Relationship between mild to moderate renal dysfunction and obstructive sleep apnea: Data from the European sleep apnea database

The relationship between severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and kidney function was investigated in the European Sleep Apnea Database (ESADA), where clinical, sleep, and biochemical data of patients studied for suspected OSA in 24 sleep centres of 17 European countries are stored. After excluding patients with missing data or extremely high/low creatinine values, data from 8112 subjects (2328 female) with creatinine values ranging between 0.5 and 2.0 mg% were analyzed. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was obtained with the Modified Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation. Patients were subdivided into two groups: group 1 (n = 3709) studied by full polysomnography; group 2 (n…

Mechanisms in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: comparisons with asthma

The mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of COPD are complex and have been largely studied; however, the underlying factors are not completely understood. Chronic airway inflammation is a key characteristic of COPD and specific inflammatory abnormalities exist even in the airways of subjects with mild and asymptomatic clinical patterns. In addressing these mechanisms, a comparison with asthma becomes fundamental, since the latter shows clinical and functional aspects that overlap with those observed in COPD. The mechanisms of inflammation in COPD, and their similarities and differences with asthma are therefore discussed in this article. The diagnosis of chronic obstru…

Bacterial etiology of community-acquired pneumonia in immunocompetent hospitalized patients and appropriateness of empirical treatment recommendations: an international point-prevalence study

An accurate knowledge of the epidemiology of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is key for selecting appropriate antimicrobial treatments. Very few etiological studies assessed the appropriateness of empiric guideline recommendations at a multinational level. This study aims at the following: (i) describing the bacterial etiologic distribution of CAP and (ii) assessing the appropriateness of the empirical treatment recommendations by clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for CAP in light of the bacterial pathogens diagnosed as causative agents of CAP. Secondary analysis of the GLIMP, a point-prevalence international study which enrolled adults hospitalized with CAP in 2015. The analysis was l…

Sleep apnoea and systemic hypertension

Un metodo di supporto per la programmazione delle tracce orarie ferroviarie in funzione dei ritardi