Background: s/Aims: Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) remains a significant complication following pancreatoduodenectomy (PD). It has been hypothesized that single loop (SL) reconstruction may increase the risk of POPF, leading to the proposal of double-loop (DL) reconstruction. In this approach, the pancreatic duct is connected to an isolated loop of bowel in a Roux-en-Y configuration. Methods: We conducted a retrospective multicenter study to compare various types of reconstruction after PD, analyzing data from 1,502 patients who underwent open, laparoscopic, or robotic PD across 28 centers worldwide. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to enhance comparability. Results: The overall rate of POPF was 34.89%, with a grade C POPF rate of 4.26%. The type of reconstruction (SL vs. DL) did not significantly impact the rates of POPF or grade C POPF, both before and after PSM. The rate of delayed gastric emptying (DGE) was 20.71%, and patients with DL reconstruction had a lower incidence of DGE both before and after PSM. Conclusions Our study found no significant differences in the risk of POPF between SL and DL reconstruction. However, DL reconstruction is associated with a reduced risk of DGE, suggesting it may be a preferable option following open PD.

Background: Critically ill patients generate large volumes of complex data, creating challenges for timely clinical decision making in intensive care units (ICUs). Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a promising tool for supporting diagnosis, monitoring, prognostication, and workflow optimization in this setting. This scoping review aimed to map current AI applications in critical care and identify practical clinical applications. Methods: A systematic search of the MEDLINE, Scopus, and EMBASE databases was conducted for studies published between January 2015 and June 2025. Eligible studies evaluated practical AI applications in ICU settings involving patients, relatives, or healthcare professionals. Data pertaining to study design, AI techniques, clinical domains, outcomes, model characteristics, and implementation features were extracted. Results: In total, 112 studies were included. Most were retrospective observational studies (59.8%) focusing on adult populations. Machine learning was the predominant technology used (76.8%), and the main clinical applications were outcome and mortality predictions, early warning systems, and monitoring, particularly in neurological and respiratory domains. Notably, 24.1% of included studies relied on North American public databases, raising concerns about geographic data monoculture, and only 27.7% of the systems provided real-time bedside applications. Most systems remained at the experimental stage, with limited real-world implementation, heterogeneous performance reporting, and a frequent lack of external validation. Conclusions AI applications in ICUs have expanded rapidly and show substantial promise for improving patient care and workflow efficiency. Future research should prioritize prospective multicenter validation, explainability, and implementation science to ensure the safe and effective integration of AI into critical care.

The current kidney care model - focused on late -stage disease and in -centre haemodialysis - is unsustainable, because of costs, environmental burden, poor outcomes, and reduced quality of life. The 78th World Health Assembly ’s recognition of kidney disease as a serious health threat presents a critical opportunity to reshape kidney care. Aligned with this, the 2026 World Kidney Day theme, “Kidney Health for All: Caring for People, Protecting the Planet ”, calls for a systematic change. A sustainable model must prioritise early detection and prevention, reducing the need for kidney replacement therapy. Transplantation and home dialysis benefit people with kidney failure, environment and society. Dialysis itself must become more eco -friendly without compromising care quality, recognising that planetary perturbations in turn affect kidney health. Conservative care should also be considered, particularly for elderly and frail patients, if the quality -of-life benefits outweigh the perspectives offered by dialysis. Achieving this shift requires coordinated action across all stakeholders; education and engagement of the public, policymakers and health professionals to raise awareness about the threat of kidney disease; and an urgent move toward patient -centered care

