0000000000971085
AUTHOR
M. Grandi
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…
High prevalence of fragility vertebral fractures in patients hospitalised in Internal Medicine Units. Results of the POINT (Prevalence of Osteoporosis in INTernal medicine) study
Abstract Background Osteoporotic vertebral fractures (VFs) often go unrecognised in both healthy individuals and in pathological conditions. Few data exist on VFs in patients hospitalised in Internal Medicine Units (IMUs), who often suffer from multiple concomitant chronic disorders. Aim of the study This multicentre cross-sectional study was aimed at assessing the prevalence of VFs in an unselected population of patients referring to IMUs. Correlations between VFs and the main coexisting diseases were also investigated. Methods Information on demographic, clinical and laboratory findings, and on the presence of known risk factors for osteoporosis was recorded. The Genant's semi-quantitativ…
Performance of the upgraded PreProcessor of the ATLAS Level-1 Calorimeter Trigger
The PreProcessor of the ATLAS Level-1 Calorimeter Trigger prepares the analogue trigger signals sent from the ATLAS calorimeters by digitising, synchronising, and calibrating them to reconstruct transverse energy deposits, which are then used in further processing to identify event features. During the first long shutdown of the LHC from 2013 to 2014, the central components of the PreProcessor, the Multichip Modules, were replaced by upgraded versions that feature modern ADC and FPGA technology to ensure optimal performance in the high pile-up environment of LHC Run 2. This paper describes the features of the newMultichip Modules along with the improvements to the signal processing achieved.
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% …
Observation and Measurement of Forward Proton Scattering in Association with Lepton Pairs Produced via the Photon Fusion Mechanism at ATLAS
The observation of forward proton scattering in association with lepton pairs (eþe− þ p or μþμ− þ p) produced via photon fusion is presented. The scattered proton is detected by the ATLAS Forward Proton spectrometer, while the leptons are reconstructed by the central ATLAS detector. Proton-proton collision data recorded in 2017 at a center-of-mass energy of ffiffiffi s p ¼ 13 TeV are analyzed, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 14.6 fb−1. A total of 57 (123) candidates in the ee þ p (μμ þ p) final state are selected, allowing the background-only hypothesis to be rejected with a significance exceeding 5 standard deviations in each channel. Proton-tagging techniques are introduced f…
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.
Assessment of the awareness and management of sleep apnea syndrome in acromegaly. The COM.E.TA (Comorbidities Evaluation and Treatment in Acromegaly) Italian Study Group
In 2007 the Italian COM.E.T.A. (COMorbidities Evaluation and Treatment in Acromegaly) study group started to assess the application in a clinical setting of the Versailles criteria for management of acromegaly complications by a first questionnaire focusing on cardiovascular co-morbidities. A further questionnaire on sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) was delivered by the COM.E.T.A. study group to 107 endocrine centers in Italy. The results of our survey suggest that SAS is a well-known comorbidity even if its estimated prevalence is lower than in the literature. Polysomnography is the preferred tool for diagnosis. Control of SAS is considered relevant both for quality of life and co-morbidities. C…