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The most recent observations of well correlated seismic phases in the high frequency coda of local earthquakes recorded throughout the world are reported. In particular the main results, obtained on two active volcanoes, Teide and Deception, using small array are described. The ZLC (Zero Lag Cross-correlation) method and polarization analysis have been applied to the data in order to distinguish the main phases in the recorded seismograms and their azimuths and apparent velocities. The results obtained at the Teide volcano demonstrate that the uncorrelated part of the seismograms may be produced by multiple scattering from randomly distributed heterogeneity, while the well correlated part, showing SH type polarization or the possible presence of Rayleigh surface waves, may be generated by single scattering by strong scatterers. At the Deception Volcano strong scattering, strongly focused in a precise direction, is deduced from the data. In that case, all the coda radiation is composed of surface waves.

The translation of AI-generated brain metastases (BM) segmentation into clinical practice relies heavily on diverse, high-quality annotated medical imaging datasets. The BraTS-METS 2023 challenge has gained momentum for testing and benchmarking algorithms using rigorously annotated internationally compiled real-world datasets. This study presents the results of the segmentation challenge and characterizes the challenging cases that impacted the performance of the winning algorithms. Untreated brain metastases on standard anatomic MRI sequences (T1, T2, FLAIR, T1PG) from eight contributed international datasets were annotated in stepwise method: published UNET algorithms, student, neuroradiologist, final approver neuroradiologist. Segmentations were ranked based on lesion-wise Dice and Hausdorff distance (HD95) scores. False positives (FP) and false negatives (FN) were rigorously penalized, receiving a score of 0 for Dice and a fixed penalty of 374 for HD95. The mean scores for the teams were calculated. Eight datasets comprising 1303 studies were annotated, with 402 studies (3076 lesions) released on Synapse as publicly available datasets to challenge competitors. Additionally, 31 studies (139 lesions) were held out for validation, and 59 studies (218 lesions) were used for testing. Segmentation accuracy was measured as rank across subjects, with the winning team achieving a LesionWise mean score of 7.9. The Dice score for the winning team was 0.65 ± 0.25. Common errors among the leading teams included false negatives for small lesions and misregistration of masks in space. The Dice scores and lesion detection rates of all algorithms diminished with decreasing tumor size, particularly for tumors smaller than 100 mm3. In conclusion, algorithms for BM segmentation require further refinement to balance high sensitivity in lesion detection with the minimization of false positives and negatives. The BraTS-METS 2023 challenge successfully curated well-annotated, diverse datasets and identified common errors, facilitating the translation of BM segmentation across varied clinical environments and providing personalized volumetric reports to patients undergoing BM treatment., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest No conflicts of interest to disclose.

Objective: This study investigated the radiological, clinical, and surgical factors linked to the risk of endoscopic recurrence following ileocolic resection for Crohn's disease. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of data from all patients who underwent primary ileocecal resection for Crohn's disease in a single colorectal unit between 2004 and 2020. We analyzed the potential risk factors subdivided by the clinical, radiological, and surgical factors associated with morphological recurrence, as detected by endoscopy within 2 years after surgery. Cox regression was employed to ascertain the risk factors associated with such recurrence. Results: In total, 63 patients were included, and 24 (38%) had endoscopic recurrence. The age of the patient at the time of surgery was identified as a significant clinical factor associated with the risk of recurrence (HR: 1.04; p = 0.003), indicating that the probability of recurrence increases by 1% as the surgical age increases each year. The radiological factors associated with an increased risk of recurrence included localization in the distal ileum (HR: 3.526; p = 0.015), the number of pathological small-bowel segments affected by the disease (HR: 1.15; p = 0.004), and the total length of the pathological intestinal segment (HR: 1.002; p = 0.014). The presence of granulomas (HR: 6.003; p = 0.004) and the length of the resected bowel (HR: 1.01; p = 0.003) were surgical factors associated with a higher risk of recurrence. Conclusions: This study delineated several clinical, radiological, and surgical factors that serve as predictors for the endoscopic recurrence of Crohn's disease after surgery.

