High-frequency ultrasonography (HF-USG) is a relatively new imaging method that allows the evaluation in a non-invasive manner of the skin layers and skin appendages. It is a diagnostic tool with increasing usefulness in numerous dermatological pathologies. High reproducibility, non-invasiveness and short diagnostic time make this method an increasingly used tool in dermatological practice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWomen with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may carry an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APO). The aims of this study were to compare pregnancy outcomes in RA patients as compared to the general obstetric population (GOP) and to identify a risk profile in RA. A case-control study was conducted on 82 prospectively followed pregnancies in RA and 299 pregnancies from the GOP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPsoriasis is not optimally controlled in spite of newly developed treatments, possibly due to the difficulty of objectively quantifying the disease's severity, considering the limitations of the clinical scores used in clinical practice. A major challenge addresses difficult-to-treat areas, especially in the absence of significant body surface involvement. It is controversial whether the severity evaluation of patients with several affected areas (having at least one difficult-to-treat area) should be done differently from current methods.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The diagnosis of NASH needs a liver biopsy, an invasive procedure that is not frequently accepted by patients. The aim of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of the C-Octanoate breath test (OBT) as a non-invasive surrogate marker to differentiate patients with NASH from patients with simple steatosis (NAFL).
Methods: We performed a prospective study on patients with histologically established non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and no other hepatic disease.