Catholic University of the Sacred Heart

About: Catholic University of the Sacred Heart is a education organization based out in Milan, Lombardia, Italy. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Medicine. The organization has 13592 authors who have published 31048 publications receiving 853961 citations.

Long-term outcome in patients with a pathological complete response after chemoradiation for rectal cancer: a pooled analysis of individual patient data

Abstract: Summary Background Locally advanced rectal cancer is usually treated with preoperative chemoradiation. After chemoradiation and surgery, 15–27% of the patients have no residual viable tumour at pathological examination, a pathological complete response (pCR). This study established whether patients with pCR have better long-term outcome than do those without pCR. Methods In PubMed, Medline, and Embase we identified 27 articles, based on 17 different datasets, for long-term outcome of patients with and without pCR. 14 investigators agreed to provide individual patient data. All patients underwent chemoradiation and total mesorectal excision. Primary outcome was 5-year disease-free survival. Kaplan-Meier survival functions were computed and hazard ratios (HRs) calculated, with the Cox proportional hazards model. Subgroup analyses were done to test for effect modification by other predicting factors. Interstudy heterogeneity was assessed for disease-free survival and overall survival with forest plots and the Q test. Findings 484 of 3105 included patients had a pCR. Median follow-up for all patients was 48 months (range 0–277). 5-year crude disease-free survival was 83·3% (95% CI 78·8–87·0) for patients with pCR (61/419 patients had disease recurrence) and 65·6% (63·6–68·0) for those without pCR (747/2263; HR 0·44, 95% CI 0·34–0·57; p Q test and forest plots did not suggest significant interstudy variation. The adjusted HR for pCR for failure was 0·54 (95% CI 0·40–0·73), indicating that patients with pCR had a significantly increased probability of disease-free survival. The adjusted HR for disease-free survival for administration of adjuvant chemotherapy was 0·91 (95% CI 0·73–1·12). The effect of pCR on disease-free survival was not modified by other prognostic factors. Interpretation Patients with pCR after chemoradiation have better long-term outcome than do those without pCR. pCR might be indicative of a prognostically favourable biological tumour profile with less propensity for local or distant recurrence and improved survival. Funding None.

Prevalence of and interventions for sarcopenia in ageing adults: a systematic review. Report of the International Sarcopenia Initiative (EWGSOP and IWGS)

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: to examine the clinical evidence reporting the prevalence of sarcopenia and the effect of nutrition and exercise interventions from studies using the consensus definition of sarcopenia proposed by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP).METHODS: PubMed and Dialog databases were searched (January 2000-October 2013) using pre-defined search terms. Prevalence studies and intervention studies investigating muscle mass plus strength or function outcome measures using the EWGSOP definition of sarcopenia, in well-defined populations of adults aged ≥50 years were selected.RESULTS: prevalence of sarcopenia was, with regional and age-related variations, 1-29% in community-dwelling populations, 14-33% in long-term care populations and 10% in the only acute hospital-care population examined. Moderate quality evidence suggests that exercise interventions improve muscle strength and physical performance. The results of nutrition interventions are equivocal due to the low number of studies and heterogeneous study design. Essential amino acid (EAA) supplements, including ∼2.5 g of leucine, and β-hydroxy β-methylbutyric acid (HMB) supplements, show some effects in improving muscle mass and function parameters. Protein supplements have not shown consistent benefits on muscle mass and function.CONCLUSION: prevalence of sarcopenia is substantial in most geriatric settings. Well-designed, standardised studies evaluating exercise or nutrition interventions are needed before treatment guidelines can be developed. Physicians should screen for sarcopenia in both community and geriatric settings, with diagnosis based on muscle mass and function. Supervised resistance exercise is recommended for individuals with sarcopenia. EAA (with leucine) and HMB may improve muscle outcomes.

Histological Substrate of Atrial Biopsies in Patients With Lone Atrial Fibrillation

Abstract: Background Lone atrial fibrillation (LAF) is a common clinical syndrome, but its origin remains unknown. Methods and Results We performed endomyocardial biopsies of the right atrial septum (2 to 3 per patient; mean, 2.8) and of the two ventricles (6 per patient) in 12 patients (10 men, 2 women; mean age, 32 years) with paroxysmal LAF refractory to conventional antiarrhythmic treatment. As controls, we used endomyocardial biopsies (3 to 5 per patient; mean, 4.4) from the right atrial septum of 11 patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW) undergoing resection of the abnormal AV pathway. The weight of the biopsies ranged from 2.8 to 4.5 mg. Biopsy samples were processed for histology and electron microscopy and were read by a pathologist blinded to clinical data. All patients underwent two-dimensional Doppler echocardiography; cardiac catheterization; coronary angiography; and hormonal, virologic, and electrophysiological studies. All tests and WPW biopsies were normal, but all LAF atrial biopsy spe...

Nusinersen versus Sham Control in Infantile-Onset Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Abstract: BackgroundSpinal muscular atrophy is an autosomal recessive neuromuscular disorder that is caused by an insufficient level of survival motor neuron (SMN) protein. Nusinersen is an antisense oligonu...

Consensus statement on the diagnosis of multiple system atrophy.

Abstract: We report the results of a consensus conference on the diagnosis of multiple system atrophy (MSA). We describe the clinical features of the disease, which include four domains: autonomic failure/urinary dysfunction, parkinsonism and cerebellar ataxia, and corticospinal dysfunction. We set criteria to define the relative importance of these features. The diagnosis of possible MSA requires one criterion plus two features from separate other domains. The diagnosis of probable MSA requires the criterion for autonomic failure/urinary dysfunction plus poorly levodopa responsive parkinsonism or cerebellar ataxia. The diagnosis of definite MSA requires pathological confirmation.