Epicardial fat accumulation, cardiometabolic profile and cardiovascular events in patients with stages 3-5 chronic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND: It has been hypothesized that epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) exerts pathogenic effects on cardiac structures. We analysed the associations between EAT and both cardiovascular (CV) disease risk factors and CV events in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We included 277 nondialysed patients [median age 61, interquartile range (IQR) 53-68 years; 63% men] with stages 3-5 CKD in this cross-sectional evaluation. EAT and abdominal visceral adipose tissue (VAT) were assessed by computed tomography. Patients were followed for median 32 (IQR 20-39) months, and the composite of fatal and nonfatal CV events was recorded. RESULTS: With increasing EAT quartiles, patients were older, had higher glomerular filtration rate, body mass index, waist, VAT and coronary calcification, higher levels of haemoglobin, triglycerides, albumin, C-reactive protein and leptin and higher prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy and myocardial ischaemia; total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, 25-hydroxy-vitamin D and 1, 25-dihydroxy-vitamin D progressively decreased. Associations between EAT and cardiac alterations were not independent of VAT. During follow-up, 58 CV events occurred. A 1-SD higher EAT volume was associated with an increased risk of CV events in crude [hazard ratio (HR) 1.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.12-1.78) and adjusted (HR 1.55, 95% CI 1.21-1.99) Cox models. However, adding EAT to a standard CV disease risk prediction model did not result in a clinically relevant improvement in prediction. CONCLUSION: Epicardial adipose tissue accumulation in patients with CKD increases the risk of CV events independent of general adiposity. This is consistent with the notion of a local pathogenic effect of EAT on the heart or heart vessels, or both. However, EAT adds negligible explanatory power to standard CV disease risk factors.

Differentiated thyroid cancer: role of the lymph node dissection.

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy with the highest mortality, so it has generated considerable debate and voluminous literature by endocrinologists, surgeons, and nuclear physicians. If total thyroidectomy is the primary treatment for patients with differentiated thyroid cancers (DTC) and it has proven to be effective and safe, the extent of lymph nodes dissection remains controversial among experts in the field. This controversy persists largely due to the lack of a prospective randomized controlled trial to define whether the addition of central lymph node dissection (CLND) to total thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) confers an increased risk of permanent hypoparathyroidism and permanent nerve injury. According to the Consensus Conference of the UEC's Club therapeutic modified radical neck dissection (MRND) should be performed only in the patients with evidence of neoplastic multiple lymph node involvement. Although central lymph node dissection may increase the risk of hypoparathyroidism and nerve injury when compared with total thyroidectomy without CLND, it may decrease recurrence of PTC and likely improves disease specific survival and offers a sufficient alternative to routine prophylactic modified radical neck dissection. Selective central lymph node dissection should be performed, under the care of experienced surgeons, in high risk patients (50 years or older aged, large tumor expansion within the thyroid, or with extrathyroid extension), with the extension to the station II-III-IV in case of single lymph node involvement.

Original concepts in anatomy, abdominal-wall surgery, and component separation technique and strategy.

BACKGROUND: The abdominal wall can be considered comprised of two compartments: an anterior and a posterior compartment. The anterior compartment includes the anterior rectus sheath and the rectus muscle. The posterior compartment comprises the posterior rectus sheath, the transversalis fascia, and the peritoneum. When a large defect in the anterior compartment has to be corrected, for example, a rectus diastasis or large incisional hernia, an action on the anterior compartment is necessary; therefore, an anterior component separation has to be considered. If a loss of substance is present in the posterior compartment, a trasversus abdominis release should be accomplished. METHODS: We propose an original anterior compartment mobilisation, by a posterior approach. Dissection of the posterior rectus sheet proceeds until the linea semilunaris is reached. Incision of the anterior rectus sheath permits a mobilisation of the anterior compartment by a posterior approach. A mesh is placed in a sublay position. If the abdominal wall presents a loss of substance of the posterior compartment, a transversus abdominis release (TAR) can be performed in the same time. RESULTS: No hernia recurrences, no wound infection, and no mesh infection have been reported. CONCLUSIONS: The anterior compartment mobilization permits mobilization towards the midline of rectus muscle and restoration of anterior compartment, with low morbidity rate; it can be easily associated to a large sublay mesh placement, it allows the preservation of the neurovascular bundles and rectus muscle trophism, and it can be associated with a concomitant TAR procedure for the restoration of the PC, if necessary.

Obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by recurrent episodes of partial (hypopnea) or complete interruption (apnea) in breathing during sleep due to airway collapse in the pharyngeal region. OSA and its cardiovascular consequences have been widely explored in observational and prospective studies. Most evidence verifies the positive relationship between OSA and hypertension, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, stroke and heart failure. However, more studies are needed to better assess the impact of OSA, and possible benefit of treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and cardiovascular mortality. The leading pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the changes triggered by OSA, include intermittent hypoxemia and re-oxygenation, arousals and changes in intrathoracic pressure. Hypertension is strongly related with activation of the sympathetic nervous system, stimulation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and impairment of endothelial function. The high prevalence of OSA in the general population, hypertensive patients and especially obese individuals and patients resistant to antihypertensive therapy, highlights the need for effective screening, diagnosis and treatment of OSA to decrease cardiovascular risk.

Immediate hemodynamic effects of urapidil in patients with essential hypertension.

Systemic, renal and splanchnic hemodynamics and certain reflex and endocrine responses were determined in 10 patients with essential hypertension before and after intravenous administration of urapidil, a new antihypertensive agent that acts through both central and peripheral alpha-adrenergic inhibitory mechanisms. The reduction in mean arterial pressure by 12% (103 +/- 3 vs 91 +/- 6 mm Hg, p less than 0.05) was mediated through a decreased total peripheral resistance index (from 34 +/- 2 to 25 +/- 3 U/m2, p less than 0.01), which was associated with a significant reflexive increase in cardiac index, heart rate and serum norepinephrine level. This hypotensive effect was also associated with blunted Valsalva overshoot and orthostatic hypotension, suggesting peripheral arteriolar and venular dilation. Renal and splanchnic blood flows increased (p less than 0.05), resistances in these vascular beds decreased (p less than 0.01) and there were no changes in creatinine clearance or glomerular filtration fraction. Thus, intravenous urapidil reduced arterial pressure by decreasing total peripheral, renal and splanchnic resistances associated with maintained organ flows and increased heart rate and cardiac index.

Left atrial abnormalities indicating diastolic ventricular dysfunction in cardiopathy of obesity.

Electrocardiograms and M-mode echocardiograms were evaluated in lean and obese patients, either normotensive or hypertensive, who were paired for mean arterial pressure, age, and sex. Electrocardiographic evidence of left atrial abnormalities (LAA) occurred more frequently (p less than 0.01) and left atrial size was greater in the obese than in the lean patients (p less than 0.01). The left atrial emptying index, an indicator of early diastolic ventricular function, was reduced in obese patients (p less than 0.01), most markedly in those with obesity-hypertension. The left atrial emptying index was reduced in obese patients with electrocardiographic LAA compared to obese patients without this electrocardiographic sign (p less than 0.02). A close correlation (r = 0.61, p less than 0.001) was obtained between the left atrial emptying index and atrial ECG abnormalities. These left atrial abnormalities in obesity and particularly in obesity-hypertension indicate diastolic ventricular dysfunction.

Risks for obesity.

Whether or not obesity per se is an independent risk factor remains controversial. However, a variety of studies have shown that obesity precipitates certain well-known risk factors, such as glucose intolerance, hyperlipidemia, hyperestrogenemia, hypertension, and left ventricular hypertrophy. Distribution of adipose tissue also seems to influence cardiovascular risk; patients with predominantly male-pattern obesity exhibit more profound risk for cardiovascular disease.

Disparate urinary catecholamine patterns in secondary hypertension due to unique sequential development of pheochromocytoma and neuroblastoma.

