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Copyright of Foot Medicine & Surgery / Medecine et Chirurgie du Pied is the property of John Libbey Eurotext Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Annali di Igiene, Medicina Preventiva e di Comunità is the property of Societa Editrice Universo s.r.l. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on FIT-based colorectal cancer screening programs and the need for risk stratification tools to prioritize colonoscopy resources. The study aimed to develop a scoring system to effectively identify FIT+ patients at increased risk of colorectal cancer and advanced adenomas. The researchers analyzed data from a large cohort of patients in an Italian CRC screening program and identified variables such as age, sex, and FIT levels that were independently associated with CRC risk. The developed risk-stratification flowchart could be integrated into FIT-based screening programs to maximize their effectiveness. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses the suboptimal implementation and monitoring of the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) performance measures for colonoscopy in clinical practice. The authors conducted a survey during a nationwide event in Rome, Italy, and found that only a small percentage of participants stated that their reporting systems allowed for the retrieval of all the ESGE performance measures. Additionally, the study revealed a lack of systematic tracking of performance measures for colonoscopy due to underperforming reporting systems. The authors emphasize the need to update reporting systems in order to monitor the quality of endoscopy practice in Italy. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses a survey conducted in Italy on the approach to biliary drainage (BD) in patients with altered anatomy. The survey found that 79.5% of centers perform endoscopic BD in these patients, with the majority using the duodenoscope or forward-viewing scope as a first approach in patients with Billroth-II (B-II) reconstruction. However, the approach becomes more heterogeneous in case of failure or in patients with Roux-en-Y (RY) reconstruction. Percutaneous BD is also considered by a significant proportion of centers in cases of RY anatomy. The survey highlights the variability in BD approaches and the need for further research in this area. [Extracted from the article]

This article, titled "Palliation of Gastric Outflow Obstruction in Case of Biliary Obstruction Previously Treated with EUS-Guided-Choledochoduodenostomy. A Retrospective, Multicenter Study: The B-GOOD Study," compares the outcomes of two procedures, EUS-GEA and enteral stenting, for the treatment of gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) in patients who have already undergone EUS-CDS for distal malignant biliary obstruction (DMBO). The study found that both procedures were clinically and technically effective, with comparable rates of success, adverse events, and patency outcomes. However, larger prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses the challenges in diagnosing chronic pancreatitis (CP) and the need for non-invasive and cost-effective diagnostic tests. The study focuses on the use of transabdominal ultrasound with 2D shear wave elastography (2D SWE) as an alternative to endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) with Rosemont criteria (RC). The researchers conducted a case-control study and found that the median SWE values were statistically different between patients with CP and those without CP. The Gemelli chronic pancreatitis ultrasound score (USCP) was also found to be significantly different between the two groups. The study concludes that transabdominal ultrasound with 2D SWE shows promise as a widely applicable and inexpensive tool for diagnosing chronic pancreatitis, but further studies are needed to confirm these results. [Extracted from the article]

A recent study published in the journal Endoscopy examined the effects of premedication with a novel cleansing solution on visualization during upper GI endoscopy. The study found that the administration of the cleansing solution, which contained simethicone, N-acetylcysteine, and acetic acid, significantly improved the visibility of the entire upper GI tract compared to fasting only. The solution was particularly effective in improving visualization in the stomach and duodenum. The study suggests that premedication with this cleansing solution may enhance the quality and diagnostic yield of upper GI endoscopy. [Extracted from the article]

