89 research outputs found
Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a non-Cirrhotic Liver of a HCV-Positive Woman with Sustained Viral Response
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Attitude towards drug therapy in a Community Mental Health Center evaluated by the Drug Attitude Inventory
Get PDFIntroduction: Negative attitude towards drug therapy can foster limited adherence to
treatment, which remains one of the biggest obstacles for implementing effective treatments,
especially long term.
Purposes: The purposes of the study were 1) to evaluate the attitude towards drug therapy
among a representative sample of patients treated in a community psychiatric service using
30-item Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI-30); 2) to evaluate the DAI-30 dimensions, applying
factorial analysis; and 3) to highlight the socio-demographic and clinical variables correlated
to DAI-30 score and factors.
Methods: The DAI was administered, over a 7-month period, to all patients treated in our
psychiatric outpatient services who agreed to participate in this study and provided their
informed consent. Data were statistically analyzed.
Results: With a response rate of 63.3%, 164 females and 136 males completed the DAI-30
with an average score of 14.24 (Âą10.46 SD), indicating moderately positive attitude towards
drug therapy. The analysis of DAI-30 internal consistency confirmed its reliability
(Cronbachâs alpha=0.84). Our factorial analysis highlighted three factors: Factor 1
(Cronbachâs alpha=0.81), composed of 7 items which indicate positive, trustful attitude;
Factor 2 (Cronbachâs alpha=0.78), composed of 5 items indicating negative attitude of
suspiciousness; and Factor 3 (Cronbachâs alpha=0.66), composed of 4 items suggesting
defensive and control attitude towards drug therapy.
Discussion: Among the selected variables, âmonotherapyâ and âtotal number of hospitalizationsâ
were negatively correlated to the final score of DAI-30, whereas being âmarriedâ
was positively correlated to it, in a statistically significant way, using the multiple linear
regression model. These correlations suggest that positive attitude towards drug therapy
could be reinforced by the condition of being married and reduced by relapses with
hospitalization, as literature highlighted, and, paradoxically, by a monotherapy, which
could suggest a sort of psychological dependence on therapy and, indirectly, on psychiatric
service, potentially correlated to the long-term treatments of our patients
ADHD Follow-Up in Adulthood among Subjects Treated for the Disorder in a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service from 1995 to 2015
Get PDFBackground and Objectives: ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity and can persist in adulthood. The aim of this study is to deepen knowledge about adult ADHD follow-up. Materials and Methods: This observational study consists of one retrospective part aimed at collecting records of children and adolescents treated for ADHD in the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) from 1995 to 2015 and, successively, at identifying their adult follow-up in Adult Mental Health Service (AMHS); the second part consists of ADHD scale administration, Diagnostic Interview for ADHD in Adults (DIVA 2-0)
and Adult Self Rating Scale (ASRSv1.1), for the subjects currently being treated at AMHS who agreed to participate in the study. Results: We observed that among the 55 patients treated at CAMHS between 1995 and 2015 for ADHD and subsequently at the AMHS, none presented a diagnosis of ADHD; instead, they were treated for Intellectual Dysfunction (33%), Borderline Personality Disorder (15%) and Anxiety Disorders (9%), and two individuals were also diagnosed with comorbid substance/alcohol abuse (4%). Of the 55 patients, only 25 (45%) were treated at AMHS during the study period. Though we asked for their informed consent to administer the questionnaires, we were
able to test only seven patients. The ASRS-V1.1 score showed that 43% of patients reported symptoms of ADHD persistence in adulthood. For DIVA 2.0, 57% of individuals reported scores indicating the persistence of the ADHD inattention component, and 43% the persistence of both ADHD dimensions.
