Sudden infant death syndrome: the role of multidisciplinary teams. Experience of the SIDS-ALTE Center of Liguria Region.

The aim of this paper was to highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary and multiprofessional management of SIDS for a complete approach to this tragic event. Both biomedical and psychosocial aspects are evaluated, focusing on the impact of SIDS diagnosis on the family. The paper describes the organization of our team, composed of a network of specialists involved in both prevention and management of SIDS.

Longitudinal modifications of the MELD score have prognostic meaning in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Background: The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score is an important and well established tool for assessing prognosis in patients with liver cirrhosis. It has been suggested that the longitudinal evaluation of the MELD score may reflect the progression of liver failure more reliably and therefore be more useful in prognostic assessment.

Aim: To assess the prognostic meaning of MELD score modifications in a cohort of cirrhotic patients in whom clinical and biochemical workup was carried out at least twice during a minimum interval of 30 days.

Serum pro-collagen III peptide levels are related to lobular necrosis in untreated patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Objective: Liver biopsy is mandatory for correctly grading and staging chronic hepatitis activity. Nevertheless, serum markers of fibrogenesis may be useful to help us understand the mechanisms of the fibrogenic process, to follow-up patients, and to establish the efficacy of therapy. In this study, our aim was to identify the relationships between pro-collagen III peptide (PIIIP) serum levels and detailed liver histology in a group of untreated patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC).

Can the MEGX test and serum bile acids improve the prognostic ability of Child-Pugh's score in liver cirrhosis?

Background: Liver transplantation is nowadays the therapeutic option for end-stage liver disease. Correct disease staging is the main step towards improving the timing of listing for liver transplantation so as to avoid premature or late entry. The need for correct prognostic evaluation is due to the limited number of donors and to the increasing number of patients awaiting transplantation.