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Purpose: To assess the use of optimized radiofrequency (RF) to achieve larger, spherical ablation volumes with short application duration for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)., Materials and Methods: Twenty-two patients (M: F  = 17:5, median age 69.6 year, range 63-88) with 28 HCCs due to HCV + liver cirrhosis underwent RFA. 20/28 (71.4%) were tumors ≤3cm diameter, and 8/28 (28.6%) ranged from 3.2 to 4.2 cm. RF was applied using up to 2500mA via an optimized pulsing algorithm with real-time ultrasound monitoring to detect hyperechogenic changes. Single insertions of an internally cooled electrode were performed using exposed tips of 2 or 3 cm for 13 HCCs and 4 cm for 15 HCCs. All patients were followed-up for a minimum of 5 years with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT)., Results: Technical success was achieved without adverse events in all cases. The mean ablation time was 8.5 ± 2.6 min. In 21/28 (75%), ablation duration ranged from 3 to 9 min, with 12 min duration applied in only 7/28 (25%). Mean coagulation diameters were 2.4 ± 0.14, 3.3 ± 0.62, and 4.4 ± 1.0, for 2, 3 and 4 cm electrodes, respectively ( p  < 0.01). The sphericity index was 74.9 ± 12.8 for 4 cm electrodes and 81.9 ± 8.0 for shorter electrodes ( p  = 0.091). At 5-year follow-up, no tumor ≤3 cm had recurrence and only 2/8 (25%) >3 cm tumors developed local progression. One patient had multifocal disease with no local progression., Conclusion: Efficient delivery of RF energy can considerably decrease the ablation time in many instances while achieving larger, relatively spherical, and reproducible areas of ablation with extremely low rates of local tumor progression and adverse events.

Introduction: Renal ablation is a recognized treatment modality for small renal masses. Cone-beam CT (CBCT) has been recently used in interventional oncology as a promising new guidance device, but this technology still needs to be validated for renal ablations. We aimed to assess the technical success of CBCT applications in renal ablative treatments., Materials and Methods: Between March 2016 and June 2018, 14 patients (mean age 69, range 54-83, 7F, 7M) underwent 21 renal ablations for histologically proven renal cell carcinoma (RCC). All treatments were performed with ultrasound (US) and CBCT guidance under general anesthesia in a dedicated angiography room setting. CBCT was mainly used to assess needle placement and to exclude complications at the end of the procedure. In two small lesions (< 1 cm), pre-acquired CBCT was co-registered with real-time US to obtain a US-CBCT fusion image guidance for tumor ablation., Results: Whether used alone or in combination with other imaging modalities, CBCT was proven to be technically successful in all 21 procedures to guide or assist tumor ablation. A primary technical efficacy of thermal ablation was achieved in 19/21 ablations (90.1%) at 1 month. Mean procedure duration was 100.2 min (range 160-64). Mean length of hospital stay was 2 days (range 1-10 days). All patients are still under active surveillance for a mean follow-up of 14.5 months (range 4-26 months)., Conclusions: CBCT for renal ablation guidance is a viable tool. Larger series are needed to compare it to MDCT.

Background : Recurrent keratoconus (RKC) develops as a progressive thinning of the peripheral and the inferior cornea after keratoplasty, in both graft and host, causing secondary astigmatism, refractive instability, and reduced visual acuity. We evaluated the effectiveness of corneal cross-linking (CXL) in patients diagnosed with RKC. Methods: Accelerated-CXL via the epi-off technique was performed in15 patients (18 eyes) diagnosed with RKC. Topographic and biomechanical changes were assessed at 12 months. Results : Differences in maximum keratometry, thinnest corneal thickness, and biomechanical parameters (deformation amplituderatio, inverse concave radius, applanation 1 velocity, and applanation 2 velocity, stiffness A1) versus baseline were statistically significant ( p < 0.05).Best corrected visual acuity was improved in 13 eyes and unchanged in 4;manifest refractive spherical equivalent was reduced in 13 eyes, increased in 3,and unchanged in 1 eye; topographic astigmatism was reduced in 9 eyes, remained stable in 1 eye, and increased in 7 eyes. Conclusions : Improved topographic and biomechanic indexes at 1 year after CXL suggest it's potential as first-line therapy for RKC, as it is for KC., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

