Electrocardiographic Patterns and Arrhythmias in Cardiac Amyloidosis: From Diagnosis to Therapeutic Management-A Narrative Review.

Electrophysiological aspects of cardiac amyloidosis (CA) are still poorly explored compared to other aspects of the disease. However, electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities play an important role in CA diagnosis and prognosis and the management of arrhythmias is a crucial part of CA treatment. Low voltages and a pseudonecrosis pattern with poor R-wave progression in precordial leads are especially common findings.

'Puzzle' cutting guides for minimally invasive Le Fort I: technical note.

There has been substantial progress in orthognathic surgery over the last 20 years, propelled by developments in 3D technology. These have led to enhanced predictability and precision, and simplified surgical planning. This transformative shift has introduced patient-specific implants (PSI) and cutting guides as viable alternatives to conventional techniques, elevating the overall effectiveness of surgical procedures.

Development of a dry eye index as a new biomarker of dry eye disease.

Purpose: To evaluate signs and symptoms in patients diagnosed with dry eye disease (DED), divided into dry eye (DE) groups, in order to find a new biomarker that allows an accurate diagnosis, management and classification of DED.

Methods: This cross-sectional, observational study included 71 DED subjects. Subjective symptoms, visual quality and DE signs were assessed using the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), the Quality of Vision (QoV) questionnaire, best corrected distance visual acuity (VA), functional visual acuity (FVA), contrast sensitivity (CS), high- and low-order corneal aberrations (HOA and LOA, respectively), tear break-up time (TBUT), Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD), Schirmer test, corneal staining, lid wiper epitheliopathy (LWE) and meibography.

The Ablate-by-LAWT multicentre prospective study: Personalized paroxysmal atrial fibrillation ablation with ablation index adapted to local left atrial wall thickness.

Background: Personalized radiofrequency (RF) ablation for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF), adapting the ablation index (AI) to local left atrial wall thickness (LAWT), proved to be highly efficient maintaining high arrhythmia-free survival rates. However, multicentre data are lacking. This multicentre, prospective, non-randomized study was conducted at 5 tertiary hospitals and sought to assess the safety, efficacy, and reproducibility of the LAWT-guided ablation for PAF.

Personalized pulmonary vein isolation with very high-power short-duration lesions guided by left atrial wall thickness: the QDOT-by-LAWT randomized trial.

Aims: Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) using very high-power short-duration (vHPSD) radiofrequency (RF) ablation proved to be safe and effective. However, vHPSD applications result in shallower lesions that might not be always transmural. Multidetector computed tomography-derived left atrial wall thickness (LAWT) maps could enable a thickness-guided switching from vHPSD to the standard-power ablation mode.

Transcatheter options for atrial fibrillation treatment: an overview of the ablative techniques currently available and future perspectives.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in the adult population and catheter ablation has emerged as an important rhythm-control strategy and is the most common cardiac ablation procedure performed worldwide. The antiarrhythmic drugs have demonstrated moderate efficacy in long-term maintenance of sinus rhythm; moreover, they are often not tolerated and are associated with adverse events. Catheter ablation has proven to be effective in treating AF, although long-term outcomes have been significantly less favorable in persistent AF than in paroxysmal.

Seeing is believing: pathway strategies for a personalised non-invasive diagnosis of coronary artery disease.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) diagnosis requires a precise assessment of patient profile and disease extension. While non-invasive imaging modalities offer an in-depth evaluation of CAD through differential approaches, this is based primarily on detecting coronary plaques or inducible myocardial ischaemia, thus each offering only a partial outlook of this condition. The improvement in appropriately identifying CAD patients at risk of developing major adverse cardiovascular events and guiding treatment outcomes will require developing a personalised diagnostic strategy for a value-based application of current technologies.

Can the Evidence-Based Use of Probiotics (Notably Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG) Mitigate the Clinical Effects of Antibiotic-Associated Dysbiosis?

