The GENDER ATTENTION Observational Study: Gender and Hormonal Status Differences in the Incidence of Adverse Events During Cyclosporine Treatment in Psoriatic Patients

Introduction: Female sex has been shown to be a risk factor for the development of adverse drug reactions; however, this has not been studied for cyclosporine (CsA). The aim of this study was to investigate, in Italian dermatological practice, the influence of gender and menopause and related hormones on the incidence of adverse events (AEs) during CsA treatment in psoriatic patients. Methods: Multicenter, prospective, observational study conducted from May 2011 to June 2013. Patients with plaque psoriasis, undergoing a new CsA administration course, or about to start it, were enrolled in the outpatient clinics of Italian dermatological centers. During the 2–6 months of study duration, pati…

Laboratory medicine and sports : between Scylla and Charybdis

Laboratory medicine is complex and contributes to the diagnosis, therapeutic monitoring and follow-up of acquired and inherited human disorders. The regular practice of physical exercise provides important benefits in heath and disease and sports medicine is thereby receiving growing focus from almost each and every clinical discipline, including laboratory medicine. Sport-laboratory medicine is a relatively innovative branch of laboratory science, which can provide valuable contributions to the diagnosis and follow-up of athletic injuries, and which is acquiring a growing clinical significance to support biomechanics and identify novel genomics and "exercisenomics" patterns that can help i…

Appendicular Muscle Mass, Thigh Intermuscular Fat Infiltration, and Risk of Fall in Postmenopausal Osteoporotic Elder Women

<b><i>Background:</i></b> The association between the quantity and composition of skeletal muscle and the decline in physical function in elderly is poorly understood. Therefore, the primary aim of this cross-over study was to investigate the association between thigh intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) infiltration, appendicular muscle mass, and risk of fall in postmenopausal osteoporotic elder women. Second, we examined the differences in muscle mass, IMAT, and risk of fall in the same sample of older subjects after being classified as sarcopenic or nonsarcopenic on the basis of the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-based Appendicular Skeletal Muscle Mass Inde…

Hemoglobin point-of-care testing: the HemoCue system.

Besides the use of traditional laboratory resources, the diagnosis of anemia can also be accomplished by assessing hemoglobin (Hb) concentration with point-of-care testing (POCT) devices such as the HemoCue test systems. In several situations, these devices might suitably replace traditional laboratory testing, including several areas of health care where a very rapid Hb measurement might be required to make immediate therapeutic decisions. The use of these devices, however, should fulfill some basic criteria, including economic, clinical, and regulatory issues; appropriate training of the users and knowledge of test requirements, performance, limitations, and potential interferences; the u…

Anemia, heart failure and exercise training

We read with interest the recent article by Wang et al. in which theauthors evaluated in anemic patients with heart failure whether exer-tionalperiodicbreathing influences rheological/hemodynamicfunctions[1]. For this purpose, the authors performed an incremental exercisetestusing a bicycle ergometer. In this regard, it has been generally assumedby some researchers, exercise physiologists and scientists that the incre-ment in blood hemoglobin (Hb) content is among the main hematolog-ical adaptations to endurance exercise training. This misconception isbased in the data published in diffe rent studies carried out severalyearsago [2].Inarecentmanuscript byBakeretal. [3],theauthorsdem-onstrated…

Plasticizer detection in urine samples after autologous blood transfusion

Innovative Educational Pathways in Spine Surgery: Advanced Virtual Reality–Based Training

Background Over the past few years, a reorganization of the educational pathways has been promoted with the purpose of optimizing the acquisition of competences and their assessment, so as to reduce the risks to both health care professionals and end users. Virtual reality (VR) has been repeatedly tested, initially as a positive reinforcement for more traditional educational pathways and, more recently, as their potential substitute. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the potentiality of VR simulation training in spine surgery. Methods The VR simulator reproduced the lateral lumbar access to the spine. The simulation included a tutorial, the preoperative settings, and the surgical ses…

Home-Based Resistance Training for Older Subjects during the COVID-19 Outbreak in Italy: Preliminary Results of a Six-Months RCT.

Background. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a six-month home-based resistance-training program on muscle health and physical performance in healthy older subjects during the unique condition of home confinement caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods. This was a randomized-controlled study that enrolled older participants that were allocated to either an experimental group performing the six-months exercise prescription (EXE) or a control group (CON). At the beginning (PRE), and after 6 months (POST), participants were assessed for muscle strength, balance, gait assessment and body composition by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and magnetic resonance imaging. Normality…