A growing body of evidence is being published regarding the safety and efficacy of minimally invasive image-guided ablation techniques. While clinical applications of these techniques are increasing, international societies have started to publish treatment guidelines and to make efforts to standardize both terminology and reporting criteria for image-guided thyroid ablations. Laser ablation and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) are among the most common ablation techniques either for benign and malignant thyroid nodules. Unlike laser ablation and RFA in the treatment of benign thyroid nodules, where safety and efficacy have been widely demonstrated, evidence regarding local tumor control of thyroid malignancies is still limited. However, preliminary results are encouraging and image-guided thermal ablation techniques can be considered a valid alternative to surgery for the treatment of benign thyroid nodules and recurrent thyroid cancers. This review evaluates the basic concept of RFA and laser ablations, their techniques, clinical outcomes, and complications based on the suggestions of several society guidelines. Multidisciplinary collaboration remains critical to identify patients which may benefit from minimally invasive image-guided thermal ablations, especially if surgery or radioiodine therapy are not feasible options.

Objective: To review the efficacy of percutaneous thermal ablation (TA) of bone metastases (radiofrequency ablation [RFA], microwave ablation [MWA], cryoablation [CA], and MR-guided focused ultrasound [MRgFUS]) in reducing pain in patients with advanced stage cancer., Materials and Methods: We searched MEDLINE/PubMed, MEDLINE In-Process, BIDS ISI, Embase, CINAHL, and the Cochrane database using the keywords "ablation," "painful," "bone," and "metastases" combined in multiple algorithms. Inclusion criteria were: original clinical studies published between 2001 and 2018; performance of RFA, MWA, CA or MRgFUS; and quantitative pain assessment before/after TA of bone metastasis., Results: Eleven papers (3 on RFA, 1 on MWA, 2 on CA, and 5 on MRgFUS) involving 364 patients were reviewed. A technical success rate of 96-100% was reported, with follow-up for up to 6 months. At baseline, pain scores ranged from 5.4 to 8, at 1-4 weeks from 0.5 to 5, and at 12 weeks from 0.3 to 4.5. Mean pain reduction compared with baseline ranged from 26 to 91% at 4 weeks and from 16% to 95% at 12 weeks. MWA treatments caused no complications, whereas MRgFUS showed the highest complication rate. The number of minor complications observed ranged from 0 to 59 (complication ratio 0-1.17), whereas the number of significant adverse effects ranged from 0 to 4 (complication ratio 0-0.04)., Conclusion: All techniques achieved pain relief after 1 and 3 months, in up to 91% and 95% of patients respectively. MWA showed a negligible complication rate, whereas MRgFUS is associated with a noteworthy rate of adverse events. Future studies should adopt a standardized pain reporting scale to allow for meta-analysis.

Background: Anticoagulation therapy is central for the management of stroke in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Persistence with oral anticoagulation is essential to prevent thromboembolic complications., Methods: We performed a population-based retrospective cohort study in the Veneto Region (north-eastern Italy, about 5 million inhabitants) using the regional health system databases. Naïve patients initiating direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) for stroke prevention in NVAF from July 2013 to September 2017 were included in the study. Patients were identified using Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) codes, excluding other indications for anticoagulation therapy using ICD-9CM codes. Treatment persistence was defined as the time from initiation to discontinuation of the therapy, including any therapeutic switching among DOACs. Baseline characteristics and comorbidities associated to the persistence of therapy with DOACs were explored by means of Kaplan-Meier curves and assessed through Cox regression., Results: Naïve patients initiating direct oral anticoagulants for stroke prevention in NVAF identified in a 4.25-year period are 17,920. After one year, the persistence to the DOACs is 72.9%. Approximately 9.8% of the discontinuations are due to switch to vitamin k antagonists (VKAs). On multivariate analysis, factors negatively affecting persistence were female gender, age <65 years, renal disease and history of bleeding. On the other hand, persistence was better in patients with hypertension, previous cerebral ischemic events, and previous acute myocardial infarction., Conclusion: In this study of real world data, one out four naive patients stopped treatment with DOACs within 12 months. Some characteristics may identify patients with poor persistence., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Failure to rescue (FTR) patients from postoperative complications could contribute to the variability in surgical mortality seen among hospitals with different volumes. We sought to examine the impact of complications and FTR on mortality following rectal surgery., Methods: The National Italian Hospital Discharge Dataset allowed to identify 75,280 patients who underwent rectal surgery between 2002 and 2014. Hospital volume was stratified into tertiles. Rates of major complications, FTR from complications and mortality following rectal surgery were compared., Results: During the study period, both the incidence of complications (2002, 23.7% versus 2014, 21.2%), and FTR decreased overtime (2002, 6.9% versus 2014, 3.8%) (both P < 0.001). The complication rate was 24.4% in low-, 21.6% in intermediate- and 20.4% in high-volume hospitals (P < 0.001). Complications were less common in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) versus open cases (18.2% versus 23.2%; P < 0.001). The most frequent complications included prolonged ileus or small bowel obstruction (5.3%), and anemia requiring blood transfusions (5.3%). The rate of FTR was 5.5%, 5.6% and 3.7% for low-, intermediate- and high-volume hospitals, respectively (P < 0.001). FTR after MIS was 2.6% vs. 5.5% after open surgery (P < 0.001). After accounting for patient and hospital characteristics, patients treated at low-volume hospitals were 23% more likely to die after a complication, compared to patients at high-volume hospitals (OR 1.23, 95%CI 1.13-1.33)., Conclusions: Hospital volume is the strongest predictor of complication and FTR. The reduction in mortality in high-volume hospitals could be determined by the better ability to rescue patients. These findings support the centralization policy of rectal cancer treatment., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd, BASO ~ The Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.)

