[Prevalence of degenerative aortic valve stenosis in the elderly: results of a large community-based epidemiological study].

Background: There is a paucity of epidemiological data on the prevalence of degenerative aortic stenosis (AS) after the recent demographic changes and in the present therapeutic era. We sought to assess the prevalence of AS in an elderly population of an Italian urban area and to derive an epidemiological estimate of AS prevalence on a larger scale.

Methods: Elderly people (aged 75-95 years) of a 26 000 inhabitants town were clinically screened by general practitioners and classified into four groups: (1) no signs of AS; (2) known AS; (3) suspected AS (on the basis of the presence of a systolic murmur); (4) prior aortic valve replacement (AVR).

[The development of a bedside cart for the management of acute respiratory failure with non-invasive ventilation in Internal Medicine wards].

In order to improve the organization of a General Medical ward without a real critical care area and to optimize treatment of patients with acute respiratory failure, we developed a cart for non-invasive ventilation to be used at the patient bedside. In the rear panel, we set two i.v.

[Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma. A case report].

Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare malignancy with unknown etiology, first described in 1980, which have been reported to date about 150 cases in the literature. Although the term "benign", used mainly to distinguish it from the classic malignant mesothelioma, a more aggressive cancer, is considered "borderline" in terms of aggression: it tends to local recurrence but cases of lymph node metastases or in other locations at a distance are not described. The symptoms are often vague and nonspecific (abdominal pain, enlarged abdomen and ascites).

[Continuous positive airway pressure in acute pulmonary edema. application in a general medical ward].

Background: The application of a Continuous Positive pressure to Patient's airway (CPAP) represents one of the most important respiratory treatments during Acute Respiratory Failure (ARF) due to Acute Cardiogenic Pulmonary Edema (ACPE). Thanks to its hemodynamic and ventilatory effects, CPAP improves clinical and gasanalytic parameters and lead to a decrease of mortality and need of intubation in these patients. CPAP can be applied with different devices: ventilators, Venturi-like flow generators and Boussignac's device.

[Echocardiographic evaluation of anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha therapy with infliximab in patients without cardiac pathologies].

In the course of heart failure, plasmatic levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) are high and are related to prognosis and mortality. Infliximab, a recombinant chimeric antibody anti-TNF-alpha, was used in heart failure with disappointing results, similar to those obtained with other biological drugs.The aim of this study was the echocardiographic evaluation of infliximab infusion in nine patients without cardiac pathologies.

Cardiac involvement in Crohn's disease: echocardiographic study.

Background: Crohn's Disease (CD) commonly presents extra-intestinal manifestations, but cardiac involvement is considered rare. The aim of the present study was to assess cardiac involvement in CD and its possible correlation with activity, duration, localization and therapy.

Patients And Methods: A group of 68 patients with CD and a control group of 60 healthy subjects were subjected to a transthoracic echocardiogram with Doppler study.

[Budd-Chiari syndrome with fatal outcome in a patient with polycythemia vera and antiphospholipid antibody syndrome].

We report the case of a 41-year-old woman, affected by Vaquez syndrome, admitted to our hospital for a severe pain in the right hypochondrium, suddenly followed by hepatomegaly and ascites. The clinical and laboratory data were suggestive of hepatic insufficiency and abdominal ultrasonography, integrated by color Doppler and computed tomography, revealed an interrupted hepatic venous outflow. In addition a spontaneous prolonged partial thromboplastin time was present and the patient was found to be positive for lupus anticoagulant.

[Pseudothrombocytopenia: clinical comment on 37 cases].

Background: Pseudothrombocytopenia (PTCP) is characterized by in vitro EDTA-, pH-, temperature- and time-dependent clumping which gives rise to spurious piastrinopenia at platelet count in automatized analyzers. It is caused by serum immunoglobulins recognizing some cryptoantigens on the platelet surface membrane. Aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of PTCP in a series of patients and its clinical significance.

[Gastrointestinal cancer-associated antigen (GICA) and intravascular hemolysis. Report of 2 cases and review of the literature].

GICA or CA 19-9, monosialyl Lewis (a) antigen, is a ganglioside, component of cellular wall. GICA is known as a neoplastic marker with high correlation, specificity and sensibility for the gastrointestinal neoplasms, mainly of the pancreas. Two cases of intravascular haemolysis are reported (a case in woman with Moschowitz's syndrome and a case in man with mitral prosthetic valve and mild congestive heart failure) with elevated serum levels of GICA.

[Primary empty sella syndrome. Observations on 71 cases].

Primary empty sella syndrome (ESS) is an anatomo-radiological picture characterized by the presence of an arachnoid herniation filled with liquor that compresses the pituitary against the sellar wall. ESS occurs particularly in obese, hypertensive, cephalgic women, it is often asymptomatic but it may be associated with ophthalmologic, neurologic and sometime non-characterizing endocrine disorders. We report here 71 cases of primary ESS observed and assessed during the last fourteen years.

[Heart failure as clinical onset of essential mixed cryoglobulinemia].

The case of a 58-year old man affected by heart failure on ischemic basis, as clinical onset of essential mixed cryoglobulinemia (EMC) is reported. Laboratory assays, ECG at rest and exercise electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, myocardial scintigraphy, cardiac catheterization with coronarography, hepatic, bone and kidney biopsies confirmed the diagnosis. Cases of primitive heart involvement are rarely reported and are, usually, due to myocardial infarction.

[43 cases of primary empty sella syndrome: a case series].

Primary empty sella syndrome (ESS) is an anatomo-radiological picture characterized by the presence of an arachnoid herniation filled with liquor that compresses the pituitary against the sellar wall. ESS occurs particularly in obese, hypertensive, cephalalgic women. It is often asymptomatic but may be associated with ophthalmologic, neurologic and non-characterizing endocrine disorders.