Conclusions: ADHD cannot be considered a disorder confined to childhood/adolescence but instead is a chronic and complex condition that can persist into adulthood. The very small size of our final sample may account for both the high ADHD dropout rate over the long follow-up period and the difficult transition from child to adult health care in ADHD treatment. Our investigation suggests the need for specific training in the diagnosis and treatment of adult ADHD and the implementation of transition protocols between minor and adult services to improve long-term treatments
Assessment of plaque morphology in alzheimerâs mouse cerebellum using three-dimensional X-ray phase-based virtual histology
Get PDFVisualization and characterization of beta -amyloid deposits is a fundamental task in pre-clinical study of Alzheimer's disease (AD) to assess its evolution and monitor the efficiency of new therapeutic strategies. While the cerebellum is one of the brain areas most underestimated in the context of AD, renewed interest in cerebellar lesions has recently arisen as they may link to motor and cognitive alterations. Thus, we quantitatively investigated three-dimensional plaque morphology in the cerebellum in APP/PS1 transgenic mouse, as a model of AD. In order to obtain a complete high-resolution three-dimensional view of the investigated tissue, we exploited synchrotron X-ray phase contrast tomography (XPCT), providing virtual slices with histology-matching resolution. We found the formation of plaques elongated in shape, and with a specific orientation in space depending on the investigated region of the cerebellar cortex. Remarkably, a similar shape is observed in human cerebellum from demented patients. Our findings demonstrate the capability of XPCT in volumetric quantification, supporting the current knowledge about plaque morphology in the cerebellum and the fundamental role of the surrounding tissue in driving their evolution. A good correlation with the human neuropathology is also reported
Organ Stiffness in the Work-Up of Myelofibrosis and Philadelphia-Negative Chronic Myeloproliferative Neoplasms
Get PDFTo define the role of spleen stiffness (SS) and liver stiffness (LS) in myelofibrosis and other Philadelphia (Ph)-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), we studied, by ultrasonography (US) and elastography (ES), 70 consecutive patients with myelofibrosis (MF) (no.43), essential thrombocythemia (ET) (no.10), and polycythemia vera (PV) (no.17). Overall, the median SS was not different between patients with MF and PV (p = 0.9); however, both MF and PV groups had significantly higher SS than the ET group (p = 0.011 and p = 0.035, respectively) and healthy controls (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.002, respectively). In patients with MF, SS values above 40 kPa were significantly associated with worse progression-free survival (PFS) (p = 0.012; HR = 3.2). SS also correlated with the extension of bone marrow fibrosis (BMF) (p < 0.0001). SS was higher in advanced fibrotic stages MF-2, MF-3 (W.H.O. criteria) than in pre-fibrotic/early fibrotic stages (MF-0, MF-1) (p < 0.0001) and PFS was significantly different in the two cohorts, with values of 63% and 85%, respectively (p = 0.038; HR = 2.61). LS significantly differed between the patient cohort with MF and healthy controls (p = 0.001), but not between the patient cohorts with ET and PV and healthy controls (p = 0.999 and p = 0.101, respectively). We can conclude that organ stiffness adds valuable information to the clinical work-up of MPNs and could be employed to define patients at a higher risk of progression
Angiotensin-II drives human satellite cells toward hypertrophy and myofibroblast trans-differentiation by two independent pathways
Get PDFSkeletal muscle regeneration is ensured by satellite cells (SC), which upon activation undergo self-renewal and myogenesis. The correct sequence of healing events may be offset by inflammatory and/or fibrotic factors able to promote fibrosis and consequent muscle wasting. Angiotensin-II (Ang) is an effector peptide of the renin angiotensin system (RAS), of which the direct role in human SCs (hSCs) is still controversial. Based on the hypertrophic and fibrogenic effects of Ang via transient receptor potential canonical (TRPC) channels in cardiac and renal tissues, we hypothesized a similar axis in hSCs. Toward this aim, we demonstrated that hSCs respond to acute Ang stimulation, dose-dependently enhancing p-mTOR, p-AKT, p-ERK1/2 and p-P38. Additionally, sub-acute Ang conditioning increased cell size and promoted trans-differentiation into myofibroblasts. To provide a mechanistic hypothesis on TRPC channel involvement in the processes, we proved that TRPC channels mediate a basal calcium entry into hSCs that is stimulated by acute Ang and strongly amplified by sub-chronic Ang conditioning. Altogether, these findings demonstrate that Ang induces a fate shift of hSCs into myofibroblasts and provide a basis to support a benefit of RAS and TRPC channel blockade to oppose muscle fibrosis
Optical investigation of action potential and calcium handling maturation of hiPSC-cardiomyocytes on biomimetic substrates
Get PDFThe Molecular Assembly of Amyloid Aβ Controls Its Neurotoxicity and Binding to Cellular Proteins
Get PDFAccumulation of β-sheet-rich peptide (Aβ) is strongly associated with Alzheimer's disease, characterized by reduction in synapse density, structural alterations of dendritic spines, modification of synaptic protein expression, loss of long-term potentiation and neuronal cell death. Aβ species are potent neurotoxins, however the molecular mechanism responsible for Aβ toxicity is still unknown. Numerous mechanisms of toxicity were proposed, although there is no agreement about their relative importance in disease pathogenesis. Here, the toxicity of Aβ 1â40 and Aβ 1â42 monomers, oligomers or fibrils, was evaluated using the N2a cell line. A structure-function relationship between peptide aggregation state and toxic properties was established. Moreover, we demonstrated that Aβ toxic species cross the plasma membrane, accumulate in cells and bind to a variety of internal proteins, especially on the cytoskeleton and in the endoplasmatic reticulum (ER). Based on these data we suggest that numerous proteins act as Aβ receptors in N2a cells, triggering a multi factorial toxicity
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