Interferon free antiviral treatment of chronic hepatitis C in patients affected by β-thalassemia major

Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) significantly affects the prognosis of liver disease [1] and health related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with β-thalassemia major [2, 3]. CHC cure is a crucial event in the prognosis of the disease, since prevents fibrosis progression, decreases the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and improves survival. Standard antiviral therapy with Pegylated Interferon (PEG-IFN) and Ribavirin (RBV) has long been the standard of care, despite its limited efficacy and increased ribavirin induced hematological adverse events in thalassemic patients [4]. Recently, several novel highly effective direct antiviral agents (DAAs) have been approved for HCV treatment, with impressive cure rates, higher than 90%, after 8–12 weeks of therapy and mild adverse events [5], but there are no published reports documenting the efficacy, safety and impact on QOL of available interferon-free antiviral regimens in patients with βthalassemia majo

Suspicious liver nodule in chronic liver disease: Usefulness of a second biopsy

PURPOSE: To assess the usefulness of a second biopsy when the first one was inconclusive in patients with a liver nodule found during the follow-up for chronic liver disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among 381 patients (544 nodules) included in a prospective study designed to evaluate the accuracy of imaging for the diagnosis of small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in chronic liver disease, 254 nodules were biopsied. The following histological results were considered as conclusive: HCC, dysplastic or regenerative nodule, and other identified tumors (benign or malignant). For nodules with inconclusive results (e.g. fibrosis or no definite focal lesion), a second biopsy was suggested, but was not mandatory. RESULTS: A total of 242 patients (194 men, 48 women; mean age, 61.9±9.5 [SD]; range: 40.2-89.0years) with 254 nodules underwent a first biopsy. Mean nodule diameter was 19.2±5.4mm (range: 10-33mm). The first biopsy was conclusive in 189/254 nodules (74.4%): 157 HCCs (83.1%), 11 regenerative nodules (5.8%), 10 dysplastic nodules (5.3%), 3 cholangiocarcinomas (1.6%), and 8 other tumors (4.2%). Among the 65 nodules for which the first biopsy was inconclusive, a second biopsy was performed for 17 nodules in 16 patients within 6 months of the first one. It was conclusive in 13/17 nodules (76.5%): 10 HCCs (76.9%), 2 dysplastic nodules (15.4%), and 1 other tumor (7.7%). In 4/17 nodules (23.5%), no definitive diagnosis could be provided. CONCLUSION: The diagnostic yield of a second biopsy of a suspicious lesion suggestive of HCC in chronic liver disease is not decreased compared to the first one. Repeated biopsy after a first negative one could be an alternative option to the follow-up of patients with chronic liver disease

Platelet activation is associated with myocardial infarction in patients with pneumonia

BACKGROUND: Troponins may be elevated in patients with pneumonia, but associations with myocardial infarction (MI) and with platelet activation are still undefined.OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between troponin elevation and in vivo markers of platelet activation in the early phase of hospitalization of patients affected by community-acquired pneumonia.METHODS: A total of 278 consecutive patients hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia, who were followed up until discharge, were included. At admission, platelet activation markers such as plasma soluble P-selectin, soluble CD40 ligand, and serum thromboxane B2 (TxB2) were measured. Serum high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T levels and electrocardiograms were obtained every 12 and 24 h, respectively.RESULTS: Among 144 patients with elevated high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T, 31 had signs of MI and 113 did not. Baseline plasma levels of soluble P-selectin and soluble CD40 ligand and serum TxB2 were significantly higher in patients who developed signs of MI. Logistic regression analysis showed plasma soluble CD40 ligand (p < 0.001) and soluble P-selectin (p < 0.001), serum TxB2 (p = 0.030), mean platelet volume (p = 0.037), Pneumonia Severity Index score (p = 0.030), and ejection fraction (p = 0.001) to be independent predictors of MI. There were no significant differences in MI rate between the 123 patients (45%) taking aspirin (100 mg/day) and those who were not aspirin treated (12% vs. 10%; p = 0.649). Aspirin-treated patients with MIs had higher serum TxB2 compared with those without MIs (p = 0.005).CONCLUSIONS: MI is an early complication of pneumonia and is associated with in vivo platelet activation and serum TxB2 overproduction; aspirin 100 mg/day seems insufficient to inhibit thromboxane biosynthesis. (MACCE in Hospitalized Patients With Community-acquired Pneumonia; NCT01773863)

Che cosa ci può dire il corpus sull'imperfettivo fattuale in ceco?

In this article the author investigates the use of the factual imperfective in Czech through the Czech National Corpus. A comparison is made with the perfective aspect in a very specific context, but at the same time frequent, because of common use: ráno jsem vstával(a) vs vstal(a) ‘the / this morning I got up’. The results show that the perfective is found mainly in sequences of events and the factual imperfective in argumentative discourses (in both cases in the measure of 80%). While the exceptions are functional in the narration for the imperfective, the perfective in the argumentative contexts appears random and testifies to the existence of a gray area in which the aspects are almost interchangeable

L'architettura del testo. Studi contrastivi slavo-romanzi. Atti del 3° Convegno internazionale di linguistica... Ediz. italiana, francese e russa

Questo volume collettivo comprende una selezione dei testi presentati al terzo Convegno internazionale di linguistica testuale contrastiva slavo-romanza (16-19 maggio 2013, Napoli) organizzato dal gruppo di studio GELiTeC in collaborazione con l’Università “L’Orientale” di Napoli. Il volume riflette i tradizionali indirizzi di ricerca del gruppo: l’analisi contrastiva, sotto differenti prospettive, dei fenomeni delle lingue slave e romanze, nonché dei mezzi di cui esse dispongono per garantire la coerenza e la coesione del testo. La prima parte del volume, «Semantica e pragmatica delle forme verbali», si concentra sulle categorie di tempo, aspetto e modalità. La seconda parte del volume, «Strutturare il testo», è dedicata alle relazioni e strategie testuali, in particolare la comparazione, la conclusione o l’approssimazione. Attraverso la molteplicità delle tematiche trattate il lettore potrà disporre di nuovi dati e di soluzioni originali, offerti proprio grazie all’approccio contrastivo e alla sua capacità di raccogliere insieme e di scorgere fenomeni che solitamente sfuggono a un approccio monolingue

Characteristics And Clinical Outcome Of Patients Referred For The First Time To An Outpatient Nutrition Clinic For The Management Of Malnutrition: A Retrospective Audit

International audienceRationale: Malnutrition, reported in around 10% of outpatients is a major public health problem, but its screening and management insufficient, leading to increase morbidity mortality. The main objective this study was evaluate the characteristics outcome malnourished patients seen for first time an outpatient nutrition clinic. Secondary objectives were compare clinical according severity malnutrition describe strategy

Caractéristiques et devenir des patients référés pour la première fois en consultation externe de nutrition pour la prise en charge d’une dénutrition : un audit rétrospectif

National audienc