Mucosal healing (MH) is the main target in ulcerative colitis (UC) treatment. Even if MH lowers the risk of disease reactivation, some patients still relapse. Histologic activity (HA) beyond MH could explain these cases. This study aims to assess how many patients with MH have HA and which lesions are associated with relapse. We retrospectively enrolled UC patients showing MH, expressed as a Mayo Endoscopic Subscore (MES) of 0 and 1 upon colonoscopy. We reviewed the histological reports of biopsies evaluating the presence of typical lesions of UC and assessed the number of clinical relapses after 12 months. Among 100 enrolled patients, 2 showed no histological lesions. According to univariate analysis, patients with a higher number of histological lesions at the baseline had a higher risk of relapse (OR 1.25, p = 0.012), as well as patients with basal plasmacytosis (OR 4.33, p = 0.005), lamina propria eosinophils (OR 2.99, p = 0.047), and surface irregularity (OR 4.70, p = 0.010). However, in the multivariate analysis, only basal plasmacytosis (OR 2.98, p = 0.050) and surface irregularity (OR 4.50, p = 0.024) were confirmed as risk factors for disease reactivation. HA persists in a significant percentage of patients with MH. Despite the presence of MH, patients with basal plasmacytosis and surface irregularity have a higher risk of relapse.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), comprising Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, are systemic and multifaceted disorders which affect other organs in addition to the gastrointestinal tract in up to 50% of cases. Extraintestinal manifestations may present before or after IBD diagnosis and negatively impact the intestinal disease course and patients' quality of life, often requiring additional diagnostic evaluations or specific treatments. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease worldwide. Current evidence shows an increased prevalence of NAFLD (and its more advanced stages, such as liver fibrosis and steatohepatitis) in IBD patients compared to the general population. Many different IBD-specific etiopathogenetic mechanisms have been hypothesized, including chronic inflammation, malabsorption, previous surgical interventions, changes in fecal microbiota, and drugs. However, the pathophysiological link between these two diseases is still poorly understood. In this review, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the potential mechanisms which have been investigated so far and highlight open issues still to be addressed for future studies.

Background: Ustekinumab (UST) is an interleukin-12/interleukin-23 receptor antagonist recently approved for treating ulcerative colitis (UC) but with limited real-world data. Therefore, we evaluated the effectiveness and safety of UST in patients with UC in a real-world setting., Research Design and Methods: This is a multicenter, retrospective, observational cohort study. The primary endpoints were the clinical remission rate (partial Mayo score, PMS, ≤1) and the safety of UST. Other endpoints were corticosteroid-free remission (CSFR) rate, clinical response rate (PMS reduction of at least 2 points), and fecal calprotectin (FC) reduction at week 24., Results: We included 256 consecutive patients with UC (M/F 139/117, median age 52). The clinical remission and clinical response rates at eight weeks were 18.7% (44/235) and 53.2% (125/235), respectively, and 27.6% (42/152) and 61.8% (94/152) at 24 weeks, respectively. At 24 weeks, CSFR was 20.3% (31/152), and FC significantly dropped at week 12 ( p  = 0.0004) and 24 ( p  = 0.038). At eight weeks, patients naïve or with one previous biologic treatment showed higher remission ( p  = 0.002) and clinical >response rates ( p  = 0.018) than patients previously treated with ≥ 2. Adverse events occurred in six patients (2.3%), whereas four patients (1.6%) underwent colectomy., Conclusion: This real-world study shows that UST effectively and safely treats patients with UC.

CMV infection is still a matter of concern in IBD patients, especially regarding the disease's relapse management. Why IBD patients, particularly those affected by ulcerative colitis, are more susceptible to CMV reactivation is not totally explained, although a weakened immune system could be the reason. Various techniques, ranging from serology to histology, can be employed to detect intestinal CMV infection; however, there is currently disagreement in the literature regarding the most effective diagnostic test. Furthermore, CMV involvement in steroid resistance has been broadly discussed, but whether CMV infection is a cause or consequence of the disease severity and, consequently, steroid refractoriness is still debated. Its potential contribution to the lack of response to advanced therapy and small molecules must be more valued and wholly explored. In this review, we look at the actual literature on CMV in IBD patients, and we suggest a pragmatic algorithm for clinical practice management of CMV infection.

