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Background: Capsular contracture (CC) is the most common complication following Immediate Breast Reconstruction (IBR) with breast implants. Different implant surfaces were developed aiming to reduce the incidence of CC. We evaluated the incidence and degree of CC after Direct-to-Implant (DTI) IBR with insertion of textured (TE) or polyurethane (PU) covered implants., Methods: A retrospective review of consecutive patients treated at our Institution with mastectomy and one-stage IBR and implant reconstruction between 2013 and 2018, with or without post mastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT), was conducted. Immediate breast reconstruction was performed by implanting 186 PU covered implants and 172 TE implants., Results: Three-hundred-twelve women underwent 358 DTI IBR with PU or TE implants, were analyzed with a median follow-up time of 2.3 years (range 1.0-3.0). The overall rate of CC Baker grade III and IV was 11.8% (95%CI: 8.4-16.3), while, after PU and TE implant placement it was 8.1% (95% CI: 4.1-15.7) and 15.8% (95% CI: 4.1-15.7) [p = 0.009]), respectively. Irradiated breasts developed CC more frequently rather than non-irradiated breasts (HR = 12.5, p < 0.001), and the relative risk was higher in the TE group compared with the PU group (HR = 0.3, p = 0.003)., Conclusions: After mastectomy and one-stage IBR, the use of PU covered implants is associated with a lower incidence of CC compared to TE implants. This advantage is amplified several folds for patients who necessitate PMRT. Footnote: Capsular contracture (CC); Immediate Breast Reconstruction (IBR); Directto- Implant (DTI); Textured (TE); Polyurethane (PU); Post mastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT); Nipple Sparing mastectomy (NSM)., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Variability of parameter measurements in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) may contribute to reducing the prediction accuracy of available prognostic models. We investigated whether the use of longitudinal versus cross-sectional measurements of established predictors of mortality in patients with HFrEF would increase the accuracy of prognostication., Methods: We used longitudinal measurements of systolic blood pressure (SBP), heart rate, hemoglobin, creatinine and uric acid from HFrEF patients enrolled in the GISSI-HF trial. We performed linear mixed models to investigate the difference in first 6-month trajectories of these parameters between patients alive and dead at 4-year follow-up, and examined the change in prediction accuracy by comparing area under the curve (AUC) and net reclassification index (NRI) values obtained using a traditional cross-sectional survival model versus a longitudinal joint model using information up to 6-month follow-up., Results: We included 5469 patients with 32,206 repeated visits and measurements. We demonstrated a significant difference in the first 6-month change of each one of the selected parameters between those alive and dead at the end of follow-up (p-value for time∗mortality interaction ≤0.01). The comparison of prediction accuracy of the two models revealed a significant increase of about 2% in the AUCs when using longitudinal values of each parameter of interest up to 6 months, with significant concomitant increase in NRI. The greatest increase in accuracy was noticed when using longitudinal SBP measurements in patients with baseline SBP ≤ 110 mmHg., Conclusions: Our findings support the use of longitudinal data to improve prognostication in patients with HFrEF, and warrant validation in external cohorts and creation of new prognostic tools., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Authors declare no conflict of interest in relation to this manuscript. Each author takes responsibility for all aspects of the reliability and freedom from bias of the data presented and their discussed interpretation., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Falls are associated with several negative outcomes. Early identification of those who are at risk of falling is of importance in geriatrics, and comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) seems to be promising in this regard. Therefore, the present study investigated whether the multidimensional prognostic index (MPI), based on a standard CGA, is associated with falls in the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI)., Design: Longitudinal, 8 years of follow-up., Setting and Participants: Community-dwelling older people (≥65 years of age) with knee osteoarthritis or at high risk for this condition., Methods: A standardized CGA including information on functional, nutritional, mood, comorbidities, medications, quality of life, and cohabitation status was used to calculate a modified version of the MPI, categorized as MPI-1 (low), MPI-2 (moderate), and MPI-3 (high risk). Falls were self-reported and recurrent fallers were defined as ≥2 in the previous year. Logistic regression was carried out and results are reported as odds ratio (ORs) with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs)., Results: The final sample consisted of 885 older adults (mean age 71.3 years, female = 54.6%). Recurrent fallers showed a significant higher MPI than their counterparts (0.46 ± 0.17 vs 0.38 ± 0.16; P < .001). Compared with those in MPI-1 category, participants in MPI-2 (OR 2.13; 95% CI 1.53‒2.94; P < .001) and in MPI-3 (OR 5.98; 95% CI 3.29-10.86; P < .001) reported a significant higher risk of recurrent falls over the 8-years of follow-up. Similar results were evident when using an increase in 0.1 points in the MPI or risk of falls after 1 year., Conclusions and Implications: Higher MPI values at baseline were associated with an increased risk of recurrent falls, suggesting the importance of CGA in predicting falls in older people., (Copyright © 2019 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background & Aims: The literature regarding enteral nutrition and mortality in older frail people is limited and still conflicting. Moreover, the potential role of comprehensive geriatric assessment is poorly explored. We therefore aimed to investigate whether the Multidimensional Prognostic Index (MPI), an established tool that assesses measures of frailty and predicts mortality, may help physicians in identifying patients in whom ETF (enteral tube feeding) is effective in terms of reduced mortality., Methods: Observational, longitudinal, multicenter study with one year of follow-up. Data regarding ETF were recorded through medical records. A standardized comprehensive geriatric assessment was used to calculate the MPI. Participants were divided in low (MPI-1), moderate (MPI-2) or severe (MPI-3) risk of mortality. Data regarding mortality were recorded through administrative information., Results: 1064 patients were included, with 79 (13 in MPI 1-2 and 66 in MPI-3 class) receiving ETF. In multivariable analysis, patients receiving ETF experienced a higher risk of death (odds ratio, OR = 2.00; 95% confidence intervals, CI: 1.19-3.38). However, after stratifying for their MPI at admission, mortality was higher in MPI-3 class patients (OR = 2.03; 95%CI: 1.09-3.76), but not in MPI 1-2 class patients (OR = 1.51; 95%CI: 0.44-5.25). The use of propensity score confirmed these findings., Conclusions: ETF is associated with a higher risk of death. However, this is limited to more frail patients, suggesting the importance of the MPI in the prognostic evaluation of ETF., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.)

The challenge of effective management of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and other pre-malignant disorders of the breast is to select patients who will not progress to invasive carcinoma from those at the highest risk who require radiotherapy and/or endocrine therapy to minimize the risk of a subsequent invasive recurrence. Although IBIS-II and NSABP-B35 DCIS phase III trials proved that tamoxifen 20 mg/day and anastrozole reduce the risk of ipsilateral and contralateral events, the toxicities of both drugs have hampered the drug uptake by high-risk women. We recently reported results of a 3-year placebo-controlled trial of low-dose (5 mg/d) tamoxifen in 500 women with intraepithelial neoplasia (70% DCIS). At a median follow-up of 5 years, women randomly assigned to low-dose tamoxifen had half the number of subsequent diagnoses of DCIS or invasive cancer compared with those randomly assigned to placebo but no increase in thromboembolic events or endometrial cancers. The 5-year number needed to treat was 22 (95% CI, 20-27). Our attention is now focused on prognostic and predictive markers to identify patients who can derive the greatest benefits from low dose tamoxifen, such as for instance the expression of 23 genes involved in cell cycle progression (CCP). In conclusion, we endorse an active treatment of DCIS as the standard of care., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)