[The usefulness of Moynihan questionnaire in the evaluation of knowledge on healthy diet of patients undergoing cardiology rehabilitation].

Background: The aim of study was to test the usefulness of Moynihan questionnaire in the evaluation of knowledge on healthy diet of patients undergoing cardiology rehabilitation.

Methods: We enrolled 51 patients (pts): 41 men and 10 women, mean age 67.97 +/-11.

Successful liver transplantation in a patient with splanchnic vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism due to polycythemia vera with Jak2v617f mutation and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a rare complication of heparin treatment resulting in a severe acquired thrombophilic condition with an associated mortality of about 10 %. We report the first case of successful urgent liver transplantation (LT) in a patient with end-stage liver disease due to a Budd-Chiari syndrome, portal vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism due to acquired thrombophilia associated to polycythemia vera carrying JAK2V617F gene mutation and HIT in the acute phase. Lepirudin was used to provide anticoagulation in the LT perioperative period that was performed without haemorrhagic and thrombotic complications despite the donor received heparin during liver explantation.

Massive bleeding: Are we doing our best?

Massive bleeding accounts for more than 50% of all trauma-related deaths within the first 48h following hospital admission and it can significantly raise the mortality rate of any kind of surgery. Despite this great clinical relevance, evidence on the management of massive bleeding is surprisingly scarce, and its treatment is often based on empirical grounds. Successful treatment of massive haemorrhage depends on better understanding of the associated physiological changes as well as on good team work among the different specialists involved in the management of such a complex condition.

Adherence to Mediterranean diet and intake of antioxidants influence spontaneous conversion of atrial fibrillation.

Background And Aim: The Mediterranean diet (MedD) has long been associated with lower incidence of cardiovascular disease. Little information is available on association between MedD, vitamins intake and arrhythmias. We sought to investigate the relationship between adherence to MedD, antioxidants intake and spontaneous conversion of atrial fibrillation (AF).

Developmental overfeeding alters hypothalamic neuropeptide mRNA levels and response to a high-fat diet in adult mice.

It has been suggested that nutritional manipulations during the first weeks of life can alter the development of the hypothalamic circuits involved in energy homeostasis. We studied the expression of a large number of the hypothalamic neuropeptide mRNAs that control body weight in mice that were overfed during breastfeeding (mice grown in a small litter, SL) and/or during adolescence (adolescent mice fed a high-fat diet, AHF). We also investigated possible alterations in mRNA levels after 50 days of a high-fat diet (high-fat challenge, CHF) at 19 weeks of age.

Posttraumatic massive bleeding: a challenging multidisciplinary task.

Massive bleeding is a key issue in the treatment of trauma and surgery. It does in fact account for more than 50% of all trauma-related deaths within the first 48 h following hospital admission, and it can significantly raise the mortality rate of any kind of surgery. Despite this great clinical relevance, evidence on the management of massive bleeding is surprisingly scarce, and its treatment is often based on empirical grounds.

Spectrum of F8 gene mutations in haemophilia A patients from a region of Italy: identification of 23 new mutations.

Haemophilia A (HA) is an X-linked recessive bleeding disorder caused by a lack or decrease of coagulation factor VIII activity. The molecular diagnosis of HA is challenging and a variety of different mutations have been identified throughout the F8 gene. Our aim was to detect the causative mutation in 266 HA patients from Emilia-Romagna region (Italy) and in all suspected carriers.

Influence of coffee and caffeine consumption on atrial fibrillation in hypertensive patients.

Background And Aims: Coffee and caffeine are widely consumed in Western countries. Little information is available on the influence of coffee and caffeine consumption on atrial fibrillation (AF) in hypertensive patients. We sought to investigate the relationship between coffee consumption and atrial fibrillation with regard to spontaneous conversion of arrhythmia.

Structural and functional diversity of native brain neuronal nicotinic receptors.

Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are a family of ligand-gated ion channels present in the central and peripheral nervous systems, that are permeable to mono- and divalent cations. They share a common basic structure but their pharmacological and functional properties arise from the wide range of different subunit combinations making up distinctive subtypes. nAChRs are involved in many physiological functions in the central and peripheral nervous systems, and are the targets of the widely used drug of abuse nicotine.

