Volume Number

272 Articles

No Section

Do statins prevent Alzheimer's disease? A narrative review

2 September 2015
Author(s): Homayoun L. Daneschvar, Mark D. Aronson, Gerald W. Smetana

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia and occurs commonly in patients 65 and older. There is an urgent need to find an effective management that could help prevent or at least slow... more

Rituximab in autoimmune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura: A success story

17 August 2015
Author(s): Antoine Froissart, Agnès Veyradier, Miguel Hié, Ygal Benhamou, Paul Coppo, French Reference Center for Thrombotic Microangiopathies

Despite a significant improvement of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) prognosis since the use of plasma exchange, morbidity and mortality remained significant because of poor response to... more

Peripheral neuropathy: An underreported neurologic manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease

23 July 2015
Author(s): Carmen García-Cabo, Germán Morís

One of the most frequent neurologic complications reported in inflammatory bowel disease population is peripheral neuropathy; however, clinical aspects of peripheral nerve damage are not well... more

Hyponatremia in hospitalised patients with heart failure in internal medicine: Analysis of the Spanish national minimum basic data set (MBDS) (2005–2011)

25 June 2015
Author(s): Manuel Méndez-Bailón, Raquel Barba-Martín, Jose María de Miguel-Yanes, Antonio Zapatero-Gaviria, Beatriz Calvo-Porqueras, Mariam Farid-Zahran Osuna, Carla Nuñez-Fernández, Nuria Muñoz-Rivas, Susana Plaza Canteli, Javier Marco-Martínez

Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte disorder seen in clinical practice. Numerous studies have reported increased inhospital mortality associated to this condition, which is also an... more

Gout is associated with organic and psychogenic erectile dysfunction

15 June 2015
Author(s): Chao-Yu Hsu, Cheng-Li Lin, Chia-Hung Kao

Gout is a deposition disease with an inflammatory response that can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Gout is stressful for affected individuals, and can cause erectile dysfunction (ED).... more

Corrigendum to “Statins decrease thrombin generation in patients with hypercholesterolemia” [Eur J Intern Med 25(5), 449-451]

4 June 2015
Author(s): Armando Tripodi, Fabio Pellegatta, Veena Chantarangkul, Liliana Grigore, Katia Garlaschelli, Andrea Baragetti, Laura Lemma, Alberico Catapano

Due to an author error the affiliation of Alberico Catapano was incorrect in the published article. The correct affiliation is given above.

Time to face the challenge of multimorbidity. A European perspective from the joint action on chronic diseases and promoting healthy ageing across the life cycle (JA-CHRODIS)

19 March 2015
Author(s): Graziano Onder, Katie Palmer, Rokas Navickas, Elena Jurevičienė, Federica Mammarella, Mirela Strandzheva, Piermannuccio Mannucci, Sergio Pecorelli, Alessandra Marengoni, Joint Action on Chronic Diseases and Promoting Healthy Ageing across the Life Cycle (JA-CHRODIS)

Research on multimorbidity has rapidly increased in the last decade, but evidence on the effectiveness of interventions to improve outcomes in patients with multimorbidity is limited. The European... more

Ebola seen up-close

11 February 2015
Author(s): Roberto Satolli

EMERGENCY is an Italian non-governmental organization founded in 1994 in order to provide free-of-charge health care to civilians victims of wars and poverty. Since its foundation EMERGENCY provided... more

Improving antimicrobial dosing in critically ill patients receiving continuous venovenous hemofiltration and the effect of pharmacist dosing adjustment

18 August 2014
Author(s): Sai-Ping Jiang, Yan-Yan Xu, Ping-Yang, Wei-Fang Wu, Xing-Guo Zhang, Xiao-Yang Lu, Yong-Hong Xiao, Wei-Feng Liang, Jian Chen

Appropriate antimicrobial dosing for patients receiving continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH) is complex. Pharmacist participation in antimicrobial dosing adjustment for patients receiving CVVH... more

A calculator for temporal artery biopsy result prediction in giant cell arteritis suspects

13 August 2014
Author(s): Julio J. González-López, Julio González-Moraleja, Gema Rebolleda, Francisco J. Muñoz-Negrete

Giant cell arteritis (GCA), also known as temporal arteritis or Horton disease, is a form of systemic vasculitis of unknown etiology that usually involves large and medium-sized arteries of the... more

Delphi consensus on the current clinical and therapeutic knowledge on Anderson–Fabry disease

11 August 2014
Author(s): Daniela Concolino, Emilia Degennaro, Rossella Parini, on behalf of the Fabry Delphi working group

Management of Anderson–Fabry disease (AFD) is contentious, particularly regarding enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). We report results of a Delphi consensus panel on AFD management.

Venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in acutely ill hospitalized medical patients. A retrospective multicenter study

1 August 2014
Author(s): José A. Nieto, Timoteo Cámara, Isabel Camacho, MEDITROM Investigators

To analyze the incidence of VTE in hospitalized medical patients and prophylaxis applied in accordance with the 8th ACCP guidelines and the National PRETEMED guide for thromboprophylaxis.

Managing ambulatory ulcerative colitis patients with infliximab: A long-term follow-up study in primary gastroenterology centers

30 July 2014
Author(s): Antonio Tursi, Walter Elisei, Marcello Picchio, Antonio Penna, Piera Giuseppina Lecca, Giacomo Forti, GianMarco Giorgetti, Roberto Faggiani, Costantino Zampaletta, Giorgio Pelecca, Giovanni Brandimarte

Infliximab (IFX) is the key treatment for ulcerative colitis (UC) unresponsive to standard treatments. The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy and safety of IFX in treating ambulatory... more

Complementary alternative medicine, plausibility and statistics

30 July 2014
Author(s): Lex (ALB) Rutten, Erik (CF) Stolper

Pandolfi and Carreras stated that the outcome, that is: the ‘p-value’, of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is over-estimated [1]. In the case of complementary alternative medicine (CAM) it should... more

Itchy erythroderma in a neoplastic patient—mind the mite!

23 July 2014
Author(s): Simonetta Piana, Chiara Bernardi, Jorge Luis Zoino

A 75year-old Caucasian man presented with an itchy erythrodermic dermatosis showing scaling in the arms and in the gluteal region (Fig. 1A, upper panel). He was undergoing a multidrug therapy with... more

Personalised medicine: The cognitive side of patients

21 July 2014
Author(s): Ilaria Cutica, Gordon Mc Vie, Gabriella Pravettoni

Although the fashion for the “personalised” or “stratified” approach to medicine is valuable in exploiting the omic signatures of the individual patient, too little attention has been paid to the... more

Gender-differences in disease distribution and outcome in hospitalized elderly: Data from the REPOSI study

19 July 2014
Author(s): S. Corrao, P. Santalucia, C. Argano, C.D. Djade, E. Barone, M. Tettamanti, L. Pasina, C. Franchi, T. Kamal Eldin, A. Marengoni, F. Salerno, M. Marcucci, P.M. Mannucci, A. Nobili, On behalf of REPOSI Investigators

Women live longer and outnumber men. On the other hand, older women develop more chronic diseases and conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis and depression, leading to a greater number of years... more

Fluticasone propionate/formoterol: A fixed-combination therapy with flexible dosage

19 July 2014
Author(s): A. Papi, F. Blasi, G.W. Canonica, M. Cazzola, S. Centanni, M.P. Foschino Barbaro, A.S. Melani, P. Paggiaro, F. Ricciardolo, A. Rossi, N. Scichilone

International guidelines describe asthma control as the main outcome of asthma management. Prevention of symptoms, improved quality of life, and reduction of exacerbations are the main components,... more

Thromboprophylaxis in patients with stroke: A delicate decision

16 July 2014
Author(s): Angelo Porfidia, Tiziana Morretti, Roberto Pola, Raffaele Landolfi

Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide [1]. In addition to cerebral damage, medical complications such as pneumonia and venous thromboembolism (VTE),... more

Pulmonary embolism, where are the thrombi?

16 July 2014
Author(s): Natalia Lorenzo, Jorge Andrés Restrepo, Rio Aguilar

A 44-year-old man was admitted to the emergency service because of an acute onset of dyspnoea and unspecific abdominal pain during the previous 4days. His medical history was unremarkable. He was in... more

Altered mental status in older adults with histamine2-receptor antagonists: A population-based study

16 July 2014
Author(s): Davy Tawadrous, Stephanie Dixon, Salimah Z. Shariff, Jamie Fleet, Sonja Gandhi, Arsh K. Jain, Matthew A. Weir, Tara Gomes, Amit X. Garg

Compared to a lower dose, initiation of the current standard dose of H2RA in older adults is associated with a small absolute increase in the 30-day risk of altered mental status (using neuroimaging... more

A pragmatic triage system to reduce length of stay in medical emergency admission: Feasibility study and health economic analysis

16 July 2014
Author(s): C.P. Subbe, J. Kellett, C.J. Whitaker, F. Jishi, A. White, S. Price, J. Ward-Jones, R.E. Hubbard, E. Eeles, L. Williams

Departments of Internal Medicine tend to treat patients on a first come first served basis. The effects of using triage systems are not known.

The role of tenofovir in preventing and treating hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation in immunosuppressed patients. A real life experience from a tertiary center

15 July 2014
Author(s): J.S. Koskinas, M. Deutsch, S. Adamidi, M. Skondra, M. Tampaki, A. Alexopoulou, S. Manolakopoulos, D. Pectasides

Patients who present HBV reactivation during immunosuppressive treatment are prone to develop life threatening decompensation of the liver function, therefore prophylaxis and treatment are strongly... more

Endovascular stroke therapy

14 July 2014
Author(s): Jonathan Birns, Sam Qureshi, Ruoling Chen, Ajay Bhalla

Severe acute kidney injury and multiple myeloma: Evaluation of kidney and patient prognostic factors

14 July 2014
Author(s): Luís Rodrigues, Marta Neves, Helena Sá, Henrique Gomes, Jorge Pratas, Mário Campos

Prospective randomized trial: Endoscopic follow up 3 vs 6months after esophageal variceal eradication by band ligation in cirrhosis

10 July 2014
Author(s): Wilma Debernardi Venon, Chiara Elia, Davide Stradella, Mauro Bruno, Maurizio Fadda, Claudio DeAngelis, Mario Rizzetto, Giorgio Saracco, Alfredo Marzano

What's the difference?

