56 results match your criteria: "Mascalucia; University of Catania[Affiliation]"

Article Synopsis
  • Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is now widely recognized as a key tool for diagnosing hypertension, moving from specialist-only use to broader applications.
  • Advances in technology and the growing emphasis on hypertension diagnosis have allowed general practitioners and trained non-medical providers, like in community pharmacies, to utilize ABPM effectively.
  • To mitigate confusion around roles and responsibilities in the use of ABPM, experts from the Italian Society of Hypertension created a guide for training healthcare professionals in its proper implementation and management.
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Highlights on Future Treatments of IPF: Clues and Pitfalls.

Int J Mol Sci

August 2024

Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Regional Referral Center for Rare Lung Disease, Policlinico "G. Rodolico-San Marco", University of Catania, 95123 Catania, CT, Italy.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is an interstitial lung disease characterized by irreversible scarring of lung tissue, leading to death. Despite recent advancements in understanding its pathophysiology, IPF remains elusive, and therapeutic options are limited and non-curative. This review aims to synthesize the latest research developments, focusing on the molecular mechanisms driving the disease and on the related emerging treatments.

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Background: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) represents a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality in primary Sjogren syndrome (pSS). However, the prevalence and behavior of pSS-ILD remains incomplete, largely based on retrospective heterogeneous studies.

Aim Of The Study: To investigate the prevalence of progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) in a multicentric cohort of patients with pSS-ILD.

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Prevalence, Clustering, and Current Management of Cardiovascular Risk Factors Upon First Referral to Hypertension Specialists: the APPROACH Study.

High Blood Press Cardiovasc Prev

July 2024

Department MeSVA, Unit of Internal Medicine and Nephrology, Center for Hypertension and Cardiovascular Prevention, University of L'Aquila, San Salvatore Hospital, 67100, L'Aquila, Italy.

Article Synopsis
  • A study aimed to assess the prevalence, clustering, and management of cardiovascular risk factors in patients referred to hypertension specialists, as previous studies did not investigate this area.
  • 255 adult outpatients with hypertension were included, with high percentages showing unhealthy behaviors like smoking (55.3%) and obesity (51%), and many had poor management of their cardiovascular risks.
  • The findings indicate a need for improved pharmacological and lifestyle interventions before patients are referred to specialists to enhance overall cardiovascular risk management, particularly in primary care settings.*
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Article Synopsis
  • - The study introduces "UIPAF," a term for patients with Usual Interstitial Pneumonia linked only to one aspect of "Interstitial Pneumonia with Autoimmune Features," aiming to compare its clinical outcomes with IPAF and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients.
  • - A total of 110 IPF, 69 UIPAF, and 123 IPAF patients were analyzed, showing that UIPAF patients have autoimmune traits similar to IPAF but differ in certain antibody presence, with both groups having a similar rate of progression to specific autoimmune diseases.
  • - Findings indicate that UIPAF shares autoimmune characteristics with IPAF, leading to suggestions that UIPAF could be reclassified, while highlighting that its management and prognosis align closely with
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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the relationship between histogram-based HRCT indexes and pulmonary function tests in patients with interstitial lung diseases over a one-year period.
  • Moderate correlations were found between HRCT indexes and lung function measures, particularly with DLCO, while the high attenuation area showed a negative correlation.
  • The research proposes that HRCT quantification can potentially help in assessing disease progression, highlighting specific indexes that may predict outcomes effectively.
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Background: Connective tissue diseases (CTDs) are responsible for about 20% of interstitial lung disease (ILD) cases, but their diagnosis in a pulmonary unit (PU) is not always straightforward due to a heterogeneous clinical picture.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical presentation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and CTD-ILD cases diagnosed in PU, compared to RA and CTD patients diagnosed in a rheumatologic unit (RU).

Methods: Patients with RA, systemic sclerosis (SSc), primary Sjӧgren's syndrome (pSS), and idiopathic inflammatory myopathy were retrospectively enrolled from an RU and a PU designated to manage ILD during a period from January 2017 to October 2022.

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Fibromyalgia (FM) is a common rheumatologic disorder characterised by widespread muscular pain. Myalgia is also a common clinical feature in Connective Tissue Disease (CTD), and FM should be studied for the concomitant presence of a CTD. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of Myositis-Specific and Myositis-Associated Antibodies (MSA/MAA) in a cohort of FM patients.

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The research proposes to investigate the psychological reasons that may explain women's addiction to smoking during pregnancy and the perception of combustible cigarettes, electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco cigarettes. The sample included 30 participants who smoke or people who previously smoked who chose to quit or continue smoking during pregnancy. The data was gathered via a semi-structured interview and developed from three research questions: feelings, opinions and perceptions of pregnant women toward e-cigarettes, heated tobacco cigarettes, and combustible cigarettes.

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Polymyositis and dermatomyositis are autoimmune idiopathic systemic inflammatory diseases, characterized by various degrees of muscle inflammation and typical cutaneous lesions-the latter found in dermatomyositis. The underlying pathogenesis is characterized by a high level of uncertainty, and recent studies suggest diseases may have different immunopathological mechanisms. In polymyositis, components of the cellular immune system are involved, whereas in dermatomyositis, the pathogenesis is mainly mediated by the humoral immune response.

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Patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders have a higher prevalence and frequency of smoking rates when compared to the rest of the population; to this, it must be added that they develop a greater dependence and have some worse health consequences than the general population. This is qualitative research on the perception of smoking in healthcare professionals assigned to psycho-rehabilitation programs for patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The point of view of health personnel (Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Pedagogists, and Nurses) about cigarette smoking in these patients was analyzed, focusing on their implications in disturbance and comparing them with e-cigarettes too.