Background: Non-target embolization is a well-known complication of endovascular procedures for arteriovenous malformation. However, few reports have described non target encephalic embolization, detailing its temporal evolution., Case Presentation: A 41-year-old man presented with a massive hemorrhage in the oral cavity due to an arteriovenous malformation involving the left hemiface and tongue. Under conscious sedation, selective angiography was followed by endovascular embolization with a mixture of n-butyl-cyanoacrylate-methacryloxy-sulfolane (NBCA-MS) with Lipiodol. The hemorrhage was successfully arrested, but the procedure was complicated with a reflux of embolic material from the right external carotid artery into the common carotid, caused by strong unexpected coughing. Non-target embolization was confirmed by emergency CT and subsequent MRI. After initial neurological impairment, the patient recovered fully and was discharged after one week. No sequelae were confirmed by 9-months follow-up with CT and MRI. We describe technical aspects, multimodality imaging, clinical presentation, and follow-up of this peculiar case., Conclusion: Endovascular embolization of AVM fed by the external carotid is at risk for non-target brain embolization and general anesthesia should be considered to prevent inadvertent movements and master the delivery of the embolic agent A small amount of Lipiodol / NBCA-MS may be fully tolerated by the brain matter and partially reabsorbed without permanent deficit.

Background: The association between X4 virus and an increased risk of non-AIDS-events has been reported. Morbidity/mortality due to non-AIDS events, which are properly predicted by the CD4/CD8 ratio and VACS index, have become particularly remarkable in HIV-infected patients receiving effective combined antiretroviral therapy (cART)., Methods: We verified the validity of the syllogism: as HIV-tropism (CRT) contributes to the onset of non-AIDS events which are successfully predicted by the CD4/CD8 ratio and VACS index, then CRT correlates with these two variables. The CD4/CD8 ratio and VACS index at baseline and overtime were analyzed according to CRT tested before the first successful cART regimen in newly-diagnosed patients., Results: Patients with R5 variants had a significantly lower baseline VACS percentage risk [mean (95%CI):18.2%(16.1-20.3) vs 24.3%(18.2-22.5), p = 0.002] and higher baseline CD4/CD8 ratio [mean (95%CI):0.43 (0.38-0.47) vs 0.28 (0.19-0.36), p = 0.002] than non-R5 patients. After an initial drop, VACS increased again in R5 and non-R5 patients and the two trend curves almost overlapped. The CD4/CD8 ratio had an increasing trend in both R5 and non-R5 patients; however, even though non-R5 patients had a greater gain of CD4+, they maintained a lower CD4/CD8 ratio at any time point., Conclusion: Our study confirms an association between pre-therapy CRT, CD4/CD8 ratio and VACS. A successful cART regimen positively affects the CD4/CD8 ratio; however, the disadvantage conferred by a non-R5 CRT is maintained overtime. The restoration of VACS in all patients could be directly due to variables included in the VACS calculation and to factors that adversely influence these variables., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Growing evidence suggests that colorectal cancer (CRC) screening based on the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) reduces CRC incidence and surgical resection rates., Aims: To compare trends in surgery for proximal and distal CRC among Italian regions at different stages of screening implementation., Methods: From the National Hospital Discharge Database we selected hospitalizations with CRC resection of residents aged 50-74 years during 2002-2014, and computed surgery rates for the 8 most populous Italian regions with/without a screening program., Results: In regions with screening, implemented around 2006-2007, the annual percent change (APC) of distal CRC resection was +1.7 (95% confidence interval -1.0, 4.4) during 2002-2007 and -9.1 (-10.6, -7.7) during 2007-2014. No significant change was observed in regions without screening. The APC for proximal colon resection in regions with screening was +5.8 (2.5, 9.0) during 2002-2007 and -4.1 (-5.8, -2.4) during 2007-2014, while in regions without screening surgical rates increased through the whole study period. Compared to 2002, in 2014 distal CRC resection rates were greatly reduced in regions with screening, reaching values similar to proximal CRC resection., Conclusion: Following the implementation of screening programs surgery rates steeply decreased, confirming the deep impact of FIT-based screening on the burden of CRC., (Copyright © 2018 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of US- 18 FDG-PET/CT fusion-guided microwave