Publications by authors named "Anna Pecoraro"

Unlabelled: We evaluated, both in toilet-trained and not-toilet-trained children, the impact of cleaning the genital area with plain water on the false positive rate at urine dipstick, and evaluated which factors could be associated to falsely positive findings. We prospectively enrolled 612 patients consecutively attending our nephro-urological outpatient clinic. Firstly, we performed urine dipsticks on urine samples collected from patients whose genital area had not been cleaned before.

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Patients affected by nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) can present with hypernatremic dehydration, and first-line rehydration schemes are completely different from those largely applied in usual conditions determining a mild to severe hypovolemic dehydration/shock. In reporting the case of a patient affected by NDI and presenting with severe dehydration triggered by acute pharyngotonsillitis and vomiting, we want to underline the difficulties in managing this condition. Restoring the free-water plasma amount in patients affected by NDI may not be easy, but some key points can help in the first line management of these patients: (1) hypernatremic dehydration should always be suspected; (2) even in presence of severe dehydration, skin turgor may be normal and therefore the skinfold recoll should not be considered in the dehydration assessment; (3) decreased thirst is an important red flag for dehydration; (4) if an incontinent patient with NDI appears to be dehydrated, it is important to place the urethral catheter to accurately measure urine output and to be guided in parenteral fluid administration; (5) if the intravenous route is necessary, the more appropriate fluid replenishment is 5% dextrose in water with an infusion rate that should slightly exceed the urine output; (6) the 0.

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. This study, a randomized controlled trial, aims to demonstrate a clinically significant improvement in subacute and chronic otitis media with effusion through the administration of hyaluronic acid associated with hypertonic solution compared with the administration of hypertonic solution alone. The setting was an outpatient clinic of 20 primary care pediatrician offices affiliated with the 3 Local Health Units (Azienda Sanitaria Locale) of Naples.

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Background: Naltrexone is a μ-opioid receptor antagonist that blocks opioid effects. Craving, depression, anxiety, and anhedonia are common among opioid dependent individuals and concerns have been raised that naltrexone increases them due to blocking endogenous opioids. Here, we present data that address these concerns.

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Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate buprenorphine-naloxone effects on the QTc in youth with opioid dependence. Buprenorphine is a partial agonist that is an effective treatment for opioid dependence. Compared with methadone, it has a lower risk of QTc prolongation in adults, but is less studied in the youth.

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Positive Psychology, the study of "positive" factors or strengths and evidence-based interventions to increase them, is a rapidly developing field that is beginning to be applied to HIV care. Proactive coping and spirituality are two positive characteristics that have been examined in multiple chronic serious health conditions. In the present study, lost-to-care (LTCs; did not attend treatment for ≥12 months; n = 120) and engaged-in-care HIV clinic patients (EICs; attended treatment for ≥12 months and adherent with antiretrovirals; n = 120) in Leningrad Oblast, Russian Federation were compared on the Proactive Coping Inventory and View of God Scale.

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Antiretroviral therapy (ART) became more widely available in the Russian Federation in 2006 when the Global Fund made a contribution to purchase ART with a mandate to increase numbers of patients receiving it. Funds were distributed to AIDS Centers and selected hospitals, and numbers quickly increased. Though ART is highly effective for adherent patients, dropout has been a problem; thus understanding characteristics of patients who remain on ART vs.

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Sixty-nine percent of the 1.5 million Eastern Europeans and Central Asians with HIV live in the Russian Federation. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is effective but cannot help those who leave treatment.

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Background: With up to 40% of opioid injectors infected with HIV, Ukraine has one of the most concentrated HIV epidemics in the world, mainly due to unsterile injection practices and a historical absence of effective prevention services. Harm reduction programs, including syringe exchange and a small buprenorphine treatment program, were introduced in 2004 and methadone maintenance was allowed in 2007. Despite an initial expansion, by 2009, only 3221 injectors were receiving methadone treatment.

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Background: Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) occurs when alcohol-dependent individuals abruptly reduce or stop drinking. Hospitalized alcohol-dependent patients are at risk. Hospitals need a validated screening tool to assess withdrawal risk, but no validated tools are currently available.

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Opioid misuse, abuse, and dependence are global problems whose patterns vary across cultures. In the USA, the non-medical use of prescription opioids has become particularly serious because of its association with addiction and overdose death. Agonist and antagonist medications have been shown to be effective for opioid-dependent adults, and there is a growing body of data that they are also effective for youth.

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Although advances in pharmacotherapy have enabled people living with HIV/AIDS to live longer, fuller lives, some leave medical care, resulting in sub-optimal treatment and increased health risk to themselves and others. Forty-one patients who dropped out of an urban, publically funded primary care HIV clinic were contacted and encouraged by outreach staff to return. Participants were interviewed within two weeks of returning, and themes associated with dropping out and returning were elicited and content analyzed.

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Background: Patients with untreated substance use disorders (SUDs) are at risk for frequent emergency department visits and repeated hospitalizations. Project Engage, a US pilot program at Wilmington Hospital in Delaware, was conducted to facilitate entry of these patients to SUD treatment after discharge. Patients identified as having hazardous or harmful alcohol consumption based on results of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Primary Care (AUDIT-PC), administered to all patients at admission, received bedside assessment with motivational interviewing and facilitated referral to treatment by a patient engagement specialist (PES).

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CONTEXT Sustained-release naltrexone implants may improve outcomes of nonagonist treatment of opioid addiction. OBJECTIVE To compare outcomes of naltrexone implants, oral naltrexone hydrochloride, and nonmedication treatment. DESIGN Six-month double-blind, double-dummy, randomized trial.

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This paper briefly reviews the evolution of opioid addiction treatment from humanitarian to scientific and evidence-based, the evidence bases supporting major medication-assisted treatments and adjunctive psychosocial techniques, as well as challenges faced by clinicians and treatment providers seeking to provide those treatments. Attitudes, politics, policy, and financial issues are discussed.

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This article explores the evolving evidence supporting the provision of opioid maintenance therapies to incarcerated populations.

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RP-HPLC-ESI-MS profile of naturally occurring salivary peptides of subjects with autistic spectrum disorder [ASD; N = 27:12 with diagnosis of autism, 1 with diagnosis of Asperger, 14 with diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorders not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS)] was compared to that of age-matched controls with the goal of identifying differences that could turn out to become hallmarks of at least a subgroup of ASD individuals. Phosphorylation level of four specific salivary phospho-peptides, namely statherin, histatin 1 (both, p < 0.0001) and acidic proline-rich proteins (both entire and truncated isoforms) (p < 0.

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