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have an increased risk of developing venous thromboembolic events, which have a considerable impact on morbidity and mortality. Chronic inflammation plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of thrombotic events in patients with IBD. However, many unresolved questions remain, particularly regarding the mechanisms that determine the persistent inflammatory state independent of disease activity. This review explored the role of gut microbiota dysbiosis and intestinal barrier dysfunction, which are considered distinctive features of IBD, in determining pro-thrombotic tendencies. Gut-derived endotoxemia due to the translocation of bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from the intestine to the bloodstream and the bacterial metabolite trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) are the most important molecules involved in gut dysbiosis-related thrombosis. The pathogenic prothrombotic pathways linked to LPS and TMAO have been discussed. Finally, we present emerging therapeutic approaches that can help reduce LPS-mediated endotoxemia and TMAO, such as restoring intestinal eubiosis, normalizing intestinal barrier function, and counterbalancing the effects of LPS and TMAO., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Therapeutic options for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) have largely expanded in the last decades, both in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, including multiple biological drugs targeting different inflammation pathways. However, choosing the best treatment and timing for each patient is still an undeniable challenge for IBD physicians due to the marked heterogeneity among patients and disease behavior. Therefore, early prediction of the response to biological drugs becomes of utmost importance, allowing prompt optimization of therapeutic strategies and thus paving the way towards precision medicine. In such a context, researchers have recently focused on cross-sectional imaging techniques (intestinal ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance enterography) in order to identify predictive markers of response or non-response to biologic therapies. In this review, we aim to summarize data about imaging factors that may early predict disease behavior during biological treatment, potentially helping to define more precise and patient-tailored strategies.

Background: Predicting clinical outcomes represents a major challenge in Crohn's disease (CD). Radiomics provides a method to extract quantitative features from medical images and may successfully predict clinical course., Aims: The aim of this pilot study is to evaluate the use of radiomics to predict 10-year surgery for CD patients., Methods: We selected a cohort of CD patients with CT scan enterographies and a 10-year follow up. The R library Moddicom was used to extract radiomic features from each lesion of CD, segmented in the CT scans. A logistic regression model based on selected radiomic features was developed to predict 10-year surgery. The model was evaluated by computing the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV, NPV)., Results: We enroled 30 patients, with 44 CT scans and 93 lesions. We extracted 217 radiomic features from each lesion. The developed model was based on two radiomic features and presented an AUC (95% CI) of 0.83 (0.73-0.91) in predicting 10-year surgery. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV of the radiomic model were equal to 0.72, 0.90, 0.79, 0.86, respectively., Conclusion: Radiomics could be a helpful tool to identify patients with high risk for surgery and needing a stricter monitoring., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest All Authors have no conflict of interest to declare, (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Pancreatic cancer remains a social and medical burden despite the tremendous advances that medicine has made in the last two decades. The incidence of pancreatic cancer is increasing, and it continues to be associated with high mortality and morbidity rates. The difficulty of early diagnosis (the lack of specific symptoms and biomarkers at early stages), the aggressiveness of the disease, and its resistance to systemic therapies are the main factors for the poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer. The only curative treatment for pancreatic cancer is surgery, but the vast majority of patients with pancreatic cancer have advanced disease at the time of diagnosis. Pancreatic surgery is among the most challenging surgical procedures, but recent improvements in surgical techniques, careful patient selection, and the availability of minimally invasive techniques (e.g., robotic surgery) have dramatically reduced the morbidity and mortality associated with pancreatic surgery. Patients who are not candidates for surgery may benefit from locoregional and systemic therapy. In some cases (e.g., patients for whom marginal resection is feasible), systemic therapy may be considered a bridge to surgery to allow downstaging of the cancer; in other cases (e.g., metastatic disease), systemic therapy is considered the standard approach with the goal of prolonging patient survival. The complexity of patients with pancreatic cancer requires a personalized and multidisciplinary approach to choose the best treatment for each clinical situation. The aim of this article is to provide a literature review of the available treatments for the different stages of pancreatic cancer.

