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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Promoting healthy behaviors throughout life is an essential prevention tool. This study investigated the associations among lifestyle profiles (including diet, alcohol consumption, physical activity, cigarette smoking, and cardiovascular screening), sociodemographic factors (gender, age, education, and family history of CVDs), and psychological factors (sense of coherence and dispositional optimism). In total, 676 healthy adults (mean age = 35 years; range = 19-57; 46% male) participated in an online survey. Lifestyle profiles were identified through cluster analysis, and a multinomial logistic regression was then performed to explore their association with sociodemographic and psychological variables. Results show that men were more likely than women to belong to the lifestyle profile with the highest amount of physical activity (OR = 2.40; p < 0.001) and the greatest attention to cardiovascular screening (OR = 2.09; p < 0.01). Lower dispositional optimism was associated with the profile paying the greatest attention to cardiovascular screening (OR = 0.67; p < 0.05). Sense of coherence, in terms of lower comprehensibility (OR = 0.67; p < 0.05) and higher manageability (OR = 1.43; p < 0.05), was associated with the lifestyle profile characterized by an unhealthy diet, sedentary lifestyle, and nonsmoking. This study shed light on factors associated with different co-occurring health-related behaviors that should be considered in planning effective communication strategies promoting adherence to health claims.

Background: To evaluate the efficacy of the tension free surgical technique for the treatment inguinal hernia., Methods: The authors propose personal experience of 172 patients, treated for inguinal hernia in the period from 1986 to 1993, selecting two patients groups. In the first group the patients (80 cases) were treated with traditional hernioplasty, in the second group (92 cases) hernioplasty tension-free was performed., Results: In the first group 6 cases of recurrence (6.7%), have been observed and in the second group only one case., Conclusions: The results obtained, and literature survey show the advantages of hernioplasty tension-free.

The problems concerning surgical goiter treatment are discussed, particularly the morbidity of total thyroidectomy and possible injury to recurrent nerves in comparison to the partial resection of the gland. We discuss our case material and review the literature. We conclude that total thyroidectomy seems to be the most effective surgical procedure with lower morbidity than subtotal thyroidectomy.

The authors report a case of adrenal ganglioneuroma which was incidentally diagnosed performing preoperative examination for a sigmoid carcinoma. The authors took this finding as a starting point to underline the rarity of this condition and its chance discovery, this being due to the rare presence of signs and symptoms and its frequent association with other synchronous neoplasms; all this makes differential diagnosis rather difficult.

The authors take the case of a neuroendocrine tumour of the cecum as the starting point for an analysis of the anatomopathological and diagnostic-therapeutic aspects of these neoplasms. Furthermore, the authors underline that neuroendocrine tumours (NET) of the colon represent an extremely rare nosological entity and that they are heterogeneous from a clinical and biochemical point of view, thus making a reliable preoperative diagnosis a problem that is still difficult to resolve today.

Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is a diagnostic method of considerable value for the local staging of esophageal cancer, in particular for T and N evaluation. After an extensive review of the literature, the authors underline the possibility of using EUS to improve the treatment and prognosis of esophageal neoplasms based on the use of various stage-dependent therapeutic strategies. EUS is regarded as a gold-standard technique for esophageal cancer staging in order to select appropriate treatment options, but is currently hampered by the intrinsic difficulty and subjectivity of interpreting ultrasonographic images. In order to ensure safe and reliable data, EUS must be carried out by operators who have undergone suitable training at a specialised centre.

The histological and diagnostic features of a thymoma case observed recently have been investigated in the present study. Comparing the case under investigation with the literature, the Authors conclude that the proper surgical approach is that indicated by Jaretsky. By means of a longitudinal sternotomy associated with minimal cervical incision, the whole mediastinal cellular tissue together with that of the thyroid inferior poles is easily removed. Moreover oncological and myastenic recurrences have a very low incidence in cases surgically treated with this procedure.

The authors take the case of a neuroendocrine tumour of the cecum as the starting point for an analysis of the anatomopathological and diagnostic-therapeutic aspects of these neoplasms. Furthermore, the authors underline that neuroendocrine tumours (NET) of the colon represent an extremely rare nosological entity and that they are heterogeneous from a clinical and biochemical point of view, thus making a reliable preoperative diagnosis a problem that is still difficult to resolve today.

Based of a personal series of 206 patients, the authors evaluate their personal experience of an outpatient surgery ward for thyroid pathologies. The paper reports the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches both in patients undergoing surgery and those who do not. Attention is focused on the importance of the multidisciplinary team and the quality of the results of a homogeneous follow-up.

Starting from the study of a personal case, the authors underline that adrenal cysts are a very rare pathology, occasionally observed and without symptoms. Moreover they point out diagnostic methods, don't permit a certain diagnosis and therapies are not univocal.

The paper discusses the indications, limits and basic technical principles of laparoscopic appendicectomy, comparing the costs and benefits to the laparotomic method. The authors review the Literature on this subject and report their personal experience of 11 cases with a nil morbidity and mortality rate.