Management of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures: a multidisciplinary approach.

The International League against Epilepsy (ILAE) proposed a diagnostic scheme for psychogenic non-epileptic seizure (PNES). The debate on ethical aspects of the diagnostic procedures is ongoing, the treatment is not standardized and management might differ according to age group. The objective was to reach an expert and stakeholder consensus on PNES management.

Finite element analysis of the pelvis including gait muscle forces: an investigation into the effect of rami fractures on load transmission.

Background: The objective of the study is to investigate the load transmission within the pelvic ring under physiological loading during gait and to correlate these results with clinical findings. In a second approach, we analysed how load distribution is altered by fractures of the anterior pelvic ring.

Methods: Muscle forces and joint reaction forces are calculated by inverse dynamics and implemented in a finite element pelvis model including the joints.

Effectiveness of First-Line Bevacizumab in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: The Observational Cohort Study GRETA.

Background: Scant real-world data exist on the clinical outcomes associated with the use of bevacizumab-containing chemotherapy (B+CT) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). The primary objective of the GRETA cohort study was to compare the overall survival (OS) of patients with mCRC treated with first-line B+CT versus chemotherapy (CT) alone, in an Italian clinical practice setting.

Materials And Methods: Incident patients with mCRC were identified during the period 2010-2012 from five population-based cancer registries in Italy.

Metabolic syndrome impact on cardiac autonomic modulation and exercise capacity in obese adults.

Unlabelled: Obesity is often associated with increased risk of cardiometabolic morbidities and mortality. However, evidence shows that some obese individuals are more likely to develop such risk factors early in life, including those with Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). Whether the presence of MetS in obese people impairs cardiac autonomic modulation (CAM) remains to be investigated.

A case of suspected illegal abortion: how clinicians may assist the forensic pathologist.

Abortion may be performed in a safe or unsafe manner, the latter being a frequent and dangerous event. It can also be performed in countries where abortion is legally recognised but, for various reasons, may be undertaken in an illegal environment. We present a case of a possible illegal abortion.

Integration of "Omics" Strategies for Biomarkers Discovery and for the Elucidation of Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Brugada Syndrome.

Purpose: The Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a severe inherited cardiac disorder. Given the high genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity of this disease, three different "omics" approaches are integrated in a synergic way to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of BrS as well as for identifying reliable diagnostic/prognostic markers.

Experimental Design: The profiling of plasma Proteome and MiRNome is perfomed in a cohort of Brugada patients that were preliminary subjected to genomic analysis to assess a peculiar gene mutation profile.

Cannabinoid receptor types 1 and 2 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α: distribution in the skin of clinically healthy cats and cats with hypersensitivity dermatitis.

Background: Cannabinoid receptors and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPAR-α) are gaining recognition as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of skin disorders.

Hypothesis/objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of cannabinoid type 1 and 2 receptors (CBR1 and CBR2) and PPAR-α in feline skin and verify whether changes occur in the course of hypersensitivity dermatitis.

Animals: Twelve privately owned cats.

Ultrathin, flexible and multimodal tactile sensors based on organic field-effect transistors.

In this study, a novel approach to the fabrication of a multimodal temperature and force sensor on ultrathin, conformable and flexible substrates is presented. This process involves coupling a charge-modulated organic field-effect transistor (OCMFET) with a pyro/piezoelectric element, namely a commercial film of poly-vinylene difluoride (PVDF). The proposed device is able to respond to both pressure stimuli and temperature variations, demonstrating the feasibility of the approach for the development of low-cost, highly sensitive and conformable multimodal sensors.

Asymmetric nucleophilic fluorination under hydrogen bonding phase-transfer catalysis.

Common anionic nucleophiles such as those derived from inorganic salts have not been used for enantioselective catalysis because of their insolubility. Here, we report that merging hydrogen bonding and phase-transfer catalysis provides an effective mode of activation for nucleophiles that are insoluble in organic solvents. This catalytic manifold relies on hydrogen bonding complexation to render nucleophiles soluble and reactive, while simultaneously inducing asymmetry in the ensuing transformation.

Characteristics of people living in Italy after a cancer diagnosis in 2010 and projections to 2020.

Background: Estimates of cancer prevalence are widely based on limited duration, often including patients living after a cancer diagnosis made in the previous 5 years and less frequently on complete prevalence (i.e., including all patients regardless of the time elapsed since diagnosis).

Quality of Life in Workers and Stress: Gender Differences in Exposure to Psychosocial Risks and Perceived Well-Being.

Background: Quality of working life is the result of many factors inherent in the workplace environment, especially in terms of exposure to psychosocial risks.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to assess the quality of life with special attention to gender differences.

Methods: The HSE-IT questionnaire and the WHO-5 Well-Being Index were administered to a group of workers (74 males and 33 females).

Could the screening for correct oral health reduce the impact of death due to bolus asphyxia in adult patients? A forensic case report.

Introduction: "Bolus death" or "Café Coronary syndrome" refers to death due to asphyxia caused by an occlusion of the upper airways due to food. In this kind of asphyxia, the food bolus obstructs the larynx or the bronchial branches. This kind of event often affects subjects with acute intoxication due to alcohol or drugs, or with edentulism and with neurological or psychiatric diseases.

Description and Validation of TAVIApp: A Novel Mobile Application for Support of Physicians in the Management of Aortic Stenosis-Management of Aortic Stenosis with TAVIApp.

Background: Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most common heart valve disease in developed countries. The advent of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) significantly improved patients' outcome but made clinical management more complex. The aim of the present study was to describe TAVIApp, a mobile app we developed to guide the management of AS, and test its efficacy.

Electric or traumatic injury? The role of histopathological investigations.

Analysis of wounds is crucial in forensic medicine to prove how an injury was caused. In many cases, microscopic analysis may be decisive. It is often difficult to distinguish macroscopic skin lesions resulting from electrical, mechanical and from thermal trauma where these occur simultaneously and to formulate a correct differential diagnosis.

Quantifying the risk-reduction potential of new Modified Risk Tobacco Products.

Quantitative risk assessment of novel Modified Risk Tobacco Products (MRTP) must rest on indirect measurements that are indicative of disease development prior to epidemiological data becoming available. For this purpose, a Population Health Impact Model (PHIM) has been developed to estimate the reduction in the number of deaths from smoking-related diseases following the introduction of an MRTP. One key parameter of the model, the F-factor, describes the effective dose upon switching from cigarette smoking to using an MRTP.

Fetal Exposure to Maternal Pregnancy Complications and Respiratory Health in Childhood.

A number of studies have highlighted that prenatal adverse events can affect the offspring's health status. We evaluated whether pregnancy complications might affect the respiratory health of the offspring during infancy and childhood. In 2006, all the children (3-14 years,  = 3,907) living in the Viadana district (Mantua, Italy) were surveyed through a parental questionnaire about pregnancy complications (hypertensive disorders, febrile infections, gynecological infections) and early-life and current respiratory diseases.

The detection of interval colorectal cancers following screening by fecal immunochemical test may predict worse outcomes and prompt ethical concerns: a 6-year population-based cohort study in a full district.

The rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) interval surveyed in screen-detected patients using a fecal immunochemical test (FIT) are not negligible. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of interval cancer on outcomes compared with a population with cancer diagnosed after a positive test result. All patients between 50 and 71 years of age, who were residents of the Mantua district, affected by CRC and operated on from 2005 to 2010 were reviewed.

Scuba diving death: Always due to drowning? Two forensic cases and a review of the literature.

Scuba diving is an increasingly common recreational activity. We describe the physiopathology of barotrauma in two cases where death was caused by pulmonary barotrauma while diving. An inspection and autopsy were carried out in both cases.

Quality of Life in Dementia Sufferers: The Role of Diet and Exercise.

Background: Among the myriad of factors modulating quality of life assessments estimated in patients presenting a variety of cognitive impairments, the distinctive and critical influence of diet and exercise cannot be overestimated.

Objective: The objective of this study was to review the evidence to confirm the association between these health-endowering agents and cognitive performance in People With Dementia as well as providing a correlation between Mini Mental State Examination scores and available anthropometric data.

Methods: The authors tested the hypothesized correlation on a sample of subjects with instrumentally confirmed cognitive impairment using parameters as Body Mass Index and calf circumference.

The Role of Forensic Botany in Solving a Case: Scientific Evidence on the Falsification of a Crime Scene.

Forensic botany can provide useful information for pathologists, particularly on crime scene investigation. We report the case of a man who arrived at the hospital and died shortly afterward. The body showed widespread electrical lesions.

The Biological Effects of Kambo: Is There a Relationship Between its Administration and Sudden Death?

Kambo is a substance obtained from the skin secretions of a frog, Phyllomedusa bicolor, popular in the Amazon region, which is administered via the transdermal route. We report a case of 42-year-old man found dead in his house. Near the corpse, a plastic box labeled as "Kambo sticks" was found.

Work-Related Noise Exposure in a Cohort of Patients with Chronic Tinnitus: Analysis of Demographic and Audiological Characteristics.

Work-related noise exposure is one of the major factors contributing to the development of adult-onset hearing loss and tinnitus. The aim of this study was to analyze, in patients with chronic tinnitus and long-term occupational noise exposure, (A) characteristics of hearing loss, tinnitus, comorbidities, demographic characteristics and a history of work-related noise exposure and (B) differences among individuals employed in occupations with high and low risk of developing work-related noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). One hundred thirty six patients with chronic tinnitus and at least a 10 year-long working history were divided into two groups based on the risk of their profession to induce NIHL.