Golimumab improves health-related quality of life of patients with moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis: Results of the go-care study.

Background: In recent years, improvement of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in Ulcerative colitis (UC) has become a relevant measure for treatment efficacy.

Methods: We report results from a multicenter prospective study in Italy investigating HRQoL in adult patients with UC treated with golimumab (GLM). Patients who had shown clinical response after a 6-week induction phase (w0), were followed for an additional 48 weeks (w48) (total 54-week treatment).

Prognostic value for mortality of the new FADOI-COMPLIMED score(s) in patients hospitalized in medical wards.

Background: Recently we defined a user-friendly tool (FADOI-COMPLIMED scores-FCS) to assess complexity of patients hospitalized in medical wards. FCS-1 is an average between the Barthel Index and the Exton-Smith score, while FCS-2 is obtained by using the Charlson score. The aim of this paper is to assess the ability of the FCS to predict mortality in-hospital and after 1-3-6-12-months.

Predicting resistant etiology in hospitalized patients with blood cultures positive for Gram-negative bacilli.

Objective: To develop a risk-scoring tool to predict multidrug-resistant (MDR) etiology in patients with bloodstream infections (BSI) caused by Gram-negative bacilli (GNB).

Methods: A prospective multicenter study analyzed patients with BSI hospitalized in 31 Internal Medicine wards in Italy from March 2012 to December 2012. Patients with BSI caused by MDR-GNB (non-susceptible to at least one agent in three antimicrobial categories) were compared to those with BSI due to susceptible GNB.

Clinical Features, Short-Term Mortality, and Prognostic Risk Factors of Septic Patients Admitted to Internal Medicine Units: Results of an Italian Multicenter Prospective Study.

Only a few studies provided data on the clinical history of sepsis within internal Medicine units. The aim of the study was to assess the short-term mortality and to evaluate the prognostic risk factors in a large cohort of septic patients treated in internal medicine units. Thirty-one internal medicine units participated to the study.

Intensive blood pressure control in obese diabetic patients: clinical relevance of stroke prevention in the ACCORD trial.

In the ACCORD clinical trial, lowering blood pressure (BP) to normal levels, below currently recommended levels, did not significantly reduce the combined risk of fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular (CV) disease events in adults with Type 2 diabetes. A new post hoc analysis of the same trial also suggests that lowering BP in centrally obese diabetic patients is not a useful means for CV prevention. The authors discuss these findings in the light of accumulated evidence on the relationship between the degree of BP reduction and the risk of CV events in patients with diabetes.

Fixed-dose combination therapy in hypertension: cons.

The goal of antihypertensive therapy is to reduce the risk associated with blood pressure elevation. Although the choice of first-line drug therapy may exert some effects on different long-term cardiovascular endpoints, randomized clinical trials and meta-analyses demonstrated that blood pressure reduction per se is the primary determinant in primary and secondary prevention. Numerous analyses carried out over the last years have repeatedly shown that many patients require the combination of two or more drugs to reach the recommended level of blood pressure control.

Atrial fibrillation and mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction: a systematic overview and meta-analysis.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) confers an increased risk of mortality in patients hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, it is unclear whether new-onset and preexisting AF portend a different risk. We extracted data from studies that evaluated in-hospital mortality in patients with AMI and included information on cardiac rhythm.

Statins in acute coronary syndrome: very early initiation and benefits.

The use of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (statins) is associated with a marked reduction in morbidity and mortality in patients at high cardiovascular risk or with established cardiovascular disease. In the last decade, several randomized controlled studies have demonstrated the benefit of statins in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). These studies showed that use of statins in patients with ACS is associated with a significant reduction of the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events.

Safety and efficacy of aliskiren in the treatment of hypertension: a systematic overview.

Introduction: Aliskiren is the first orally active direct renin inhibitor approved for the treatment of hypertension. Aliskiren's inhibitory effect on angiotensin I generation, through renin blockade, is highly specific and long-lasting (24 hours). This feature differentiates aliskiren from traditional antihypertensive drugs.

Safety and efficacy of aliskiren in the treatment of hypertension and associated clinical conditions.

Aliskiren is the first known representative of a new class of non-peptide orally active renin inhibitors that blocks the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system (RAAS) at its rate-limiting step. It induces a net reduction in plasma renin activity (PRA), angiotensin II and aldosterone levels. Aliskiren is effective in reducing blood pressure (BP) and is well tolerated.

Very early initiation of statin therapy and mortality in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Background: Current guidelines for the treatment of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) recommend the use of statins before hospital discharge. However, the prognostic impact of an early initiation of treatment is uncertain.

Methods: We reviewed data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to test the hypothesis that differences in the time of initiation of statin therapy may be associated with differences in mortality after hospitalization for ACS.