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Background: Despite the relevance of telephone-based cognitive screening tests in clinical practice and research, no specific test assessing executive functioning is available. The present study aimed at standardizing and providing evidence of clinical usability for the Italian telephone-based Frontal Assessment Battery (t-FAB). Methods: The t-FAB (ranging 0–12), comprising two subtests, has two versions: one requiring motor responses (t-FAB-M) and the other verbal responses (t-FAB-V). Three hundred and forty-six Italian healthy adults (HPs; 143 males; age range = 18–96 years; education range = 4–23 years) and 40 participants with neurological diseases were recruited. To HPs, the t-FAB was administered along with a set of telephone-based tests: MMSE, verbal fluency (VF), backward digit span (BDS). The in-person version of the FAB was administered to both HPs and clinical groups. Factorial structure, construct validity, inter-rater and test–retest reliability, t-FAB-M vs. t-FAB-V equivalence and diagnostic accuracy were assessed. Norms were derived via Equivalent Scores. Results: In HPs, t-FAB measures yielded high inter-rater/test–retest reliability (ICC =.78–.94), were internally related (p ≤.005) and underpinned by a single component, converging with the telephone-based MMSE, VF, BDS (p ≤.0013). The two t-FAB versions were statistically equivalent in clinical groups (ps of both equivalence bounds <.001). Education predicted all t-FAB scores (p <.001), whereas age only the t-FAB-M score (p ≤.004). t-FAB scores converge with the in-person FAB in HPs and clinical groups (rs =.43–.78). Both t-FAB versions were accurate in discriminating HPs from the clinical cohort (AUC =.73-.76). Discussion: The t-FAB is a normed, valid, reliable and clinically usable telephone-based cognitive screening test to adopt in both clinical and research practice.

We propose an innovative isogeometric space–time method for the heat equation, with smooth splines approximation in both space and time. To enhance the stability of the method we add a stabilizing term, based on a linear combination of high-order artificial diffusions. This term is designed in order to make the linear system lower block-triangular, that is, lower triangular with respect to time. In order to keep optimal accuracy, the stabilization terms are further weighted in terms of the residual. Through a series of numerical experiments, we validate the method's capability, showcasing its stability and accuracy.

We present an elaboration and application of Spline Upwind (SU) stabilization method, designed in space--time Isogeometric Analysis framework, in order to make this stabilization as suitable as possible in the context of cardiac electrophysiology. Our aim is to propose a formulation as simple and efficient as possible, effectual in preventing spurious oscillations present in plain Galerkin method and also reasonable from the computational cost point of view. For these reasons we validate the method's capability with numerical experiments, focusing on accuracy and computational aspects.

We present an elaboration and application of Spline Upwind (SU) stabilization method, designed in space--time Isogeometric Analysis framework, in order to make this stabilization as suitable as possible in the context of cardiac electrophysiology. Our aim is to propose a formulation as simple and efficient as possible, effectual in preventing spurious oscillations present in plain Galerkin method and also reasonable from the computational cost point of view. For these reasons we validate the method's capability with numerical experiments, focusing on accuracy and computational aspects.

Purpose: To evaluate clinical outcomes in patients with localized prostate cancer (LPC) treated with 3D conformal high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy (BT) as monotherapy. Material and methods: From March 2004 to November 2017, 277 men with LPC underwent 3D conformal HDR-BT as monotherapy, with a temporary implant. The dose prescription was: 38 Gy in 4 fractions (149 patients), 27 Gy in 2 fractions (41 patients), and 19-20 Gy in a single fraction (87 patients). Biochemical progression-free survival (bPFS), progression- free survival (PFS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were calculated. Acute and late genitourinary (GU) and gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity assessment were performed using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v5.0. Results: The mean age was 67 (range, 47-81) years. Overall, 145 patients were low-risk, 116 intermediate-risk, and 16 high-risk prostate cancer. After a median follow-up of six years (range, 6-160 months), bPFS, PFS, and CSS were 81%, 96%, and 97%, respectively. Dose prescription, initial prostate specific antigen (iPSA) ≥ 9,5 ng/ml, and high-risk disease resulted in prognostic factors regarding bPFS. Only G2-G3 acute or late GI and GU toxicities were observed. Conclusions: HDR-BT as monotherapy is a valid and safe treatment modality for localized prostate cancer. After a long follow-up, patients receiving 19-20 Gy in a single fraction had a lower biochemical control rate compared to patients receiving 38 Gy in 4 fractions or 27 Gy in 2 fractions. Randomized prospective trials with a longer follow-up are necessary to confirm our results, and define total doses and dose per fraction for HDR-BT in patients with LPC.

Background and objectives: End stage renal disease (ESRD) patients are exposed to the risk of ionizing radiation during repeated imaging studies. The variability in diagnostic imaging policies and the accompanying radiation doses across various renal units is still unknown. We studied this variability at the centre level and quantified the associated radiation doses at the patient level. Methods: Fourteen Italian nephrology departments enrolled 739 patients on haemodialysis and 486 kidney transplant patients. The details of the radiological procedures performed over one year were recorded. The effective doses and organ doses of radiation were estimated for each patient using standardized methods to convert exposure parameters into effective and organ doses Results: Computed tomography (CT) was the major contributor (> 77%) to ionizing radiation exposure. Among the haemodialysis and kidney transplant patients, 15% and 6% were in the high (≥ 20 mSv per year) radiation dose groups, respectively. In haemodialysis patients, the most exposed organs were the liver (16 mSv), the kidney (15 mSv) and the stomach (14 mSv), while the uterus (6.2 mSv), the lung (5.7 mSv) and the liver (5.5 mSv) were the most exposed in kidney transplant patients. The average cumulative effective dose (CED) of ionizing radiation among centres in this study was highly variable both in haemodialysis (from 6.4 to 18.8 mSv per patient-year; p = 0.018) and even more so in kidney transplant (from 0.6 to 13.7 mSv per patient-year; p = 0.002) patients. Conclusions: Radiation exposure attributable to medical imaging is high in distinct subgroups of haemodialysis and transplant patients. Furthermore, there is high inter-centre variability in radiation exposure, suggesting that nephrology units have substantially different clinical policies for the application of diagnostic imaging studies.