Perceived challenges and attitudes to regimen and product selection from Italian haemophilia treaters: the 2013 AICE survey.

Despite great advances in haemophilia care in the last 20 years, a number of questions on haemophilia therapy remain unanswered. These debated issues primarily involve the choice of the product type (plasma-derived vs. recombinant) for patients with different characteristics: specifically, if they were infected by blood-borne virus infections, and if they bear high or low risk of inhibitor development.

Early urinary aldosterone excretion in very low birth weight infants.

Unlabelled: HYPOTHESIS/ INTRODUCTION: In the neonatal period, many factors may interfere with aldosterone production but data currently available are few and controversial. In this study we aim to assess the early urinary aldosterone excretion (UAE) in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants and to identify some possible clinical and biochemical variables that may influence this excretion.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a prospective study in 30 VLBW infants.

Hyperhomocysteinemia and C677T MTHFR genotype in patients with retinal vein thrombosis.

Introduction: Elevated homocysteine (Hcy) is associated with the risk of deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, ischemic heart disease, and stroke. Several studies have suggested that hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) may predispose to retinal vein thrombosis (RVT) development. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between Hcy, C677T methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) genotype, and RVT in patients compared with controls.

High incidence of factor V Leiden and prothrombin G20210A in healthy southern Italians.

Factor V Leiden (FVL) and G20210 prothrombin (FII G20210A) mutations are risk factors for thromboembolism. In Europe, FVL is more prevalent in the north (7%) than in the south (3%), whereas FII G20210A is more common in the south (3% to 7%) than in the north (2% to 5%). In Italy, the prevalence is 2% to 3% for both.

Neonatal colour Doppler ultrasound study: normal values of abdominal blood flow velocities in the neonate during the first month of life.

Background: Doppler US to measure abdominal blood flow velocities (ABFV) is increasingly used to investigate intestinal haemodynamics in several clinical conditions in neonates. Studies that provide reference values of ABFV during the entire neonatal period are currently lacking.

Objective: To make available normal reference values of ABFV and Doppler indices in the coeliac trunk and superior mesenteric artery during the first month of life in term and healthy preterm infants.

Role of hyperhomocystinemia in retinal vascular occlusive disease.

Elevated plasma homocysteine (Hcy) level is considered a risk factor for vascular diseases. In recent years, many scientific reports have suggested that hyperhomocystinemia may be associated with an increased risk of retinal vascular occlusive disease (RVOD). The prevalence of elevation of homocysteine in patients with a recent retinal vascular occlusion was compared to a health control group in this study.

Which phototherapy system is most effective in lowering serum bilirubin in very preterm infants?

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of various phototherapy systems in lowering serum bilirubin levels in preterm infants.

Methods: This randomized clinical trial enrolled 140 preterm infants with gestational age < or =30 weeks and presenting nonhemolytic hyperbilirubinemia. When total serum bilirubin level reached 6.

Genetic prothrombotic risk factors in women with unexplained pregnancy loss.

Introduction: Inherited thrombophilia has been associated with unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and stillbirth. This thrombotic tendency can manifest as thrombotic lesions in the placenta, and may lead to abortion and stillbirth. The aim of our case-control study was to investigate the prevalence of FVL and FII G20210A in women with adverse pregnancy outcome, compared to the prevalence of the same mutations in our health control group.

Thrombocytopenia in patients receiving oral anticoagulant therapy.

The aim of this report was to determine the frequency of thrombocytopenia in a cohort of 1,126 patients receiving oral anticoagulant therapy (OAT), and to compare the grade of thrombocytopenia and the severity of bleeding complications. Severe thrombocytopenia was observed in five patients, and moderate and light thrombocytopenia were observed in 208 patients. Thrombocytopenic patients receiving OAT presented five major and six minor hemorrhages.