Predictive value of TG/HDL-C and GFR-adjusted uric acid levels on cardiovascular mortality: the URRAH study.

Background: Insulin resistance (IR) and serum uric acid (SUA) are closely interconnected: SUA contributes to adversely affects the insulin signaling pathway and contributes to IR, while IR is a known predictor for the development of hyperuricemia. The triglyceride (TG) to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio has been proposed as an easily obtainable marker for IR. This research aimed to investigate the interaction between IR and glomerular filtration rate (GFR)-adjusted uricemia (SUA/GFR ratio) in determining CV risk in a large population cohort study.

Exploring specific alterations at the explicit and perceptual levels in sense of ownership, agency, and body schema in Functional Motor Disorder: A pilot comparative study with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Functional Motor Disorders (FMD) consists in symptoms of altered motor function not attributable to typical neurological and medical conditions. This study aimed to explore explicit and perceptual measures of Sense of Ownership, Agency, and Body Schema in FMD patients, and assess whether these alterations are specific to FMD or shared with other functional disturbances. Twelve FMD patients, ten with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS, a functional gastrointestinal disorder) and fifteen healthy controls (HC) underwent: (i) the Mirror Box Illusion (MBI), requiring participants to perform tapping movements with their dominant hand concealed from sight, while visual feedback was provided by an alien hand under visuo-motor congruency or incongruency conditions; (ii) a Forearm Bisection Task before and after exposure to the MBI, and the Embodiment Questionnaire after the MBI, as perceptual and explicit indices of the embodiment illusion, respectively.

Predictors of COVID-19 Readmission Among Patients Previously Hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2.

Introduction: Predictors of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related rehospitalization remain underexplored. This study aims to identify the main risk factors associated with rehospitalizations due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) reinfections among residents of Lombardy, northern Italy.

Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted using two linked administrative databases covering demographic data, comorbidities, hospital records, and COVID-19 data of Lombardy residents.

Body image distress and disordered eating among gay and straight men from Greece and Cyprus.

Sociocultural factors play a significant role in the development of body image distress and disordered eating behavior in diverse populations, including men. One group which seems to be at increased risk, is sexual minority men. However, these factors have rarely been studied outside of Western populations.

Unlocking Platelet Mechanisms through Multi-Omics Integration: A Brief Review.

Platelets, tiny cell fragments measuring 2-4 μm in diameter without a nucleus, play a crucial role in blood clotting and maintaining vascular integrity. Abnormalities in platelets, whether genetic or acquired, are linked to bleeding disorders, increased risk of blood clots, and cardiovascular diseases. Advanced proteomic techniques offer profound insights into the roles of platelets in hemostasis and their involvement in processes such as inflammation, metastasis, and thrombosis.

Chronic Gastrointestinal Disorders and miRNA-Associated Disease: An Up-to-Date.

Chronic gastrointestinal disorders such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) impose significant health burdens globally. IBDs, encompassing Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, are multifactorial disorders characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. On the other hand, IBS is one of the principal gastrointestinal tract functional disorders and is characterized by abdominal pain and altered bowel habits.

Resolving the Nanostructure of Carbon Nitride-Supported Single-Atom Catalysts.

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) are gathering significant attention in chemistry due to their unique properties, offering uniform active site distribution and enhanced selectivity. However, their precise structure often remains unclear, with multiple models proposed in the literature. Understanding the coordination environment of the active site at the atomic level is crucial for explaining catalytic activity.

Silicon Drift Detectors for the Measurement and Reconstruction of Beta Spectra.

The ASPECT-BET project, or An sdd-SPECTrometer for BETa decay studies, aims to develop a novel technique for the precise measurement of forbidden beta spectra in the 10 keV-1 MeV range. This technique employs a Silicon Drift Detector (SDD) as the main spectrometer with the option of a veto system to reject events exhibiting only partial energy deposition in the SDD. A precise understanding of the spectrometer's response to electrons is crucial for accurately reconstructing the theoretical shape of the beta spectrum.

How Tumors Affect Hemodynamics: A Diffusion Study on the Zebrafish Transplantable Model of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma by Selective Plane Illumination Microscopy.

Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), a rare neuroendocrine tumor comprising 3-5% of thyroid cancers, arises from calcitonin-producing parafollicular C cells. Despite aggressive behavior, surgery remains the primary curative treatment, with limited efficacy reported for radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Recent efforts have explored the pathogenetic mechanisms of MTC, identifying it as a highly vascularized neoplasm overexpressing pro-angiogenic factors.

