Inhaled Pulmonary Vasodilators for the Treatment of Right Ventricular Failure in Cardio-Thoracic Surgery: Is One Better than the Others?

Right ventricular failure (RFV) is a potential complication following cardio-thoracic surgery, with an incidence ranging from 0.1% to 30%. The increase in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) is one of the main triggers of perioperative RVF.

Real-Time In Situ Observation of CsPbBr Perovskite Nanoplatelets Transforming into Nanosheets.

The manipulation of nano-objects through heating is an effective strategy for inducing structural modifications and therefore changing the optoelectronic properties of semiconducting materials. Despite its potential, the underlying mechanism of the structural transformations remains elusive, largely due to the challenges associated with their in situ observations. To address these issues, we synthesize temperature-sensitive CsPbBr perovskite nanoplatelets and investigate their structural evolution at the nanoscale using in situ heating transmission electron microscopy.

Impact of a newly established expert clinical pharmacological advice programme based on therapeutic drug monitoring results in tailoring antimicrobial therapy hospital-wide in a tertiary university hospital: Findings after the first year of implementation.

Objectives: Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) may be helpful in tailoring antimicrobial treatment, and expert interpretation of the results may make it more clinically useful.

Methods: This study aimed to assess retrospectively the first-year impact (July 2021 to June 2022) of a newly established expert clinical pharmacological advice (ECPA) programme based on TDM results in tailoring therapy with 18 antimicrobials hospital-wide in a tertiary university hospital. All patients having ≥1 ECPA were grouped in five cohorts [haematology, intensive care unit (ICU), paediatrics, medical wards and surgical wards].

Eltrombopag for Low-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes With Thrombocytopenia: Interim Results of a Phase II, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial (EQOL-MDS).

Purpose: In myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), severe thrombocytopenia is associated with poor prognosis. This multicenter trial presents the second-part long-term efficacy and safety results of eltrombopag in patients with low-risk MDS and severe thrombocytopenia.

Methods: In this single-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, phase-II trial of adult patients with International Prognostic Scoring System low- or intermediate-1-risk MDS, patients with a stable platelet (PLT) count (<30 × 10/mm) received eltrombopag or placebo until disease progression.

Increased duration and similar outcomes of V-V ECLS in patients with COVID-19 ARDS compared to non-COVID ARDS: Single center experience.

Background: Veno-venous extracorporeal life support (V-V ECLS or V-V ECMO) has been adopted as a rescue support in severe cases of COVID-19 ARDS. Initial reports on the use of V-V ECLS in COVID-19 patients reported very high mortality rates (57%-94%), but subsequent studies showed much lower rates (30%-40%). The aim of this study is to analyze demographic features, clinical course and outcomes of COVID-19 treated with V-V ECLS during the Italian 'third wave', in which the alpha variant was prevalent in the country.

Prognostic value of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I early after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Background: The diagnosis of periprocedural myocardial infarction (PMI) after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) is based on biochemical markers along with clinical and instrumental findings. However, there is not a clear cutoff value of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) to identify PMI. We hypothesized that isolated hs-cTn concentrations in the first 24 h following CABG could predict cardiac adverse events (in-hospital death and PMI) and/or left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) decrease.

Utilization of diverse organophosphorus pollutants by marine bacteria.

Anthropogenic organophosphorus compounds (AOPCs), such as phosphotriesters, are used extensively as plasticizers, flame retardants, nerve agents, and pesticides. To date, only a handful of soil bacteria bearing a phosphotriesterase (PTE), the key enzyme in the AOPC degradation pathway, have been identified. Therefore, the extent to which bacteria are capable of utilizing AOPCs as a phosphorus source, and how widespread this adaptation may be, remains unclear.

Highly Emitting Perovskite Nanocrystals with 2-Year Stability in Water through an Automated Polymer Encapsulation for Bioimaging.

Lead-based halide perovskite nanocrystals are highly luminescent materials, but their sensitivity to humid environments and their biotoxicity are still important challenges to solve. Here, we develop a stepwise approach to encapsulate representative CsPbBr nanocrystals into water-soluble polymer capsules. We show that our protocol can be extended to nanocrystals coated with different ligands, enabling an outstanding high photoluminescence quantum yield of ∼60% that is preserved over two years in capsules dispersed in water.

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.

Quality of life of COVID-19 critically ill survivors after ICU discharge: 90 days follow-up.

Purpose: The onset of the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic in Italy induced a dramatic increase in the need for intensive care unit (ICU) beds for a large proportion of patients affected by COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The aim of the present study was to describe the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) at 90 days after ICU discharge in a cohort of COVID-19 patients undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation and to compare it with an age and sex-matched sample from the general Italian and Finnish populations. Moreover, the possible associations between clinical, demographic, social factors, and HRQoL were investigated.