10 July 2014
Author(s): David Itskoviz, Maya Alaluf, Rafael Hirsch

Acute abdomen

9 July 2014
Author(s): Filippo Mearelli, Chiara Casarsa, Gianni Biolo

Extra-tracheal air

9 July 2014
Author(s): Hsiang-Ling Chen, Te-Chun Shen, Chih-Yen Tu

An enlightening scan

9 July 2014
Author(s): Lorenzo Canziani, Alessandro Tomelleri, Giulio Cavalli

Efficacy of intravenous propacetamol hydrochloride in the treatment of an acute attack of migraine

4 July 2014
Author(s): Aiwu Zhang, Tao Jiang, Yifeng Luo, Zhenyang Zheng, Xiaolei Shi, Zijian Xiao, Yannan Fang

Incidence and risk factors of atherosclerotic cardiovascular accidents in dialysis chronic renal failure patients

3 July 2014
Author(s): Djurdjević Mirković Tatjana, Mirković Siniša, Gvozdenović Ljiljana, Petrović Lada, Ćelić Dejan

Dyspnea in crackling lungs

3 July 2014
Author(s): Luca Novelli, Stefano Aliberti, Alberto Pesci

Multimorbidity and functional status in community-dwelling older adults

2 July 2014
Author(s): Stefano Marventano, Alba Ayala, Nerea Gonzalez, Carmen Rodríguez–Blázquez, Susana Garcia-Gutierrez, Maria João Forjaz, on behalf of the Spanish Research Group of Quality of Life and Ageing

Acute admissions to medical departments in Denmark: Diagnoses and patient characteristics

2 July 2014
Author(s): Betina Vest-Hansen, Anders Hammerich Riis, Henrik Toft Sørensen, Christian Fynbo Christiansen

Nutraceuticals for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia

2 July 2014
Author(s): Massimo R. Mannarino, Stefano Ministrini, Matteo Pirro

Extra- and intra-pulmonary nodules

30 June 2014
Author(s): Ya-Mei Tsai, Te-Chun Shen, Pin-Zuo Ko

A ‘full moon’ shadow in the abdomen

28 June 2014
Author(s): Chia-Lin Chang, Te-Chun Shen, Huei-Loong Hsieh

Alcohol withdrawal recognition and screening in the acute medical setting

27 June 2014
Author(s): Neil R. Moran, Ellril Jones, Aoibhlinn M. O'Toole, Frank Murray

Prognostic value of worsening renal function in outpatients with chronic heart failure

27 June 2014
Author(s): Rodrigo Pimentel, Marta Couto, Olga Laszczyńska, Fernando Friões, Paulo Bettencourt, Ana Azevedo

Further insights into the metabolically healthy obese phenotype: The role of magnesium

25 June 2014
Author(s): Cidália Dionísio Pereira, Rosário Monteiro, Maria João Martins

Factors predicting the hospital episode costs of emergency medical admissions

23 June 2014
Author(s): Conor Lahiff, Seán Cournane, Donnacha Creagh, Brian Fitzgerald, Richard Conway, Declan Byrne, Bernard Silke

Clinical characteristics and prognostic significance of changes in platelet count in an internal medicine ward

19 June 2014
Author(s): Miriam Shteinshnaider, Dana Barchel, Dorit Almoznino-Sarafian, Irma Tzur, Neli Tsatsanashvili, Muhareb Swarka, Natan Cohen, Oleg Gorelik

Infective endocarditis due to multidrug resistant gram-negative bacilli: Single centre experience over 5years

19 June 2014
Author(s): Emanuele Durante-Mangoni, Roberto Andini, Federica Agrusta, Domenico Iossa, Irene Mattucci, Mariano Bernardo, Riccardo Utili

Normal weight obesity and functional outcomes in older adults

5 June 2014
Author(s): John A. Batsis, Karine R. Sahakyan, Juan P. Rodriguez-Escudero, Stephen J. Bartels, Francisco Lopez-Jimenez

¿Only acute dyspnea?

4 June 2014
Author(s): Antonio Lalueza, Andrea Alcalá-Galiano

Inflammatory bowel diseases increase future ischemic stroke risk: A Taiwanese population-based retrospective cohort study

3 June 2014
Author(s): Wei-Shih Huang, Chun-Hung Tseng, Pei-Chun Chen, Chon-Haw Tsai, Cheng-Li Lin, Fung-Chang Sung, Chia-Hung Kao

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in elderly patients: A retrospective analysis

28 May 2014
Author(s): S. Diem, S. Ess, Th. Cerny, M. Früh, F. Hitz

Polyclonal intravenous immunoglobulin: An important additional strategy in sepsis?

27 May 2014
Author(s): R. Di Rosa, M. Pietrosanti, G. Luzi, S. Salemi, R. D'Amelio

Elevated plasma homocysteine level is associated with ischemic stroke in Chinese hypertensive patients

10 May 2014
Author(s): Chang-yi Wang, Zhong-wei Chen, Tao Zhang, Jun Liu, Si-han Chen, Sheng-yuan Liu, Li-yuan Han, Zhao-hui Hui, Yu-ming Chen

Influence of inadequate antimicrobial therapy on prognosis in elderly patients with severe urinary tract infections

8 May 2014
Author(s): Ana Esparcia, Arturo Artero, José M. Eiros, Marta Balaguer, Manuel Madrazo, Juan Alberola, José M. Nogueira

Low seroprevalance of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis in ambulatory adult patients: the need for lifelong vaccination

7 May 2014
Author(s): Mine Durusu Tanriover, Canan Soyler, Sibel Ascioglu, Mustafa Cankurtaran, Serhat Unal

Mortality risk score for bacteraemia

7 May 2014
Author(s): S. Chetcuti Zammit, N. Azzopardi, J. Sant

Early detection and diagnosis of vascular calcification in patients with chronic kidney disease

6 May 2014
Author(s): Violeta Knežević, Aleksandar Knežević, Tatjana Mirković, Gorica Mališanović, Ljiljana Gvozdenović

A challenging diagnosis for potential fatal diseases: Recommendations for diagnosing acute porphyrias

5 May 2014
Author(s): Paolo Ventura, Maria Domenica Cappellini, Gianfranco Biolcati, Claudio Carmine Guida, Emilio Rocchi, Gruppo Italiano Porfiria (GrIP)

Is it time to change the neurofibromatosis 1 diagnostic criteria?

28 April 2014
Author(s): Gianluca Tadini, Donatella Milani, Francesca Menni, Lidia Pezzani, Caterina Sabatini, Susanna Esposito

Sporadic porphyria cutanea tarda: Treatment with chloroquine decreases hyperglycemia and reduces development of metabolic syndrome

12 March 2014
Author(s): Aurora González-Estrada, Luis Bonifacio Gomez-Morales, Alexei Gonzalez-Estrada, Jose Salvador García-Morillo

Commentary

Appropriateness of antithrombotic prophylaxis in the oldest old with non-valvular atrial fibrillation: ARAPACIS and REPOSI

5 September 2015
Author(s): Pier Mannuccio Mannucci, Alessandro Nobili

In the frame of the Atrial Fibrillation Registry for Ankle–Brachial Index Prevalence Assessment-Collaborative Italian Study (ARAPACIS) involving 93 Internal Medicine wards, Pignatelli et al. [1]... more

Developments in Internal Medicine

What is the role of general internists in the tertiary or academic setting?

1 December 2014
Author(s): Mine Durusu Tanriover, Shirley Rigby, L. Harry van Hulsteijn, Faustino Ferreira, Narcisso Oliveira, Petra-Maria Schumm-Draeger, Frauke Weidanz, Mark H.H. Kramer, On behalf of the Working Group on Professional Issues, European Federation of Internal Medicine (EFIM)

The changing demography of European populations mandates a vital role for internists in caring for patients in each level of healthcare. Internists in the tertiary or academic setting are highly... more

Editorial

Editorial: Care of adults with Down syndrome: Gaps and needs

6 May 2015
Author(s): Angelo Carfì, Vincenzo Brandi, Giuseppe Zampino, Daniela Mari, Graziano Onder

In their recent article, Real de Asua et al. [1] identified the most common conditions diagnosed in a population of Spanish adults with Down syndrome (DS). DS has historically represented a pediatric... more

Internal Medicine Flashcard

A young woman with a heart attack?

29 July 2015
Author(s): Amy Schimke, Andrew Weintraub

A 38year-old nulliparous woman with no cardiac risk factors abruptly developed chest discomfort during a routine exercise run. The discomfort recurred with minimal exertion for the next three days,... more

A 64-year old woman with right hand swelling and paresthesia

29 July 2015
Author(s): Or Kalchiem-Dekel, Sharon Davidesko, Nimrod Maimon

A 64-year old woman presented to the emergency department with a 6-month history of right lateral cervical pain and a 2-week history of erythema and swelling of her right hand and wrist, accompanied... more

Unilateral calf swelling

18 July 2015
Author(s): Shing Ching, Soo Moi Ting, Kai Ming Li

An 81-year-old man presented to the emergency department with left calf painful swelling for 4days. He has a history of hypertension and ischemic heart disease. He denied any injury. Physical... more

Memory of an exotic holiday

18 July 2015
Author(s): Evelyne Franon, Patrick Manckoundia

A 66-year-old man with no particular medical history and back from a 10-day trip to South Africa, consulted for headache, myalgia, odynophagia and low-grade fever (38°), which had lasted for 3days.... more

Malignant syphilis

18 July 2015
Author(s): Paula Hernández Martínez, Jairo Bada Da Silva, Santiago Echevarría Vierna

A previously healthy 54-year-old bisexual man presented with a 2-week history of generalized nonpruritic skin rash and painless genital ulcerations. He reported low-grade fever, and admitted having... more

An umbilical nodule in a patient with enlarged uterus

16 July 2015
Author(s): Supakanya Wongrakpanich, Soumya Patnaik, Mark Morginstin

A previously healthy 59-year-old female presented with weakness in the lower extremities and abdominal distension of one month. She also experienced unintentional weight loss of 20 pounds within... more

