High-power Magnetotherapy: A New Weapon in Urinary Incontinence?

Objective: Urinary incontinence (UI) is one of the most common urinary system diseases that mostly affects women but also men. We evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of functional magnetic stimulation (FMS) as potential UI treatment with improvements in the pelvic floor musculature, urodynamic tests and quality of life. Methods: A total of 20 UI patients (10 females and 10 men, mean age 64, 14 years), including 10 with stress UI, four with urgency UI and six with mixed UI, were treated with FMS (20 min/session) twice a week for 3 weeks. The patients\u2019 impressions, records in urinary diaries, and scores of three life stress questionnaires (overactive bladder symptom questionnaire [OAB-q], urogenital distress inventory questionnaire-short form [UDI-6], incontinence impact questionnaire-short form [IIQ-7]) were performed pre- and post-treatment. Results: Significant reductions (P < 0.01) of micturition number and nocturia after magnetic treatment were evi- denced. The urodynamic tests recorded a significant increase in cystometric capacity (147 \ub1 51.3%), in maximum urethral closure pressure (110 \ub1 34%), in urethral functional length (99.8 \ub1 51.8%), and in pressure transmission ratio (147 \ub1 51.3%) values compared with the baseline values. Conclusions: These preliminary findings suggest that FMS with Magneto STYM (twice weekly for 3 weeks) improves the UI and may be an effective treatment for this urogenital disease

One year study of efficacy and safety of infliximab in the treatment of patients with ocular and neurological Behçet's disease refractory to standard immunosuppressive drugs

Abstract The aim of the study was to assess the long-term efficacy and safety of Infliximab therapy in the treatment of patients with Behçet’s disease refractory to standard immunosuppressive agents. Twenty-one patients that did not respond to corticosteroids and to at least one immunosuppressant (cyclosporin, methotrexate, azathioprine, cyclophosphamide) for the presence of ocular and/or CNS involvement were enrolled. Eighteen patients completed the study up to 54 weeks. Stable doses of prednisone (<10 mg/day) were permitted, immunosuppressants were discontinued at least 4 weeks prior baseline visit. The patients received three infusions of 5 mg/kg Infliximab (at weeks 0, 2 and 6) and then infusions of 5 mg/kg Infliximab every 8 weeks. At each visit data on clinical symptoms, response to therapy and adverse events were collected. The primary outcome of interest was to assess the clinical efficacy (total or partial recovery) of infliximab. Secondary end points were to evaluate quality of life and to monitor the safety of the drug. Eighteen patients achieved a total remission. Two patients achieved a partial remission and relapsed after 3 months from discontinuation of therapy. Infliximab was well tolerated throughout the study. A case of non-Hodgkin lymphoma was observed within 6 months. Minor side effects were headache, dizziness, tachycardia that regressed spontaneously and did not entail interruption. Anti-nuclear antibodies were not detected during the period of observation

Risk assessment in ginecology and obstetrics in Sicily: an approach based on Wolff's Criteria

Objectives To apply Wolff’s Criteria to hospital discharge records (HDR) in order to detect adverse events worthy of further study. Methods Gynecology and Obstetrics Units of three Sicilian hospitals were considered and HDR regarding ordinary and day hospital admissions in 2008 were collected. A matched case-control study was designed, by random selection of 10 controls at maximum for each case. Matching was performed on the variables age and speciality of admission (gynecology or obstetrics). Results Out of a total of 7011 HDR examined, 114 cases were identified with Wolff’s Criteria. Multivariate analysis confirmed a statistically significant association with the origin of admission, diagnosis at the acceptance and length of stay: there was a decreased risk of Wolff’s event in patients having urgent admission compared to elective (OR = 0.47, 95% CI = [0.28-0.78]), an increased risk in patients reporting tumor (OR = 5:41, 95 % CI [1.89-15.47]) and other causes (OR = 2.16, 95% CI [1.10-4.24]) compared to delivery diagnosis at acceptance and in patients whose length of stay was more than 6 days (OR = 23.17, 95% CI = [12.56-42.7]) compared to less or equal than 3 days Conclusion Wolff’s Criteria can be applied for the analysis of clinical risk in hospitals with different structural characteristics, on condition that the HDR database is complete and good quality

Oxidative stress, plasma/salivary antioxidant status detection and health risk factors

