The Pivotal role of hysteroscopy in diagnosing subtle uterine lesions in infertile patients: Seeing the unseen can make the difference.

Background: Subtle uterine lesions are abnormal intracavitary conditions that, while not causing significant anatomical changes, can adversely impact fertility. Identifying these "subtle" lesions is challenging due to arbitrary interpretation, varied management strategies, unclear clinical significance, and insufficient clinician training in recognizing them. Hysteroscopy offers direct visualization and the capacity to obtain targeted biopsies, making it an invaluable tool for the diagnosis and treatment of these often overlooked conditions.

Increase of continuous treatments and regional citrate anticoagulation during renal replacement therapy in the ICUs of the North-West of Italy from 2007 to 2015.

Background: Few reports have addressed the change in renal replacement therapy (RRT) management in the Intensive care Units (ICUs) over the years in western countries. This study aims to assess the trend of dialytic practice in a 4.5-million population-based study of the northwest of Italy.

Acquired haemophilia A: Italian Consensus Recommendations on diagnosis, general management and treatment of bleeding.

Background: Acquired haemophilia A (AHA) is a rare bleeding disorder due to autoantibodies to coagulation factor VIII that may be secondary to autoimmune diseases, cancer, drugs, pregnancy, infections, or be idiopathic. Recurrent bleeding, often severe, mostly in muscles and soft tissues, and isolated prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), in the absence of personal and family history of bleeding, are typical features that should raise the suspicion of AHA. Poor awareness of the disease results in diagnostic delays and inappropriate treatment.

Overall survival of myelodysplastic syndrome patients after azacitidine discontinuation and applicability of the North American MDS Consortium scoring system in clinical practice.

Background: Azacitidine (AZA) is the standard treatment for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS); however, many patients prematurely stop therapy and have a dismal outcome.

Methods: The authors analyzed outcomes after AZA treatment for 402 MDS patients consecutively enrolled in the Italian MDS Registry of the Fondazione Italiana Sindromi Mielodisplastiche, and they evaluated the North American MDS Consortium scoring system in a clinical practice setting.

Results: At treatment discontinuation, 20.

Five-year results of the BEGEV salvage regimen in relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma.

The complete remission (CR) rate achieved with induction chemotherapy prior to autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) represents the strongest prognostic factor in relapsed/refractory (R/R) classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). By inducing a CR rate of 75%, the bendamustine, gemcitabine, vinorelbine (BEGEV) regimen represents an optimal chemotherapy regimen prior to ASCT. Presented here are the 5-year results of BEGEV followed by ASCT in R/R cHL.

Emergency management in patients with haemophilia A and inhibitors on prophylaxis with emicizumab: AICE practical guidance in collaboration with SIBioC, SIMEU, SIMEUP, SIPMeL and SISET.

Emicizumab has been approved in several countries for regular prophylaxis in patients with congenital haemophilia A and FVIII inhibitors because it substantially reduces their bleeding risk and improves quality of life. However, although significantly less frequent, some breakthrough bleeds may still occur while on emicizumab, requiring treatment with bypassing or other haemostatic agents. Thrombotic complications have been reported with the associated use of activated prothrombin complex concentrates.

Effects of different doses of erythropoietin in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes: A propensity score-matched analysis.

Background: Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents effectively improve the hemoglobin levels in a fraction of anemic patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Higher doses (HD) of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) have been proposed to overcome suboptimal response rates observed in MDS patients treated with lower "standard doses" (SD) of rhEPO. However, a direct comparison between the different doses of rhEPO is lacking.

Bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine combined with nonpegylated liposomal doxorubicin (MBVD) in elderly (≥70 years) or cardiopathic patients with Hodgkin lymphoma: a phase-II study from Fondazione Italiana Linfomi (FIL).

This phase-II study assessed activity and toxicity of substituting conventional doxorubicin with nonpegylated liposomal doxorubicin in the conventional ABVD regimen for the treatment of elderly or cardiopathic patients with HL. Stage I-IIA and IIB-IV patients were treated with three courses of MBVD plus radiotherapy, or six courses of MBVD, respectively, plus radiotherapy limited to bulky or residual disease areas. The primary endpoints were CR rate and the rate of cardiac events.

Platelet cut-off for anticoagulant therapy in thrombocytopenic patients with blood cancer and venous thromboembolism: an expert consensus.

Background: Management of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with haematologic malignancies and thrombocytopenia is clinically challenging due to the related risks. No prospective studies or clinical trials have been carried out and, therefore, no solid evidence on this compelling issue is available.

Methods: Given this, an expert panel endorsed by the Gruppo Italiano Malattie Ematologiche dell'Adulto Working Party on Thrombosis and Haemostasis was set up to produce a formal consensus, according to the RAND method, in order to issue clinical recommendations about the platelet (PLT) cut-off for safe administration of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) in thrombocytopenic (PLT <100×10/L) adult patients with haematologic malignancies affected by acute (<1 month) or non-acute VTE.

