Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography findings in Syphilitic Outer Retinitis.

Purpose: to report optical coherence tomography angiography findings in syphilitic outer retinopathy, a singular clinical manifestation of ocular syphilis.

Methods: case report.

Results: Multimodal imaging including optical coherence tomography angiography was performed in a patient presenting syphilitic outer retinopathy.

What more comprehensive physiotherapy techniques than pelvic floor muscles training should be investigated in the context of post-prostatectomy? A narrative review.

Background: In a previous article, we have underlined the emerging level of evidence for the effectiveness of a more comprehensive functional physical therapy than solely pelvic floor muscles training (PFMT) for men after radical prostatectomy (RP). More and more authors suggest that physiotherapy programs should not focus only on the side effect of continence, but more generally on the interaction of continence disorders with all other side effects related to patient's physical and emotional functioning.

Research Question: The aims of this narrative review are to highlight rehabilitation approaches unrelated to analytical PFMT that would seem relevant to consider in the future for post-RP men.

Baseline Severity and Inflammation Would Influence the Effect of Simvastatin on Clinical Outcomes in Cirrhosis Patients.

Background: Simvastatin administration to decompensated cirrhosis patients improved Child-Pugh (CP) at the end of a safety trial (EST).

Aim: To evaluate whether simvastatin reduces cirrhosis severity through a secondary analysis of the safety trial.

Methods: Thirty patients CP class (CPc) CPc A (n = 6), CPc B (n = 22), and CPc C (n = 2) received simvastatin for one year.

Evaluating schizotypy and alcohol usage as predictors of increased engagement in risky sexual behaviors in an undergraduate sample.

The window of risk for developing a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder overlaps with young adulthood, a time of increased independence and self-sufficiency. Research suggests that this period is also associated with increased substance use and risky sexual encounters. The current study aimed to examine rates of alcohol usage and risky sexual behaviors in those demonstrating higher rates of schizotypy (i.

A systematic review of supervised comprehensive functional physiotherapy after radical prostatectomy.

Introduction: Radical prostatectomy (RP) can generate multidimensional physiological changes, like decrease in physical and emotional functioning, as well as Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). However, only pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) is commonly recommended as conservative treatment after RP. More comprehensive interventions than only PFMT, such as physiotherapy promoting general coordination, flexibility, strength, endurance, fitness and functional capacity may seem more relevant and patient-centered.

Fatal hemorrhagic complication after coil embolization of a petrosal arteriovenous shunt.

Background: Cerebello-pontine AVMs (CPAVMs) and petrous apex dural arteriovenous fistulae (DAVFs) are rare and sometimes difficult to distinguish. We report a fatal hemorrhagic complication after coil embolization of the petrosal vein draining a trigeminal AVM misdiagnosed as a DAVF.

Case Presentation: A 73-year-old woman with a petrous apex arteriovenous shunt with dual dural and pial arterial supply presented with posterior fossa hemorrhage.

Why and how to evaluate driving abilities in patients with neurodegenerative diseases?

Many studies have shown that individuals with neurodegenerative diseases are at risk of being involved in a traffic accident. However, driving is critical for social integration and independence in daily life. The lack of consensus and a standardised assessment of driving abilities in these patients is problematic.

Addition of statins to the standard treatment in patients with cirrhosis: Safety and efficacy.

This review summarizes the safety and efficacy of statins in patients with cirrhosis. Due to concerns about the safety of statins in patients with impaired liver function, they have recently been investigated as a potential treatment option in cirrhosis. The most clinically significant adverse event is statin-related myopathy, and this may be related to the high serum statin concentrations in the setting of severely impaired liver function.

[Why and how evaluating driving abilities in patients with neurodegenerative diseases?].

Many studies have shown that individuals with neurodegenerative diseases are a risk factor for being involved in a traffic accident. However, driving is critical for social integration and independence in daily life. Lack of consensus and standardized assessment of driving abilities in these patients is problematic.

