Do presumptions of negligence incentivize optimal precautions?

In most jurisdictions, the burden of producing evidence on a contested issue traditionally falls on plaintiffs. In a tort claim, this de facto creates a presumption of non-negligence in favor of injurers. Some legal systems in Europe placed renewed attention on “presumed liability” rules, which instead create a presumption of negligence against injurers. In this paper, we analyze the effects of alternative legal presumptions on parties’ care incentives in the presence of discovery errors. Differently from what was suggested in prior research, we show that legal presumptions do affect primary behavior: presuming that the injurer was (not) negligent strengthens (weakens) his care incentives in situations where the plaintiff faces probatory difficulties. We analyze how these effects should inform the choice of evidence regimes to improve the robustness of liability rules, and to minimize the dilutive effect of imperfect discovery on individuals’ care incentives

Smoking-related interstitial lung disease

Cigarette smoking has a clear epidemiological association with lung diseases, characterised by chronic inflammation of both the bronchiolar and the interstitial lung compartments. There are several different smoking-related interstitial lung diseases, mainly desquamative interstitial pneumonia, respiratory bronchiolitis- associated interstitial lung disease and pulmonary Langerhans’ cell histiocytosis.The epidemiology of such diseases is largely unknown, although the prevalence of cigarette smoking, particularly in low-income developing countries, indicates that smoking-induced interstitial lung disorders represent a high burden of disease worldwide. The role of chest high-resolution computed tomography has become increasingly important in differential diagnosis and follow-up. A new entity, the syndrome of combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema, emerged as another important smoking-related lung disorder with a poor prognosis, associated with the high prevalence of pulmonary hypertension. At the moment the role of anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive treatment remains unclear, although in clinical practice most of these patients will receive at least one course of corticosteroid therapy. It is vital to stress the importance of identifying these patients and helping them quit smoking

Management of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a deadly progressive lung disease without an effective standard treatment approach. Because of the complexity and uncertainties of IPF treatment, therapeutic decisions need to be tailored to the individual patient, after discussing the potential benefits and pitfalls. Pirfenidone has been approved for the treatment of IPF in many countries, but is not recommended as a first-choice therapy by current guidelines because of the lack of a definite efficacy. Randomized controlled trials represent a valid choice for patients with IPF, and their completion is important in improving both survival and quality of life

Brain metastases: an overview

So far brain metastases represent a critical stage of a disease course and the frequency is increasing over the years. The treatment of brain metastases should be individualized for each patient: in case of single brain metastasis, surgery or radiosurgery should be considered as first options of treatment; in case of multiple lesions, whole-brain radiotherapy is the standard of care in association with systemic therapy or surgery/radiosurgery. Chemotherapy should be considered when surgery or radiation therapy are not possible. In the last decades, TKIs or monoclonal antibodies have shown increase in overall response rate and overall survival in Phase II-III trials. The aim of this paper is to make an overview of the current approaches in management of patients with brain metastases

Carcinoid Crisis: A Misunderstood and Unrecognized Oncological Emergency

Carcinoid Crisis represents a rare and extremely dangerous manifestation that can occur in patients with Neuroendocrine Tumors (NETs). It is characterized by a sudden onset of hemodynamic instability, sometimes associated with the classical symptoms of carcinoid syndrome, such as bronchospasm and flushing. Carcinoid Crisis seems to be caused by a massive release of vasoactive substances, typically produced by neuroendocrine cells, and can emerge after abdominal procedures, but also spontaneously in rare instances. To date, there are no empirically derived guidelines for the management of this cancer-related medical emergency, and the available evidence essentially comes from single-case reports or dated small retrospective series. A transfer to the Intensive Care Unit may be necessary during the acute setting, when the severe hypotension becomes unresponsive to standard practices, such as volemic filling and the infusion of vasopressor therapy. The only effective strategy is represented by prevention. The administration of octreotide, anxiolytic and antihistaminic agents represents the current treatment approach to avoid hormone release and prevent major complications. However, no standard protocols are available, resulting in great variability in terms of schedules, doses, ways of administration and timing of prophylactic treatments

Sarcoidosis: challenging diagnostic aspects of an old disease.

Over the past few years, there have been substantial advances in our understanding of sarcoidosis immunopathogenesis. Conversely, the etiology of the disease remains obscure for a number of reasons, including heterogeneity of clinical manifestations, often overlapping with other disorders, and insensitive and nonspecific diagnostic tests. While no cause has been definitely confirmed, there is increasing evidence that one or more infectious agents may cause the disease, although the organism may no longer be viable. Here we present 2 cases, in which sarcoidosis preceded tuberculosis and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Development of new lesions in a patient with chronic/remitting sarcoidosis should be looked at with suspicion and promptly investigated in order to rule out an alternative/concomitant diagnosis. In such cases, tissue confirmation from the most accessible site, and bone marrow biopsy-if lymphoma is in the differential diagnosis-should be performed. In conclusion, we strongly advise that physicians be ready to reconsider the diagnosis of sarcoidosis in the presence of atypical manifestations or persistent/progressive disease despite conventional therapy

A possible role for low-dose cyclosporine in refractory immune thrombocytopenic purpura.

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