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Objectives: To evaluate the rate of progression towards specific autoimmune diseases (SADs) of a prospective, multi-centre cohort of patients classifiable as interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features (IPAF).

Methods: IPAF patients were enrolled based on specific research criteria, and jointly followed by rheumatologists and pulmonologists for at least one year with clinical check-ups, serological exams including autoimmunity, capillaroscopy and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). Diagnostic assessment was repeated at least once a year, or earlier when deemed useful.

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Connective tissue diseases (CTDs) include a spectrum of disorders that affect the connective tissue of the human body; they include autoimmune disorders characterized by immune-mediated chronic inflammation and the development of fibrosis. Lung involvement can be misdiagnosed, since pulmonary alterations preceded osteo-articular manifestations only in 20% of cases and they have no clear clinical findings in the early phases. All pulmonary structures may be interested: pulmonary interstitium, airways, pleura and respiratory muscles.

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The COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted global health. Frontline healthcare workers involved in the response to COVID-19 faced physical and psychological challenges that threatened their wellbeing and job satisfaction. The pandemic crisis, alongside pre-existing critical issues, exposed healthcare workers to constant emotional fatigue, creating an increased workload and vulnerability to stress.

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A New Method for the Assessment of Myalgia in Interstitial Lung Disease: Association with Positivity for Myositis-Specific and Myositis-Associated Antibodies.

Diagnostics (Basel)

May 2022

Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Regional Referral Centre for Rare Lung Disease, A.O.U. "Policlinico-San Marco", University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy.

In this study, it was found that myositis-specific and myositis-associated antibodies (MSAs and MAAs) improved the recognition of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) in interstitial lung disease (ILD) patients. The objective of this study is to propose a clinical method to evaluate myalgia in respiratory settings as a possible tool for the recognition of MSA/MAA positivity in ILD patients. We prospectively enrolled 167 ILD patients with suspected myositis, of which 63 had myalgia evoked at specific points (M+ILD+).

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"Usual" interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features: a prospective study on a cohort of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients.

Clin Exp Rheumatol

July 2022

Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Regional Referral Centre for Rare Lung Disease, A.O.U. Policlinico-San Marco, University of Catania, Italy.

Objectives: The classification interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features (IPAF) includes patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) associated with autoimmune characteristics insufficient to reach classification criteria for a specific autoimmune disease (SAD). These criteria are divided into three domains: clinical, serological and morphological. The latter domain does not include the usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) pattern, which is deemed not to be significantly associated with SAD.

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Clinical spectrum time course in non-Asian patients positive for anti-MDA5 antibodies.

Clin Exp Rheumatol

February 2022

Rheumatology, Hospital Universitario Marques de Valdecilla, IDIVAL, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain.

Objectives: To define the clinical spectrum time-course and prognosis of non-Asian patients positive for anti-MDA5 antibodies.

Methods: We conducted a multicentre, international, retrospective cohort study.

Results: 149 anti-MDA5 positive patients (median onset age 53 years, median disease duration 18 months), mainly females (100, 67%), were included.

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The Simulation Game-Virtual Reality Therapy for the Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder: A Systematic Review.

Int J Environ Res Public Health

December 2021

Department of Educational Sciences, Section of Psychology, University of Catania, 95124 Catania, Italy.

With the term Virtual reality (VR) we refer to a three-dimensional environment generated by the computer, in which subjects interact with the environment as if they were really inside it. The most used VR tools are the so-called HMD (head-mounted display) which make it possible to achieve what theorists define "direct mediated action". The aim of our systematic review is specifically to investigate the applications of virtual reality therapy for the treatment of social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia.

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According to the WHO definition, "telemedicine is the provision of health services, where distance is a critical factor, by all health professionals who use information and communication technologies for the exchange of valid information for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases, research and evaluation, and for the continuous training of health professionals, all in the interest of advancing the health of individuals and their communities". The purpose of our review work is specifically to investigate the effects of telemedicine in the treatment and prevention of eating disorders in adolescents. From June 2021 to (September 2021) in the databases of the Web of Science, EMBASE, PsycINFO and CINHAL, using search terms such as telehealth, eating disorder, adolescents, Internet/online treatments CBT and FB-T, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder.

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The JSS is based on the theoretical position that job satisfaction represented an affective or attitudinal reaction to a job, and today is one of the most popular instruments used in I-O psychology. This paper discusses the contribution to the validation of an Italian adaptation of the Job Satisfaction Survey. Five hundred and twenty-seven participants (258 men, 269 women) were enrolled to participate in this study, aged between 19 and 65 (M = 36.

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The role of chest CT in deciphering interstitial lung involvement: systemic sclerosis versus COVID-19.

Rheumatology (Oxford)

April 2022

Division of Rheumatology AOUC, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Florence, University of Florence.

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the main CT features that may help in distinguishing a progression of interstitial lung disease (ILD) secondary to SSc from COVID-19 pneumonia.

Methods: This multicentric study included 22 international readers grouped into a radiologist group (RADs) and a non-radiologist group (nRADs). A total of 99 patients, 52 with COVID-19 and 47 with SSc-ILD, were included in the study.

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Objectives: Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) is a promising tool for objective assessment of interstitial lung disease (ILD) related to connective tissue diseases (CTD). However, its validity was never investigated. The aim of this study was to assess QCT feasibility, face, and content validity evaluation concerning CTD-ILD.

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