An unusual emphysema

8 May 2015
Author(s): Massimo R. Mannarino, Francesco Di Filippo, Anna Maria Scarponi

An 87year-old woman with a history of hypertension, type 2 diabetes and post-menopausal osteoporosis presented with a 5-day history of low-grade intermittent fever, epigastric pain and shortness of... more

The brain of STEMI

8 May 2015
Author(s): Ashwini Sharma, Rehan Sarmad, Kenneth Wool

An 83y/o African American male with a history of hypertension and chronic kidney disease presented following a fall. The fall occurred while he was trying to get up from a sitting position. The... more

Back pain: An old cause in a young adult

17 February 2015
Author(s): Barbara Ferrari, Raffaella Rossio, Flora Peyvandi

A 23-year-old man from the Philippines was admitted to our emergency department for a three-weeks-lasting thoracic back pain, followed by an onset of postural instability; he also complained about... more

An uncommon case of post partum seizures

16 February 2015
Author(s): Q. Reynaud, M. Killian, B. Tardy

A 30-year-old woman was admitted for headaches and altered somnolence and agitation few days after uncomplicated vaginal delivery. No complications occurred during this first pregnancy. Four days... more

Calcified pulmonary nodules

16 February 2015
Author(s): Chih-Chen Chou, Te-Chun Shen, Chih-Yen Tu

A 78-year-old female with stroke and hydrocephalus post-ventriculo-peritoneal shunt insertion presented with shortness of breath, productive cough, and fever that had been present for several days.... more

The dark side of a pneumonia

13 January 2015
Author(s): Alberto M. Marra, Sergio Capece, Nicola Ragone

A 92-year old woman was admitted to our internal medicine ward for dyspnea and asthenia. Oxygen saturation (SpO2) was 82%, blood pressure was 100/60mmHg, heart rate was 78bpm and body temperature was... more

“Cor bovinum”: An ambiguous chest radiography

7 January 2015
Author(s): Luigi Marano, Natale Di Martino

A 65-year-old woman, affected by Type II diabetes mellitus with no history of cardiac illness, referred to our hospital with a suspected diagnosis of “angina pectoris” for a cardiovascular evaluation... more

Abdominal cause of asymmetric lower limb oedema

7 November 2014
Author(s): Ana Faceira, André Silva-Pinto, Sofia Pereira

A 94year-old Caucasian woman presented to the Emergency Department with right inferior limb oedema. Erythema, pallor and pain were not present neither other signs nor symptoms. The patient had... more

Multiple nodules on the bilateral lower extremities

29 October 2014
Author(s): Hsin-Yu Fang, Chia-Hung Chen, Wei-Chih Liao

A 55-year-old female with a history of asthma, diabetes mellitus and hypertension presented with a 2-month history of multiple tender nodules on the bilateral lower extremities. She suffered from... more

A man with acute epigastric pain

29 September 2014
Author(s): Shing Ching, Ka Hing Lee, Kai Ming Li

A 68-year-old man with history of hypertension presented with 1day of epigastric pain, vomiting and chills. Physical examination was notable for a febrile, toxic-looking patient in distress; there... more

Respiratory failure after treatment of pneumothorax

9 September 2014
Author(s): Enrique M. Baldessari, Maria J. Arceluz, Andres Mendez-Villarroel

A 40-year-old man presented with an eight day history of left-side pleuritic chest pain and dyspnea. Chest examination revealed decreased air entry at the left lung. Chest X-ray examination revealed... more

Internal Medicine Flashcards

A patient presenting with an acute shortness of breath

6 September 2014
Author(s): Abdel-Rauf Zeina, Mika Shapira-Rootman

A 37-year-old woman presented with shortness of breath, cough, and fever that began a few days earlier. Her pulse rate was high (110bpm) with a body temperature of 38.6°C. Pulmonary auscultation... more

Letter to the Editor

Efficacy but not effectiveness of sublingual immunotherapy for grass pollen allergy: Time to avoid waste in health-care expenditure

13 September 2015
Author(s): Salvatore Corrao, Danilo Di Bona, Gabriele Di Lorenzo

Last June JAMA Internal Medicine published an excellent systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials of sublingual immunotherapy for grass pollen allergy [1]. The team of Di Lorenzo of the... more

Anticholinergic risk: Use and limitations of anticholinergic scales

10 September 2015
Author(s): Angela Mª. Villalba-Moreno, Eva Rocío Alfaro-Lara, Bernardo Santos-Ramos

The side effects of anticholinergic drugs are well known. Peripheral adverse effects are, amongst others: dry mouth, dry eyes, blurred vision, constipation, fecal impaction, urinary retention and... more

Circadian aspects of myocardial infarction among young STEMI patients

18 August 2015
Author(s): Stephane Fournier, Olivier Muller

We read with interest the recent publication of Rallidis et al. [1] reporting the circadian pattern of symptoms onset in patients presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).... more

Depressive symptomatology in patients with metabolic syndrome: A cross-sectional study of stable coronary artery disease patients

12 August 2015
Author(s): Christos Varounis, Loukianos S. Rallidis, Oscar H. Franco, Christos Kotakos, John Lekakis

The metabolic syndrome is a common disorder, which includes the presence of at least 3 out of 5 metabolic risk factors according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel... more

Next Accreditation System outcomes and Special Review as part of Graduate Medical Oversight of Internal Medicine Programs in the United States: A review

1 August 2015
Author(s): Michael T. Flannery

The Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) previously evaluated programs with direct site visits, every 1–5years. The length of time between visits would depend on program data... more

The value of software that provides clinically relevant information on drug interactions

20 July 2015
Author(s): Stefania Antoniazzi, Maria Teresa Chiarelli, Alessandro Nobili, Luca Pasina, Francesca Venturini

Potential drug–drug interactions (pDDIs) are critical issues in the management of the elderly. The development of multiple diseases with increasing age leads to therapies based upon many concomitant... more

History of alcohol abuse after major non-cardiac surgery and postoperative cognitive dysfunction

18 July 2015
Author(s): Ljiljana Gvozdenović, Ana Antanasković

The risk factors for postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) after non-cardiac surgery include advanced age and preexisting cognitive impairment.

Proton pump inhibitors and risk of hypomagnesemia

9 July 2015
Author(s): Luca Pasina, Danilo Zanotta, Silvana Puricelli, Djade Codjo Djignefa, Guido Bonoldi

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are among the most commonly prescribed medicines and overuse is widespread in both primary and secondary care [1]. Although generally well tolerated, PPIs can cause... more

Deprescribing in patients with multimorbidity: A necessary process

4 July 2015
Author(s): Aitana Rodríguez Pérez, Eva Rocío Alfaro Lara, María Dolores Nieto Martín, Alberto Ruiz Cantero, Bernardo Santos Ramos

As featured in several publications, the term deprescribing has not yet been standardized [1], and different points of view have thus been used to define it. One of the first concepts came from... more

Whatever happened to the doctor's opinion?

29 June 2015
Author(s): John Kellett

A year or so ago I spent a short while in Africa collaborating on a validation study of the National Early Warning Score [1]. As I went over the results of the study it was clear that African... more

Fibromyalgia is frequent in obstructive sleep apnea and responds to CPAP therapy

28 June 2015
Author(s): Maurizio Marvisi, Laura Balzarini, Chiara Mancini, Sara Ramponi, Chiara Marvisi

Fibromyalgia is a common disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, stiffness, paresthesia and proneness to fatigue. The prevalence has been reported to be 3.4 percent in women and 0.... more

Citation analysis of the ‘Big Six’ journals in Internal Medicine

8 June 2015
Author(s): T. Van der Veer, J.E. Baars, E. Birnie, P. Hamberg

The current scientific culture is strongly driven by publication prestige and impact, epitomized in the “publish or perish” maxim. In the field of general medicine, six journals have historically... more

Sarcopenia evaluated by fat-free mass index in patients with chronic heart failure

5 June 2015
Author(s): G. Sengul Aycicek, F. Sumer, B. Canbaz, O. Kara, Z. Ulger

The article published by Narumi et al. is important as they reveal a connection between fat-free mass index (FFMI) and cardiac prognosis in cardiac failure patients [1]. However, we think that there... more

Prognostic value of multidimensional indices in ambulatory COPD patients

21 May 2015
Author(s): Rafael Golpe, Noemí Mengual-Macenlle, Irene Martín-Robles, Pilar Sanjuán-López, Luis A. Pérez de Llano

The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) advocates the use of multidimensional prognostic indices for staging, monitoring and guiding decision-making in chronic obstructive... more

More on homeopathy

20 May 2015
Author(s): Silvio Garattini

Finally a government body has had the courage to express a clear opinion on homeopathy. The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council has declared that homeopathy is not an effective... more

Treatment management and glycaemic control in a simple of 60 frail elderly diabetics with comorbidities. A retrospective chart review

4 May 2015
Author(s): José Miguel Seguí Ripoll, Pedro Esteve Atiénzar, Juan Carlos López Corbalán, Pablo Roig Rico, M Josefa Navarro Navarro, Jaime Merino Sánchez

Based on epidemiological estimates, the prevalence of diabetes (DM) is increasing every year, and it also increases with age, thus forecasting a poor scenario for the coming decades. At the same time... more

Hospital preparedness for knowledge-based response to Ebola and other emerging infectious diseases: A continuous challenge

28 April 2015
Author(s): Antonino Di Caro, Vincenzo Puro, Francesco M. Fusco, Maria Rosaria Capobianchi, Giuseppe Ippolito, on behalf of INMI Preparedness and Response Group

The comment from Wiwanitkit stimulates some interesting remarks. Indeed, we agree that a “preparedness for knowledge” is essential for effective actions, especially in the case of an emerging disease... more

Association of tuberculosis and deep venous thromboembolism in patients with autoimmune diseases

22 April 2015
Author(s): Marion Valence, Olivier Decaux, Matthieu Revest, Patrick Jégo, Pierre Tattevin

Tuberculosis (TB) can complicate the course of various autoimmune diseases, especially with prolonged use of immunosuppressive treatment [1–9]. Limited data are currently available regarding risk... more

