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Background The BOLERO-2 trial reported efficacy and safety of Everolimus (EVE) and Exemestane (EXE) combination in HR+ advanced breast cancer (ABC) patients. The BALLET trial further evaluated the safety of EVE-EXE in HR+ ABC patients, without reporting efficacy data. Aim of the EVA real-life study was to collect data of efficacy and safety of EVE-EXE combination in the clinical setting, as well as exploring efficacy according to EVE Dose-Intensity (DI) and to previous treatment with Fulvestrant. Patients and methods This study aimed to describe the outcome of ABC pts treated with EVE-EXE combination in terms of median duration of EVE treatment and ORR in a real-life setting. Results From July 2013 to December 2015, the EVA study enrolled 404 pts. Median age was 61 years (33–83). Main metastatic sites were: bone (69.1%), soft tissue (34.7%) and viscera (33.2%). Median number of previous treatments was 2 (1–7). 43.3% of the pts had received Fulvestrant. Median exposure to EVE was 31.0 weeks (15.4–58.3) in the whole population. No difference was observed in terms of EVE exposure duration according to DI (p for trend = 0.27) or type of previous treatments (p = 0.33). ORR and Disease Control Rate (DCR) were observed in 31.6% and 60.7% of the patients, respectively, with the lowest ORRs confined in CHT pre-treated patients or in those who received the lowest DI of EVE. Grade 3-4 adverse events (AEs) were reported in 37.9% of the patients. Main AEs were: stomatitis (11.2%), non-infectious pneumonitis - NIP (3.8%), anaemia (3.8%) and fatigue (3.2%). Conclusions The EVA study provided new insights in the use of EVE-EVE combination in HR+ ABC pts many years after the publication of the pivotal trial. The combination is safe and the best response could be obtained in patients receiving the full dose of EVE and/or after hormone-therapy as Fulvestrant in ABC.

Background: Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) may impair outcomes of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The extent of this phenomenon and its mechanisms are unclear. Methods and Results: This study prospectively included 50 consecutive STEMI patients admitted to our center for primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) at the peak of the Italian COVID-19 outbreak. At admission, a COVID-19 test was positive in 24 patients (48%), negative in 26 (52%). The primary endpoint was in-hospital all-cause mortality. Upon admission, COVID-19 subjects had lower PO2/FiO2 (169 [100–425] vs. 390 [302–477], P

The present paper provides an update of previous recommendations on Home Blood Pressure Monitoring from the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) Working Group on Blood Pressure Monitoring and Cardiovascular Variability sequentially published in years 2000, 2008 and 2010. This update has taken into account new evidence in this field, including a recent statement by the American Heart association, as well as technological developments, which have occurred over the past 20 years. The present document has been developed by the same ESH Working Group with inputs from an international team of experts, and has been endorsed by the ESH. ispartof: JOURNAL OF HYPERTENSION vol:39 issue:9 pages:1742-1767 ispartof: location:Netherlands status: published

Background Gender-related factors might affect vulnerability to Covid-19. The aim of this study was to describe the role of gender on clinical features and 28-day mortality in Covid-19 patients. Methods Observational study of Covid-19 patients hospitalized in Bergamo, Italy, during the first three weeks of the outbreak. Medical records, clinical, radiological and laboratory findings upon admission and treatment have been collected. Primary outcome was 28-day mortality since hospitalization. Results 431 consecutive adult patients were admitted. Female patients were 119 (27.6%) with a mean age of 67.0 ± 14.5 years (vs 67.8 ± 12.5 for males, p = 0.54). Previous history of myocardial infarction, vasculopathy and former smoking habits were more common for males. At the time of admission PaO2/FiO2 was similar between men and women (228 [IQR, 134–273] vs 238 mmHg [150–281], p = 0.28). Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) assistance was needed in the first 24 h more frequently in male patients (25.7% vs 13.0%; p = 0.006). Overall 28-day mortality was 26.1% in women and 38.1% in men (p = 0.018). Gender did not result an independent predictor of death once the parameters related to disease severity at presentation were included in the multivariable analysis (p = 0.898). Accordingly, the Kaplan–Meier survival analysis in female and male patients requiring CPAP or non-invasive ventilation in the first 24 h did not find a significant difference (p = 0.687). Conclusion Hospitalized women are less likely to die from Covid-19; however, once severe disease occurs, the risk of dying is similar to men. Further studies are needed to better investigate the role of gender in clinical course and outcome of Covid-19.

