Search results for " Cohort Studies"
showing 10 items of 130 documents
GERMLINE PROKINETICIN RECEPTOR 2 (PROKR2) VARIANTS ASSOCIATED WITH CENTRAL HYPOGONADISM CAUSE DIFFERENTAL MODULATION OF DISTINCT INTRACELLULAR PATHWA…
2013
INTRODUCTION: Defects of prokineticin pathway affect the neuroendocrine control of reproduction, but their role in the pathogenesis of central hypogonadism remains undefined, and the functional impact of the missense PROKR2 variants has been incompletely characterized. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In a series of 246 idiopathic central hypogonadism patients, we found three novel (p.V158I, p.V334M, and p.N15TfsX30) and six already known (p.L173R, p.T260M, p.R268C, p.V274D, p.V331M, and p.H20MfsX23) germline variants in the PROKR2 gene. We evaluated the effects of seven missense alterations on two different prokineticin receptor 2 (PROKR2)-dependent pathways: inositol phosphate-Ca(2+) (Gq coupling) a…
Validation of the 2009 TNM Version in a Large Multi-Institutional Cohort of Patients Treated for Renal Cell Carcinoma: Are Further Improvements Neede…
2010
Background: A new edition of the TNM was recently released that includes modifications for the staging system of kidney cancers. Specifically, T2 cancers were subclassified into T2a and T2b ( 10 cm), tumors with renal vein involvement or perinephric fat involvement were classified as T3a cancers, and those with adrenal involvement were classified as T4 cancers. Objective: Our aim was to validate the recently released edition of the TNM staging system for primary tumor classification in kidney cancer. Design, setting, and participants: Our multicenter retrospective study consisted of 5339 patients treated in 16 academic Italian centers. Intervention: Patients underwent either radical or part…
Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate Is an Easy Predictor of Venous Thromboembolism in Cancer Patients Undergoing Platinum-Based Chemotherapy
2014
Abstract Background. Reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) has been associated with increased venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk in the general population. VTE incidence significantly increases in cancer patients, especially those undergoing chemotherapy. Despite the evidence that a substantial number of cancer patients have unrecognized renal impairment, as indicated by reduced eGFR in the presence of serum creatinine levels within the reference value, chemotherapy dosage is routinely adjusted for serum creatinine values. Among chemotherapies, platinum-based regimens are associated with the highest rates of VTE. A cohort study was designed to assess the value of pretreatment e…
Clinical Significance of Rare Copy Number Variations in Epilepsy A Case-Control Survey Using Microarray-Based Comparative Genomic Hybridization
2012
Objective To perform an extensive search for genomic rearrangements by microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization in patients with epilepsy. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Epilepsy centers in Italy. Patients Two hundred seventy-nine patients with unexplained epilepsy, 265 individuals with nonsyndromic mental retardation but no epilepsy, and 246 healthy control subjects were screened by microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization. Main Outcomes Measures Identification of copy number variations (CNVs) and gene enrichment. Results Rare CNVs occurred in 26 patients (9.3%) and 16 healthy control subjects (6.5%) (P = .26). The CNVs identified in patients were larger (P = …
Tapentadol at medium to high doses in patients previously receiving strong opioids for the management of cancer pain.
2014
Abstract Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and tolerability of tapentadol (TP) for a period of 4 weeks in patients who were already treated by opioids. Methods: A convenience sample of 30 patients was selected for a prospective observational cohort study. Cancer patients who were receiving at least 60 mg of oral morphine equivalents were selected. Patients discontinued their previous opioid analgesics before starting TP, in doses calculated according the previous opioid consumption (1:3.3 ratio with oral morphine equivalents). The subsequent doses were changed according to the patients' needs for a period of 4 weeks. Oral morphine was offered as a breakthr…
Clinical characteristics of patients with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis carrying the pathogenic GGGGCC hexanucleotide repeat expansion of C9…
2012
A large hexanucleotide (GGGGCC) repeat expansion in the first intron of C9ORF72, a gene located on chromosome 9p21, has been recently reported to be responsible for 40% of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cases of European ancestry. The aim of the current article was to describe the phenotype of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cases carrying the expansion by providing a detailed clinical description of affected cases from representative multi-generational kindreds, and by analysing the age of onset, gender ratio and survival in a large cohort of patients with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. We collected DNA and analysed phenotype data for 141 index Italian familial amyotrophic l…
Associations of rs3918242 and rs2285053 MMP-9 and MMP-2 polymorphisms with the risk, severity, and short- and long-term complications of degenerative…
2016
Abstract Background Degenerative forms of mitral valve diseases (MVDs) are very complex pathologies. Thus, it is difficult to make generalizations about the disease pathways or genetic risk factors contributing to these diseases. However, a key role of metalloproteinases (MMPs) in their pathophysiology is emerging. Thus, we performed for the first time a perspective study to assess eventual associations of some functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in MMP-2 and MMP-9 genes with the MVD risk, symptom severity, and short- and long-term (4.8 years) complications. Materials and methods For this purpose, 90 patients and two control groups were genotyped for rs3918242, rs243865, and r…
A possible biomarker for methadone related deaths
2017
Abstract Methadone (MTH) concentrations in those dying of MTH toxicity totally overlap concentrations where the presence of MTH is only an incidental finding, making it very difficult to make distinctions in actual cases. A biomarker, be it anatomical or biochemical for MTH toxicity is badly needed, particularly if that markers were known to disrupt effective ventilation. Because the brainstem houses the regulatory centers for cardiorespiratory-control enters, it would seem to be the most likely anatomical site to seek abnormalities in cardiorespiratory control. Objective To locate and describe the cells of nucleus of the solitary tract (TS)(NTS) in human brainstem and determine if neuronal…
Adherence to growth hormone (GH) therapy in naïve to treatment GH-deficient children: data of the Italian Cohort from the Easypod Connect Observation…
2019
Background: With the use of non-objective measurement, adherence to growth hormone (GH) therapy has been reported suboptimal in a large proportion of patients, and poor adherence has been shown to affect short-term growth response in patients receiving GH treatment. Objective: The Easypod™ electronic device allows objective measurement of adherence. In this study, we report 3-year prospective adherence data of the Italian cohort of naïve GH deficient (GHD) children extrapolated from the Easypod Connect Observational Study (ECOS) database. Patients and methods: Seventy-three GHD children naïve to GH treatment were included in the analysis. 22 Italian centers participated in the study. Result…
Perfusion Index and Pulse Oximetry Screening for Congenital Heart Defects
2017
Objective To evaluate the efficacy of combined pulse oximetry (POX) and perfusion index (PI) neonatal screening for severe congenital heart defects (sCHD) and assess different impacts of screening in tertiary and nontertiary hospitals. Study design A multicenter, prospective study in 10 tertiary and 6 nontertiary maternity hospitals. A total of 42 169 asymptomatic newborns from among 50 244 neonates were screened; exclusion criteria were antenatal sCHD diagnosis, postnatal clinically suspected sCHD, and neonatal intensive care unit admission. Eligible infants underwent pre- and postductal POX and PI screening after routine discharge examination. Targeted sCHD were anatomically defined. Posi…