Preparedness for the management of a patient with Ebola

18 April 2015
Author(s): Viroj Wiwanitkit

Di Caro et al. reported an interesting article on “preparedness for the management of a patient with Ebola [1].” Di Caro et al. discussed on the added value of long-lasting preparedness. Indeed,... more

No increase in synovial fluid level of matrix metalloproteinase-3 by systemic administration of glucocorticoids in rheumatoid arthritis

26 March 2015
Author(s): Yasuyuki Kamata, Seiji Minota

Matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) is produced by fibroblasts, synovial cells, and chondrocytes in response to cytokines like interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor-α [1,2]. In rheumatoid arthritis... more

The added value of long-lasting preparedness for the management of a patient with Ebola

26 March 2015
Author(s): Antonino Di Caro, Vincenzo Puro, Francesco Maria Fusco, Maria Rosaria Capobianchi, Simone Lanini, Francesco Nicola Lauria, Silvia Meschi, Carla Nisii, Nicola Petrosillo, Emanuele Nicastri, Silvia Pittalis, Francesco Vairo, Giuseppe Ippolito

In the interesting description of his experience in Sierra Leone, Satolli refers to an Italian physician from the Emergency team who developed the infection in Africa and was urgently airlifted by... more

Liver injury is uncommon in chronic gastrointestinal ischemia

24 March 2015
Author(s): J. Harki, E.J. Kuipers, D. van Noord, H.J.M. Verhagen, E.T.T.L. Tjwa

Hypoxic liver injury in an acute setting of cardiac, circulatory or respiratory failure, also known as hypoxic or ischemic hepatitis, is caused by insufficient oxygen uptake by hepatocytes and is... more

Association between polymorphism within the receptor and development of statin-associated myalgia/myopathy in the Czech population

6 March 2015
Author(s): Jaroslav A. Hubacek, Vera Adamkova, Petra Hruba, Richard Ceska, Michal Vrablik

Statins are the most common drugs used in both primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention. They lower plasma cholesterol levels by inhibiting the key enzyme of cholesterol synthesis, 3-hydroxy 3... more

Portal vein thrombosis significantly improves the survival of cirrhotic patients awaiting liver transplantation: Should we accept the statistical results?

10 February 2015
Author(s): Xingshun Qi, Yongji Wang, Xiaozhong Guo

Traditionally, the presence of occlusive portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a negative clinical prognostic factor for liver cirrhosis [1,2]. This is primarily attributed to the following considerations... more

Circulating homocysteine in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

9 February 2015
Author(s): Stergios A. Polyzos, Jannis Kountouras, Michael A. Tsoukas

We read with interest the study of Leach et al. [1], showing higher serum homocysteine (Hcy) levels in patients with biopsy-proven nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) than apparently healthy controls... more

Involvement of family physicians in structured programs for chronic diseases or multi-morbidity in Switzerland

28 January 2015
Author(s): I. Peytremann-Bridevaux, S.T. Ebert, N. Senn

The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and multi-morbidity [1] represents challenges for health systems worldwide. In that perspective, the current organization of healthcare delivery,... more

The survival of patients admitted because of health-care-related adverse events is similar to that after admission for other reasons

24 January 2015
Author(s): Fabienne J.H. Magdelijns, L. Schepers, E. Pijpers, C.D.A. Stehouwer, P.M. Stassen

Admissions through the emergency department (ED) because of health-care-related adverse events (AEs), which should not be confused with (blameworthy) medical errors, are common [1–6]. These AEs,... more

Do persons with stroke benefit from statin–fibrate combination therapy?

22 January 2015
Author(s): Luis Castilla-Guerra, Maria del Carmen Fernandez-Moreno

Treatment with statins reduces the rate of cardiovascular events in high-risk patients, but residual risk persists. At least part of that risk may be attributable to atherogenic dyslipidemia... more

ST2 marker might help to stratify in-hospital high risk patients with Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy

22 January 2015
Author(s): Olga Vriz, Rosalba Minisini, Maurizio Ruscio, Paolo Calabro, Eduardo Bossone

ST2 is a receptor of the interleukin (IL)-1 family, a biomarker of inflammatory and cardiovascular disease with transmembrane (ST2L) and soluble (sST2) isoforms, released by cardiomyocytes in... more

Epithelial–mesenchymal transition: A key mechanism for cigarette smoke-associated pulmonary fibrosis in COPD?

7 January 2015
Author(s): Hao Wang, Zenglin Liao, Chun Wan, Fuqiang Wen, Lei Chen

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a worldwide disease, featured by not fully reversible and progressive airflow limitation, leading to the concurrence of persistent chronic airway... more

Abstract-to-publication ratio and predictors for publication success for papers presented at the Italian Emergency Medicine Meeting: A cross-sectional study

27 December 2014
Author(s): V.G. Menditto, S. Tedesco, L. Manfredi, L. Postacchini, G. Pomponio

It has been suggested that the quality of research output from a scientific meeting may be roughly estimated through the rate of presented abstracts which are subsequently published as full-text... more

A European Emergency Card for adrenal insufficiency can save lives

10 December 2014
Author(s): Marcus Quinkler, Per Dahlqvist, Eystein S. Husebye, Olle Kämpe

Adrenal insufficiency (AI) is a life threatening disease that has several underlying causes. In primary AI (PAI) the adrenal cortex itself is destroyed and the most common cause is autoimmune... more

Statins do not improve lung function decline in COPD?

14 November 2014
Author(s): Tao Wang, Lin Liu, Yongchun Shen, Fuqiang Wen, Lei Chen

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the fourth leading cause of mortality worldwide, is characterized by persistent and progressive airflow limitation, due to chronic inflammatory response... more

Cryptogenic stroke, atrial fibrillation and primary prevention

13 November 2014
Author(s): Ami Schattner, Aviel Hadad

Few studies are as striking in their immediate applicability and impact as do the recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on prolonged heart rate monitoring in patients with cryptogenic stroke or... more

Proper cut-off points to distinguish patients with NASH from non-NASH

13 November 2014
Author(s): Erdim Sertoglu, Huseyin Kayadibi, Metin Uyanik

We read with great interest the recently published article by Leach et al. [1]. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate serum homocysteine (Hcy) levels and oxidative stress status in patients with... more

An emerging crisis in Greece's medical research output

7 November 2014
Author(s): Nikolaos Vrachnis, Nikolaos Vlachadis, Efthimios Deligeoroglou, Georgios Mastorakos, Zoe Iliodromiti

Publications are the major output of scientific research and their metrics are extensively used in evaluating the countries' scientific performance. We analyzed bibliometric data from Scopus derived... more

Exclusion criteria for sarcoidosis: A novel approach for an ancient disease?

31 October 2014
Author(s): Anastasiya Atanasova Chokoeva, Georgi Tchernev, Marco Tana, Claudio Tana

The differentiation between sarcoidosis and sarcoid-like reactions still remains a debated issue. Current diagnostic criteria for cutaneous sarcoidosis are not adequately implemented in the clinical... more

An inverse-to-anticipated relationship of Lp-PLA activity in diabetes: Reflection of underlying autoimmune activation

22 October 2014
Author(s): Altan Onat, Tuğba Akbaş, Hüsniye Yüksel

The study by Mayer Jr. and associates [1] investigating the relationship between impaired glucose metabolism and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 activity (aLp-PLA2) contributes to current... more

Improving Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) outcomes through the use of automated electronic alerts

21 October 2014
Author(s): C.L. Pang, D. Chanouzas, M. Thomas, J. Baharani

We read the letter of Cheshire et al. [1] with interest, in response to our recent publication “Timing of acute kidney injury — does it matter? A single-centre experience from the United Kingdom” [2... more

Long-term follow-up after anticoagulant treatment withdrawal in patients with deep venous thrombosis and inferior vena cava agenesis

20 October 2014
Author(s): A. Riera-Mestre, A. Romera, A. Fernández, X. Corbella

Inferior vena cava (IVC) agenesis is a rare congenital disease in which venous return from the lower limbs is achieved through collateral veins, mainly thorough the azygos and hemiazygos veins [1].... more

Causes of protidemia above 100g/L

19 October 2014
Author(s): Kim Paricaud, Guillaume Moulis, Marie-Sophie Combis, Laurent Sailler, Philippe Arlet

Multiple myeloma-related monoclonal gammopathy is a well-known cause of highly elevated serum protein [1]. However, other diseases inducing major polyclonal immunoglobulin production can be... more

Research and common sense

17 October 2014
Author(s): Maurizio Pandolfi, Giulia Carreras

As far as we understand, Lilli [1] maintains that we may lessen our skepticism toward a research hypothesis following a succession of positive results. He mentions the example of a diagnostic test... more

Relevance of clotting screen requests

9 October 2014
Author(s): Roberta Morris, Sofia Thorell, Lynne Keighley, Hannah Belli, Jecko Thachil

Coagulation screening tests have become the part and parcel of the array of blood tests performed routinely in most hospitals. The definite indications for ordering these tests include haemorrhagic... more

Data about (complementary and alternative) medicine are irrelevant, because we are all Bayesians

3 October 2014
Author(s): Harald Walach, Paolo Roberti di Sarsina, Mariateresa Tassinari

Pandolfi and Carreras are to be congratulated on their argument in favor of a Bayesian view on medical decision making and statistics [1]. The authors rightly point out that, given a mildly skeptical... more

Logical reasoning alone is often not enough

27 September 2014
Author(s): Maurizio Pandolfi, Giulia Carreras

We do not doubt that “Millions of patients experience an effect of CAM, often after conventional medicine failed”, as Rutten and Stolper say [1]. The question, as our paper maintains [2], is whether... more

From p-value to Bayesian analysis: Should we renounce the study of the “unknown”?

