March 2018
25 ArticlesNo Section
Implementation of thyroid function tests algorithms by clinical laboratories: A four-year experience of good clinical and diagnostic practice in a tertiary hospital in Greece
Thyroid Function Tests (TFTs) are among the most commontly ordered tests. Significant overuse of TFTs can occur when instead of using a single TSH test to screen for thyroid disease a full panel (TSH... more
Natriuretic peptide B plasma concentration increases in the first 12 h of pulmonary edema recovery
According to guidelines, single determination of B-type Natriuretic peptide (BNP) should be used for distinguishing between cardiac and non-cardiac acute dyspnea at the emergency room. BNP... more
A case-mix classification system for explaining healthcare costs using administrative data in Italy
The Italian National Health Service (NHS) provides universal coverage to all citizens, granting primary and hospital care with a copayment system for outpatient and drug services. Financing of Local... more
A young man with acute onset epigastric pain after the ingestion of Japanese sushi
A 32-year-old man presented to the author's hospital with a 1-day history of acute onset epigastric pain after the ingestion of Japanese sushi (bite-sized pieces of cold cooked rice topped with fish... more
Case Report
An elderly woman with progressive odynophagia, epigastralgia and nausea
An 84-year-old woman presented to the author's hospital with a 5-day history of progressive odynophagia, epigastralgia and nausea. These symptoms developed 3 days after taking an alendronate oral... more
Internal Medicine Flashcard
Violaceous papules on the legs of an elderly Mediterranean man
A 71-year-old Italian man with a remote history of multiple myeloma presented with dark spots on his bilateral legs and feet. The lesions had been present for many months and were not painful or... more
An unusual esophageal endoscopic appearance
A 44-year-old man, with medical history of chronic alcoholic intoxication and smoking, presented with suspicion of infected pancreatic necrosis, 5 weeks after severe acute alcoholic pancreatitis. The... more
Middle-aged man with symmetrical lesions in his throat
A 51-year-old man infected with HIV for more than 10 years visited our HIV clinic due to lesions in his throat. He had a CD4 T-cell count of >500 cells per μl and a HIV-RNA viral load of
Dementia, cardiomyopathy and pseudo-obstruction in a 63-year-old female
A 63-year-old female was referred with a history of progressive functional decline after being found in a state of poor self-care at home. She had a history of anorexia, lethargy, abdominal... more
Letter to the Editor
Use of degludec insulin in chronic complex patients
Diabetes mellitus has emerged as an important global public concern, affecting 422 million adults. In addition, it is expected that diabetes will become the 7th leading cause of death by 2030 [1].... more
Heterogeneity among splanchnic vein thrombosis associated with myeloproliferative neoplasms
In BCR-ABL1-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) thrombo-hemorrhagic complications represent the most common cause of morbidity and mortality. In particular, the reported overall incidence of... more
You can keep your shirt on: A physician's auscultating s(k)in
It is known that when physicians fall ill they often find it hard to consult their colleagues. We tend to wait too long and the interaction is not always smooth due to projected expectations and... more
Admissions for certain conditions show explosive growth in England following a sudden and unexpected increase in deaths
Physicians will be aware that workload seems to be inexplicably higher at sometimes than others. Interestingly, almost half of a person's entire lifetime utilization of acute inpatient care occurs in... more
Brucellosis infection increasing in Southern China
Brucellosis is the most common zoonotic disease mainly caused by Brucella melitensis infection (biovars 1 and 3) which posed a threat to animal and public health [1]. Brucellosis symptoms include... more
Diagnosing catheter-associated urinary tract infection: Still a matter of concern
Treatment of bacteriuria in the absence of symptoms is not indicated, taking into account the potential complications of therapy, including the increasing incidence of Clostridium difficile infection... more
Experimentation of 2.0 telemedicine in elderly patients with chronic heart failure: A study prospective in 175 patients
Heart failure is thus responsible for more than 100,000 hospitalizations per year in France [1]. It accounts for 5% of all hospitalizations and is the main cause of hospitalization among elderly... more
Autonomic dysfunction and cardiovascular risk in patients with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis: A pilot study
Atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) is a secondary cause of hypertension, with prevalence ranging from 1% to 5% in hypertensive patients. ARAS is associated with ischemic nephropathy,... more
Association of obesity, sleep apnea and hypothalamic inflammation: Novel possibilities of research
Sleep apnea and obesity problems are two health concerns that are commonly seen together [1]. Both are increasing trends in the general population worldwide, and when associated, both are capable of... more
Narrative Review
Accounting for frailty when treating chronic diseases
Chronic diseases are considered to be major determinants of frailty and it could be hypothesized that their treatment may counteract the development of frailty. However, the hypothesis that intensive... more
Original Article
Fatty liver index is associated to pulse wave velocity in healthy subjects: Data from the Brisighella Heart Study
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is associated to increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Our aim was to evaluate association of indexes of fatty liver with arterial stiffness (AS).
Effects on short term outcome of non-invasive ventilation use in the emergency department to treat patients with acute heart failure: A propensity score-based analysis of the EAHFE Registry
To assess the effects of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in emergency department (ED) patients with acute heart failure (AHF) on short term outcomes.
Model for End-Stage Liver Disease Excluding INR (MELD-XI) score is associated with hemodynamic impairment and predicts mortality in critically ill patients
We aimed (i) to evaluate Model for End-stage Liver Disease excluding INR (MELD-XI) score for prediction of mortality in a cohort of critically ill patients and (ii) to investigate associations of... more
Synergistic effect of oral corticosteroids use on risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in high risk populations
Little evidence is available on the relationship between oral corticosteroids use and hepatocellular carcinoma. The objective of this study was to investigate whether oral corticosteroids use... more
Antipsychotic drugs and the risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism: A prospective cohort study
Numerous studies have suggested that antipsychotic drugs are associated with an increased risk for a first episode of venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, after anticoagulation discontinuation, the... more
Association between blood eosinophil count with asthma hospital readmissions
The presence of eosinophils in asthma inflammation is a relevant factor in the pathophysiology of the disease, however the relationship between the blood eosinophil count (BEC) with asthma severity... more