Safety of Chronic Simvastatin Treatment in Patients with Decompensated Cirrhosis: Many Adverse Events but No Liver Injury.

Background: The high mortality rate of decompensated cirrhosis underlines the need for new treatments. Experimental models of cirrhosis and its reported relationship with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease have provided data supporting the rational use of statins in these patients. However, little is known about the safety of statins in this setting.

Effectiveness and safety of original and generic sofosbuvir for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C: A real world study.

We report the first real-world prospective multicenter cohort study that evaluated the effectiveness and safety of original or generic sofosbuvir-based regimens in patients with chronic hepatitis C in Latin America. The main endpoints were assessment of sustained virological response and serious adverse events rates. A total of 321 patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with the following regimens were included: sofosbuvir plus daclatasvir for 12 (n = 34) or 24 (n = 135) weeks, sofosbuvir plus daclatasvir plus ribavirin for 12 (n = 84) or 24 (n = 56) weeks, or sofosbuvir plus ribavirin for 12 (n = 8) or 24 (n = 2) weeks.

Ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir/dasabuvir ± ribavirin is safe and effective in HCV-infected patients in a real-life cohort from Latin America.

Information about the use of ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir/dasabuvir ± ribavirin (OBV/PTV/r/DSV ± RBV) in real-clinical practice in Latin America is scarce. We aimed to confirm safety and effectiveness of OBV/PTV/r/DSV ± RBV therapy in real-world setting. We analyzed a cohort of patients with genotype 1 infection treated with OBV/PTV/r/DSV ± RBV.

[Adrenal insufficiency in cirrhotic patients].

Relative adrenal insufficiency (RAI) is a common finding in cirrhotic patients with severe sepsis, and increased mortality. Its significance is unknown in stable conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of RAI in stable cirrhotic patients at different stages of the disease.

Immune dysfunction in cirrhosis: Distinct cytokines phenotypes according to cirrhosis severity.

Background/objectives: Cirrhosis associated immune dysfunction has been proposed to switch from a pro-inflammatory phenotype in stable cirrhosis to an immunodeficient one in patients with decompensated cirrhosis and acute-on-chronic liver failure. The aim of the present study was to compare serum cytokine levels between healthy patients, stable cirrhosis, and decompensated cirrhotic patients with and without development of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF); and to explore whether any of the measured cytokines is associated with cirrhosis severity and prognosis in ACLF patients.

Methods: Patients were enrolled from October 2013 to May 2014 in two hospitals located in Buenos Aires.

Proton pump inhibitor therapy does not increase the incidence of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in cirrhosis: a multicenter prospective study.

Background & Aim: Retrospective studies show an association between proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP). We investigate the relationship between PPI and SBP in decompensated cirrhotic patients in a large nationwide prospective study.

Methods: Seven hundred seventy patients with a diagnosis of decompensated cirrhosis were admitted consecutively in 23 hospitals in Argentina from March 2011 to April 2012; the patients were carefully investigated for PPI consumption in the previous 3 months.

Integrated strategies for identifying leads that target the NS3 helicase of the hepatitis C virus.

Future treatments for individuals infected by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) will likely involve combinations of compounds that inhibit multiple viral targets. The helicase of HCV is an attractive target with no known drug candidates in clinical trials. Herein we describe an integrated strategy for identifying fragment inhibitors using structural and biophysical techniques.

Baseline hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 polymorphisms and their impact on treatment response in clinical studies of the HCV NS3 protease inhibitor faldaprevir.

A challenge to the treatment of chronic hepatitis C with direct-acting antivirals is the emergence of drug-resistant hepatitis C virus (HCV) variants. HCV with preexisting polymorphisms that are associated with resistance to NS3/4A protease inhibitors have been detected in patients with chronic hepatitis C. We performed a comprehensive pooled analysis from phase 1b and phase 2 clinical studies of the HCV protease inhibitor faldaprevir to assess the population frequency of baseline protease inhibitor resistance-associated NS3 polymorphisms and their impact on response to faldaprevir treatment.

