Search results for "OUTCOME"

Sacral bladder denervation for treatment of detrusor hyperreflexia and autonomic dysreflexia

2001

Objectives. Detrusor hyperreflexia after spinal cord injury may cause urinary incontinence and chronic renal failure. In patients refractory to conservative treatment and not eligible for ventral sacral root stimulation for electrically induced micturition, we investigated the therapeutic value of sacral bladder denervation as a stand-alone procedure. Methods. Nine patients (8 men and 1 woman) between 21 and 58 years old (mean 30.2) with traumatic suprasacral spinal cord lesions underwent sacral bladder denervation for treatment of detrusor hyperreflexia and/or autonomic dysreflexia. Results. Detrusor hyperreflexia and autonomic dysreflexia were eliminated in all cases. Bladder capacity inc…

Interventional treatment of sialoliths in main salivary glands

2002

Purpose. The aim of our study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of interventional radiology in the treatment of sialolithiasis, as the first-choice treatment for the removal of stones located in the middle and proximal tracts of the main salivary ducts, and to assess its limitations and contraindications. Material and methods. Between February 1998 and May 2001 eleven interventional removals of sialoliths were performed for recurrent obstruction of the main salivary duct associated with chronic sialadenitis. Patients were selected on the basis of a preliminary sialogram, designed to determine the location and size of the stone. Exclusion criteria were location of the stone in the gland h…

Rituximab for managing relapsing or refractory patients with idiopathic thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura – haemolytic uraemic syndrome

2010

Autologous whole blood injections to patients with chronic urticaria and a positive autologous serum skin test: a placebo-controlled trial.

2005

<i>Background:</i> Patients with chronic urticaria (CU) frequently exhibit positive skin test reactions to autologous serum (ASST). Therapies aimed at inducing tolerance to circulating histamine-releasing factors in ASST+ CU patients, e.g. by treatment with autologous whole blood (AWB), have not yet been tested. <i>Objective:</i> To test whether ASST+ CU patients can benefit from repeated low-dose intramuscular injections of AWB. <i>Methods:</i> We characterized CU severity and duration, anti-Fc<sub>Ε</sub>RI and anti-IgE expression, use of antihistamines, and quality of life in 56 CU patients (ASST+: 35, ASST–: 21) and assessed the t…

Italian version of the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Head and Neck Module: linguistic validation

2015

Background: Head and neck cancer (HNC) patients can experience symptoms due to the tumor itself or to the treatment, with an impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures pertaining to HRQoL are used in medical research and to support clinical decisions. PRO instrument applicability and cultural adaptation must be tested for each population. The aim of this study is to linguistically validate the Italian translation of the M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory—Head and Neck Module (MDASI-HN). Methods: Following forward and backward translation of the items of the English MDASI-HN into Italian, it was administered along with a cognitive debriefing to HNC…

Variability of reverse transcriptase and overlapping S gene in hepatitis B virus isolates from untreated and lamivudine-resistant chronic hepatitis B…

2009

Background The high degree of diversity of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) quasispecies in chronically infected individuals raises the possibility that HBV genetic variants favouring resistance to nucleoside/nucleotide analogues (NAs) might pre-exist to treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic variability of the entire HBV reverse transcriptase (RT) domain and of the overlapping S gene in a large series of untreated hepatitis B surface antigen carriers and in lamivudine (3TC)-resistant patients. Methods Sequencing analysis of the entire HBV RT domain of isolates from 100 untreated (treatment- naive group) and 59 3TC-resistant (3TC-resistant group) consecutive patients wit…

[Mediterranean spotted fever in paediatric and adult patients: two clinical aspects of the same disease].

2012

Mediterranean Spotted Fever is an acute febrile disease caused by Rickettsia conorii and transmitted to humans by the brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus. Nearly 400 cases are reported every year in Sicily, mainly from June to September. The aim of this study is to compare the clinical and laboratory features of two different groups of patients , one of adults and one of children. The analysis included all adult patients with MSF diagnosed at the Institute of Infectious Diseases, Paolo Giaccone University Polyclinic in Palermo, during the period January 2007- August 2010 and all the children diagnosed with MSF at the G. Di Cristina Children Hospital in Palermo during the period January …

Ezetimibe/Simvastatin 10/20 mg versus Rosuvastatin 10 mg in high-risk hypercholesterolemic patients stratified by prior statin treatment potency

2010

Abstract Objective This post-hoc analysis compared the lipid-altering efficacy of Ezetimibe/Simvastatin 10/20 mg (EZ/Simva) versus Rosuvastatin 10 mg (Rosuva) in patients stratified by statin potency/dose prior to randomization. Methods Patients with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) despite prior statin treatment (n = 618) were randomized 1:1 to EZ/Simva 10/20 mg or Rosuva 10 mg for 6 weeks. Percent change from baseline in lipids and attainment of lipid targets were assessed within each subgroup (low potency n = 369, high potency n = 249). Consistency of the treatment effect across subgroups was evaluated by testing for treatment-by-subgroup interaction. No multiplicity …

Lipid-altering efficacy of ezetimibe/simvastatin 10/20 mg compared with rosuvastatin 10 mg in high-risk hypercholesterolaemic patients inadequately c…

2009

SUMMARY Aims: To evaluate the efficacy of switching from a previous statin monotherapy to ezetimibe ⁄simvastatin (EZE ⁄SIMVA) 10 ⁄20 mg vs. rosuvastatin (ROSUVA) 10 mg. Methods: In this randomised, double-blind study, 618 patients with documented hypercholesterolaemia [low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) ‡ 2.59 and £ 4.92 mmol ⁄l] and with high cardiovascular risk who were taking a stable daily dose of one of several statin medications for ‡ 6 weeks prior to the study randomisation visit entered a 6-week open-label stabilisation ⁄screening period during which they continued to receive their prestudy statin dose. Following stratification by study site and statin dose ⁄potency, patien…

Ultrastructural study by backscattered electron imaging and elemental microanalysis of biomaterial-to-bone interface and mineral degradation of bovin…

2012

Objectives The aim of this study was to perform an ultrastructural study of the bone-to-biomaterial interface and biomaterial mineral degradation in retrieved bone biopsies following maxillary sinus augmentation using bovine xenografts (Endobon®) in 15 clinical cases. Materials and methods Nine months after sinus lifting, bone cores were harvested from the maxillary sinus. The specimens were processed for observation under a scanning electron microscope with backscattered electron imaging (SEM-BSE). In addition, chemical analysis and elemental mapping of the mineral composition were generated using a microanalytical system based on energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX). Results No clin…