This article, published in the journal Endoscopy, presents a systematic review and meta-analysis on the optimal removal time of lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMS) used for endoscopic ultrasound-guided drainage of pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs). The study aimed to assess the incidence of adverse events (AEs) after early (within 3-4 weeks) versus late (after 3-4 weeks) LAMS removal. The analysis included three studies with a total of 1565 patients, and the results showed that early removal of LAMS was associated with a lower rate of AEs. However, the authors note that more research is needed to provide robust data on this topic. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses the need for a triage system to prioritize colonoscopies and effectively stratify the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) among patients undergoing colonoscopy. The study derived and validated a predictive model for CRC based on the Italian RAO criteria, which categorize patients into high, intermediate, and low priority groups. The predictive model included factors such as age, previous colonoscopy history, clinical indications, and alarm features. The model based on RAO criteria outperformed models based on other criteria, and it was geographically and prospectively validated. The study concludes that this clinical prediction tool can help clinicians prescribe colonoscopies appropriately and optimize resource allocation. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses the impact of endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage (EUS-BD) on the management of patients with distal malignant biliary obstruction (DMBO). The study, conducted in an Italian center, included 581 patients with DMBO who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for biliary drainage. The results showed that patients with difficult biliary cannulation (DBC) had a higher risk of adverse events (AEs), but the use of EUS-BD did not increase this risk. The authors suggest that EUS-BD could be considered as an advanced technique for selected cases of DBC. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses the impact of inappropriate indications for colonoscopy on waste production and the potential benefits of intervention. The study, conducted in Italy, involved 2,546 patients undergoing colonoscopy for clinical indications outside of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programs. The researchers developed a predictive model based on patient-related variables and indication criteria to identify low-risk patients who could potentially avoid colonoscopy. The results showed that by sparing low-risk and inappropriate colonoscopies, a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions could be achieved. However, using appropriateness criteria may result in missing some patients with CRC. The study suggests that a clinical predictive model based on patient-related variables and Italian criteria could effectively reduce carbon dioxide emissions while maintaining a low miss rate for CRC. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses a study that aimed to evaluate the feasibility of creating three-dimensional pancreatic organoids (PDOs) from fine needle biopsy samples obtained through endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The study also investigated the use of bile as a biological fluid for cell-free DNA (cfDNA) analysis in patients with PDAC. The results showed that PDOs could be successfully established from EUS-guided FNB samples, and the PDOs maintained morphological similarities to native cancer tissue. Additionally, the study found that bile had a higher concentration of cfDNA compared to plasma, suggesting that bile could be a valuable tool for next-generation sequencing analysis and understanding tumor mutations. [Extracted from the article]

This article, published in the journal Endoscopy, discusses the presence of microbial communities in the biliary tract of patients with pancreaticobiliary disorders. The study collected bile samples from 222 patients undergoing Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiography (ERCP) and found that the majority of samples were positive for at least one bacterium. Gram-positive bacteria, particularly Enterococcus spp and E.coli, were the most commonly isolated species. The study also identified risk factors for positive biliary cultures and the presence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains. The findings suggest that the bile of patients with pancreaticobiliary disorders is not sterile and may contain MDR strains. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses a multicenter prospective study conducted in Italy to validate the RAO criteria for colonoscopy indication. The study involved 9 institutions and included 2,546 adult patients undergoing colonoscopy. The RAO criteria, which prioritize colonoscopy based on different clinical indications, were found to be more discriminative than the EPAGE-II and ASGE criteria. The study suggests that the RAO criteria can be used to triage patients and determine the priority of colonoscopy examinations. [Extracted from the article]

This article presents the results of a multicenter study conducted in Italy on the development of a risk scoring system for predicting acute pancreatitis after ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography). The study collected detailed information on sociodemographic, clinical, and endoscope-related factors from adult patients undergoing ERCP. The researchers identified several factors associated with the risk of post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP), including sex, age, position during the exam, history of acute pancreatitis, papilla status, and cannulation method. Based on these factors, a risk scoring system was developed to help clinicians stratify the risk of the procedure and inform patients. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses a large retrospective multicentric study conducted in Italian tertiary centers on the use of endoscopic ultrasound-guided anastomosis procedures. These procedures involve the placement of lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMS) to create connections between different parts of the upper gastrointestinal tract. The study evaluated the performance and safety of these procedures for various indications, including gastric outlet obstruction, altered anatomy, and the need for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). The results showed high rates of technical and clinical success, indicating that these procedures are feasible and effective. The study also found a relatively low rate of adverse events, suggesting that endoscopic ultrasound-guided anastomosis is a safe procedure when performed by experienced practitioners. [Extracted from the article]