A 43-year-old white woman had a pheochromocytoma removed from her left adrenal gland, and one year later she developed a new left upper abdominal mass that was found to be a neuroblastoma. On both occasions, urinary vanillylmandelic acid level was elevated. However, urinary norepinephrine and epinephrine levels were increased only during the pheochromocytoma episode, while the urinary homovanillic acid level was elevated only when neuroblastoma developed. Despite a high suspicion of pheochromocytoma recurrence, the urinary catecholamine profile was suggestive of neuroblastoma, which was revealed by histopathologic analysis of the tumor tissue.

Radioimmunoguided surgery.

Although clinical staging of neoplastic diseases has long remained the only approach to prognosis and treatment, parameters for stage determination, such as tumor size (T) and lymph-node involvement (N), do not always provide effective indication of optimal treatment. Molecular medicine has also provided useful indications as to an alternative and/or integration to clinical staging. Despite the numerous possibilities afforded by pre-operative staging techniques, failures in defining the real spread of neoplasias into surrounding structures have remained a very important diagnostic problem. The labeling of monoclonal antibodies binding with neoplastic target cells by way of radioactive isotopes introduced the techniques known as immunoscintigraphy and SPECT, which then evolved into radioimmunoguided surgery. Fourty patients suffering from colorectal cancer whose age ranged between 42-82 years were singled out for this study. Before undergoing surgery, they were administered pancoloscopy and macrobiopsies, AP-LL chest x-rays, hepatobiliary ECT, echoendoscopy, abdomen and pelvis CT with nephrostographic phase, and total body bone scintigraphy. They were treated with 125I-B72.3 and 125I-FO23C5 (5% and 95% of patients, respectively). Thyrosuppression was achieved by Lugol solution (15 drops x 3/die) from the 6th day before infusion and until the day of surgical operation. Radioimmunoguided surgery (RIGS) has also been tested on staging and second-look of ovarian tumors. Five years after surgical operation the survival rate of Dukes A patients (15%) was confirmed to amount to 100%, whereas for Dukes B patients (50%) having undergone RIGS-guided exeresis on single unrecognized metastases (2 patients) and on unrecognized n+ (5 patients) the survival rate was found to be 85% after 5 years; 2 patients deceased due to relapse; 1 patient deceased due to e.p.a. Finally, for Dukes C patients; (35%) having undergone RIGS-guided exeresis on unrecognized liver micrometastases (1 patient), on single isolated metastases (2 patients) and in the occurrence of multicentric lymph-node positivity (9 patients), the survival rate after 5 years was found to amount to 64%; 5 patients deceased due to relapse. Out of 19 patients without pre-operative evidence of ovarian tumor as opposed to just 1 patient suspected of pelvic recurrence, after intra-operative surgical radicalization (45%), 1 patient was diagnosed fibrosis (suspicious lesion on CT) and 1 other patient peritoneal MTS (negative CT) by means of RIGS. RIGS has made it possible: to localize primary and/or metastatic lesions; to determine tumor-free margins, loco-regional disease spread; to differentiate suspicious foci on inspection and palpation (biotopic sampling); to detect invisible and impalpable tumor foci (occult sites); to verify radical exeresis; to evaluate lymphatic drainage stations; to enable guided exeresis of liver metastases.

[Surgical tactics in abdominal wall neoplasia]. / La tattica chirurgica nelle neoplasie della parete addominale.

Abdominal wall neoplasms represent more or less 1% of human neoplasms in the adult. The authors reports their own experience based on 9 cases during over 20 years. The prognosis of these tumors is almost influenced from a lot of factors such as: histology, localization, staging, grading, sex, surgical margins, number of local recurrences. Abdominal wall neoplasm are less aggressive for compartmentalization of muscle layer and with a better prognosis because of their localization, and surgical opportunities of extensive resection (not less of 2 cm from tumor's macroscopic limits) allowed by modern prosthetic reconstruction techniques. Polipropilene seems to be the ideal material for such kind of reconstruction even if also mersilene, PTFEe and others were employed. PTFEe and Dual-meshes could be useful in those malignant tumors in which peritoneum resection is necessary.

[Bilateral breast cancer]. / Il carcinoma mammario bilaterale.

