The Psychological and Medical Landscape of Anorexia Nervosa over a Decade: A Retrospective Study of Possible Physical and Psychological Shifts.

In recent years, the definition, clinical characteristics, and psychological aspects of anorexia nervosa (AN) have undergone notable changes, influenced by various factors such as biology, psychology, and the environment. The COVID-19 pandemic is one such external factor that has been preliminarily identified as affecting the clinical presentation of AN. This study specifically aims to assess the alterations in psychological and medical features observed in individuals with AN during the pandemic.

Spinal 'flip-flop' effect in anorexia nervosa: A case report.

Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric eating disorder related to malnutrition and consequent altered metabolism. A 48-year-old female with a history of anorexia in the last 2 years referred to our hospital with spinal pain. She underwent spinal X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showing multiple vertebral collapses in dorsal and lumbar spine with inversion of normal bone marrow and soft tissue signal in T1-weighted and STIR images.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of beta-blockers vs endoscopic surveillance in patients with cirrhosis and small varices.

Aim: To evaluate the most cost-effectiveness strategy for preventing variceal growth and bleeding in patients with cirrhosis and small esophageal varices.

Methods: A stochastic analysis based on decision trees was performed to compare the cost-effectiveness of beta-blockers therapy starting from a diagnosis of small varices (Strategy 1) with that of endoscopic surveillance followed by beta-blockers treatment when large varices are demonstrated (Strategy 2), for preventing variceal growth, bleeding and death in patients with cirrhosis and small esophageal varices. The basic nodes of the tree were gastrointestinal endoscopy, inpatient admission and treatment for bleeding, as required.

Prospective evaluation of clinical and ultrasound findings in ankle disease in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: importance of ankle ultrasound.

Objective: To prospectively compare clinical examination of the ankle structures with ultrasound (US) findings.

Methods: In 42 children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA; 25 girls, 17 boys, mean age 11.3 yrs, range 2.

Biological and clinical effects of anti-TNFalpha treatment.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) is implicated in the pathogenesis of many chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and uveitis. The availability of new pharmacological agents (infliximab, etanercept, adalimumab), able to selectively block the TNFalpha, has recently offered new opportunity for the treatment of these diseases. TNFalpha antagonists are different in the mechanism of action and are all effective agents in the treatment of RA and several chronic inflammatory diseases as a large number of controlled clinical trials have shown.

Body mass index and agreement between bioimpedance and anthropometry estimates of body compartments in anorexia nervosa.

Background: In 74 women with anorexia nervosa (body mass index [BMI] 10-17.5 kg/m(2)), a progressive disagreement between anthropometry and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) estimates of fat (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) was documented with a BMI <15 kg/m(2). Below this threshold, an abnormal body composition was detected with vector BIA independent on body weight (useful tool at the bedside).

Sodium depletion and hemoconcentration: overlooked complications in patients with anorexia nervosa?

Objective: This study evaluated sodium and fluid balance disturbances in anorexia nervosa.

Methods: Serum urea, creatinine, urea nitrogen/creatinine ratio, protein concentration, osmolality, electrolytes, hemoglobin, and hematocrit were evaluated on admission, after intravenous fluid supplementation, and at discharge in 14 patients who had anorexia nervosa and were admitted to a medical unit for severe malnutrition and/or medical complications. Diet history and physical signs of salt and water depletion were also evaluated on admission.

Acute liver damage in anorexia nervosa.

We report a case of a 26-year-old White woman with a history of anorexia nervosa who developed severe liver damage and multiorgan dysfunction. At admission to our medical unit, her body mass index (BMI) was 10.8.

Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), a nutritional marker in patients with eating disorders.

Background And Aims: Though low levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) have been repeatedly reported in patients with eating disorders, the nutritional significance of IGF-1 has not been evaluated. The study aimed to assess the utility of IGF-1 for screening malnutrition and for monitoring nutrition intervention in patients with eating disorders.

Methods: IGF-1 and nutritional status were evaluated in 82 patients, 59 with anorexia nervosa (AN), and 23 with bulimia nervosa (BN).

Nutrition and survival in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Although the effect of malnutrition on survival has been demonstrated by a number of studies, it is not clear whether malnutrition represents an independent risk factor in patients with liver disease. We studied 212 hospitalized patients with liver cirrhosis who were followed clinically for 2 y or until death. Body fat and muscle mass were evaluated by triceps skinfold thickness (TSF) and midarm muscle circumference (MAMC), respectively.

Preliminary evaluation of sensititre system for identifying gram-negative bacilli.

The automated microdilution Sensititre System (Sensititre, LtD.) was evaluated for the identification of 120 clinically isolated fermenter and non-fermenter Gram negative bacilli and of 12 ATCC reference strains (American Type Culture Collection). Daily and overnight (5 and 18 hours) identifications were performed according to the manufacturer.

Fusarium peritonitis in peritoneal dialysis: report of two cases.

This report describes two cases of peritoneal dialysis-related peritonitis caused by Fusarium species which have been incriminated in a variety of disease conditions. Treatment with 5-Fluorocytosine was unsuccessful, but removal of the catheter resulted in a rapid resolution of the infections.

Ofloxacin: in vitro activity against recently isolated gram-negative bacterial strains.

The activity of ofloxacin was determined against 117 Enterobacteriaceae, 13 Acinetobacter var, anitratus, 124 Pseudomonas aeruginosa in comparison with other antibiotics. Its activity was very high: against Enterobacteriaceae the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)50 was 0.125 micrograms/ml, the MIC90 1 micrograms/ml, and the geometric mean (GM) was 0.

Patterns of haemagglutinating activity of Escherichia coli.

MR and MS adhesins on 169 strains of Escherichia coli subjected to different cultural conditions were detected. Haemagglutination Test (static settling test in plastic microtiter trays) was used and several species of red blood cells were employed. The results confirm that different media can influence the expression of the adhesins and that using as many species of red blood cells as possible one can detect different adhesins.

[Detection of bacteremia by biphasic and radiometric methods].

During one year period our laboratory carried out 859 hemocultures. These have been evaluated with two methods: a conventional biphasic method (Castaneda bottles), and the automated radiometric method (Bactec System). 185 cultures were obtained with one or both methods.

Comparative in vitro activity of eight antibiotics against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and infrequently isolated gram-negative bacilli.

Seventy-eight Gram-negative non-fermentative bacilli have been tested against eight antimicrobial agents (wide spectrum penicillins, newer generation cephalosporins and aminoglycosides). Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) of each compound were determined by microdilution technique. Ceftazidime showed higher antibacterial activity against all bacterial strains.

[Comparison of AMS and MS-2 in the identification and antibiotic sensitivity of clinically isolated bacterial strains].

282 clinical bacterial strains have been identified with AMS and MS-2. Among biochemical tests only lysine, adhonitol , glucose did not show significant differences. The overall correlation has been 86.

[Comparative evaluation of 3 miniaturized systems (API 20E, Enterotube II, Sensititre AP60) commonly used in clinical microbiology laboratories].

API 20E, Enterotube II, Sensititre AP60 have been evaluated. Some biochemical tests (lysine, ornithine, VP, H2S, adonitol , arabinose, citrate) have revealed significative differences among three systems. The total correlations about bacterial identifications have been very similar.