May 2017
37 ArticlesNo Section
Nation-based case-control study investigating the relationship between oral corticosteroids use and pulmonary tuberculosis
No published formal study focuses on the relationship between oral corticosteroids use and pulmonary tuberculosis in Taiwan. The aim of the study was to investigate whether oral corticosteroids use... more
Geoepidemiology, clinical manifestations and outcome of primary biliary cholangitis in Greece
Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a disease with rising prevalence and considerable geographical variation. To describe the prevalence, spatial and time distribution, baseline characteristics,... more
Advances in alternative non-animal testing methods represent a way to find new treatments for patients
On behalf of the Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society International, we would like to respond to the recent publication in your journal [1]. This article claims that animal... more
Case Report
When the diagnosis is written on the forehead
An 81year-old man with a medical history of smoking, mild alchool intake, hypertension and diabetes, presented to the Internal Medicine Unit with 4cm soft, well demarcated, painless swelling of the... more
Internal Medicine Flashcard
Purpuric lesions in a 45-year old man
A forty-five year-old man, with a tobacco and alcohol history, affected with Crohn's disease, was admitted for haemoptysis and abdominal pain. The clinical examination showed extensive cutaneous... more
A 33year-old woman with calciphylaxis, diabetic kidney disease and abdominal pain
A 33year-old female with diabetes mellitus type 2 and stage four chronic kidney disease presented to the emergency department with altered mental status and severe abdominal pain. Three months prior... more
A young woman with fever and low visual acuity
A 38-year-old woman with no particular medical history was referred to our hospital for low-grade fever and polyarthralgias since 15–20days ago. She revealed a history of contact with cats at home... more
Asteroid Hyalosis
A 49year-old diabetic man presented to the ophthalmology clinic to establish care. After refraction, his best-corrected visual acuities were 20/25 in both eyes. Dilated fundus examination showed a... more
A man with dyspnea, chest pain and leukocytosis
A 34-year-old male intravenous drug user presented with dyspnea, pleuritic chest pain, hemoptysis, and bilateral lower extremity swelling. His initial vitals were temperature 38.8°C, heart rate 100/... more
Fever, arthritis, and cutaneous lesions
A previously healthy 41-year-old man presented with a 5-day history of fever, arthritis, and cutaneous lesions. The patient denied any treatment, did not use alcohol or illicit drug. On physical... more
A cystic splenic mass in a farmer
A 60-year old farming woman presented with a 2-day history of fever, left upper quadrant abdominal pain and vomiting. On examination, the patient had a temperature of.
Widespread painful nodules in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis
A 60-year-old woman affected by rheumatoid arthritis (RA) reported a 12-month history of progressive growth of multiple, painful and symmetrically distributed subcutaneous nodules affecting forearms... more
Letter to the Editor
Timing of syncope during blood sampling – The Maastricht Study
Almost everyone who visits an internist will be subjected to venous blood sampling, either for diagnostic purposes or therapeutic follow-up. Likewise, blood sampling forms the cornerstone of most... more
ZIKA virus: A new threat to the eyes
Zika virus (ZIKV) infection is a great matter of concern globally. Though asymptomatic in the majority of cases, the effect of this virus on fetal growth has drawn attention. ZIKV is a positive-sense... more
Nurse-led vaccination program dramatically improves pneumococcal vaccination coverage among patients with autoimmune inflammatory disorders
Streptococcus pneumoniae infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with autoimmune inflammatory disorders (AID) treated with immunosuppressive therapy [1–4]. Despite... more
Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio and net monetary benefit: Current use in pharmacoeconomics and future perspectives
In evaluating the cost/effectiveness of therapeutic interventions (e.g. those based on innovative drugs or on Class-III medical devices), two main pharmacoeconomic parameters have been used over the... more
Person-centred analysis in Physician-Patient relationship
Contemporary Medicine is characterized by an episteme based on complexity, promoted by the recognition of the inherent limit in science, despite impressive results in technology. This change refers... more
Is the six-minute walk test useful or useless in systemic sclerosis?
