"Minimal-Advice" on Salt Intake: Results of a Multicentre Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial on Hypertensive Patients.

Introduction: A strong and well-known association exists between salt consumption, potassium intake, and cardiovascular diseases. MINISAL-SIIA results showed high salt and low potassium consumption in Italian hypertensive patients. In addition, a recent Italian survey showed that the degree of knowledge and behaviour about salt was directly interrelated, suggesting a key role of the educational approach.

Current role of ceftobiprole in the treatment of hospital-acquired and community-acquired pneumonia: Expert opinion based on literature and real-life experiences.

Introduction: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) are major global health challenges, with high morbidity and mortality rates. The increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria may diminish the effectiveness of standard empirical antibiotics, highlighting the need for broader-spectrum agents that target also MDR organisms.

Areas Covered: This review summarizes findings from a PubMed search on the use of ceftobiprole in CAP and HAP.

Clinical utility of myocardial work assessment in arterial hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.

In clinical practice, ventricular ejection fraction (EF) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) are the most often used parameters for evaluating left ventricular systolic function, despite the impact that variable loading conditions have. Alternatively, the myocardial efficiency (ME) of the heart, encompassing cardiac energy formation and dissipation, along with myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO2), is a useful surrogate for assessing myocardial work (MW), a parameter correlated with the pressure-strain loop (PSL), arterial pressure, and cardiac output (CO). This refinement proves especially practical in defining cardiac work across various clinical contexts, including arterial hypertension and heart failure (HF), the primary conditions associated with cardiovascular mortality.

Understanding retinal tau pathology through functional 2D and 3D iPSC-derived in vitro retinal models.

The generation of retinal models from human induced pluripotent stem cells holds significant potential for advancing our understanding of retinal development, neurodegeneration, and the in vitro modeling of neurodegenerative disorders. The retina, as an accessible part of the central nervous system, offers a unique window into these processes, making it invaluable for both study and early diagnosis. This study investigates the impact of the Frontotemporal Dementia-linked IVS 10 + 16 MAPT mutation on retinal development and function using 2D and 3D retinal models derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells.

Is the treatment of ankle osteoarthritis changing over time in Italy? Analysis of temporal trends for fusion and arthroplasty in a population-based study from 2001 to 2022 on the National Hospital Discharge Record database.

Background: Treatment of ankle osteoarthritis by total ankle replacement (TAR) is increasing worldwide. The aim of the study was to present the overall temporal trends of TAR throughout 22 years (2001-2022) in Italy, analyzing the distributions of hospitals by volume of activity and patients by age and sex, drawing on the National Hospital Discharge Record database. Furthermore, as a secondary aim, we compared these trends with those of ankle fusions.

Comparative effectiveness, safety and persistence of ocrelizumab versus natalizumab in multiple sclerosis: A real-world, multi-center, propensity score-matched study.

Ocrelizumab (OCR) and Natalizumab (NTZ) are highly effective treatments widely used in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). However, long-term, real-world comparative data on clinical effectiveness, safety and treatment persistence are limited. This retrospective analysis included relapsing and progressive MS patients initiating treatment at two Italian Universities ("La Sapienza" and "Federico II").

Expanding the chemical coverage of polar compounds in water analysis by coupling supercritical fluid with hydrophilic interaction chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry.

Background: Persistent and mobile organic compounds (PMOC) are of great concern for water quality and human health. The recent improvement and availability of high-resolution mass spectrometry in combination with liquid chromatography have widely expanded the potential of analytical workflows for their detection and quantitation in water. Given their high polarity, the detection of some PMOC requires alternative techniques to reversed-phase chromatography, such as hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) and supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC).

Long-term response mechanism of bacterial communities to chemical oxidation remediation in petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated groundwater.

The limited understanding of microbial response mechanism remains as a bottleneck to evaluate the long-term remediation effectiveness of in situ chemical oxidation in contaminated groundwater. In this study, we investigated long-term response of bacterial communities throughout five remediation stages of pre-oxidation, early-oxidation, late-oxidation, early-recovery and late-recovery. By analyzing bacterial biomass, taxa, diversity and metabolic functions, this work identified the consistently suppressed glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase pathway and the enrichment of naphthalene degradation pathways for secondary products, suggesting persistent oxidation stress and enhanced microbial utilization of lower-molecular weight carbon sources at the oxidation and early-recovery stages.

Development and validation of countertransference feeling and behavior awareness measures in an Italian and American clinician sample.

Objective: Countertransference (CT) has been shown to interfere with therapy goals, and its management is crucial to desired treatment outcomes. As a first step, a clinician's awareness of their covert and overt CT reactions is critical to successfully managing CT. Research on CT awareness is scarce, however, mainly because of difficulties in empirically investigating and measuring this construct.

