'Parachute' accessory mitral leaflet and pulmonary valve stenosis in an asymptomatic 85-year-old man

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FEM Validation of Front End and Back End Defects Evolution in AA6063 and AA6082 Aluminum Alloys Profiles

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Sildenafil Prevents Endothelial Dysfunction Induced by Ischemia and Reperfusion via Opening of Adenosine Triphosphate–Sensitive Potassium Channels

Background— Animal studies have demonstrated that administration of sildenafil can limit myocardial damage induced by prolonged ischemia, an effect that appears to be mediated by opening of adenosine triphosphate–sensitive potassium (K ATP ) channels. No study has investigated whether sildenafil can also prevent the impairment in endothelium-dependent vasodilatation induced by ischemia-reperfusion (IR) in humans. Methods and Results— In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design, 10 healthy male volunteers (25 to 45 years old) were randomized to oral sildenafil (50 mg) or placebo. Two hours later, endothelium-dependent, flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) of the radial artery was measured before and after IR (15 minutes of ischemia at the level of the brachial artery followed by 15 minutes of reperfusion). Seven days later, subjects received the other treatment (ie, placebo or sildenafil) and underwent the same protocol. Pre-IR radial artery diameter and FMD, as well as baseline radial artery diameter after IR, were similar between visits ( P =NS). After placebo administration, IR significantly blunted FMD (before IR: 7.9±1.1%; after IR: 1.2±0.7%, P <0.01). Importantly, sildenafil limited this impairment in endothelium-dependent vasodilatation (before IR: 7.0±0.9%; after IR: 6.2±1.1%, P =NS; P <0.01 compared with placebo). In a separate protocol, this protective effect was completely prevented by previous administration of the sulfonylurea glibenclamide (glyburide, 5 mg), a blocker of K ATP channels (n=7; FMD before IR: 10.3±1.5%; after IR: 1.3±1.4%, P <0.05). Conclusions— In humans, oral sildenafil induces potent protection against IR-induced endothelial dysfunction through opening of K ATP channels. Further studies are needed to test the potential clinical implications of this finding

A flexible sensor technology for the distributed measurement of interaction pressure

We present a sensor technology for the measure of the physical human-robot interaction pressure developed in the last years at Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna. The system is composed of flexible matrices of opto-electronic sensors covered by a soft silicone cover. This sensory system is completely modular and scalable, allowing one to cover areas of any sizes and shapes, and to measure different pressure ranges. In this work we present the main application areas for this technology. A first generation of the system was used to monitor human-robot interaction in upper- (NEUROExos; Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna) and lower-limb (LOPES; University of Twente) exoskeletons for rehabilitation. A second generation, with increased resolution and wireless connection, was used to develop a pressure-sensitive foot insole and an improved human-robot interaction measurement systems. The experimental characterization of the latter system along with its validation on three healthy subjects is presented here for the first time. A perspective on future uses and development of the technology is finally drafted

Periacetabular Tumour Resection under Anterosuperior Iliac Spine Allows Better Alloprosthetic Reconstruction than Above: Bone Contact Matters

Periacetabular resections are more affected by late complications than other pelvic resections. Reconstruction using bone allograft is considered a suitable solution. However, it is still not clear how the bone-allograft contact surface impacts on mechanical and functional outcome

Treatment of May–Thurner Syndrome in a Patient with an Iliac Artery Stent

May–Thurner syndrome (MTS) is caused by compression of the left iliac vein by the right iliac artery, leading to clinical manifestations of outflow obstruction in the lower limb and deep vein thrombosis. There have been increasing reports of iatrogenic MTS caused by medical implants. The authors report the case of a 60-year-old man who developed MTS after stenting of the right common iliac artery. Due to the debilitating nature of the patient’s symptoms of venous congestion in the left leg, he proceeded with endovascular venoplasty and venous stent insertion with concurrent intra-arterial balloon angioplasty of the existing right common iliac artery stent. Technical success and primary patency of arterial and venous stents were achieved. The patient remained asymptomatic at 6 weeks and 3 months follow-up and arterial and venous stents were found to be patent on duplex ultrasound. Surgical management of MTS may include thrombolysis, thrombectomy, venoplasty and stenting of the left common iliac vein. Care must be taken to preserve existing medical implants during treatment of MTS. The authors demonstrate that concurrent angioplasty of the right common iliac artery during treatment of the vein is an effective method of preventing arterial stent disruption during surgical management of MTS

Ultrasound-Guided Infiltrative Treatment Associated with Early Rehabilitation in Adhesive Capsulitis Developed in Post-COVID-19 Syndrome

