The winding path towards symbiotic autonomous systems.

Over the next 10 years, we are likely to see the convergence of two independent evolutionary paths: one leading to an augmentation of machine capabilities; the other with the augmentation of human capabilities. This convergence will not happen at a specific point in time; instead, it will be the result of progressive overlapping, to the point that it might be difficult to identify a defining moment. The following decade will likely be quite different from the present one. 5G will probably be remembered as a transitional system, artificial intelligence (AI) as a misplaced objective. We are looking forward to a communications fabric created by autonomous systems that will exist both in the physical world as well as in cyberspace, determining a continuum that gives rise to digital reality and where intelligence is an emerging property of the ambient. Hence, the dichotomy between AI and natural intelligence will no longer exist and AI will be considered as a tool for human augmentation and as the glue connecting minds and machines. This article is part of the theme issue 'Towards symbiotic autonomous systems'.

Harnessing the Power of Smart and Connected Health to Tackle COVID-19: IoT, AI, Robotics, and Blockchain for a Better World.

As COVID-19 hounds the world, the common cause of finding a swift solution to manage the pandemic has brought together researchers, institutions, governments, and society at large. The Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI)-including machine learning (ML) and Big Data analytics-as well as Robotics and Blockchain, are the four decisive areas of technological innovation that have been ingenuity harnessed to fight this pandemic and future ones. While these highly interrelated smart and connected health technologies cannot resolve the pandemic overnight and may not be the only answer to the crisis, they can provide greater insight into the disease and support frontline efforts to prevent and control the pandemic. This article provides a blend of discussions on the contribution of these digital technologies, propose several complementary and multidisciplinary techniques to combat COVID-19, offer opportunities for more holistic studies, and accelerate knowledge acquisition and scientific discoveries in pandemic research. First, four areas, where IoT can contribute are discussed, namely: 1) tracking and tracing; 2) remote patient monitoring (RPM) by wearable IoT (WIoT); 3) personal digital twins (PDTs); and 4) real-life use case: ICT/IoT solution in South Korea. Second, the role and novel applications of AI are explained, namely: 1) diagnosis and prognosis; 2) risk prediction; 3) vaccine and drug development; 4) research data set; 5) early warnings and alerts; 6) social control and fake news detection; and 7) communication and chatbot. Third, the main uses of robotics and drone technology are analyzed, including: 1) crowd surveillance; 2) public announcements; 3) screening and diagnosis; and 4) essential supply delivery. Finally, we discuss how distributed ledger technologies (DLTs), of which blockchain is a common example, can be combined with other technologies for tackling COVID-19.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in adult with asymptomatic partial agenesis of the right diaphragm: Case report and the literature.

INTRODUCTION: The importance of unilateral diaphragmatic agenesis (DA) in adults for performing a laparoscopic cholecystectomy has not been well described in literature. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 60-year-old female patient entered our ward in March 2019 for laparoscopic cholecystectomy after 6 months history of epigastric pain and multiple episodes of biliary colic treated conservatively. She never complained of pulmonary symptoms. Preoperative chest Computed tomography (CT) was negative for diaphragmatic or pulmonary pathologies. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed in 60 min with intraoperative detection of a thoracoabdominal communication with partial right hemidiaphragm agenesis. A chest CT and x-ray were performed in the postoperative period with progressive reduction of an asymptomatic small pneumothorax. The patient was discharged at home without complications on the fifth postoperative day. Thoracopulmonary surgery examination was performed without indications for diaphragmatic repair. DISCUSSION: DA is a rare condition and usually occurs in early neonatal period. The congenital form occurs in 1 out of 2200-12500 live births and is traditionally divided into anterior (Morgagni's: 10%) and posterolateral (Bochdalek's: 90%) hernias. Chest and abdomen CT with coronal and sagittal reconstructions is the most effective and useful imaging technique for the diagnosis of diaphragmatic hernia. In literature there are former two case reports of asymptomatic DA in cholelithiasis in which laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed effectively. CONCLUSION: In adults with partial DA, laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be performed successfully. A conservative management only with gallstones dissolution therapy can be used if laparoscopy cannot be done. Further studies with a higher level of evidence are needed.

Association of right breast cancer and ileal gastrointestinal stromal tumor in a patient with type I neurofibromatosis: Case report and review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: The Neurofibromatosis type I (NF1) is an autosomal dominant syndrome that affects 1/3000-1/4000 individuals. Patients with this condition are predisposed to different tumors, like neurofibromas, optic nerve gliomas, gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) and breast cancers. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 78-year-old female patient affected by NF1 in May 2018 during follow-up for a carcinoma of the right breast had persistent anemia requiring regular blood transfusions. She presented with NF 1 with disseminated cutaneous neurofibromas, asthma, hypothyroidism, arterial hypertension and uterine prolapse. She had performed gastroscopy and colonoscopy both negative for neoplastic lesions. She was subjected to chest and abdomen CT which revealed the presence of an ileal lesion of 6.5 × 4 cm suspected of GIST. The patient underwent laparoscopic ileal resection in 120 min and was discharged on the sixth postoperative day. DISCUSSION: NF1 is caused by biallelic loss of a tumor suppressor gene. Most GISTs are localized in the stomach and small intestine. Surgery is the first line of treatment for localized disease. The main goal of surgery is complete excision with negative margins. The association between breast cancer and intestinal GIST in NF1 is reported only from two previous studies. CONCLUSION: It is a rare case of association of breast cancer and ileal GIST in NF1. Laparoscopic resection of intestinal GIST has shown in some studies to have oncological outcomes comparable to laparotomy. Furthermore, laparoscopy is associated with better perioperative outcomes and shorter hospital stays. Further studies with a higher level of evidence are needed.

