Search results for " Middle"
showing 10 items of 1097 documents
The frequency of alcoholism in patients with advanced cancer admitted to an acute palliative care unit and a home care program
2015
Abstract Context Cancer patients with a history of alcoholism may be problematic. The frequency of alcoholism among patients with advanced cancer has never been reported in Italy or other European countries. Objectives The aim of this prospective study was to determine the frequency of alcoholism, assessed with a simple and validated instrument, among patients with advanced cancer who were referred to two different palliative care settings: an acute inpatient palliative care unit (PCU) of a comprehensive cancer center in a metropolitan area and a home care program (HCP) in a territorial district, localized in the mountains of Italy. Methods A consecutive sample of patients admitted to an in…
Erythrocyte deformability, plasma lipid peroxidation and plasma protein oxidation in a group of OSAS subjects
2016
Considering that obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is usually associated with endothelial dysfunction, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disorders, our aim was to examine the erythrocyte deformability and the oxidative status in a group of OSAS subjects. We consecutively enrolled 48 subjects with OSAS defined after a 1-night cardiorespiratory sleep study, subsequently subdivided according to the apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) value in two subgroups: Low (L = 21 subjects with AHI30) and High (H = 27 subjects with AHI30). We evaluated the erythrocyte deformability, expressed as elongation index (EI) and the parameters of the oxidative status, such as lipid peroxidation (expressed as thioba…
Lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide metabolites in a group of subjects with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
2015
It is known that in OSAS the plasma lipid peroxidation has an opposite behavior in comparison with nitric oxide metabolites. In the re-examination of our survey of OSAS subjects we calculated the ratio between thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and nitric oxide metabolites (NOx) in relation to OSAS severity. The study has regarded 48 OSAS subjects subdivided in two subgroups according to the apnea/hypopnea index - AHI- (Low = 21 subjects with AHI30 and High = 27 subjects with AHI30). From the obtained data it is evident that the TBARS/NOx ratio is significantly higher in the H subgroup compared to L subgroup as well as this ratio is reduced in L subgroup in comparison with the …
Effectiveness of a Psychosocial Care Quality Improvement Strategy to Address Quality of Life in Patients with Cancer: The HuCare2 Stepped-Wedge Clust…
2021
Key Points Question Does an implementation strategy integrating psychosocial care into cancer centers improve at least 1 of 2 domains (emotional or social function) of health-related quality of life? Findings This stepped-wedge cluster randomized clinical trial included 762 patients with cancer at high risk for reduced quality of life. Health-related quality of life score improved from baseline to 3 months among participants in the Humanization in Cancer Care Quality Improvement Strategy arm vs the usual care arm, showing a statistically significant difference for emotional function, but not for social function. Meaning This study suggests the use of an implementation strategy aiming to pro…
Impact of 18F-Choline PET/CT in the Decision-Making Strategy of Treatment Volumes in Definitive Prostate Cancer Volumetric Modulated Radiation Therapy
2015
INTRODUCTION Aim of the study is to evaluate the impact of Cho-PET/CT in decision-making strategy of patients with localized prostate cancer (PC) eligible to definitive radiotherapy (RT). MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixty patients Cho-PET/CT before RT were prospectively enrolled. All patients were treated with volumetric modulated arc therapy with simultaneous integrated boost in 28 fractions. Androgen deprivation therapy was prescribed according to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) risk classification. Therapeutic strategy based on the Cho-PET/CT evaluation was compared with the strategy that would have been proposed in case of PET not available and/or not strictly indicated, accordin…
Perfusion computed tomography of intracranial meningiomas: In vivo correlation of cerebral blood volume and vascular permeability
2015
Background A noninvasive method to predict the grade of a meningioma would be desirable since it would anticipate information about tumour nature, recurrence and improve tumour management and outcomes. The aim of the present study was to assess the ability of perfusion computed tomography (PCT) technique in predicting the meningioma grade before surgery. Data from PCT, such as cerebral blood volume (CBV) and permeability surface (PS), were correlated with immunohistolopathological information. Methods Twenty-three patients with a diagnosis of intracranial meningioma underwent PCT for pre-surgical evaluation of CBV and PS. During surgery, samples from the centre and periphery of the tumour w…
The incidence of hip, forearm, humeral, ankle, and vertebral fragility fractures in Italy: results from a 3-year multicenter study
2010
Introduction: We aimed to assess the incidence and hospitalization rate of hip and "minor" fragility fractures in the Italian population.Methods: We carried out a 3-year survey at 10 major Italian emergency departments to evaluate the hospitalization rate of hip, forearm, humeral, ankle, and vertebral fragility fractures in people 45 years or older between 2004 and 2006, both men and women. These data were compared with those recorded in the national hospitalizations database (SDO) to assess the overall incidence of fragility fractures occurring at hip and other sites, including also those events not resulting in hospital admissions.Results: We observed 29,017 fractures across 3 years, with…
Efficacy and Safety of Alirocumab in Reducing Lipids and Cardiovascular Events
2015
BACKGROUND: Alirocumab, a monoclonal antibody that inhibits proprotein convertase subtilisin-kexin type 9 (PCSK9), has been shown to reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in patients who are receiving statin therapy. Larger and longer-term studies are needed to establish safety and efficacy.METHODS: We conducted a randomized trial involving 2341 patients at high risk for cardiovascular events who had LDL cholesterol levels of 70 mg per deciliter (1.8 mmol per liter) or more and were receiving treatment with statins at the maximum tolerated dose (the highest dose associated with an acceptable side-effect profile), with or without other lipid-lowering therapy. Patients were …
Identification of the Uric Acid Thresholds Predicting an Increased Total and Cardiovascular Mortality Over 20 Years
2020
Serum uric acid (SUA) levels discriminating across the different strata of cardiovascular risk is still unknown. By utilizing a large population-based database, we assessed the threshold of SUA that increases the risk of total mortality and cardiovascular mortality (CVM). The URRAH study (Uric Acid Right for Heart Health) is a multicentre retrospective, observational study, which collected data from several large population-based longitudinal studies in Italy and subjects recruited in the hypertension clinics of the Italian Society of Hypertension. Total mortality was defined as mortality for any cause, CVM as death due to fatal myocardial infarction, stroke, sudden cardiac death, or heart…
Heparin in COVID-19 patients is associated with reduced in-hospital mortality: the multicentre Italian CORIST Study
2021
Abstract Introduction A hypercoagulable condition was described in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and proposed as a possible pathogenic mechanism contributing to disease progression and lethality. Aim We evaluated if in-hospital administration of heparin improved survival in a large cohort of Italian COVID-19 patients. Methods In a retrospective observational study, 2,574 unselected patients hospitalized in 30 clinical centers in Italy from February 19, 2020 to June 5, 2020 with laboratory-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection were analyzed. The primary endpoint in a time-to event analysis was in-hospital death, comparing patients who receive…