A large Italian observational multicentre study on vascular ulcers of the lower limbs (Studio Ulcere Vascolari).

An observational study of 2 years was promoted by the Italian Association for Cutaneous Ulcers (AIUC) in order to monitor the epidemiology of leg ulcers, the trend of healing and the more frequent therapeutic approaches in lower limb ulcers. Fifty-nine sites in 14 different Italian regions involved in the study, with 1333 enrolled patients (1163 patients fully evaluated and followed up for 9 months). A prevalence of females (62%) was observed with a mean age of 70 years and a high rate of hypertension (62%), diabetes (38%) and obesity (29%).

Gender differences in HIV infection: is there a problem? Analysis from the SCOLTA cohorts.

Objectives: Evaluate gender differences with regard to baseline characteristics and outcome of therapy in cohorts of the SCOLTA (surveillance cohort long-term toxicity of antiretrovirals) project.

Methods: The SCOLTA project is an active pharmacovigilance system for new antiretroviral drugs. Since 2002, patients were enrolled in nine cohorts (lopinavir, tenofovir, atazanavir, fosamprenavir, enfuvirtide, tipranavir, darunavir, raltegravir and maraviroc).

Coffee and caffeine intake and risk of endometriosis: a meta-analysis.

Purpose: The potential association between endometriosis and coffee/caffeine consumption has been analysed in several epidemiological studies. In order to establish whether caffeine influences the risk of endometriosis, we provide to summarize the evidence from published studies on this issue.

Methods: We performed a meta-analysis of epidemiological studies published up to January 2013.

Risk of cervical HPV infection and prevalence of vaccine-type and other high-risk HPV types among sexually active teens and young women (13-26 years) enrolled in the VALHIDATE study.

HPV vaccination is expected to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer. The greatest and the earliest health gains will be ensured by high vaccine coverage among all susceptible people. The high costs and the risk of a reduced cost/effectiveness ratio in sexually active girls still represent the main obstacles for a more widespread use of HPV vaccination in many countries.

Decreasing cardiovascular risk in HIV infection between 2005 and 2011.

Cardiovascular risk profile was compared in 765 Italian HIV-infected outpatients enrolled in 2005 and in 765 individually age-matched and sex-matched patients enrolled in 2011. Median Framingham risk score was 8.6% in 2005 vs.

Staufen1 senses overall transcript secondary structure to regulate translation.

Human Staufen1 (Stau1) is a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-binding protein implicated in multiple post-transcriptional gene-regulatory processes. Here we combined RNA immunoprecipitation in tandem (RIPiT) with RNase footprinting, formaldehyde cross-linking, sonication-mediated RNA fragmentation and deep sequencing to map Staufen1-binding sites transcriptome wide. We find that Stau1 binds complex secondary structures containing multiple short helices, many of which are formed by inverted Alu elements in annotated 3' untranslated regions (UTRs) or in 'strongly distal' 3' UTRs.

Four years data of raltegravir-based salvage therapy in HIV-1-infected, treatment-experienced patients: the SALIR-E Study.

Apart from the BENCHMRK study, there are no large observational experiences describing the long-term efficacy and safety of rescue regimens for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. Antiretroviral-experienced patients with detectable viraemia starting a raltegravir (RAL)-based regimen between March 2007 and June 2009 were consecutively enrolled and followed for ≥4 years. Data were censored at Week 206 for homogeneity.

Influence on alveolar resorption of the buccal bony plate width in the edentulous ridge expansion (E.R.E.)--an experimental study in the dog.

Objective: To compare the hard tissue changes at implants installed applying edentulous ridge expansion (E.R.E.

Biochemical characterization of patients with in-frame or out-of-frame DMD deletions pertinent to exon 44 or 45 skipping.

Importance: In Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the reading frame of an out-of-frame DMD deletion can be repaired by antisense oligonucleotide (AO)-mediated exon skipping. This creates a shorter dystrophin protein, similar to those expressed in the milder Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD). The skipping of some exons may be more efficacious than others.

A cone beam tomographic evaluation of hard tissue alterations at immediate implants: a clinical prospective study.

The aim of this study was to investigate the hard tissue alterations of the alveolar bone crest following tooth extraction and immediate implant placement using cone beam computed tomography. Twelve consecutive patients in need of an immediate dental implant were included in the study. An implant of proper length was placed in the extraction socket with the coronal margin of the rough surface generally flush with or deeper than the buccal alveolar bone crest.

Increased expression of putative cancer stem cell markers in the bone marrow of prostate cancer patients is associated with bone metastasis progression.

Background: The number of cells positive for the α-6 and α-2 integrin subunits and the c-Met receptor in primary tumors and bone biopsies from prostate cancer patients has been correlated with metastasis and disease progression. The objective of this study was to quantify disseminated tumour cells present in bone marrow in prostate cancer patients using specific markers and determine their correlation with metastasis and survival.

Methods: Patients were included at different stage of prostate cancer disease, from localised to metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

RIPiT-Seq: a high-throughput approach for footprinting RNA:protein complexes.

Development of high-throughput approaches to map the RNA interaction sites of individual RNA binding proteins (RBPs) transcriptome-wide is rapidly transforming our understanding of post-transcriptional gene regulatory mechanisms. Here we describe a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) footprinting approach we recently developed for identifying occupancy sites of both individual RBPs and multi-subunit RNP complexes. RNA:protein immunoprecipitation in tandem (RIPiT) yields highly specific RNA footprints of cellular RNPs isolated via two sequential purifications; the resulting RNA footprints can then be identified by high-throughput sequencing (Seq).

Prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control rate of hypertension in HIV-infected patients: the HIV-HY study.

Background: We aimed to assess the prevalence of hypertension in an unselected human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected population and to identify factors associated with hypertension prevalence, treatment, and control.

Methods: We used a multicenter, cross-sectional, nationwide study that sampled 1,182 unselected, consecutive, HIV-infected patients. Office blood pressure was accurately measured with standard procedures.

MRI neurography findings in patients with idiopathic brachial plexopathy: correlations with clinical-neurophysiological data in eight consecutive cases.

Objective: Idiopathic brachial plexopathy is a non-progressive disorder characterized by the sudden onset of shoulder pain associated with weakness and sometimes paraesthesia of the arm. Clinical and electrophysiological examinations are the primary diagnostic tools and allow physicians to localize the site of damage. MRI neurography is rarely performed in this setting.

Large scale genotype-phenotype analyses indicate that novel prognostic tools are required for families with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy has been genetically linked to reduced numbers (≤ 8) of D4Z4 repeats at 4q35 combined with 4A(159/161/168) DUX4 polyadenylation signal haplotype. However, we have recently reported that 1.3% of healthy individuals carry this molecular signature and 19% of subjects affected by facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy do not carry alleles with eight or fewer D4Z4 repeats.

A long noncoding RNA mediates both activation and repression of immune response genes.

An inducible program of inflammatory gene expression is central to antimicrobial defenses. This response is controlled by a collaboration involving signal-dependent activation of transcription factors, transcriptional co-regulators, and chromatin-modifying factors. We have identified a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) that acts as a key regulator of this inflammatory response.

Alternative splicing alterations of Ca2+ handling genes are associated with Ca2+ signal dysregulation in myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) and type 2 (DM2) myotubes.

Aims: The pathogenesis of myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) and type 2 (DM2) has been related to the aberrant splicing of several genes, including those encoding for ryanodine receptor 1 (RYR1), sarcoplasmatic/endoplasmatic Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA) and α1S subunit of voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels (Cav 1.1). The aim of this study is to determine whether alterations of these genes are associated with changes in the regulation of intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis and signalling.

'Pathognomonic' muscle imaging findings in DNAJB6 mutated LGMD1D.

Background And Purpose: We have previously reported clinical, genetic and molecular pathomechanistic findings in DNAJB6 mutated LGMD1D. After publishing clinical findings of the original Finnish family we identified more Finnish, Italian and US families with the same disease, ultimately confirmed by mutations in the same gene.

Methods: Of the total number of 28 examined Finnish and Italian patients 23 underwent lower limb muscle imaging.

Inter-centre variability of the adenoma detection rate: a prospective, multicentre study.

Background: Suboptimal colonoscopy quality is related to a higher risk of interval cancer. Aim of our study was to explore the variability in detection rate of neoplasia among different endoscopic centres in an unselected population.

Methods: Consecutive patients referred for colonoscopy in 28 Italian centres were included.

A metaanalysis on alcohol consumption and risk of endometriosis.

Objective: To offer a general figure of the available data on the relation between alcohol intake and risk of endometriosis, we conducted a systematic review and a metaanalysis of studies published up to May 2012.

Study Design: We carried out a literature search of all case-control and cohort studies published as original articles in English up to May 2012. Only those papers that were published as full-length articles were considered.

A controlled, randomised study on the efficacy of two overlays in the treatment of decubitus ulcers.

Aim: The aims of this study were to evaluate the performance and effectiveness of an antibedsore overlay in 3D structure of new conception towards an overlay of common use. Evaluation parameters: wound area reduction, healing, safety and comfort.

Methods: Open randomized multicenter study comparing the two overlays for the treatment and prevention of pressure sores.

Temporal trend in the frequency of ectopic pregnancies in Lombardy, Italy.

Background: In recent years, epidemiological data showed that the incidence of ectopic pregnancies (EP) is decreasing, but few data are available on the time trend in Southern European populations.

Methods: Using data from the Lombardy Region Database, we calculated and standardized the EP rates/10,000 resident women and the ratios/1,000 pregnancies.

Results: Data regarding 1,777,011 pregnancies and 17,028 cases of EP were recorded among women resident in Lombardy between 1996 and 2010, aged 15-50 years old.

Mitochondrial network genes in the skeletal muscle of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients.

Recent evidence suggested that muscle degeneration might lead and/or contribute to neurodegeneration, thus it possibly play a key role in the etiopathogenesis and progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). To test this hypothesis, this study attempted to categorize functionally relevant genes within the genome-wide expression profile of human ALS skeletal muscle, using microarray technology and gene regulatory network analysis. The correlation network structures significantly change between patients and controls, indicating an increased inter-gene connection in patients compared to controls.

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 and de novo FSHD mutation double trouble: a clinical and muscle MRI study.

Here we describe the first case of myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) associated with facio-scapulo-humeral dystrophy (FSHD). From a clinical point of view, the patient displayed a pattern of muscle involvement reminiscent of both disorders, including hand-grip myotonia, facial, axial and distal limbs muscle weakness as well as a bilateral winged scapula associated with atrophy of the pectoralis major muscle and lumbar lordosis; pelvic muscles were mostly spared. An extensive muscle MRI assessment including neck, shoulder, abdominal, pelvic and lower limb muscles documented radiological features typical of DM1 and FSDH.