Pegylated interferon α plus ribavirin for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C: A multicentre independent study supported by the Italian Drug Agency

a b s t r a c t Background: Data on the efficacy of Peg-interferon/ribavirin therapy for chronic hepatitis C are mostly derived from treatment of selected patients enrolled in clinical trials. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of Peg-interferon/ribavirin therapy in “real world” chronic hepatitis C patients in Italy. Methods: Independent observational multicentre study including consecutive patients receiving Peginterferon/ribavirin in the 18 months before (retrospective phase) and after (prospective phase) the start of the study. Results: 4176 patients were eligible. The final study population consisted of 2051 patients in the retrospective and 2073 in the prospective phase. Sust…

IL PORTALE ITALIANO DELLE MALATTIE COMPLESSE: UNO STRUMENTO PER L’EMPOWERMENT DI CITTADINI E LA FORMAZIONE DEI MEDICI.

Students’ social networks and vaccination behaviour in Italian junior high schools: preliminary results from the "VacciniAmo le Scuole" project.

Students; social networks; vaccination; behavior; high schools

The importance of HCV on the burden of chronic liver disease in Italy: a multicenter prevalence study of 9,997 cases

Knowledge of the current epidemiology of chronic liver disease in Italy is mostly obsolete and fragmentary for the lack of up-to-date consistent data. In 2001, a 6-month prevalence study was undertaken in 79 hospitals to assess the characteristics of chronic liver disease in Italy. Both prevalent and incident cases were enrolled. A total of 9,997 patients were recruited, of whom 939 (9.4%) had normal liver biochemistry, 6,210 (62.1%) had chronic hepatitis, 1,940 (19.4%) had liver cirrhosis, and 341 (3.4%) had hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In 567 patients (5.7%) the diagnosis was not established. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) was found in 69.9% of the patients and was the only etiological factor…

Addressing the gap between genetics knowledge and clinical practice: a pilot study to implement genetics education among physicians in Italy

As a result of large investments in basic science, the genomic discoveries have brought outstanding advances in understanding the molecular basis of human health. Hundreds of genes whose variations contribute to human diseases, or patients’ responses to drug treatments or even to vaccination have been discovered, laying the foundation for a paradigm shift in healthcare...

The aetiology of chronic hepatitis in Italy: results from a multicentre national study

Background: No recent national-level data on the aetiology of chronic hepatitis are available in Italy. Aim: To evaluate the current aetiology of chronic hepatitis in Italy. Patients: A total of 6210 chronic hepatitis patients (both prevalence and incident cases) consecutively admitted to 79 hospitals located throughout Italy were enrolled over a 6-month period in 2001. The hospitals were randomly selected through systematic cluster sampling. Results: The main agent associated with chronic hepatitis was hepatitis C virus, which was found in 76.5% of the patients (in 62.6% it was the only aetiologic factor). Hepatitis B surface antigen was present in the serum of 12.2% of the cases (in 9.2% …

Application of Lean Six Sigma methodology to a school based immunization project in Italy.

CONSAPEVOLEZZA ED ATTENDIBILITÀ DELLO STATO VACCINALE SELF REPORTED IN UN CAMPIONE DI STUDENTI DELLA SCUOLA MEDIA.

vaccinazioni; studenti; educazione sanitaria

Chronic hepatitis B in Italy: New features of an old disease - Approaching the universal prevalence of hepatitis B e antigen-negative cases and the eradication of hepatitis D infection

We evaluated 1336 hepatitis B surface antigen-positive subjects consecutively observed in 79 Italian hospitals over a 6-month period. The proportion of hepatitis B e antigen-negative cases was 86.4%, that of patients coinfected with hepatitis D virus was 9.7%, and the rate of patients coinfected with hepatitis C virus was 16.8%. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that age >49 years, alcohol abuse, and anti-hepatitis D virus and anti-hepatitis C virus positivity were independent predictors of progression to liver cirrhosis. © 2007 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.

La Genomica in Sanità Pubblica.
Sintesi delle evidenze e delle conoscenze disponibili sull’utilizzo della genomica ai fini della prevenzione.

Strategie formative sui medici potenziali prescrittori per il corretto uso dei test genomici: l'esperienza italiana

Pressioni del mercato, politiche regolatorie, linee guida cliniche e domanda dei consumatori, sono tutti fattori che influiscono sulla conoscenza degli erogatori dell’assistenza sanitaria e sull'uso dei test genetici venduti e/o pubblicizzati direttamente ai consumatori. Obiettivo è presentare un innovativo programma pilota di istruzione e formazione sul corretto uso dei test genomici, dedicato ai potenziali prescrittori, nell'ambito di un progetto finanziato dal Centro Nazionale per il Controllo delle Malattie del Ministero della Salute. Un gruppo di esperti, rappresentanti delle sei regioni coinvolte nel progetto, ha definito i contenuti di un corso modulare concepito per essere somminist…

IL ROLE PLAY AL SERVIZIO DELLA PROMOZIONE DELLA SALUTE TRA GLI STUDENTI DELLE SCUOLE MEDIE: IL PROGETTO PILOTA “VACCINIAMO LE SCUOLE”.

Role play; promozione salute; vaccinazioni

On-treatment serum albumin level can guide long-term treatment in patients with cirrhosis and uncomplicated ascites

Background & Aims: The ANSWER study reported that long-term albumin administration in patients with cirrhosis and uncomplicated ascites improves survival. During treatment, serum albumin increased within a month and remained stable thereafter. In this post hoc analysis, we aimed to determine whether on-treatment serum albumin levels could guide therapy. Methods: Logistic regression was used to assess the association between baseline serum albumin and mortality, as well as to determine on-treatment factors associated with mortality and to predict the achievement of a given on-treatment serum albumin level. Survival was assessed by Kaplan-Meier estimates and second-order polynomial regres…

Long-term use of human albumin for the treatment of ascites in patients with hepatic cirrhosis: The interim analysis of the ANSWER study

s / Digestive and Liver Disease 47S (2015) e1–e18 e7 (months; 95% CI): CPT 0 62 (52.9–71.1), A 44 (41.6–46.4), B 22 (19.7–24.3), C 9 (6.6–11.3), p<0.0001. Comparisons between survivals of CTP 0 vs A, B and C were also statistically different (p<0.0001 in all associations). The prognosis of patients in the intermediateBCLCstagealsodifferedaccording to the liver function (0 vs A vs B, p<0.0001). Conclusions: The newly proposed CTP class 0 identifies a different subgroup of patientswith a better prognosis, alsowhen applied in a European cohort, where HCV aetiology is predominant. This new approach impacts not only on outcome prediction but also, potentially, on treatment allocation, better str…

Medicina predittiva: genetica di popolazione in sanità pubblica

A systematic review of the literature on the human genetic variations in response to vaccination

BACKGROUND: Vaccinomics is a term that refers to the investigation of heterogeneity of host genetic markers at the individual or population level that may result in variations of humoral, cell-mediated, and/or innate immune responses to vaccines. Studying genetic heterogeneity of human response to vaccines is supposed to both afford a better understanding of the way vaccine works, and help in developing future vaccines that are protective. With this premise in mind, we performed a systematic review of the literature on the studies concerning the association between human genetic variations in response to vaccination. METHODS: A detailed literature search on the case-control and cohort studi…