ablation of liver metastases either poorly visible or totally undetectable with US, CEUS and CT, but visualized by PET imaging., Materials and Methods: Twenty-three patients with 58 liver metastases underwent microwave ablation guided by image fusion system that combines US with 18 FDG-PET/CT images. In 28/58 tumors, 18 FDG-PET/CT with contrast medium (PET/CECT) was used. The registration technical feasibility, registration time, rates of correct targeting, technical success at 24 h, final result at 1 year and complications were analyzed and compared between the PET/CT and PET/CECT groups., Results: Registration was successfully performed in all cases with a mean time of 7.8 + 1.7 min (mean + standard deviation), (4.6 + 1.5 min for PET/CECT group versus 10.9 + 1.8 min for PET/CT group, P < 0.01). In total, 46/58 (79.3%) tumors were correctly targeted, while 3/28 (10.7%) and 9/30 (30%) were incorrectly targeted in PET/CT and PET/CECT group, respectively (P < 0.05). Complete ablation was obtained at 24 h in 70.0% of cases (n = 40 tumors), 23/28 (82.1%) in the PET/CECT group and 17/30 (56.7%) in the PET/CT group (P < 0.037). Fourteen tumors underwent local retreatment (11 ablations, 2 with resection and 1 with stereotactic body radiation therapy), while 4 tumors could not be retreated because of distant disease progression and underwent systemic therapy. Finally, 54/58 (93.1%) tumors were completely treated at 1 year. One major complication occurred, a gastrointestinal hemorrhage which required surgical repair., Conclusions: Percutaneous ablation of 18 FDG-PET-positive liver metastases using fusion imaging of real-time US and pre-acquired 18 FDG-PET/CT images is feasible, safe and effective. Contrast-enhanced PET/CT improves overall ablation accuracy and shortens procedural duration time.

Background and Objectives: We aimed to investigate to what extent a first-line DTG-based ART regimen reduces HIV-RNA in semen compared to plasma., Study Design: In this prospective, observational study, ART-naïve, HIV-infected males starting their first ART regimen with DTG plus TDF/FTC or ABC/3TC were enrolled. Paired blood (BP) and seminal plasma (SP) samples were collected at baseline (T0) and at week-2/4/12/24 after ART initiation. Sexually transmitted infections (STI) were ruled out before enrolment., Results: Median baseline HIV-RNA levels were lower in SP compared to BP (657 versus 38.200 copies/ml, p < 0.001), three subjects had undetectable semen HIV-RNA. After 12 weeks of treatment, HIV-RNA was below the quantification limit in both BP and SP of 11 pts (61.1%). Discordant results were obtained in 6 subjects (33.3%), showing quantifiable HIV-RNA in blood only (2 cases) and in semen only (4 cases). Finally, one subject had a positive HIV-RNA in SP/BP. At W24, only in 2/16 subjects (12.5%) HIV-RNA was detectable in semen, while in the others it was negative on SP/BP. No concurrent STI was found in subjects with detectable VL in semen., Conclusions: DTG demonstrated effectiveness in reducing VL with different kinetics in blood and semen, despite seminal viral suppression after 6 months of ART was not obtained in the totality of subjects., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients with keratoconus (KCN) and to evaluate the association between the severity of KCN and OSA., Methods: OSA was diagnosed with an overnight home sleep apnea test. As estimated by home monitoring, an apnea-hypopnea index threshold of ≥5 sleep-related obstructive breathing events per hour was considered suggestive of OSA. For grading KCN severity (Amsler-Krumeich classification), slit-lamp biomicroscopy, corneal topography, and pachymetry measurements were performed. Preoperative measurements were included in the analysis for patients who had undergone surgery for KCN., Results: The study sample consisted of 50 consecutively enrolled patients: 33 men; mean age ± SD 43.6 ± 11.8 years; body mass index 29.7 ± 7.3 kg/m; and neck circumference 40.0 ± 3.4 cm. The overall prevalence of OSA was 38% (6 women and 13 men). Patients with OSA were older (49.8 ± 9.3 vs. 37.5 ± 10.8 years; P < 0.01) and had a higher body mass index (34.7 ± 8.1 vs. 26.2 ± 4.8 kg/m; P <0.01), neck circumference (41.2 ± 2.6 vs. 38.7 ± 3.6 cm; P < 0.01), and cylinder diopter (5.98 ± 1.94 vs. 4.05 ± 3.55 D; P = 0.045) compared with those without OSA. No significant association was found between OSA severity and ocular parameters and KCN grade., Conclusions: As measured by overnight home sleep apnea testing, OSA was 10 to 20 times more prevalent among patients with KCN than the rate reported for the general population. The rate lies between the prevalence estimated from sleep study data of self-reported diagnosis of OSA and the risk of developing OSA as determined by the Berlin Questionnaire.

