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To date, the pandemic spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has involved over 100 countries in a matter of weeks, and Italy suffers from almost 1/3 of the dead cases worldwide. In this report, we show the strategies adopted to face the emergency at Centro Cardiologico Monzino, a mono-specialist cardiology hospital sited in the region of Italy most affected by the pandemic, and specifically we describe how we have progressively modified in a few weeks the organization of our Heart Failure Unit in order to cope with the new COVID-19 outbreak. In fact, on the background of the pandemic, cardiovascular diseases still occur frequently in the general population, but we observed consistent reduction in hospital admissions for acute cardiovascular events and a dramatic increase of late presentation acute myocardial infarction. Despite a reduction of healthcare workers number, our ward has been rearranged in order to take care of both COVID-19 and cardiovascular patients. In particular according to a triple step procedure we divided admitted patients in confirmed, suspected and excluded cases (respectively allocated in “red”, “pink” and “green” separated areas). Due to the absence of definite guidelines, our aim was to describe our strategy in facing the current emergency, in order to reorganize our hospital in a dynamic and proactive manner. To quote the famous Italian writer Alessandro Manzoni ‘It is less bad to be agitated in doubt than to rest in error.’

For improving aquafeed sustainability, insect meal is currently considered the most promising alternative to fishmeal. However, in this regard, more data are still necessary to avoid possible negative impacts on fish growth performance, metabolism, and welfare. The present study investigated the effects of increasing the inclusion of Hermetia illucens meal (0%, 17%, 33% and 50% of the feed, equating to 0%, 34%, 66% and 100% fishmeal replacement) on fish mortality, growth performance, intestine morphology, and gene expression of intestinal carriers. The results showed no adverse effects on fish mortality, feed intake and body weight and a positive effect on feed conversion ratio. Body weight gain was higher when 17% and 50% of Black soldier fly meals’ feed included (34% and 100% fishmeal replacement, respectively). Gut morphology was not affected by the dietary treatments except for the area of PAS-positive goblet cells that was higher in the treatment fed 33% of insect meal. The mRNA expression of intestinal epithelium functionality-specific marker genes, such as slc15a1 (alias pept1, alias slc15a1b), gata4 and nfkb1b, confirmed that the insect meal-based diets might replace fishmeal-based diets without negative effects. Overall, the results of the present study suggest that using Hermetia illucens larvae meal as a replacement for fishmeal in aquafeeds might help to enhance sustainability while assuring favorable fish growth performance and gut health.

Background: Few clinical studies have been published reporting the clinical outcomes of total hip replacement (THA) in HIV-positive patients affected by femoral head avascular necrosis (AVN) often with controversial results and often without any correlation with the immunological patient status. Our study aim is to retrospectively review the outcome of a HIV-positive patient series. Material and Methods: 24 THAs perfomed between 2007 and 2017 were assessed in the study. All patients have been classified with Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) HIV classification. At the latest follow-up each patient have been evaluated using Harris Hip Score (HHS), WOMAC score, a numerical pain rating scale (NRS) and procedure-related complications were collected. Results: At a mean mean follow up of 96,41 months the mean WOMAC score was 91,66 and the mean Harris Hip Score was 86,77 with excellent results in 18 hips, good in 1 and poor in the 5. Post-operative complications were reported in 7 hips, 3 patients developed a periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) in patients with low CD4+ count and history of intravenous drug consumption. Conclusion: We registered a good outcome in HIV patient with femoral head AVN treated with Total Hip replacement. However, we reported a significant increase in complications and revision rate especially referred to PJI, in patient with history of intravenous drug consumption and low CD4+ count. The authors advocate further prospective multicentric studies with larger population in the future. (www.actabiomedica.it9

