Effectiveness of cyclosporine A in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in a real-life clinical setting in Italy: the TRANSITION study.

Background: Cyclosporine A (CsA) is one of the systemic therapeutic options for moderate-to-severe psoriasis, based on its efficacy and rapidity of action. The current study investigated the response to CsA in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

Materials And Methods: TRANSITION was an observational, cross-sectional, multicentre study which evaluated the proportion of partial- and suboptimal-responders among patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis treated with continuous CsA for ≥12 weeks.

HRCT Patterns of Drug-Induced Interstitial Lung Diseases: A Review.

Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILDs) represent a heterogeneous group of pathologies, which may be related to different causes. A low percentage of these lung diseases may be secondary to the administration of drugs or substances. Through the PubMed database, an extensive search was performed in the fields of drug toxicity and interstitial lung disease.

Morphological Patterns of Sarcoidosis and Clinical Outcome: Retrospective Analysis through a Multidisciplinary Approach.

The aim of this work was to verify the correlations between different pulmonary morphological patterns and functional outcomes in sarcoidosis patients, using a validated score for the comparison between the high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of patients belonging to different imaging patterns. From the electronic database of the reference center for interstitial lung diseases of our University Hospital, we retrospectively selected 55 patients with a diagnosis of sarcoidosis according to the American Thoracic Society (ATS) criteria; we evaluated the initial HRCT examination and pulmonary function tests collected at baseline and after a year. Patients were divided into typical (48% of patients) and atypical (52%) HRCT patterns, and a computer tomography activity score (CTAS) was associated with each HRCT appearance detected; clinical history, impact of therapy, and extra-thoracic locations were also considered.

CT imaging findings of abdominopelvic vascular compression syndromes: what the radiologist needs to know.

Abdominopelvic vascular compression syndromes include a variety of uncommon conditions characterized by either extrinsic compression of blood vessels by adjacent anatomical structures (i.e., median arcuate ligament syndrome, nutcracker syndrome, May-Thurner syndrome) or compression of hollow viscera by adjacent vessels (i.

Morphometric Assessment of the Residual Width of the Distal Hamate Articular Surface after Graft Harvest for Hemi-hamate Arthroplasty.

Background: The hemi-hamate arthroplasty (HHA) can restore joint congruity and stability in chronic fracture-dislocations of the proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ). Purpose of this study was to compare the width of the distal hamate articular surface (DHAS) to the width of the base of the middle phalanges (P2) of the fingers. We hypothesized the dimensions of the width of the DHAS would be similar to those of P2, leaving a small amount of residual DHAS width after autograft harvest.

N-BiPAP vs n-CPAP in term neonate with respiratory distress syndrome.

Background: Non-invasive respiratory ventilation has greatly improved the evolution of respiratory distress in neonates, especially for preterm infants, but few studies have investigated the use of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in term infants. It is useful for neonatologists and nurses to identify the optimal ventilation strategy in terms of effectiveness for this group of newborns. The aim of our study was to investigate what type of respiratory support between nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (nCPAP) or nasal Biphasic Positive Airway Pressure (nBiPAP) is more effective in term neonates with RDS.

Antegrade Versus Retrograde Technique for Fixation of Scaphoid Waist Fractures: A Comparison of Screw Placement.

 Scaphoid waist fractures are often treated using headless compression screws using dorsal or volar approaches.  The purpose of this study is to compare differences in screw position using a volar (retrograde) or dorsal (antegrade) approach.  A total of 82 patients were retrospectively evaluated: 41 treated with a volar and 41 with a dorsal approach were selected.

Poland Syndrome with Atypical Malformations Associated to a de novo 1.5 Mb Xp22.31 Duplication.

Poland's syndrome (PS; OMIM 173800) is a rare congenital syndrome which consists of absence or hypoplasia of the pectoralis muscle. Other features can be variably associated, including rib defects. On the affected side other features (such as of breast and nipple anomalies, lack of subcutaneous tissue and skin annexes, hand anomalies, visceral, and vertebral malformation) have been variably documented.

Stratification of long-term outcome in stable idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis by combining longitudinal computed tomography and forced vital capacity.

Objectives: To test HRCT with either visual or quantitative analysis in both short-term and long-term follow-up of stable IPF against long-term (transplant-free) survival, beyond 2 years of disease stability.

Methods: Fifty-eight IPF patients had FVC measurements and HRCTs at baseline (HRCT0), 10-14 months (HRCT1) and 22-26 months (HRCT2). Visual scoring, CALIPER quantitative analysis of HRCT measures, and their deltas were evaluated against combined all-cause mortality and lung transplantation by adjusted Cox proportional hazard models at each time interval.

