1,833 results match your criteria: "Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences[Affiliation]"

Background: In recent years a broader range of immunomodulatory and immunosuppressive treatment options have emerged for people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (PMS). While consensus supports these options as reducing relapses, their relative benefit and safety profiles remain unclear due to a lack of direct comparison trials.

Objectives: To compare through network meta-analysis the efficacy and safety of alemtuzumab, azathioprine, cladribine, cyclophosphamide, daclizumab, dimethylfumarate, diroximel fumarate, fingolimod, fludarabine, glatiramer acetate, immunoglobulins, interferon beta 1-a and beta 1-b, interferon beta-1b (Betaferon), interferon beta-1a (Avonex, Rebif), laquinimod, leflunomide, methotrexate, minocycline, mitoxantrone, mycophenolate mofetil, natalizumab, ocrelizumab, ofatumumab, ozanimod, pegylated interferon beta-1a, ponesimod, rituximab, siponimod, corticosteroids, and teriflunomide for PMS.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition characterized by rapid hair loss in the scalp, eyebrows and eyelashes, for which treatments are limited. Baricitinib, an oral inhibitor of Janus kinases 1 and 2, has been recently approved to treat alopecia areata.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a retrospective study involving 23 medical centres across Italy, enrolling patients affected by severe alopecia areata (SALT >50), for more than 6 months.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study analyzes the short-term outcomes of patients with minor ischemic stroke from small artery occlusion (SAO-MIS) treated with dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) and compares them to patients with other causes of minor strokes.
  • - In a sample of 678 minor ischemic stroke patients, SAO-MIS showed low rates of primary outcomes (1.2% had major cardiovascular events) and a high proportion achieving excellent functional outcomes (75.5%) within 90 days.
  • - Results indicate that SAO-MIS patients have a significantly lower risk of recurrent vascular events compared to non-SAO-MIS patients, while showing similar safety outcomes, suggesting that DAPT is beneficial for SAO-M
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study examines the effectiveness of high-efficacy disease-modifying treatments (hDMTs) versus low-efficacy treatments (lDMTs) in reducing spinal cord lesions in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, noting the limited previous data on this specific outcome.
  • - Researchers analyzed data from patients with relapse-onset MS who underwent MRI scans before and after starting treatment, comparing new lesions in both cord and brain areas.
  • - Results indicate that while hDMTs significantly reduced new brain lesions and MS relapses compared to lDMTs, they did not show a significant benefit in preventing new spinal cord lesions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Glymphatic System and Psychiatric Disorders: A Rapid Comprehensive Scoping Review.

Curr Neuropharmacol

September 2024

National Health Service, Department of Mental Health, Psychiatric Service of Diagnosis and Treatment, Hospital G. Mazzini, ASL 4 Teramo, Italy.

Background: Since discovering the glymphatic system, there has been a looming interest in exploring its relationship with psychiatric disorders. Recently, increasing evidence suggests an involvement of the glymphatic system in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders. However, clear data are still lacking.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Predictors of relapse risk and treatment response in AQP4-IgG positive and seronegative NMOSD: A multicentre study.

J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry

September 2024

Department of Neuroscience, School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Background: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) can be categorised into aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-IgG) NMOSD or seronegative NMOSD. While our knowledge of AQP4-IgG NMOSD has evolved significantly in the past decade, seronegative NMOSD remains less understood. This study aimed to evaluate the predictors of relapses and treatment responses in AQP4-IgG NMOSD and seronegative NMOSD.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Worldwide, three million deaths each year are reported due to the harmful use of alcohol. To date, only a few drugs have been approved for the treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to assess the long-term efficacy and safety of sodium oxybate (SMO) treatment in patients with AUD.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a critical regulatory network composed of endogenous cannabinoids (eCBs), their synthesizing and degrading enzymes, and associated receptors. It is integral to maintaining homeostasis and orchestrating key functions within the central nervous and immune systems. Given its therapeutic significance, we have launched a series of drug discovery endeavors aimed at ECS targets, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), cannabinoid receptors types 1 (CB1R) and 2 (CB2R), and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), addressing a wide array of medical needs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The Cognitive Assessment Interview (CAI) measures cognitive impairment in individuals with schizophrenia and is recognized as a key tool alongside other performance-based measures like the MCCB.
  • Recent findings suggest negative symptoms, social cognition, and functional capacity significantly influence how cognitive impairment affects daily functioning.
  • A study involving 618 participants from Italian psychiatric clinics supports the CAI's validity and highlights the importance of interview-based assessments for understanding schizophrenia's complexities in clinical settings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The prevalence of anxiety and depression in patients diagnosed with Alopecia Areata (AA) is very high and this significant burden of psychological symptoms threatens the Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) of affected patients. Indeed, AA often does not produce significant physical symptoms, but it nonetheless disrupts many areas of mental health. Clinical assessment of disease severity may not reliably predict patient's HRQoL, nor may it predict the patient's perception of illness.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study is pivotal in shaping health policies by providing comprehensive data on mortality and disability. An updated GBD2021 analysis, published in on 14 March 2024, expands the scope of neurological disorders to include 37 conditions, revealing their significant impact on global health. Neurological disorders affect 3.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