There is growing interest on the potential relationship between hospital volume (HV) and outcomes as it might justify the centralization of care for rectal cancer surgery. From the National Italian Hospital Discharge Dataset, data on 75,280 rectal cancer patients who underwent elective major surgery between 2002 and 2014 were retrieved and analyzed. HV was grouped into tertiles: low-volume performed 1-12, while high-volume hospitals performed 33+ procedures/year. The impact of HV on in-hospital mortality, abdominoperineal resection (APR), 30-day readmission, and length of stay (LOS) was assessed. Risk factors were calculated using multivariate logistic regression. The proportion of procedures performed in low-volume hospitals decreased by 6.7 percent (p<0.001). The rate of in-hospital mortality, APR and 30-day readmission was 1.3%, 16.3%, and 7.2%, respectively, and the median LOS was 13 days. The adjusted risk of in-hospital mortality (OR = 1.49, 95% CI = 1.25-1.78), APR (OR 1.10, 95%CI 1.02-1.19), 30-day readmission (OR 1.49, 95%CI 1.38-1.61), and prolonged LOS (OR 2.29, 95%CI 2.05-2.55) were greater for low-volume hospitals than for high-volume hospitals. This study shows an independent impact of HV procedures on all short-term outcome measures, justifying a policy of centralization for rectal cancer surgery, a process which is underway., Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any relationship, condition or circumstance that could present potential conflicts of interest.