Objectives: Clinical variables were investigated in the 'treatment resistant depression (TRD)‐ III' sample to replicate earlier findings by the European research consortium 'Group for the Study of Resistant Depression' (GSRD) and enable cross‐sample prediction of treatment outcome in TRD. Experimental procedures: TRD was defined by a Montgomery and Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score ≥22 after at least two antidepressive trials. Response was defined by a decline in MADRS score by ≥50% and below a threshold of 22. Logistic regression was applied to replicate predictors for TRD among 16 clinical variables in 916 patients. Elastic net regression was applied for prediction of treatment outcome. Results: Symptom severity (odds ratio (OR) = 3.31), psychotic symptoms (OR = 2.52), suicidal risk (OR = 1.74), generalized anxiety disorder (OR = 1.68), inpatient status (OR = 1.65), higher number of antidepressants administered previously (OR = 1.23), and lifetime depressive episodes (OR = 1.15) as well as longer duration of the current episode (OR = 1.022) increased the risk of TRD. Prediction of TRD reached an accuracy of 0.86 in the independent validation set, TRD‐I. Conclusion: Symptom severity, suicidal risk, higher number of lifetime depressive episodes, and comorbid anxiety disorder were replicated as the most prominent risk factors for TRD. Significant predictors in TRD‐III enabled robust prediction of treatment outcome in TRD‐I. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The saturation distribution after unstable waterflooding into highly viscous oil may have a decisive effect on the efficiency of tertiary polymer flooding, in particular because of hysteresis effects associated with oil banking. In this work, we model waterflood and tertiary polymer-flood experiments performed on Bentheimer sandstone slabs with heavy oils of approximately 2,000 and 7,000 cp, and compare the numerical results with experimental production, pressure, and X-ray data. The unstable waterfloods are initially simulated in two dimensions with our parallel in-house research reservoir simulator (IHRRS) using a high-resolution discretization. In agreement with existing literature, we find that Darcy-type simulations dependent on steadystate relative permeabilities-inferred here from a 3D quasistatic pore-network model (PNM)-cannot predict the measured waterflood data. Even qualitatively, the viscous-fingering patterns are not reproduced. An adaptive dynamic PNM is then applied on a 2D pore network constructed from the statistics of the 3D network. If the fingering patterns simulated with this 2D PNM are qualitatively in good agreement with the experimental data, a quantitative match still cannot be obtained because of the limitations of 2D modeling. Although 3D dynamic PNMs at the slab scale would currently lead to prohibitively high computational cost, they have the potential to address the deficiencies of continuum models at highly unfavorable viscosity ratio. For the tertiary polymer floods characterized by a much more favorable mobility ratio, Darcy-type modeling is applied, and history matching is conducted from the end of the waterfloods. We find that unless hysteresis caused by oil banking is accounted for in the relative permeability model, it is not possible to reconcile the experimental data sets. This hysteresis phenomenon, associated with oil invasion into previously established water channels, explains the rapid propagation of the oil bank. For the considered experiments, a simultaneous history match of good quality is obtained with the production and pressure data, and the simulated 2D saturation maps are in reasonable agreement with X-ray data. This paper addresses the challenges in modeling highly unstable waterflooding, using both a conventional Darcy-type simulator and adaptive dynamic PNM, by comparing the simulated results with experimental data including saturation maps. It also highlights the important role of relative permeability hysteresis in the tertiary recovery of viscous oils by polymer injection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a rare malignant tumor of the biliary tract with growing incidence and dismal prognosis. It is responsible for 10-20% of primary liver cancer worldwide, but early diagnosis is still a challenge and few treatment options are available. Aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge about biological features and arising molecular patterns of this disease. The identification of emerging biomarkers and early detection of precursor lesions shall play a key role in the perspective of future tailored targeted therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]