Best practices to reduce microbial contamination during media-fill testing process in hospital pharmacies: a scoping review of literature.

Unlabelled: The Media-Fill Test is a crucial procedure in the pharmaceutical industry, especially for the production of sterile drugs that do not undergo terminal sterilization (meaning they are prepared directly under aseptic conditions).The primary goal of the Media-Fill Test is to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the aseptic process in preventing microbial contamination. It doesn't serve to test the sterility of an individual production batch, but rather to: Validate the aseptic process, Qualify personnel, Identify critical points and Verify the environment.

Textbook Outcomes and Minimally Invasive Techniques in Resectable Gallbladder Cancer: A Global Cohort Study.

Introduction: Surgery for resectable gallbladder cancer (GbC) encompasses complex operative management, and evaluating surgical quality through textbook outcome (TO) is crucial. This study aimed to assess TO incidence and impact in a global cohort, identify independent predictors, and evaluate TO rates of minimally invasive (MI) techniques, including robotic (ROB) and laparoscopic (LPS).

Materials And Methods: This cohort study included patients undergoing curative-intent hepatectomy and lymphadenectomy for GbC (T1b-T3) from 2012 to 2023 in 41 hospitals.

The Implications of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery on Psychosocial and Relational Health: A Narrative Review.

Obesity is a globally prevalent condition associated with elevated morbidity and mortality. Metabolic and bariatric surgery offers a definitive treatment for class III (BMI > 40) obesity, achieving substantial, enduring weight loss and improving metabolic health. Despite extensive research on the physical benefits, comparatively fewer reviews investigate the psychosocial and relational changes accompanying these procedures.

Nuclear mitochondrial DNA transfer revisited: From genomic noise to hallmark of aging.

Nuclear insertions of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) segments (NUMTs) represent an evolutionarily conserved phenomenon originating from the ancient endosymbiotic relationship between mitochondria and host cells. These insertions predominantly localize near intergenic or regulatory regions and are often enriched in tissues with high metabolic activity. Once regarded as inert pseudogenes or genomic artifacts, NUMTs are now recognized as dynamic elements capable of modulating nuclear architecture and cellular function.

Prognosis of HPV-independent, p53-wild-type vulvar squamous cell carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC) is subdivided into TP53-mutant (TP53) and HPV-associated (HPV). In recent years, a third group unrelated to TP53 mutation or HPV-association (TP53/HPV) has emerged. However, its prognosis is unclear.

Gastrointestinal involvement in very early and established systemic sclerosis: insights from the SPRING-SIR national Italian registry.

Objectives: To describe the prevalence of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and Very Early Diagnosis of SSc (VEDOSS), identify clinical and serological features associated with GI involvement, and explore a cranio-caudal pattern of symptom distribution, using data from the Italian SPRING-SIR registry.

Methods: This cross-sectional analysis included patients fulfilling 2013 ACR/EULAR SSc or VEDOSS criteria. GI involvement was defined as symptoms in at least one GI tract segment and categorized as upper and lower.

When chest pain is not what it seems: time for right diagnosis and right treatment-a case report.

Background: Chest pain is a common reason for emergency department (ED) visits, yet not all cases are attributable to coronary artery disease (CAD). The 2024 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines emphasize the importance of invasive coronary function testing in patients with angina and non-obstructive coronary arteries. Understanding alternative causes of chest pain is crucial for appropriate diagnosis and management.

Effective preclinical activity of datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd), an ADC targeting trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2 (TROP2), against primary cervical carcinoma cell lines and xenografts.

Background: Cervical cancer is one of the most prevalent and deadly cancers worldwide. Here we demonstrate the preclinical pharmacology of Dato-DXd, a TROP2-targeting antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), against primary cervical cancer cell lines and xenografts.

Methods: Primary cervical cancer cell lines with differential TROP2 expression were identified by flow cytometry.

Ninety-day surgery-related outcomes of laparoscopic hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and sentinel node mapping in apparent early-stage endometrial cancer: a secondary analysis of a prospective single-arm study.

Objective: Limited prospective data are available on the outcomes and performance of sentinel node mapping (SNM) in patients with endometrial cancer (EC). This study aimed to describe the surgical outcomes related to laparoscopic staging and the performance of SNM in patients with apparent early-stage EC.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of a prospective single-arm study focusing on predictors of nodal disease in apparent early-stage EC.

