Usefulness of Pep-Test for Laryngo-Pharyngeal Reflux: A Pilot Study in Primary Care.

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a digestive disorder characterized by nausea, regurgitation, and heartburn. Gastroesophageal reflux is the primary cause of laryngeal symptoms, especially chronic posterior laryngitis. The best diagnostic test for this disease is esophageal impedance-pH monitoring; however, it is poorly employed owing to its high cost and invasiveness.

The management of patients with new onset of upper gastro-intestinal symptoms in primary care.

Background: Data dealing with dyspepsia management in general practice are lacking, and most of the studies investigated a subset of patients with suspected peptic ulcer disease either with or without previous complaints.

Aims: To evaluate the one-year management of patients presenting new onset upper abdominal symptoms without alarming features.

Methods: 275 patients were enrolled by 63 Italian general practitioners.

Rationale and design of an independent randomised controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of aripiprazole or haloperidol in combination with clozapine for treatment-resistant schizophrenia.

Background: One third to two thirds of people with schizophrenia have persistent psychotic symptoms despite clozapine treatment. Under real-world circumstances, the need to provide effective therapeutic interventions to patients who do not have an optimal response to clozapine has been cited as the most common reason for simultaneously prescribing a second antipsychotic drug in combination treatment strategies. In a clinical area where the pressing need of providing therapeutic answers has progressively increased the occurrence of antipsychotic polypharmacy, despite the lack of robust evidence of its efficacy, we sought to implement a pre-planned protocol where two alternative therapeutic answers are systematically provided and evaluated within the context of a pragmatic, multicentre, independent randomised study.