Assessing the Beneficial Impact of a Patient Support Program in Secukinumab-Treated Patients with Psoriasis in Italy.

Purpose: For patients with psoriasis, treatment adherence and persistence are fundamental if therapeutic goals are to be met. Patient Support Programs (PSPs) may be used as a support tool to assist patients and health care professionals optimize treatment and improve disease management.

Patients And Methods: In Italy, the PSP PSOLife CARE, which began on the 9th of February 2017 and is ongoing, aimed to support patients with psoriasis under therapy with secukinumab (Cosentyx).

Visceral leishmaniasis triggering an adult-onset Still's disease: a unique case.

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) due to visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has not been previously reported. This case report analyzes a single episode of AOSD probably due to a visceral leishmaniasis successfully treated with pentamidine isethionate and prednisone.

Aortic Pathology in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

Patients with autoimmune disease, and specifically lupus erythematosus, have an increased risk of developing aortic pathology, including aneurysm and dissections. We report a case of a 49-year-old woman with lupus erythematosus treated surgically for an abdominal aortic aneurysm in 2009, who developed type B aortic dissection 1 year later, treated by endovascular means. Dissection furtherly underwent aneurysm evolution, and the patient finally was brought to vascular attention with a fatal thoracic aneurysm rupture.

Levosimendan beyond inotropy and acute heart failure: Evidence of pleiotropic effects on the heart and other organs: An expert panel position paper.

Levosimendan is a positive inotrope with vasodilating properties (inodilator) indicated for decompensated heart failure (HF) patients with low cardiac output. Accumulated evidence supports several pleiotropic effects of levosimendan beyond inotropy, the heart and decompensated HF. Those effects are not readily explained by cardiac function enhancement and seem to be related to additional properties of the drug such as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic ones.

Early invasive versus early conservative strategy in non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome: An outcome research study.

Background: An early invasive strategy (EIS) has been shown to yield a better clinical outcome than an early conservative strategy (ECS) in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTEACSs), particularly in those at higher risk according to the GRACE risk score. However, findings of the clinical trials have not been confirmed in registries.

Objective: To investigate the outcome of patients with NSTEACS treated according to an EIS or a ECS in a real-world all-comers outcome research study.

Is vestibular neuritis an immune related vestibular neuropathy inducing vertigo?

Objectives: To review the current knowledge of the aetiology of vestibular neuritis including viral infections, vascular occlusion, and immunomediated mechanisms and to discuss the pathogenesis with relevance to pharmacotherapy.

Systematic Review Methodology: Relevant publications on the aetiology and treatment of vestibular neuritis from 1909 to 2013 were analysed.

Results And Conclusions: Vestibular neuritis is the second most common cause of peripheral vestibular vertigo and is due to a sudden unilateral loss of vestibular function.

Neoadjuvant-intensified treatment for rectal cancer: time to change?

Aim: To investigate whether neoadjuvant-intensified radiochemotherapy improved overall and disease-free survival in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.

Methods: Between January 2007 and December 2011, 80 patients with histologically confirmed rectal adenocarcinoma were enrolled. Tumors were clinically classified as either T3 or T4 and by the N stage based on the presence or absence of positive regional lymph nodes.

Bell's palsy and autoimmunity.

Objectives: To review our current knowledge of the etiopathogenesis of Bell's palsy, including viral infection or autoimmunity, and to discuss disease pathogenesis with respect to pharmacotherapy.

Systematic Review Methodology: Relevant publications on the etiopathogenesis, clinical presentation, diagnosis and histopathology of Bell's palsy from 1975 to 2012 were analysed.

Results And Conclusions: Bell's palsy is an idiopathic peripheral nerve palsy involving the facial nerve.

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss: an autoimmune disease?

Objectives: To review our current knowledge of the pathogenesis of sudden sensorineural hearing loss, including viral infection, vascular occlusion and immune system-mediated mechanisms, and to discuss the pathogenesis as it relates to pharmacotherapy.

Systematic Review Methodology: Relevant publications on the pathogenesis of sudden sensorineural hearing loss from 1944 to 2010 were analysed.

Results And Conclusions: Sudden sensorineural hearing loss is defined as hearing loss of 30 dB in three sequential frequencies over 3 days or less.

Nonfatal cerebral air embolism after dental surgery.

After removal of four impacted third molars under general anesthesia, our patient developed subcutaneous emphysema, pneumothorax, pneumopericardium, and pneumomediastinum. Soon thereafter, coma with generalized epileptic status ensued. A cerebral magnetic resonance and single photon emission computed tomography showed hypoperfusion of the right thalamus and parietal, temporal, and frontal cortices.

Atypical primary headache responding to finger pressure: possible involvement of the vagus nerve?

We describe a case of atypical primary headache strongly responsive to prolonged pressure in the anterior aspect of the neck. We hypothesize that, at least in this case, the trigemino-cervical system and its connections with the vagus nerve are involved.

Brain metastasis from prostate cancer. Report of 13 cases and critical analysis of the literature.

Brain metastasis from prostate carcinoma occurs very rarely. We describe 13 patients with single brain metastasis from prostatic cancer. Total removal of the lesions was performed in ten patients.

Intrahepatic accessory spleen: imaging features.

The authors present a case report of a 60-year-old man with a hepatic unknown mass. For diagnosis, they used ECO, CT (with and without contrast), MR (with and without contrast) and an ultrasound-assisted percutaneous lesion biopsy. Thus the mass-lesion in the liver appeared to be an intrahepatic accessory spleen in a patient afflicted with chronic hepatitis.

Gastrointestinal emergencies in patients with acute intestinal graft-versus-host disease.

Acute intestinal graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) develops in about 30-50% of allogeneic bone-marrow transplant recipients: 10-20% have gastrointestinal emergencies (hemorrhage or perforation). Mortality reaches 30-60% in patients with acute, grade 2-4 GVHD. We studied 36 bone marrow recipients in whom acute intestinal GVHD developed.

"Sex passport" obligation for female athletes. Consideration and criticisms on 364 subjects.

In Ancient Greece determination of sex was made by direct observation of the all-male athletes participating in the Olympic Games. In 1966 the International Olympic Committee (I.O.

Cerebral and muscle oxygen saturation measurement by frequency-domain near-infra-red spectrometer.

Tissue oxygen saturation quantification was obtained using a frequency-domain multi-source method based on two wavelength light-emitting diodes. Brain saturation was 60.3 +/- 1.

Altered cardiac repolarization during exercise in congenital aortic stenosis.

The incidence of sudden death in children with congenital aortic stenosis (CAS) varies between 4 and 20%. In several syndromes sudden death is associated with a long QT interval in the electrocardiogram (ECG). The aim of the study was to evaluate the cardiac repolarization in CAS during stress.

Identification and localization of atrial natriuretic factor receptors in human spermatozoa.

Specific binding sites for atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) have been detected and localized in viable human spermatozoa through radioreceptor analysis and autoradiography, respectively. Radiotracer uptake was time and concentration dependent. Scatchard analysis of saturation data showed a single class of ANF receptors with a kd of 2.

Muscle oxygenation by fast near infrared spectrophotometry (NIRS) in ischemic forearm.

Fast scanning near infrared spectroscopy (680-1050nm) was utilized to evaluate human forearm muscle oxygenation in 15 adults volunteers. Spectra were recorded in hypoxic hypoxia, ischemia and venous outflow restriction. Derivative spectra were performed with the aim to obtain a quantitative information of Hb/Mb oxygen saturation free from volume and scattering changes.