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In this paper, we investigate the effectiveness of shape completion neural networks as clinical aids in maxillofacial surgery planning. We present a pipeline to apply shape completion networks to automatically reconstruct complete eumorphic 3D meshes starting from a partial input mesh, easily obtained from CT data routinely acquired for surgery planning. Most of the existing works introduced solutions to aid the design of implants for cranioplasty, i.e. all the defects are located in the neurocranium. In this work, we focus on reconstructing defects localized on both neurocranium and splanchnocranium. To this end, we introduce a new dataset, specifically designed for this task, derived from publicly available CT scans and subjected to a comprehensive pre-processing procedure. All the scans in the dataset have been manually cleaned and aligned to a common reference system. In addition, we devised a pre-processing stage to automatically extract point clouds from the scans and enrich them with virtual defects. We experimentally compare several state-of-the-art point cloud completion networks and identify the two most promising models. Finally, expert surgeons evaluated the best-performing network on a clinical case. Our results show how casting the creation of personalized implants as a problem of shape completion is a promising approach for automatizing this complex task., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The aim of this study was to evaluate condylar and glenoid fossa remodeling after bimaxillary orthognathic surgery guided by patient-specific mandibular implants. In total, 18 patients suffering from dentofacial dysmorphism underwent a virtually planned bimaxillary mandibular PSI-guided orthognathic procedure. One month prior to surgery, patients underwent a CBCT scan and optical scans of the dental arches; these datasets were re-acquired 1 month and at least 9 months postsurgery. Three-dimensional models of the condyles, glenoid fossae, and interarticular surface space (IASS) were obtained and compared to evaluate the roto-translational positional discrepancy and surface variation of each condyle and glenoid fossa, and the IASS variation. The condylar position varied by an average of 4.31° and 2.18 mm, mainly due to surgically unavoidable ramus position correction. Condylar resorption remodeling was minimal (average ≤ 0.1 mm), and affected skeletal class III patients the most. Later condylar remodeling was positively correlated with patient age. No significant glenoid fossa remodeling was observed. No postoperative orofacial pain was recorded at clinical follow-up. The procedure was accurate in minimizing the shift in relationship between the bony components of the TMJ and their remodeling, and was effective in avoiding postoperative onset of orofacial pain. An increase in sample size, however, would be useful to confirm our findings., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Three-dimensional virtual simulation of orthognathic surgery is now a well-established method in maxillo-facial surgery. The commercial software packages are still burdened by a consistent imprecision on soft tissue predictions. In this study, the authors produced an anatomically detailed patient specific numerical model for simulation of soft tissue changes in orthognathic surgery. Eight patients were prospectively enrolled. Each patient underwent CBCT and planar x-rays prior to surgery and in addition received an MRI scan. Postoperative soft-tissue change was simulated using Finite Element Modeling (FEM) relying on a patient-specific 3D models generated combining data from preoperative CBCT (hard tissue) scans and MRI scans (muscles and skin). An initial simulation was performed assuming that all the muscles and the other soft tissue had the same material properties (Homogeneous Model). This model was compared with the postoperative CBCT 3D simulation for validation purpose. Design of experiments (DoE) was used to assess the effect of the presence of the muscles considered and of their variation in stiffness. The effect of single muscles was evaluated in specific areas of the midface. The quantitative distance error between the homogeneous model and actual patient surfaces for the midface area was 0.55 mm, standard deviation 2.9 mm. In our experience, including muscles in the numerical simulation of orthognathic surgery, brought an improvement in the quality of the simulation obtained., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Ruggiero et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background and Aim: Notwithstanding the improvement in therapies, patients affected by thalassemia major (TM) and intermedia (TI) are still at high risk of cardiac complications. This study aimed at evaluating the incidence and predictive factors for developing cardiac events in adult β-TM and TI patients., Population and Methods: Data on diagnosis and clinical history were collected retrospectively; prospective data on new-onset cardiac failure and arrhythmias, echocardiographic parameters, biochemical variables including non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI) and labile plasma iron (LPI), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2* measurement of hepatic and cardiac iron deposits, and iron chelation therapy were recorded during a 6-year follow-up., Results: Thirty-seven patients, 29 TM and 8 TI, were included. At baseline, 8 TM patients and 1 TI patient had previously experienced a cardiac event (mainly heart failure). All patients were on chelation therapy and only 3 TM patients had mild-to-severe cardiac siderosis. During follow-up, 11 patients (29.7%) experienced a new cardiac event. The occurrence of cardiac events was correlated to high LPI levels (OR 12.0, 95% CI 1.56-92.3, p .017), low mean pre-transfusion haemoglobin (OR 0.21, 95% C.I. 0.051-0.761, p .21) and echocardiographic parameters suggestive of myocardial hypertrophy. Multivariate analysis disclosed high LPI and left ventricle mass index (LVMI) as independent variables significantly associated with cardiac events. Cardiac iron deposits measured by MRI T2* failed to predict cardiac events., Conclusion: LPI, Hb levels and echocardiographic parameters assessing cardiac remodelling are associated with cardiac events in adult TM and TI patients. LPI might represent both a prognostic marker and a potential target for novel treatment strategies. Further studies are warranted to confirm our findings on larger populations., (© 2023 The Authors. European Journal of Clinical Investigation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Stichting European Society for Clinical Investigation Journal Foundation.)

