Short-term cost analysis of complications related to glycated hemoglobin in patients with type 1 diabetes in the Italian setting.

Aims: The aim of this study is to assess the impact of the diabetes-related complications on costs and to shed light on the potential savings that could be obtained by the National Healthcare System if better glycemic control was to be achieved in the type 1 diabetes population.

Methods: Epidemiologic data were used to distribute diabetes type 1 patients into A1c levels, and the relative risk of diabetes-related complications associated with the level of A1c was extrapolated from published risk curves. The costs associated with all complications in the Italian settings, retrieved from published literature, were used to estimate the economic impact of complications in each A1c level from the NHS perspective and the potential savings that could be obtained should a treatment strategy allow to achieve better metabolic control.

Liverpool Care Pathway for patients with cancer in hospital: a cluster randomised trial.

Background: The quality of care provided to patients with cancer who are dying in hospital and their families is suboptimum. The UK Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) for patients who are dying was developed with the aim of transferring the best practice of hospices to hospitals. We therefore assessed the effectiveness of LCP in the Italian context (LCP-I) in improving the quality of end-of-life care for patients with cancer in hospitals and for their family.

Evolution of the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi complex.

By analyzing the morpho-physiological features of the Golgi complex, its relationship with the endoplasmic reticulum in different species, and the molecular machineries involved in intracellular transport, we conclude that; (1) all eukaryotic cells have either Golgi complexes or remnants thereof; (2) all eukaryotic cells have a large minimal set of proteins that are involved in intracellular transport; and (3) several indispensable molecular machines are always present in secreting eukaryotic cells. Using this information, our data about mechanisms of intra-Golgi transport and phylogenetic analysis of several molecular machines, we propose a model for the evolution of the Golgi complex and the endoplasmic reticulum.

Why do we need outcomes research in end stage renal disease?

Despite effective therapeutic strategies to slow or arrest the progression of chronic renal diseases, the number of patients entering renal replacement programs is increasing, with a dramatic burden in terms of morbidity, mortality and resource consumption. While in the past the attention was mainly devoted to the improvement of dialysis care, it has recently been argued that the timing and quality of care before dialysis is started may significantly affect the prognosis. Problems of transfer of research results, together with differences in physicians' attitudes and beliefs as well as in structural and organisational aspects make pre-end-stage renal disease (ESRD) care extremely heterogeneous.

A synthetic model of intra-Golgi traffic.

We present a hypothesis on the mechanisms used by cells to transport cargo through the secretory system. We propose that at least three basic processes coordinately participate in membrane traffic: cisternal maturation-progression, controlled cargo diffusion along transient membrane continuities between different compartments, and a mostly retrograde vesicle-mediated transport. A 'synthetic' model based on the combination of these mechanisms can explain both the progression of supramolecular aggregates through the secretory pathway and the fast intra-Golgi transport of conventional cargoes.

Current concepts of platelet physiopathology.

The genesis of the modern concept of platelet physiopathology can be traced historically to many individuals and developments, including the pioneering work of Giulio Bizzozero over 100 years ago. Much knowledge has since been gained to the point that we can now define many of the elements of the platelet function in relation to the hemostatic process in terms of their molecular biology. This presentation will attempt to synthesize a simple, understandable, yet global perspective of platelet function and of its participation to the pathogenesis of arterial thrombosis.