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Abstract Background The literature established that, in patients without Boey's risk factors, laparoscopic repair of perforated peptic ulcers, compared to open repair, is associated to lower wound infection rate, less analgesic use, reduction in post operative pain, shorter hospital stay. Some of the main drawbacks are length of operative time and laparoscopic surgeon's experience in intracorporeal knotting. We, for first, report our preliminary experience of perforated peptic ulcers' laparoscopic repair using Medtronic U-Clip®. Methods From January 2008 to June 2008 we performed laparoscopic repair of perforated peptic ulcers using Medtronic U-Clip® in 10 consecutive patients (6 men and 4 women, from 20 to 65 years-old of age). All the patients presented with iuxtapyloric perforated peptic ulcer, not greater than 10 mm, without signs of sepsis, free from major illnesses. The mini-invasive procedure was performed both by skilled and non-skilled laparoscopic surgeons under experts' surveillance. After it was recognized, perforation was sutured using U-Clip® in a full-thickness manner. Results and Discussion We reported no surgical complications in the peri-operative period. The clinical outcome and time needed to perform the intervention didn't change between skilled and non-skilled surgeons. The follow-up at 30 days was good. Conclusion In our experience, the anastomotic device U-Clip® simplifies laparoscopic repair of perforated peptic ulcer, avoiding the need to perform knots and making the procedure safe and easier.

Introduction: To explore baseline knowledge about avalanche guidelines and the Avalanche Victim Resuscitation Checklist (AVReCh) in Italy and the knowledge acquisition from a standardized lecture.Methods: Standardized lecture material discussing AVReCh was presented during 8 mountain medicine courses from November 2014 to April 2016 in different regions of Italy. To determine the knowledge acquisition from the lecture, a pre- and postlecture survey was utilized.Results: A total of 193 surveys were analyzed. More than 50% of the participants had never participated in lectures/courses on avalanche guidelines, and less than 50% of the participants knew about the AVReCh before the lecture. The correct temporal sequence of reportable information in the basic life support section of the AVReCh was selected by 40% of the participants before the lecture and by 75% after the lecture (P<0.001). Within subgroups analysis, most groups saw significant improvement in performance (P<0.05). The selection of the correct burial time increased from 36 to 84% (P<0.05).Conclusions: Health care providers and mountain rescue personnel are not widely aware of avalanche guidelines. The standardized lecture significantly improved knowledge of the principles of avalanche management related to core AVReCh elements. However, the effect that this knowledge acquisition has on avalanche victim survival or adherence to the AVReCh in the field is yet to be determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Anesthetic care in patients undergoing thoracic surgery presents specific challenges that necessitate standardized, multidisciplionary, and continuously updated guidelines for perioperative care. Methods: A multidisciplinary expert group, the Perioperative Anesthesia in Thoracic Surgery (PACTS) group, comprising 24 members from 19 Italian centers, was established to develop recommendations for anesthesia practice in patients undergoing thoracic surgery (specifically lung resection for cancer). The project focused on preoperative patient assessment and preparation, intraoperative management (surgical and anesthesiologic care), and postoperative care and discharge. A series of clinical questions was developed, and PubMed and Embase literature searches were performed to inform discussions around these areas, leading to the development of 69 recommendations. The quality of evidence and strength of recommendations were graded using the United States Preventative Services Task Force criteria. Results: Recommendations for preoperative care focus on risk assessment, patient preparation (prehabilitation), and the choice of procedure (open thoracotomy vs. video-assisted thoracic surgery). Conclusions: These recommendations should help pulmonologists to improve preoperative management in thoracic surgery patients. Further refinement of the recommendations can be anticipated as the literature continues to evolve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vaccination still represents the most efficient and inexpensive strategy in the control of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. However, about 10% of the population vaccinated with the current yeast derived vaccine, consisting of the non-glycosylated form of the small envelope protein (S) of the HBV, fail to display an adequate immune response. Therefore, there is a need for the development of new vaccines with enhanced immunogenicity. On this regard, new generation vaccines containing L and preS2-containing HBV surface proteins in addition to S, have proven to be able to bypass the lack of response of the standard vaccine. In this work, we describe the development of stable recombinant CHO–K1 and HEK293 cell lines able to produce and secrete hepatitis B subviral envelope particles (HBV-SVPs) composed by the three surface proteins of the HBV. In turn, we demonstrated that these particles induced a specific humoral immune response in experimental animals and triggered the production of antibodies with the ability to recognize the binding site of HBV with the hepatocyte. Thus, these HBV-SVPs represent a promising candidate as a new generation vaccine in order to enhance the immunogenicity of the conventional yeast derived HBV vaccine. • Mammalian cell lines producers of the three surface glycoproteins of the HBV were developed. • HBV subviral particles induced antibodies against preS1, preS2 and the HBsAg loop in mice. • HEK293 cells derived particles induced a stronger anti-preS1 response than the ones from CHO–K1 cells. • Presence of preS1 and preS2 domains in the HBV SVP exerts a positive effect on antibodies titers. • Antibodies triggered by HB-SVPs recognize the binding site of HBV with the hepatocyte. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Anesthetic care in patients undergoing thoracic surgery presents specific challenges that require a multidisciplinary approach to management. There remains a need for standardized, evidence-based, continuously updated guidelines for perioperative care in these patients. Methods: A multidisciplinary expert group, the Perioperative Anesthesia in Thoracic Surgery (PACTS) group, was established to develop recommendations for anesthesia practice in patients undergoing elective lung resection for lung cancer. The project addressed three key areas: preoperative patient assessment and preparation, intraoperative management (surgical and anesthesiologic care), and postoperative care and discharge. A series of clinical questions was developed, and literature searches were performed to inform discussions around these areas, leading to the development of 69 recommendations. The quality of evidence and strength of recommendations were graded using the United States Preventive Services Task Force criteria. Results: Recommendations for intraoperative care focus on airway management, and monitoring of vital signs, hemodynamics, blood gases, neuromuscular blockade, and depth of anesthesia. Recommendations for postoperative care focus on the provision of multimodal analgesia, intensive care unit (ICU) care, and specific measures such as chest drainage, mobilization, noninvasive ventilation, and atrial fibrillation prophylaxis. Conclusions: These recommendations should help clinicians to improve intraoperative and postoperative management, and thereby achieve better postoperative outcomes in thoracic surgery patients. Further refinement of the recommendations can be anticipated as the literature continues to evolve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vaccination still represents the most efficient and inexpensive strategy in the control of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. However, about 10% of the population vaccinated with the current S yeast-derived vaccine fail to induce an adequate immune response. Our group has developed a new-generation hepatitis B vaccine candidate composed by the three surface proteins of the HBV. Here we describe the methods to develop and characterize a stable CHO-K1 recombinant cell line able to produce and secrete hepatitis B subviral envelope particles (HBV-SVPs) containing L and M glycoproteins in addition to S glycoprotein. In addition, Western blot and immunogold electron microscopy techniques to evaluate the size, morphology, and composition of the particles are explained. Finally, immunization protocols are described in order to study the immunogenicity of HBV-SVPs and the ability of the antibodies triggered by these particles to recognize the binding site of HBV with the hepatocyte., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)