Carnitine derivatives beyond fatigue: an update.

Purpose Of Review: Carnitine is an essential micronutrient that transfer long-chain fatty acids from the cytoplasm into the mitochondrial matrix for the β-oxidation. Carnitine is also needed for the mitochondrial efflux of acyl groups in the cases wherein substrate oxidation exceeds energy demands.

Recent Findings: Carnitine deficiency can affect the oxidation of free fatty acids in the mitochondria resulting in the aggregation of lipids in the cytoplasm instead of entering the citric acid cycle.

Polyphenols: Plant Sources and Food Industry Applications.

Background: Numerous epidemiological studies have demonstrated the association between (poly)phenol-rich foods and human health. Growing consumer knowledge of the relationship between diet, good health and disease prevention stimulated manufacturing opportunities. Functional foods and their synergistic health benefits, beyond just being a source of individual nutrients, are highly demanded by consumers.

Symptom Severity Following Rifaximin and the Probiotic VSL#3 in Patients with Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (Due to Inflammatory Prostatitis) Plus Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

This study investigated the effects of long-term treatment with rifaximin and the probiotic VSL#3 on uro-genital and gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) plus diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (D-IBS) compared with patients with D-IBS alone. Eighty-five patients with CP/CPPS (45 with subtype IIIa and 40 with IIIb) plus D-IBS according to the Rome III criteria and an aged-matched control-group of patients with D-IBS alone ( = 75) received rifaximin and VSL#3. The primary endpoints were the response rates of IBS and CP/CPPS symptoms, assessed respectively through Irritable Bowel Syndrome Severity Scoring System (IBS-SSS) and The National Institute of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI), and performed at the start of therapy (V0) and three months after (V3).

Hepatocellular carcinoma and the risk of occupational exposure.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer. The main risk factors for HCC are alcoholism, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, obesity, type 2 diabetes, cirrhosis, aflatoxin, hemochromatosis, Wilson's disease and hemophilia. Occupational exposure to chemicals is another risk factor for HCC.

Chronic hepatitis C: This and the new era of treatment.

Over the last years it has started a real revolution in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. This occurred for the availability of direct-acting antiviral agents that allow to reach sustained virologic response in approximately 90% of cases. In the near future further progress will be achieved with the use of pan-genotypic drugs with high efficacy but without side effects.

The immune system in hepatocellular carcinoma and potential new immunotherapeutic strategies.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma is a major health problem worldwide and the third most common cause of cancer-related death. HCC treatment decisions are complex and dependent upon tumor staging. Several molecular targeted agents have been evaluated in clinical trials in advanced HCC.

Renal function and ultrasound imaging in elderly subjects.

Unlabelled: We evaluated in elderly subjects (a) the ability of GFR formulas to discriminate chronic kidney disease (CKD), (b) the correlation between renal morphology and function, and (c) the usefulness of combined r-US and GFR formulas to detect CKD. A total of 72 patients were enrolled (mean age 80±7 years, male sex 44%, serum creatinine 0.98±0.

Hepatocellular carcinoma: novel molecular targets in carcinogenesis for future therapies.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common and lethal malignant tumors worldwide. Over the past 15 years, the incidence of HCC has more than doubled. Due to late diagnosis and/or advanced underlying liver cirrhosis, only limited treatment options with marginal clinical benefit are available in up to 70% of patients.

Acetyl-L-Carnitine Supplementation During HCV Therapy With Pegylated Interferon-α 2b Plus Ribavirin: Effect on Work Performance; A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: The health status of employees with chronic hepatitis C has major implications for organizations and labour market.

Objectives: To assess the effects of Acetyl-L-Carnitine administration on work productivity, daily activity, and fatigue in subjects with chronic hepatitis C treated with Pegylated-Interferon-α2b and Ribavirin.

Patients And Methods: In this prospective, randomized, placebo controlled, double blind clinical trial, 30 subjects (Group A) with chronic hepatitis, received Pegylated-Interferon-α2b (1.

Rare benign tumors of the liver: still rare?

Background: Benign liver tumors are common. They do not spread to other areas of the body, and they usually do not pose a serious health risk. In fact, in most cases, benign liver tumors are not diagnosed because patients are asymptomatic.

Systemic therapies in hepatocellular carcinoma: present and future.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is now the third leading cause of cancer deathsworldwide and is generally presented at an advanced stage, limiting patients' quality of life. The conventional cytotoxic systemic therapy has proved to be ineffective in HCC, since its induction several decades ago. Today it is possible to use our knowledge of molecular hepatocarcinogenesis to provide a targeted therapy.

Neurotoxicity of acrylamide in exposed workers.

Acrylamide (ACR) is a water-soluble chemical used in different industrial and laboratory processes. ACR monomer is neurotoxic in humans and laboratory animals. Subchronic exposure to this chemical causes neuropathies, hands and feet numbness, gait abnormalities, muscle weakness, ataxia, skin and in some cases, cerebellar alterations.

Post laryngectomy speech rehabilitation outcome in elderly patients.

