THE ROLE OF FINANCIAL INDICATORS IN THE LIFE OF ITALIAN FOOTBALL CLUBS

1. Introduction – 2. Brief review of related literature – 3. Research hypothesis – 4. Methodology and description of the sample – 5. Analysis and discussion – 6. Conclusion – ReferencesFinancial indicators, financial fair play, italian football

Left Ventricular Mass Index as an Outcome Measure in Clinical Trials in Dialysis Patients: A Word of Caution

n/

A New Treatment for Calciphylaxis in Hemodialysis Patients?

n/

An osteoporotic hip fracture in a 14-year-old girl undergoing chemotherapy and operated for knee osteosarcoma

Non-weight-bearing, pre- and postsurgical immobilization, neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy are known to act on bone turnover, causing osteoporosis over short and long time periods. Treatment of fracture insurgence is very difficult because it really depends on being able to choose the right time (i.e., when immunodeficiency is less important). We report a case of spontaneous neck femur fracture during adjuvant chemotherapy in a young girl treated with resection and prosthesis reconstruction for distal femur osteosarcoma. Possible prevention and the correct approach and surgical timing are emphasized considering immunodeficiency following chemotherapy

Clinical and radiological midterm results from using the Fixion expandable intramedullary nail in transverse and short oblique fractures of femur and tibia

BACKGROUND: A locked nail is the principal method used to eliminate rotatory components in femoral and tibial fractures. Nevertheless, weight bearing is not directed onto the fracture site, slowing down the healing process; another possibility is to use a large-diameter nail and ream the canal to obtain as much adherence as possible and increase the grip, but this can cause a number of complications. The expandable nail is a new option that in theory should remove some problems with previous techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective nonrandomized study encompassing 21 femoral fractures and 27 tibial fractures in 45 patients. They were classified according to the AO classification. Clinical and radiological checks were done at one, three, and six months and at one year from the surgery in order to check for signs of clinical and radiological healing. A good alignment was considered to be the presence of a deformity of less than 5° in the sagittal and lateral planes and the absence of rotatory clinically evident problems. This protocol was adhered to up to six months after surgery by all of the patients, while only 62.2% performed the last control. The mean follow-up was 15 months. A second group of 48 consecutive fractures (24 femural and 24 tibial) treated with locked nail was created to compare surgical times. RESULTS: Appropriate alignment was observed in all cases; the healing process appeared slower: radiological healing occurred in most cases at six months. The following complications were reported: a case of intraoperative fracture widening with no effect on the treatment; a case of a lesion of the tip of the nail with pneumatic system rupture that necessitated nail substitution; two cases of retarded consolidation at six months, with both tibial fractures treated successfully by intralesion platelet gel; a case of incarcerated nail on 17 removals, resolved by shearing. We had no cases of clinically evident compartment syndrome or pulmonary embolism. CONCLUSIONS: The expandable Fixion nail presents significant advantages in the treatment of transverse and short oblique fractures of femur and tibia because it is easy to use, involves minimal X-ray exposure and can control rotations. Nevertheless, it high cost limits its use. We consider it as an alternative to locked nail

The iliac stemmed cup in reconstruction of the acetabular defects secondary to tumor resection: a systematic review of literature

Introduction Stemmed acetabular cups are suitable for reconstruction in case of important bone loss. Nevertheless, their use is not so common, because generally judged very invasive and technically difficult to implant. The aim of the present review is to verify the results of their use and to evaluate indications and complications. Materials and methods Literature research was performed in the main healthcare databases; indications, surgical technique, related complications, functional results and implant survival were valued and analyzed for every selected paper. Results 13 studies were selected, for a population of 424 patients and 428 hips. The main indication was reconstruction after tumor removal; the primary non-oncologic indication was revision for aseptic loosening. The most frequent complications were aseptic loosening and implant failure (16.2%), followed by deep infection (11.3%) and dislocation (9.8%). The average MSTS score was 65.9%; while data regarding functional results for degenerative cases are quite fragmented. The 5-years implant survival was 73.6%. Conclusions Data regarding SAC prostheses are quite rare in the literature; no prospective studies with comparisons with other reconstruction techniques are available so their use is mainly based on the experience of single centers. While data for tumors are more consistent and supported by studies, information on revisions of hip prosthesis implanted for degenerative problems is quite scarce. Preliminary results on the SAC prosthesis as a valid alternative both for tumoral and degenerative revision cases are encouraging. Prospective randomized studies are advocated to value results compared to alternative techniques

