Explore the vast range of titles available.

Stapled transanal rectal resection is the most surgical procedure used for obstructed defecation syndrome, rectal prolapse, rectocele and rectal intussusception worldwide. The aim of this study is to report our experience and long time consequences and to offer a new medico-legal perspective. We retrospective review medical charts of patients treated between 2006 and 2021 ​b ​y the same team directed by the same senior surgeon. We consider major complications and long time sequelaeses as main object for the discussion. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were created. IRB approved the study. After revision a medico-legal perspective was done based on major complications. During the study period 1726 patients, ages between 18 and 71 years old, were treated with 1280 STARR procedures and 446 “Longo” [was stopped on 2012]; all procedures were performed by the senior surgeon and visited by the team at the same control visit at 7days, 30 days and 12 and 18 months after surgery. All patients had 100 ​% compliance at 30 days, while 85 ​% had long time visit (more than 18 months). During the study period 6 ​% (104 subjects) of patients had minor complications while 1 patient (42 ​yrs female) reported total fecal incontinence after 18 months (0,05 ​%). This patient had mental disorder treated with drugs unknown before surgery and long time mental disorder after surgery. We focused on this last case to discuss long time complication This survey reports some interesting clinical data; respect to standard complications minor complications such as pain, bleeding and anal discomfort represent less than 10 ​% of procedures that is a good results in this perineal surgery. For those working with rectal mucosal prolapse, obstructed defecation syndrome, rectocele or rectal intussusception is essential to distinguish these diagnosis to have a good counselling with patient before surgery (at least 1 month before). It is essential to check these patients with a close follow-up especially after surgery, to avoid any other mental discomfort related to fecal incontinence; long time fecal incontinence, without anatomical disorders as our case, could be associated and related to drugs consumption or mental disorder, or perineal insensitivity due to surgical procedure. In conclusion it is essential to have good clinical practice to suggest STARR procedure, having idea about different diseases, different surgical approaches and different long time complications. •Starr procedure is a safe technique.•Long time follow-up is important to avoid incontinence.•Surgical indications are essential to avoid long time complication such as incontinence.

Hemorrhoids are the most frequent anal pathology. We evaluated the results of 2 techniques at 1 year after surgery. The clinical charts and data of patients who underwent hemorrhoidectomy between January 2008 and June 2010 were considered and analyzed. Patients underwent surgery with 2 techniques: transanal hemorrhoidal dearterialization (THD) hemorrhoidectomy or LigaSure-vessel sealing system (Valleylab, Boulder, CO). Patients were chosen randomly to receive one technique or the other. The primary objectives were quality of life, quality of defecation, and regression of symptoms. Forty-six patients treated with THD and 68 patients treated with Ligasure were enrolled in the study. No significant differences were observed in the rate of postoperative surgical complications or readmissions. Short- and medium-term (1–6 mo) results showed that THD patients had a higher rate of pain resolution compared with Ligasure patients (P < .05). Functionally, all patients treated with Ligasure showed more postoperative constipation despite administration of laxatives than patients treated with THD. THD is an effective technique and is associated with the best short-term clinical and surgical outcomes if compared with Ligasure.

COVID-19 has stopped the world and child life. The aim of this study was to report our project with distant learning. Methods: a project was conducted at elementary school with an interesting purpose: scientist for a day; Results: 25 children worked at this project with many interesting results especially about their wishes and their knowledge about COVID-19 nad future. Parents were able to classify their satisfaction about this project and about their son's participation with emotional status; Conclusions: distant learning is essential to help children during quarantine and focusing on a special issue demonstrate that they require more attention and needs many projects to be protagonists during this difficult era.

Introduction: Gastric banding is the most commonly used surgical procedure to lose weight. The aim of this study is to report our experience with the use of the hand-assisted technique for gastric banding in severe obesity. Materials and Methods: The study included all cases treated for severe obesity between January 2005 and July 2012 at the authors' institutions. Inclusion and exclusion criteria for the study were created; early and late complications and outcomes were also considered. Results: A total of 313 patients were treated during the study period. Median preoperative weight was 120.6 kg (range 82–150 kg) with a median body–mass index of 44 kg/m2 (range 36.6–47.8 kg/m2); median operating time was 47 min (range 29–103 min). No patient needed conversion to open surgery, while 4% of cases showed intolerance. None of the study patients underwent further bariatric procedures. Conclusions: The hand-assisted technique is safe and useful and it permits a shorter operating time than standard laparoscopy and guarantees better placement of the gastric band.