A high hospital utilisation at the end of life (EOL) is an indicator of suboptimal quality of health care. We evaluated the impact of the intensity of different Integrated Cancer Palliative Care (ICPC) plans on EOL acute medical hospitalisation among cancer decedents. Decedents of cancer aged 18-84 years, who were residents in two Italian regions, were investigated through integrated administrative data. Outcomes considered were prolonged hospital stay for medical reasons, 2+ hospitalisations during the last month of life and hospital death. The ICPC plans instituted 90 to 31 days before death represented the main exposure of interest. Other variables considered were gender, age class at death, marital status, recent hospitalisation and primary cancer site. Among 6,698 patients included in ICPC plans, 44.3% presented at least one critical outcome indicator; among these, 76.5% died in hospital, 60.3% had a prolonged (12+ days) medical hospitalisation, 19.1% had 2+ hospitalisations at the EOL. These outcomes showed a strong dose-response effect with the intensity of the ICPC plans, which is already evident at levels of moderate intensity. A well-ICPC approach can be very effective-beginning at low levels of intensity of care-in reducing the percentage of patients spending many days or dying in hospital., (© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: The global real-life impact of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) introduction in the healthcare system in a setting of well-managed vitamin K antagonist (VKA) therapy has not been specifically addressed., Methods: We did a population-based retrospective cohort study in naïve patients initiating oral anticoagulants for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation in a region with a well-managed VKA therapy. NOAC and VKA cohorts were identified using Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) codes, while excluding other indications for anticoagulation therapy using ICD-9CM codes. Propensity score was conducted using two different approaches: stratification and 1:1 matching. Event-rates were assessed using both an intention to treat (ITT) and as treated analyses., Results: Of the 137,800 selected patients, 40,411 (6923 treated with NOACs and 33,488 with VKAs) were identified (June 2013-December 2015). Overall ischaemic stroke and major bleeding risk did not significantly differ between the groups both in the ITT and as treated analyses. Noteworthy, intracranial bleeding risk was lower with NOACs (stratified model HR=0.69; 95%CI 0.48-0.99; 1:1 matched model HR=0.73; 95%CI 0.47-1.13) reaching statistical significance in the as treated analysis in both stratified and 1:1 matched models (HR=0.51; 95%CI 0.32-0.80 and HR=0.52; 95%CI 0.30-0.90, respectively)., Conclusion: Despite well-managed anticoagulation with VKAs, NOACs' introduction has a positive global impact in the public healthcare system in terms of effectiveness and safety especially by lowering intracranial bleeding., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To assess the occurrence of glaucoma, eyelid, corneal and macular disorders in a cohort of patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) diagnosed by overnight polysomnography and to investigate into the risk factors for the above eye diseases (EDs)., Design: Cross-sectional cohort study between 2014 and 2015., Setting: Unit of Respiratory Medicine and Eye Clinic of the University of Verona., Participants: 431 consecutive patients were considered eligible. Of these, 87 declined to participate, 35 were untraceable and 13 were deceased., Interventions: A complete ophthalmic evaluation of both eyes for each patient., Primary and Secondary Outcome Measures: Best-corrected distance visual acuity, intraocular pressure, corneal, macular and optic nerve optical coherence tomography, ocular aberrometry, optic nerve laser polarimetry, visual field test, and eyelid examination., Results: 296 patients aged 64.5±12.8 years, 23% female and 77% male, underwent ophthalmic examination. There was 56% (n=166) prevalence of eyelid disorders, 27% (n=80) of corneal disorders, 13% (n=39) of macular disorders and 11% (n=33) of glaucoma. Advancing age was not associated with the severity of OSA, while significant differences were found for gender, body mass index, Oxygen Desaturation Index, smoking habit, hypertension and diabetes. Severe OSA was significantly associated with glaucoma (OR, 95% CI 1.05 to 5.93, p=0.037)., Conclusions: EDs were more prevalent in our patinets with OSA than in the general population. Severe Apnoea/Hypopnoea Index level seemed to play a role as risk factor only for glaucoma., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared, (© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

Context: Frequent end-of-life health care setting transitions can lead to an increased risk of fragmented care and exposure to unnecessary treatments., Objectives: We assessed the relationship between the presence and the intensity of an Integrated Cancer Palliative Care (ICPC) plan and the occurrence of multiple transitions during the last month of life., Methods: Decedents of cancer aged 18-85 years residents in two regions of Italy were investigated accessing their integrated administrative data (death certificates, hospital discharges, hospice, and home care records). The principal outcome was defined as having 3+ health care setting transitions during the last month of life. The ICPC plans instituted 90-31 days before death represented the main exposure of interest., Results: Of the 17,604 patients, 6698 included in an ICPC, although spending in hospital a median number of only two days (interquartile range 1-2), experienced 1+ (59.8%), 2+ (21.1%), or 3+ (5.9%) health care transitions. Among the latter group, the most common trajectory of care is home-hospital-home-hospital (36.0%). The intensity of the ICPC plan showed a marked protective effect toward the event of 3+ health care setting transitions; the effect is already evident from an intensity of at least one home visit/week (odds ratio 0.73; 95% confidence interval 0.62-0.87)., Conclusion: A well-integrated palliative care approach can be effective in further reducing the percentage of patients who spent many days in hospital and/or undergo frequent and inopportune changes of their care setting during their last month of life., (Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programs based on the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) were found to reduce overall CRC surgery rates, but to the authors' knowledge data by subsite are lacking. The objective of the current study was to assess the impact of FIT-based screening on proximal and distal CRC surgical resection rates., Methods: The Veneto region in Italy can be subdivided into 3 areas with staggered introduction of FIT-based screening programs: early (2002-2004), intermediate (2005-2007), and late (2008-2009) areas. Time series of proximal and distal CRC surgery were investigated in the 3 populations between 2001 and 2012 by Joinpoint regression analysis and segmented Poisson regression models., Results: The impact of screening was similar in the study populations. Rates of distal CRC surgical resection were stable before screening, increased at the time of screening implementation (rate ratio [RR], 1.25; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.14-1.37), and thereafter declined by 10% annually (RR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.88-0.92). Rates of proximal CRC surgical resection increased by 4% annually before screening (RR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.03-1.05) but, after a peak at the time of screening initiation, the trend was reversed. The percentage represented by proximal CRC surgery rose from 28% in 2001 to 41% in 2012., Conclusions: In this natural multiple-baseline experiment, consistent findings across each time series demonstrated that FIT-based screening programs have an impact both on proximal and distal CRC surgery rates. However, underlying preexisting epidemiological trends are leading to a rapidly increasing percentage of proximal CRC., (© 2015 American Cancer Society.)

