May 2016
31 ArticlesInternal Medicine Flashcard
What could have caused this weight loss?
An 87-year-old woman was hospitalized for a productive cough, wheezing and weight loss. Her medical history included recurring aspiration pneumonia. She had intermittent dysphagia that appeared... more
Purple urine bag syndrome
A 83-year-old man with a history of arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and benign prostatic hyperplasia was admitted to our center for a surgical repair... more
A unique case of ascending cholangitis
A 64-year-old Asian female was admitted with a 3-day history of subjective fever, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. On admission, the patient was febrile with mild abdominal tenderness on exam.... more
Letter to the Editor
Sharing (all) clinical data
Your Editorial on clinical data sharing is of paramount relevance as it opens a forum on methodological aspects related to how clinical research will be conducted and reported in the near future [1... more
Short-term outcome of patients with history of significant coronary artery disease following acute pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is the third leading cause of cardiovascular death after myocardial infarction and stroke [1]. As already described, patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) have a higher... more
Sharing data of clinical trials
We accept the solicitation to express opinions on the proposal from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) about sharing data generated by interventional clinical trials among... more
Rapid hypoglycemia onset associated with antimicrobial use in patients with diabetes: A nationwide population-based case-crossover study
Dear editor,
Sensitization patterns in immigrants to Genoa: The relevance of origin
Immigration is a social phenomenon that notably affects affluent countries and may have relevant impact on health of both residents and immigrants, mainly concerning allergy. About immigrants,... more
First venous thromboembolism in admitted patients younger than 50years old
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is uncommon in young adults [1,2]. The aim of this study was to define the frequency, risk factors and associated diseases in patients younger than 50 admitted with a... more
Temporal trend of hospital discharge for non alcoholic cirrhosis in Lazio Region, Italy 2000–2014
Liver cirrhosis is a chronic disease characterized by a large burden of complications such as ascites, bacterial peritonitis syndrome, bleeding for rupture of esophageal varices, encephalopathy,... more
Comparison of blood coagulation factors between patients with gastrointestinal or intracranial bleeding under vitamin K antagonists
Vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) are the most commonly-used anticoagulant treatments for the prevention of thrombotic and embolic events related to atrial fibrillation, venous thromboembolism (VTE), and... more
Prevalence and features of chronic viral hepatitis and HIV coinfection in Italian prisons
The health of prisoners has complex needs, being the result of a combination of several factors. People who access the prison are at greater risk of contracting serious infections such as Hepatitis C... more
The ICMJE editors' proposal on sharing individual data collected in clinical trials: Comments
Dear Sir,
Re: Obesity or smoking: Which factor contributes more to the incidence of myocardial infarction?
In their large cohort study, Dr. Dicker and his colleagues [1] found that obesity not only does not increase the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) in smokers, but also reduces the excess risk of MI... more
Watch out for diabetes: Less education but let’s get moving, let’s eat less!
The global prevalence of diabetes continues to rise. The latest estimates indicate that one in ten persons worldwide will have diabetes by 2035 [1]. It is well known that the associated... more
Letters to the Editor
Pulcinella's secret. Further hypotheses on the etiology of the double hump in an Italian 16th-century mask
The masked performers of the Commedia dell'arte – a form of comedy that began in Italy during the sixteenth century – represent stereotypical figures that became the archetypes of many of the modern... more
Obstructive lung diseases and beta-blockers: Where do we stand?
Cardiovascular diseases are major public health problems. ß-blockers therapy is indicated for the majority of patients with heart failure and coronary artery disease (Class I, Level of Evidence: A).... more
Zika virus in saliva—New challenges for prevention of human to human transmission
The ongoing Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in South and Central America has rapidly focused global attention due to its association with clusters of congenital malformations such as microcephaly, and... more
Author's Reply: Mean Platelet Volume and Cardiovascular Risk Factors
We read with interest the comments offered by BEYAN C and BEYAN E on our study that assessed association between MPV and cardiovascular risk factors using cross-sectional data of the Electricity... more
Non-clinical factors influencing pain intensity in cancer patients: Socio-cultural–economic status, awareness of disease and the relation with the oncologist
The appraisal of pain is entrusted to self-evaluation by patients. In the clinical research the measure of pain intensity (PI) generally refers to a whole population examined and is expressed as a... more
Original Article
Role of cardiovascular biomarkers for the assessment of mitral stenosis and its complications
Mitral stenosis (MS) may cause progressive dyspnea on exertion, pulmonary hypertension (PH), atrial fibrillation and right ventricular (RV) failure. Patients with MS presenting with change in dyspnea... more
Could lung function be modified by repeated blood donations?
Whole blood donation consists in the removal of 10% of total blood volume (500ml). In this situation several compensatory mechanisms occur, involving sympathetic nervous system, renin–angiotensin–... more
Outcome of mechanically ventilated patients initially denied admission to an intensive care unit and subsequently admitted
The outcome of mechanically ventilated patients initially denied admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) and subsequently admitted is unclear. We compared outcomes of patients denied ICU admission... more
Effectiveness of sulodexide might be associated with inhibition of complement system in hepatitis B virus-associated membranous nephropathy: An inspiration from a pilot trial
The activation of complement system is associated with the development of hepatitis B virus-associated membranous nephropathy (HBV-MN) and heparin could inhibit the activation of complement system.
Predictors of clinical events occurring during hospital stay among elderly patients admitted to medical wards in Italy
Clinical events occurring during hospital stay are independent predictors of prolonged hospitalization, in-hospital mortality and readmission among elderly patients admitted to medical wards.
Metabolic syndrome and acute pancreatitis
The aim of our study was to investigate the influence of metabolic syndrome on the course of acute pancreatitis determined by disease severity, the presence of local and systemic complications and... more
Cost-effectiveness and budget impact analysis of a population-based screening program for colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer mortality in Belgium. In Flanders (Belgium), a population-based screening program with a biennial immunochemical faecal occult blood... more
Review Article
Narrative medicine and the personalisation of treatment for elderly patients
Healthcare organisations, medical knowledge and clinical practice are among the contexts that have most strongly felt the impact of the over 75 population. This is a population of multimorbidity and... more
ADVICE for a healthier life: Adult Vaccination Campaign in Europe
Immunization is one of the most effective public health measures to prevent disease. Despite relatively good vaccination rates in childhood in many parts of the world, vaccines to prevent diseases... more
Evidence-based clinical practice: Overview of threats to the validity of evidence and how to minimise them
Using the best quality of clinical research evidence is essential for choosing the right treatment for patients. How to identify the best research evidence is, however, difficult. In this narrative... more
Atrial fibrillation in CKD
Atrial fibrillation (AF), one of the most common dysrhythmia in clinical practice, remains frequently in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). AF is associated with a fivefold risk of stroke, a... more