Pre-existing Thyroid Autoimmunity and Risk of Papillary Thyroid Cancer: A Nested Case-Control Study of US Active-Duty Personnel.

Purpose: Thyroid autoimmunity has been associated with differentiated thyroid cancer although multiple potential biases might have influenced the results of previous studies.

Methods: We conducted a case-control study nested within the cohort of US active-duty personnel 1996-2014 to assess the association between thyroid autoimmunity, defined by serology, and thyroid cancer diagnosis. The primary exposure was thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibody status 7-10 years before the thyroid cancer index date.

An update on the pathophysiology of acute and recurrent pericarditis.

Introduction: Pericarditis is an inflammatory disease of the pericardium. Progress has been done in recent years in the understanding of its pathophysiology. In particular, preclinical and clinical studies have contributed to increasing our knowledge on the role of interleukin (IL)-1 and NLRP3 (NACHT, leucine-rich repeat, and pyrin domain-containing protein 3) inflammasome.

Clinical course of acute zonal occult outer retinopathy complicated by choroidal neovascularization.

Purpose: To report the clinical course and multimodal imaging features of acute zonal occult outer retinopathy (AZOOR) complicated by choroidal neovascularization (CNV) treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment or photodynamic therapy (PDT).

Methods: Observational case series. Retrospective analysis of patients presenting to different institutions with evidence of AZOOR and neovascular lesions.

Extended Endoscopic Endonasal Approach for Suprasellar Craniopharyngioma.

 We illustrate a suprasellar craniopharyngiomas treated with an extended endoscopic endonasal approach (EEEA).  Case report of a 43-year-old male affected by cerebral lesion located in suprasellar region involving the third ventricle and compressing the neurovascular structures, causing an anterosuperior dislocation of the chiasma. There is a complete disruption of the pituitary stalk that can explain the clinical finding of partial anterior hypopituitarism and hyperprolactinemia.

Achilles Tendinopathy.

Achilles tendinopathy is a common cause of disability. Despite the economic and social relevance of the problem, the causes and mechanisms of Achilles tendinopathy remain unclear. Tendon vascularity, gastrocnemius-soleus dysfunction, age, sex, body weight and height, pes cavus, and lateral ankle instability are considered common intrinsic factors.

Is it reasonable to use a lower DOAC dose in some patients with VTE? NO.

The international guidelines recommend the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) over vitamin K antagonists for anticoagulation long-term therapy in patients diagnosed with venous thromboembolism (VTE), and for stroke prevention in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF). Efficacy and safety of DOACS have been extensively evaluated in large phase III trials. According to the product label, dose reductions of DOACs are recommended for patients with AF and renal impairment, low body weight and concomitant use of interfering medications.

Activation of the Pro-Oxidant PKCβII-p66Shc Signaling Pathway Contributes to Pericyte Dysfunction in Skeletal Muscles of Patients With Diabetes With Critical Limb Ischemia.

Critical limb ischemia (CLI), foot ulcers, former amputation, and impaired regeneration are independent risk factors for limb amputation in subjects with diabetes. The present work investigates whether and by which mechanism diabetes negatively impacts on functional properties of muscular pericytes (MPs), which are resident stem cells committed to reparative angiomyogenesis. We obtained muscle biopsy samples from patients with diabetes who were undergoing major limb amputation and control subjects.

Predictive value and clinical utility of centrally assessed ER, PgR, and Ki-67 to select adjuvant endocrine therapy for premenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer: TEXT and SOFT trials.

The SOFT and TEXT randomized phase III trials investigated adjuvant endocrine therapies for premenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) early breast cancer. We investigated the prognostic and predictive value of centrally assessed levels of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR), and Ki-67 expression in women with HER2-negative disease. Of 5707 women enrolled, 4115 with HER2-negative (HR+/HER2-) disease had ER, PgR, and Ki-67 centrally assessed by immunohistochemistry.

Liver transplant recipients and prioritization of anti-HCV therapy: an Italian cohort analysis.

Background And Aims: In patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV), recurrence of infection after liver transplant (LT) is universal and associated with worst survival. We present the results of an Italian cohort to compare the 3-year outcome of HCV-Ab-positive and HCV-Ab-negative LT recipients and to assess the potential interaction between HCV-Ab sero-status and other risk factors for LT failure.

Methods: The study is a multicentre cohort including a sample of liver transplant centres.