Antithrombin plasma levels decrease is associated with preeclampsia worsening.

Antithrombin plasma levels (AT) have been found decreased in women with preeclampsia (PE), but little is known about the trend of AT during the course of this disease. We prospectively investigated AT in consecutive women admitted to our hospital with a diagnosis of PE, to assess if AT fluctuations could be associated with the evolution of the disease. AT, platelet count and D-dimer levels were determined every other day.

Intracerebral haemorrhage: an often neglected medical emergency.

Intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) is the deadliest form of stroke, carrying a mortality rate between 30% and 55%, increasing to 67% in patients on oral anticoagulant therapy (OAT). Despite its relevant incidence, the treatment of ICH has been until recently a largely neglected item, addressed by only a few trials. Early treatment of ICH in non-anticoagulated patients with recombinant activated factor VII (rFVII) has been demonstrated to be able to limit the growth of the haematoma, but such a promising result requires further confirmations.

Nicotine withdrawal increases body weight, neuropeptide Y and Agouti-related protein expression in the hypothalamus and decreases uncoupling protein-3 expression in the brown adipose tissue in high-fat fed mice.

Nicotine is known to decrease body weight in normal rodents and human smokers, whereas nicotine withdrawal or smoking cessation can increase body weight. We have found that mice fed a high fat diet do not show the anorectic effect of chronic nicotine treatment, but do increase their body weight following nicotine withdrawal. Nicotine withdrawal is accompanied by increased expression of the orexigenic peptides neuropeptide Y and Agouti-related protein in the hypothalamus, and decreased expression of the metabolic protein uncoupling protein-3 in brown adipose tissue.

Pathophysiology of bleeding in surgery.

Bleeding is a major surgical complication. Although mortality rates of 0.1% are observed for surgical procedures, it may be 5% to 8% for elective vascular surgery, and increase to 20% in the presence of severe bleeding.

Diet-induced changes in hypothalamic pro-opio-melanocortin mRNA in the rat hypothalamus.

Hypothalamic mRNA and peptide levels of pro-opio-melanocortin (POMC) and other neuropeptides were studied in rats that either develop obesity (diet-induced obese, DIO), when fed a palatable and hypercaloric diet (cafeteria diet, caf) or do not develop obesity (diet resistant, DR), when fed the same diet. cafDIO rats showed a significant increase in POMC, but not in melanin concentrating hormone, mRNA levels as determined by semiquantitative in situ hybridization. cafDR and cafDIO rats showed no change in POMC-derived peptide levels, whereas neuropeptide Y immunoreactivity was significantly increased in cafDR rats.

Subunit and region-specific decreases in nicotinic acetylcholine receptor mRNA in the aged rat brain.

We have investigated possible changes in the mRNA levels for several alpha and beta subunits of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) and the level of binding for nicotinic ligands in 7- to 32-month-old rats. Alpha4 and beta2, and to a lesser extent alpha6 and beta3, mRNA levels showed decreases between 20 and 30% at 29 months of age which in some areas reached 50% at 32 months of age. Alpha7 showed a small increase from 7 to 14 months and then a progressive decrease from 14 to 32 months down to the 7-month levels.

[Recurrent subacute encephalopathy in the framework of idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome].

History: An 81-year-old man, previously good health, suddenly developed confusion and rapidly progressive severe tetraparesis.

Investigations: Peripheral blood and bone marrow revealed marked eosinophilia: allergic, parasitic, neoplastic or vasculitic causes were excluded. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated multiple lesions in the cortical and subcortical white matter.

Spiral computed tomography: a novel diagnostic approach for investigation of the extracranial cerebral arteries and its complementary role in duplex ultrasonography.

Background: For the detection of atherosclerotic lesions of the extracranial cerebral arteries, duplex ultrasonography (US) is an established operator-dependent method, whereas arteriography is associated with the not-insignificant risk of embolic complications. Spiral CT is a promising novel diagnostic tool that allows noninvasive, operator-independent diagnosis of obstruction of extracranial cerebral arteries. The aim of our prospective study was to evaluate in a clinical setting the complementary role of duplex US and spiral CT.