Search results for "Intensive Care Medicine"
showing 10 items of 2228 documents
IL-1β at the crossroad between rheumatoid arthritis and type 2 diabetes: may we kill two birds with one stone?
2016
ABSTRACT: Although in the past the prevention of joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was strongly emphasized, now a great interest is focused on associated comorbidities in these patients. Multiple data suggest that a large percentage of RA patients are affected by Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), whose incidence has reached epidemic levels in recent years, thus increasing the health care costs. A better knowledge about the pathogenesis of these diseases as well as the mechanisms of action of drugs may allow both policy designers and physicians to choose the most effective treatments, thus lowering the costs. This review will focus on the role of Interleukin (IL)-1β in the pathogenesis of …
Reflections on the unexpected laboratory finding of hemorheological alterations observed in some haematological disorders
2021
Hyperviscosity syndrome is a clinical condition characterized by the slowing of blood flow through the vessels and it may be associated with several diseases. The nosographic classification of primary hyperviscosity conditions (Wells classification 1970) divided the primary hyperviscosity syndromes in polycythaemic, sclerocytemic and sieric. Recent and personal laboratory observations have highlighted an unexpected behaviour of the erythrocyte deformability observed in some haematological disorders such as polycythemia vera, multiple myeloma and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. The interest of this observation depends on the fact that up to now, according to the Wells cla…
Treatments for post-menopausal osteoporotic women, what's new? How can we manage long-term treatment?
2016
Since the mid-1980s, postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO) has been considered a serious public health concern because of the associated fractures. Pharmacological therapies that effectively reduce the number of fractures by improving bone mass have been and are being developed continuously. Most current agents inhibit bone loss by reducing bone resorption, but emerging therapies may increase bone mass by stimulating bone formation. Furthermore, nowadays, the most representative pharmaceuticals have been prescribed long enough to include the reporting of some adverse effects. This review discusses osteoporotic drugs that are approved or are under investigation for the treatment of post-menopaus…
A practical algorithmic approach to mature aggressive B cell lymphoma diagnosis in the double/triple hit era. Selecting cases, matching clinical bene…
2019
An accurate diagnosis of clinically distinct subgroups of aggressive mature B cell lymphomas is crucial for the choice of proper treatment. Presently, precise recognition of these disorders relies on the combination of morphological, immunophenotypical, and cytogenetic/molecular features. The diagnostic workup in such situations implies the application of costly and time-consuming analyses, which are not always required, since an intensified treatment option is reasonably reserved to fit patients. The Italian Group of Haematopathology proposes herein a practical algorithm for the diagnosis of aggressive mature B cell lymphomas based on a stepwise approach, aimed to select cases deserving mo…
Is erythropoietin a worthy candidate for traumatic brain injury or are we heading the wrong way?
2016
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability in the modern society. Although primary prevention is the only strategy that can counteract the primary brain damage, numerous preclinical studies have been accumulated in order to find therapeutic strategies against the secondary damage. In this scenario erythropoietin (EPO) has been shown to be a promising candidate as neuroprotective agent. A recent clinical trial, however, has shown that EPO has not an overall effect on outcomes following TBI thus renewing old concerns. However, the results of a prespecified sensitivity analysis indicate that the effect of EPO on mortality remains still unclear. In the light of the…
Diagnostic Criteria for Parkinson's Disease: From James Parkinson to the Concept of Prodromal Disease.
2018
The diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is based on clinical features and differently to the common opinion that detecting this condition is easy, seminal clinico-pathological studies have shown that up one-fourth of patients diagnosed as PD during life has an alternative diagnosis at post-mortem. The misdiagnosis is even higher when only the initial diagnosis is considered, since the diagnostic accuracy improves by time, during follow-up visits. Given that the confirmation of the diagnosis of PD can be only obtained through neuropathology, to improve and facilitate the diagnostic-therapeutic workup in PD, a number of criteria and guidelines have been introduced in the last three decades.…
The Burden of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease in Pre-Term Infants
2015
This mini-review summarises the risk factors for acquiring Respiratory Syncitial Virus (RSV) infection, and describes the harmful effects of the infection in pre-term infants. Moreover, theoretical considerations are discussed for the prevention of RSV infection in high-risk infant categories, such as pre-term infants. Background: Neonates positive for RSV are more prone to severe infection than neonates infected with other common respiratory viruses. Despite RSV infection being more common in late neonates than in early ones, pre-term infants ≤ 35 wk gestational age (GA) are at high risk for developing severe RSV disease. Efforts to prevent infection include case management, vaccination an…
Unraveling the thread of uncontrolled immune response in COVID-19 and STEMI: an emerging need for knowledge sharing
2021
The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 that first emerged in Wuhan in December 2019 has resulted in the devastating pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019, creating an emerging need for knowledge sharing. Meanwhile, myocardial infarction is and will probably remain the foremost cause of death in the Western world throughout the coming decades. Severe deregulation of the immune system can unnecessarily expand the inflammatory response and participate in target and multiple organ failure, in infection but also in critical illness. Indeed, the course and fate of inflammatory cells observed in severe ST-elevation myocardial infarction (neutrophilia, monocytosis, and lymp…
Preventive and Therapeutic Role of Muscle Contraction Against Chronic Diseases.
2016
Background: Due to the continuing increase of the elderly population in the western countries, the prevalence of the main chronic diseases (obesity, type 2 diabetes and related metabolic disorders, arterial hypertension, vascular damage due to atherosclerotic process, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, neurodegenerative diseases, chronic kidney disease, immune-mediated diseases) is increasing. There is incontrovertible evidence that regular physical activity contributes to the primary and secondary prevention of several chronic diseases and is associated with a reduced risk of premature death. Methods: In this review the most prevalent chronic pathologic conditions are discussed…
Validation of the Sepsis MetaScore for Diagnosis of Neonatal Sepsis
2016
What’s known on this subject Neonates are at increased risk for developing sepsis, but this population often exhibits ambiguous clinical signs that complicate the diagnosis of infection. No biomarker has yet shown enough diagnostic accuracy to rule out sepsis at the time of clinical suspicion. What this study adds We show that a gene-expression-based signature is an accurate objective measure of the risk of sepsis in a neonate or preterm infant, and it substantially improves diagnostic accuracy over that of commonly used laboratory-based testing. Implementation might decrease inappropriate antibiotic use. Background Neonatal sepsis can have devastating consequences, but accurate diagnosis i…