Use of hydroxychloroquine in hospitalised COVID-19 patients is associated with reduced mortality: Findings from the observational multicentre Italian CORIST study.

Background: Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) was proposed as potential treatment for COVID-19.

Objective: We set-up a multicenter Italian collaboration to investigate the relationship between HCQ therapy and COVID-19 in-hospital mortality.

Methods: In a retrospective observational study, 3,451 unselected patients hospitalized in 33 clinical centers in Italy, from February 19, 2020 to May 23, 2020, with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, were analyzed.

DNA Methylation of Steroidogenic Enzymes in Benign Adrenocortical Tumors: New Insights in Aldosterone-Producing Adenomas.

Context: DNA methylation has been identified among putative regulatory mechanisms for CYP11B2 expression in primary aldosteronism.

Objective: The objective of this work is to investigate DNA methylation and expression of genes encoding steroidogenic enzymes in benign adrenocortical tumors.

Design And Setting: This cross-sectional study took place at university hospitals.

Infections in systemic autoimmune diseases.

Introduction: Infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with systemic autoimmune diseases. The aim of the present study is to describe the frequency of infections in a historical cohort of the SAD polyclinic of the Maciel Hospital, according to the type of disease and treatment received.

Material And Methods: An analytical, retrospective and observational study was conducted in 339 patients with SAD attended at the outpatient clinic in the period from January 1, 2012 to February 28, 2019.

Infrapatellar Fat Pad Gene Expression and Protein Production in Patients with and without Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common joint disorders. Evidence suggests that the infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) is directly involved in OA pathology. However, a comparison between OA versus non-OA IFP is still missing.

Correction to: Diet approach before and after bariatric surgery.

The original version of this article unfortunately, has the incorrect title reported in the published paper.

Diet approach before and after bariatric surgery.

Bariatric surgery (BS) is today the most effective therapy for inducing long-term weight loss and for reducing comorbidity burden and mortality in patients with severe obesity. On the other hand, BS may be associated to new clinical problems, complications and side effects, in particular in the nutritional domain. Therefore, the nutritional management of the bariatric patients requires specific nutritional skills.

Renal structure in type 2 diabetes: facts and misconceptions.

The clinical manifestations of diabetic nephropathy are similar in type 1 and type 2 diabetes, while the renal lesions may differ. Indeed, diabetic glomerulopathy is the predominant renal lesion in type 1 diabetes, although also tubular, interstitial and arteriolar lesions are present in the advanced stages of renal disease. In contrast, in type 2 diabetes renal lesions are heterogeneous, and a substantial number of type 2 diabetic patients with diabetic kidney disease have mild or absent glomerulopathy with tubulointerstitial and/or arteriolar abnormalities.

Electrophysiological features in acromegaly: re-thinking the arrhythmic risk?

Background: Acromegaly is disease associated with a specific cardiomyopathy. Hitherto, it has been widely understood that acromegaly carries an increased risk of arrhythmia.

Purpose: In this review we show that evidences are limited to a small number of case-control studies that reported increased rates of premature ventricular beats (PVB) but no more significant arrhythmia.

Subclinical atherosclerosis evolution during 5 years of anti-TNF-alpha treatment in psoriatic arthritis patients.

Objectives: Our aim was to evaluate subclinical atherosclerosis progression during 5 years of anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α treatment in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients.

Methods: Thirty-two consecutive PsA patients starting TNF-α inhibitors were enrolled and evaluated at baseline (T0), 2 years (FU1) and 5 years (FU2) of treatment. Arterial structural properties were evaluated by B-mode ultrasound of mean carotid intima-media thickness (mean-IMT) and maximum IMT (M-MAX) in each segment (common, bulb, internal), bilaterally.

Current smoking is not associated with COVID-19.

https://bit.ly/3eUnl1R

The P2X7 Receptor and NLRP3 Axis in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Brief Review.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease worldwide, and its prevalence is reaching epidemic characteristics both in adults and in children. The increase of NAFLD prevalence parallels that of obesity, now representing the major cause of liver inflammation, increasing the risk of cirrhosis and hepatocarcinoma. Furthermore, NAFLD is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes, two of the major leading causes of morbidity and mortality in western countries.

Ovarian 25OH-vitamin D production in young women affected by polycystic ovary syndrome.

Introduction: Vitamin D is involved in the regulatory mechanisms of ovarian function and is frequently low in PCOS patients. Since obesity and hyperinsulinemic state negatively influenced vitamin D levels, therefore, we evaluated the production of vitamin D at the ovarian level only in lean and normoinsulinemic PCOS subjects. Basal, GnRH analogue-induced ovarian production of 25OH-vitamin D (VitD) and a direct sampling at ovarian vein level were investigated.

Bone Metabolism and Vitamin D Implication in Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors.

Patients affected by gastroenteropancreatic-neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) have an increased risk of developing osteopenia and osteoporosis, as several factors impact on bone metabolism in these patients. In fact, besides the direct effect of bone metastasis, bone health can be affected by hormone hypersecretion (including serotonin, cortisol, and parathyroid hormone-related protein), specific microRNAs, nutritional status (which in turn could be affected by medical and surgical treatments), and vitamin D deficiency. In patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1), a hereditary syndrome associated with NET occurrence, bone damage may carry other consequences.

Testicular function and sexuality in adult patients with anorectal malformation.

Purpose: To collect data on sexual and fertility issues in adult male patients with history of anorectal malformations (ARM).

Materials And Methods: Thirty adult males born with ARM, cared for at the Pediatric Surgery of Treviso and Padua Hospitals, were enrolled and interviewed about sexual habits and relationships. Testicular ultrasound, evaluation of male sex hormones and semen analysis were performed to assess testicular function and compare data with 15 fertile controls.

In silico prediction of blood cholesterol levels from genotype data.

In this work we present a framework for blood cholesterol levels prediction from genotype data. The predictor is based on an algorithm for cholesterol metabolism simulation available in literature, implemented and optimized by our group in the R language. The main weakness of the former simulation algorithm was the need of experimental data to simulate mutations in genes altering the cholesterol metabolism.

Infrapatellar Fat Pad Stem Cells Responsiveness to Microenvironment in Osteoarthritis: From Morphology to Function.

Recently, infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) has been considered as a source of stem cells for cartilage regeneration in osteoarthritis (OA) due to their ability for differentiation into chondrocytes. However, stressful conditions, like that related to OA, may induce a pathogenic reprograming. The aim of this study was to characterize the structural and functional properties of a new population of stem cells isolated from osteoarthritic infrapatellar fat pad (OA-IFP).

Sudden death with massive hemoptysis from aortobronchial fistula.

Aortobronchial fistula is an uncommon clinical entity, with unpredictable clinical course and significant mortality. Here, we describe a case of fistulous tract between a descending aortic graft and a branch of the left upper lobar bronchus leading to massive hemoptysis causing death for hemorrhagic shock in a 72-year-old man.

Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Metabolic Properties of Tocopherols and Tocotrienols: Clinical Implications for Vitamin E Supplementation in Diabetic Kidney Disease.

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by the development of vascular complications associated with high morbidity and mortality and the consequent relevant costs for the public health systems. Diabetic kidney disease is one of these complications that represent the main cause of end-stage renal disease in Western countries. Hyperglycemia, inflammation, and oxidative stress contribute to its physiopathology, and several investigations have been performed to evaluate the role of antioxidant supplementation as a complementary approach for the prevention and control of diabetes and associated disturbances.