The Influence of Periodontal Disease on Oral Health Quality of Life in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease: A Cross-Sectional Observational Single-Center Study.

Background and Objectives: Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of global death with a rising prevalence and a heavy economic burden. Periodontal disease has been associated with cardiovascular diseases—including incident coronary heart disease, peripheral artery disease and ischemic stroke. The study evaluates the quality of life of patients with cardiovascular and periodontal disease from the point of view of oral health by using the short version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) questionnaire.

Seminal plasma insemination during ovum-pickup--a method to increase pregnancy rate in IVF/ICSI procedure. A pilot randomized trial.

Purpose: In IVF procedures, endometrial function is a limiting factor of the pregnancy rate and the aims of this study is to determine whether seminal plasma insemination at ovum pick-up in IVF has any effect on pregnancy rate.

Methods: We designed a single center, 2 parallel groups, randomized pilot study. All couples undergoing an IVF procedure in our clinic between January 2010 and December 2011 were considered for enrollment in the study.

Predictive factors for severe evolution in acute pancreatitis and a new score for predicting a severe outcome.

Background: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an acute inflammation of the pancreas with an unpredictable evolution. The aim of this study was to assess the factors associated with severe evolution of AP and to create a new score for predicting a severe outcome.

Methods: The initial group included 334 patients hospitalized in 2006-2009.

Can ARFI elastography predict the presence of significant esophageal varices in newly diagnosed cirrhotic patients?

Aim: To establish an algorithm which includes the liver stiffness (LS) and/or spleen stiffness (SS) assessed by ARFI for the prediction of significant esophageal varices-EV (at least grade 2).

Material And Methods: Our study included 145 newly diagnosed cirrhotic patients admitted in our Department between September 2009-August 2011. 62 patients (42.

A new scoring system for prediction of fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C.

Background: Liver biopsy (LB) is still considered to be the gold standard for assessment of liver fibrosis.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of various non-invasive methods for predicting liver fibrosis, including transient elastography (TE), APRI score, Lok score, Forns score, FIB-4 score, Fibrosis Index, King score, and Bonacini score, in comparison with the effectiveness of LB and to create a new scoring system for fibrosis prediction.

Patients And Methods: This study included 212 patients with chronic HCV hepatitis.

How efficient is acoustic radiation force impulse elastography for the evaluation of liver stiffness?

Background: In chronic liver diseases, a correct estimation of the severity of liver fibrosis is important for recommendations regarding the treatment. Nowadays, evaluation of fibrosis is done by noninvasive methods such as biochemical scores and transient elastography instead of liver biopsy. The lack of sensitivity to detect fibrosis, because of its heterogeneity is a drawback of liver biopsy (LB).

Is it better to use two elastographic methods for liver fibrosis assessment?

Aim: To find out if by combining 2 ultrasound based elastographic methods: acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography and transient elastography (TE), we can improve the prediction of fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Methods: Our study included 197 patients with chronic hepatitis C. In each patient, we performed, in the same session, liver stiffness (LS) measurements by means of TE and ARFI, respectively, and liver biopsy (LB), assessed according to the Metavir score.

The mean values of liver stiffness assessed by Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse elastography in normal subjects.

Unlabelled: The AIM of this paper is to establish the values of liver stiffness (LS) assessed by means of ARFI in patients without known liver pathology and considered healthy subjects.

Material And Method: the study group was composed of 82 subjects without known liver pathology, healthy volunteers or patients from other departments of our hospital who did not have altered liver laboratory tests. 76 patients had ARFI valid measurements (47 women and 29 men, mean age 34.

Spleen assessment by Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse Elastography (ARFI) for prediction of liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension.

Aim: To establish the values of spleen stiffness (SS) assessed by Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) in healthy subjects and in cirrhotic patients, and to evaluate its predictive value for the presence of cirrhosis and for the presence and severity of esophageal varices (EV).

Patients And Methods: Our study included 82 subjects (15 healthy volunteers, 57 cirrhotic patients, 10 with various grade of liver fibrosis), 38 women and 44 men. Of these, 42 cirrhotic patients had varices, 30 had significant EV and 11 had a history of variceal bleeding.

The quality of the fragment obtained by liver biopsy for staging chronic hepatitis.

Unlabelled: The aim of our paper was to assess the quality of the liver fragment obtained by liver biopsy for staging chronic hepatitis.

Material And Method: We analyzed retrospectively 250 echoassisted percutaneous liver biopsies (LB) concerning the length of the fragment and the mean number of portal spaces. We used Menghini modified needles 1.

Criteria for classification of medical information.

Medical information, which is the central notion in medical informatics, covers a large scale of structures and forms. Several classifications are possible and two criteria have been used in this paper: structural level and informational level. According to structural level we can distinguish three major areas: bioinformatics and neuroinformatics for molecular/cellular level, medical informatics for individual level and health informatics for community level and healthcare units.