25 September 2014
Author(s): Alessio Lilli

I read with interest the article by Pandolfi and Carreras about aspects in statistics which a clinician should consider to give the right weight to evidence, with particular attention to... more

Evaluation of the common mistakes made by patients in the use of Levothyroxine

18 September 2014
Author(s): Ferit Kerim Kucukler, Gulhan Akbaba, Ayse Arduc, Yasin Simsek, Serdar Guler

Hypothyroidism is a common disorder [1] whose diagnosis frequency has gradually risen. Although synthetic thyroxine (T4), L-triiodothyronine (T3), and T3/T4 combinations are available for correction... more

Letters to the Editor

The issue of dual infection with m.tuberculosis and non-mycobacterial pathogens

27 August 2015
Author(s): Oscar M.P. Jolobe

In order to address more fully the mortality rate associated with pneumonia in the elderly, attention should be paid, not only to adherence to guidelines [1], but, also to the misdiagnosis of... more

Simple measurement popularizes sarcopenia evaluation in patients with heart failure

22 June 2015
Author(s): Taro Narumi, Tetsu Watanabe, Isao Kubota

Dear Editor.

The added value of preparedness for aeromedical evacuation of a patient with Ebola

25 April 2015
Author(s): Roberto Biselli, Marco Lastilla, Ferdinando Arganese, Natale Ceccarelli, Enrico Tomao, Piervalerio Manfroni

Having read the article of Satolli that mentions the transport from Sierra Leone to Italy of an Italian patient infected with Ebola [1], we find it useful to emphasize the value of preparedness —... more

Choosing ACE-inhibitors instead of sartans: Encouraging results of an evidence-based policy in Emilia-Romagna, Italy

20 April 2015
Author(s): Giulio Formoso, Nicola Magrini, Anna Maria Marata

Pharmaceutical policies favoring appropriate prescribing must be based on solid evidence on drug effectiveness and safety, better if shared with relevant stakeholders [1]. To translate this knowledge... more

A brief history of uric acid: From gout to cardiovascular risk factor

18 April 2015
Author(s): Francesco M. Galassi, Claudio Borghi

The organic heterocyclic compound uric acid, discovered by the Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742–1786) and represented by the formula H2(C5H2N403), is the final product of purine catabolism... more

Are physicians identifying acute kidney injury?

27 September 2014
Author(s): Sophie Cheshire, Samantha Jayne Williamson, Sarbjit Clare, Fouad Al-Baaj, Andrew Bentall

The recent publication by Pang et al. demonstrated significantly worse dialysis dependence for community acquired acute kidney injury (c-AKI) [1]. The severity of AKI in this paper was predominantly... more

Original Article

Social deprivation, population dependency ratio and an extended hospital episode — Insights from acute medicine

11 September 2015
Author(s): Seán Cournane, Ann Dalton, Declan Byrne, Richard Conway, Deirdre O'Riordan, Seamus Coveney, Bernard Silke

Patients from deprived backgrounds have a higher in-patient mortality following an emergency medical admission; this study aimed to investigate the extent to which Deprivation status and the... more

Thromboembolic events in patients with severe pandemic influenza A/H1N1

10 September 2015
Author(s): Lone Sølling Avnon, Daniela Munteanu, Alexander Smoliakov, Alan Jotkowitz, Leonid Barski

The 2009 pandemic influenza A/H1N1 developed as a novel swine influenza which caused more diseases among younger age groups than in the elderly. Severe hypoxemic respiratory failure from A/H1N1... more

Approvals of drugs with uncertain benefit–risk profiles in Europe

2 September 2015
Author(s): Rita Banzi, Chiara Gerardi, Vittorio Bertele', Silvio Garattini

This paper examines conditional approvals that allow the marketing of medicines with unsettled benefit–risk profiles in the European Union.

Under-detection of delirium and impact of neurocognitive deficits on in-hospital mortality among acute geriatric and medical wards

31 August 2015
Author(s): G. Bellelli, A. Nobili, G. Annoni, A. Morandi, C.D. Djade, D.J. Meagher, A.M.J. Maclullich, D. Davis, A. Mazzone, M. Tettamanti, P.M. Mannucci, REPOSI (REgistro POliterapie SIMI) Investigators

Delirium is a neuropsychiatric disorder, triggered by medical precipitants causes. Study aims were to describe the prevalence and impact on in-hospital mortality of delirium identified through ICD-9... more

Medical teleconsultation to general practitioners reduces the medical error vulnerability of internal medicine patients

29 August 2015
Author(s): Nando Campanella, Pierpaolo Morosini, Guido Sampaolo, Vania Catozzo, Andrea Caso, Maurizio Ferretti, Moreno Giovagnoli, Mariangela Torniai, Ettore Antico

e-Health strategies are supposed to improve the performance of national health systems. Medical teleconsultation (MT) is an important component of such e-Health strategies.

Functional status and mortality at month and year in nonagenarians hospitalized due to acute medical illness

26 August 2015
Author(s): Alberto Socorro García, María de la Puente, Beatriz Perdomo, Patricia López Pardo, Juan J. Baztán

To analyze risk factors associated with short and long-term mortality in nonagenarians hospitalized due to acute medical conditions.

Incremental value of exercise echocardiography over exercise electrocardiography in a chest pain unit

25 August 2015
Author(s): Alberto Bouzas-Mosquera, Jesús Peteiro, Francisco J. Broullón, Nemesio Álvarez-García, Jorge L. Rodríguez-Garrido, Víctor X. Mosquera, Dolores Martínez, Juan C. Yáñez, José M. Vázquez-Rodríguez

Limited data are available on the added value of exercise echocardiography (ExEcho) over exercise electrocardiography (ExECG) in patients with suspected acute coronary syndromes (ACS) referred to a... more

Cost-effectiveness analysis of preoperative treatment of acromegaly with somatostatin analogue on surgical outcome

20 August 2015
Author(s): Luis Margusino-Framiñán, Sonia Pertega-Diaz, Lara Pena-Bello, Susana Sangiao-Alvarellos, Elena Outeiriño-Blanco, Francisco Pita-Gutierrez, Salvador Pita-Fernandez, Fernando Cordido

There is no uniform standard of care for acromegaly. Due to the high costs involved, steps must be taken to ensure the cost-effective delivery of treatment.

Clinical implications and outcome prediction in chronic hemodialysis patients with lower serum potassium×uric acid product

20 August 2015
Author(s): Ming-Yan Jiang, Jyh-Chang Hwang, Yi-Hua Lu, Charn-Ting Wang

The aims of this study were to evaluate correlations between serum potassium (S[K]) and uric acid (S[UA]) in hemodialysis patients and to determine whether lower levels of both S[K] and S[UA] were... more

Comparison of risk factors for acute worsening renal function in heart failure patients with and without preserved ejection fraction

19 August 2015
Author(s): Tamiharu Yamagishi, Kenichi Matsushita, Toshinori Minamishima, Ayumi Goda, Konomi Sakata, Toru Satoh, Hideaki Yoshino

We compared the risk factors for acute worsening renal function (AWRF) in patients with acute decompensated heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) versus those with reduced ejection... more

Perceived stress status and sympathetic nervous system activation in young male patients with coronary artery disease in China

18 August 2015
Author(s): You Yang, Minghui Bi, Lin Xiao, Qiaopin Chen, Wenron Chen, Wensheng Li, Yanxian Wu, Yunzhao Hu, Yuli Huang

Young Chinese male adults have faced increasing psychological stress. Whether this is associated with the increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) in young Chinese males remains unclear. This... more

Increased circulating adiponectin in males with chronic HCV hepatitis

17 August 2015
Author(s): Elena Canavesi, Marianna Porzio, Massimiliano Ruscica, Raffaela Rametta, Chiara Macchi, Serena Pelusi, Anna Ludovica Fracanzani, Paola Dongiovanni, Silvia Fargion, Paolo Magni, Luca Valenti

Increased levels of adiponectin, a major adipokine with insulin sensitizing properties showing a strong sexual dimorphism, have been reported in individuals with chronic HCV infection (CHC), but data... more

Malignant transformation and overall survival of morphological subtypes of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the pancreas: A network meta-analysis

11 August 2015
Author(s): Xiaolong Qi, Xin Zhao, Junlei Su, Mingxin Xu, Weifeng Zhang, Hui Sheng, Zhiwei Li, Jiping Wang

Emerging evidence suggests the predictive role of morphological subtypes (gastric, intestinal, pancreatobiliary, and oncocytic) of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) in malignant... more

Prognostic significance of changes in red cell distribution width in an internal medicine ward

6 August 2015
Author(s): Miriam Shteinshnaider, Dana Barchel, Dorit Almoznino-Sarafian, Irma Tzur, Neli Tsatsanashvili, Muhareb Swarka, Natan Cohen, Oleg Gorelik

The prognostic significance of red cell distribution width (RDW) during hospitalization in internal medicine wards was not sufficiently investigated.

The effect of statins on the occurrence of peptic ulcer

28 July 2015
Author(s): Anning Feng, Eric Chuang, Szu-Hsien Wu, Jia-Chi Wang, Shih-Ni Chang, Cheng-Li Lin, Chia-Hung Kao

This study was to determine the association between the use of statins and the occurrence of peptic ulcer diseases (PUD).

