The T.O.S.CA. Project: Research, Education and Care

Despite recent and exponential improvements in diagnostic- therapeutic pathways, an existing “GAP” has been revealed between the “real world care” and the “optimal care” of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). We present the T.O.S.CA. Project (Trattamento Ormonale dello Scompenso CArdiaco), an Italian multicenter initiative involving different health care professionals and services aiming to explore the CHF “metabolic pathophysiological model” and to improve the quality of care of HF patients through research and continuing medical education

Diffusion-weighted imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient mapping of head and neck lymph node metastasis: a systematic review

Aim: Head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) is the ninth most common tumor worldwide. Neck lymph node (LN) status is the major indicator of prognosis in all head and neck cancers, and the early detection of LN involvement is crucial in terms of therapy and prognosis. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is a non- invasive imaging technique used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to characterize tissues based on the displacement motion of water molecules. This review aims to provide an overview of the current literature concerning quantitative diffusion imaging for LN staging in patients with HNSCC. Methods: This systematic review performed a literature search on the PubMed database (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) for all relevant, peer-reviewed literature on the subject following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) criteria, using the keywords: DWI, MRI, head and neck, staging, lymph node. Results: After excluding reviews, meta-analyses, case reports, and bibliometric studies, 18 relevant papers out of the 567 retrieved were selected for analysis. Conclusions: DWI improves the diagnosis, treatment planning, treatment response evaluation, and overall management of patients affected by HNSCC. More robust data to clarify the role of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and DWI parameters are needed to develop models for prognosis and prediction in HNSCC cancer using MRI

IOL Power Calculation after Corneal Refractive Surgery

Purpose. To describe the different formulas that try to overcome the problem of calculating the intraocular lens (IOL) power in patients that underwent corneal refractive surgery (CRS). Methods. A Pubmed literature search review of all published articles, on keyword associated with IOL power calculation and corneal refractive surgery, as well as the reference lists of retrieved articles, was performed. Results. A total of 33 peer reviewed articles dealing with methods that try to overcome the problem of calculating the IOL power in patients that underwent CRS were found. According to the information needed to try to overcome this problem, the methods were divided in two main categories: 18 methods were based on the knowledge of the patient clinical history and 15 methods that do not require such knowledge. The first group was further divided into five subgroups based on the parameters needed to make such calculation. Conclusion. In the light of our findings, to avoid postoperative nasty surprises, we suggest using only those methods that have shown good results in a large number of patients, possibly by averaging the results obtained with these methods

Trans epithelial corneal collagen crosslinking for progressive keratoconus: 6 months follow up

To evaluate keratoconus biomechanical changes after transepithelial corneal collagen cross linking (TE CXL) using riboflavin and ultraviolet A (UVA)

Fragment-based de novo design of a cystathionine γ-lyase selective inhibitor blocking hydrogen sulfide production

Hydrogen sulfide is an essential catabolite that intervenes in the pathophysiology of several diseases from hypertension to stroke, diabetes and pancreatitis. It is endogenously synthesized mainly by two pyridoxal-5′-phosphate-dependent enzymes involved in L-cysteine metabolism: cystathionine-ß-synthase (CBS) and cystathionine-γ-lyase (CSE). Research in this field is currently impaired by the lack of pharmacological tools such as selective enzymatic inhibitors that could target specifically only one of these pathways. We used a novel approach based on a hybrid method that includes drug design, synthetic biology, metabolomics and pharmacological assays to rationally design a new inhibitor selective for the CSE enzyme. The identification of this compound opens new frontiers towards a better understanding of the role of CSE over CBS in the pathophysiology of diseases where a role for the H 2 S pathway has been proposed and the development of new lead compounds that could target the CSE enzyme