According to guidelines, single determination of B-type Natriuretic peptide (BNP) should be used for distinguishing between cardiac and non-cardiac acute dyspnea at the emergency room. BNP measurement is also recommended before hospital discharge in patients hospitalized for heart failure to assess prognosis and to evaluate treatment efficacy. In acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema, BNP is measured using a single BNP determination, but the temporal behavior of BNP during pulmonary edema recovery is unknown.Fifty chronic low ejection fraction (40%) heart failure patients (age 77 ± 9 years, 17 M-33F) admitted for acute pulmonary edema were studied. Patients were grouped according to 50% dyspnea recovery time into 3 groups: ≤30 min (n = 14), 30 to 60 min (n = 19), and 60 min (n = 17). BNP was measured at arrival and 4, 8, 12 and 24 h afterwards.At arrival, BNP was elevated in all patients without significant difference among groups. In the entire population, BNP median and interquartile range value were 791 (528-1327) pg/ml, 785(559-1299) pg/ml, 1014(761-1573) pg/ml, 1049(784-1412) pg/ml, 805(497-1271) pg/ml at arrival and 4, 8, 12 and 24 h afterwards, respectively, showing higher values at 8 and 12 h. This peculiar temporal behavior of BNP was shared by all study groups. Patients with the longest edema resolution showed the highest BNP level 8 and 12 h after admission.In acute pulmonary edema, BNP increased up to 12 h after emergency admission regardless of dyspnea recovery time, making BNP quantitative meaning in the acute phase of pulmonary edema uncertain.

The painful thumb carpometacarpal joint without arthritic changes with joint laxity is a common condition mainly affecting the female population in their early decades. Despite this, there is a lack of literature on the available treatment options. In the existing literature ligament reconstruction and extension osteotomy have both been described. In these methods the surgical trauma is quite extensive. In this paper, the authors document and present a new minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of this condition. Patients with painful and lax thumb carpometacarpal joint who did not benefit from conservative treatment underwent surgical treatment. The integrity of the cartilage was checked arthroscopically and it was considered an absolute indication to perform the technique consisting of stabilizing the space between the first and second metacarpal base with a suture button device. A standard postoperative protocol followed. No major complications occurred. According to preliminary experience and short-term follow-up results this technique is a comparatively safer, less invasive, and less aggressive procedure.

We sought to review echocardiographic incidence of anomalous images (AI) as false tendons and trabeculations of the left ventricle (LV) in light of recent advancements in echocardiographic evaluation of heart anatomy. In 1580 patients the presence of false tendons, trabeculations, or thrombi was evaluated with transthoracic echocardiography and correlated to clinical characteristics and echocardiographic parameters. Incidence of AI was 46.7% (75% false tendons, 23% trabeculations, 2% thrombi), slightly higher in pathologic (48.9%) than in normal hearts (40.8%). AI were more frequent in male patients (52%) than in female patients (39.7%) and associated with LV dilatation, hypertrophy, and systolic dysfunction. False tendons and trabeculations were not related to age. Male sex was the most significant independent predictor of AI. In 2 patients, isolated LV noncompaction of myocardium was diagnosed and confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging. This study shows a high prevalence of AI for patients with and without pathologic hearts suggesting the need of updating LV echocardiographic anatomy. It also emphasizes the necessity for an awareness of these anatomic variants when evaluating patients for mural thrombi and cardiomyopathies.

Background: The normal and dilated heart behaves as a single functional unit during preload reduction; volume unloading in the setting of diastolic ventricular interaction allows for increased left ventricular (LV) filling. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that reduction of venous return induced by a physiologic stimulus (tilting) or by acute angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors in dilated heart is likely to have a marked and similar effect on ventricular chamber geometry and filling. This study was designed to assess how the normal and dilated heart adapts to preload reduction. Methods: Twenty normal subjects and 20 patients with moderate heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy were studied with two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography in supine position (B) and after 40° of head-up tilting (T). The following day, patients repeated supine (C) and tilting test (TC) after administration of captopril (25 mgs.1.). Right ventricular (RV) and LV dimensions, LV geometry, and tricuspid, mitral, and pulmonary venous flow patterns were recorded at each step of the study. Results: In the two groups, T was associated with reduction of RV area and LV volumes; C and TC produced a similar effect on RV and LV. Changes in LV septal-lateral diameter and anterior-posterior diameter were different at each step of the study: during T (both groups) and after C and TC, the septallateral diameter increased slightly while the anterior-posterior diameter decreased. During T, mitral and tricuspid peak flow velocities decreased, peak late velocities were unchanged, and the deceleration time of mitral flow increased; the systolic forward flow of pulmonary venous flow decreased, the diastolic forward flow did not change, and the difference in duration between reverse pulmonary flow and mitral peak late flow decreased; C and CT induced similar changes. Conclusion: Preload reduction induced by tilting or by ACE inhibitors induces profound and similar effects on LV and RV dimensions, LV geometry, and biventricular filling. Reduction of RV dimension is associated with adaptation of LV geometry and decrease of LV diastolic pressure, which facilitates LV filling and pulmonary venous drainage; ACE inhibition associated with tilting exerts an additional effect on these changes. These data confirm the role of ventricular interaction in modulating LV filling in heart failure.