Incidence of carbapenem-resistant gram negatives in Italian transplant recipients: a nationwide surveillance study.

Background: Bacterial infections remain a challenge to solid organ transplantation. Due to the alarming spread of carbapenem-resistant gram negative bacteria, these organisms have been frequently recognized as cause of severe infections in solid organ transplant recipients.

Methods And Findings: Between 15 May and 30 September 2012 we enrolled 887 solid organ transplant recipients in Italy with the aim to describe the epidemiology of gram negative bacteria spreading, to explore potential risk factors and to assess the effect of early isolation of gram negative bacteria on recipients' mortality during the first 90 days after transplantation.

Partial trisomy of chromosome 13 as a single cytogenetic abnormality in an Italian case of nasal NK/T lymphoma.

Extranodal NK/T lymphoma, nasal type, is an uncommon neoplasm that occurs with a higher prevalence among Asian populations and Native American populations of Central and Southern America. In Western countries, this tumor is extremely rare, accounting for less than 1.5% of all non-Hodgkin lymphomas.

Role of new anticoagulants for the prevention of venous thromboembolism after major orthopaedic surgery and in hospitalised acutely ill medical patients.

Anticoagulation therapy for the prevention of venous thromboembolic events is indicated in patients after major orthopaedic surgery and in hospitalised acutely ill medical patients, who have a high or moderate risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), respectively. Clinical trials have clearly demonstrated that short-term anticoagulation reduces the risk of VTE in these patient groups and that longer-term anticoagulation is beneficial for some indications. Evidence-based guidelines for thromboprophylaxis have been developed based on these studies.

Which patients with unprovoked VTE should receive extended anticoagulation? the minority.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is associated with a long term risk of recurrence. This risk is at least in part related to the presence of major identifiable risk factors at the time of the index event. It is generally low in the presence of removable risk factors, and very high in the presence of permanent risk factors such as active cancer.

Safety of thrombolysis in cerebral venous thrombosis. A systematic review of the literature.

Several small series have suggested the efficacy of thrombolysis in patients with cerebral vein thrombosis (CVT). However, since no randomised controlled trials have compared the use of thrombolysis with anticoagulant treatment in these patients, the risk to benefit ratio of this approach remains uncertain. The aim of this study is therefore to assess the safety of thrombolysis in CVT estimating mortality and major bleeding complications.

MGMT methylation in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: validation of quantitative methylation-specific PCR and comparison with MGMT protein expression.

Aims: (1) To validate a quantitative real time methylation specific PCR assay (MethyLight) for the detection of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) gene methylation status (MS) in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). (2) To determine the immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of the MGMT protein and correlate it with MS. Both IHC and MethyLight results were compared with patient's outcome.

BCL2, BCL6, MYC, MALT 1, and BCL10 rearrangements in nodal diffuse large B-cell lymphomas: a multicenter evaluation of a new set of fluorescent in situ hybridization probes and correlation with clinical outcome.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Although it is a curable disease, fewer than half of patients are cured with conventional chemotherapy. The highly variable outcome reflects a heterogeneous group of tumors, with different genetic abnormalities and responses to therapy.

Rhinoplasty for the Mediterranean nose.

Homogenization of world culture through communications media, refinements in surgical techniques, and improved rhinoplasty results have resulted in a more extended dissemination of rhinoplasty among non-Caucasians. This request has led to increasingly anatomic, morphologic, and anthropometrical studies of the non-Caucasian nose upon which surgical techniques have been proposed and addressed to create in these patients nasal features typical of a Caucasian-looking nose. There are few reports in medical literature concerning rhinoplasty that specifically address particular Caucasian ethnic groups (Anglo-Saxon, Germanic, Latin, and Slavic).

Postoperative complications after pelvic lymphadenectomy for the surgical staging of endometrial cancer.

Objective: To assess whether pelvic lymphadenectomy at surgical staging for endometrial carcinoma is an independent risk factor for the occurrence of postoperative complications.

Methods: Women with uterine cancer who underwent radical abdominal hysterectomy type I or II of Piver-Rutledge with or without pelvic lymph nodes dissection were considered. The occurrence of intraoperative and early postoperative complications (deep vein thrombosis, lymphocysts, febrile morbidity, extraoperative site infections, wound dehiscence, relaparotomy, and death) was prospectively recorded.