Background and Objectives: Post-COVID-19 syndrome is commonly used to describe signs and symptoms that continue or develop after acute COVID-19 for more than 12 weeks. The study aimed to evaluate a treatment strategy in patients with adhesive capsulitis (phase 1) developed in post-COVID-19 syndrome. Materials and Methods: The method used was an interventional pilot study in which 16 vaccinated patients presenting with the clinical and ultrasound features of adhesive capsulitis (phase 1) developed during post-COVID-19 syndrome were treated with infiltrative hy- drodistension therapy under ultrasound guidance associated with early rehabilitation treatment. Results: Sixteen patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome treated with ultrasound-guided infiltration and early rehabilitation treatment showed an important improvement in active joint ROM after 10 weeks, especially in shoulder elevation and abduction movements. The VAS mean score before the treatment was 6.9 ± 1.66. After 10 weeks of treatment, the VAS score was 1 ± 0.63. Conclusions: The study demonstrated that the management of adhesive capsulitis (phase 1) developed in post-COVID- 19 syndrome, as conducted by physiotherapists in a primary care setting using hydrodistension and a rehabilitation protocol, represented an effective treatment strategy

Elevated Interleukin-6 Levels Are Associated With an Increased Risk of QTc Interval Prolongation in a Large Cohort of US Veterans

Background: Although accumulating data indicate that IL-6 (interleukin-6) can promote heart rate-corrected QT interval (QTc) prolongation via direct and indirect effects on cardiac electrophysiology, current evidence comes from basic investigations and small clinical studies only. Therefore, IL-6 is still largely ignored in the clinical management of long-QT syndrome and related arrhythmias. The aim of this study was to estimate the risk of QTc prolongation associated with elevated IL-6 levels in a large population of unselected subjects. Methods and results: An observational study using the Veterans Affairs Informatics and Computing Infrastructure was performed. Participants were US veterans who had an ECG and were tested for IL-6. Descriptive statistics and univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed to study the relationship between IL-6 and QTc prolongation risk. Study population comprised 1085 individuals, 306 showing normal (&lt;5 pg/mL), 376 moderately high (5-25 pg/mL), and 403 high (&gt;25 pg/mL) IL-6 levels. Subjects with elevated IL-6 showed a concentration-dependent increase in the prevalence of QTc prolongation, and those presenting with QTc prolongation exhibited higher circulating IL-6 levels. Stepwise multivariate regression analyses demonstrated that increased IL-6 level was significantly associated with a risk of QTc prolongation up to 2 times the odds of the reference category of QTc (e.g. QTc &gt;470 ms men/480 ms women ms: odds ratio, 2.28 [95% CI, 1.12-4.50] for IL-6 &gt;25 pg/mL) regardless of the underlying cause. Specifically, the mean QTc increase observed in the presence of elevated IL-6 was quantitatively comparable (IL-6 &gt;25 pg/mL:+6.7 ms) to that of major recognized QT-prolonging risk factors, such as hypokalemia and history of myocardial infarction. Conclusions: Our data provide evidence that a high circulating IL-6 level is a robust risk factor for QTc prolongation in a large cohort of US veterans, supporting a potentially important arrhythmogenic role for this cytokine in the general population

Further Clarification of Pain Management Complexity in Radiotherapy: Insights from Modern Statistical Approaches

Background: The primary objective of this study was to assess the adequacy of analgesic care in radiotherapy (RT) patients, with a secondary objective to identify predictive variables associated with pain management adequacy using a modern statistical approach, integrating the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) algorithm and the Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis. Methods: This observational, multicenter cohort study involved 1387 patients reporting pain or taking analgesic drugs from 13 RT departments in Italy. The Pain Management Index (PMI) served as the measure for pain control adequacy, with a PMI score &lt; 0 indicating suboptimal management. Patient demographics, clinical status, and treatment-related factors were examined to discern the predictors of pain management adequacy. Results: Among the analyzed cohort, 46.1% reported inadequately managed pain. Non-cancer pain origin, breast cancer diagnosis, higher ECOG Performance Status scores, younger patient age, early assessment phase, and curative treatment intent emerged as significant determinants of negative PMI from the LASSO analysis. Notably, pain management was observed to improve as RT progressed, with a greater discrepancy between cancer (33.2% with PMI &lt; 0) and non-cancer pain (73.1% with PMI &lt; 0). Breast cancer patients under 70 years of age with non-cancer pain had the highest rate of negative PMI at 86.5%, highlighting a potential deficiency in managing benign pain in younger patients. Conclusions: The study underscores the dynamic nature of pain management during RT, suggesting improvements over the treatment course yet revealing specific challenges in non-cancer pain management, particularly among younger breast cancer patients. The use of advanced statistical techniques for analysis stresses the importance of a multifaceted approach to pain management, one that incorporates both cancer and non-cancer pain considerations to ensure a holistic and improved quality of oncological care