The 2007 ERA-EDTA Registry Annual Report—a Précis

Introduction: This paper provides a summary of the 2006 European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ERA-EDTA) Registry report. Methods: Data on renal replacement therapy (RRT) were available from 50 national and regional registries in 28 countries in Europe and bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Data sets with individual patient data were received from 35 registries, whereas 17 registries contributed data in aggregated form. For both types of registries we presented incidence, prevalence and transplant rates. Survival analysis and the calculation of expected remaining lifetimes were solely based on individual patient records.Results: In 2006, among all registries reporting to the ERA-EDTA Registry, the overall annual incidence rate of RRT was 118 per million population (pmp), and the prevalence was 630 pmp. Incidence rates varied from 213 pmp in Germany to 18 pmp in Ukraine. The overall incidence rate of RRT for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) started to decrease from 2004. The highest prevalence of RRT for ESRD was reported by Cantabria, Spain (1,234 pmp) and the lowest by Ukraine (73 pmp). Overall transplant rates were highest in Spain (61 pmp), whereas the highest transplant rates with living donor kidneys were reported from Iceland (26 pmp). The unadjusted 1-, 2- and 5-year survival of patients on RRT was 82.3 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 82.0-82.5), 70.9 (95% CI, 70.7-71.2) and 47.5 (95% CI, 47.3-47.6) for the cohort 1997-2001, respectivel

Screening: why, when, and how

n/

Prognostic value of combined use of biomarkers of inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and myocardiopathy in patients with ESRD

Prognostic value of combined use of biomarkers of inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and myocardiopathy in patients with ESRD.BackgroundCardiovascular risk stratification is important in the clinical management of patients with end-stage renal diseases (ESRD) and biomarkers are increasingly used in these patients.MethodsIn a cohort of 246 dialysis patients without heart failure at baseline we tested the combined prognostic power of three well-established biomarkers: brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), C-reactive protein (CRP), and asymmetric dimethyl arginine (ADMA). The independent prognostic value of individual and combined biomarkers was estimated in separate Cox models, including standard risk factors in dialysis patients and comorbidities.ResultsWhen the prediction power of the three biomarkers was evaluated individually, BNP, ADMA, and CRP added significant predictive value (P≤ 0.01) to all-cause and cardiovascular mortality models and the explanatory gain attributable to these biomarkers were of similar degree (ranging from 3.3% to 5.7%). When the biomarkers were evaluated jointly, a score based on the BNP-CRP combination, increased by 9.9% (all-cause) and by 10.5% (cardiovascular) the explained mortality variance of standard Cox models and such gain in power was similar to that achieved by the CRP-ADMA combination (all-cause death 9.0% and cardiovascular death 8.4%). Of note, the explanatory gain derived by the simultaneous use of the three biomarkers was very similar (all-cause death 11.6% and cardiovascular death 10.5%) to that achieved by the use of two biomarkers.ConclusionThese findings indicate a potential role for CRP, BNP, and ADMA to be incorporated into diagnostic and therapeutic strategies aimed at detection and treatment of atherosclerotic complications and at preventing heart failure in the dialysis population

Plasma adrenomedullin during acute changes in intravascular volume in hemodialysis patients

Plasma adrenomedullin during acute changes in intravascular volume in hemodialysis patients.BackgroundAdrenomedullin, is a potent vasorelaxant that is highly expressed in the adrenal medulla, kidney, heart and lung. Since there is indirect evidence that hypervolemia enhances the release of this peptide, we measured plasma adrenomedullin in 9 uremic patients on chronic dialysis treatment and in 10 healthy subjects matched for age and gender.MethodsMeasurements were performed in baseline conditions, after isotonic fluid subtraction (by isolated ultrafiltration) and during a 70° tilt. Tilt was performed in volume-depleted state, that is, after isolated ultrafiltration (UF). In the control experiment patients underwent sham UF (UF = 0) followed by a period of supine resting identical to the one they had spent in tilted position in the active experiment. Adrenomedullin was measured on pre-extracted plasma samples (Sep-Pak C-18 cartridges) by a specific RIA for human adrenomedullin 1-52.ResultsThe average plasma adrenomedullin was 2.6 times higher (P < 0.01) in uremic patients (103 ± 8pg/ml) than in healthy subjects (39 ± 7pg/ml). After fluid subtraction (-2.6 ± 0.2 liter) adrenomedullin fell to 79. ± 8pg/ml (P = 0.02) but remained well above the upper limit of the 95% CI in normal subjects (52pg/ml). There was no relationship between adrenomedullin and ANF changes. In the control experiment sham UF did not modify plasma adrenomedullin. Tilt did not significantly change plasma adrenomedullin either in dialysis patients or healthy subjects.ConclusionsPlasma adrenomedullin is markedly raised in uremic patients on dialysis, which confirms that the kidney has a major role in the clearance of this peptide. However, the fall in plasma adrenomedullin after isolated UF indicates that the plasma concentration of this peptide is influenced by the body fluid volume status. Whether or not adrenomedullin participates in the counter-regulatory response to fluid subtraction in uremic patients remains to be explored by specific antagonists of this substance