Pericardiectomy for constrictive pericarditis: a risk factor analysis for early and late failure.

Predictors of early and late failure of pericardiectomy for constrictive pericarditis (CP) have not been established. Early and late outcomes of a cumulative series of 81 (mean age 60 years; mean EuroSCORE II, 3.3%) consecutive patients from three European cardiac surgery centers were reviewed.

Cortical modulation of pupillary function: systematic review.

Background: The pupillary light reflex is the main mechanism that regulates the pupillary diameter; it is controlled by the autonomic system and mediated by subcortical pathways. In addition, cognitive and emotional processes influence pupillary function due to input from cortical innervation, but the exact circuits remain poorly understood. We performed a systematic review to evaluate the mechanisms behind pupillary changes associated with cognitive efforts and processing of emotions and to investigate the cerebral areas involved in cortical modulation of the pupillary light reflex.

Congenital emphysematous lung disease associated with a novel Filamin A mutation. Case report and literature review.

Background: Progressive lung involvement in Filamin A (FLNA)-related cerebral periventricular nodular heterotopia (PVNH) has been reported in a limited number of cases.

Case Presentation: We report a new pathogenic FLNA gene variant (c.7391_7403del; p.

2019 update of the WSES guidelines for management of () infection in surgical patients.

In the last three decades, infection (CDI) has increased in incidence and severity in many countries worldwide. The increase in CDI incidence has been particularly apparent among surgical patients. Therefore, prevention of CDI and optimization of management in the surgical patient are paramount.

Using surgical risk scores in nonsurgically treated infective endocarditis patients.

Background: The accuracy of surgical scores in predicting in-hospital mortality for nonsurgically treated patients with infective endocarditis (IE) has not yet been explored.

Methods: Patients with definite IE who did not undergo valve surgery were selected from the database of seven French administrative areas (Association pour l'Étude et la Prévention de l'Endocardite Infectieuse [AEPEI] Registry, 2008). The patients were scored using (a) six systems specifically devised to predict in-hospital mortality after surgery for IE, (b) three commonly used risk scores for heart surgery, and (c) a risk score for predicting six-month mortality in IE after either surgery or medical therapy.

Predictive models of surgical site infections after coronary surgery: insights from a validation study on 7090 consecutive patients.

Background: The role of specific scoring systems in predicting risk of surgical site infections (SSIs) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has not been established.

Aim: To validate the most relevant predictive systems for SSIs after CABG.

Methods: Five predictive systems (eight models) for SSIs after CABG were evaluated retrospectively in 7090 consecutive patients undergoing isolated (73.

Clinical Validation of a Coronary Surgery Technique That Minimizes Aortic Manipulation.

Background: To minimize aortic manipulation and maximize use of arterial conduits are aims of modern coronary surgery.

Methods: From March 2012 to October 2016, 890 consecutive patients with multivessel coronary disease underwent isolated coronary operations using both internal thoracic arteries (ITAs). In 205 (23%; mean age, 67.

Routine use of bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting in women does not increase in-hospital mortality and could improve long-term survival.

Background: Bilateral internal thoracic artery (BITA) grafting is underused in women.

Methods: Outcomes of 798 consecutive women with multivessel coronary disease who underwent isolated coronary surgery (1999-2016) using BITA (n=530, 66.4%) or single internal thoracic artery (SITA) grafting (n=268, 33.

Delirium after cardiac surgery. Incidence, phenotypes, predisposing and precipitating risk factors, and effects.

Background: In cardiac surgical patients little is known about different phenotypes of delirium and how the symptoms fluctuate over time.

Objectives: Evaluate risk factors, incidence, fluctuations, phenotypic characteristics and impact on patients' outcomes of delirium.

Methods: Prospective longitudinal study.

