IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital

Patient acceptance and experience with contrast-enhanced mammography in women with a personal history of breast cancer: findings from the COMBO trial

Abstract Objectives To evaluate patient acceptance, tolerability and experience with contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) in women with a personal history of breast cancer undergoing routine post-surgical surveillance. Materials and methods This prospective cohort study, conducted...

Elevated prenatal IL-6 levels disrupt early patterns of hippocampal electrical activity and chloride homeostasis by targeting GABAergic signaling at perinatal stage

Abstract Early patterns of neuronal electrical activity are fundamental for driving critical developmental processes, including neuronal maturation and synapse formation. While genetic programs are key in orchestrating these events, the influence of environmental stressors remain...

Safety and Efficacy of Acute Normovolemic Hemodilution in Female Patients

Importance Female patients undergoing cardiac surgery have a higher transfusion burden, yet they remain underrepresented in randomized clinical trials. Although the ANH trial showed no significant reduction in the proportion of patients receiving allogeneic blood transfusions wit...

Emerging therapeutic strategies and clinical trials in severe asthma management: current evidence and future directions

Introduction Biologic therapies have transformed the management of severe asthma, particularly in type 2-high disease, but important unmet needs remain. Incomplete responses, uncertainty in treatment positioning, and the lack of effective options for non-type 2 or mixed inflammat...

Polymer Coating Adhesion Drives Functional and Biological Outcomes in Meniscus Implants

Achieving stable integration of drug-releasing polymer coatings with load-bearing meniscus implants remains a challenge in biomaterials engineering. In this study, four surface modification strategies, femtosecond-pulsed laser treatment, oxygen plasma, polydopamine, and an ethyl-...

Travel distance to tertiary healthcare reflects disease severity and medication access in Italian systemic sclerosis patients: a geographical study on adult-onset rare diseases from SPRING-SIR registry

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare, multiorgan disease in adults that requires specialized care. Commuting to tertiary medical centers poses a considerable burden and incurs significant costs, potentially affecting management choices. This study aims to describe the healthcare co...

Validation of the International Working Group 2023 response criteria for higher risk myelodysplastic syndromes/neoplasms using the International Consortium for Myelodysplastic Syndromes VALIDATE database and a randomized phase III trial

Response assessment criteria in patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes/neoplasms (HR-MDS) have been updated in the 2023 International Working Group (IWG) criteria. However, validation of these criteria has been limited to date. We analyzed overall survival (OS) by be...

Impact of blood pressure variability on mortality risk of patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis

Abstract Objectives Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody–associated vasculitis (AAV) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, related to persistent inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. Long -term systolic BP variability (SBPV), reflecting vascular damage, may predict...

Biweekly gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel in advanced pancreatic cancer: a systematic review

Abstract Background Pancreatic cancer is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (GA), along with FOLFIRINOX and NALIRIFOX, is a standard first-line treatment for advanced/metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (mPDAC). However, the stan...

Artificial intelligence-based assessment of gastric mucosal exposure and its association with lesion detection: a multicenter study

Completely and clearly visualizing the mucosa during esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) improves high-risk lesion detection. Here we propose a new EGD quality control indicator and present the optimal gastric mucosal exposure area (OGMEA) system to automatically assess mucosal expo...

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Antifungal Agents: Toward Harmonization of Therapeutic Ranges

Background: Invasive fungal infections are associated with high morbidity and mortality, particularly among immunocompromised and critically ill patients. Antifungal therapy is complicated by substantial pharmacokinetic variability, drug–drug interactions, and narrow therapeutic...

Staged Preoperative Embolization Followed by ICG-Guided Parenchyma-Sparing Resection of Pulmonary Sequestration: A Case Report

Pulmonary sequestration is a rare congenital malformation supplied by an aberrant systemic artery, making parenchyma-sparing resection technically challenging because safe vascular control and accurate identification of the resection plane are both required. Indocyanine green (IC...

Incidence and Predictors of Complications After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation According to VARC‐3 Criteria: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

BACKGROUND: Despite continuous advancements in devices and techniques, transcatheter aortic valve implantation remains associated with complications impacting outcomes. In 2021, the Valve Academic Research Consortium (VARC) introduced the VARC-3 criteria to better classify proced...

Salvage reverse shoulder arthroplasty after failed plate fixation of proximal humeral fractures: Clinical outcomes, complications, and prognostic factors

Background Failed plate fixation (open reduction and internal fixation) for proximal humeral fractures causes bone loss, tuberosity malunion, and soft-tissue imbalance. Reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) is a salvage option with variable outcomes. This study evaluated RSA outcom...

The Behavior of the External Limiting Membrane and Ellipsoid Zone in Diabetic Macular Edema: A Population AI-Assisted Optical Coherence Tomography Study

Purpose: To investigate the behavior of the external limiting membrane (ELM) and ellipsoid zone (EZ) in diabetic macular edema (DME) using artificial intelligence (AI)-based optical coherence tomography (OCT) quantification. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. OCT scans of...

Stereotactic radiosurgery for craniofacial pain disorders: current clinical applications and future perspectives

Introduction Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has emerged as a less invasive treatment for various medically refractory craniofacial pain disorders. Advances in neuroimaging, radiosurgical technology, and treatment planning have expanded its application beyond trigeminal neuralgia...

The evolving role of nuclear medicine in differentiating pseudoprogression from tumor progression in gliomas

Purpose of review Gliomas remain associated with poor outcomes, despite multimodal treatment. Response assessment relies primarily on MRI; however, treatment-related changes (TRC), particularly pseudoprogression (psPD), may mimic tumor progression disease (PD), creating a major d...

Innovative positioning of respiratory allergen immunotherapy: a focus on precision medicine

Introduction Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is the only treatment for IgE-mediated respiratory allergy that can modify disease progression. Historically, AIT has relied on empirical personalization, based on allergen selection and clinical judgment. However, AIT is now transitionin...

Identifying methodological guidance used for systematic reviews, clinical practice guidelines, and health technology assessment for rare diseases: a scoping review protocol.

OBJECTIVE: This scoping review will identify methodological guidance relevant to systematic reviews (SRs), clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), and health technology assessments (HTAs) for rare diseases, and examine methodological challenges associated with their development. INT...

Biosimilars in chronic spontaneous urticaria: current evidence, clinical implications and future perspectives

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is a debilitating condition characterized by recurrent wheals and/or angioedema lasting more than six weeks without identifiable triggers. The global prevalence is increasing, and patients with resistance to antihistamine therapies experience a...