Search results for "illness"
showing 10 items of 1529 documents
Exposure therapy changes dysfunctional evaluations of somatic symptoms in patients with hypochondriasis (health anxiety). A randomized controlled tri…
2015
Dysfunctional evaluations of somatic symptoms are considered a central factor in maintaining hypochondriasis. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether exposure therapy (ET) without cognitive restructuring is sufficient to change dysfunctional evaluations of somatic symptoms. The current study was based on a randomized controlled trial and compared patients with hypochondriasis (N=73) receiving ET or cognitive therapy (CT) to a wait list (WL) control group. In both the ET and CT groups, dysfunctional symptom evaluations changed significantly compared with the WL group. No differences between the ET and CT groups emerged. The relationship between the treatment condition (active…
Specific IgE against Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins: an independent risk factor for asthma.
2012
The role of IgE in patients with severe asthma is not fully understood.We sought to investigate whether IgE to Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins might be relevant to disease severity in adult asthmatic patients.Specific IgE antibody concentrations in serum against enterotoxins, grass pollen (GP), and house dust mite allergens and total IgE levels were measured in adult cohorts of 69 control subjects, 152 patients with nonsevere asthma, and 166 patients with severe asthma. Severe asthma was defined as inadequately controlled disease despite high-dose inhaled corticosteroids plus at least 2 other controller therapies, including oral steroids.Enterotoxin IgE positivity was significantly great…
Proposal for a new staging system for osteoradionecrosis of the mandible
2014
A new staging system for osteoradionecrosis of the mandible has been retrospectively applied to a group of 31 patients. In this system clinicoradiographic signs and symptoms are incorporated in a simplified manner. For imaging purposes the use of plain radiographs such as periapical films and panoramic radiographs is recommended, mainly because of their readily availability. The presented staging system seems well reproducible, facilitating the comparison of study groups dealing with the various issues of osteoradionecrosis of the mandible. It is yet to be evaluated whether the presently proposed staging system is useful for management purposes. Key words:Osteoradionecrosis, jaw bones, mand…
Are laboratory tests useful for monitoring the activity of lupus nephritis? A 6-year prospective study in a cohort of 228 patients with lupus nephrit…
2008
Objectives:To evaluate the role of immunological tests for monitoring lupus nephritis (LN) activity.Methods:C3, C4, anti-dsDNA and anti-C1q antibodies were prospectively performed over 6 years in 228 patients with LN.Results:In membranous LN only anti-C1q antibodies differentiated proteinuric flares from quiescent disease (p = 0.02). However, in this group 46% of flares occurred with a normal value of anti-C1q antibodies versus 20% in proliferative LN (p = 0.02). In patients with antiphospholipid antibodies (APL), 33% of flares occurred with normal levels of anti-C1q antibodies versus 14.5% in patients that were APL-negative (p = 0.02). In proliferative LN, anti-C1q antibodies showed a slig…
Brief Report: Inhibition of interleukin-6 function corrects Th17/Treg cell imbalance in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
2012
OBJECTIVE: From an immunologic standpoint, the mechanisms by which treatment with tocilizumab (TCZ), a humanized anti-interleukin-6 (anti-IL-6) receptor antibody, results in improvement in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients are still not fully understood. In vitro studies and studies in mouse models have demonstrated the critical role of IL-6 in Th17 cell differentiation. Th17 lymphocytes have been shown to be strongly involved in RA pathogenesis, and the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of IL-6 blockade on the balance between Th17 cells and Treg cells in patients with active RA. METHODS: Patients with active RA for whom TCZ had been prescribed by a rheumatologist were en…
Effectiveness of opioid rotation in the control of cancer pain: The ROTODOL Study
2014
Objective: To assess the effectiveness of opioid rotation (OR) to manage cancer pain. To describe the adverse events (AEs) associated with OR. Setting: Thirty-nine tertiary hospital services.Patients: Sixty-seven oncological patients with cancer-related pain treated at outpatient clinics.Intervention: Prospective multicenter study. Pain intensity was scored using a Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) of 0-10. Average pain (AP) intensity in the last 24 hours, breakthrough pain (BTP), and the number of episodes of BTP on the days before and 1 week after OR were assessed. The pre-OR and post-OR opioid were recorded. The presence and intensity of any AEs occurring after OR were also recorded.Results: …
Efficacy and safety of topiramate in migraine prophylaxis: an open controlled randomized study comparing Sincronil and topamax formulations.
2013
AIM: Topiramate is a small molecule widely used for the treatment of epilepsy, migraine, bipolar disorders and alcoholism, and its availability as a generic formulation could significantly reduce the National Health Service expenditure. A generic formulation, available in Italy under the trademark Sincronil, recently showed superimposable blood levels, after oral administration to healthy volunteers, with the reference formulation. In the present study we report the results of an open label, parallel group, randomized, controlled study performed to evaluate the efficacy, tolerability and impact on disability of two different formulations of topiramate (Sincronil and Topamax) in patients wit…
Characteristics of tinnitus with or without hearing loss: Clinical observations in Sicilian tinnitus patients
2010
Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of tinnitus both in normal hearing subjects and in patients with hearing loss. Methods: The study considered 312 tinnitus sufferers, 176 males and 136 females, ranging from 21 to 83 years of age, who were referred to the Audiology Section of the Department of Bio-technology of Palermo University. The following parameters were considered: age, sex, hearing threshold, tinnitus laterality, tinnitus duration, tinnitus measurements and subjective disturbance caused by tinnitus. The sample was divided into two groups: Group 1 (G1) subjects with normal hearing; Group 2 (G2) subjects with hearing loss. Results: Among the patients considered, 115 ha…
The Effect of Migraine Prophylaxis on Migraine-Related Resource Use and Productivity
2009
In the US, it is estimated that up to 10% of men and 25% of women, particularly those aged 25-55 years, experience debilitating migraines, such that the condition presents an enormous economic burden for patients, health systems, employers and society. Migraine headache is a particularly prevalent condition associated with major reductions in patients' quality of life. From a payer perspective, the implementation of relevant programmes of migraine prophylaxis is highly desirable. Consistent evidence exists, from several randomized, controlled studies, of the efficacy of amitriptyline, divalproex sodium, propranolol, timolol and topiramate in migraine prophylaxis. Considering resource utiliz…
Neuromuscular electrophysiological disorders and muscle atrophy in mechanically-ventilated traumatic brain injury patients: New insights from a prosp…
2018
International audience; Erratum inCorrigendum to "Neuromuscular electrophysiological disorders and muscle atrophy in mechanically-ventilated traumatic brain injury patients: New insights from a prospective observational study" [J Crit Care 44 (2018) 87-94]. [J Crit Care. 2019]AbstractPURPOSE:It is unclear whether the muscular changes in mechanically-ventilated traumatic brain injury patients (TBI) are only associated with disuse or additionally to neuromuscular electrophysiological disorders (NED). The correlation between muscle atrophy and NED may affect functional outcomes and rehabilitation programs significantly.MATERIAL AND METHODS:An observational study was performed to investigate th…