartan improves left ventricular longitudinal deformation in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction.

Background: Clinical efficacy of sacubitril/valsartan administered for the recommended indication of patients with reduced (<40%) left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF) belonging to NYHA classes II-III appears to be higher than that one would expect based on the drug-induced variations of the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). More thorough investigations with the use of indicators of longitudinal systolic function have been therefore recommended, to verify whether a part of the clinical improvement achieved with the use of sacubitril/valsartan might be supported by a reverse remodeling ensuing from changes other than a simple LVEF increase.

Methods: In the present retrospective cohort study, which collected the pertinent data from two centers devoted to clinical management of outpatients with CHF and dating back to the years 2017 and 2018, we separated patients treated with sacubitril/valsartan from those treated with conventional medical therapy, including ACE inhibitors (ACEi) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs).

Similar outcome of heart failure with reduced EF patients with and without atrial fibrillation: considerations from the ESC Heart Failure Long-Term Registry.

Recently, transcatheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) has been validated by international societal guidelines as a technique suitable for both treatment and secondary prevention of paroxysmal, persistent or long-lasting persistent AF in highly symptomatic patients in whom at least one antiarrhythmic drug had been tested.