Assessing disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis patients and drug-utilization patterns of biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in the Tuscany region, Italy.

The disease activity associated with the drug-utilization patterns of biologic Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) is poorly investigated in real-world studies on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. To investigate the relationship between biologic DMARD initiation/discontinuations in RA patients identified in the healthcare administrative databases of Tuscany and the Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28) reported in the medical charts. This retrospective population-based study included RA's first-ever biologic DMARD users of the Pisa University Hospital from 2014 to 2016.

Renovation and creation of a Biocontainment Unit: the experience of Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana (Pisa, Italy).

Infectious diseases are a major public health concern. In recent decades, there has been a succession of bacterial and viral diseases, which when added to the endemic diseases found in certain areas of the world, can become a global health problem. In emergency medicine we talk a lot about Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) preparedness, but the main focus today is bio-preparedness.

Validation of algorithms for selecting rheumatoid arthritis patients in the Tuscan healthcare administrative databases.

Validation of algorithms for selecting patients from healthcare administrative databases (HAD) is recommended. This PATHFINDER study section is aimed at testing algorithms to select rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients from Tuscan HAD (THAD) and assessing RA diagnosis time interval between the medical chart date and that of THAD. A population was extracted from THAD.

Mechanisms underlying the hormetic effect of conjugated linoleic acid: Focus on Nrf2, mitochondria and NADPH oxidases.

Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor2 (Nrf2) is a redox-sensitive transcription factor. Its activation by low dietary intake of ligands leads to antioxidant effects (eustress), while pro-oxidant effects (oxidative distress) may be associated with high doses. NADPH oxidases (NOXs) and the mitochondrial electron transport chain are the main sources of intracellular ROS, but their involvement in the biphasic/hormetic activity elicited by Nrf2 ligands is not fully understood.

30-Day Potentially Preventable Hospital Readmissions In Older Patients: Clinical Phenotype And Health Care Related Risk Factors.

Purpose: Early readmission rate has been regarded as an indicator of in-hospital and post-discharge quality of care. Evaluating the contributing factors is crucial to optimize the healthcare and target the intervention. In this study we evaluated the potential for preventing 30-day hospital readmission in a cohort of older patients and identified possible risk factors for readmission.

Toxoplasma infection in individuals in central Italy: does a gender-linked risk exist?

An accurate estimate of the impact of toxoplasmosis on the population in Italy is not available. We performed a cross-sectional study on individuals living in Italy to assess: (1) differences in access to Toxo testing and in the prevalence of recent and past Toxoplasma gondii infection according to gender and age, and (2) the clinical impact of disease burden on the male patient subset. Reason for testing, condition of in- or outpatient and clinical data were analysed.

Adherence with regulatory resolutions on prevention of NSAIDS-related gastrointestinal injury in Italy.

Background The rate of gastrointestinal (GI) complications with non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or low-dose aspirin (LD-ASA) varies according to risk factors. For at risk patients, the Italian regulatory resolution enforce prophylaxis with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) or misoprostol. Objective This study evaluated the consistency with such resolution in patients receiving NSAIDs or LD-ASA and assessed whether patients continued to receive GI protection with PPIs for an adequate time following NSAID discontinuation.

Evaluation of underreporting tuberculosis in Central Italy by means of record linkage.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) surveillance systems have some pitfalls outside of a National Tuberculosis Program and lack of efficient surveillance hampers accurate epidemiological quantification of TB burden.In the present study we assessed the quality of surveillance at the University Hospital in Pisa (UHP), Italy, and TB incidence rates over a ten year period (1999-2008).

Methods: Assessment of underreporting was done by record-linkage from two sources: databases of TB diagnoses performed in the UHP and the Italian Infectious Disease Surveillance (IIDS) system.

Mutation spectrum in the large GTPase dynamin 2, and genotype-phenotype correlation in autosomal dominant centronuclear myopathy.

Centronuclear myopathy (CNM) is a genetically heterogeneous disorder associated with general skeletal muscle weakness, type I fiber predominance and atrophy, and abnormally centralized nuclei. Autosomal dominant CNM is due to mutations in the large GTPase dynamin 2 (DNM2), a mechanochemical enzyme regulating cytoskeleton and membrane trafficking in cells. To date, 40 families with CNM-related DNM2 mutations have been described, and here we report 60 additional families encompassing a broad genotypic and phenotypic spectrum.

[Managing the hospitalizations for older patients in University Hospital of Pisa].

We have analyzed hospitalizations of older people (> 64) from 2002 to 2005. Patients, discharges and stay in hospital have increased, the variation has been statistically significant. We have noticed the same trend about the rehospitalizations.

Changes in HIV-related hospitalizations during the HAART era in an inner-city hospital.

We evaluated admissions of HIV-positive persons to an inner-city hospital from 2000 to 2005. There was a decline in the number of substance abusers, homeless persons, injection drug abusers, and African Americans, and there was an increase in patients older than 50 years. There were no significant changes in CD4 counts or in utilization of highly active antiretroviral therapy,m but there were more admissions of persons with HIV RNA levels less than 1000 copies/mL, internal medicine problems, cancers, and skin infections.

Molecular characterization of strains of Human herpesvirus 8 from Japan, Argentina and Kuwait.

Current genotyping systems for Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) are based on the highly variable gene encoding the K1 glycoprotein. Most strains collected worldwide cluster into two subtypes (I/A and II/C). Sequenced African strains have belonged to subtypes I/A and IV/B.

[Extent of endemic Chlamydia trachomatis in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires (Argentina)].

Background: In this report we inform laboratory results accumulated over ten years (1986-1995). The number of cases, and the geographic distribution, allow us to present a very reliable data about the dimension of Chlamydia trachomatis urogenital infections in Buenos Aires city and we also compare this profile with the prevalence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in the same area and period of time.

Methods: Patients were females and males (aged from 15 to 49 years old) attending clinics not specialize in Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD).