Publications by authors named "Kaiafa G"

Article Synopsis
  • Acute decompensation in cirrhosis indicates severe issues caused by portal hypertension and can lead to multiorgan dysfunction.
  • Management is usually done in outpatient settings, stressing the importance of regular follow-ups, medication adjustments, and patient education.
  • The primary goals are to enhance quality of life, prevent disease progression, and consider liver transplantation when necessary.
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  • Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability, particularly affecting older adults, and there are few reliable biomarkers for predicting its onset and type.
  • This review focuses on S100B and GFAP proteins, which may enhance the diagnosis and prognosis for stroke patients by indicating stroke severity and differentiating between stroke types.
  • Ongoing research aims to make these blood biomarkers integral to clinical practice, improving early diagnosis and patient management to reduce stroke-related complications and deaths.
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Prior studies have suggested that immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP) may display seasonal variation; however, methodologic limitations and sample sizes have diminished the ability to perform a rigorous assessment. This 5-year retrospective study assessed the epidemiology of iTTP and determined whether it displays a seasonal pattern. Patients with both initial and relapsed iTTP (defined as a disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type motifs 13 activity <10%) from 24 tertiary centers in Australia, Canada, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, and the US were included.

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  • - Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a rare type of cancer that features specific cells called Hodgkin or Reed-Sternberg cells.
  • - Cardiac issues related to HL are not well-studied, with limited reports on conditions like cardiac tamponade in these patients.
  • - A case is presented of a 21-year-old woman whose initial HL symptoms included cardiac tamponade, underscoring the need for quick diagnosis and treatment of related heart complications.
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  • Hyperglycemia following a stroke can worsen the condition, so effective glucose management is crucial for reducing complications and improving patient outcomes.
  • The study monitored 105 acute stroke patients’ glucose levels continuously over 72 hours, identifying various hyperglycemic patterns primarily occurring during night and morning hours.
  • Findings suggest that traditional glucose tests may miss these patterns, highlighting the need for more frequent nighttime measurements and suggesting that admission glucose levels could help predict future hyperglycemic tendencies.
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  • The Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project categorizes ischemic strokes into four types and links hyperglycemia to larger infarct sizes and poorer patient outcomes.
  • The study aimed to explore the relationship between glucose fluctuations and stroke types/outcomes using continuous glucose monitoring over 72 hours among recent stroke patients.
  • Results indicated that while stroke subtype did not significantly affect mean glucose levels, improving glucose regulation could reduce the odds of poor outcomes, suggesting that strict glucose management might be more effective than focusing on stroke types.
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Introduction: Hemoptysis is one of the most common symptoms of respiratory system diseases. Common causes include bronchiectasis, tumors, tuberculosis, aspergilloma, and cystic fibrosis. The severity of hemoptysis varies from mild to moderate to massive hemoptysis and can easily lead to hemodynamic instability and death from suffocation or shock.

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  • * It explores the relationship between PCS and the development of post-infection IBS (PI-IBS), highlighting factors like enteric infections and psychosocial conditions that may contribute to GI dysfunction following COVID-19.
  • * The review underscores the need for more research on PI-IBS, as current treatment options primarily focus on non-COVID-19-related gut disorders, emphasizing the importance of understanding the long-term effects of COVID-19 on gastrointestinal health.
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  • Thyroid diseases are linked to autoimmune disorders, prompting research into the connection between systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and autoimmune thyroid disease.
  • A study of 45 SLE patients revealed a higher incidence of thyroid disorders compared to a matched control group, with specific cases of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism identified.
  • The findings indicate that many SLE patients show detectable antithyroid antibodies, suggesting a predisposition to thyroid disease that should be monitored during SLE evaluations.
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Given the limited real-world data of caplacizumab, our multicenter real-world study was designed to assess the safety and efficacy of caplacizumab in immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic pupura (iTTP), compared to historic controls. We have studied 70 patients: 23 in the caplacizumab and 47 in the historic control group. Plasma exchange was applied in all episodes except for two patients that denied plasma exchange.

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Background: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains a major cause of death worldwide. Survivors of AMI are particularly at high risk for additional cardiovascular events. Consequently, a comprehensive approach to secondary prevention is necessary to mitigate the occurrence of downstream complications.