A Machine Learning Model Based on MRI Radiomics to Predict Response to Chemoradiation Among Patients with Rectal Cancer.

Background: With rectum-sparing protocols becoming more common for rectal cancer treatment, this study aimed to predict the pathological complete response (pCR) to preoperative chemoradiotherapy (pCRT) in rectal cancer patients using pre-treatment MRI and a radiomics-based machine learning approach.

Methods: We divided MRI-data from 102 patients into a training cohort ( = 72) and a validation cohort ( = 30). In the training cohort, 52 patients were classified as non-responders and 20 as pCR based on histological results from total mesorectal excision.

Radiolabeled HER2-targeted molecular probes in breast cancer imaging: current knowledge and future prospective.

Breast cancer is the most frequent non-dermatologic malignancy in women. Breast cancer is characterized by the expression of the human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2), and the presence or lack of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) expression. HER2 overexpression is reported in about 20 to 25% of breast cancer patients, which is usually linked to cancer progression, metastases, and poor survival.

A roadmap for improving data quality through standards for collaborative intelligence in human-robot applications.

Collaborative intelligence (CI) involves human-machine interactions and is deemed safety-critical because their reliable interactions are crucial in preventing severe injuries and environmental damage. As these applications become increasingly data-driven, the reliability of CI applications depends on the quality of data, shaping the system's ability to interpret and respond in diverse and often unpredictable environments. In this regard, it is important to adhere to data quality standards and guidelines, thus facilitating the advancement of these collaborative systems in industry.

Perioperative Management and Outcomes of Pediatric Craniosynostosis Patients Undergoing Cranioplasty: A Retrospective Analysis.

Cranioplasty is a major surgical procedure typically performed in children under 1 year of age, often associated with significant complications. The scientific literature on perioperative management for children with craniosynostosis undergoing cranioplasty is limited. The authors' objective was to retrospectively evaluate the management, complication rates, and outcomes among children undergoing cranioplasty at our institution.

[Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists in heart failure with preserved/mildly reduced ejection fraction: from TOPCAT to FINEARTS-HF].

Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) represent one of the cornerstones of treatment for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Post-hoc data from the TOPCAT trial, conducted in patients with heart failure mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction (HFmrEF/HFpEF), suggest the possible clinical benefit of MRAs, particularly for slightly reduced ejection fraction values. The advent of non-steroidal MRAs, including finerenone, seems to represent a turning point in the treatment for HFmrEF/HFpEF.

Exploring the Versatility of Spiking Neural Networks: Applications Across Diverse Scenarios.

In the last few decades, Artificial Neural Networks have become more and more important, evolving into a powerful tool to implement learning algorithms. Spiking neural networks represent the third generation of Artificial Neural Networks; they have earned growing significance due to their remarkable achievements in pattern recognition, finding extensive utility across diverse domains such as e.g.

GRADE-based procalcitonin guideline for emergency departments.

Procalcitonin is a useful biomarker for infection. Over the past two decades, there has been much research on the clinical applications of procalcitonin, yet the majority of these studies have been conducted in the intensive care setting. Despite the extensive use of procalcitonin in emergency departments, there have been no guidelines focusing specifically on these clinical settings.

An open-label, randomized phase III study of early switch maintenance vs delayed second-line nivolumab in advanced stage squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients after standard first-line platinum-based chemotherapy-EDEN trial GOIRC 04-2016.

Background: As for squamous (Sq)-NSCLC, Checkmate-017 trial showed a significant overall survival (OS) improvement in favor of Nivolumab (Nivo) over Docetaxel in 2nd-line. We hypothesized that anticipating Nivo use, as early switch maintenance after 1st-line chemotherapy (CHT), might have improved survival as compared to delayed 2nd-line treatment.

Methods: EDEN was an open-label, 2-arm, phase III study which randomized (1:1) stage IIIB/IV Sq-NSCLC pts non-progressive after 1st-line platinum-based CHT, to receive early Nivo as switch maintenance (Arm A) or standard best supportive care followed by 2nd-line Nivo at disease progression (Arm B).

A GIMEMA survey on therapeutic use and response rates of FLT3 inhibitors in acute myeloid leukemia: Insights from Italian real-world practice.