Background: Augmented reality (AR) allows the overlapping and integration of virtual information with the real environment. The camera of the AR device reads the object and integrates the virtual data. It has been widely applied to medical and surgical sciences in recent years and has the potential to enhance intraoperative navigation., Materials and Methods: In this study, the authors aim to assess the accuracy of AR guidance when using the commercial HoloLens 2 head-mounted display (HMD) in pediatric craniofacial surgery. The Authors selected fronto-orbital remodeling (FOR) as the procedure to test (specifically, frontal osteotomy and nasal osteotomy were considered). Six people (three surgeons and three engineers) were recruited to perform the osteotomies on a 3D printed stereolithographic model under the guidance of AR. By means of calibrated CAD/CAM cutting guides with different grooves, the authors measured the accuracy of the osteotomies that were performed. We tested accuracy levels of ±1.5 mm, ±1 mm, and ±0.5 mm., Results: With the HoloLens 2, the majority of the individuals involved were able to successfully trace the trajectories of the frontal and nasal osteotomies with an accuracy level of ±1.5 mm. Additionally, 80% were able to achieve an accuracy level of ±1 mm when performing a nasal osteotomy, and 52% were able to achieve an accuracy level of ±1 mm when performing a frontal osteotomy, while 61% were able to achieve an accuracy level of ±0.5 mm when performing a nasal osteotomy, and 33% were able to achieve an accuracy level of ±0.5 mm when performing a frontal osteotomy., Conclusions: despite this being an in vitro study, the authors reported encouraging results for the prospective use of AR on actual patients.