Chronic exertional compartment syndrome of the forearm is an unusual disease not commonly found in the daily practice of a hand surgeon. This condition is quite rare in the general population but occurs more frequently among musicians and athletes, with the highest incidence found in professional motorcycle drivers. It is mainly because of a critical augmentation of the extracellular pressure of the forearm compartments. The diagnosis is mainly clinical, based on stress dynamic tests and intracompartmental pressure measurements. Traditionally, the treatment of this disease has revolved around trigger activity suspension. In the case of professional athletes, this solution cannot be considered and thus the standard surgical treatment consists of an open forearm fasciotomy. This procedure usually requires a lengthy operation period and has a long recovery time before patients can resume their regular activity. Different surgical endoscopic solutions with mini-open techniques have been proposed to shorten this time and reduce the incision size. The aim of this study was to present a new technique for endoscopic-assisted fasciotomy of the forearm in chronic exertional compartment syndrome using a single mini-incision. Four surgical procedures were performed in 3 patients. They were all treated at our center for this condition, and in one case the disease was found on both sides.

Oxygen consumption at peak exercise (peak VO2) is a strong independent predictor of the outcome in congestive heart failure (CHF). Renin-angiotensin system inhibition with either ACE or AT1 receptor blockers is effective on peak VO2. We evaluated whether mechanisms are similar for the 2 categories of drugs and whether their combination is able to produce a synergistic effect. Twenty CHF patients were randomized to receive, in a double-blind fashion, placebo + placebo (P+P), enalapril (20 mg/day) + placebo (E+P), losartan (50 mg/day) + placebo (L+P), and enalapril + losartan (E+L) or the same preparations in a reverse order, each for 8 weeks. Two patients did not complete the trial. Pulmonary function, cardiopulmonary exercise test, plasma neurohormones, and quality of life were assessed at the end of each treatment. Compared with P+P, E+P, and L+P similarly (16% and 15%, respectively) and significantly (p

Right ventricular (RV) dimensions and function are of diagnostic and prognostic importance in cardiac disease. Because of the peculiar morphology of the right ventricle, 2-dimensional echocardiography has several limitations in RV evaluation. Recently, new 3-dimensional transthoracic echocardiographic software adapted for RV morphology was introduced. The aims of this study were to evaluate the feasibility of 3-dimensional RV analysis in a large population and to compare and correlate 3-dimensional RV data with classic 2-dimensional and Doppler parameters, including tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion and peak systolic velocity on Doppler tissue imaging, RV fractional shortening area, RV stroke volume (by the Doppler method), and pulmonary arterial systolic pressure. Two hundred subjects were studied: 48 normal controls and 152 patients with valvular heart disease (104 patients), idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (20 patients), or pulmonary hypertension (28 patients). The mean times for 3-dimensional acquisition and 3-dimensional reconstruction were 3 +/- 1 and 4 +/- 2 minutes, respectively. Imaging quality was good in most cases (85%). The mean RV diastolic and systolic volumes were 103 +/- 38 and 46 +/- 28 ml, respectively. The RV ejection fraction (RVEF) was correlated negatively with pulmonary arterial systolic pressure and positively with tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, peak systolic velocity, and fractional shortening area. The pathologic group was characterized by larger RV volumes and lower RVEFs. Three-dimensional echocardiography clearly showed that in the pathologic group, patients with pulmonary hypertension had the largest RV volumes and the lowest RVEFs and that those with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy were characterized by RVEFs lower than those of patients with valvular disease. In conclusion, this new quantitative 3-dimensional method to assess RV volumes and function is feasible, relatively simple, and not time consuming. Data obtained with 3-dimensional analysis are well correlated with those obtained by 2-dimensional and Doppler methods and can differentiate normal and pathologic subjects.