Dysbiosis corresponds to the disruption of a formerly stable, functionally complete microbiota. In the gut, this imbalance can lead to adverse health outcomes in both the short and long terms, with a potential increase in the lifetime risks of various noncommunicable diseases and disorders such as atopy (like asthma), inflammatory bowel disease, neurological disorders, and even behavioural and psychological disorders. Although antibiotics are highly effective in reducing morbidity and mortality in infectious diseases, antibiotic-associated diarrhoea is a common, non-negligible clinical sign of gut dysbiosis (and the only visible one).

Versican accumulation drives Nos2 induction and aortic disease in Marfan syndrome via Akt activation.

Thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection (TAAD) is a life-threatening condition associated with Marfan syndrome (MFS), a disease caused by fibrillin-1 gene mutations. While various conditions causing TAAD exhibit aortic accumulation of the proteoglycans versican (Vcan) and aggrecan (Acan), it is unclear whether these ECM proteins are involved in aortic disease. Here, we find that Vcan, but not Acan, accumulated in Fbn1 aortas, a mouse model of MFS.

Twenty-five years of research in cardiac imaging in electrophysiology procedures for atrial and ventricular arrhythmias.

Catheter ablation is nowadays considered the treatment of choice for numerous cardiac arrhythmias in different clinical scenarios. Fluoroscopy has traditionally been the primary imaging modality for catheter ablation, providing real-time visualization of catheter navigation. However, its limitations, such as inadequate soft tissue visualization and exposure to ionizing radiation, have prompted the integration of alternative imaging modalities.

Bayesian analysis of the Substrate Ablation vs. Antiarrhythmic Drug Therapy for Symptomatic Ventricular Tachycardia trial.

Background And Aims: Bayesian analyses can provide additional insights into the results of clinical trials, aiding in the decision-making process. We analysed the Substrate Ablation vs. Antiarrhythmic Drug Therapy for Symptomatic Ventricular Tachycardia (SURVIVE-VT) trial using Bayesian survival models.

Accuracy of Orthognathic Surgical Planning using Three-dimensional Virtual Techniques compared with Conventional Two-dimensional Techniques: a Systematic Review.

Objectives: The objective was to assess the accuracy of orthognathic surgical planning using three-dimensional virtual planning compared with conventional two-dimensional planning.

Material And Methods: MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase and Cochrane Library search combined with hand-search of relevant journals was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in English through August 2, 2022. Primary outcomes included postsurgical accuracy of hard and soft tissue.

Personalized pulmonary vein antrum isolation guided by left atrial wall thickness for persistent atrial fibrillation.

Aims: Pulmonary vein (PV) antrum isolation proved to be effective for treating persistent atrial fibrillation (PeAF). We sought to investigate the results of a personalized approach aimed at adapting the ablation index (AI) to the local left atrial wall thickness (LAWT) in a cohort of consecutive patients with PeAF.

Methods And Results: Consecutive patients referred for PeAF first ablation were prospectively enrolled.

Fat grafting in patients with cleft lip and palate: A systematic review.

This systematic review aims to compare different fat-grafting techniques for cleft lip and palate repair. A search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, gray literature and reference lists of selected articles. A total of 25 articles were included, 12 on closure of palatal fistula and 13 on cleft lip repair.

A hybrid clinical and electrocardiographic score to predict the origin of outflow tract ventricular arrhythmias.

Background: To predict the outflow tract ventricular arrhythmias (OTVA) site of origin (SOO) before the ablation procedure has important practical implications. The present study sought to prospectively evaluate the accuracy of a clinical and electrocardiographic hybrid algorithm (HA) for the prediction of OTVAs-SOO, and at the same time to develop and to prospectively validate a new score with improved discriminatory capacity.

Methods: In this multicenter study, we prospectively enrolled consecutive patients referred for OTVA ablation (N = 202), and we divided them in a derivation sample and a validation cohort.

Preventive substrate ablation in chronic post-myocardial infarction patients with high-risk scar characteristics for ventricular arrhythmias: rationale and design of PREVENT-VT study.

Background: Recent studies showed that an early strategy for ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation resulted in reduction of VT episodes or mortality. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR)-derived border zone channel (BZC) mass has proved to be a strong non-invasive predictor of VT in post-myocardial infarction (MI). CMR-guided VT substrate ablation proved to be safe and effective for reducing sudden cardiac death (SCD) and VA occurrence.