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  • Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes COVID-19, a pandemic that not only affects the respiratory system but also leads to serious gastrointestinal complications, including gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB).
  • A systematic review analyzed 33 studies involving over 134,000 COVID-19 patients, revealing a GIB prevalence ranging from 0.47% to 19%, with an overall pooled prevalence of about 3.05%.
  • The occurrence of GIB is particularly concerning for patients on anticoagulant therapy, and its symptoms, such as melena and hematemesis, require prompt medical attention due to the potential for life-threatening consequences.
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Purpose: In the Emergency Departments (ED) the current triage systems that are been implemented are based completely on medical education and the perception of each health professional who is in charge. On the other hand, cutting-edge technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be incorporated into healthcare systems, supporting the healthcare professionals' decisions, and augmenting the performance of triage systems. The aim of the study is to investigate the efficiency of AI to support triage in ED.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the alterations in blood pressure (BP) during midday and the changes in circadian BP patterns in the acute phase of ischemic stroke (AIS) with the severity of stroke and their predictive role outcomes within 3 months. A total of 228 AIS patients (a prospective multicenter follow-up study) underwent 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). Mean BP parameters during the day (7:00-22:59), the midday (13:00-16:59), and the night (23:00-6:59), and midday and nocturnal dipping were calculated.

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In the years of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), various treatment options have been utilized. COVID-19 continues to circulate in the global population, and the evolution of the Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus has posed significant challenges to the treatment and prevention of infection. Remdesivir (RDV), an anti-viral agent with in vitro efficacy against coronaviruses, is a potent and safe treatment as suggested by a plethora of in vitro and in vivo studies and clinical trials.

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Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, is a systemic disease that affects not only the respiratory system, but also other systems, including gastrointestinal. A great number of different drugs have been used on hospitalized patients for the management of COVID-19, and acute pancreatitis (AP) has been reported as a complication or side effect of these drugs. The development of drug-induced acute pancreatitis (DIAP) follows a complex of pathophysiological mechanisms, and particular risk factors play a key role.

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  • SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for COVID-19, prompting the need for effective diagnostic tests during the pandemic, with rt-PCR being the gold standard but having limitations compared to self-taken rapid antigen tests.
  • This systematic review adhered to PRISMA guidelines, analyzing studies from Scopus and PubMed, specifically focusing on self-taken rapid antigen tests using nasal samples and rt-PCR as a reference.
  • Results from 22 studies show that while self-taken rapid antigen tests have a specificity exceeding 98%, their sensitivity varies significantly, affecting their reliability in certain cases.
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Effective treatments and vaccines against COVID-19 used in clinical practice have made a positive impact on controlling the spread of the pandemic, where they are available. Nevertheless, even if fully vaccinated, immunocompromised patients still remain at high risk of adverse outcomes. This has driven the largely expanding field of monoclonal antibodies, with variable results.

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Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of blood pressure (BP) time-in-target range (TTR) derived from 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) during the acute phase of ischemic stroke (AIS), with the severity of stroke and its predictive value for the 3 months outcome.

Methods: A total of 228 AIS patients (prospective multicenter follow-up study) underwent ABPM every 20 min within 48 h from stroke onset using an automated oscillometric device. Clinical and laboratory findings were recorded.

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In the last few years, the world has had to face the SARS-CoV-2 infection and its multiple effects. Even though COVID-19 was first considered to be a respiratory disease, it has an extended clinical spectrum with symptoms occurring in many tissues, and it is now identified as a systematic disease. Therefore, various drugs are used during the therapy of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

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Coronavirus disease is a viral infection that can affect multiple systems and be expressed with many-or no-symptoms. The viral infection begins when the virus binds to the host's receptor and from that point on, it is transmitted to the rest of the body, where it causes inflammatory reactions. Among other tissues and systems, SARS-CoV-2 impacts the coagulation system, where it triggers the immunothrombotic response.

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Adenoviral infections in neonates are associated with high rates of mortality due to the lack of humoral immunity. A comprehensive search of published literature in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct electronic databases was conducted for case reports published between the years 1990 and 2021. The aim of our study is to investigate the risk factors, clinical manifestations, treatment, and outcomes of adenoviral infections in neonates.

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It is a common practice to take into consideration age, diabetes, smoking, treated and untreated systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol for the prediction of atherosclerosis and stroke. There are, however, ultrasound markers in use for the assessment of atherosclerosis and the evaluation of stroke risk. Two areas of investigation are of interest: the carotid artery and the intracranial arterial circulation.

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