Chromosome 15q BP3 to BP5 deletion is a likely locus for speech delay and language impairment: Report on a four-member family and an unrelated boy.

Background: Deletions in chromosome 15q13 have been reported both in healthy people and individuals with a wide range of behavioral and neuropsychiatric disturbances. Six main breakpoint (BP) subregions (BP1-BP6) are mapped to the 15q13 region and three further embedded BP regions (BP3-BP5). The deletion at BP4-BP5 is the rearrangement most frequently observed compared to other known deletions in BP3-BP5 and BP3-BP4 regions.

Correction to: Consensus-based technical recommendations for clinical translation of renal diffusion-weighted MRI.

The article Consensus-based technical recommendations for clinical translation of renal diffusion-weighted MRI.

Assessment of Lung Cancer Development in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Patients Using Quantitative High-Resolution Computed Tomography: A Retrospective Analysis.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate histogram-based quantitative high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) indexes in the assessment of lung cancer (LC) development in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients.

Materials And Methods: From IPF databases of 2 national respiratory centers, we retrospectively studied patients with and without LC development-respectively, divided into Group A (n=16) and Group B (n=33). The extent of fibrotic disease was quantified on baseline and follow-up HRCT examinations using kurtosis, skewness, percentage of high attenuation area (HAA%), and percentage of fibrotic area (FA%).

Ongoing challenges in pulmonary fibrosis and insights from the nintedanib clinical programme.

The approvals of nintedanib and pirfenidone changed the treatment paradigm in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and increased our understanding of the underlying disease mechanisms. Nonetheless, many challenges and unmet needs remain in the management of patients with IPF and other progressive fibrosing interstitial lung diseases.This review describes how the nintedanib clinical programme has helped to address some of these challenges.

Eribulin mesylate use as third-line therapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer (VESPRY): a prospective, multicentre, observational study.

Background: In real-world practice, eribulin mesylate provides significant survival benefit, with a manageable safety profile in heavily pretreated patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC).

Methods: In this prospective, open-label, multicentre, observational study we evaluated the effectiveness and tolerability of eribulin as third-line treatment in a homogeneous population. The primary endpoints were the safety profile and response in metastatic sites; secondary endpoints included the response in different subtypes, overall response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

Cross-sectional imaging of acute gynaecologic disorders: CT and MRI findings with differential diagnosis-part II: uterine emergencies and pelvic inflammatory disease.

Due to the growing use of cross-sectional imaging in emergency departments, acute gynaecologic disorders are increasingly diagnosed on urgent multidetector computed tomography (CT) studies, often requested under alternative presumptive diagnoses in reproductive-age women. If clinical conditions and state-of-the-art scanner availability permit, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is superior to CT due to its more in-depth characterisationof abnormal or inconclusive gynaecological findings, owing to excellent soft-tissue contrast, intrinsic multiplanar capabilities and lack of ionising radiation.This pictorial review aims to provide radiologists with a thorough familiarity with gynaecologic emergencies by illustrating their CT and MRI appearances, in order to provide a timely and correct imaging diagnosis.

Cross-sectional imaging of acute gynaecologic disorders: CT and MRI findings with differential diagnosis-part I: corpus luteum and haemorrhagic ovarian cysts, genital causes of haemoperitoneum and adnexal torsion.

Acute gynaecologic disorders are commonly encountered in daily clinical practice of emergency departments (ED) and predominantly occur in reproductive-age women. Since clinical presentation may be nonspecific and physical findings are often inconclusive, imaging is required for a timely and accurate diagnosis. Although ultrasound is the ideal non-invasive first-line technique, nowadays multidetector computed tomography (CT) is extensively used in the ED, particularly when a non-gynaecologic disorder is suspected and differential diagnosis from gastrointestinal and urologic diseases is needed.

Analysis of loss of reduction as risk factor for additional secondary displacement in children with displaced distal radius fractures treated conservatively.

Background: The distal radius is the most common site of fracture in childhood, and the conservative treatment is widely used. The major casting complication is the loss of reduction and the redisplacement of the fracture.

Hypothesis: According to the risk factors, close reduction and casting is the gold standard as first option of treatment of distal radius fractures (DRFs).

Chest imaging using signs, symbols, and naturalistic images: a practical guide for radiologists and non-radiologists.