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multisystem and complex disease, with different classifications as well as different degrees of pulmonary involvement. SSc patients, and particularly those with a... more
Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria with spontaneous clinical remission
To the Editor, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a rare acquired clonal disorder of hematopoietic stem cell characterized by chronic intravascular hemolytic anemia, thrombosis, bone marrow... more
Sex differences in association between decreased glomerular filtration rate and prolongation of corrected QT interval in general Chinese population
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. It has been demonstrated that even minor degrees of renal dysfunction are associated with... more
Should subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillators be implanted in patients who are candidates for continuous flow left ventricular assist device?
Interaction between continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is a debated issue. Inappropriate therapy due to ICD and CF-LVAD... more
Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein on the spot for liver fibrosis evaluation: Too early or too late?
We would like to thank Huang et al. [1] for their interest and valid comments regarding our recent study published in the March issue of the journal on the potential use of serum cartilage oligomeric... more
Criteria for frusemide reduction or withdrawal
The successful withdrawal of frusemide in 21 out of 190 patients with congestive symptoms attributable to systolic heart failure [1], corroborates the observation made by Oshima et al. that patients... more
Intolerance to roflumilast in real-life clinical practice
Roflumilast is a selective phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor, introduced for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with symptoms of chronic bronchitis and frequent... more
Criteria for the choice of anticoagulant therapy for the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation early after the marketing of direct oral anticoagulants in Italy
Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia which is associated with an enhanced risk of stroke and mortality [1]. Oral anticoagulants (OACs) decrease the risk of thromboembolic stroke by... more
Narrative Review
Progress in the contemporary management of hemophilia: The new issue of patient aging
The management of inherited coagulation disorders such as hemophilia A and B has witnessed dramatic progresses since the last few decades of the last century. Accordingly, persons with hemophilia (... more
Chagas disease in Europe: A review for the internist in the globalized world
Chagas disease (CD) or American trypanosomiasis identified in 1909 by Carlos Chagas, has become over the last 40years a global health concern due to the huge migration flows from Latin America to... more
Original Article
Characterization of circadian COPD symptoms by phenotype: Methodology of the STORICO observational study
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The symptoms of COPD are troublesome, variable, can occur during all parts of the 24-h... more
The contribution of clinical and pathological predisposing factors to severe gastro-duodenal lesions in patients with long-term low-dose aspirin and proton pump inhibitor therapy
Preventive strategies developed to avoid the complications of antiplatelet therapies recommend the evaluation of risk factors for gastrointestinal events and indicated gastroprotective strategies.
Cardiometabolic healthy obesity paradigm and all-cause mortality risk
To examine the cardiometabolic healthy obesity paradigm as it relates to all-cause mortality risk, with effect moderation evaluated for physical activity and demographic characteristics.
Women with atrial fibrillation and type 2 diabetes have a higher incidence of hospitalization and undergo ablation or pacemaker implantation less frequently than men
We reviewed trends from 2004 to 2013 in the incidence and outcomes for atrial fibrillation (AF) in Spanish patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) comparing women and men.
Screening for occult cancer in idiopathic venous thromboembolism — Systemic review and meta-analysis
Idiopathic venous thromboembolism (VTE) may be associated with an occult malignancy. Early detection of cancer might be translated to a better prognosis for these patients. However, the efficacy of... more
Mortality in dialysis patients with cinacalcet use: A large observational registry study
Secondary hyperparathyroidism (sHPT) is associated with higher mortality in dialysis patients. The calcimimetic cinacalcet reduces intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) in dialysis patients. The... more
Impact of prealbumin on mortality and hospital readmission in patients with acute heart failure
Prealbumin is a maker of nutritional status and inflammation of potential prognostic value in acute heart failure (HF). The aim of this study is to evaluate if low prealbumin levels on admission... more
Review Article
Interventions in type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular mortality–An overview of clinical trials
Diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) has been associated with an increased cardiovascular risk. Improving glycaemia or other traditional cardiovascular risk factors may reduce cardiovascular risk in... more
Clinical management of iron deficiency anemia in adults: Systemic review on advances in diagnosis and treatment
Global burden disease studies point out that one of the top cause-specific anemias is iron deficiency (ID). Recent advances in knowledge of iron homeostasis have shown that fragile patients are a new... more
What is inappropriate hospital use for elderly people near the end of life? A systematic review
Older people with advance chronic illness use hospital services repeatedly near the end of life. Some of these hospitalizations are considered inappropriate.