The nutritional management of acute pancreatitis (AP) patients has widely changed over time. The "pancreatic rest" was the cornerstone of the old paradigm, and nutritional support was not even included in AP management. Traditional management of AP was based on intestinal rest, with or without complete parenteral feeding. Recently, evidence-based data underlined the superiority of early oral or enteral feeding with significantly decreased multiple-organ failure, systemic infections, surgery need, and mortality rate. Despite the current recommendations, experts still debate the best route for enteral nutritional support and the best enteral formula. The aim of this work is to collect and analyze evidence over the nutritional aspects of AP management to investigate its impact. Moreover, the role of immunonutrition and probiotics in modulating inflammatory response and gut dysbiosis during AP was extensively studied. However, we have no significant data for their use in clinical practice. This is the first work to move beyond the mere opposition between the old and the new paradigm, including an analysis of several topics still under debate in order to provide a comprehensive overview of nutritional management of AP.

Objective: COVID-19 pneumonia, caused by the virus Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), was declared a pandemic by the WHO on 11th March 2020. While Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) represents the diagnostic gold standard of infection, computed tomography (CT) has been shown to have an important role in supporting the diagnosis, quantifying the severity, and assessing the efficacy of treatment and its response. Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a CT finding that estimates atherosclerosis and can be quantified using the coronary artery calcium score (CACS). The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the correlation between coronary artery calcification and mortality rate in COVID-19 patients., Patients and Methods: Three hundred seventeen (317) hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection were ruled in this retrospective study. All patients underwent a non-ECG-gated chest CT to evaluate lung parenchymal involvement. In the same cohort, we observed the two main coronary arteries (common trunk, circumflex, anterior interventricular and right coronary heart) using a visual score, so patients were divided into four groups based on Ordinal CAC Score (OCS) levels., Results: The multivariate analysis proved that the OCS value was statistically correlated with the mortality rate (p < 0.001). In fact, in the group of patients with an OCS value of 0, the mortality rate was 10.1% (10/99 patients), in the group with OCS between 1 and 4 was 18.9% (21/111), in the OCS group of patients ranged from 5 to 8 was 30.4% (24/79) and in the OCS group between 9 and 12 was 46.4% (13/28)., Conclusions: We suggest that calcific atheromasia of the coronary arteries in patients with COVID-19 can be considered a prognostic marker of clinical outcome.

Several studies suggest that atypical eating behaviors, in particular food selectivity, are more frequent in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A link between bitter taste perception, namely PROP/PTC sensitivity and food preferences is known in healthy children. The aim of this study is to investigate whether genetic variants of the TAS2R38 taste receptor responsible for different bitter sensitivity could affect foods preferences and consequently food refusal in ASD children. We recruited 43 children with ASD and 41 with normotypic development (TD) with or without food selectivity, aged between 2 and 11 years. Children were characterized for bitter sensitivity by means of PROP strips and FACS analysis and genotyped for TAS2R38 polymorphisms. Food selectivity was assessed by a validated food preference questionnaire filled by parents. A statistically significant correlation between PROP sensitivity and food refusal was observed. Furthermore, a prevalence of the PAV-sensitive haplotype compared to the AVI-insensitive one was seen in ASD children with food selectivity. In agreement with the initial hypothesis the results show that food refusal in ASD children is mediated by bitter taste sensitivity thus suggesting that the bitter sensitivity test may be used as a device to orientate tailored food proposals for the practical management of food selectivity in ASD. Autism Res 2018, 11: 531-538. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc., Lay Summary: A variation of the gene TAS2R38, associated with bitter taste sensitivity, can cause a different perception of some foods. In particular, some children are hypersensitive to bitterness and show a more restricted repertoire of accepted foods. We evaluate bitter sensitivity in ASD children with or without food selectivity, through a simple bitter taste test with edible strips. The results show that food refusal in ASD children can be mediated by bitter taste sensitivity thus suggesting that the bitter sensitivity test may be used as a device to orientate tailored food proposals for the practical management of food selectivity in ASD., (© 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

High frequency of gastrointestinal yeast presence in ASD subjects was shown through a simple cultural approach (Candida spp. in 57.5 % of ASDs and no controls); the identification of aggressive form (pseudo-hyphae presenting) of Candida spp. at light microscope means that adhesion to intestinal mucosa is facilitated. Dysbiosis appears sustained by lowered Lactobacillus spp. and decreased number of Clostridium spp. Absence of C. difficilis and its toxins in both ASDs and controls is also shown. Low-mild gut inflammation and augmented intestinal permeability were demonstrated together with the presence of GI symptoms. Significant linear correlation was found between disease severity (CARs score) and calprotectin and Clostridium spp. presence. Also GI symptoms, such as constipation and alternating bowel, did correlate (multivariate analyses) with the increased permeability to lactulose. The present data provide rationale basis to a possible specific therapeutic intervention in restoring gut homeostasis in ASDs.

