Nutritional Prehabilitation in Patients Undergoing Cystectomy: A Systematic Review.

Background/aim: Nutrition is a key element of the prehabilitation process prior to surgery. The aim of this study was to identify the clinical pathways of nutritional prehabilitation before cystectomy.

Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted in PubMed, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Scopus and the Web of Science databases.

Microstructural characterization of corticospinal tract in subacute and chronic stroke patients with distal lesions by means of advanced diffusion MRI.

Purpose: The aim of the paper is to evaluate if advanced dMRI techniques, including diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI), could provide novel insights into the subtle microarchitectural modifications occurring in the corticospinal tract (CST) of stroke patients in subacute and chronic phases.

Methods: Seventeen subjects (age 68 ± 11 years) in the subacute phase (14 ± 3 days post-stroke), 10 of whom rescanned in the chronic phase (231 ± 36 days post-stroke), were enrolled. Images were acquired using a 3-T MRI scanner with a two-shell EPI protocol (20 gradient directions, b = 700 s/mm, 3 b = 0; 64 gradient directions, b = 2000 s/mm, 9 b = 0).

The Four FAD-Dependent Histone Demethylases of Arabidopsis Are Differently Involved in the Control of Flowering Time.

In , four FAD-dependent lysine-specific histone demethylases (LDL1, LDL2, LDL3, and FLD) are present, bearing both a SWIRM and an amine oxidase domain. In this study, a comparative analysis of gene structure, evolutionary relationships, tissue- and organ-specific expression patterns, physiological roles and target genes for the four Arabidopsis is reported. Phylogenetic analysis evidences a different evolutionary history for the four , while promoter activity data show that are strongly expressed during plant development and embryogenesis, with some gene-specific expression patterns.

Association between delirium, adverse clinical events and functional outcomes in older patients admitted to rehabilitation settings after a hip fracture: A multicenter retrospective cohort study.

Aim: The aim of the present study is to investigate how delirium and adverse clinical events (ACE) contribute independently and in combination to functional outcomes in older patients admitted to rehabilitation settings after a hip fracture.

Methods: This is a multicenter retrospective cohort study of patients aged ≥65 years admitted after hip fracture surgical repair to three Italian rehabilitation units. Delirium on admission was evaluated with the Confusion Assessment Method.

The controversial management of giant congenital melanocytic nevi. When would it be better "to wait and see"?

Aim: A giant congenital nevus is a melanocytic nevus present at birth with wide extent on the skin surface. The management of this nevus remains controversial and needs to be personalized for each patient.

Methods: A retrospective multicenter study was carried out in the Dermatological Departments of Brescia, Padua, and Pavia, Italy.

A score to predict the development of adverse clinical events after transition from acute hospital wards to post-acute care settings.

Adverse clinical events (ACEs) are common in post-acute hospital care. We aimed at developing and validating a method, able to be administered in hospital wards, for identifying elderly patients at increased risk of ACEs after transferral to post-acute care (PAC) facilities. This was a prospective observational study, including 502 patients admitted to 19 PAC facilities in northern Italy from July 1(st) to August 14(th), 2009.

Dermoscopic changes in melanocytic naevi in children during digital follow-up.

The aim of this study was to investigate the dermoscopic changes in acquired melanocytic naevi in a large paediatric population over an interval of several years. Images of 717 melanocytic naevi were obtained from 160 consecutive patients. Dermoscopic pigment pattern changes were observed in one of two lesions after a follow-up of one year, in 34 of 295 lesions (11.

Action observation treatment improves recovery of postsurgical orthopedic patients: evidence for a top-down effect?

Objective: To assess whether action observation treatment (AOT) may also improve motor recovery in postsurgical orthopedic patients, in addition to conventional physiotherapy.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Department of rehabilitation.

Sunscreen tests: correspondence between in vitro data and values reported by the manufacturers.

Background: In vitro sunscreen tests are diffusively used to test both the sun protection factor (SPF) and the photo-stability of filters. Spectrophotometric measurements of the absorbance of ultraviolet radiations through a sunscreen applied on a suitable substrate allow a rapid evaluation of its protection factor both at short and long wavelength ultraviolet radiation (UVB and UVA).

Objectives: The objective of this study has been to demonstrate if Teflon can be adopted as substrate both for SPF evaluation and photo-stability tests.

Current concepts review: comprehensive physical examination for instability of the knee.

A careful history and physical examination are the cornerstones of orthopaedic sports medicine. When evaluating a patient for ligamentous instability of the knee joint, an understanding of the contribution of anatomic structures to stability enhances a practitioner's ability to achieve an accurate clinical diagnosis. This article reviews the various types of knee instability and the associated anatomic structures.

Prevalence and risk factors for urinary incontinence in Italy.

Objectives: To analyze the frequency and risk factors for urinary incontinence (UI) in Italy.

Methods: Eligible for this cross-sectional study were men aged >/=50 years and women aged >/=40, randomly identified among registered subjects of a network of general practitioners during the period March-October 1997. All subjects were invited by telephonic interview to determine the presence of UI, reported by the subjects as loss of urine in the last year.

Reciprocal association between insulin sensitivity and the haematocrit in man.

In epidemiological studies, a high haematocrit has been associated both with increased cardiovascular risk and with hyperinsulinaemia, a surrogate of insulin resistance. To examine directly the relationship between the haematocrit and insulin sensitivity, we studied 12 healthy volunteers and 12 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) with the use of a 4-hour hyperinsulinaemic [1 mU min-1 kg-1] isoglycaemic clamp. In the whole group, insulin sensitivity (as the ratio of insulin-mediated glucose clearance to steady-state plasma insulin concentrations) was inversely related to the haematocrit (r = 0.

Unilateral neglect and space constancy during passive locomotion.

Space constancy was investigated in seven blindfolded left-neglect patients by driving them along routes involving one or two, left or right, 90 degrees turns. At the end of each route patients had to indicate its starting point while still blindfolded. On average, no considerable left/right differences were found in pointing accuracy.

Modulation of neglect hemianesthesia by transcutaneous electrical stimulation.

The effects of transcutaneous electrical stimulation on deficits of tactile perception contralateral to a hemispheric lesion were investigated in 10 right brain-damaged patients and in four left brain-damaged patients. The somatosensory deficit recovered, transiently and in part, after stimulation of the side of the neck contralateral to the side of the lesion, in all 10 patients with lesions in the right hemisphere, both with (six cases) and without (four cases) left visuo-spatial hemineglect, and in one left brain-damaged patient with right hemineglect. In three left brain-damaged patients without hemineglect, the treatment had no detectable effects.

Insulin decreases circulating vitamin E levels in humans.

Both hyperinsulinemia and free oxygen radicals have been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, but the relationship between insulin levels or insulin action and the oxidant/antioxidant balance has not been explored. We measured the effect of physiologic hyperinsulinemia on plasma concentrations of vitamin E, a major free radical scavenger molecule. Isoglycemic clamps (at an insulin infusion rate of 6 pmol .

Improvement of left visuo-spatial hemineglect by left-sided transcutaneous electrical stimulation.

The effects of transcutaneous electrical stimulation on left visuo-spatial hemineglect, assessed by a visuo-motor exploratory task (letter cancellation), were investigated in patients with right hemisphere lesions. In Experiment 1 left neck stimulation temporarily improved the deficit in 13 out of 14 patients (93%), while stimulation of the right neck had no positive effects, worsening exploratory performance in nine patients (64%). Experiment 2 showed that left neck stimulation temporarily improved neglect also when head movements were prevented by a chin-rest.