Although the fibula free flap represents the gold standard for mandibular reconstructions, when implanted as a single barrel, this flap does not have the cross-sectional requisites to restore the native mandibular height, which is in turn required for the implant-supported dental rehabilitation of the patient. Our team has developed a design workflow that already considers the predicted dental rehabilitation, positioning the fibular free flap in the correct craniocaudal position to restore the native alveolar crest. The remaining height gap along the inferior mandibular margin is then filled by a patient-specific implant. The aim of this study is to evaluate the accuracy in transferring the planned mandibular anatomy resulting from said workflow on 10 patients by means of a new rigid body analysis method, derived from the evaluation of orthognathic surgery procedures. The analysis method has proved to be reliable and reproducible, and the results obtained show that the procedure already has satisfactory accuracy (4.6° mean total angular discrepancy, 2.7 mm total translational discrepancy, 1.04 mm mean neo-alveolar crest surface deviation), while also pointing out possible improvements to the virtual planning workflow.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to introduce a novel 3D cephalometric analysis (3DCA) and to validate its use in evaluating the reproducibility of virtual orthodontic-surgical planning (VOSP) in surgery-first approach (SF) comparing VOSP and post-operative outcome (PostOp)., Methods: The cohort of nineteen patients underwent bimaxillary orthognathic surgery following the VOSP designed in SimPlant O&O software by processing cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans and intraoral digital scanning of the dental arches. Said records were re-acquired once the post-operative orthodontic treatment was completed. The 3DCA was performed by three expert operators on VOSP and PostOp 3D models. Descriptive statistics of 3DCA measures were evaluated, and outcomes were compared via Wilcoxon test., Results: In the comparison between cephalometric outcomes against planned ones, the following values showed significant differences: Wits Index, which suggests a tendency towards skeletal class III in PostOp (p = 0.033); decreased PFH/AFH ratio (p = 0.010); decreased upper incisors inclination (p < 0.001); and increased OVJ (p = 0.001). However not significant (p = 0.053), a tendency towards maxillary retroposition was found in PostOp (A/McNamara VOSP: 5.05 ± 2.64 mm; PostOp: 4.1 ± 2.6 mm). On average, however, when McNamara's plane was considered as reference, a tendency to biprotrusion was found. Upper incisal protrusion was greater in PostOp as an orthodontic compensation for residual maxillary retrusion (VOSP: 5.68 ± 2.56 mm; PostOp: 6.53 ± 2.63 mm; p = 0.084). Finally, the frontal symmetry in relation to the median sagittal plane decreased in craniocaudal direction., Limitations: A potential limit of studies making use of closest point distance analysis is represented by the complexity that surgeons and orthodontists face in applying this three-dimensional evaluation of SF accuracy/predictability to everyday clinical practice and diagnosis. Also, heterogeneity and limited sample size may impact the results of the study comparison., Conclusions: The presented 3DCA offers a valid aid in performing VOSP and analysing orthognathic surgery outcomes, especially in SF. Thanks to the cephalometric analysis, we found that surgery-first approach outcome unpredictability is mainly tied to the sagittal positioning of the maxilla and that the transverse symmetry is progressively less predictable in a craniocaudal direction., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

In orthognathic surgery, patient-specific osteosynthesis implants (PSIs) represent a novel approach for the reproduction of the virtual surgical planning on the patient. The aim of this study is to analyse the quality of maxillo-mandibular positioning using a hybrid mandible-first mandibular-PSI-guided procedure on twenty-two patients while the upper maxilla was fixed using manually bent stock titanium miniplates. The virtual surgical plan was used to design PSIs and positioning guides, which were then 3D printed using biocompatible materials. A Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) scan was performed one month after surgery and postoperative facial skeletal models were segmented for comparison against the surgical plan. A three-dimensional cephalometric analysis was carried out on both planned and obtained anatomies. A Spearman correlation matrix was computed on the calculated discrepancies in order to achieve a more comprehensive description of maxillo-mandibular displacement. Intraoperatively, all PSIs were successfully applied. The procedure was found to be accurate in planned maxillo-mandibular positioning reproduction, while maintaining a degree of flexibility to allow for aesthetics-based verticality correction in a pitch range between -5.31 and +1.79 mm. Such a correction did not significantly affect the achievement of planned frontal symmetry.

Current scientific evidence on how orthognathic surgery affects the airways morphology remains contradictory. The aim of this study is to investigate the existence and extension of a neutral-impact interval of bony segments displacement on the upper airways morphology. Its upper boundary would behave as a skeletal displacement threshold differentiating minor and major jaw repositioning, with impact on the planning of the individual case. Pre- and post-operative cone beam computed tomographies (CBCTs) of 45 patients who underwent maxillo-mandibular advancement or maxillary advancement/mandibular setback were analysed by means of a semi-automated three-dimensional (3D) method; 3D models of skull and airways were produced, the latter divided into the three pharyngeal subregions. The correlation between skeletal displacement, stacked surface area and volume was investigated. The displacement threshold was identified by setting three ∆Area percentage variations. No significant difference in area and volume emerged from the comparison of the two surgical procedures with bone repositioning below the threshold (approximated to +5 mm). A threshold ranging from +4.8 to +7 mm was identified, varying in relation to the three ∆Area percentages considered. The ∆Area increased linearly above the threshold, while showing no consistency in the interval ranging from -5 mm to +5 mm.

