Left ventricular diastolic abnormalities other than valvular heart disease in antiphospholipid syndrome: An echocardiographic study.

Background: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) can be primary or secondary to other autoimmune disorders. Besides valvular heart disease (VHD) and coronary artery disease (CAD), little is known about the impact of APS on left ventricular (LV) function.

Methods: After excluding CAD, relevant VHD and heart failure, 69 patients (mean age = 43.

Impact of Vitamin D deficiency on subclinical carotid atherosclerosis: a pooled analysis of cohort studies.

Context: Vitamin D deficiency patients have an increased cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality. Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and carotid plaques are markers of subclinical atherosclerosis and predictors of CV events.

Objective: To perform a meta-analysis of studies evaluating the impact of Vitamin D deficiency on common carotid artery IMT (CCA-IMT) and on the prevalence of carotid plaques.

Percutaneous electrochemotherapy in the treatment of portal vein tumor thrombosis at hepatic hilum in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhosis: A feasibility study.

Aim: To treated with electrochemotherapy (ECT) a prospective case series of patients with liver cirrhosis and Vp3-Vp4- portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), in order to evaluate the feasibility, safety and efficacy of this new non thermal ablative technique in those patients.

Methods: Six patients (5 males and 1 female), aged 61-85 years (mean age, 70 years), four in Child-Pugh A and two in Child-Pugh B class, entered our study series. All patients were studied with three-phase computed tomography (CT), contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and ultrasound-guided percutaneous biopsy of the thrombus before ECT.

The risk of gastrointestinal bleeding in patients receiving dabigatran etexilate: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature.

Background: Evidence on the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding associated with dabigatran etexilate (DE) is contrasting. We performed a meta-analysis of literature to address this issue.

Methods And Results: Studies on GI bleeding risk in patients receiving DE or vitamin-K antagonists (VKA) were systematically searched.

Efficacy and safety of extended thromboprophylaxis for medically ill patients. A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Compelling evidence suggests that the risk of pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) persists after hospital discharge in acutely-ill medical patients. However, no studies consistently supported the routine use of extended-duration thromboprophylaxis (ET) in this setting. We performed a meta-analysis to assess efficacy and safety of ET in acutely-ill medical patients.

Safety of warfarin in "high-risk" populations: A meta-analysis of randomized and controlled trials.

Introduction: Few data are available about safety of vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) in patients with clinical/demographic characteristics predisposing to an increased risk of bleeding. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the safety of VKAs in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) or venous thromboembolism (VTE) in the following subgroups of "high-risk" patients: elderly patients, patients with low body weight and patients with impaired renal function.

Materials And Methods: Major electronic databases were systematically searched to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) addressing this issue.

Impact of body weight on the achievement of minimal disease activity in patients with rheumatic diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: In this study, we evaluated the impact of obesity and/or overweight on the achievement of minimal disease activity (MDA) in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) receiving an anti-rheumatic treatment. Obesity can be considered a low-grade, chronic systemic inflammatory disease and some studies suggested that obese patients with rheumatic diseases exhibit a lower rate of low disease activity achievement during treatment with anti-rheumatic drugs.

Methods: A systematic search was performed in major electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase) to identify studies reporting MDA achievement in obese and/or overweight patients with RA or PsA and in normal-weight RA or PsA control subjects.

The risk of venous thromboembolism in patients with hepatitis C. A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Some studies suggest that patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have an increased risk of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). Unfortunately, available data on this association are contrasting. A systematic review and meta-analysis of literature studies was performed to evaluate the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) associated with HCV.

Markers of atherosclerosis in patients with Cushing's syndrome: a meta-analysis of literature studies.

Background: Several studies reported an increased cardiovascular (CV) risk in Cushing's syndrome (CS). We performed a meta-analysis on the impact of CS on major markers of atherosclerosis.

Methods: Studies on intima-media thickness (IMT), carotid plaques prevalence, and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in CS patients and controls were searched in the PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and EMBASE.

The risk of venous thromboembolism in patients with cirrhosis. A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Some studies suggest that patients with cirrhosis have an increased risk of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). Unfortunately, available data on this association are contrasting. It was the objective of this study to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of literature to evaluate the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) associated with cirrhosis.

Incidence of Malignancies in a Cohort of Psoriatic Arthritis Patients Taking Traditional Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drug and Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitor Therapy: An Observational Study.

Objective: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory arthropathy, associated with skin and/or nail psoriasis. As suggested in 2012 by the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA), studies devoted to assess cancer in the PsA population are still limited and need to be increased. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the incidence of malignancies in patients with PsA who are taking conventional and biologic therapies.