Incidence, etiologies, and outcomes of severe pediatric community-acquired empyema before and after the pandemic: an Italian multicentric study.

Unlabelled: An increase in severe and invasive infections has been reported since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, most evidence comes from monocentric studies without nationwide representativeness. This multicenter, nationwide, retrospective study, conducted within the network of the Italian Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases (SITIP), aimed to compare the severity of empyema at presentation in children (aged 1 month to 18 years) admitted to 19 Italian hospitals before, during, and after the pandemic.

Air pollution and alveolar health.

Exposure to air pollution has been associated with up to 9 million premature deaths per year worldwide, with the respiratory system a key site for its effects. Air pollution exposure is a well-established risk factor for the development and exacerbation of airways diseases and lung cancer, however relatively little is known regarding the risks associated with air pollution interacting with areas of gas exchange - the alveoli and pulmonary interstitium. In recent years, evidence has emerged identifying a role in the development and progression of sub-clinical interstitial lung abnormalities as well as progression and risk of exacerbation of fibrotic interstitial lung diseases.

A rare and fatal injury to the retrohepatic inferior vena cava following percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage.

Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) is a widely utilized procedure for managing biliary obstructions, particularly in patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer. While generally effective, PTBD carries a risk of complications, including hemobilia, intra-abdominal hemorrhage, catheter-related issues, and, rarely, vascular injuries. We present the case of a 90-year-old woman with pancreatic cancer who underwent PTBD for biliary obstruction.

Cryptogenic stroke, left atrial function, and atrial fibrillation: a complex relationship.

Background: Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) may underlie some embolic strokes of undetermined source (ESUS), but the widespread use of loop recorders (LRs) to detect it may not be cost-effective. This study evaluated whether assessing left atrial (LA) function by speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) could help to identify ESUS patients most likely to benefit from LR monitoring for AF detection.

Methods: Consecutive ESUS patients diagnosed between 2020 and 2023, who underwent LR implantation and comprehensive echocardiographic evaluation, including STE, were enrolled.

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) induces type 1 interferon signalling in systemic sclerosis keratinocytes through the chloride intracellular channel 4 (CLIC4).

Objectives: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease, which is characterized by fibrosis of the skin, progressing to affect the internal organs in the most serve cases. Type 1 interferon (IFN) signalling plays a major role in SSc disease progression. The cytokine TGF-β has been extensively shown to be a major driver of fibrosis but its role in the induction of the type 1 interferon response is poorly understood.

Coronary flow reserve increase after 4-year dapagliflozin treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes: the DAPAHEART follow-up study.

Background: Cardiovascular (CV) outcome trials have shown that sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) reduce CV mortality in type 2 diabetes (T2DM). We previously found that 4 weeks of SGLT2i treatment increased coronary flow reserve (CFR) by 30% and reduced epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness by 19% in T2DM patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). However, long-term effects remain unclear.

Dietary vitamin D and gastric cancer risk within the stomach cancer pooling (stop) project.

Purpose: The evidence regarding the role of vitamin D on gastric cancer (GC) is controversial. Within the Stomach cancer Pooling (StoP) Project, a global consortium of epidemiological studies on GC, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between dietary vitamin D and GC risk.

Methods: Five case-control studies were included in the analysis, accounting for 1875 cases and 5899 controls.

Development and Validation of Multivariable Machine-Learning Models for the Prediction of Multisystemic Inflammatory Syndrome Outcomes in Latin American Children.

Aim: We aimed to develop and test machine learning algorithms for the prediction of severe outcomes associated with MIS-C.

Method: An observational ambispective cohort study was conducted including children aged from 1 month to 18 years old in 84 hospitals from the REKAMLATINA (Red de la Enfermedad de Kawasaki en America Latina) network diagnosed with MIS-C from 1st January 2020 to 31st June 2022. Multiple models were developed to predict four main outcomes: paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission, need for inotropes, need for mechanical ventilation, and death.

Consensus document on the role of plasma triglycerides in cardiovascular disease from the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis (SISA).

Aims: Hypertriglyceridaemia is a common clinical condition. Triglycerides (TGs) have long been recognised as a risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Genetics, epidemiological studies and clinical trials have demonstrated a causal relationship between plasma triglycerides and ASCVD.