Background Prepubertal gynecomastia is an extremely rare condition usually requiring surgical treatment, especially in case of class III gynecomastia. This study presents cases treated with a new surgical treatment. Methods From 2010 at our institution, gynecomastia is treated surgically using a modified technique of periareolar incision. Aesthetic results and possible complications of this technique are reported. Results Five patients were treated at the authors’ unit for class III gynecomastia between January 2010 and December 2011. All patients were properly treated without the need of further surgery for skin resection. One patient developed seroma, treated with suction; one patient showed hematoma, treated with hot packs for 3 weeks. All patients and their parents were satisfied of the aesthetic results obtained. All patients resumed sport activities 4 weeks after surgery. It was not possible to observe intraoperative complications. Conclusion The technique used meets safety and efficacy standards for the treatment of this type of pediatric gynecomastia. It also offers the best possible aesthetic results with minimum complications which can be treated without the need of further surgery.

Purpose To present the Authors’ experience with spermatic vein thrombosis after varicocelectomy. Materials and methods The medical charts of patients treated for varicocele at the Authors’ Institution between January 2008 and January 2013 were reviewed; inclusion and exclusion criteria were created. Data were analyzed focusing on the clinical diagnosis of spermatic vein thrombosis after varicocelectomy performed using two different techniques. Results After revision of the medical charts and in compliance with the inclusion criteria previously established, 188 patients underwent varicocelectomy: 112 with laparoscopic technique and 76 patients with subinguinal technique. A total of five cases of spermatic vein thrombosis (2.6 %) were diagnosed between 6 and 12 days after surgery. All these patients had received the subinguinal technique (6.5 %). All the patients were managed conservatively. Discussion Spermatic vein thrombosis after surgery is a rare complication but its onset should be considered as a possible event in patients with inguinal and scrotal pain. To manage this condition after diagnosis surgeons may opt for a surgical or clinical approach, either with drugs or local heat, rest and scrotal support.

Immunotherapy with the chimeric anti-GD2 monoclonal antibody dinutuximab, combined with alternating granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and intravenous interleukin-2 (IL-2), improves survival in patients with high-risk neuroblastoma. We aimed to assess event-free survival after treatment with ch14.18/CHO (dinutuximab beta) and subcutaneous IL-2, compared with dinutuximab beta alone in children and young people with high-risk neuroblastoma. We did an international, open-label, phase 3, randomised, controlled trial in patients with high-risk neuroblastoma at 104 institutions in 12 countries. Eligible patients were aged 1–20 years and had MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma with stages 2, 3, or 4S, or stage 4 neuroblastoma of any MYCN status, according to the International Neuroblastoma Staging System. Patients were eligible if they had been enrolled at diagnosis in the HR-NBL1/SIOPEN trial, had completed the multidrug induction regimen (cisplatin, carboplatin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and etoposide, with or without topotecan, vincristine, and doxorubicin), had achieved a disease response that fulfilled prespecified criteria, had received high-dose therapy (busulfan and melphalan or carboplatin, etoposide, and melphalan) and had received radiotherapy to the primary tumour site. In this component of the trial, patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive dinutuximab beta (20 mg/m2 per day as an 8 h infusion for 5 consecutive days) or dinutuximab beta plus subcutaneous IL-2 (6 × 106 IU/m2 per day on days 1–5 and days 8–12 of each cycle) with the minimisation method to balance randomisation for national groups and type of high-dose therapy. All participants received oral isotretinoin (160 mg/m2 per day for 2 weeks) before the first immunotherapy cycle and after each immunotherapy cycle, for six cycles. The primary endpoint was 3-year event-free survival, analysed by intention to treat. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01704716, and EudraCT, number 2006-001489-17, and recruitment to this randomisation is closed. Between Oct 22, 2009, and Aug 12, 2013, 422 patients were eligible to participate in the immunotherapy randomisation, of whom 406 (96%) were randomly assigned to a treatment group (n=200 to dinutuximab beta and n=206 to dinutuximab beta with subcutaneous IL-2). Median follow-up was 4·7 years (IQR 3·9–5·3). Because of toxicity, 117 (62%) of 188 patients assigned to dinutuximab beta and subcutaneous IL-2 received their allocated treatment, by contrast with 160 (87%) of 183 patients who received dinutuximab beta alone (p<0·0001). 3-year event-free survival was 56% (95% CI 49–63) with dinutuximab beta (83 patients had an event) and 60% (53–66) with dinutuximab beta and subcutaneous IL-2 (80 patients had an event; p=0·76). Four patients died of toxicity (n=2 in each group); one patient in each group while receiving immunotherapy (n=1 congestive heart failure and pulmonary hypertension due to capillary leak syndrome; n=1 infection-related acute respiratory distress syndrome), and one patient in each group after five cycles of immunotherapy (n=1 fungal infection and multi-organ failure; n=1 pulmonary fibrosis). The most common grade 3–4 adverse events were hypersensitivity reactions (19 [10%] of 185 patients in the dinutuximab beta group vs 39 [20%] of 191 patients in the dinutuximab plus subcutaneous IL-2 group), capillary leak (five [4%] of 119 vs 19 [15%] of 125), fever (25 [14%] of 185 vs 76 [40%] of 190), infection (47 [25%] of 185 vs 64 [33%] of 191), immunotherapy-related pain (19 [16%] of 122 vs 32 [26%] of 124), and impaired general condition (30 [16%] of 185 vs 78 [41%] of 192). There is no evidence that addition of subcutaneous IL-2 to immunotherapy with dinutuximab beta, given as an 8 h infusion, improved outcomes in patients with high-risk neuroblastoma who had responded to standard induction and consolidation treatment. Subcutaneous IL-2 with dinutuximab beta was associated with greater toxicity than dinutuximab beta alone. Dinutuximab beta and isotretinoin without subcutaneous IL-2 should thus be considered the standard of care until results of ongoing randomised trials using a modified schedule of dinutuximab beta and subcutaneous IL-2 are available. European Commission 5th Frame Work Grant, St. Anna Kinderkrebsforschung, Fondation ARC pour la recherche sur le Cancer.