Viral resistance in hepatitis C virus genotype 1-infected patients receiving the NS3 protease inhibitor Faldaprevir (BI 201335) in a phase 1b multiple-rising-dose study.

Faldaprevir (BI 201335) is a selective NS3/4A protease inhibitor under development for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. NS3/4A genotyping and NS3 protease phenotyping analyses were performed to monitor the emergence of resistance in patients with HCV genotype 1 infection receiving faldaprevir alone or combined with pegylated interferon alfa 2a and ribavirin (PegIFN-RBV) during a phase 1b study. Among all baseline variants, a maximum 7-fold reduction in in vitro sensitivity to faldaprevir was observed for a rare NS3 (V/I)170T polymorphism.

Evaluation of phosphatidylinositol-4-kinase IIIα as a hepatitis C virus drug target.

Phosphatidylinositol-4-kinase IIIα (PI4KIIIα) is an essential host cell factor for hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication. An N-terminally truncated 130-kDa form was used to reconstitute an in vitro biochemical lipid kinase assay that was optimized for small-molecule compound screening and identified potent and specific inhibitors. Cell culture studies with PI4KIIIα inhibitors demonstrated that the kinase activity was essential for HCV RNA replication.

Pilot study: Gelafundin (polygeline) 4% plus antibiotics in the treatment of high-risk cirrhotic patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.

Background: Cirrhotic patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) have elevated rates of renal impairment and mortality. It has been shown that cefotaxime plus albumin infusion decrease renal impairment compared with antibiotic treatment alone, in patients with serum bilirubin >4 mg/dL or creatinine >1 mg/dL.

Aim: To assess clinical outcomes of high-risk cirrhotic patients with SBP who were treated with antibiotics associated with Gelafundin (polygeline) 4%.

Identification of a lipid kinase as a host factor involved in hepatitis C virus RNA replication.

A functional screen of an adenovirus-delivered shRNA library that targets approximately 4500 host genes was performed to identify cellular factors that regulate hepatitis C virus (HCV) sub-genomic RNA replication. Seventy-three hits were further examined by siRNA oligonucleotide-directed knockdown, and silencing of the PI4KA gene was demonstrated to have a significant effect on the replication of a HCV genotype 1b replicon. Using transient siRNA oligonucleotide transfections and stable shRNA knockdown clones in HuH-7 cells, the PI4KA gene was shown to be essential for the replication of all HCV genotypes tested (1a, 1b and 2a) but not required for bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) RNA replication.

Serum creatinine and bilirubin predict renal failure and mortality in patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis: a retrospective study.

Background: Patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) are at a high risk for renal failure and death despite successful treatment of infection. Intravenous (IV) albumin administration combined with antibiotic treatment has been shown to significantly decrease these risks. Clinical evidence is lacking on which patients are appropriate candidates for albumin treatment.

Caring for those who care: the role of the occupational health nurse in disasters.

Since the events of 9/11, health care facilities have devoted substantial resources to emergency preparedness, especially for a surge of patients in a large-scale incident. Hurricane Katrina reinforced the need for such surge planning. Due to the SARS experience in Toronto, health care professionals have had increased awareness of their "duty-to-care" responsibility.

Prevalence of primary sclerosing cholangitis in patients with ulcerative colitis and the risk of developing malignancies. A large prospective study.

Background/aim: primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is associated with ulcerative colitis (UC) and seems to be a risk factor for colon cancer. However, taking into account that no data are available in South American population, we analyzed the prevalence of PSC in 1,333 patients with UC and the risk for developing colon cancer.

Material: patients with persistent increases of alkaline phosphatase were studied by cholangiography and liver biopsy.

Ciprofloxacin in primary prophylaxis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis: a randomized, placebo-controlled study.

Background/aims: Low protein concentration in ascitic fluid has been identified as a risk factor for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP). Until now, primary prophylaxis has not been recommended in these patients. The aim was to investigate the efficacy of long-term administration of ciprofloxacin to prevent SBP.