In this contemporary study, overall serious adverse events after AM were lower than previously reported. However, patients with left ventricular ejection fraction <50%, ventricular arrhythmias, or low cardiac output syndrome at presentation were at higher risk compared with uncomplicated cases that had a benign prognosis and low risk of subsequent left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

Perioperative feeding with a supplemented enteral diet modulates cytokine production and enhances cell-mediated immunity and the synthesis of short half-life proteins.

Among the six analyzed techniques, single-step dilatation technique appeared the most reliable in terms of safety and success rate. However, the number of available randomized trials was insufficient to confidently assess the best PDT technique.

GWDF technique is associated with a higher incidence of intraprocedural bleeding and of technical difficulties in completing the procedure (difficult cannula insertions/difficult dilations or failures) compared with the SDT technique. No differences were identified in mid-term and long-term complications. Further studies comparing SDT and GWDF in the general population and in subgroups of high-risk patients (like obese or hypoxaemic patients) are warranted.

HIV-infected individuals with 200-500 CD4(+) T cell/microl were enrolled in a controlled study of three interleukin 2 (IL-2) plus antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens: (1) continuous intravenous administration of 12 million international units (MIU) of IL-2 followed by subcutaneous high-dose IL-2 (7.5 MIU, twice daily) for 5 days every 8 weeks; (2) high-dose subcutaneous IL-2 for 5 days every 8 weeks; (3) low-dose (3 MIU, twice daily) subcutaneous IL-2 for 5 days every 4 weeks; and (4) ART alone. Serum concentrations of IL-2, soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), and IL-6 were determined. A progressive decrease over time of the circulating levels of IL-2 was observed in individuals receiving the highest doses of IL-2, but not in those belonging to the low-dose arm. Conversely, increased levels of sIL-2R were observed in all cytokine-treated individuals. The levels of TNF-alpha increased in the high-dose IL-2 regimens, but decreased in individuals receiving low-dose IL-2. IL-2-related toxicity was significantly correlated to the peak IL-2 serum levels, and was substantially lower in those individuals receiving low-dose IL-2. In conclusion, intermittent IL-2 administration causes the elevation of peripheral CD4(+) T cells, but also a profound cytokine response and systemic toxicity. The latter was correlated to the peak serum level of IL-2, but not to those of TNF-alpha and IL-6.