The aim of our work has been to evaluate the different options of tracheoesophageal voice rehabilitation in over 70-year-old patients, who had undergone laryngectomy, assessing advantages and drawbacks of this method of vocal recovery. A retrospective study has been carried out. This has included 40 subjects, all aged more than 70 years old, who have been referred to tracheoesophageal voice rehabilitation.

Risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in workers exposed to chemicals.

Context: Studies on experimental animals have shown liver is a common target of chemical carcinogens; this might suggest that occupational exposure to chemicals is another risk factor for HCC. However, the relationship between occupation and liver cancer has not been extensively studied, with the exception of the known association between vinyl chloride and angiosarcoma of the liver.

Evidence Acquisition: A MEDLINE and conventional search of the past 50 years of the medical literature was performed to identify relevant articles on incidence and mechanisms of HCC due to occupational exposure to chemicals.

Long-term persistence of seroprotection by hepatitis B vaccination in healthcare workers of southern Italy.

Background: The impact of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination campaigns on HBV epidemiology needs to be evaluated, in order to assess the long-term immunity offered by vaccines against HBV.

Objectives: To evaluate the current status of anti-HBV vaccine coverage among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Southern Italy, and to determine the long-term persistence of antibodies to hepatitis B surface antigens (anti-HBs) in such a cohort of subjects.

Patients And Methods: A longitudinal, retrospective seroepidemiological survey was conducted among 451 HCWs, who were working at or visiting, the Occupational Health Department of a city hospital, in Catania, Italy, between January 1976 and December 2010.

Toxic hepatitis in occupational exposure to solvents.

The liver is the main organ responsible for the metabolism of drugs and toxic chemicals, and so is the primary target organ for many organic solvents. Work activities with hepatotoxins exposures are numerous and, moreover, organic solvents are used in various industrial processes. Organic solvents used in different industrial processes may be associated with hepatotoxicity.

Carnitine derivatives: clinical usefulness.

Purpose Of Review: Carnitine and its derivatives are natural substances involved in both carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. This review summarizes the recent progress in the field in relation to the molecular mechanisms.

Recent Findings: The pool of different carnitine derivatives is formed by acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC), propionyl-L-carnitine (PLC), and isovaleryl-carnitine.

Prevalence of cardiovascular pathologies in elderly population living in an industrialized area, compared to a control population residing in a rural area.

The development of cardiovascular pathologies is potentially connected to the surrounding environment, partly due to purely environmental factors, like exposition to pollutions, or anthropological ones, like the type of manual or stressing working activities. The relevant literature has already widely discussed the correlation between the acute and chronic exposition to atmospheric pollutants of different types and the pathogenetic events, such as the atherogenesis, thrombosis, and hypertension, The present study intends to verify this idea on a larger population exposed to different geographical conditions, comparing an agricultural village (Pachino-Siracusa) with an industrialized area (Augusta-Siracusa), both having identical sanitary services of basic importance. On the basis of the specific rates of hospitalizations, we compared the prevalence of cardiovasular pathologies in the resident populations.

Rasburicase for the treatment of tumor lysis in hematological malignancies.

Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) is a common oncologic emergency in patients with hematological malignancies sensitive to cytotoxic treatment that present a high proliferative rate. High proliferative cancer rate, high sensitivity of cytotoxic treatment and renal failure represent risk factors for development of TLS. TLS is also responsible for several electrolytic alterations, such as hyperuricemia, hyperkalemia, hyperphosphatemia and hypocalcemia.

Stabbing headache in patients with autoimmune disorders.

Stabbing headache is a relatively rare type of chronic "primary" headache with distinctive features with respect to more common forms of paroxysmal headache, such as cluster headache and trigeminal neuralgia. Drug treatment is empirical because of the lack of knowledge on the pathophysiology of stabbing headache. We examined 26 patients recruited over 10 years, who met the diagnostic criteria for stabbing headache.

The role of diet in gastric cancer: still an open question.

The risk of gastric cancer is often related to lifestyle and diet. There have been several studies on correlation between Nutrition and the risk of gastric cancer with different and sometimes contradictory results. Here we reviewed the role of nutrition as risk/protective factor in the development of gastric cancer.

Cytokine serum profile in a group of Sicilian nonagenarians.

The aim of our study was to evaluate the possibility of using multiplex analysis of the cytokine profile as a marker for successful aging by comparing cytokine plasmatic levels of a group of Sicilian nonagenarians with those of young controls. We analyzed a panel of 17 cytokines, comprehensive of haematopoietic factors T helper 1 (Th1), Th2, inflammation regulatory cytokines, and chemokines. The assay was carried out using the Luminex system.

L-carnitine supplementation improves hematological pattern in patients affected by HCV treated with Peg interferon-α 2b plus ribavirin.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of L-carnitine on alleviating anemia, thrombocytopenia and leukopenia, and minimizing dose reductions in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) in treatment with Interferon α (IFN-α) plus ribavirin.

Methods: Sixty-nine patients with chronic hepatitis C were enrolled in the study and divided into two groups. group A (n = 35) received Peg-IFN-α 2b plus ribavirin plus L-carnitine, and group B (n = 34) received Peg-IFN-α and ribavirin for 12 mo.