In orthognathic surgery, the use of patient-specific osteosynthesis devices is a novel approach used to transfer the virtual surgical plan to the patient. The aim of this study is to analyse the quality of mandibular anatomy reproduction using a mandible-first mandibular-PSI guided procedure on 22 patients. Three different positioning guide designs were compared in terms of osteosynthesis plate positioning and mandibular anatomical outcome. PSIs and positioning guides were designed according to virtual surgical plan and 3D printed using biocompatible materials. A CBCT scan was performed 1 month after surgery and postoperative mandibular models were segmented for comparison against the surgical plan. A precision comparison was carried out among the three groups. Correlations between obtained rami and plates discrepancies and between planned rami displacements and obtained rami discrepancies were calculated. Intraoperatively, all PSIs were successfully applied. The procedure was found to be accurate in planned mandibular anatomy reproduction. Different guide designs did not differ in mandibular outcome precision. Plate positional discrepancies influenced the corresponding ramus position, mainly in roll angle and vertical translation. Ramus planned displacement was found to be a further potential source of inaccuracy, possibly due to osteosynthesis surface interference.

HBV vaccine contains the 'a' determinant region, the major immune-target of antibodies (anti-HBs). Failure of immunization may be caused by vaccine-induced or spontaneous 'a' determinant surface gene mutants. Here, we evaluate the possible lack of protection by HBV vaccine, describing the case of an acute hepatitis B diagnosed in a 55-year-old Caucasian male unpaid blood donor, vaccinated against HBV. Sequencing data for preS-S region revealed multiple point mutations. Of all the substitutions found, Q129H, located in the "a" determinant region of HBsAg, can alter antigenicity, leading to mutants. This mutant may cause vaccine failure especially when associated with high viremia of infecting source., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the reproducibility of 3D ultrasound to measure the fetal nasal bone (NB) at first trimester., Methods: A group of singleton viable pregnancies attending the 11 to 13 + 6 weeks aneuploidy screening at the University of Bologna were prospectively selected. For each patient, fetal NB was measured by 2D ultrasound. Subsequently, a 3D ultrasound of the fetal head was acquired, and fetal NB was measured by offline analysis using the volume nuchal translucency software. The correlation between 2D and 3D ultrasounds and the reproducibility of fetal NB measurement at 3D ultrasound were assessed., Results: Overall, 161 Caucasian women were included in the study. At 3D ultrasound, NB measurement showed an excellent intraobserver [Oper 1, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.98; Oper 2, ICC = 0.921] and interobserver agreement (rc = 0.92). The agreement between 2D and 3D measurements was moderate (rc = 0.77)., Conclusions: A 3D ultrasound supported by the volume nuchal translucency software may provide reliable measurements of the fetal NB in the first trimester., (© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