Conflict of interest among Italian medical oncologists: a national survey.

Objectives: To assess Italian medical oncologists' opinion on the implications of conflict of interest (COI) on medical education, care and research, and to evaluate their direct financial relationships.

Design: National cross-sectional survey conducted between March and April 2017 among Italian oncologists.

Setting: Online survey sponsored by the Italian College of Medical Oncology Chiefs through its website.

Current use and potential role of procalcitonin in the diagnostic work up and follow up of febrile neutropenia in hematological patients.

Febrile neutropenia (FN) represents a life-threatening complication in hematological malignancies. Its etiology is most often due to infections even though FN of other origins, such as tumor-related fever and non-infectious inflammation, should rapidly be ruled out. Initially, C-reactive protein and, more recently, procalcitonin (PCT) have been proposed as useful biomarkers for differential diagnosis.

Feasibility of allogeneic stem-cell transplantation after azacitidine bridge in higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes and low blast count acute myeloid leukemia: results of the BMT-AZA prospective study.

Background: Allogeneic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) is the only curative treatment in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Azacitidine (AZA) is increasingly used prior to HSCT, however in Europe it is only approved for patients who are not eligible for HSCT.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a phase II multicenter study to prospectively evaluate the feasibility of HSCT after treatment with AZA in 70 patients with a myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), 19 with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and 8 with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML).

Reprint of Standardisation and use of the alcohol biomarker carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT).

Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is a glycoform profile of serum transferrin that increases in response to sustained high alcohol intake and over the last decades has become an important alcohol biomarker with clinical and forensic applications. However, the wide range of CDT measurement procedures has resulted in lack of uniform results and reference limits, and hampered comparison of results. In 2005, the IFCC therefore founded a special working group (WG) aiming for standardisation of CDT measurement.

IFCC approved HPLC reference measurement procedure for the alcohol consumption biomarker carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT): Its validation and use.

Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is used as a biomarker of sustained high alcohol consumption. The currently available measurement procedures for CDT are based on various analytical techniques (HPLC, capillary electrophoresis, nephelometry), some differing in the definition of the analyte and using different reference intervals and cut-off values. The Working Group on Standardization of CDT (WG-CDT), initiated by the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC), has validated an HPLC candidate reference measurement procedure (cRMP) for CDT (% disialotransferrin to total transferrin based on peak areas), demonstrating that it is suitable as a reference measurement procedure (RMP) for CDT.

Bendamustine in Combination With Gemcitabine and Vinorelbine Is an Effective Regimen As Induction Chemotherapy Before Autologous Stem-Cell Transplantation for Relapsed or Refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma: Final Results of a Multicenter Phase II Study.

Purpose: This multicenter, open-label, phase II study evaluated the combination of bendamustine, gemcitabine, and vinorelbine (BeGEV) as induction therapy before autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) in patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (HL).

Patients And Methods: Patients with HL who were refractory to or had relapsed after one previous chemotherapy line were eligible. The primary end point was complete response (CR) rate after four cycles of therapy.

Standardisation and use of the alcohol biomarker carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT).

Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is a glycoform profile of serum transferrin that increases in response to sustained high alcohol intake and over the last decades has become an important alcohol biomarker with clinical and forensic applications. However, the wide range of CDT measurement procedures has resulted in lack of uniform results and reference limits, and hampered comparison of results. In 2005, the IFCC therefore founded a special working group (WG) aiming for standardisation of CDT measurement.

Feasibility and Acceptability of Office-Based Polypectomy With a 16F Mini-Resectoscope: A Multicenter Clinical Study.

Study Objective: To investigate the feasibility and acceptability of office hysteroscopic polypectomy using a novel continuous-flow operative 16F mini-resectoscope.

Design: Multicenter prospective case series (Canadian Task Force classification III).

Setting: "SS Antonio e Biagio" Hospital, Alessandria, and University "Federico II" of Naples.

Validation of WHO classification-based Prognostic Scoring System (WPSS) for myelodysplastic syndromes and comparison with the revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R). A study of the International Working Group for Prognosis in Myelodysplasia (IWG-PM).

A risk-adapted treatment strategy is mandatory for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). We refined the World Health Organization (WHO)-classification-based Prognostic Scoring System (WPSS) by determining the impact of the newer clinical and cytogenetic features, and we compared its prognostic power to that of the revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R). A population of 5326 untreated MDS was considered.

Harmonization of measurement results of the alcohol biomarker carbohydrate-deficient transferrin by use of the toolbox of technical procedures of the International Consortium for Harmonization of Clinical Laboratory Results.

Background: The need for equivalent results of routine measurement procedures for the alcohol biomarker carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) has been recognized by the IFCC. This article describes a project to harmonize CDT as conducted by an IFCC working group initiated for this purpose.

Methods: We used procedures for achieving harmonization as developed by the Consortium for Harmonization of Clinical Laboratory Results to assess the suitability of a candidate reference measurement procedure (cRMP), candidate reference materials (cRMs), and the success of efforts to achieve harmonization.