Incidence and risk factors of bacterial sepsis and invasive fungal infection in neonates and infants requiring major surgery: an Italian multicentre prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Limited data are currently available on the incidence rates and risk factors for bacterial sepsis and invasive fungal infections (IFIs) among neonates and infants undergoing major surgery. AIM: To assess the incidence of bacterial sepsis and IFI, fungal colonization, risk factors for sepsis, and mortality in neonates and infants aged <3 months undergoing major surgery. METHODS: A multicentre prospective study was conducted involving 13 level-3 neonatal intensive care units in Italy, enrolling all infants aged ≤3 months undergoing major surgery. FINDINGS: From 2018 to 2021, 541 patients were enrolled. During hospitalization, 248 patients had a bacterial infection, and 23 patients had a fungal infection. Eighty-four patients were colonized by fungal strains. Overall, in-hospital mortality was 2.8%, but this was higher in infected than in uninfected infants (P = 0.034). In multivariate analysis, antibiotic exposure before surgery, ultrasound-guided or surgical placement of vascular catheters, vascular catheterization duration, and gestational age ≤28 weeks were all associated with bacterial sepsis. The risk of IFI was markedly higher in colonized infants (odds ratio (OR): 8.20; P < 0.001) and was linearly associated with the duration of vascular catheterization. Fungal colonization in infants with abdominal surgery increased the probability of IFI 11-fold (OR: 11.1; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Preventive strategies such as early removal of vascular catheters and the fluconazole prophylaxis should be considered to prevent bacterial and fungal sepsis in infants undergoing abdominal surgery, and even more so in those with fungal colonization.

Prognostic factors in ambulatory patients with inoperable locoregionally recurrent rectal cancer following curative surgery.

BACKGROUND: The optimal treatment for locoregionally recurrent rectal cancer after curative surgery has not yet been defined. The definition of prognostic factors could lead to the selection of an aggressive therapeutic approach in patients with favourable prognosis alone. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The records of thirty-nine ambulatory pts, 15 female and 24 male, with diagnosis of locoregionally recurrent rectal cancer (LRRC) after curative surgery and treated with radiotherapy were retrospectively analyzed. The following factors were analyzed for their ability to predict the clinical response and outcome for LRRC: age, sex, initial tumor grading, primary surgical approach, initial primary tumor stage according to Dukes' classification, disease free survival (time to primary surgery and detection of a LRRC), pelvic-perineal structure affected by recurrence, total radiation dose, chemotherapy with fluorouracil, symptomatic response to the therapy, locoregional symptomatic re-recurrence, systemic progression disease. RESULTS: In the univariate analysis, predictive factors for survival, were graded (G1-2 vs G3 p = 0.04), Dukes' stage at first diagnosis (A-B vs C p = 0.01), and site of pelvic-perineal recurrence (Pelvic mass alone yes vs no p = 0.01; Nerve and/or Osseous involvement yes vs no p < 0.001). Following therapy for LRRC, a better survival was observed in pts with a complete symptomatic response (complete remission vs partial remission vs no change p < 0.001), without a further locoregional symptomatic re-recurrence (re-recurrence, yes vs no p = 0.001) and/or appearance of metastatic disease (yes vs no p < 0.001).

[Interventional radiology in thoracic emergencies]. / La radiologia interventistica nelle emergenze toraciche.

There are numerous clinical situations in which interventional angiography fully reveals its two-fold diagnostic and therapeutic value. The present review focuses attention on the use of such procedures in certain thoracic emergencies. Indications, diagnostic results and therapeutic advantages are examined together with possible complications. Pulmonary embolism is a serious circulatory condition that is often difficult to diagnose because of the lack of specificity of its accompanying symptoms. In these cases the role of the angiographic radiologist is often three-fold: diagnosis, therapy (possibility of carrying out locoregional thrombolysis), and prophylaxis (positioning of caval filters that prevent the migration of thrombi). Haemoptysis may arise from both the pulmonary and bronchial vessels and may be caused by various pathologies (cancer, angiodysplasia, vasculitis, aspergillosis). Angiographic study in such cases is indispensable for identifying the source of bleeding and for arresting, using embolising material, haemorrhage that it is no longer possible to control with other therapeutic modalities. Foreign bodies held in the vascular tree are in the main fragments of catheters detached accidentally or as a result of incorrect manoeuvres or for defects of construction of the material. Their removal is possible today by using, percutaneously, angiographic techniques (snare loop, basket, hook system, balloon catheters) which make it possible to hook up the fragment and remove it.

PSA and bone scintigraphy.

The authors evaluate the role of prostate specific antigen (PSA) and bone scintigraphy in the follow-up of radical prostatectomy-treated and radiotherapy-treated patients. 784 patients were evaluated by simultaneous PSA assay and bone scans. The correlation between PSA levels and extension of bone metastases was good. The frequency of extraskeletal metastases was low: only 13 patients had soft tissue metastases without bone involvement and 33/138 patients with bone metastases had also extraskeletal metastases. The results underline the importance of PSA and the possibility to omit bone scan when the PSA level is below 8 ng/ml in patients who did not undergo anti-androgenic treatments.

[Peptic ulcer in liver cirrhosis]. / La malattia peptica nella cirrosi epatica.

The frequency of peptic ulcer and the role of ulcerogenic risk factors in cirrhotic patients were evaluated in a retrospective study. Peptic disease was observed in 18.2% of the cirrhotic patients examined. When compared to the prevalence of ulcerative lesions in the general population, this finding suggests that cirrhotic patients have the same probability of being affected by peptic ulcer as non-cirrhotic subjects. The analysis of ulcerogenic risk factors highlighted the importance of alcohol and smoking. The etiology of cirrhosis and portal hypertension were not found to be important. In conclusion, peptic disease is not more frequent in cirrhotic patients than in the general population.

The multicellular tumor spheroid model. II. Characterization of the primary allograft response in unsensitized mice.

The multicellular spheroid model previously has been used to characterize secondary allograft responses in sensitized mice. In this study multicellular spheroids of EMT6 mammary sarcoma were implanted into unsensitized allogeneic mice to assess sensitization, graft infiltration, and functional activities of host cells in a primary allograft response. During the first 5 days after implantation, the spheroids continued to grow similar to controls maintained in vitro. After 6 days the spheroids decreased in size, and recovery of clonogenic tumor cells fell markedly. Cytotoxic effector cells active in an in vitro 51Cr release assay were recoverable from the spheroids beginning at day 4 and reached a maximum at day 7. Lymphocytes and macrophages were present in the largest numbers at days 7 to 8. The predominant cytotoxic cell appears to be a T lymphocyte.