Search results for "Severity of illness"

Association of CYP2R1 rs10766197 with MS risk and disease progression

2017

Background MS is a neurodegenerative autoimmune disease resulting from a complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors. Among these, vitamin D and genetic variants associated with vitamin D-metabolism gain great attention. The aim of our study was to assess five SNPs in NADSYN1 and CYP2R1 genes in relation to serum 25-OH-vitamin D3 levels in MS patients and controls. Methods 25-OH-vitamin D3 levels and genotyping of CYP2R1- and NADSYN1-SNPs were investigated both in MS patients and in healthy controls. Results The analysis revealed lower 25-OH-vitamin D3 concentrations in MS patients than in controls and an association of rs10766197 CYP2R1 SNP with MS risk. After stratifying MS p…

Switching from omalizumab to mepolizumab: real-life experience from Southern Italy.

2020

Background: Current availability of several biologic treatments for severe asthma makes it possible to choose the most appropriate for each patient. Sometimes a good percentage of patients with severe asthma may be eligible for biologics that target either the allergic phenotype or the eosinophilic one, but not all respond to that selected as first choice. The aim of our real-life study was to assess whether, for patients with severe eosinophilic allergic asthma, not previously controlled by the anti-IgE omalizumab, the shift to another biologic targeting interleukin-5, such as mepolizumab, may represent a good therapeutic choice. Methods: A total of 41 consecutive patients with severe, per…

Application of tRNS to improve multiple sclerosis fatigue: a pilot, single-blind, sham-controlled study

2019

We evaluated the effects of transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) on fatigue in 17 subjects with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis with low physical disability. Two different patient groups underwent real or sham stimulation for 10 days, targeting the primary motor cortex of the dominant side or contralateral to the most compromised limb. In the ‘real group’, beneficial effects were observed using the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (p = 0.04; physical subscale: p = 0.03), the subscales ‘change in health’ (p = 0.006) and ‘role limitations due to physical problems’ (p = 0.001) of the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life-54, and by assessing the patient impression of perceived fatigue…

Hepatic and circulating levels of PCSK9 in morbidly obese patients: Relation with severity of liver steatosis

2020

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming the main cause of liver disease in Western countries, especially in morbidly obese patients (MOPs). The proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) has been recently studied because of its possible involvement in the pathogenesis of NAFLD, but its role, at least in MOPs, is still controversial. The aim of this study was to clarify the correlation between the circulating levels of the PCSK9 protein (cPCSK9) and its hepatic expression with the severity of liver damage in a population of MOPs with NAFLD undergoing bariatric surgery. PCSK9 mRNA was positively correlated with FASN, PPARγ and PPARα mRNAs, while no significant differe…

Interleukin (IL)-9/IL-9R axis drives γδ T cells activation in psoriatic arthritis patients

2016

Summary Cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-12, interferon (IFN)-γ, IL-23 and, more recently, IL-9, have been implicated in the initiation/maintenance of inflammation in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). In the present study we aimed to characterize the role of γδ T cells in peripheral blood and synovial fluid of PsA patients and to investigate their response to in-vitro stimulation with antigen or cytokines (IL-9 and IL-23). γδ T cells isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells and synovial fluid were analysed by flow cytometry to evaluate the phenotype and cytokine production. IL-23R and IL-9R gene expression were also evaluated by reverse trans…

Development and Psychometric Properties of the Detection of Sexual Abuse Risk Screening Scale (DSARss).

2019

People with intellectual disability (ID) are more vulnerable to being victims of sexual abuse (SA) because, in most cases, they are not able to detect the warning signs that abuse could occur. However, there is a lack of appropriate assessment tools to determine their vulnerability. To address this limitation, the current study tests the psychometric properties of the Detection of Sexual Abuse Risk Screening Scale (DSARss), a new scale developed to assess the ability of individuals with mild or moderate ID to detect the risk of SA. In all, 246 individuals with mild or moderate ID (55.3% males) completed the DSARss, along with other scales assessing related dimensions (e.g., psychopathologi…

Suppressor effects in associations between patient attachment to therapist and psychotherapy outcome

2018

Abstract Objective Several studies propose that patient attachment to therapist is associated with therapy outcome. However, the magnitude of the effect is diverse, which might be explicable by suppressor effects and the new concept of pseudo‐security. Method Associations between patient attachment to therapist (client‐attachment‐to‐therapist‐scale [CATS]) and psychotherapy outcome (“global severity index” of the Symptom Check List) were evaluated in N = 368 patients. Multilevel models were performed. Results When tested in separate models, secure attachment to therapist was associated with a more favourable outcome (p < 0.05), whereas avoidant and preoccupied attachment to therapist were c…

Incidence of severe COVID-19 outcomes in psoriatic patients treated with systemic therapies during the pandemic: A Biobadaderm cohort analysis

2021

Assessment of EVAR Complications using CIRSE Complication Classification System in the UK Tertiary Referral Centre: A ∼6-Year Retrospective Analysis …

2021

Purpose: To retrospectively analyse complications in endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) interventions and evaluate if the CIRSE (Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe) complication classification system is appropriate as a standardized classification tool for EVAR patients. Materials and Methods: Demographic, procedural and complication data in 719 consecutive patients undergoing EVAR at one institution from January 2014 to October 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Data (imaging reports, procedural reports, nurse notes, discharge summary reports) were collected consulting the electronic patient record system (EPR) of the hospital and cleaned and stored in a Micro…

Fatigue in SLE: diagnostic and pathogenic impact of anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) autoantibodies.

2019

ObjectivesWe explored the impact of circulating anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antibodies on the severity of fatigue in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).MethodsSerum samples of 426 patients with SLE were analysed for the presence of antibodies to the NR2 subunit of the NMDAR. In parallel, the severity of fatigue was determined according to the Fatigue Scale for Motor and Cognitive functions questionnaire. In a subgroup of patients with SLE, the hippocampal volume was correlated with the levels of anti-NR2 antibodies. Isolated immunoglobulin G from patients with anti-NR2 antibodies were used for murine immunohistochemical experiments and functional assays on neuro…