Aramchol in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2b trial.

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a chronic liver disease without an approved therapy, is associated with lipotoxicity and insulin resistance and is a major cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Aramchol, a partial inhibitor of hepatic stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD1) improved steatohepatitis and fibrosis in rodents and reduced steatosis in an early clinical trial. ARREST, a 52-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2b trial randomized 247 patients with NASH (n = 101, n = 98 and n = 48 in the Aramchol 400 mg, 600 mg and placebo arms, respectively; NCT02279524 ).

Exploring the Prognostic Role of Ki67 Proliferative Index in Merkel Cell Carcinoma of the Skin: Clinico-Pathologic Analysis of 84 Cases and Review of the Literature.

The exact prediction of outcome of patients with Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) of the skin is difficult to determine, although several attempts have been made to identify clinico-pathologic prognostic factors. The Ki67 proliferative index is a well-known marker routinely used to define the prognosis of patients with neuroendocrine neoplasms. However, its prognostic value has been poorly investigated in MCC, and available published results are often contradictory mainly because restricted to small series in the absence of standardized methods for Ki67 evaluation.

Predictors of incomplete viral response and virologic failure in patients with acute and early HIV infection. Results of Italian Network of ACuTe HIV InfectiON (INACTION) cohort.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors that can influence an incomplete viral response (IVR) after acute and early HIV infection (AEHI).

Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study including patients with AEHI (Fiebig stages I-V) diagnosed between January 2008 and December 2014 at 20 Italian centres. IVR was defined by: (1) viral blip (51-1000 HIV-1 RNA copies/mL after achievement of < 50 HIV-1 RNA copies/mL); (2) virologic failure [> 1000 copies/mL after achievement of < 200 copies/mL, or ≥ 200 copies/mL after 24 weeks on an antiretroviral therapy (ART)]; (3) suboptimal viral response (> 50 copies/mL after 48 weeks on ART or two consecutive HIV-1 RNA levels with ascending trend during ART).

Antipsychotic prescription and mortality in hospitalized older persons.

Background: Recent scientific reports have shown that older persons treated with antipsychotics for dementia-related behavioural symptoms have increased mortality. However, the impact of these drugs prescribed during hospitalization has rarely been assessed. We aimed to investigate whether antipsychotics are associated with an increased risk of mortality during hospitalization and at 3-month follow-up in elderly inpatients.

Bleeding after invasive procedures is rare and unpredicted by platelet counts in cirrhotic patients with thrombocytopenia.

Background: In cirrhotics with low circulating platelets (PLT), restoration of normal cell counts has been traditionally recommended before invasive procedures. However, there is neither consensus on the PLT transfusion threshold nor evidence of its clinical efficacy.

Patients: In order to fill this gap of knowledge, we prospectively collected and analyzed data on circulating PLT counts [and International Normalized Ratio (INR)] values in a case series of 363 cirrhotics scheduled to undergo invasive investigations.

Hemostatic balance in patients with liver cirrhosis: Report of a consensus conference.

Patients with cirrhosis present with hemostatic alterations secondary to reduced availability of pro-coagulant and anti-coagulant factors. The net effect of these changes is a rebalanced hemostatic system. The Italian Association of the Study of the Liver (AISF) and the Italian Society of Internal Medicine (SIMI) promoted a consensus conference on the hemostatic balance in patients with cirrhosis.

The allocation of pancreas allografts on donor age and duration of intensive care unit stay: the experience of the North Italy Transplant program.

Starting in 2011, the North Italy Transplant program (NITp) has based on the allocation of pancreas allografts on donor age and duration of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, but not on donor weight or BMI. We analyzed the detailed allocation protocols of all NITp pancreas donors (2011-2012; n = 433). Outcome measures included donor characteristics and pancreas loss reasons during the allocation process.

Ischemic heart disease and stroke in relation to blood DNA methylation.

Background: Epigenetic features such as DNA hypomethylation have been associated with conditions related to cardiovascular risk. We evaluated whether lower blood DNA methylation in heavily methylated repetitive sequences predicts the risk of ischemic heart disease and stroke.

Methods: We quantified blood DNA methylation of Long Interspersed Nucleotide Element-1 (LINE-1) repetitive elements through PCR-pyrosequencing in 712 elderly individuals from the Boston-area Normative Aging Study.

Severe hemophilia with mild bleeding phenotype: molecular characterization and global coagulation profile.

Background: Patients with severe hemophilia may show very varied bleeding tendencies, and the reasons for this heterogeneous clinical expression are unclear. The factor VIII/FIX genotype is the main determinant of the residual factor activity; however, different bleeding phenotypes have also been reported in patients sharing the same mutation. Such global coagulation tests as thrombin generation assays are tools with which to investigate different coagulation profiles among severe hemophiliacs.