Gender difference in drug use in hospitalized elderly patients

22 July 2015
Author(s): Paola Santalucia, Carlotta Franchi, Codjo D. Djade, Mauro Tettamanti, Luca Pasina, Salvatore Corrao, Francesco Salerno, Alessandra Marengoni, Maura Marcucci, Alessandro Nobili, Pier Mannuccio Mannucci, REPOSI Investigators

The aims of this study were to evaluate whether or not there are gender differences in drug use at hospital admission and prescription at discharge and to evaluate the effect of hospitalization on... more

Development and multi-centre evaluation of a method for assessing the severity of potential harm of medication reconciliation errors at hospital admission in elderly

21 July 2015
Author(s): Sébastien Doerper, Julien Godet, Jean François Alexandra, Benoit Allenet, Emmanuel Andres, Pierrick Bedouch, Anne Charlotte Desbuquois, Armèle Develay-Rambourg, Odile Bauge-Faraldi, Sophie Gendarme, Bénédicte Gourieux, Amandine Grain, Kivan Long, Bertrice Loulière, Myriam Roudot, Marie Christine Roussel-Galle, Clarisse Roux-Masson, Nathalie Thilly, Edith Dufay, Bruno Michel

Medication reconciliation is a powerful process to correct medication errors (ME) resulting from miscommunicated information at transitions of care. This study aims to develop and evaluate a scoring... more

The diagnostic usefulness of fecal lactoferrin in the assessment of Crohn's disease activity

18 July 2015
Author(s): Katarzyna Klimczak, Liliana Lykowska-Szuber, Piotr Eder, Iwona Krela-Kazmierczak, Kamila Stawczyk-Eder, Aleksandra Szymczak, Michal Michalak, Adam Studniarek, Krzysztof Linke

Diagnosis and monitoring of Crohn's disease (CD) is difficult and time-consuming. In recent years, diagnostic usefulness of fecal calprotectin has been proven. However, data on the utility of other... more

Online combination algorithm for non-invasive assessment of chronic hepatitis B related liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in resource-limited settings

17 July 2015
Author(s): Nermin N. Salkic, Elmir Cickusic, Predrag Jovanovic, Mirela Basic Denjagic, Samra Iljazovic-Topcic, Milenko Bevanda, Sead Ahmetagic

The use of commercially available noninvasive markers for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) related fibrosis is not widely available in developing countries so clinicians in those countries frequently use... more

The influence of gender on the communication skills assessment of medical students

6 July 2015
Author(s): Chin-Chou Huang, Chia-Chang Huang, Ying-Ying Yang, Shing-Jong Lin, Jaw-Wen Chen

Opinions on the interaction between the genders of standardized patients and examinees are controversial. Our study sought to determine the influence of gender on communication skills assessment in... more

Oral health information from the dentist to the diabetologist

6 July 2015
Author(s): Mohamed Ahdi, Wijnand J. Teeuw, Hedvig G.T.A. Meeuwissen, Joost B.L. Hoekstra, Victor E.A. Gerdes, Bruno G. Loos, Eelco W. Meesters

Diabetes care includes annual evaluation of micro- and macrovascular complications, however, oral pathologies are not included. We studied retrieving oral health information, in particular... more

Duration of clopidogrel-based dual antiplatelet therapy and clinical outcomes after endeavor sprint zotarolimus-eluting stent implantation in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome

4 July 2015
Author(s): Pil Sang Song, Joo-Yong Hahn, Doo-Il Kim, Young Bin Song, Seung-Hyuk Choi, Jin-Ho Choi, Dong Ryeol Ryu, Seung Ho Hur, Jin-Ok Jeong, Hun Sik Park, Hyo-Soo Kim, Hyeon-Cheol Gwon

The optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) remains controversial in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We sought to compare outcomes after the implantation of zotarolimus-... more

Venous thromboembolism and preoperative steroid use: Analysis of the NSQIP database to evaluate risk in surgical patients

3 July 2015
Author(s): Rami S. Kantar, Anthony G. Haddad, Hani Tamim, Faek Jamali, Ali T. Taher

Despite several prophylactic strategies, postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the search for modifiable preoperative risk factors is... more

Long-term risk of pancreatitis and diabetes after cholecystectomy in patients with cholelithiasis but no pancreatitis history: A 13-year follow-up study

2 July 2015
Author(s): Ming-Shian Tsai, Cheng-Li Lin, Yao-Chun Hsu, Hui-Ming Lee, Chia-Hung Kao

Patients with biliary pancreatitis are suggested to undergo cholecystectomy to prevent the recurrence of pancreatitis. However, it remains controversial whether cholecystectomy is associated with... more

Predicting prolonged length of hospital stay in older emergency department users: Use of a novel analysis method, the Artificial Neural Network

30 June 2015
Author(s): C.P. Launay, H. Rivière, A. Kabeshova, O. Beauchet

To examine performance criteria (i.e., sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value [PPV], negative predictive value [NPV], likelihood ratios [LR], area under receiver operating characteristic... more

Reducing weight in an internal medicine outpatient clinic using a lifestyle medicine approach: A proof of concept

13 June 2015
Author(s): Daniela Lucini, Giovanna Cesana, Chiara Vigo, Mara Malacarne, Massimo Pagani

Chronic non-communicable diseases represent the major drivers of disease burden, being responsible for the majority of health care cost and deaths. Almost half of premature deaths is due to behaviors... more

Circadian pattern of symptoms onset in patients ≤35years presenting with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction

13 June 2015
Author(s): Loukianos S. Rallidis, Andreas S. Triantafyllis, Eleftherios A. Sakadakis, Argyri Gialeraki, Christos Varounis, Maria Rallidi, Georgios Tsirebolos, Georgios Liakos, Nikolaos Dagres, Jonh Lekakis

There are scarce data regarding the circadian pattern of symptoms onset in young patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We explored whether young patients with ST-segment... more

Is chronic neutropenia always a benign disease? Evidences from a 5-year prospective study

8 June 2015
Author(s): Bruno Fattizzo, Anna Zaninoni, Dario Consonni, Alberto Zanella, Umberto Gianelli, Agostino Cortelezzi, Wilma Barcellini

To evaluate infections and oncohematologic evolution in adult patients with chronic idiopathic and autoimmune neutropenia in a prospective study.

Drug-related problems identification in general internal medicine: The impact and role of the clinical pharmacist and pharmacologist

8 June 2015
Author(s): Bertrand Guignard, Pascal Bonnabry, Arnaud Perrier, Pierre Dayer, Jules Desmeules, Caroline Flora Samer

Patients admitted to general internal medicine wards might receive a large number of drugs and be at risk for drug-related problems (DRPs) associated with increased morbidity and mortality. This... more

Chronic osteomyelitis correlates with increased risk of acute pancreatitis in a case–control study in Taiwan

7 June 2015
Author(s): Shih-Wei Lai, Hsueh-Chou Lai, Cheng-Li Lin, Kuan-Fu Liao, Chun-Hung Tseng

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between chronic osteomyelitis and acute pancreatitis in Taiwan.

New onset of diabetes after transplantation is associated with improved patient survival after liver transplantation due to confounding factor

6 June 2015
Author(s): F. Darstein, C. König, M. Hoppe-Lotichius, D. Grimm, J. Knapstein, A. Zimmermann, J. Mittler, J.M. Schattenberg, M.F. Sprinzl, M.A. Wörns, H. Lang, P.R. Galle, T. Zimmermann

The influence of NODAT on survival of liver transplant recipients has not been clarified. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of NODAT on survival in LT recipients.

Does coronary Atherosclerosis Deserve to be Diagnosed earlY in Diabetic patients? The DADDY-D trial. Screening diabetic patients for unknown coronary disease

6 June 2015
Author(s): Fabrizio Turrini, Stefania Scarlini, Caterina Mannucci, Roberto Messora, Paolo Giovanardi, Paolo Magnavacchi, Carlo Cappelli, Valeria Evandri, Andrea Zanasi, Stefania Romano, Rita Cavani, Italo Ghidoni, Stefano Tondi, Marco Bondi

To evaluate if screening and treatment of asymptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD) are effective in preventing first cardiac event in diabetics.

Thalassemia and risk of dementia: A nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study

5 June 2015
Author(s): Yu-Guang Chen, Te-Yu Lin, Hsuan-Ju Chen, Ming-Shen Dai, Ching-Liang Ho, Chia-Hung Kao

This study is a nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study to investigate the risk for developing dementia in thalassemia population.

Pre-existing diabetes and risks of morbidity and mortality after liver transplantation: A nationwide database study in an Asian population

3 June 2015
Author(s): Ming-Shian Tsai, Yu-Chiao Wang, Hsi-Hao Wang, Po-Huang Lee, Long-Bin Jeng, Chia-Hung Kao

Whether diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with a higher risk of perioperative mortality and mortality after liver transplantation (LTx) remains unclear.

Hypermagnesemia is a strong independent risk factor for mortality in critically ill patients: Results from a cross-sectional study

3 June 2015
Author(s): Dominik G. Haider, Gregor Lindner, Sufian S. Ahmad, Thomas Sauter, Michael Wolzt, Alexander Benedikt Leichtle, Georg-Martin Fiedler, Aristomenis K. Exadaktylos, Valentin Fuhrmann

Patients with electrolyte imbalances or disorders have a high risk of mortality. It is unknown if this finding from sodium or potassium disorders extends to alterations of magnesium levels.

Inpatient versus outpatient onsets of acute myocardial infarction

29 May 2015
Author(s): Paul Erne, Osmund Bertel, Philip Urban, Giovanni Pedrazzini, Thomas F. Lüscher, Dragana Radovanovic, on behalf of the AMIS Plus Investigators

There are few studies on patients suffering acute myocardial infarction (AMI) when already in hospital for other reasons; therefore, this study aimed to compare patients with in-hospital-onset AMI... more

Prognostic role of atrial fibrillation in patients affected by chronic heart failure. Data from the MECKI score research group

27 May 2015
Author(s): Stefania Paolillo, Piergiuseppe Agostoni, Daniele Masarone, Ugo Corrà, Claudio Passino, Domenico Scrutinio, Michele Correale, Gaia Cattadori, Marco Metra, Davide Girola, Massimo F. Piepoli, Elisabetta Salvioni, Marta Giovannardi, Annamaria Iorio, Michele Emdin, Rosa Raimondo, Federica Re, Mariantonietta Cicoira, Romualdo Belardinelli, Marco Guazzi, Francesco Clemenza, Gianfranco Parati, Angela B. Scardovi, Andrea Di Lenarda, Rocco La Gioia, Maria Frigerio, Carlo Lombardi, Paola Gargiulo, Gianfranco Sinagra, Giuseppe Pacileo, Pasquale Perrone-Filardi, Giuseppe Limongelli, On behalf of the Metabolic Exercise test data combined with Cardiac and Kidney Indexes (MECKI) Score Research Group (see Appendix A)

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common in heart failure (HF). It is unclear whether AF has an independent prognostic role in HF. The aim of the present study was to assess the prognostic role of AF in HF... more

Clinical profile and main comorbidities of Spanish adults with Down syndrome

26 May 2015
Author(s): Diego Real de Asua, Miriam Quero, Fernando Moldenhauer, Carmen Suarez

The life expectancy of adults with Down syndrome (DS) has significantly increased in the last decades. We aim to describe the main demographic and clinical characteristics of a cohort of adults with... more

Short and long term survival following hospitalization with a primary versus non-primary diagnosis of acute heart failure

25 May 2015
Author(s): Aharon Erez, Robert Klempfner, Ilan Goldenberg, Avishay Elis

To compare the short-term and long-term outcomes of patients hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of acute heart failure (AHF) versus AHF associated with an alternative principal diagnosis.

