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Background Transradial intervention (TRI) and bivalirudin infusion compared with transfemoral coronary intervention or unfractionated heparin plus glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors decrease bleeding complications in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Although bleeding is thought to be associated with worse outcomes, it remains unclear whether TRI and bivalirudin both independently lower ischemic or combined ischemic and bleeding complications in ACS patients undergoing contemporary invasive management. Hypotheses The primary objectives of the MATRIX program are to assess whether TRI or bivalirudin as compared, respectively, with transfemoral coronary intervention (MATRIX access site) or unfractionated heparin plus provisional glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, (MATRIX antithrombin) decrease the 30-day incidence of an ischemic (ie, death, myocardial infarction or stroke) or an ischemic and bleeding composite end point across the whole spectrum of ACS patients, including clarifying the optimal duration of bivalirudin infusion after percutaneous coronary intervention (MATRIX treatment duration). Study design The MATRIX (NCT01433627) study, which incorporates 3 randomized comparisons in a nonfactorial manner and primary end points at 30 days and clinical follow-up ≤1 year, is a large-scale, multicenter study with blind event adjudication conducted at approximately 100 European sites. With 8,200 patients in the randomized comparison of access sites and 6,800 individuals participating in the randomized comparison of antithrombin regimens, this study will have ≥85% power for the primary end points. Summary The MATRIX program aims at conclusively ascertaining the role of TRI and bivalirudin infusion in the whole spectrum of ACS patients undergoing contemporary invasive management.

Nell'articolo viene analizzato il comportamento riproduttivo delle donne immigrate in Lombardia. Speciale attenzione è rivolta all'interrelazione con la mobilità internazionale, che distorce pesantemente (influenzando soprattutto l'età al parto) le misure comunemente utilizzate nell'ambito della fecondità di periodo. Dopo aver osservato i comportamenti riproduttivi in funzione dell'età (non solo al parto), si pone quindi attenzione alla fecondità realizzata nel 2009 cercando, tra l'altro, di individuare le determinanti della nascita di un figlio.

Background: Myocardial revascularization with drug-eluting stents (DESs) is emerging as an alternative to conventional coronary artery bypass surgery in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease (MV-CAD). First-generation DESs have yielded equivalent safety results at mid-term compared with surgery, but inferior efficacy in preventing the recurrence of ischemic symptoms. The outcome of percutaneous coronary intervention with a second-generation everolimus DES as compared with a paclitaxel DES in patients with MV-CAD has not been established. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of the study is the assessment of the efficacy and performance of the XIENCE V everolimus-eluting stent in the treatment of de-novo coronary artery lesions in patients with MV-CAD. STUDY DESIGN: The study is composed of two parts: a prospective, double arm, randomized multicenter trial to assess the angiographic efficacy of the XIENCE V everolimus-eluting coronary stent system (EECSS) compared with the Taxus Liberté Paclitaxel Eluting Coronary Stent System (Taxus Liberté Stent) and a prospective, open-label, single arm, controlled registry to analyze the clinical efficacy and safety of XIENCE V EECSS at mid-term and long-term follow-up in patients treated for MV-CAD. ENDPOINTS: For the EXECUTIVE randomized trial, the primary endpoint is in-stent late lumen loss at 9 months. For the EXECUTIVE registry, the primary endpoint is a composite of all death, myocardial infarction (Q-wave and non-Q-wave), and ischemia-driven target vessel revascularization at 12 months. The study will be conducted at 30 study centers in Italy and 600 patients will be enrolled in total: 200 patients will be enrolled (1: 1) in the randomized trial and 400 patients will enter the registry. SAMPLE SIZE: It was calculated that, assuming a mean in-stent late lumen loss of 0.20 ± 0.41 mm in the XIENCE V EECSS arm and 0.30 ± 0.53 mm in the Taxus Liberté stent arm, and a noninferiority margin delta of 0.12 (according to the SPIRIT III results), the analysis of 81 lesions per arm would provide over 90% power. Therefore, 200 patients will be enrolled to account for dropouts. Conclusion: The present study is expected to provide as yet unavailable information about the performance of second-generation stents in the specific setting of patients with MV-CAD. © 2010 Italian Federation of Cardiology.

Using data from the “Survey on Sexual Behaviour of Italian Students - USS”, we investigate the behavior of Italian students at first sexual intercourse, focusing in particular on geographical patterns and employing event-history models. For both genders we found significant spatial differentials. The geography of the girls’ attitude towards their first sexual intercourse does not seem to be affected by their social and cultural background; this does not hold for boys, however, for whom the geographical dynamics are explained by background characteristics. Finally, we present a comparison between the results found in the above data set and the “Fertility and Family Survey - FFS” and find striking similarities between the two ones.

TOAST-GISE Investigators

During cardiac angiography, hemodynamic alterations and surface electrocardiographic changes are common, predictable and dose-related adverse reactions to radiocontrast media. High osmolality, inadequate sodium content and local transient hypocalcemia are thought to be the main mechanisms responsible for these untoward cardiovascular effects. The purpose of this double-blind, parallel-group trial was to compare the hemodynamic and electrocardiographic responses to cardiac and selective coronary artery injection of iomeprol 400 (400 mgI/ml) and iopamidol 370 (370 mgI/ml). One-hundred consenting adult inpatients were randomised to receive iomeprol 400 (41 males, nine females; mean age, 56.6 years) or iopamidol 370 (46 males, four females; mean age, 57.6 years). Both agents produced minor and transient hemodynamic and electrophysiological effects. Following left ventriculography, iopamidol 370 produced a significantly greater increase in LVEDP than iomeprol 400 (mean increases after first and second left ventriculogram: 2.5 and 4.6 mmHg with iomeprol 400, 3.3 and 9.9 mmHg with iopamidol 370, P = 0.027). The QT-interval was more affected by iopamidol 370 than by iomeprol 400. However, post-contrast prolongation of the QT-interval was not significant with either agent, nor were there any significant T-wave, ST-segment or RR-interval changes associated with the injection of the test compounds. No serious adverse events occurred throughout the study. Mild pain was complained by only one patient, while most patients reported mild to moderate sensation of heat. Image quality of the vast majority of the procedures was rated as good or excellent in both patient groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)