30 research outputs found
Clean Colon Software Program (CCSP), Proposal of a standardized Method to quantify Colon Cleansing During Colonoscopy: Preliminary Results
Background and study aims: Neoplastic lesions
can be missed during colonoscopy, especially
when cleansing is inadequate. Bowel preparation
scales have significant limitations and no objective
and standardized method currently exists to
establish colon cleanliness during colonoscopy.
The aims of our study are to create a software algorithm
that is able to analyze bowel cleansing
during colonoscopies and to compare it to a validate
bowel preparation scale.
Patients and methods: A software application
(the Clean Colon Software Program, CCSP) was
developed. Fifty colonoscopies were carried out
and video-recorded. Each video was divided into
3 segments: cecum-hepatic flexure (1st Segment),
hepatic flexure-descending colon (2nd
Segment) and rectosigmoid segment (3rd Segment).
Each segment was recorded twice, both
before and after careful cleansing of the intestinal
wall. A score from 0 (dirty) to 3 (clean) was then
assigned by CCSP. All the videos were also viewed
by four endoscopists and colon cleansing was established
using the Boston Bowel Preparation
Scale. Interclass correlation coefficient was then
calculated between the endoscopists and the software.
Results: The cleansing score of the prelavage colonoscopies
was 1.56\ub10.52 and the postlavage one
was 2,08\ub10,59 (P<0.001) showing an approximate
33.3% improvement in cleansing after lavage.
Right colon segment prelavage (0.99\ub10.69)
was dirtier than left colon segment prelavage
(2.07\ub10.71). The overall interobserver agreement
between the average cleansing score for the 4 endoscopists
and the software pre-cleansing was
0.87 (95% CI, 0.84\u20130.90) and post-cleansing was
0.86 (95% CI, 0.83\u20130.89).
Conclusions: The software is able to discriminate
clean from non-clean colon tracts with high significance
and is comparable to endoscopist evaluation
A cost-consequence analysis of hepatitis B screening in an immigrant population
Introduction. Prevalence of infection with HIV-1 non-B subtypes in Italy has been reported to raise, due to increased migration flows and travels. HIV-1 variants show different biological and immunological properties that impact on disease progression rate, response to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and sensitivity of diagnostic tests with important implications for public health. Therefore, a constant surveillance of the dynamics of HIV variants in Italy should be a high public health priority. Organization of surveillance studies requires building up a platform constituted of a network of clinical centers, laboratories and institutional agencies, able to properly collect samples for the investigation of HIV subtypes heterogeneity and to provide a database with reliable demographic, clinical, immunological and virological data. Aim. We here report our experience in building up such a platform, co-ordinated by the National AIDS Center of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, taking advantage of a pilot study aimed at evaluating HIV subtypes diversity in populations of HIV-infected migrant people in Italy. Materials and methods. Four hundred and thirty four HIV-infected migrants were enrolled in 9 Italian clinical centers located throughout the Italian territory. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for sample collection were provided by the National AIDS Center to each clinical center. In addition, clinical centers were required to fill up a case report form (crf) for each patient, which included demographic, clinical, immunological and virological information. Results. All centers properly collected and stored samples from each enrolled individual. Overall, the required information was correctly provided for more than 90% of the patients. However, some fields of the crf, particularly those including information on the last HIV-negative antibody test and presence of co-infections, were properly filled up in less than 80% of the enrolled migrants. Centers from Northern and Central Italy showed a better tendency to report correct information in the crf than centers from the South. These results provide evidence that procedures for establishing a platform for the surveillance of HIV subtype heterogeneity are affordable by all the components of the network and lay the ground for the organization of a broader HIV subtypes surveillance in Italy
Food allergy to wheat products: The effect of bread baking and in vitro digestion on wheat allergenic proteins. A study with bread dough, crumb, and crust
The effect of baking and digestion on the allergenicity of wheat flour proteins has been studied. Pooled sera of patients suffering from food allergy to wheat products were tested for IgE binding to the proteins of the wheat dough and of the bread crumb and crust, before and after being in vitro digested. During in vitro digestion, the IgE binding protein components of the unheated dough tended to disappear, whereas a permanence of IgE recognition was evident for both the bread crumb and crust. This indicates that the baking process increases the resistance of the potential allergens of the wheat flour to proteolytic digestion, allowing them to reach the gastrointestinal tract, where they can elicit the immunological response. Therefore, the effects of baking must be carefully considered in studying food allergies to wheat products
Elevata frequenza di infezione da Helicobacter Pylori nei pazienti con sindrome tireo-gastrica.
Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with gastric autoimmune diseases: is there any linkage?
IF 2.