The current kidney care model - focused on late -stage disease and in -centre haemodialysis - is unsustainable, because of costs, environmental burden, poor outcomes, and reduced quality of life. The 78th World Health Assembly ’s recognition of kidney disease as a serious health threat presents a critical opportunity to reshape kidney care. Aligned with this, the 2026 World Kidney Day theme, “Kidney Health for All: Caring for People, Protecting the Planet ”, calls for a systematic change. A sustainable model must prioritise early detection and prevention, reducing the need for kidney replacement therapy. Transplantation and home dialysis benefit people with kidney failure, environment and society. Dialysis itself must become more eco -friendly without compromising care quality, recognising that planetary perturbations in turn affect kidney health. Conservative care should also be considered, particularly for elderly and frail patients, if the quality -of-life benefits outweigh the perspectives offered by dialysis. Achieving this shift requires coordinated action across all stakeholders; education and engagement of the public, policymakers and health professionals to raise awareness about the threat of kidney disease; and an urgent move toward patient -centered care

The electrocardiogram (ECG) is a non-invasive and cost-effective screening tool that is widely available and has been incorporated into many pre-participation screening programs for athletes. Despite historical criticisms regarding its suboptimal specificity, which could impact cost-effectiveness, the ECG remains a fundamental diagnostic method. Over the last 2 decades, significant research has focused on distinguishing pathological from physiological ECG patterns, the latter associated with the "athlete’s heart". The most recent guidelines for ECG interpretation in athletes include the International Criteria, published in 2017, which categorize ECG findings into common (training related), uncommon (training unrelated), and a "borderline" sub-group, with findings that do not necessitate further investigation when isolated. Premature ventricular beats (PVBs), although often overlooked, are a frequent cause of secondary investigations in athletes, especially when detected during exercise testing. Recent advances over the past decade have refined diagnostic methodologies, placing greater emphasis on morphological features, exercise relationships, and reproducibility, rather than solely on the count of PVBs. This evolution aims to enhance stratification for further investigations, such as cardiac magnetic resonance, which is crucial within this updated diagnostic framework, as it identifies pathologies causing sudden cardiac death during exercise. This review aims to provide a modern revision of the interpretation of ECGs and PVBs, incorporating a historical excursus to trace the evolution of these criteria. It is designed to offer clinicians a practical key for enhanced diagnostic precision in athlete screenings, reflecting both past insights and current advances.

Objective: This prospective study evaluated the effectiveness of clear aligner treatment (CAT) in achieving dentoalveolar upper arch expansion in patients with mixed dentition and transverse maxillary deficiency. Methods: Forty patients with mixed dentition and a transverse discrepancy of ≤ 5 mm were treated using clear aligners. Pre- and post-treatment digital dental models were measured using specific landmarks and compared with the programmed expansion in the virtual treatment plan. Statistical analyses included the inter-class correlation coefficient to evaluate inter-rater reliability. A paired t test was employed to compare pre- and post-treatment values and to examine the significance of the changes. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to estimate the relationship between the prescribed and observed measurements, stratified by inter-dental measurements (deciduous canines, first deciduous molars, and permanent molars, at cusp and gingival levels). Results: Excellent measurement reproducibility was observed. The accuracy of dentoalveolar maxillary arch expansion varied among different tooth regions. The inter-canine accuracy was 87.7% at the cusp level and 82.7% at the gingival level. The inter-first deciduous molars exhibited accuracies of 84.9% (cusp level) and 80.5% (gingival level). The inter-first molars showed accuracies of 77.8% (cusp level) and 67.9% (gingival level). Significant differences were observed between the planned and obtained measurements for specific tooth regions. Conclusions CAT demonstrated reliable predictability in achieving dentoalveolar expansion of the maxillary arch in patients with mixed dentition. A higher accuracy was observed in the anterior region than in the posterior region. These findings suggest that CAT could be an effective option for treating transverse maxillary deficiencies in patients with mixed dentition with moderate inter-arch transverse discrepancies, considering tooth-specific predictability differences.