Risk of psychiatric disorders following gastroesophageal reflux disease: A nationwide population-based cohort study

25 May 2015
Author(s): Zi-Hong You, Chin-Lin Perng, Li-Yu Hu, Ti Lu, Pan-Ming Chen, Albert C. Yang, Shih-Jen Tsai, Yi-Shin Huang, Hon-Jhe Chen

Recent studies have shown that the peripheral inflammation may cause the up-regulation of central nervous system inflammation and therefore possibly plays a vital role in the pathophysiology of... more

Prior statin use and the outcomes in patients with first-attack acute pancreatitis: A retrospective cohort study

18 May 2015
Author(s): Sz-Iuan Shiu, Pei-Fang Su, Li-Ho Jang, Bor-Jen Lee, Chen-Yu Wang

We investigated whether prior stain use before admission for a first-attack AP would reduce the severity and mortality rate of a first-attack of AP with a dose–response relationship.

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Churg–Strauss) (EGPA) Consensus Task Force recommendations for evaluation and management

9 May 2015
Author(s): Matthieu Groh, Christian Pagnoux, Chiara Baldini, Elisabeth Bel, Paolo Bottero, Vincent Cottin, Klaus Dalhoff, Bertrand Dunogué, Wolfgang Gross, Julia Holle, Marc Humbert, David Jayne, J. Charles Jennette, Romain Lazor, Alfred Mahr, Peter A. Merkel, Luc Mouthon, Renato Alberto Sinico, Ulrich Specks, Augusto Vaglio, Michael E. Wechsler, Jean-François Cordier, Loïc Guillevin

To develop disease-specific recommendations for the diagnosis and management of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Churg–Strauss syndrome) (EGPA).

Hyperglycemia management in patients admitted to internal medicine in Spain: A point-prevalence survey examining adequacy of glycemic control and guideline adherence

8 May 2015
Author(s): Javier Ena, Ricardo Gómez-Huelgas, Marta Romero-Sánchez, Antonio Zapatero Gaviria, Ana Calzada-Valle, Jose Manuel Varela-Aguilar, Maria de la Luz Calero-Bernal, Rosa Garcia-Contreras, Miguel Angel Berdún-Chéliz, Borja Gracia-Tello, Inmaculada Mejias-Real, Concepción González-Becerra, on behalf of the Diabetes and Obesity Working Group of the Spanish Society of Internal Medicine

Despite the increasing prevalence of hospitalized diabetic patients, there are few studies that evaluate the glycemic control and the rate of adherence to clinical practice guidelines for glucose... more

Initiation of rivaroxaban in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at the primary care level:

30 April 2015
Author(s): Rolf P. Engelberger, Georg Noll, Dominique Schmidt, Adriano Alatri, Benedikt Frei, Walter E. Kaiser, Nils Kucher

Rivaroxaban has become an alternative to vitamin-K antagonists (VKA) for stroke prevention in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) patients due to its favourable risk–benefit profile in the... more

New onset heart failure — Clinical characteristics and short-term mortality. A RICA (Spanish registry of acute heart failure) study

30 April 2015
Author(s): Jonathan Franco, Francesc Formiga, David Chivite, Luis Manzano, Margarita Carrera, José Carlos Arévalo-Lorido, Francisco Epelde, Jose Manuel Cerqueiro, Ana Serrado, Manuel Montero Pérez-Barquero, for the RICA investigadors

Heart failure (HF) is a growing global epidemic. The main study aims is to evaluate the differences between new-onset and chronic-decompensated HF patients. Secondary objectives related only to new-... more

Predicting the emergence of anemia — A large cohort study

22 April 2015
Author(s): Anat Gafter-Gvili, Eytan Cohen, Tomer Avni, Alon Grossman, Liat Vidal, Moshe Garty, Leonard Leibovici, Ilan Krause

We aimed to find predictors for development of anemia in a large cohort of adults.

Using white blood cell counts to predict metabolic syndrome in the elderly: A combined cross-sectional and longitudinal study

21 April 2015
Author(s): Chun Pei, Jin-Biou Chang, Chang-Hsun Hsieh, Jiunn-Diann Lin, Chun-Hsien Hsu, Dee Pei, Yao-Jen Liang, Yen-Lin Chen

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has an important implication from a preventive medicine perspective as early recognition and intervention will reduce associated mortality and morbidity. To better identify... more

Effects of a long-term lifestyle intervention program with Mediterranean diet and exercise for the management of patients with metabolic syndrome in a primary care setting

20 April 2015
Author(s): R. Gomez-Huelgas, S. Jansen-Chaparro, A.J. Baca-Osorio, J. Mancera-Romero, F.J. Tinahones, M.R. Bernal-López

The impact of a lifestyle intervention (LSI) program for the long-term management of subjects with metabolic syndrome in a primary care setting is not known.

Patients' characteristics associated with the decision of “do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation” order in a Swiss hospital

18 April 2015
Author(s): Fabienne Chevaux, Mariangela Gagliano, Gérard Waeber, Pedro Marques-Vidal, Marcos Schwab

According to Swiss legislation, do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR) order can be made at any time by patients only, unless the resuscitation is considered as futile, based on the... more

Pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis: A comprehensive analysis of 40 patients and literature review

18 April 2015
Author(s): Davide Elia, Olga Torre, Roberto Cassandro, Antonella Caminati, Sergio Harari

Pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis (PLCH) is a rare interstitial disease affecting primarily young adult smokers. In order to highlight the clinical features of the disease, we conducted a... more

Adherence to antibiotic treatment guidelines and outcomes in the hospitalized elderly with different types of pneumonia

18 April 2015
Author(s): Raffaella Rossio, Carlotta Franchi, Ilaria Ardoino, Codjo D. Djade, Mauro Tettamanti, Luca Pasina, Francesco Salerno, Alessandra Marengoni, Salvatore Corrao, Maura Marcucci, Flora Peyvandi, Elia M. Biganzoli, Alessandro Nobili, Pier Mannuccio Mannucci, REPOSI Investigators

Few studies evaluated the clinical outcomes of Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP), Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia (HAP) and Health Care-Associated Pneumonia (HCAP) in relation to the adherence of... more

Evidence for the presence of autochthonous (locally acquired) cases of acute hepatitis E virus infections in Italy since the 80s

14 April 2015
Author(s): Tommaso Stroffolini, Maria Rapicetta, Paola Chionne, Rozenn Esvan, Elisabetta Madonna, Flavia Lombardo, Fabrizio Toccaceli, Giulio Pisani, Annarita Ciccaglione, Flavia Bortolotti

Autochthonous (locally acquired) cases of acute hepatitis E virus have been recently reported in several developed countries.

Efficacy and safety of pegylated interferon base treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis C on dialysis

13 April 2015
Author(s): Sang Bong Ahn, Dae Won Jun, Sang Gyune Kim, Sae Hwan Lee, Hyun Phil Shin, Won Hyeok Choe, Ja Kyung Kim, Kyu Sik Jung, Do Young Kim, Jae-Jun Shim, Soo Young Park, Yeon Seok Seo, Won Kim, Jae Il Chung

Patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on dialysis are difficult to treat and show higher dropout rates during treatment. The aim of this study was to analyze the... more

High rate of abnormal blood values and vascular complications before diagnosis of myeloproliferative neoplasms

8 April 2015
Author(s): Anneli Enblom, Emma Lindskog, Hans Hasselbalch, Ditte Hersby, Marie Bak, Jennifer Tetu, François Girodon, Björn Andréasson

Vascular complications occurring before the diagnosis of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) in 612 patients from four centers in Sweden, Denmark and France were retrospectively studied.

Individual non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and risk of acute kidney injury: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

7 April 2015
Author(s): Patompong Ungprasert, Wisit Cheungpasitporn, Cynthia S. Crowson, Eric L. Matteson

The association between acute kidney injury (AKI) and use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is well established. However, little is known about the comparative risk of individual... more

Higher risk of developing a subsequent migraine in adults with nonapnea sleep disorders: A nationwide population-based cohort study

20 March 2015
Author(s): Tomor Harnod, Yu-Chiao Wang, Chia-Hung Kao

This nationwide population-based cohort study evaluated the effect of nonapnea sleep disorders (NSDs) on the subsequent development of a migraine.

“Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis” may be nontuberculous mycobacteria

15 March 2015
Author(s): Abdolrazagh Hashemi Shahraki, Parvin Heidarieh, Saeed Zaker Bostanabad, Azar Dokht Khosravi, Mohammad Hashemzadeh, Solmaz Khandan, Maryam Biranvand, Dean E. Schraufnagel, Mehdi Mirsaeidi

Multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) presents a great challenge to public health, especially for developing countries. Some nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) cause the similar clinical and... more

Decline of the lung function and quality of glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus

11 March 2015
Author(s): Leonello Fuso, Dario Pitocco, Carola Condoluci, Emanuele Conte, Chiara Contu, Alessandro Rizzi, Giulia Angeletti, Benedetta F. Bibi, Raffaele Antonelli-Incalzi

The aim of this study was to verify to which extent in type 2 diabetes mellitus respiratory function and respiratory muscle efficiency decline over time in relation to the quality of glycemic control... more

Statin adherence and LDL cholesterol levels. Should we assess adherence prior to statin upgrade?

11 March 2015
Author(s): A. Vodonos, I. Ostapenko, R. Toledano, Y. Henkin, D. Zahger, T. Wolak, M. Sherf, V. Novack

Adherence to statin therapy has been shown to be suboptimal. In statin-treated patients with residual elevated low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels the physician must decide whether to... more

Global health care use by patients with type-2 diabetes: Does the type of comorbidity matter?