A novice nurse program was developed to address the need for educational and clinical support for entry-level nurses in a community hospital setting. A focus group was used to assess the novice nurses' perception of the program and to synthesize lessons learned. Nursing professional development specialists are advised to access the voice of novice nurse participants to meaningfully evaluate and further develop residency programs.

Background/aim: The etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is unknown, even though it is hypothesized that a viral infection could trigger this disorder. The aim of this study was to evaluate the seropositivity rate and antibody level of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV1) and Herpes Simplex Virus 2 (HSV2) in children with ASD compared to same-aged healthy controls., Patients and Methods: We compared seropositivity rate and levels of antibodies to HSV1/2 in 54 children with ASD (19 with autistic disorder and 35 with non-autistic ASD) and in 46 controls., Results: Seropositivity rate and levels of anti-HSV1/2 were not dissimilar between cases and controls. Exposure to HSV2 was minimal., Conclusion: Rate of contact with HSV1 and HSV2 assessed by the mean of detection of specific antibodies was similar between children with ASD and healthy controls., (Copyright © 2014 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.)

Background/aim: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of central nervous system disorders lacking a definite etiology. The aim of the present study was to compare the exposure rate and titer of antibodies to Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) in children with ASD and in healthy controls., Patients and Methods: We enrolled 54 children with ASD and 46 control individuals., Results: The exposure rate and titer of anti-VZV antibodies were significantly higher in children with ASD compared to controls (59% vs. 39% and 694 mIU/ml vs. 94 mIU/ml, respectively)., Conclusion: In the present case-control study, exposure to VZV was found to be independently associated with ASD., (Copyright © 2014 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.)

Background/aim: The etiology of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is currently unknown. Few studies have explored the role of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) as potential etiological factors of ASD. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the seropositivity rate and antibody titre to CMV and EBV in children with ASD compared to same-aged healthy controls., Patients and Methods: We compared the seropositivity rate and titre of antibodies to CMV and EBV in 54 children with ASD (19 with autistic disorder and 35 with non-autistic disorder ASD) and in 46 controls., Results: Seropositivity rate and titre of the two antibodies were not dissimilar between cases and controls. However, considering only patients with ASD, those seropositive for CMV tended to test worse to the major severity scales than the seronegative ones., Conclusion: Titre and seropositivity rate of antibodies to CMV and EBV are similar between children with ASD and healthy controls., (Copyright © 2014 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.)

This paper describes the antigenic and molecular characterisation of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) strains isolated during the 2000-2002 epidemic in Argentina, and the strategy implemented for disease control. Two different FMDV serotypes, O and A, were involved. Of the various field isolates studied, two distinct O1 lineages (strains Corrientes/00 and Misiones/00) and two serotype A lineages (A/Argentina/00 and A/Argentina/01 prototypes) were identified. The genome sequences of these strains were compared with sequences of previous regional isolates and sequences of vaccine strains. O1 strains were found to be related to regional strains while serotype A strains were found to be more distanced from them. The updating of the antigenic composition of the vaccines used in the emergency was a key issue, since the outbreaks stopped shortly after the implementation of the vaccination programs. The O1 strains quickly disappeared from the field following strict control measures and the use of vaccines containing O1/Campos strain. However, in the case of the A serotype strains, the situation was different, since the use of a vaccine containing strain A24/Cruzeiro yielded acceptable levels of protection only after re-vaccination. Therefore, the new field strains A/Argentina/00 and A/Argentina/01 were incorporated into the vaccine, leading to an effective control of the disease. Viral circulation greatly diminished, as indicated by the significant reduction in the number of outbreaks and in the number of animals with antibodies against non-structural proteins. Satisfactory levels of protective antibodies were subsequently detected in the cattle population (above 75% protection). The absence of outbreaks after January 2002 indicated that the epidemic was controlled.