Ultrasound, contrast-enhanced ultrasound and pyelonephritis: A narrative review.

Acute pyelonephritis (APN) is a bacterial infection resulting in kidney inflammation, typically arising as a complication of an ascending urinary tract infection that ascends from the bladder to the kidneys. Clinical diagnosis is generally based on clinical and laboratory findings. Recent guidelines recommend not performing diagnostic imaging unless a complicated APN is suspected or the infection affects high-risk patients such as the elderly, immunocompromised individuals, or diabetics.

CO Angiography in the Standard and Complex Endovascular Repair of the Abdominal Aorta-A Narrative Review of the Literature.

: Carbon dioxide digital-subtraction angiography (CO-DSA) is an increasingly adopted technique in endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) and fenestrated/branched EVAR (F/B-EVAR); it is used to reduce the amount of iodinate contrast medium (ICM) and prevent postoperative renal function worsening (PO-RFW). Our aim is to report results from the literature on EVAR and F/B-EVAR procedures using CO-DSA, together with wider applications in aortic endovascular treatment. : We performed a literature review by searching electronic databases for published data on CO-DSA during EVAR and F/B-EVAR procedures.

Endograft Thrombosis as an Indication for Open Conversion after Endovascular Aneurysm Repair in a Multicenter Experience over 25 Years.

Background: To describe the outcomes of aortic endograft thrombosis (AET) as an indication for open conversion (OC) after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) in a multicenter experience.

Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed cases of OC for AET following EVAR across 12 Italian Vascular Surgery centers from 1997 to September 2022. The end points were as follows: 30-day mortality and major postoperative complications.

Recommendations for cardiovascular magnetic resonance and computed tomography in congenital heart disease: a consensus paper from the CMR/CCT Working Group of the Italian Society of Pediatric Cardiology and the Italian College of Cardiac Radiology endorsed by the Italian Society of Medical and Interventional Radiology (Part II).

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) and computed tomography (CCT) are advanced imaging modalities that recently revolutionized the conventional diagnostic approach to congenital heart diseases (CHD), supporting echocardiography and often replacing cardiac catheterization. This is the second of two complementary documents, endorsed by experts from the Working Group of the Italian Society of Pediatric Cardiology and the Italian College of Cardiac Radiology of the Italian Society of Medical and Interventional Radiology, aimed at giving updated indications on the appropriate use of CMR and CCT in different clinical CHD settings, in both pediatrics and adults. In this article, support is also given to radiologists, pediatricians, cardiologists, and cardiac surgeons for indications and appropriateness criteria for CMR and CCT in the most referred CHD, following the proposed new criteria presented and discussed in the first document.

Impact of iliac access in elective and non-elective endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) is nowadays the establishment treatment for patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) both in elective and urgent setting. Despite the large applicability and satisfactory results, the presence of hostile iliac anatomy affects both technical and clinical success. This narrative review aimed to report the impact of iliac access and related adjunctive procedures in patients undergoing EVAR in elective and non-elective setting.

Axillary vs Femoral Arterial Cannulation in Acute Type A Dissection: International Multicenter Data.

Background: Cannulation strategy in acute type A dissection (ATAD) varies widely without known gold standards. This study compared ATAD outcomes of axillary vs femoral artery cannulation in a large cohort from the International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection (IRAD).

Methods: The study retrospectively reviewed 2145 patients from the IRAD Interventional Cohort (1996-2021) who underwent ATAD repair with axillary or femoral cannulation (axillary group: n = 1106 [52%]; femoral group: n = 1039 [48%]).

Editor's Choice - Trends in Management and Outcomes of Type B Aortic Dissection: A Report From the International Registry of Aortic Dissection.

Objective: To describe the trends in management and outcomes of patients with acute type B aortic dissection in the International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection.

Methods: From 1996 - 2022, 3 908 patients were divided into similar sized quartiles (T1, T2, T3, and T4). In hospital outcomes were analysed for each quartile.

Co-Infections and Superinfections in COVID-19 Critically Ill Patients Are Associated with CT Imaging Abnormalities and the Worst Outcomes.

Background: Bacterial and fungal co-infections and superinfections have a critical role in the outcome of the COVID-19 patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Methods: The present study is a retrospective analysis of 95 patients admitted to the ICU for COVID-19-related ARDS during the first (February−May 2020) and second waves of the pandemic (October 2020−January 2021). Demographic and clinical data, CT imaging features, and pulmonary and extra-pulmonary complications were recorded, as well as the temporal evolution of CT findings when more than one scan was available.

