[Assistance and care of the sick in early Christianity].

Christianity presents a new vision of man (personalistic anthropology) and refers to the example and words of Jesus, highlighting the inseparable relationship between the love of God and the love of man. The article describes the assistance and care of the sick in the East and West in the early Christian centuries; the 'places of care'- nosokomia for the sicks, gerontokomia for the olders, brephotropia for abandoned children, orphanage structures; the managers of hospitals, ecclesistical dignitaries, lay personnel, monks, operators and employees. Christianity gave dignity to the sick and opportunity to serve humanity to the healthy.

[Epidural spinal stimulation in the treatment of refractory angina pectoris. Its clinical efficacy, complications and long-term mortality. An Italian multicenter retrospective study].

Background: Spinal cord stimulation has been used for many years in the treatment of refractory angina pectoris. Its anti-anginal and anti-ischemic effect has been well documented in several studies, but the long-term efficacy, safety and survival rate are not well known. The aim of this study was to carry out a retrospective analysis of a series of patients from the Italian Multicenter Registry, the data of which were collected in five centers, by means of a questionnaire.