Bilateral breast cancer has a cumulative incidence of 3-13% in patients with primary breast cancer, and the majority of these lesions are metachronous. The synchronous and metachronous bilateral breast cancer have at greater risk for distant metastasis than unilateral breast cancer. There was no difference in overall survival when comparing metachronous and synchronous bilateral patients to those with unilateral disease.

[Breast cancer screening in the elderly]. / Lo screening del carcinoma mammario in età geriatrica.

The incidence and mortality of breast cancer increase with increasing age, and almost half of all breast cancer cases are diagnosed in women aged 65 years and older. Moreover many studies have indicated that the elderly are less screened, and have lesser and frequently inferior treatment. In contrast, clinical trials focusing on the elderly suggest that they do as well with surgery, radiation, and standard chemotherapy regimens as their younger counterparts. Our study suggest that in women aged 65 years, and older, breast cancer can be detected at an earlier stage by mammographic screening.

[Undifferentiated carcinoma of the thyroid]. / Il carcinoma indifferenziato della tiroide.

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is a rare and highly lethal cancer. Between 1969 and 2002, 9 cases with anaplastic carcinoma were reviewed. Surgical treatment with radiotherapy and chemotherapy were performed in all cases. All patients died of their disease within 5 years. The mean survival was 10 months. There is still controversy as to what constitutes adequate treatment for anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, and combined multimodal therapy seems to be the most common management strategy for this aggressive disease.

[Early de novo neoplasia after renal transplantation]. / Neoplasie de novo precoci dopo trapianto renale.

INTRODUCTION: The chronic use of immunosuppressive therapy in transplant recipients to prevent acute rejection increases the long-term risk of cancer. The overall incidence of de novo malignancies (DNM) after kidney transplantation ranges from 6% to 11%. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 2000 and December 2002, 135 renal and 3 combined kidney-pancreas transplantations were performed. RESULTS: Of 138 solid organ transplant recipients, a total of 16 (11.6%) cancers were diagnosed in 10 renal transplant recipients (7.2%). Six patients were male and three female, with a mean age of 47 years (range, 19-63, years). Tumor presented at a mean time of 14 months (range, 2-24, months) after transplantation. There were three patients with skin cancers, three with Kaposis's sarcoma, one with renal cell cancer, one with bladder carcinoma and one with breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Although the DNM occurs more frequently many years after a kidney transplantation, our experience demonstrated that they can occur early in the follow-up. Skin malignancies had the best prognosis, probably because of early detection and treatment. Kaposi's sarcoma benefits from reduction or cessation of immuno-suppression, but there is a higher risk of graft loss. Solid organ de novo malignancies are often more aggressive than in normal population, and the life expectancy of these recipients is very low. Careful long-term screening protocols are needed for detection of such malignancies in an early stage.

[Is it possible to improve survival in patients with Klatskin tumors?]. / E possibile migliorare la sopravvivenza dei pazienti con tumore di Klatskin?

BACKGROUND: This retrospective study was undertaken to evaluate if a high resectability rate could improve the long-term outcome of patients with proximal bile duct cancer. METHODS: Between 1985 and 2001, 50 patients (34 males and 16 females) with proximal bile duct cancer were treated. The tumor site were classified according to Bismuth-Corlette's classification: 9 lesions (18%) were Bismuth type I, 23 lesions (46%) type II, 12 lesions (24%) Type IIIa, 5 lesions (10%) type IIIb and only 1 resected tumor (2%) was type IV. Thirty-six patients (72%) were considered suitable for surgery, while 14 underwent non surgical palliative procedures. Twenty patients had bile duct resection only. Ten patients had Roux-enY cholangiojejunostomy with two or three divided segmental hepatic ducts; in ten, the cholangiojejunostomy was performed with 4 or 5 divided segmental hepatic ducts. Thirteen patients had bile duct resection plus hepatectomy. Despite the curative intention of the operation, only in 19 (52.7%) patients did the histopathological examination reveal tumor-free margins. RESULTS: There was no operative mortality. Overall 1-year, 3-year and 5-year survival of the entire surgical group was 61%, 22.5% and 9% respectively. In the 19 patients treated with curative intent the survival at 1,3, and 5 years was 66%, 30% and 15%, respectively, while in the palliative group it was 45%, 15% and 0%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Only margins free from tumor may guarantee an improvement in long-term outcome. Increasing resectability improves survival and could offer a chance of better 5-year survival.