Autologous Peripheral Blood-Derived Orthobiologics for the Management of Elbow Disorders: A Review of Current Clinical Evidence.

Introduction: Elbow ailments are common, but conventional treatment modalities have shortcomings, offering only interim pain relief rather than targeting the underlying pathophysiology. The last two decades have seen a marked increase in the use of autologous peripheral blood-derived orthobiologics (APBOs), such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP), to manage elbow disorders. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is the most widely used APBO, but its efficacy remains debatable.

Ejaculation-sparing enucleation of the prostate with Thulium: Yag laser (ES-ThuLEP) versus Thulium Fiber laser (ES-ThuFLEP): outcomes on sexual function.

Purpose: To compare the effect on sexual function of ejaculation-sparing enucleation of the prostate using Thulium: YAG laser (ES-ThuLEP) versus continuous-wave Thulium Fiber Laser (ES-ThuFLEP).

Methods: 112 patients with lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia who wished to preserve ejaculation were treated. 58 patients underwent ES-ThuLEP (Group A) using the Cyber TM generator.

Crystal structure and doping in synthetic enstatite: an analysis of Li/Fe-doped single-crystal samples.

A series of Li/Fe-doped enstatite crystals of composition MgLiFeSiO were synthesized and structurally characterized. Under the selected experimental conditions, we grew three crystals of Pbca orthopyroxene (OPX: x = 0.270-0.

The mCHEST Score for Incident Atrial Fibrillation: MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis).

Background: Assessing individuals' risk of developing incident atrial fibrillation (AF) is important for making preventive and screening strategies.

Objectives: The performance of the mCHEST score for predicting incident AF has scarcely been evaluated, especially in a multi-ethnic population.

Methods: Participants from the MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis were enrolled in the present study, which involved population of different ethnicities (Caucasian, African-American, Chinese-American, and Hispanic) aged between 45 and 84 from 6 communities in the United States.

The impact of preoperative venous thromboembolism on patients undergoing TURBT: Perioperative outcomes and healthcare costs from US insurance claims data.

Objectives: To assess the impact of a positive history of venous thromboembolism (VTE) on perioperative outcomes, including length of in-hospital stay, readmission rates, 90-day postoperative complications, and healthcare costs in bladder cancer (BCa) patients undergoing transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT) in the United States.

Patients And Methods: Patients aged ≥18 years with a BCa diagnosis undergoing TURBT were identified in the Merative® Marketscan® Research de-identified databases between 2007 and 2021. Multivariable logistic regression adjusted by relevant perioperative confounders was used to investigate the association between diagnosis of VTE before TURBT and 90-day complication rates, new postoperative VTE events, re-hospitalization, and total hospital expenditures (2021 US dollars).

PARP inhibitor-based treatment in metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC): A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: We present a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) with PARPi either as monotherapy or in combination with an androgen receptor-targeted agent (ARTA) in first- and second-line settings.

Methods: Primary endpoints are radiographic progression free survival (rPFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with mCRPC and either unselected, homologous recombination repair wild-type (HRR-), homologous recombination repair mutated (HRR+) or with BRCA1, BRCA2, or ATM mutation. The effect of PARPi + ARTA in the second-line setting is also explored.

Optimizing Prostate Cancer Surgery for Seniors: Single-Port Robotic-Assisted Platform.

The Da Vinci single-port (SP) platform is being used more frequently in radical prostatectomy (RP). In this study we aimed to compare the complications and oncological outcomes of the Da Vinci SP platform in robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (SP-RARP) between elderly and young age-groups and to further examine differences between young-old and old-old patients. Data from 193 patients who underwent SP-RARP between December 2018 and June 2024 were analyzed.

Sarcopenia As a Predictor of Survival and Complications of Patients With Cirrhosis After Liver Transplantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Introduction: This systematic review/meta-analysis evaluated the impact of sarcopenia in patients with cirrhosis before liver transplantation (LT) on outcomes after LT.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted in six medical databases until February 2022. The primary outcome was overall mortality after LT, while several secondary outcomes including liver graft survival and rejection, the need for transfusions, the length of the intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stay, and surgical complications were evaluated.

A DOF transcriptional repressor-gibberellin feedback loop plays a crucial role in modulating light-independent seed germination.

Plants evolved several strategies to cope with the ever-changing environment. One example of this is given by seed germination, which must occur when environmental conditions are suitable for plant life. In the model system Arabidopsis thaliana seed germination is induced by light; however in nature, seeds of several plant species can germinate regardless of this stimulus.