Laparoscopic excision of a voluminous mesenteric cyst: Case report of a rare entity and review of literature.

INTRODUCTION: The diagnosis and treatment of mesenteric cysts (MC) is a challenge due to rarity, lack of specific symptoms and variability in location and size. Mesenteric cysts are rare surgical entities that occur approximately in 1: 200,000-1: 350,000 hospitalizations. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 47-year-old female patient presented in August 2018 with occasional abdominal pains and an abdominal swelling palpable in the lower right quadrant. A CT scan with contrast enhancement confirmed a 11 cm mass with liquid content in the right iliac fossa, clearly separate from other intra-abdominal structures. The mass was completely excised laparoscopically. The patient was discharged on the third postoperative day. She was symptom-free at 30-day follow-up. Histology demonstrated a solitary non-pancreatic cyst of the mesentery with negative cytology for neoplastic cells. DISCUSSION: The origin of mesenteric cysts (MC) is uncertain. Imaging (by ultrasonography, CT, and MRI) can be diagnostic. Therapy for these cysts should be performed if they are symptomatic or cause complications. The treatment of choice is complete surgical excision. The advent of laparoscopy has allowed the excision of these cysts without laparotomy in the expert hands of surgeons with good experience in advanced laparoscopy. Laparoscopy is not a standard for the presence in the literature of only case reports. CONCLUSION: MC are commonly asymptomatic and discovered incidentally. If symptomatic, surgical excision is considered the cornerstone intervention and laparoscopic resection is feasible, causing less pain, a shorter postoperative stay, and quicker recovery of the patient than open operation. Further studies with a higher level of evidence are needed.

Laparoscopic Repair of Ventral and other hernias of the abdominal wall with Composite meshes (Ventralight ST with Echo PS System and Physiomesh): Our case series of 101 patients and the literature.

INTRODUCTION: A meta-analysis of studies has shown that the incidence of ventral hernias varies from 4 to 10%. During the last twenty years, the use of laparoscopic repair of ventral and other hernias of the abdominal wall has rapidly increased. PRESENTATION OF CASES: From January 2011 to March 2020 101 patients underwent laparoscopic ventral hernia repair (LVHR). The diameter of the hernial defect intraoperatively was in average 6.22 ± 5.17 cm (SD) (range 2-30 cm). The difference with the defect diameter measured in CT is small (average 0.77 ± 2.21 cm). The mean operative time was 96.20 min. We used Physiomesh and Secure strap in 37 cases and Ventralight ST plus Sorbafix in 58 cases. The conversion rate was 6.93%. The mean hospital stay was 6.03 days. The 30-day mortality was 0%. The overall morbidity was 11.88%. DISCUSSION: LVHR indications are debated. The IEHS guidelines and the EAES/EHS Consensus conference of 2015 discussed the main indications, contraindications, and features of laparoscopic techniques. Laparoscopic approach seemed to have some benefits: absence of intraparietal dissection, of postoperative immobilization, lower risk of bronchopulmonary complications and lesser abdominal pain. We compared our case series with other similar studies, and we revealed our short-term outcomes are in line with literature. CONCLUSION: Our case series revealed that the LVHR with Ventralight ST/Sorbafix is a safe and effective technique with low postoperative morbidity and low reoperation rate. Careful patient selection is one of the main methods of choice. Studies with higher level of evidence are needed.

A Monocentric Retrospective Study about the Correlation between Histology and Cytology of Thyroid Indeterminate Nodules Classified as TIR 3A and TIR 3B, according to 2014 Italian Consensus for Classification and Reporting of Thyroid Cytology.

BACKGROUND: In 2014, the Italian Consensus for Classification and Reporting of Thyroid Cytology (ICCRTC) reviewed the previous cytological classification proposed in 2007 including the subdivision of TIR 3 category into low risk (TIR 3A) and high risk (TIR 3B). In Italian literature, different rates of malignancy have been correlated to these subcategories. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study is to present our experience on this subclassification for the assessment of the malignancy risk of indeterminate thyroid nodules. We correlated the subdivision into TIR 3A and TIR 3B with the histological report by highlighting the rates of malignancy detected in the two subcategories. On the one hand, we aimed to check if the groups are associated with a real and significant difference risk of malignancy. On the other hand, we evaluated the use of this subdivision in the choice of the appropriate treatment. STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective review of all the patients with an indeterminate nodule who underwent US-FNA and had surgery at ASL Città di Torino between January 2005 and May 2018. RESULTS: 150 patients have been analyzed for the research; 62 (41.3%) had a malignant histological report. Rates of malignancy between TIR 3A (20.8%) and TIR 3B (60.3%) were significantly different (p < 0.0001). The subclassification had high sensitivity (75.8%; CI 63.3-85.8%) and NPV (79.3%; CI 68-87.8%) and low specificity (64.8%; CI 53.9-74.7%) and PPV (60.3; CI 48.5-71.2%). The measurement of the accuracy (AUC = 0.7) classified the test as "moderately accurate." Conclusions. Obtained data show a great rate of false negative (20.8%) and limited AUC (0.7). According to our logistic regression, we argue that the 2014 subclassification into TIR 3A and TIR 3B should be considered for the choice of patient treatment, but at the same time, we believe that the association with other screening tests is necessary to increase the accuracy in the future.