Total body irradiation and iron chelation treatment are associated with pancreatic injury following pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Whereas many studies have addressed the risk of organ dysfunction following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), little is known about pancreatic susceptibility in this setting. We aimed to investigate the effect of iron overload (IO) and total body irradiation (TBI) on pancreatic function of children undergoing HSCT. We retrospectively evaluated children admitted between 2012-2016 fulfilling the following criteria: normal pancreatic iron concentration (PIC), regular pancreatic function before HSCT, availability of abdominal magnetic resonance imaging with gradient-recalled-echo sequences and a full set of biochemical markers of IO and pancreatic function performed before HSCT and at discharge.

Identifying reliable predictors of protein-energy malnutrition in hospitalized frail older adults: A prospective longitudinal study.

Background: Decreased food intake is a risk factor for relevant complications (e.g. infections, pressure ulcers), longer hospital stays, higher readmission rates, greater health care costs and increased patient mortality, particularly in frail hospitalized older adults who are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition.

Early and Late Survival of On-Pump Cardiac Surgery Patients Formerly Affected by Lymphoma.

Background: Survival after cardiac surgery of patients formerly affected by lymphoma has not been well defined.

Methods: Forty-five consecutive patients having prior Hodgkin's (HL patients, n=26) or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (non-HL patients, n=19) underwent on-pump cardiac surgery at the authors' institution (2001-2016). Ischaemic, valvular, and ischaemic plus valvular heart disease were present in 14, 13, and 18 patients, respectively.

Surgical anatomy of the right gastro-omental artery: a study on 100 cadaver dissections.

Purpose: The gastro-omental artery (GOA) with the greater omentum (GO) is known for its high quality as a vascular graft, its resistance to infections as an omental flap and for its multiple applications in surgery. A better knowledge of anatomical variations of GO and its vascularization can improve the application in surgery and decrease complications. The purpose of this study was to measure diameters and lengths of the right GOA (RGOA) and study the interindividual variability of these anatomical structures.

Outcome of laparoscopic gastric bypass in obese and diabetic patients: when surgery fails.

Background: The beneficial effects of bariatric surgery on diabetes and obesity have been widely demonstrated in the literature. The aim of our study was to evaluate the rate of failure of laparoscopic gastric bypass both in terms of weight loss and metabolic remission after one follow-up year.

Methods: A longitudinal, multicenter prospective study was carried out on 771 patients affected by pathological obesity.

Risk factors for hypoglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes, hospitalized in internal medicine wards: Findings from the FADOI-DIAMOND study.

Aims: Hypoglycemia is a potential risk in the management of patients suffering from type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and hospitalized in internal medicine units (IMUs). The aim of this analysis was to evaluate incidence of hypoglycemia and related risk factors in a group of patients admitted to IMUs.

Methods: We used the FADOI-DIAMOND study carried out in 53 Italian IMUs.

A method for reproducible measurements of serum BDNF: comparison of the performance of six commercial assays.

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) has attracted increasing interest as potential biomarker to support the diagnosis or monitor the efficacy of therapies in brain disorders. Circulating BDNF can be measured in serum, plasma or whole blood. However, the use of BDNF as biomarker is limited by the poor reproducibility of results, likely due to the variety of methods used for sample collection and BDNF analysis.

Incidental finding of monoclonal gammopathy in blood donors: a follow-up study.

Background: The incidental finding of monoclonal immunoglobulin in the sera of healthy blood donors is a relatively frequent event and in such cases the subjects are commonly deferred permanently from donating blood. However, no follow-up studies of these cases have been published so far.

Materials And Methods: Since 2000, all regular blood donors at Trieste Blood Bank have undergone annual screening by serum protein electrophoresis.

Orbito-cranial injuries caused by penetrating non-missile foreign bodies. Experience with eighteen patients.

Background: Penetrating non-missile orbito-cranial injuries are uncommon civilian injuries which have some special features. Only limited case-reports are available in the international literature.

Method: We present a retrospective review of 18 such in presumed trivial orbital injury.

Cervicothoracolumbar pneumorachis. Case report and review of the literature.

Background: Pneumorachis is a very rare entity to occur after a major trauma. It is even rarer when its occurrence is not associated with injuries in the skull base, chest, abdomen, pelvis, or spine. Pneumorachis extending through the entire spinal canal has never been reported.