Given the limited data on the real-life therapeutic use of feline McDonough sarcoma (FMS)-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) inhibitors in Italy, we surveyed investigators at 59 Italian hematology centers to gain insight into the proportion of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients receiving FLT3 inhibitors and we collected data on the efficacy and safety of these agents. The survey results showed that in the real-life setting the response rate of the 3/7 + midostaurin regimen in newly diagnosed FLT3-mutated AML and of gilteritinib in the relapsed/refractory AML were comparable to that reported in the registrative clinical trials. The 3/7 + midostaurin treatment resulted in a 63% of complete remission (CR) rates and gilteritinib in a 44% of CR rates.

Comparing medication persistence with oral and subcutaneous semaglutide in a real-world setting.

Aims: To compare medication persistence and efficacy of oral and subcutaneous semaglutide, in a real-world setting.

Materials And Methods: This is a single-center, retrospective observational cohort study. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) starting treatment with either formulation of semaglutide between January 1 2019 and July 31 2023 and with at least one follow-up visit were included.

Faricimab versus the standard of care for neovascular age-related macular degeneration in Italy: an indirect treatment comparison.

Objectives: To assess through an indirect treatment comparison (ITC) the potential benefit of faricimab over the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) real-life scenario, hereby defined standard of care (SoC), in Italy, that is, aflibercept, bevacizumab, and ranibizumab, in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) naïve to any anti-VEGF treatment.

Methods: Individual patient-level data from the phase III clinical trials TENAYA and LUCERNE (faricimab cohort) and the real-world study RADIANCE (RADIANCE cohort) were used. Efficacy was evaluated with changes in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central subfield thickness (CST) from baseline to 1 year (week 52 in the RADIANCE and week 48 in the faricimab cohorts, respectively).

Size-Dependent Multiexciton Dynamics Governs Scintillation From Perovskite Quantum Dots.

The recent emergence of quantum-confined nanomaterials in the field of radiation detection, in particular lead halide perovskite nanocrystals, offers scalability and performance advantages over conventional materials. This development raises fundamental questions about the mechanism of scintillation itself at the nanoscale and the role of particle size, arguably the most defining parameter of quantum dots. Understanding this is crucial for the design and optimization of future nanotechnology scintillators.

Polarized Semi-Inclusive Deep-Inelastic Scattering at Next-to-Next-to-Leading Order in QCD.

Semi-inclusive hadron production in longitudinally polarized deep-inelastic lepton-nucleon scattering is a powerful tool for resolving the quark flavor decomposition of the proton's spin structure. We present the full next-to-next-to-leading order QCD corrections to the coefficient functions of polarized semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering (SIDIS) in analytical form, enabling the use of SIDIS measurements in precision studies of the proton spin structure. The numerical impact of these corrections is illustrated by a comparison with data of polarized single-inclusive hadron spectra from the DESY HERMES and CERN COMPASS experiments.

Feasibility and effectiveness of the prolonged use of eltrombopag in addition to immunosuppression in patients with acquired aplastic anemia: a single-center real-life experience.

Acquired Aplastic Anemia (AAA) is a rare disease involving primary bone marrow failure with consequent pancytopenia. The addition of the synthetic thrombopoietin-receptor agonist eltrombopag (ELT) to standard immunosuppression for the treatment of AAA has led to improvements in hemopoietic outcomes of AAA. Most of the data on the use of ELT for AAA was based on a maximum of 6 months of therapy.

Prognostic value of magnetic resonance enterography for children with Crohn's disease: A multicenter, multireader study.

Background: Paediatric Inflammatory Crohn's MRE Index (PICMI) is a multi-point index of intestinal inflammation (mucosal and transmural) for children with CD. The present study aims to assess whether PICMI at diagnosis may predict the course of CD and to test the inter-reader agreement.

Methods: CD children with a ≥ 1-year follow-up were retrospectively enrolled.

The Italian Perinatal Surveillance System SPItOSS: insights from Confidential Enquiries.

Background: An effective strategy to reduce perinatal mortality requires an active surveillance system. This includes monitoring cases, organizing multidisciplinary local audits, conducting Confidential Enquiries, identifying avoidable factors, and facilitating changes in the healthcare system. In 2017, the Italian Obstetric Surveillance System launched the SPItOSS pilot Perinatal Surveillance System.