Edema of the psoas major muscle can indicate various pathologies, such as infection, malignancy, and trauma, but it can also result from benign causes like delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). This article presents the case of a 44-year-old female patient who developed DOMS in the psoas major after participating in an intense abdominal workout. The patient reported hip pain that began a day after the workout, which was confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealing significant edema in the psoas major muscles, particularly on the right side.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPotassium is a cation involved in the resting phase of membrane potential. Diets rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, dairy products, and coffee have high potassium content. The shift from a pre-agriculture diet to today's consumption has led to reduced potassium intake.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aims: Insulin resistance (IR) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Recently, a novel index (triglyceride-glucose index-TyG) has been proposed as a surrogate marker of IR and a better expression of IR than the Homeostatic Model Assessment of IR (HOMA-IR) index. Few and heterogeneous data are so far available on the relationship between vascular damage and this novel index.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThrombotic microangiopathies represent a group of particularly serious pathologies that can cause a rapid worsening of renal function, especially in young subjects. Through the clinical case described, we will focus our attention on the clinical and laboratory manifestations of the pathology, on the diagnostics and on the therapies to be used. Recent therapeutic innovations for the treatment of this pathology will also be analysed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHigh levels of serum uric acid (SUA) and triglycerides (TG) might promote high-cardiovascular-risk phenotypes, including subclinical atherosclerosis. An interaction between plaques xanthine oxidase (XO) expression, SUA, and HDL-C has been recently postulated. Subjects from the URic acid Right for heArt Health (URRAH) study with carotid ultrasound and without previous cardiovascular diseases (CVD) (n = 6209), followed over 20 years, were included in the analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Active and Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) are a global cause of death. Osteoporosis (Op) is the most common metabolic bone disorder worldwide, impacting on mortality and disability, with high health and welfare costs. Active smoking is a known risk factor for Op, but there is few information regarding Op and ETS in men.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components are directly associated with cardiovascular risk. Insulin resistance (IR) is the most common pathophysiological feature of MetS. A novel index, the triglyceride-glucose index (TyG), is considered a surrogate marker of IR.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPotassium is a monovalent cation widely present in nature, where it is not in metallic form, but always in combination with other substances, especially chloride [...
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnhealthy dietary habits play a key role in the pathogenesis of nephrolithiasis (NL). The aims of this case-control study were to evaluate (i) the adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD) and the dietary salt intake in stone-forming patients (SF), (ii) the relationship occurring between MD adherence, salt intake and NL-related metabolic risk factors in SF, and (iii) the impact of combined high MD adherence and low salt intake on NL susceptibility. From 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019, we recruited all SF consecutively referred to the Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) center of Federico II University, and at least two control subjects without a personal history of NL, age-, sex-, and body mass index-matched to SF (NSF).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeveral studies have detected a direct association between serum uric acid (SUA) and cardiovascular (CV) risk. In consideration that SUA largely depends on kidney function, some studies explored the role of the serum creatinine (sCr)-normalized SUA (SUA/sCr) ratio in different settings. Previously, the URRAH (URic acid Right for heArt Health) Study has identified a cut-off value of this index to predict CV mortality at 5.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Despite longstanding epidemiologic data on the association between increased serum triglycerides and cardiovascular events, the exact level at which risk begins to rise is unclear. The Working Group on Uric Acid and Cardiovascular Risk of the Italian Society of Hypertension has conceived a protocol aimed at searching for the prognostic cutoff value of triglycerides in predicting cardiovascular events in a large regional-based Italian cohort.
Methods And Results: Among 14 189 subjects aged 18 to 95 years followed-up for 11.
The dietary restriction of salt intake and the adhesion to Mediterranean dietary patterns are among the most recommended lifestyle modifications for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. A large amount of evidence supports these recommendations; indeed, several studies show that a higher adherence to Mediterranean dietary patterns is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Likewise, findings from observational and clinical studies suggest a causal role of excess salt intake in blood pressure increase, cardiovascular organ damage, and the incidence of cardiovascular diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aims: Excess salt intake is the leading dietary risk factor for cardiovascular disease in most countries, including Italy. While the cost-effectiveness of interventions aimed to reduce salt intake has been proved, the WHO recommendation to reduce salt intake by 30 % at the global level by 2025 is far from being reached.
Methods And Results: In Italy, two surveys of the general adult population have established that the average salt intake is still almost twice the WHO recommendation although it was reduced by 1.
Through a clinical case, we will describe the difficulties associated with providing transplantation opportunities to highly immunized patients. We will therefore focus on new desensitization therapies and their pharmacological effects with the consequent improvement in clinical outcomes. The main desensitization strategies in use and the main future therapeutic prospects will also be discussed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: Tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome usually caused by oversecretion of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) from a phosphaturic mesenchymal tumor (PMT). PMTs are usually benign neoplasms but some of them show malignant characteristics.
Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical characteristics of benign and malignant PMTs inducing TIO.
Purpose: Current smoking is a risk factor for osteoporosis (Op), but few data are available regarding the passive smoke impact on Op susceptibility. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the association between the smoking habits and Op in community-dwelling women undergoing dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).
Methods: On 01/06/2018, general practitioners from "COMEGEN" Medical Cooperative, Naples, Italy, selected the medical records from the last 10 years of women who had a measurement of bone mineral density performed and simultaneously completed a questionnaire about their smoking behaviour and their cohabiters'.
High Blood Press Cardiovasc Prev
September 2023
The relationship between Serum Uric Acid (UA) and Cardiovascular (CV) diseases has already been extensively evaluated, and it was found to be an independent predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality but also acute coronary syndrome, stroke and heart failure. Similarly, also many papers have been published on the association between UA and kidney function, while less is known on the role of UA in metabolic derangement and, particularly, in metabolic syndrome. Despite the substantial number of publications on the topic, there are still some elements of doubt: (1) the better cut-off to be used to refine CV risk (also called CV cut-off); (2) the needing for a correction of UA values for kidney function; and (3) the better definition of its role in metabolic syndrome: is UA simply a marker, a bystander or a key pathological element of metabolic dysregulation?.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMushroom poisoning can represent an acute event which the clinical nephrologist must deal with and which often leads to the need for emergency dialysis treatment. Through the exposed clinical case, we describe the secondary clinical manifestations of an acute intoxication sustained by Amanita Echinocephalae, and we will provide an overview of the main fungal intoxications of renal interest, the clinical presentation, the diagnostic strategies, and the subsequent treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVenous thromboembolism (VTE) and major bleeding (MB) are life-threatening complications described in COVID-19 hospitalized patients, and they can be considered two sides of the same coin. This retrospective study aims to evaluate the risk factors for VTE and MB in COVID-19 patients admitted to two Italian hospitals. The medical records of all COVID-19 patients (males 139; 62.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: The Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score is a tool for assessing the risk of malnutrition (undernutrition) that can be calculated from albumin concentration, total peripheral lymphocyte count, and total cholesterol concentration. CONUT score has been proposed as a promising prognostic marker in several clinical settings; however, a consensus on its prognostic value in patients with stroke is lacking. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the relationship between CONUT score and clinical outcomes in patients with stroke based on all current available studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHigh Blood Press Cardiovasc Prev
July 2023