Intradural Repair of Temporal Bone Encephalocele and Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak: Results from a Single Institution.

Background: Lateral temporal bone encephaloceles incidence is increasing with obesity rates. Middle fossa (MF) craniotomy, transmastoid (TM), or combined MF + TM access can be used for repair.

Methods: Retrospective review of MF or MF + TM repair with an intradural graft.

Arthrospira Platensis Attenuates Endothelial Inflammation and Monocyte Activation.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in industrialized countries. Coronary artery disease (CAD) represents the most prevalent form of cardiovascular disease and remains a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and long-term disability worldwide. Therefore, the identification of early biomarkers and clarification of the mechanism of action of pharmacological adjuvants is urgently needed.

Rescue Surgery for Advanced Stage Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Patients with advanced lung cancer are candidates for systemic therapies. In the context of improved tumor responses and prolonged survival periods, the treatment of tumor/therapy-related complications must be taken into account. Rescue surgery consists of a surgical resection without oncologic purpose but with the aim of controlling an acute and life-threatening complication.

Exercise Doppler Echocardiography of the Right Heart and Pulmonary Circulation in Patients With Cardiovascular Risk Factors: Observations From the RIGHT Heart International NETwork (RIGHT-NET).

Background: The precise impact of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) on the right ventricle-pulmonary circulation unit remains unclear.

Research Question: Are there any differences regarding resting and exercise right ventricular function in patients with CVRFs but without overt cardiovascular disease when compared with healthy control patients?

Study Design And Methods: We extracted from the Right Heart International Network international registry the data of 362 patients with at least 1 CVRF but no overt cardiovascular disease, and 375 healthy control patients. All patients and control patients had undergone resting and exercise echocardiographic evaluations on a semirecumbent cycle ergometer.

Exercise Echocardiography of Left Ventricular Diastolic Function in Healthy Subjects: Insights From the RIGHT-NET.

Background: Exercise transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (TTE) is considered suggestive of left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction when the ratio of mitral Doppler E to tissue Doppler e' waves is >15 with or without a peak tricuspid regurgitation velocity (TRV) >3.4 m/s. However, these measurements may be affected by exercise intensity.

A pulmonary hypertension targeted algorithm to improve referral to right heart catheterization: A machine learning approach.

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a pathophysiological problem that may involve several clinical symptoms and be linked to various respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses. Its diagnosis is made invasively by Right Cardiac Catheterization (RHC), which is difficult to perform routinely. Aim of the current study was to develop a Machine Learning (ML) algorithm based on the analysis of anamnestic data to predict the presence of an invasively measured PH.

Endoscopic Retrolabyrinthine Craniotomy for Exposure of the Trigeminal Nerve Root Entry Zone: Volumetric Analysis of Anatomic Exposure in the Cadaver.

Background And Objectives: Exposure of the root entry zone (REZ) of the trigeminal nerve (TN) for microvascular decompression is commonly obtained with a retrosigmoid approach, with or without endoscopic assistance. We hypothesized that adequate exposure of the TN REZ could be obtained through an endoscopic retrolabyrinthine (RL) approach. We aim to quantify exposure of the REZ of the TN using endoscopic RL approach, with and without drilling of the suprameatal tubercle of the internal auditory canal.

Guardians and Mediators of Metastasis: Exploring T Lymphocytes, Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells, and Tumor-Associated Macrophages in the Breast Cancer Microenvironment.

Breast cancers (BCs) are solid tumors composed of heterogeneous tissues consisting of cancer cells and an ever-changing tumor microenvironment (TME). The TME includes, among other non-cancer cell types, immune cells influencing the immune context of cancer tissues. In particular, the cross talk of immune cells and their interactions with cancer cells dramatically influence BC dissemination, immunoediting, and the outcomes of cancer therapies.

Modulating NO-GC Pathway in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

The pathogenesis of complex diseases such as pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is entirely rooted in changes in the expression of some vasoactive factors. These play a significant role in the onset and progression of the disease. Indeed, PAH has been associated with pathophysiologic alterations in vascular function.

Novel Therapeutic Options for Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Purpose Of Review: The aim of this review is to focus on the recent advances in the molecular knowledge of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and potential promising new treatment strategies, like targeting the DNA damage pathway, epigenetics, angiogenesis, and oncogenic drivers.

Recent Findings: In the last few years, the addition of immunotherapy to chemotherapy has led to significant improvements in clinical outcomes in this complex neoplasia. Nevertheless, the prognosis remains dismal.

Cardiovascular Side Effects of Anthracyclines and HER2 Inhibitors among Patients with Breast Cancer: A Multidisciplinary Stepwise Approach for Prevention, Early Detection, and Treatment.

Cardiovascular (CV) diseases (CVD) are a major cause of long-term morbidity and mortality affecting life expectancy amongst cancer survivors. In recent years, because of the possibility of early diagnosis and the increased efficacy of neo-adjuvant and adjuvant systemic treatments (targeting specific molecular pathways), the high percentage of survival from breast cancer led CVD to become the first cause of death among survivors. Therefore, it is mandatory to adopt cardioprotective strategies to minimize CV side effects and CVD in general in breast cancer patients.

How to Treat Right Heart Failure. Tips for Clinicians in Everyday Practice.

In recent years, several observations reported that intolerance of physical exertion and other cardinal symptoms in heart failure (HF) are closely related to the functionality of the right ventricular (RV), regardless of left heart. It has been demonstrated that the RV dysfunction complicates the course, aggravates the quality of life, and increases the mortality of HF patients. The present review is aimed to report tips physicians about the current therapeutic management of right HF during acute stage and chronic phase, shedding light on the RV and its failure and providing physicians with essential information for everyday clinical practice.

Impact of Hormonal-Anabolic Deficiencies in Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

Anabolic deficiencies play a pivotal role in left-sided heart failure. Little is known about their impact on idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (iPAH). Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the impact of multiple hormone-metabolic deficiencies on clinical features and outcomes in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Sex- and Gender-Related Aspects in Pulmonary Hypertension.

Biological sex and sociocultural gender are emerging as pivotal modifiers of health and diseases. Sex-based differences exist in the development, pathogenesis, and management of individuals with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The interplay between gender domains (ie, identity, roles, relations, and institutionalized gender) and PAH has been barely investigated.

Mildly Elevated Pulmonary Hypertension: Gray Zone or Already a Disease?

During the sixth World Symposium on Pulmonary Hypertension, the threshold of mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) for the definition of pulmonary hypertension (PH) has been lowered to a value of greater than 20 mmHg, measured by means of right heart catheterization at rest. In this review, we aim at describing the impact of the new definition of PH, analyzing the available data from the latest scientific literature concerning subjects with mPAP between 21 and 24 mmHg (defined as "mildly elevated PH"), discussing the impact of the new threshold for mPAP in the clinical practice, and highlighting the new perspectives in this field.

Testosterone deficiency independently predicts mortality in women with HFrEF: insights from the T.O.S.CA. registry.

Aims: Testosterone deficiency (TD) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). However, data in women are scanty. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic impact of TD on women with HFrEF.

Effects of Exercise on Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: An Updated Review of Literature.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) represents the most common HF phenotype of patients aged > 65 years, with an incidence and a prevalence that are constantly growing. The HFpEF cardinal symptom is exercise intolerance (EI), defined as the impaired ability to perform physical activity and to reach the predicted age-related level of exercise duration in the absence of symptoms—such as fatigue or dyspnea—and is associated with a poor quality of life, a higher number of hospitalizations, and poor outcomes. The evidence of the protective effect between exercise and adverse cardiovascular outcomes is numerous and long-established.

Oncolytic Adenoviral Vector-Mediated Expression of an Anti-PD-L1-scFv Improves Anti-Tumoral Efficacy in a Melanoma Mouse Model.

Oncolytic virotherapy is an emerging therapeutic approach based on replication-competent viruses able to selectively infect and destroy cancer cells, inducing the release of tumor-associated antigens and thereby recruiting immune cells with a subsequent increase in antitumoral immune response. To increase the anticancer activity, we engineered a specific oncolytic adenovirus expressing a single-chain variable fragment of an antibody against PD-L1 to combine blockage of PD-1/PD-L1 interaction with the antitumoral activity of Onc.Ad5.

Echocardiographic predictors of mortality in intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism.

Data regarding further risk stratification of intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism (IR-PE) are scanty. Whether transthoracic echocardiography may be helpful in further risk assessment of death in such population has still to be proven. Two-hundred fifty-four consecutive patients (51.

Prognostic impact of hypochromic erythrocytes in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Background: Iron deficiency affects up to 50% of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) but iron markers such as ferritin and serum iron are confounded by several non-disease related factors like acute inflammation and diet. The aim of this study was to identify a new marker for iron deficiency and clinical outcome in PAH patients.

Methods: In this single-center, retrospective study we assessed indicators of iron status and clinical parameters specifying the time to clinical worsening (TTCW) and survival in PAH patients at time of initial diagnosis and at 1-year follow-up using univariable and multivariable analysis.

The North-western Italy air quality monitoring network: Improving experience of PM2.5 assessment with mutagenicity assay.

The finest fraction of Particulate Matter (PM2.5) carries a large number of pollutants, some of which are assessed as genotoxic, such as some Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). In many countries, PM2.