Implications of increased serum amylase after pancreaticoduodenectomy: toward a better definition of clinically relevant postoperative acute pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative acute pancreatitis (POAP) can be a possible cause of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF). The present study aimed to evaluate the role of clinically-relevant POAP (CR-POAP), defined according to different cut-offs of postoperative amylase (AMS) values and C-reactive protein (CRP), in the development of clinically relevant POPF (CR-POPF) after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). METHODS: Data from 610 patients who underwent PD (2015-2018) were analyzed. Patients were divided according to the upper limit (100 U/l) and 3-fold the upper limit (300 U/l) of serum POD1 AMS. Univariate and multivariable analysis of possible predictors of CR-POPF were performed. RESULTS: Overall, 360 patients (59%) had POD1 serum AMS ≤100 U/l, 142 patients (23%) had POD1 serum AMS >100 U/l and ≤300 U/l, and 108 patients (18%) had POD1 serum AMS >300 U/l. Patients with POD1 serum AMS >300 had a higher frequency of soft pancreatic texture, complications, main pancreatic duct diameter ≤3 mm, and CR-POPF. POD1 serum AMS >100 U/l associated to POD2 CRP ≥180 mg/l (OR: 4.3, p < 0.001) was an independent predictor of CR-POPF. CONCLUSION: These results confirm that CR-POAP, defined as POD1 serum AMS >100 U/l and POD2 CRP ≥ 180 mg/l, is associated with an increased risk of CR-POPF.

Prevalence and predictors of malignancies in HIV patients: results of a retrospective multicentric Italian cohort.

We report the sharp reduction in the incidence of AIDS defining cancers in a multicentric, retrospective study carried out since 1991 and involving six Infectious Diseases Units spread across Italy. However, due to the parallel increase in non-AIDS defining cancers, cancer incidence was not reduced. Focusing on predictors of death in HIV-positive patients with neoplastic disease, multivariate models revealed that males as well as drug abusers were independently associated with a poor clinical outcome.

Bridging patients with hepatocellular cancer waiting for liver transplant: all the patients are the same?

Liver transplant (LT) is considered the best curative treatment for patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) within Milan criteria. The possibility to perform LT in HCC patients is limited by the liver grafts supply; indeed, the shortage of donors often leads to a long time on waiting list and then to dropout because of tumor progression. Bridging therapies are neo-adjuvant treatments given to patients on LT waitlist, with the aim to prevent tumor progression and to reduce dropout rate. Many bridging modalities have been proposed. The choice of each treatment is based on the characteristics of the patient, liver function, comorbidities and on the number, dimensions and localization of HCC. This review article describes several types of bridging therapies, focusing on the indications for different kind of patients.

Blunt hepatic and splenic trauma. A single Center experience using a multidisciplinary protocol.

AIM: The aim of this retrospective study was to describe more than 10 years experience of a single Trauma Center about non operative management of abdominal organ injuries in hemodynamically stable patients MATERIAL OF STUDY: Between January 2001 and December 2014 ,732 consecutive patients were admitted with blunt abdominal trauma, involving liver and/or spleen and/or kidney, at the Bufalini Cesena Hospital .Management of patients included a specific institutional developed protocol :hemodynamic stability was evaluated in shock room according to the patients response to fluid challenge and the patients were classified into three categories A,B,and C. RESULTS: Form 732 Trauma, 356(48.6%) of patients were submitted to a surgical procedure, all the other patient 376(51.4%) underwent an non operative management .Overall mortality was 9.8% (72), mortality in the surgery group was 15.4% eheras in the non operative group was 4.5%; the relative risk of mortality, measured by the odds ratio waith a 95% confidence interval, was 3.417(2.023-5.772) for rhe surgery group; patient over 40 years old has a statistically significant higher mortality. DISCUSSION: In our series the overall mortality rate of non operative management group was 4.5%, instead in unstable patients, the surgery group, the mortality was 15.3%; the overall mortality mortality rate after the application of our protocol is 9.8%, Although surgery continues to be the standard for hemodically unstable patients with blunt hepatic and splenic trauma. In our experience AAST Organ Injury Scale was useless for the therapeutic decision making process after the CT scan if a source of bleeding was detected and immediate angiography was performed in order to control and solve it. CONCLUSIONS: In our experience the AAST Organ Injury Scale was useless for the therapeutic decision making process, The results suggest that the only criteria of choice for therapeutici strategy was the hemodynamic stability, Nonoperative managem,ent can be applied only following strict institutional criteria KEY WORDS: Hemodynmic stability, Nonoperative management, Trauma.