Purpose of Review: To summarize available data on digital health strategies for the prevention and management of hypertension, discussing the state-of-the-art, current limitations, and future perspective of this approach. Recent Findings: Technology is developing at a fast pace and is providing a number of novel solutions for cardiovascular patients, in particular in the field of digital health. Even if the benefit of these approaches is intuitive, the methodological heterogeneity of the available studies and their small sample size have made it difficult to provide robust evidence regarding the usefulness and cost-effectiveness of digital health technologies. Recently, studies with larger sample sizes and some meta-analyses have provided more convincing data on the favorable impact of such strategies. Summary: Digital health solutions may offer a chance to improve primary prevention and for timely diagnosis and effective management of hypertension. Results from small studies are promising, but there is a strong need for larger, long-term, and well-designed clinical trials to make these novel solutions really applicable in real-life patients’ care.

During blood pressure (BP) measurement, the recommended positioning of the cuff bladder center is directly above the brachial artery. We investigated the relevance of incorrect cuff positioning during (1) auscultatory measurement with an appropriate or improperly small cuff and (2) oscillometric measurement with a wide-range cuff designed to guarantee accurate measurements regardless of position. In subjects with wide BP and arm circumference ranges, (1) auscultatory BP was repeatedly measured with a properly positioned cuff (reference) and, simultaneously, with an identical cuff placed on the other arm in either a correct or an incorrect position (test). The measurements were performed with a properly sized (N=57) or an improperly small cuff (N=33). (2) Auscultatory measurements obtained with a properly positioned and sized cuff were compared with oscillometric measurements obtained with a specially designed wide-range cuff (Omron IntelliWrap) placed on the contralateral arm either in a correct or an incorrect position. Auscultatory BP measures were unaffected by incorrect positioning of a properly sized cuff, whereas with undercuffing, BP was overestimated with the cuff displaced by 90° laterally (systolic/diastolic BP differences: 4.9±4.6/4.0±4.6 mm Hg, P

Krabbe disease is a rare, childhood lysosomal storage disorder caused by a deficiency of galactosylceramide beta-galactosidase (GALC). The major effect of GALC deficiency is the accumulation of psychosine in the nervous system and widespread degeneration of oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells, causing rapid demyelination. The molecular mechanisms of Krabbe disease are not yet fully elucidated and a definite cure is still missing. Here we report the first in-depth characterization of the proteome of the Twitcher mouse, a spontaneous mouse model of Krabbe disease, to investigate the proteome changes in the Central and Peripheral Nervous System. We applied a TMT-based workflow to compare the proteomes of the corpus callosum, motor cortex and sciatic nerves of littermate homozygous Twitcher and wild-type mice. More than 400 protein groups exhibited differences in expression and included proteins involved in pathways that can be linked to Krabbe disease, such as inflammatory and defense response, lysosomal proteins accumulation, demyelination, reduced nervous system development and cell adhesion. These findings provide new insights on the molecular mechanisms of Krabbe disease, representing a starting point for future functional experiments to study the molecular pathogenesis of Krabbe disease. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD010594.