Impact of Valve Morphology on the Prevalence of Coronary Artery Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Literature studies suggested a lower prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) than in tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) patients. However, this finding has been challenged. We performed a meta-analysis to assess whether aortic valve morphology has a different association with CAD, concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), and postoperative mortality.

Aortic valve sclerosis as a marker of atherosclerosis: Novel insights from hepatic steatosis.

Background: Nowadays, aortic valve sclerosis (AVSc) might be considered an atherosclerosis-like process due to significant association with age, male gender and some major features of metabolic syndrome. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been recognized as a clinical expression of the metabolic syndrome and as a predictor of cardiovascular events. We aim, with this meta-analysis, to evaluate the correlation between NAFLD and AVSc; this finding might suggest new insights and interactions among NAFLD, AVSc and the atherosclerotic process.

Assessment of Hemophilic Arthropathy by Ultrasound: Where Do We Stand?

Joint hemorrhages represent the most common type of bleeding episode in persons with hemophilia, and recurrent hemarthrosis triggers chronic arthropathy, which is the most frequent chronic complication in these patients. In recent years, in the frame of a comprehensive care approach, a growing attention has been given to the periodic assessment of the joint status in hemophilia patients with the aim to identify early arthropathic changes and to prevent the development of a clinically overt arthropathy. Besides clinical examination, X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are currently used to evaluate joint status and to monitor the disease progression in hemophilia.

Dactylitis in enteropathic spondyloarthritis.

Objectives: Dactylitis has long been recognised as one of the significant features of spondyloarthropathies. In the literature, the prevalence of dactylitis in enteropathic spondyloarthritis (EASpA) ranges between 2% and 4%. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of dactylitis in EASpA patients and to investigate its association with clinical subset and with articular and bowel disease activity.

Mud-bath therapy and oral glucosamine sulfate in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized, controlled, crossover study.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of combined treatment of mud-bath therapy and glucosamine crystalline sulfate (GlcN-S) in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: This study was a randomised, controlled, crossover investigation. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) by the investigators to two groups, named group 1 and 2.

Cardiovascular risk markers in patients with primary aldosteronism: A systematic review and meta-analysis of literature studies.

Background/objectives: Several studies reported an increased cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality in patients with primary aldosteronism (PA). We performed a meta-analysis on the impact of PA on major markers of CV risk.

Methods: Studies on the relationship between PA and common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT), prevalence of carotid plaques, flow-mediated dilation (FMD), nitrate-mediated dilation (NMD), pulse-wave velocity (PWV), augmentation index (AIx), and ankle-brachial index (ABI) were systematically searched in the PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and EMBASE databases.

Incidence of Successful Pregnancy After Weight Loss Interventions in Infertile Women: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Literature.

Little is known about the impact of weight loss interventions on pregnancy rate. A systematic review with meta-analysis of literature has been performed to evaluate the incidence of successful pregnancy after bariatric interventions in infertile women. By pooling together data from 589 infertile obese women, we have been able to provide an aggregate estimation of successful pregnancy after weight loss interventions.

8-Hydroxy-2-Deoxyguanosine Levels and Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Literature.

Significance: 8-Hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) is generated after the repair of ROS-mediated DNA damages and, thus, is one of the most widely recognized biomarkers of oxidative damage of DNA because guanosine is the most oxidized among the DNA nucleobases. In several pathological conditions, high urinary levels of oxidized DNA-derived metabolites have been reported (e.g.

Cardiovascular effects of Etanercept in patients with psoriatic arthritis: evidence from the cardiovascular risk in rheumatic diseases database.

Introduction: Many literature data support the possibility of an increased cardiovascular (CV) risk in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients compared with the general population. This cannot be entirely explained by the presence of traditional vascular risk factors. It has been suggested that inflammation may act synergistically with traditional vascular risk factors, thus contributing to the atherosclerotic process and to the increased CV risk.

Prevalence of left atrial thrombus in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature.

We performed a meta-analysis about the prevalence of left atrial thrombus (LAT) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) undergoing trans-esophageal echocardiography (TEE). Studies reporting on LAT presence in AF patients were systematically searched in the PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and EMBASE databases and the pooled LAT prevalence was evaluated as weighted mean prevalence (WMP). Seventy-two studies (20,516 AF patients) showed a LAT WMP of 9.

Pharmacological treatment of spondyloarthritis: exploring the effectiveness of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and biological therapies.

Spondyloarthritis represents a heterogeneous group of articular inflammatory diseases that share common genetic, clinical and radiological features. The therapy target of spondyloarthritis relies mainly in improving patients' quality of life, controlling articular inflammation, preventing the structural joints damage and preserving the functional abilities, autonomy and social participation of patients. Among these, traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs have been demonstrated to be effective in the management of peripheral arthritis; moreover, in the last decade, biological therapies have improved the approach to spondyloarthritis.