Antiretroviral therapy management and rationalisation of available resources.

The treatment of HIV disease has led to a new division of management costs by shifting most of the necessary resources from inpatient treatment to outpatient management. Among the initiatives aimed at rationalising the resources available, we compared efficacy, tolerability and pharmacoeconomic impact of different regimes of antiretroviral therapy (ART). The survey covered the first 50 patients, clinically stable and with good viro-immunological response, who switched in June 2012 from an ART based on the triple combination of tenofovir (TDF), emtricitabine (FTC) and a protease inhibitor boosted with ritonavir (PI/r) or a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), to a treatment based on abacavir (ABC), lamivudine (3TC) and a PI/r or NNRTI. Of the 50 patients who operated the switch, 39 replaced a PI with nevirapine (NVP), for which the largest group of patients was treated with ABC + 3TC + NVP. On 31 May 2015, all patients completed the observation period of 96 weeks, with a mean observation period of 132 weeks and clinical-laboratory checks every four months. Laboratory analysis revealed an optimal maintenance of viral suppression and absolute and relative number of CD4 + lymphocytes and improving trend of creatinine, proteinuria, serum phosphate and bone alkaline phosphatase. There was a variable effect on lipids, with a drop in triglycerides associated with a modest increase in total cholesterol. Much of the HIV-positive population reporting to our hospitals (>50%) comprises individuals who have for years been in stable viraemic suppression, making a satisfactory immune recovery while in good overall clinical condition. This type of patient was the target of the present survey. At the end of 96 weeks of observation the new regimes were well tolerated and did not lead to viro-immunological or clinical deterioration. Pharmacoeconomic analysis showed better containment of the overall costs. No patient needed to be hospitalised during the observation period.

Invasive aspergillosis in liver transplant recipients: epidemiology, clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcomes in 116 cases.

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) in liver transplant recipients is associated with grave outcomes. We reviewed 116 individual cases reported in the literature from 1985 to 2013. IA was diagnosed after a median of 25 days after transplantation and involved a single organ in 51% of the cases, whereas in the remaining cases, multiple sites were involved. The most common infecting Aspergillus species were Aspergillus fumigatus (73%), Aspergillus flavus (14%), and Aspergillus terreus (8%). Amphotericin B was the drug most frequently used, and it was followed by voriconazole and itraconazole. Combination regimens were used in 51% of the cases. The overall 1-year cumulative survival probability was 35% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 24.6%-49.6%]. Survival was significantly higher for patients reported from the year 2000 and thereafter (P < 0.001), for those diagnosed with IA more than 30 days after transplantation versus those diagnosed earlier (P = 0.019), and for patients without renal failure (P = 0.020). Additionally, the use of voriconazole was significantly associated with a higher probability of survival (P < 0.001). Cox regression analysis showed that subjects with the involvement of multiple sites had a 2.52 times higher risk of a negative outcome (95% CI = 1.08-5.87) than those with the involvement of a single site. Thus, IA causes life-threatening infections in liver transplant recipients. Predictors associated with poor outcomes may help clinicians to optimize the management of this infection.

Prevalence and predictors of malignancies in a polycentric cohort of HIV patients from Italy.