(1) Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the Rapid Maxillary Expander (RME) II System compared to a Herbst appliance and a control group in the treatment of class II skeletal malocclusions in growing patients. (2) Methods: A total of 30 class II patients treated using the RME II System (group R) were compared with 30 patients treated with a Herbst appliance (group H) and 30 untreated class II children (group C). Cephalograms were compared at the start (T0) and after 24 months (T1).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

'Active' and 'non-active' secondary progressive MS (SPMS) have distinct pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical characteristics, but there is still no consensus regarding the frequency of these MS forms in the real-world setting. We aimed to evaluate the frequency of 'active' and 'non-active' SPMS in a large cohort of Italian MS patients and the differences in terms of clinical and MRI characteristics and disease progression. This multicenter study collected data about MS patients who have transitioned to the SP form in the period between 1st January 2014 and 31st December 2019 and followed by the MS centers contributing to the Italian MS Registry.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Implant-based breast reconstruction (IBR), following mastectomy, significantly impacts patients' quality of life (QoL), necessitating accurate measurement through psychometrically robust patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) tools. This bibliometric analysis aims to discern trends, identify gaps, and evaluate the use of such tools in the IBR literature.

Methods: The 100 most cited publications regarding QoL in implant-based reconstruction were identified on Web of Science, across all available journal years (from 1977 to 2024) on 10 March 2024.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the link between neuroimaging biomarkers and negative symptoms (NS) and cognitive impairment (CI) in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ).
  • It involves 62 SCZ participants and uses regression analyses to explore the relationship between brain resting-state activity and various disease-related features.
  • Findings indicate different neural markers are associated with neurocognitive deficits and specific negative symptom domains, which could help identify actionable biomarkers for better clinical outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Development of a core domain set for nailfold capillaroscopy reporting.

Reumatol Clin (Engl Ed)

August 2024

Rheumatology and Rehabilitation, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt. Electronic address:

Article Synopsis
  • Nailfold capillaroscopy (NFC) is a non-invasive technique that helps evaluate microangiopathy and has important diagnostic and prognostic implications for patients with Raynaud's phenomenon.
  • The study aimed to create a standardized NFC report template by gathering expert consensus on essential domains through a Delphi questionnaire process involving two rounds of feedback from specialists.
  • The final report template, developed from international expert input, meets an 80% approval threshold and can be utilized in both clinical practice and research within rheumatology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Conflicting results about clinical and subclinical atherosclerosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and the associated risk factors have been reported. Hence, we aimed to determine the prevalence of clinical and subclinical atherosclerosis in a large number of Italian SSc patients and the associated risk factors.

Methods: This study included 613 SSc patients from 11 Italian tertiary Rheumatologic Units.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The role of affective temperaments as a factor of vulnerability to seasonal affective disorder.

J Affect Disord

November 2024

Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy. Electronic address:

Article Synopsis
  • The study examines how affective temperaments influence the risk of developing seasonal affective disorder (SAD) among young adults without prior clinical diagnoses.
  • Participants included 846 university students who completed questionnaires to evaluate their seasonal mood issues and temperament types.
  • Results showed that individuals with cyclothymic and anxious temperaments are more vulnerable to SAD, while those with hyperthymic temperament are less affected, suggesting that understanding these temperaments can improve assessment and predictions for SAD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Basilar artery occlusion management: An international survey of gender influence on management.

Interv Neuroradiol

August 2024

Department of Stroke Medicine, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Charing Cross Hospital, London, UK.

Background: The superiority of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) over medical management was not established in two early basilar artery occlusion (BAO) randomized controlled trials. Despite this, many clinicians recommended EVT for acute BAO under certain circumstances. This paper aims to compare physicians' diagnostic and management strategies of BAO according to gender.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * A committee of headache experts identified clinical questions and reviewed twenty-one national and international guidelines to develop these recommendations.
  • * The guidelines outline seventeen questions related to acute migraine treatment, aiming to enhance treatment quality globally, especially in areas with limited medication access.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that affects millions of individuals worldwide, impacting their physical and emotional well-being. The management of psoriasis requires effective communication and a strong physician-patient relationship. We aim to develop a novel algorithm to enhance patient well-being and care in moderate-to-severe psoriasis, considering the time constraints that dermatologists have in public hospitals.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Endovascular treatment (EVT) is advised for acute ischemic stroke caused by large-vessel occlusion (LVO) in patients with a decent early CT score (ASPECTS ≥ 6), but recent studies examine its effectiveness in patients with more severe strokes (ASPECTS 0-5).
  • A meta-analysis of six randomized controlled trials (involving 1656 patients) found that EVT significantly improves functional independence and the chances of achieving good functional outcomes after 90 days compared to best medical treatment (BMT) alone.
  • Although EVT leads to higher rates of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH), the benefits in terms of improved function at three months outweigh the risks, especially for patients with large
View Article and Find Full Text PDF