We analysed the risk factors associated with diabetic complications in the cohort of patients assisted by a type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) shared-care program. We analysed registry data from 16,136 T2DM patients. Of them, 4,781 had microangiopathy, 3,469 CV events. They were 70.5 ± 17.1 years old, 50% were male, disease duration 13.3 ± 7.8 years, BMI 28.7 ± 4.9 kg/m², HbA1c 7.08 ± 1.23%, FBG 134.7 ± 35.7 mg/dl, 2hPPBG 163.9 ± 47.8 mg/dl, 12.5% smokers. Cholesterol 202.5 ± 37.6 mg/dl, HDL 51.4 ± 20.4 mg/dl, LDL 126.5 ± 36.0 mg/dl, triglyceride 146.2 ± 72.4 mg/dl, SBP 137.8 ± 14.2 mmHg, DBP 80.7 ± 10.8 mmHg, 10-year CV risk score 13.7 ± 9.1; 70.4% had no microangiopathy-i.e. renal, retinal, peripheral nerve disease-and 78.5% of patients had no CV events. Age-adjusted risk factors associated with diabetic complications were male gender, HbA1c, 2hPPBG, HDL, and triglyceride. FBG and SBP were associated with microangiopathy, whereas smoking with cardiovascular events. Optimal targets were reached in: FBG 17%, 2hPPBG 8%, HbA1c 21%, cholesterol 17%, HDL 8%, LDL 5%, triglyceride 20%, SBP 13%, DBP 30%. Drug profiles showed 13% using metformin, 28% sulphonilureas, 26% bitherapy, 4% insulin; 12% statins, 16% anti-platelets, 27% anti-hypertensives, 2% anti-coagulants. T2DM patients showed an acceptable CV risk profile. Joint risk factors for diabetic complications were male gender, HbA1c, 2hPPBG, HDL, and triglyceride. Distinct risk factors were FBG and SBP for micro- and smoking for macrovascular disease. A targeted-to-treat approach needs more attention in the care of T2DM patients.

Aim of the present study was to explore how the 76 general practitioners (GPs) - serving Carpi district (90,000 residents) - value their own role compared with the hospital, ambulatory, academic, and health organisation physicians'. GPs had a positive self-image only in comparison with health organisation doctors (7 vs 7 grades). GPs disappointed with themselves when comparing their role with ambulatory (-1.6 grades), academic (-1.9 grades) and hospital doctors (-2.2 grades). Secondarily, GPs perceived patients' valuing their professional role mostly 'subordinate' to the other physicians', except health organisation colleagues'.

Objects: Non-HDL cholesterol is now recommended as an index of risk associated with combined dyslipidemia, and it has also been found useful in predicting coronary heart disease (CHD) risk in patients with diabetes. We studied the association between known CHD risk factors, enclosed non-HDL cholesterol, and a "high CHD risk condition", i.e. a "5-years CHD risk >15%" in general practice., Methods: We studied 4,085 40-69 year-old diabetic (no. 489) and non-diabetic (no. 3,596) individuals from an opportunistic cohort. Cross-sectional descriptive statistics, and age- and gender-adjusted multiple logistic exponential betas have been calculated., Results: About 12% of the participants had diabetes. Age- and gender-adjusted comparison showed that all the study variables were significantly worse in diabetic vs. non-diabetic individuals (except cigarette smoking, total blood cholesterol and the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol). They had a mean "5-year CHD-risk" significantly higher than non-diabetic individuals (18.8+/-11.9% vs 7.5+/-6.9%, P<0.01), and a four-fold prevalence of "5-years CHD risk >15%" (55.4% vs 11.1%, P<0.01). As to diabetic individuals, the study variables associated to a "high CHD risk condition" were cigarette smoking, systolic blood pressure, and non-HDL blood cholesterol levels. As to non-diabetic individuals cigarette smoking, systolic blood pressure, and HDL (inversely) and non-HDL blood cholesterol levels were associated to a "high CHD risk condition"., Conclusions: Non-HDL cholesterol--and cigarette smoking and systolic blood pressure--strongly predicted a "high CHD risk condition" both in diabetic and non-diabetic individuals.

