0000000000843678
AUTHOR
Pietro Ragusa
Ultrasonic evaluation with second harmonic imaging and SonoVue in the assessment of cerebral perfusion in diabetic patients: a case-control study
The purpose was to compare human brain tissue perfusion in diabetic patients and healthy subjects with second harmonic imaging ultrasound and SonoVue to test the hypothesis that brain tissue perfusion differences are present in these two groups of patients. In a prospective case-control study, second harmonic examinations performed in 20 patients with type II diabetes mellitus and in 20 matched control patients were compared. After administration of 2.5 ml of SonoVue, 60 time-triggered images were recorded. Time-intensity curves, including peak intensity and positive gradient normalized to the middle cerebral artery, were calculated to quantify ultrasound intensity in a region of interest. …
A prospective, randomized study of empirical antifungal therapy for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia in children
Given that the rationale for empirical antifungal therapy in neutropenic children is limited and based on adult patient data, we performed a prospective, randomized, controlled trial that evaluated 110 neutropenic children with persistent fever. Those at high risk for invasive fungal infections (IFI) received caspofungin (Arm C) or liposomal amphotericinB (Arm B); those with a lower risk were randomized to receive Arm B, C, or no antifungal treatment (Arm A). Complete response to empirical antifungal therapy was achieved in 90/104 patients (86·5%): 48/56 at high risk (85·7%) [88·0% in Arm B; 83·9% in Arm C (P = 0·72)], and 42/48 at low risk (87·5%) [87·5% in control Arm A, 80·0% Arm B, 94·1…