Search results for "Pilot Projects"
showing 10 items of 488 documents
Levocetirizine for the treatment of itch in psoriasis patients: An open-label pilot study in a real-world setting.
2019
Itch is the most bothersome symptom in psoriasis, often leading to impaired quality of life. Treatment of psoriasis-induced itch is frequently unsatisfactory as the various therapies employed have a delayed onset of effect. Histamine-1 receptor (H1) antihistamines are not recommended in treatment guidelines as histamine is not considered a key mediator in psoriasis. However, patients using H1 antihistamines frequently report benefits in questionnaire-based studies. To address these contradictions, we examined the short-term effects of levocetirizine, a nonsedating H1 antihistamine, on psoriasis-related itch and itch-related quality of life. In this pilot study, patients with psoriasis-relat…
Quality of Life in Patients With Hypoparathyroidism After Treatment for Thyroid Cancer.
2020
Abstract Purpose Surgical complications such as hypoparathyroidism (HPT) or vocal cord palsy are seldom assessed when the quality of life (QOL) in thyroid cancer patients is investigated. The aim of this study was to measure the QOL difference in thyroid cancer survivors with and without HPT. Methods Participants for this analysis were enrolled in 13 countries from a study that pilot-tested a thyroid cancer–specific QOL instrument. They were included if they had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer at least 9 months previously. QOL was measured using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core (EORTC QLQ-C30) and some items on HPT symptoms…
Association between platelet glycoprotein Ib-alpha and myocardial infarction: results of a pilot study performed in male and female patients from Sic…
2007
Myocardial infarction (AMI) is a complex multifactorial disorder. Platelet adhesion and thrombosis are pivotal events in the development of atherosclerotic lesions. Occlusive thrombus is almost exclusively initiated by plaque rupture and adhesion of platelets to subendothelial von Willebrand factor (vWf) by its specific platelet receptor, the alpha-chain of glycoprotein (GP) Ib-IX-V complex of the human platelet-specific antigens (HPA). Two polymorphisms have been reported in the sequence of GPIb-alpha. The first, a C/T transition at nucleotide 1018 results in an amino acid dimorphism (Thr/Met) at residue 145 of GPIb-alpha, which is located within the vWF-binding domain of the receptor. The…
The effect of acupuncture on oral microcirculation in healthy volunteers: an exploratory study.
2009
Background Acupuncture is a therapeutic technique currently used in the treatment of many pathologies. The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential effect of acupuncture on “in vivo” variations in oral microcirculation in healthy subjects. Methods An exploratory study was conducted on 40 healthy subjects: 20 cases (mean 55.90, SD 16.04) and 20 controls (mean 51, SD 11.91). Videocapillaroscopy was used to detect variations in oral microcirculation. This method permits an accurate and non-invasive in vivo study of the capillaries of the oral mucous. The site selected for this pilot study is the lower lip since it is the simplest to investigate and is more readily accessible. Assessments…
Effectiveness of high dose sublingual immunotherapy to induce a stepdown of seasonal asthma: a pilot study
2009
There is ample evidence to support the efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) on allergic rhinitis, while there is less solid data regarding asthma. We evaluated the effects of a high dose birch SLIT on birch-induced rhinitis and asthma in a controlled study.This double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised, single centre trial on SLIT with birch pollen allergen extract (Stallergenes, Antony, France) included 24 patients presenting severe rhinitis and slight to moderate asthma, 14 actively and 10 placebo treated. SLIT was performed by a pre-coseasonal protocol, and was repeated for 2 years. The study plan included a selection visit, a visit at the start of the first and the second trea…
Ice water test in multiple sclerosis: A pilot trial.
2018
OBJECTIVES To investigate the significance of the ice water test in patients with multiple sclerosis and to evaluate a novel ice water test nomogram in a large patient cohort. METHODS A total of 201 ice water tests of patients with multiple sclerosis were retrospectively evaluated. Incontinence episodes in 24 h and sex were correlated with the ice water test. Furthermore, an ice water test nomogram was developed in order to categorize the detrusor overactivity in severity degrees. Descriptive statistics were carried out for population characteristics. Correlations of categorical variables were calculated by the χ2 -test. The independent t-test was carried out for correlations of continuous …
Soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor type II in the early diagnosis of fever in neutropenia.
2002
Sepsis in chemotherapy-associated neutropenia is a major cause of mortality in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Early diagnosis of sepsis is crucial for patient survival. We analyzed the value of prospectively measuring serum concentrations of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor type II (sTNF-RII) in patients with AML for early diagnosis of sepsis in neutropenia. Therefore, 54 adult patients with AML and neutropenia were followed around the onset of fever. A total of 59 febrile episodes were documented. We could not demonstrate a significant increase in sTNF-RII levels prior to fever. sTNF-RII concentrations were not predictive of the severity of a febrile episode. Based on…
Heat-shock protein 60 kDa and atherogenic dyslipidemia in patients with untreated mild periodontitis: a pilot study
2012
Identification of predictors of cardiovascular risk can help in the prevention of pathologic episodes and the management of patients at all stages of illness. Here, we investigated the relationships between serum levels of Hsp60 and dyslipidemia in patients with periodontitis by performing a cross-sectional study of 22 patients with mild periodontitis without any prior treatment for it (i.e., drug naive) and 22 healthy controls, matched for age and body mass index (BMI). All subjects were evaluated for periodontal status, gingival inflammation, and oral hygiene. Levels of circulating Hsp60, C-reactive protein (CRP), and plasma lipids were measured, and small, dense low-density lipoproteins …
Association between xerostomia, oral and general health, and obesity in adults. A cross-sectional pilot study.
2021
Background The objective of this study was to analyse the association between oral and general health variables and obesity indicators with the sensation of dry mouth or xerostomia as evaluated on the Xerostomia Inventory (XI). Material and Methods A total of 354 randomly selected subjects participated in this cross-sectional pilot study and completed an anonymous questionnaire. Anthropometric, clinical, and xerostomic variables were evaluated. Kruskal-Wallis, ANOVA and Bonferroni test were used for multiple comparisons. ROC curves and multinomial logistic regression were used to determine the (OR) risk of xerostomia. Results A total of 30.7 % of respondents reported xerostomia based on XI.…
Association between +1059G/C CRP polymorphism and acute myocardial infarction in a cohort of patients from Sicily: a pilot study.
2006
Inflammation plays a role in all the phases of atherosclerosis, and increased production of the acute-phase reactant, C-reactive protein (CRP), predicts future cardiovascular events. Furthermore, CRP has been claimed to play a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis; therefore, CRP polymorphisms might be associated with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We have analyzed male patients affected by AMI and healthy age-related male controls from Sicily for +1059G/C CRP single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). There was a significantly higher frequency of +1059C SNP (P = 0.0008; OR 3.86) in patients compared to controls. CRP serum levels were significantly higher in C+ healthy subjects rather …