Insulin-resistance HCV infection-related affects vascular stiffness in normotensives

Background and Aims. Arterial stiffness evaluated as pulse wave velocity, is an early marker of vascular damage and an independent predictor for cardiovascular events. We investigated if the insulin resistance/hyperinsulinemia chronic hepatitis C virus infection-related could influence arterial stiffness. Methods. We enrolled 260 outpatients matched for age, body mass index, gender, ethnicity: 52 with never-treated uncomplicated chronic hepatitis C virus infection (HCV+), 104 never-treated hypertensives (HT) and 104 healthy subjects (NT). Pulse wave velocity was evaluated by a validated system employing high-fidelity applanation tonometry. We also measured: fasting plasma glucose and insulin, total, LDL- and HDL-cholesterol, triglyceride, creatinine, e-GFR-EPI, HOMA, quantitative HCV-RNA. Results. HCV+ patients with respect to NT had an increased pulse wave velocity (7.9 ± 2.1 vs 6.4 ± 2.1 m/s; P < 0.0001), similar to that observed in HT group (8.8 ± 3.2 m/s). HCV+ patients, in comparison with NT, had higher triglyceride, creatinine, fasting insulin and HOMA (3.2 ± 1.3 vs 2.5 ± 1.0; P < 0.0001). At linear regression analysis, the correlation between pulse wave velocity and HOMA was similar in HT (r = 0.380, P < 0.0001) and HCV+ (r = 0.369, P = 0.004) groups. At multiple regression analysis, HOMA resulted the major determinant of pulse wave velocity in all groups, explaining respectively 11.8%, 14.4% and 13.6% of its variation in NT, HT and HCV+. At correlational analysis hepatitis C virus-RNA and HOMA demonstrated a strong and linear relationship between them, explaining the 72.4% of their variation (P = 0.022). Conclusions. We demonstrated a significant and direct correlation between HOMA and pulse wave velocity in HCV+ patients, similar to that observed in hypertensive

How to manage bowel endometriosis: The ETIC approach

none37noAlabiso, Giulia; Alio, Luigi; Arena, Saverio; di Prun, Allegra Barbasetti; Bergamini, Valentino; Berlanda, Nicola; Busacca, Mauro; Candiani, Massimo; Centini, Gabriele; Di Cello, Annalisa; Exacoustos, Caterina; Fedele, Luigi; Gabbi, Laura; Geraci, Elisa; Lavarini, Elena; Incandela, Domenico; Lazzeri, Lucia; Luisi, Stefano; Maiorana, Antonio; Maneschi, Francesco; Mattei, Alberto; Muzii, Ludovico; Pagliardini, Luca; Perandini, Alessio; Perelli, Federica; Pinzauti, Serena; Remorgida, Valentino; Sanchez, Ana Maria; Seracchioli, Renato; Somigliana, Edgardo; Tosti, Claudia; Venturella, Roberta; Vercellini, Paolo; Viganò, Paola; Vignali, Michele; Zullo, Fulvio; Zupi, ErricoAlabiso, Giulia; Alio, Luigi; Arena, Saverio; di Prun, Allegra Barbasetti; Bergamini, Valentino; Berlanda, Nicola; Busacca, Mauro; Candiani, Massimo; Centini, Gabriele; Di Cello, Annalisa; Exacoustos, Caterina; Fedele, Luigi; Gabbi, Laura; Geraci, Elisa; Lavarini, Elena; Incandela, Domenico; Lazzeri, Lucia; Luisi, Stefano; Maiorana, Antonio; Maneschi, Francesco; Mattei, Alberto; Muzii, Ludovico; Pagliardini, Luca; Perandini, Alessio; Perelli, Federica; Pinzauti, Serena; Remorgida, Valentino; Sanchez, Ana Maria; Seracchioli, Renato; Somigliana, Edgardo; Tosti, Claudia; Venturella, Roberta; Vercellini, Paolo; Viganò, Paola; Vignali, Michele; Zullo, Fulvio; Zupi, Erric

Adenomyosis: What the Patient Needs

A panel of experts in the field of endometriosis expressed their opinions on management options in a 28-year-old patient, attempting pregnancy for 1 year, with severe cyclic pelvic pain and with clinical examination and imaging techniques suggestive of adenomyosis. Many questions this paradigmatic patient may pose to the clinician are addressed, and all clinical scenarios are discussed. A decision algorithm derived from this discussion is also proposed

"Delirium Day": A nationwide point prevalence study of delirium in older hospitalized patients using an easy standardized diagnostic tool

Background: To date, delirium prevalence in adult acute hospital populations has been estimated generally from pooled findings of single-center studies and/or among specific patient populations. Furthermore, the number of participants in these studies has not exceeded a few hundred. To overcome these limitations, we have determined, in a multicenter study, the prevalence of delirium over a single day among a large population of patients admitted to acute and rehabilitation hospital wards in Italy. Methods: This is a point prevalence study (called "Delirium Day") including 1867 older patients (aged 65 years or more) across 108 acute and 12 rehabilitation wards in Italian hospitals. Delirium was assessed on the same day in all patients using the 4AT, a validated and briefly administered tool which does not require training. We also collected data regarding motoric subtypes of delirium, functional and nutritional status, dementia, comorbidity, medications, feeding tubes, peripheral venous and urinary catheters, and physical restraints. Results: The mean sample age was 82.0 ± 7.5 years (58 % female). Overall, 429 patients (22.9 %) had delirium. Hypoactive was the commonest subtype (132/344 patients, 38.5 %), followed by mixed, hyperactive, and nonmotoric delirium. The prevalence was highest in Neurology (28.5 %) and Geriatrics (24.7 %), lowest in Rehabilitation (14.0 %), and intermediate in Orthopedic (20.6 %) and Internal Medicine wards (21.4 %). In a multivariable logistic regression, age (odds ratio [OR] 1.03, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.05), Activities of Daily Living dependence (OR 1.19, 95 % CI 1.12-1.27), dementia (OR 3.25, 95 % CI 2.41-4.38), malnutrition (OR 2.01, 95 % CI 1.29-3.14), and use of antipsychotics (OR 2.03, 95 % CI 1.45-2.82), feeding tubes (OR 2.51, 95 % CI 1.11-5.66), peripheral venous catheters (OR 1.41, 95 % CI 1.06-1.87), urinary catheters (OR 1.73, 95 % CI 1.30-2.29), and physical restraints (OR 1.84, 95 % CI 1.40-2.40) were associated with delirium. Admission to Neurology wards was also associated with delirium (OR 2.00, 95 % CI 1.29-3.14), while admission to other settings was not. Conclusions: Delirium occurred in more than one out of five patients in acute and rehabilitation hospital wards. Prevalence was highest in Neurology and lowest in Rehabilitation divisions. The "Delirium Day" project might become a useful method to assess delirium across hospital settings and a benchmarking platform for future surveys