INTRODUCTION: HIV infected patients have a higher risk of developing cancer than the general population. Kaposi's sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, primary CNS lymphoma and invasive cervical cancers are considered as AIDS defining [1]. An increased incidence in recent years has been reported also for other malignancies after the introduction of cART [2,3]. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective multicentric evaluation of all HIV infected patients with both AIDS and non-AIDS defining neoplasms at six Infectious Disease Units spread throughout Italy since 1991 through 2013. Cases were compared with equal number of controls without neoplasia followed at the same institutions, matched for length of HIV infection. RESULTS: Since 1991, 339 consecutive cases of malignancy were collected from the six convening centres, including approximately an equal proportion of AIDS (51.2%) and non-AIDS defining tumours. Mean prevalence of tumours among centres was 8.3% (r. 6.1%-9.6%). Mean age at tumour diagnosis was significantly lower than in controls (42.6±11.0 vs 46.8±10.6 years, respectively, p<0.0001). As to risk factors for HIV infection, approximately 1/4 (26.1%) of patients were drug abusers, in equal proportion as in controls. A remarkable higher proportion of cancer patients had CD4 T-cell counts <200 c/mmc at time of diagnosis (45.2% vs 13.3%, p<0.0001). Seventy percent of tumours occurred in males; 52.8% of tumour patients were diagnosed with AIDS before and 19.0% at the time of tumour diagnosis. Ninety (28.1%) tumour patients were dead at the time of data collection, a much higher proportion than among cases (12.9%, p<0.0001). Deaths among non-AIDS (20.8%) and AIDS defining tumour patients (35.0%) were significantly different (p=0.005). Predictors of AIDS defining tumours at the time of data collection were: male sex (57.9% vs 40.6%, p=0.004), CD4 T-cell counts <200 c/mmc (63.6% vs 44.1%, p<0.0001), whereas being cART treated at the time of tumour diagnosis was protective (38.0% vs 68.0%, p<0.0001). In the final multivariate model of logistic regression, male sex (OR=2.0, p=0.03) and not being cART treated (OR=2.5, p=0.001) held as independent predictors. CONCLUSIONS: Our retrospection revealed a considerably high proportion of non-AIDS defining tumours, apparently at rise in recent years. We registered high prevalence of tumours in each centre. Absence of cART seemed related with AIDS defining tumours: once more prevention of late presentation appeared the way to avoid worse prognosis in this setting.

Comparison of liver fibrosis progression in HIV/HCV co-infected and HCV mono-infected patients by transient elastometry.

Monitoring of liver fibrosis (LF) is an essential tool for preventing liver-related complications in HIV/HCV co-infected patients. In this study, we compared LF progression by transient elastometry (TE) in 50 HIV/HCV co-infected and 115 HCV mono-infected patients followed in our institution between June 2006 and December 2011. Patients naive to interferon therapy and with at least two measurements of liver stiffness by TE were included. In all, 76% of HIV/HCV co-infected and 75% of HCV mono-infected patients remained in the same stage of LF over time. Conversely, 19% and 15% of HIV/HCV co-infected and HCV mono-infected subjects, respectively, had progression to advanced LF (≥ F3). Our study found a similar proportion of HIV/HCV co-infected and HCV mono-infected patients that developed an advanced LF during the follow-up time considered. Alcohol abuse was the only factor significantly associated with the progression as evidenced by multiple quantile regression analysis.

In vitro activity and in vivo animal model efficacy of IB-367 alone and in combination with imipenem and colistin against Gram-negative bacteria.

The aim of our study was to evaluate the in vitro activity of IB-367 and its bactericidal effect for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli, associated to a synergic study to test the antibiotic combinations between the peptide and colistin or imipenem. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), the minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs), the synergy test and killing study were carried out to evaluate the IB-367 activity. In the in vivo model, a wound was incised through the panniculus carnosus of BALB/c mice, and then inoculated with 5 × 107 colony-forming units of P. aeruginosa and E. coli. For each strain, the study included an infected or not infected group that did not receive any treatment, and five contaminated groups treated with local IB- 367, intraperitoneal imipenem, intraperitoneal colistin, topical IB-367 local plus intraperitoneal imipenem or intraperitoneal colistin. All isolates were inhibited by IB-367 at concentrations of 4-64 mg/l. Killing by IB-367 was shown to be very rapid: its activity on all Gram-negative bacteria was completed within a 40 min exposure period at a concentration of 2 × MIC/l. Synergy was demonstrated when IB-367 was combined with colistin or imipenem. In in vivo studies, the groups treated with topical IB-367 and intraperitoneal colistin showed the best results in terms of bacterial load inhibition either for Pseudomonas or for E. coli. The good in vitro activity and in vivo efficacy, as well as, the synergic interactions with antibiotics suggest that IB-367 is a promising candidate for potential application in the treatment of wound Gram-negative infections.