Several imaging findings of thoracic diseases have been referred-on chest radiographs or CT scans-to signs, symbols, or naturalistic images. Most of these imaging findings include the air bronchogram sign, the air crescent sign, the arcade-like sign, the atoll sign, the cheerios sign, the crazy paving appearance, the comet-tail sign, the darkus bronchus sign, the doughnut sign, the pattern of eggshell calcifications, the feeding vessel sign, the finger-in-gloove sign, the galaxy sign, the ginkgo leaf sign, the Golden-S sign, the halo sign, the headcheese sign, the honeycombing appearance, the interface sign, the knuckle sign, the monod sign, the mosaic attenuation, the Oreo-cookie sign, the polo-mint sign, the presence of popcorn calcifications, the positive bronchus sign, the railway track appearance, the scimitar sign, the signet ring sign, the snowstorm sign, the sunburst sign, the tree-in-bud distribution, and the tram truck line appearance. These associations are very helpful for radiologists and non-radiologists and increase learning and assimilation of concepts.

PRRT2 gene variant in a child with dysmorphic features, congenital microcephaly, and severe epileptic seizures: genotype-phenotype correlation?

Background: Mutations in Proline-rich Transmembrane Protein 2 (PRRT2) have been primarily associated with individuals presenting with infantile epilepsy, including benign familial infantile epilepsy, benign infantile epilepsy, and benign myoclonus of early infancy, and/or with dyskinetic paroxysms such as paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia, paroxysmal non-kinesigenic dyskinesia, and exercise-induced dyskinesia. However, the clinical manifestations of this disorder vary widely. PRRT2 encodes a protein expressed in the central nervous system that is mainly localized in the pre-synaptic neurons and is involved in the modulation of synaptic neurotransmitter release.

Developmental EEG hallmark or biological artifact? Glossokinetic artifact mimicking anterior slow dysrhythmia in two full term newborns.

The aim of this paper is to describe an uncommon physiological EEG artifact in newborns caused by tongue movements (TM), mimicking anterior slow dysrhythmia (ASD). The subjects are two full-term newborns (39 weeks gestational age (GA)), admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for respiratory distress. Both underwent polygraphic video-EEG recording in order to better characterize tremor-like movements of all four limbs that appeared 48 hours after birth.

Effects of Venous Angioplasty on Cerebral Lesions in Multiple Sclerosis: Expanded Analysis of the Brave Dreams Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Randomized Trial.

Purpose: To evaluate if jugular vein flow restoration in various venographic defects indicative of chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients can have positive effects on cerebral lesions identified using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Materials And Methods: The Brave Dreams trial ( identifier NCT01371760) was a multicenter, randomized, parallel group, double-blind, sham-controlled trial to assess the efficacy of jugular venoplasty in MS patients with CCSVI. Between August 2012 and March 2016, 130 patients (mean age 39.

Possible value of antifibrotic drugs in patients with progressive fibrosing non-IPF interstitial lung diseases.

Background: Fibrosing, non-idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (non-IPF) interstitial lung diseases (fILDs) are a heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by a different amount of inflammation and fibrosis. Therapy is currently based on corticosteroids and/or immunomodulators. However, response to these therapies is highly variable, sometimes without meaningful improvement, especially in more fibrosing forms.

7q31.32 partial duplication: First report of a child with dysmorphism, autistic spectrum disorder, moderate intellectual disability and, epilepsy. Literature review.

Introduction: Duplication of long arm of chromosome 7(q) is uncommon. It may occur as "pure", isolated anomaly or in association with other mutations involving the same or other chromosomes. "Pure" chromosome 7q duplication has recently been classified by segment involved: the interstitial, proximal, or distal segment of the arm.

NF1 microdeletion syndrome: case report of two new patients.

Background: 17q11.2 microdeletions, which include the neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) gene region, are responsible for the NF1 microdeletion syndrome, observed in 4.2% of all NF1 patients.

Consensus-based technical recommendations for clinical translation of renal diffusion-weighted MRI.

Objectives: Standardization is an important milestone in the validation of DWI-based parameters as imaging biomarkers for renal disease. Here, we propose technical recommendations on three variants of renal DWI, monoexponential DWI, IVIM and DTI, as well as associated MRI biomarkers (ADC, D, D*, f, FA and MD) to aid ongoing international efforts on methodological harmonization.

Materials And Methods: Reported DWI biomarkers from 194 prior renal DWI studies were extracted and Pearson correlations between diffusion biomarkers and protocol parameters were computed.