Infertility is a prevalent issue affecting many couples during their reproductive years, with a significant number facing challenges in conceiving despite regular unprotected intercourse. Male factor infertility (MFI) contributes significantly to these cases, with a significant proportion of men lacking an identifiable etiology. As such, a thorough assessment of MFI has become increasingly vital for personalized management. This position paper from the Andrology team at IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele emphasizes a comprehensive and individualized approach to MFI work-up, addressing the evolving challenges encountered in clinical practice. Our approach involves a thorough diagnostic work-up to identify the underlying causes of MFI, integrating insights from extensive literature review and our proprietary data. Our data demonstrates that an extensive diagnostic assessment allows us to identify at least one underlying cause of MFI in most infertile men. However, challenges persist in diagnosing less severe phenotypes with unclear etiology. We discuss the importance of individualized MFI work-up and its implications for developing rational therapeutic protocols. Lastly, this paper highlights the necessity for a personalized diagnostic assessment, addressing the daily clinical challenges and emphasizing tailored approaches to try to improve outcomes among couples seeking first medical help for infertility.

Background/Aims: Optimization of bowel preparation for small bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE) is debated. Guidelines recommend 2 L of iso-osmolar polyethylene glycol (PEG) to improve SBCE visibility. We compared the efficacy of the standard 2 L PEG solution with a 1 L PEG plus ascorbate (PEG-ASC) preparation, which has already been established for large-bowel preparation. Methods: Between October 2020 and February 2022, patients undergoing SBCE were assigned to receive 2 L PEG or 1 L PEG-ASC bowel preparation on an even- or odd-day basis. Bowel cleanliness was evaluated using the small bowel mucosal visibility scoring system (SBMVSS). Results: Following propensity score matching using a random forest method, two comparable populations of patients treated with 2 L PEG (n=74, male 41%, 53±17 years) and 1 L PEG-ASC (n=74, male 42%, 55±21 years) were obtained from the original cohort of 221 consecutive SBCE patients. Our results showed a trend towards more frequent adequate mucosal visibility with 1 L PEG-ASC compared to 2 L PEG (small bowel mucosal visibility ≥2 in all three small bowel tertiles, p=0.07), as per the SBMVSS score. No significant differences were observed in the diagnostic yield (p=1.00), visibility score=9 (p=0.85), SBCE completeness (p=0.33), or adequate mucosal visibility in each tertile (p=0.61, p=0.74, and p=0.70 for the first, second, and third tertiles, respectively). Conclusions Our study suggests the non-inferiority of the 1 L PEG-ASC solution over the standard 2 L PEG for SBCE preparation.

Objective: This prospective study evaluated the effectiveness of clear aligner treatment (CAT) in achieving dentoalveolar upper arch expansion in patients with mixed dentition and transverse maxillary deficiency. Methods: Forty patients with mixed dentition and a transverse discrepancy of ≤ 5 mm were treated using clear aligners. Pre- and post-treatment digital dental models were measured using specific landmarks and compared with the programmed expansion in the virtual treatment plan. Statistical analyses included the inter-class correlation coefficient to evaluate inter-rater reliability. A paired t test was employed to compare pre- and post-treatment values and to examine the significance of the changes. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to estimate the relationship between the prescribed and observed measurements, stratified by inter-dental measurements (deciduous canines, first deciduous molars, and permanent molars, at cusp and gingival levels). Results: Excellent measurement reproducibility was observed. The accuracy of dentoalveolar maxillary arch expansion varied among different tooth regions. The inter-canine accuracy was 87.7% at the cusp level and 82.7% at the gingival level. The inter-first deciduous molars exhibited accuracies of 84.9% (cusp level) and 80.5% (gingival level). The inter-first molars showed accuracies of 77.8% (cusp level) and 67.9% (gingival level). Significant differences were observed between the planned and obtained measurements for specific tooth regions. Conclusions CAT demonstrated reliable predictability in achieving dentoalveolar expansion of the maxillary arch in patients with mixed dentition. A higher accuracy was observed in the anterior region than in the posterior region. These findings suggest that CAT could be an effective option for treating transverse maxillary deficiencies in patients with mixed dentition with moderate inter-arch transverse discrepancies, considering tooth-specific predictability differences.