In a large cohort of subjects with diabetes cancer mortality increased by 30%, possibly due to lower survival, reverse causality, and an etiologic role of diabetes in cancer. A two-fold increased mortality from liver and pancreatic cancer was confirmed in both genders irrespective of follow-up period or disease duration., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Mortality from chronic liver diseases (CLDs) is increased in diabetes, but little is known about the etiology. The aim of this study was to assess mortality rates from CLD by etiology in known diabetic subjects living in the Veneto Region, Northern Italy., Methods: A total of 167,621 diabetic subjects, aged 30-89 years (54.6% men), were identified in the year 2007 and their vital status was assessed between 2008 and 2010. Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed with regional mortality rates as reference. The underlying cause of death and all comordidities reported on the certificate were scrutinized in order to identify CLD deaths and their main etiologies. The latter were grouped into the following three categories: (i) virus-related, (ii) alcohol-related, and (iii) non-virus, non-alcohol-related (mainly represented by nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, NAFLD)., Results: Analyses were based upon 473,374 person-years of follow-up and 17,134 deaths. We observed an increased risk of dying from CLD in diabetic subjects with an SMR of 2.47 (95% CI=2.19-2.78) in men and 2.70 (2.24-3.23) in women. SMRs were 2.17 (1.90-2.47), 2.25 (1.98-2.54), and 2.86 (2.65-3.08) for virus-related, alcohol-related, and non-virus, non-alcohol-related CLD, respectively., Conclusions: Diabetic patients have a twofold to threefold higher risk of dying of CLD, mainly associated with a non-virus and non-alcohol-related etiology, which is largely attributable to NAFLD. An early diagnosis and treatment of NAFLD, if any, may have a beneficial clinical impact on the survival of diabetic patients.

Unlabelled: Early implementation of home care and 30 day readmissions in >65 years Veneto region patients discharged for heart failure and with disability., Introduction: The effectiveness of Home care (HC) on preventing rehospitalizations in patients discharged for heart failure (HF) are uncertain., Aim: The aim of the study was to measure the impact of HC on early rehospitalizations of patients discharged for HF and with disabilities., Methods: Cohort retrospective study on >65 years patients, discharged at home and with a Barthel index <50. Variables considered were: previous hospitalizations for ischaemic cardiopathy ad/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, number of hospital admissions in the previous year, length of index hospitalization; outcomes considered were: hospital readmissions and days of hospitalizations 30 days from hospital discharge in patients with or without a home care visit within two days from hospital discharge., Results: Of the 5.094 patients (60%>85 years), 14.8% received a HC visit within 2 days from discharge (43.7% from a nurse); 18.3% of patients (933) were readmitted within one month. In multivariate analyses an HC access within 2 days did not reduce the risk for readmission (although with better results in younger males but not in older women). An early HC visit reduced the days of hospital stay in males of all ages (65-74 years IRR 0.53 CI 95% 0.37-0.75; 75-84 years IRR 0.71 CI95% 0.60-0.83; 85+ years IRR 0.79 CI 95% 0.67-0.93) while in >75 years females there was a significant increase., Conclusions: An early HC visit (within two days from discharge) may have positive effects on males, but not in older women, possibly for the coexistence of socio-economic factors.

Introduction: Achalasia is a rare esophageal motility disorder, incurable but amenable to palliative treatments to relieve dysphagia. Given the rarity of the disease, there is a paucity of data from population-based studies on incidence and outcome of the two treatments most commonly used in clinical practice, i.e., endoscopic pneumatic dilation (PD) and surgical myotomy (SM)., Materials and Methods: A retrospective longitudinal study was conducted on the Veneto region, in north-eastern Italy. All patients with achalasia as their primary diagnosis between 2001 and 2005 were identified and their demographics and treatment details obtained., Results: The overall incidence of achalasia was 1.59 cases/100,000/year. Achalasia patients were mainly seen at University Hospitals. Fifty-five percent of the patients received treatment, 23.3% SM and 31.8% PD. The cumulative risk of any subsequent intervention for achalasia was 20% in treated patients (29.7% in patients treated primarily with PD and 4% in patients treated with SM first)., Discussion: The epidemiology of achalasia in the Veneto Region is in line with the situation reported elsewhere and did not change between 2001 and 2005. Achalasia patients are mostly seen at University Hospitals. We observed a greater risk of subsequent intervention for patients previously treated with PD compared with SM.