Background: Oxidative stress is involved in the pathophysiology of several diseases such as cardiovascular disorders, cancer, neurodegeneration.Aims and Objectives: Our study evaluated the oxidant/antioxidant status on a cohort of healthy patients matched with some independent variables as a basic individual redox balance monitor on a disease-prevention perspective.Materials and Methods: The anecdotic, retrospective and observational study included 200 apparently healthy volunteers after formal informed consent release whose personal history and physical examination had been recorded specifically on the following items: age, previous diseases, sport activities, smoking habit, balanced/unbalanced nutrition, current absence/presence of inflammatory processes, oral health hygiene, administration of oral contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women. No drug treatment was admitted in the recruited patients, up to 6 months before the evaluation. The laboratory instruments used were Point of care FRAS 4 Evolvo (H&D, Parma, Italy) measuring the oxidative stress in plasma samples and antioxidant capacity in plasma and saliva samples.Results: Two-hundred patients were recruited. Statistically relevant differences were observed in oxidative stress-related variables, namely a significant relationship between plasma oxidative stress level and female gender (p<0.01), between saliva antioxidant level and age (p=0.01), between plasma antioxidant level and unbalanced diet (p<0.01), between plasma oxidative stress level and inflammation in the oral cavity (p=0.04), and between saliva antioxidant level and inflammation in the oral cavity (p<0.01).Conclusions: A relationship between oxidative/antioxidant status and health risk factors has been outlined in our study; the achieved data are quite helpful, in the clinical practice, providing additional information on individual general health conditions, putatively related to prevention diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment effectiveness in some specific diseases.Asian Journal of Medical Sciences Vol.8(1) 2017 32-4

Il sostegno economico mediante la rete e il delitto di finanziamento del terrorismo

Al pari della propaganda, il sostegno economico al terrorismo passa mediante la rete e si intreccia con le operazioni di riciclaggio. Diversamente da questo, nella lotta al finanziamento del terrorismo la prevenzione serve alla repressione. Le fattispecie nazionali di finanziamento del terrorismo integrano, con alcuni “eccessi”, la disciplina di contrasto costituita dalle misure di congelamento e dalle misure antiriciclaggi

La questione penale delle auto a guida autonoma in prospettiva comparata

Attraverso l’analisi comparata delle legislazioni europee già emanate e degli studi sviluppati in prospettiva de iure condendo sui veicoli a guida autonoma, il presente lavoro tenta di tracciare le “tendenze” di politica criminale relative ai profili di responsabilità penale sia del soggetto umano presente nell’abitacolo, sia dei diversi operatori professionali che stanno “dietro” il sistema e sono gravati di compiti di “conformazione” a presidio della cybersecurity del sistema di guida intelligente e della safetydi conducenti, passeggeri e terzi coinvolti nella circolazione stradale. Considerando pure gli aspetti discendenti dall’imposizione di vincoli di programmazione “eticamente” orientata, obiettivo dell’articolo è verificare criticamente, alla luce delle nostre categorie dogmatiche, gli esiti discendenti da queste “tendenze”, proponendo eventuali correttivi da implementare

Riciclaggio: Repressione, Prevenzione, Prospettive di riforma.

Partendo dall\u2019analisi della dimensione fenomenologica del riciclaggio (cap. I), si esaminano, contenuti ed esiti del duplice intervento del diritto penale nella disciplina italiana di contrasto: sul piano del delitto, previsto dall\u2019art. 648 bis c.p. (cap. II), ed in ordine ai delitti e contravvenzioni previsti dall\u2019art. 55 del d.lgs. 231 del 2007-testo unico antiriciclaggio (Cap. III). Completa lo studio la comparazione con gli altri delitti di riciclaggio dell\u2019Unione europea ed in particolare con il sistema spagnolo, preventivo e repressivo, contro il blanqueo de capitales (cap. IV). Alla luce della comparazione condotta si indicano i possibili scenari europei della politica criminale integrata di lotta al riciclaggio (Cap. V).The present study departs from the analysis of the money laundering\u2019s phenomenological dimension (chap. I), and further develops into a bi-dimensional study of the concept in the Italian Criminal law; such double perspective looks on the one hand at the crime as regulated under art. 648 bis of the Italian Criminal Code (chap. II), and then at the violations of the italian anti-money laundering system of rules as regulated under art. 55 of d.lgs. 231/2007 (chap. III). The forth chapter deals with the comparison between the Italian legal system and the other EU money laundering crimes; in particular, the analisys looks at the Spanish preventive and repressive system as regards the blanqueo de capitales. Pursuant to our comparative analysis, we try to suggest possible European scenarios of integrated criminal policy agaist money laundering (chap V)

La polivalenza penale delle criptovalute nel prisma del patrimonio: percorsi normativi e giurisprudenziali

L'articolo analizza le conseguenze sul piano penale della definizione normativa di cui al d.lgs. 184/2021 e delle qualificazioni giurisprudenziali delle valute virtuali

L’ IMPIANTO SANZIONATORIO “PUNITIVO” DELLA LEGGE SUL DIRITTO D’AUTORE: IL DIRITTO AL NE BIS IN IDEM NELLA PERMANENZA DEL DOPPIO BINARIO

L’articolo esamina le fattispecie penali ed amministrative della legge sul diritto d’autore, dubitando della legittimità del doppio binario sanzionatorio come configurato in questo ambito. Oggetto specifico di analisi è, in particolare, la compatibilità con il principio di ne bis in idem nell’interpretazione accolta dalla giurisprudenza sovranazionale e nazionale e, specificamente, dalla sentenza n. 149/2022 della Corte costituzionale