Enteral nutrition in patients with chronic neurological diseases.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is commonly considered an important risk factor that can produce a negative influence on the prognosis of patients with chronic neurological diseases. The reduced caloric or proteic intake due to the motor or cognitive dysfunction, the hypercatabolic state due to infections, the abnormal gastrointestinal motility are the main mechanisms responsible for a state of malnutrition. METHODS: Between January and December 1999 fourteen patients with chronic neurological diseases were treated. Ten of them had had a stroke, four due to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). After the evaluation of nutritional status the patients received enteral nutrition (EN) by placement of a nasointestinal feeding tube or a Bengmark tube. Glycaemia, blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, electrolytes, glycosuria, glutamic-oxalacetic and glutamic pyruvic transaminase were monitored in all patients. Polymeric enteral feeding was administered by an infusion pump. Standard nourished patients (7/14) received a 30 Kcal/kg/day support, the undernourished ones (6 low, 1 moderate malnutrition) received a 35-40 Kcal/kg/day support. RESULTS: The complete caloric supply was reached in three-four days. Both of the groups received continuous feeding infusion during hospitalization. For the patients who continued the nutritional support at home (3/14) refeeding was performed only during night-time. In the patients with stroke the optimal/standard weight was reached within one month. In these patients oral nutrition was started within 45 days of treatment taking into account the restored swallowing function. In the patients with ALS the improvement of nutritional standards was reached within the first month and complete restoration within the second/third month. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of our experience enteral nutrition represents an effective refeeding procedure in patients with chronic neurological diseases.

[Echinococcic cyst of the thyroid]. / Contributo alla conoscenza della cisti da echinococco della tiroide

The Authors, starting from observation of a hydatid cyst of the thyroid, make an examination of this very rare pathological occurrence. They then put forward and evaluate the fundamental problem linked to this localisation of hydatidosis, a problem which can be summed up as the lack of pathological identification of the clinical pattern and the consequent ease of making a diagnostic error. They conclude by stating that the sole differential diagnostic criterion in relation to other diseases that may be considered (cystic uninodular goitre, adenoma, epithelial cyst, haematic pseudocyst) consists in the simple recollection of the possible existence of this very rare localisation of the echinococcus.

[Gastrointestinal metastasis of melanoma: a case study]. / Metastasi da melanoma a carico dell'apparato gastrointestinale: a proposito di un caso clinico.

The Authors report on a case of multiple metastases located in the jejunum (where it caused intussusception), the omentum, and retroperitoneum having originated from a malignant melanoma with subungual primary site on first finger of left hand. After thoroughly surveying the specific literature, the Authors deal in more detail with current treatments and therapeutic prospects for this kind of neoplastic disease.

[Doctrinal and clinical aspects of cancer of the male breast]. / Aspetti dottrinali e clinici del cancro della mammella maschile.

On the base of a recent observation of one case of male mamma carcinoma, the authors examine the generalities and the etiopathogenetic factors of this rare tumor, also on the base of the most recent acquisitions on hormonal receptors. Then they stop on the characteristics of clinical picture, and outline the high frequency of unfavourable events, at the first medical examination already. In the end they outline the elective treatment and the therapy for the recovery of the cases with metastasis and they present the results of the most qualified mondial casuistry.

[A-mode echography in surgery: a study of solitary thyroid nodules (author's transl)]. / L'ecografia A-mode in chirurgia. Studio dei noduli solitari della tiroide.

As part of their exploration of the possibilities afforded by A-mode ultrasonic investigation in several disorders of surgical interest, the authors report the results obtained in the study of solitary thyroid nodules. More precisely, after a brief explanation of ultrasonics, current apparatus for echography, and methods for echographic examination, they describe the semiological features exploited in A-mode echography: namely nodules with liquid content, mixed content, solid homogeneous content, and solid heterogeneous content. They conclude with considerations on the principles and indications of this diagnostic procedure in the light of their personal experience.