Efficacy and safety of N-acetyl-GED-0507-34-LEVO gel in patients with moderate-to severe facial acne vulgaris: a phase IIb randomized double-blind, vehicle-controlled trial.

Background: Preliminary in vitro and in vivo studies have supported the efficacy of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) modulator N-acetyl-GED-0507-34-LEVO (NAC-GED) for the treatment of acne-inducing sebocyte differentiation, improving sebum composition and controlling the inflammatory process.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of NAC-GED (5% and 2%) in patients with moderate-to-severe facial acne vulgaris.

Methods: This double-blind phase II randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted at 36 sites in Germany, Italy and Poland.

An Imaging Overview of COVID-19 ARDS in ICU Patients and Its Complications: A Pictorial Review.

A significant proportion of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia could develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), thus requiring mechanical ventilation, and resulting in a high rate of intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Several complications can arise during an ICU stay, from both COVID-19 infection and the respiratory supporting system, including barotraumas (pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum), superimposed pneumonia, coagulation disorders (pulmonary embolism, venous thromboembolism, hemorrhages and acute ischemic stroke), abdominal involvement (acute mesenteric ischemia, pancreatitis and acute kidney injury) and sarcopenia. Imaging plays a pivotal role in the detection and monitoring of ICU complications and is expanding even to prognosis prediction.

Long-Term Outcome After Adoptive Immunotherapy With Natural Killer Cells: Alloreactive NK Cell Dose Still Matters.

Recently, many reports were published supporting the clinical use of adoptively transferred natural killer (NK) cells as a therapeutic tool against cancer, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Our group demonstrated promising clinical response using adoptive immunotherapy with donor-derived alloreactive KIR-ligand-mismatched NK cells in AML patients. Moreover, the antileukemic effect was correlated with the dose of infused alloreactive NK cells ("functional NK cell dose").

Management of acute type A aortic dissection in the elderly: an analysis from IRAD.

Objectives: We sought to examine management and outcomes of (Stanford) type A aortic dissection (TAAAD) in patients aged >70 years.

Methods: All patients with TAAAD enrolled in the International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection database (1996-2018) were studied (n = 5553). Patients were stratified by age and therapeutic strategy.

Clinical insights and prognostic factors from an advanced biliary tract cancer case series: a real-world analysis.

Advanced biliary tract cancer (aBTC) comprises a heterogeneous group of rare malignancies with dismal prognosis. Given the scarcity of prospective evidence, the aim of this study was to derive clinically useful insights and prognostic factors from a large, real-world series of aBTC. Clinicopathologic variables and treatment outcomes were retrospectively collected involving 940 patients diagnosed with aBTC between 2001 and 2017, and treated with first-line chemotherapy (CT1) at 14 Italian medical oncology institutions.

Early low-dose computed tomography with pulmonary angiography to improve the early diagnosis of invasive mould disease in patients with haematological malignancies: A pilot study.

Objective: High-resolution computed tomography (CT) is an essential diagnostic tool for invasive mould disease (IMD) in patients with haematological malignancies but is infrequently performed in the first 72 h of neutropenic fever until after chest X-ray (CXR). We hypothesised that early (< 48 h) low-dose CT (LD-CT; 90% reduction in radiation dose) combined with CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) to detect the venous occlusion sign (VOS) inside suspected infiltrates could improve IMD diagnosis.

Methods: We prospectively studied 68 consecutive adult patients undergoing treatment for haematological malignancies who developed fever following chemotherapy or haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Pharmacodynamic Biomarkers Predictive of Survival Benefit with Lenvatinib in Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: From the Phase III REFLECT Study.

Purpose: In REFLECT, lenvatinib demonstrated an effect on overall survival (OS) by confirmation of noninferiority to sorafenib in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. This analysis assessed correlations between serum or tissue biomarkers and efficacy outcomes from REFLECT.

Experimental Design: Serum biomarkers (VEGF, ANG2, FGF19, FGF21, and FGF23) were measured by ELISA.

Initial experience of a single center with the use of ZSI 475 penile prosthesis.

Objective: To evaluate surgical outcomes after implantation of the Zephyr ZSI 475 inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) and patients' quality of life.

Methods: From December 2014 to September 2018, 15 patients underwent prosthesis implantation with ZSI 475. A retrospective review of clinical data was performed.