Background: In up to 80% of patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) no peripheral symptomatic thrombosis can be identified. Whether the heart may represent a source of PE is unknown., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of patients who were 60 years or older and were discharged from the hospitals of Veneto region, Italy between 2000 and 2006 with the diagnosis of PE. We compared the prevalence of several acute and chronic heart diseases in patients discharged with the diagnosis of PE alone with that of patients with co-occurring symptomatic peripheral deep venous thrombosis (PE/DVT)., Results: Out of 11,236 eligible patients, 9079 (81%) were discharged with the diagnosis of PE alone, and 2157 with that of PE/DVT. 3239 of the 9079 (35.7%) patients with isolated PE, and 666 of the 2157 (30.9%) with PE/DVT had at least one heart disease. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for having at least one heart disease in patients with isolated PE as compared to those with PE/DVT was 1.26 (95% CI, 1.13-1.40). The heart diseases that significantly contributed to the study results were all-cause cardiomyopathies (adjusted OR, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.37-3.89), all-cause heart failure (1.82; 1.45-2.27), coronary heart disease (1.28; 1.08-1.52), and atrial fibrillation or flutter (1.28; 1.08-1.51)., Conclusions: There is an association between isolated PE and a number of heart diseases. The results of our survey generate the hypothesis that in older patients several heart diseases may directly account for the development of PE. Prospective studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis., (2009 European Federation of Internal Medicine.)

Early treatment of acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections reflects a new clinical paradigm and a significant option to reduce the socioeconomic burden of HCV. Therefore, this approach seems suitable as a new strategy to face HCV and prevent end stage liver diseases and premature deaths due to progressed chronic HCV-infections. The main limitation of this approach is that the majority of acute infections show an asymptomatic course and do thus not present to the health-care settings. Screening for HCV has already been extensively studied in the literature. This paper offers further insights in screening for HCV using cost effectiveness analysis for the impact of screening in two cohorts: Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) and Individuals With Surgery (IWSs). The setting of the cost effectiveness simulation is the Veneto Region in the North-east of Italy. Using a Markov model of the natural history of HCV infection we derive costs, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and incremental cost-effectiveness related to screening vs. no-screening strategies. In the IDUs cohort, the screening strategy can result in a substantial difference in premature deaths and dominates (less costs better outcomes) the no-screening one. The overall outcomes of the screening strategy are mostly affected by the prevalence of HCV and of genotypes that are more relatively more difficult to treat (above 10% of prevalence for its cost effectiveness). The number of premature deaths prevented in the IWSs cohort is lower and there seems to be an unacceptable incremental cost per QALY gained, which may be unsustainable for society.

Background/objective: Previous studies conducted both in the general and diabetic population have shown that pulse pressure (PP) can predict mortality from cardiovascular diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between PP and specific cardiovascular mortality, i.e. from cerebrovascular and ischemic heart diseases, in a well-characterized cohort of type 2 diabetic patients., Methods: A cohort of 1,128 known type 2 diabetic patients 56 to 74 years of age with at least 2 blood pressure measurements for each year between 1984-1986 was followed-up for ten years to assess specific causes of death. The analyses were carried out by using the mean and the coefficient of variation (CV) of PP., Results: By the end of the 10-year follow-up period, 375 patients (178 male, 197 female) had died (33%). The mean PP resulted as an independent predictor of all causes and cardiovascular mortality. Remarkably, the mean PP, but not the CV of PP, was highly predictive of mortality from cerebrovascular diseases. The risk of cerebrovascular mortality rose by 86% with a 10 mm Hg increase in mean PP. PP turned out to be the most important predictor of cerebrovascular mortality among various pressure indexes (mean, systolic and diastolic pressure)., Conclusion: The mean pulse pressure, but not the coefficient of variation is a strong predictor of cardiovascular mortality, mainly from cerebrovascular diseases, in type 2 diabetic patients., (Copyright 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.)