Background: Proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9 inhibitors (PCSK9i) lower LDL-cholesterol and slow atherosclerosis preventing cardiovascular events. While it is known that circulating PCSK9 enhances platelet activation (PA) and that PCSK9i reduce it, the underlying mechanism is not still clarified. Methods: In a multicenter before–after study in 80 heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) patients on treatment with maximum tolerated statin dose ± ezetimibe, PA, soluble-NOX2-derived peptide (sNOX2-dp), and oxidized-LDL (ox-LDL) were measured before and after six months of PCSK9i treatment. In vitro study investigates the effects of plasma from HeFH patients before and after PCK9i on PA in washed platelets (wPLTs) from healthy subjects. Results: Compared to baseline, PCSK9i reduced the serum levels of LDL-c, ox-LDL, Thromboxane (Tx) B2, sNOX2-dp, and PCSK9 (p < 0.001). The decrease of TxB2 correlates with that of ox-LDL, while ox-LDL reduction correlated with PCSK9 and sNOX2-dp delta. In vitro study demonstrated that wPLTs resuspended in plasma from HeFH after PCSK9i treatment induced lower PA and sNOX2-dp release than those obtained using plasma before PCSK9i treatment. This reduction was vanished by adding ox-LDL. ox-LDL-induced PA was blunted by CD36, LOX1, and NOX2 inhibition. Conclusions: PCSK9i treatment reduces PA modulating NOX2 activity and in turn ox-LDL formation in HeFH patients.

BackgroundDiagnostic delay of hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTRv, v for variant) prevents timely treatment and, therefore, concurs to the mortality of the disease. The aim of the present study was to explore with nerve ultrasound (US) possible red flags for early diagnosis in ATTRv patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and/or polyneuropathy and in pre-symptomatic carriers.MethodsPatients and pre-symptomatic carriers with a TTR gene mutation were enrolled from seven Italian centers. Severity of CTS was assessed with neurophysiology and clinical evaluation. Median nerve cross-section area (CSA) was measured with US in ATTRv carriers with CTS (TTR-CTS). One thousand one hundred ninety-six idiopathic CTS were used as controls. Nerve US was also performed in several nerve trunks (median, ulnar, radial, brachial plexi, tibial, peroneal, sciatic, sural) in ATTRv patients with polyneuropathy and in pre-symptomatic carriers.ResultsSixty-two subjects (34 men, 28 women, mean age 59.8 years ± 12) with TTR gene mutation were recruited. With regard to CTS, while in idiopathic CTS there was a direct correlation between CTS severity and median nerve CSA (r = 0.55, p < 0.01), in the subgroup of TTR-CTS subjects (16 subjects, 5 with bilateral CTS) CSA did not significantly correlate with CTS severity (r = − 0.473). ATTRv patients with polyneuropathy showed larger CSA than pre-symptomatic carriers in several nerve sites, more pronounced at brachial plexi (p < 0.001).ConclusionsThe present study identifies nerve morphological US patterns that may help in the early diagnosis (morpho-functional dissociation of median nerve in CTS) and monitoring of pre-symptomatic TTR carriers (larger nerve CSA at proximal nerve sites, especially at brachial plexi).

Heart failure (HF) is a major socioeconomic problem worldwide, associated with high morbidity and mortality due to several underlying diseases. HF is driven by several closely linked mechanisms whose effects are mutually reinforcing. Some of the signalling pathways involved in the progression of HF may initially be compensatory, such as the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS), whose hyperactivation plays a central role in the progression of HF by promoting fluid retention, inflammation, oxidative stress (OS), and myocardial dysfunction. Fluid retention is also promoted by the action of neprilysin, which contrasts natriuresis and vasodilation. Among the compensatory and subsequently maladaptive systems, chronic hyperactivation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) exacerbates maladaptive remodelling and drives the progression of HF. At the molecular level, mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammatory substances are involved in the development of a state of systemic oxidative stress and inflammation. The aim of the following manuscript was to revise the pathophysiology and role of OS in HF, focusing on the current knowledge of the molecular pathways involved.