Sustained oxygenation improvement after first prone positioning is associated with liberation from mechanical ventilation and mortality in critically ill COVID-19 patients: a cohort study.

Background: Prone positioning (PP) has been used to improve oxygenation in patients affected by the SARS-CoV-2 disease (COVID-19). Several mechanisms, including lung recruitment and better lung ventilation/perfusion matching, make a relevant rational for using PP. However, not all patients maintain the oxygenation improvement after returning to supine position.

Overall survival of myelodysplastic syndrome patients after azacitidine discontinuation and applicability of the North American MDS Consortium scoring system in clinical practice.

Background: Azacitidine (AZA) is the standard treatment for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS); however, many patients prematurely stop therapy and have a dismal outcome.

Methods: The authors analyzed outcomes after AZA treatment for 402 MDS patients consecutively enrolled in the Italian MDS Registry of the Fondazione Italiana Sindromi Mielodisplastiche, and they evaluated the North American MDS Consortium scoring system in a clinical practice setting.

Results: At treatment discontinuation, 20.

Mechanical switching of orientation-related photoluminescence in deep-blue 2D layered perovskite ensembles.

The synergy between the organic component of two-dimensional (2D) metal halide layered perovskites and flexible polymers offers an unexplored window to tune their optical properties at low mechanical stress. Thus, there is a significant interest in exploiting their PL anisotropy by controlling their orientation and elucidating their interactions. Here, we apply this principle to platelet structures of micrometre lateral size that are synthesized in situ into free-standing polymer films.

Factors influencing liberation from mechanical ventilation in coronavirus disease 2019: multicenter observational study in fifteen Italian ICUs.

Background: A large proportion of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) develop severe respiratory failure requiring admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and about 80% of them need mechanical ventilation (MV). These patients show great complexity due to multiple organ involvement and a dynamic evolution over time; moreover, few information is available about the risk factors that may contribute to increase the time course of mechanical ventilation.The primary objective of this study is to investigate the risk factors associated with the inability to liberate COVID-19 patients from mechanical ventilation.

Routine minimalist transcatheter aortic valve implantation with local anesthesia only.

Aims: Conscious sedation instead of general anesthesia has been increasingly adopted in many centers for transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Improvement of materials and operators' experience and reduction of periprocedural complications allowed procedural simplification and adoption of a minimalist approach. With this study, we sought to assess the feasibility and safety of transfemoral TAVR routinely performed under local anesthesia without on-site anesthesiology support.

Epidemiology of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis Among Intubated Patients With COVID-19: A Prospective Study.

Background: We evaluated the incidence of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis among intubated patients with critical COVID-19 and evaluated different case definitions of invasive aspergillosis.

Methods: Prospective, multicenter study in adult patients with microbiologically confirmed COVID-19 receiving mechanical ventilation. All included participants underwent a screening protocol for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis with bronchoalveolar lavage galactomannan and cultures performed on admission at 7 days and in case of clinical deterioration.

Unveiling the Dynamical Assembly of Magnetic Nanocrystal Zig-Zag Chains via In Situ TEM Imaging in Liquid.

The controlled assembly of colloidal magnetic nanocrystals is key to many applications such as nanoelectronics, storage memory devices, and nanomedicine. Here, the motion and ordering of ferrimagnetic nanocubes in water via liquid-cell transmission electron microscopy is directly imaged in situ. Through the experimental analysis, combined with molecular dynamics simulations and theoretical considerations, it is shown that the presence of highly competitive interactions leads to the formation of stable monomers and dimers, acting as nuclei, followed by a dynamic growth of zig-zag chain-like assemblies.

Temperature-Driven Transformation of CsPbBr Nanoplatelets into Mosaic Nanotiles in Solution through Self-Assembly.

Two-dimensional colloidal halide perovskite nanocrystals are promising materials for light-emitting applications. Recent studies have focused on nanoplatelets that are able to self-assemble and transform on solid substrates. However, the mechanism behind the process and the atomic arrangement of their assemblies remain unclear.

Simple fabrication of layered halide perovskite platelets and enhanced photoluminescence from mechanically exfoliated flakes.

Rapid progress on the fabrication of lead halide perovskite crystals has led to highly promising performance in optoelectronic devices, particularly from three-dimensional crystals. Recently, these efforts have been extended to layered perovskite structures, motivated in part by their good environmental stability. Furthermore, layered perovskites represent a nanocrystal system with micron-size extensions and strong confinement in one dimension that is highly appealing for studying fundamental photophysics.