Introduction Masked uncontrolled hypertension (MUCH) carries an increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) complications and can be identified through combined use of office (O) and ambulatory (A) blood pressure (BP) monitoring (M) in treated patients. However, it is still debated whether the information carried by ABPM should be considered for MUCH management. Aim of the MASked-unconTrolled hypERtension management based on OBP or on ambulatory blood pressure measurement (MASTER) Study is to assess the impact on outcome of MUCH management based on OBPM or ABPM. Methods and analysis MASTER is a 4-year prospective, randomised, open-label, blinded-endpoint investigation. A total of 1240 treated hypertensive patients from about 40 secondary care clinical centres worldwide will be included -upon confirming presence of MUCH (repeated on treatment OBP

Purpose of the Review: This review article will summarize available data on mobile applications for the management of hypertension, by highlighting their potential for clinical use, the current limitations and the yet pending issues to be addressed in future studies. Recent Findings: The number of available applications related to arterial hypertension and their usage by smartphone owners is constantly increasing. However, most applications lack standardization and scientific validation, and security flaws could be an important, yet still underrated, issue. Small studies showed that treatment strategies based on telemonitoring of home blood pressure with mobile applications could improve blood pressure control, but there are no data on strong outcomes and the high heterogeneity of available studies severely limits the possibility of reaching a definitive conclusion on the impact of such strategies. Summary: Smartphone applications for arterial hypertension represent a great chance to improve management of this condition. Results from small studies are promising, but there is a strong need for large, long-term, well-designed clinical trials, before these potential solutions might be reliably applied in real-life patients’ care

Background Thoracic impedance (TI) decrease and pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) elevation precede acute decompensation in congestive heart failure (HF). However, the relationship between TI and PAP has been studied only in the context of acute decompensation. Methods This prospective, observational study enrolled subjects with reduced ejection fraction HF, previously implanted with an ICD capable of measuring TI. Patients underwent implantation of a sensor for direct measurement of PAP (CardioMEMs™). Both TI and PAP were remotely monitored daily during follow up. Investigators were blinded to PAP values during the first three months, then PAP was used as a guide to therapy. Results Ten patients were followed up for 405 ± 141 days (3720 patient-days). During hemodynamic guided therapy, diastolic PAP (dPAP) decreased from 27.8 ± 10.2 mm Hg to 24.0 ± 8.0 mm Hg (p < 0.001); non-significant variations of TI were observed. A significant negative correlation was found between the variations of TI and PAP vs. baseline (p < 0.001). Episodes of sustained increase of PAP preceded subsequent periods of TI decrease by 5.6 ± 3.9 days, but the former were poor predictors of the latter (sensitivity 0.37). Conclusions Our study confirms the strict correlation that exists between left ventricular filling pressures and lung water content, estimated by dPAP and TI, respectively. However, dPAP acute variation analysis showed a limited value in predicting subsequent episodes of TI decrease.

OBJECTIVE: Evidence-based management of granulosa cell tumors of the ovary (GCT) has been not yet standardized: surgery, including fertility-sparing procedures for young women, has been traditionally the standard treatment; on the other hand, chemotherapy has been used for treatment of advanced and/or recurrent disease. However, very limited experience, has been selectively focused on the role of adjuvant chemotherapy in stage IC patients. The objective of this retrospective study was to assess the efficacy of first line postoperative chemotherapy in patients with stage IC treated at the Italian Centers involved in the MITO (Multicenter Italian Trials in Ovarian cancer) Group. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective multi-institutional review of patients with GCT of the ovary at FIGO stage IC treated or referred to MITO centers was conducted. Surgical outcome, pathological findings and follow-up data were analysed. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards analyses were used to determine the predictors factors for disease free survival. RESULTS: A total of 40 patients with primary GCT of the ovary at FIGO stage IC were identified. The median follow-up period was 96months (range 7-300). At multivariate analysis, surgical treatment outside MITO centers and incomplete surgical staging were independent poor prognostic indicators for recurrence; adjuvant chemotherapy did not retain significant predictive value for recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: This study raises the question about the value of adjuvant chemotherapy in stage IC GCT: a comprehensive evaluation of a larger series is urgently needed in order to characterize stage IC substages who can be spared treatment toxicity. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.