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showing 10 items of 6903 documents
Stroke--a medical emergency.
1999
Stroke is the third leading cause of death and number one cause of disability in industrialised countries. A number of new therapeutic approaches are currently in development for use in the acute phase of ischaemic stroke and all trials have, to date, demonstrated the importance of early diagnosis and subsequent initiation of treatment. It is well known that, for most patients, there is a long delay between the onset of symptoms and the start of treatment. A number of factors are responsible for this time delay: signs and symptoms often go unrecognised by patients, relatives, and bystanders and, unlike trauma or myocardial infarction, stroke is not given a high priority by medical staff. St…
Our Assessment Using Palate Postoperative Problems Score (PPOPS): Tool for the Evaluation of Results in Palatal Surgery Techniques
2018
Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome is a chronic condition characterized by frequent episodes of collapse of upper airways during sleep. Prevalence of the disease is settled at about 3–7%. Today, palatal surgery is a reference point in OSAHS treatment and there are many different surgical techniques. The purpose of our work is to compare post-operative results of palate surgery techniques used in our practice in OSAHS patients, studying the degree of patients’ satisfaction with a recent score recommended by Rashwan et al. called PPOPS (Palate Post-Operative Problems Score). A retrospective study was performed on a sample of 40 patients subject to different palate surgery techniques for OSAS. …
Ceftolozane/Tazobactam for Treatment of Severe ESBL-Producing
2020
Abstract Background Few data are reported in the literature about the outcome of patients with severe extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-E) infections treated with ceftolozane/tazobactam (C/T), in empiric or definitive therapy. Methods A multicenter retrospective study was performed in Italy (June 2016–June 2019). Successful clinical outcome was defined as complete resolution of clinical signs/symptoms related to ESBL-E infection and lack of microbiological evidence of infection. The primary end point was to identify predictors of clinical failure of C/T therapy. Results C/T treatment was documented in 153 patients: pneumonia was the most common diagnosis (n = 46…
Infarct characterization using CT
2017
Myocardial infarction (MI) is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. The incidence is not expected to diminish, despite better prevention, diagnosis and treatment, because of the ageing population in industrialized countries and unhealthy lifestyles in developing countries. Nowadays it is highly requested an imaging tool able to evaluate MI and viability. Technology improvements determined an expansion of clinical indications from coronary plaque evaluation to functional applications (perfusion, ischemia and viability after MI) integrating additional phases and information in the mainstream examination. Cardiac computed tomography (CCT) and cardiac MR (CMR) employ different contra…
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): the portrait of a perfect storm
2020
The “novel” coronavirus disease 2019 (abbreviated “COVID-19”) is the third coronavirus outbreak emerging during the past two decades. This infectious disease, sustained by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been recently declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. Despite the concerning epidemiological burden, many people, including some policymakers, are underestimating this pandemic and are remaining enigmatically inactive against a human pathology which, for a combination of reasons, can be reasonably defined as a perfect storm (i.e., the “wrong virus” at the “wrong time”). These many paradigmatic aspects include SARS-CoV-2 structure and pe…
Long-Term Efficacy of Radiofrequency Treatment of Turbinate Hypertrophy: A Patient Based Point of View
2010
Nasal turbinate hypertrophy is a major cause of nasal airway obstruction that affects up to 20% of the European general population. This study aims to determine the efficacy of radiofrequency treatment as perceived by patients during a 2-years period. From 2007 to 2009, an observational study was conducted on 36 patients who consecutively underwent temperature-controlled radiofrequency tissue volume reduction. A questionnaire was administered to each patient in order to collect demographic data, lifestyle habits, health status and visual analogue scale (VAS) score of perceived symptoms. Mean VAS scores of nasal obstruction, headache, rhinorrhoea and anosmia after treatment were significantl…
Emergency department performances during overcrowding: the experience of the health protection agency of Brianza.
2018
Background: Hospital emergency departments (ED) can contribute to improve health outcomes and reduce costs of health care system. This study evaluated ED admissions during a twelve months period, analyzing characteristics of patients who underwent to emergency care in order to understand factors involved in ED overcrowding and promote adequate management. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed a twelve months window, with in-depth focus on December/January when almost all EDs reported overcrowding. All ED admissions were recorded in electronic schedules including: demographic characteristics, time/date of the access, incoming triage code, diagnosis, performed procedures, discharge, time…
Statins stimulate the production of a soluble form of the receptor for advanced glycation end products
2013
The beneficial effects of statin therapy in the reduction of cardiovascular pathogenesis, atherosclerosis, and diabetic complications are well known. The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) plays an important role in the progression of these diseases. In contrast, soluble forms of RAGE act as decoys for RAGE ligands and may prevent the development of RAGE-mediated disorders. Soluble forms of RAGE are either produced by alternative splicing [endogenous secretory RAGE (esRAGE)] or by proteolytic shedding mediated by metalloproteinases [shed RAGE (sRAGE)]. Therefore we analyzed whether statins influence the production of soluble RAGE. Lovastatin treatment of either mouse alveol…
Cortisol suppression and hearing thresholds in tinnitus after low-dose dexamethasone challenge
2012
Abstract Background Tinnitus is a frequent, debilitating hearing disorder associated with severe emotional and psychological suffering. Although a link between stress and tinnitus has been widely recognized, the empirical evidence is scant. Our aims were to test for dysregulation of the stress-related hypothalamus-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis in tinnitus and to examine ear sensitivity variations with cortisol manipulation. Methods Twenty-one tinnitus participants and 21 controls comparable in age, education, and overall health status but without tinnitus underwent basal cortisol assessments on three non-consecutive days and took 0.5 mg of dexamethasone (DEX) at 23:00 on the first day. Corti…
Bisphenol A Effects on the Growing Mouse Oocyte Are Influenced by Diet1
2009
Growing evidence suggests that exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) has the ability to disrupt several different stages of oocyte development. To date, most attention has focused on the effects of BPA on the periovulatory oocyte, and considerable variation is evident in the results of these studies. In our own laboratory, variation in the results of BPA studies conducted at different times appeared to correlate with changes in mill dates of animal feed. This observation, coupled with reports by others that dietary estrogens in feed are a confounding variable in studies of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, prompted us to evaluate the effect of diet on the results of BPA studies of the periovulatory o…