The essential role of medical nutrition therapy (MNT) for people with diabetes is widely recognised, and its exclusive use is recommended in mild diabetes according to a stepwise therapeutic approach. We describe the characteristics of MNT-treated Type 2 diabetic patients (vs drugs) cared for by general practitioners (GPs) in order to check that appropriate differences did exist between the two groups, by auditing the data from our local shared-care program for diabetes. We had 16,000 diabetic patients (out of 630,000 inhabitants); 6,800 of them (42.5%) cared for by GPs. Thirty-one percent (2,079 out of 6,800 patients cared for by GPs) were treated with MNT and 69% with drugs. The MNT-treated patients (vs drugs) were younger (66.1 +/- 10.7 vs 67.7 +/- 11.0 yr, p<0.01), had shorter disease duration (8.2 +/- 6.6 vs 11.2 +/- 7.6 yr, p<0.01), lower HbA1c (7.0 +/- 1.1 vs 7.8 +/- 1.6%, p<0.01) and body mass index (BMI) (28.6 +/- 4.6 vs 29.0 +/- 4.9 kg/m2, p<0.01). They had less prevalence of high blood triglycerides (25.4% vs 29.0%, p<0.01). MNT-treated patients had less micro-albuminuria (5.3% vs 8.8%, p<0.01); less retinopathy both non-proliferant (6.5% vs 11.1%, p<0.01), and pre-proliferant (6.8% vs 12.7%, p<0.01), and proliferant (7.0% vs 12.9%, p<0.01); less peripheral neuropathy (3.9% vs 8.3%, p<0.01); and diabetic foot (1.0% vs 2.0%, p<0.01). They had less chronic heart failure (2.7% vs 4.6%, p<0.01), and claudicatio intermittens (3.3% vs 5.3%, p<0.01). In conclusion, the Type 2 diabetic patients cared for by GPs using MNT appropriately had a less severe form of diabetes.

Objectives: To describe the characteristics of a diabetic population in a primary care setting, and to evaluate changes in glycaemic control at varying body weight categories., Methods: We collected 4,610 valid baseline and three years follow-up paired data sheets sent from 77% of the general practitioners adhering to our shared-care program (257 GPs out of 521) for people with type 2 diabetes. Three conventional body weight categories were defined: "normal" (BMI, < or = 25 kg/m2), "overweight" (BMI 25.0-29.9), "obesity" (BMI > or = 30). According to weight status we calculated descriptive statistics and follow-up paired changes., Results: A fifth of the diabetic patients had a "normal" BMI, about 45% was "overweight" and 34% was "obese". At follow-up, the glycaemic control significantly improved both in "normal" and "overweight" people, while it significantly worsened in "obese" ones., Conclusions: Our data confirm the crucial role played by body weight and its changes in diabetic patients.

Polycythaemia vera is a clonal disorder of the haemopoietic stem cell causing a pathologic expansion of the erythroid and sometimes the megakaryocytic and myeloid elements. In order to avoid the possible mutagenic effects of radioactive phosphorus, alkylating agents and hydroxyurea, since 1988 alpha-IFN has been used for the treatment of PV and has been shown to induce and maintain haematological remission. We describe a 24-year-old PV patient with chromosomal abnormalities who achieved not only a reduction of the proliferation of erythroid elements and reticulin content in the bone marrow, but also a complete cytogenetic remission after IFN treatment.

Noma has virtually disappeared from Europe, but is still found in certain parts of Africa, South America and Asia. In our case the etiologic agent was Pseudomonas aeruginosa sensitive to antibiotic therapy that we used (pefloxacin and netilmicin). Another characteristic aspect of our case is the rapid infaust evolution. In this report will be discuss the pathogenesis and the reason of the failure of the antibiotic therapy especially in immunodeficiency patients.

Anemia is a common complication of lymphoproliferative syndromes. The exact pathogenic mechanism of this anemia is unclear. Many patients require progressive and persistent blood transfusions. We treated 10 patients (8 with multiple myeloma, 1 with non Hodgkin Lymphoma, 1 with chronic lymphocytic leukemia) by administering low doses of recombinant human erythropoietin (60 U/kg 3 times a week s.c.). All patients presented anemia with hemoglobin levels less than 10 gr/dl; renal function was not impaired (serum creatinine levels less than 1.2 mg/dl or creatinine clearance greater than 60 ml/min). A response was defined as an increase of hemoglobin level of at least 2 gr/dl or stop of red-cell transfusion within the first 3 months of treatment. Nine patients (90%) responded to treatment with a significant increase in the hemoglobin concentration. Two patients presented a cerebral stroke not correlated with erythropoietin administration.