10 March 2015
Author(s): A. Calderón-Larrañaga, J.M. Abad-Díez, L.A. Gimeno-Feliu, J. Marta-Moreno, F. González-Rubio, M. Clerencia-Sierra, B. Poblador-Plou, A. Poncel-Falcó, A. Prados-Torres

To identify patterns of health care use among diabetic patients with multimorbidity across primary, specialised, hospital and emergency care, depending on their type of chronic comorbidity.

Multimorbidity in risk stratification tools to predict negative outcomes in adult population

6 March 2015
Author(s): Edurne Alonso-Morán, Roberto Nuño-Solinis, Graziano Onder, Giuseppe Tonnara

Risk stratification tools were developed to assess risk of negative health outcomes. These tools assess a variety of variables and clinical factors and they can be used to identify targets of... more

Rheumatoid arthritis affects left ventricular mass: Systematic review and meta-analysis

6 March 2015
Author(s): Salvatore Corrao, Christiano Argano, Giovanni Pistone, Silvia Messina, Luigi Calvo, Francesco Perticone

Cardiovascular disease represents one of the most important extra-articular causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Evidences showed that several cardiac... more

Clinical and lifestyle-related risk factors for incident multimorbidity: 10-year follow-up of Finnish population-based cohorts 1982–2012

4 March 2015
Author(s): Katja Wikström, Jaana Lindström, Kennet Harald, Markku Peltonen, Tiina Laatikainen

Multimorbidity is a huge burden to individuals and societies and more attention should be paid on its risk factors and prevention possibilities. The aim of this study was to investigate which... more

Brain and kidney, victims of atrial microembolism in elderly hospitalized patients? Data from the REPOSI study

4 March 2015
Author(s): S. Corrao, C. Argano, A. Nobili, M. Marcucci, C.D. Djade, M. Tettamanti, L. Pasina, C. Franchi, A. Marengoni, F. Salerno, F. Violi, P.M. Mannucci, F. Perticone, on behalf of REPOSI Investigators

It is well known that atrial fibrillation (AF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are associated with a higher risk of stroke, and new evidence links AF to cognitive impairment, independently from an... more

Factors associated with length of stay following an emergency medical admission

2 March 2015
Author(s): Seán Cournane, Declan Byrne, Deirdre O'Riordan, Bernard Silke

Hospitals are under pressure to use resources in the most efficient manner. We have examined the factors predicting Length of Stay (LOS) in one institution, using a database of all episodes of... more

Multimorbidity — Is this a special condition, or just another chronic disease? National multimorbidity overview based on Lithuania's national database

25 February 2015
Author(s): R. Navickas, Ž. Visockienė, R. Puronaitė, M. Rukšėnienė, V. Kasiulevičius, E. Jurevičienė

Chronic multiple conditions have become a major threat to world healthcare systems within the last years.

Chronic conditions, disability, and quality of life in older adults with multimorbidity in Spain

24 February 2015
Author(s): Maria João Forjaz, Carmen Rodriguez-Blazquez, Alba Ayala, Vicente Rodriguez-Rodriguez, Jesús de Pedro-Cuesta, Susana Garcia-Gutierrez, Alexandra Prados-Torres

As the population ages, the prevalence of multimorbidity also increases, with consequences to several health outcomes such as disability and quality of life (QoL). This study aimed at analyzing the... more

Health-related quality of life and multimorbidity in community-dwelling telecare-assisted elders in the Basque Country

20 February 2015
Author(s): Edurne Alonso-Morán, Roberto Nuño-Solinís, Juan F. Orueta, Begoña Fernandez-Ruanova, Alfredo Alday-Jurado, Enrique Gutiérrez-Fraile

Multimorbidity is more common in the elderly population and negatively affects health-related quality of life (QoL). The aims of the study were to report the QoL of users of the Basque telecare... more

Serum uric acid and other short-term predictors of electrocardiographic alterations in the Brisighella Heart Study cohort

20 February 2015
Author(s): Arrigo F.G. Cicero, Martina Rosticci, Giuliano Tocci, Stefano Bacchelli, Riccado Urso, Sergio D'Addato, Claudio Borghi

Recent studies show that serum uric acid (SUA) is a predictor of atrial fibrillation, while its association with other kinds of arrhythmias is not yet established. We aimed to evaluate the incidence... more

Health care utilization of patients with multiple chronic diseases in The Netherlands: Differences and underlying factors

20 February 2015
Author(s): Petra Hopman, Marianne J. Heins, Mieke Rijken, François G. Schellevis

To examine health care utilization of people with multiple chronic diseases in The Netherlands compared to people with one chronic disease, and to identify different subgroups of multimorbid patients... more

Risk of coronary artery disease in transfusion-naïve thalassemia populations: A nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study

18 February 2015
Author(s): Yu-Guang Chen, Cheng-Li Lin, Ching Liang Ho, Yeu-Chin Chen, Chia-Hung Kao

Few studies have focused on the association between coronary artery disease (CAD) and transfusion naïve thalassemia populations (this term means silent carrier, thalassemia minor or intermedia), who... more

Multimorbidity in people with type 2 diabetes in the Basque Country (Spain): Prevalence, comorbidity clusters and comparison with other chronic patients

17 February 2015
Author(s): Edurne Alonso-Morán, Juan F. Orueta, Jose Ignacio Fraile Esteban, José Mª. Arteagoitia Axpe, Mª. Luz Marqués González, Nuria Toro Polanco, Patxi Ezkurra Loiola, Sonia Gaztambide, Roberto Nuño-Solinís

Multimorbidity is a common problem in ageing societies and has a wide range of individual and social consequences. The objective of this study was to compare multimorbidity in a population with type... more

Prevalence of DNA-confirmed Familial Hypercholesterolaemia in young patients with myocardial infarction

11 February 2015
Author(s): David S. Wald, Fatima A. Bangash, Jonathan P. Bestwick

To report the prevalence of DNA-confirmed Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH) in young patients with acute myocardial infarction, the relative contribution of smoking and diabetes and to compare... more

Long-term survival in the randomized trial of drug treatment in mild to moderate hypertension of the Oslo study 1972–3

10 February 2015
Author(s): Ingar Holme, Sverre E. Kjeldsen

In the Oslo cardiovascular study of 1972–3 a 5-year randomized trial in mild to moderate hypertension was performed. Several changes in treatment practices have been recommended since that time. We... more

Sarcopenia evaluated by fat-free mass index is an important prognostic factor in patients with chronic heart failure

2 February 2015
Author(s): Taro Narumi, Tetsu Watanabe, Shinpei Kadowaki, Tetsuya Takahashi, Miyuki Yokoyama, Daisuke Kinoshita, Yuki Honda, Akira Funayama, Satoshi Nishiyama, Hiroki Takahashi, Takanori Arimoto, Tetsuro Shishido, Takuya Miyamoto, Isao Kubota

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, and cardiac cachexia and sarcopenia are serious complications associated with weight loss and increased catabolism. Fat-free... more

Self-administered outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (S-OPAT) for infective endocarditis: A safe and effective model

14 January 2015
Author(s): Marcos Pajarón, Manuel F. Fernández-Miera, Iciar Allende, Ana M. Arnaiz, Manuel Gutiérrez-Cuadra, Manuel Cobo-Belaustegui, Carlos Armiñanzas, Jose R. de Berrazueta, Maria C. Fariñas, Pedro Sanroma, on behalf of the Hospital Valdecilla Endocarditis Study Group

The safety and efficacy of treatment of infectious endocarditis (IE) was evaluated within a program of hospital-in-home (HIH) based on self-administered outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (S... more

Factor V Leiden mutation and high FVIII are associated with an increased risk of VTE in women with breast cancer during adjuvant tamoxifen — Results from a prospective, single center, case control study

13 January 2015
Author(s): Mirjana Kovac, Zeljko Kovac, Zorica Tomasevic, Slavko Vucicevic, Valentina Djordjevic, Iva Pruner, Dragica Radojkovic

Estimates of the risk ratio of tamoxifen-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE) in breast cancer patients range from 2.4 to 7.1. The occurrence of thrombosis in patients with breast cancer... more

Procalcitonin and long-term prognosis after an admission for acute heart failure

13 January 2015
Author(s): Maria Pilar Villanueva, Anna Mollar, Patricia Palau, Arturo Carratalá, Eduardo Núñez, Enrique Santas, Vicent Bodí, Francisco J. Chorro, Gema Miñana, Maria L. Blasco, Juan Sanchis, Julio Núñez

Traditionally, procalcitonin (PCT) is considered a diagnostic marker of bacterial infections. However, slightly elevated levels of PCT have also been found in patients with heart failure. In this... more

Cardiovascular profile in critically ill elderly medical patients: Prevalence, mortality and length of stay

9 January 2015
Author(s): Ramón Puchades, Begoña González, Mar Contreras, Alejandra Gullón, Rosa de Miguel, Daniel Martín, Carlos Gutiérrez, Ricardo Navarro

Data are demonstrating the increase in utilization of critical care by the elderly. Around 11% of ICU patients are ≥80years-old.

Anticoagulation for the treatment of portal vein thrombosis in liver cirrhosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

5 January 2015
Author(s): Xingshun Qi, Valerio De Stefano, Hongyu Li, Junna Dai, Xiaozhong Guo, Daiming Fan

Systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of anticoagulation for the treatment of portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in cirrhotic patients.

Prevalence of steatosis and insulin resistance in patients with chronic hepatitis B compared with chronic hepatitis C and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

29 December 2014
Author(s): Raluca Pais, Elena Rusu, Diana Zilisteanu, Alexandra Circiumaru, Laurentiu Micu, Mihai Voiculescu, Thierry Poynard, Vlad Ratziu

The association of NAFLD with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) has been extensively studied but little is known about its coexistence with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

Knowledge of the diagnostic algorithm for pulmonary embolism in primary care

10 December 2014
Author(s): B. Planquette, D. Maurice, J. Peron, G. Mourin, A. Ferre, O. Sanchez, G. Meyer

Diagnostic algorithms for pulmonary embolism (PE) have been validated in patients attending hospital emergency departments. However, general practitioners (GPs) are often the professionals of first... more

The effect of fatty pancreas on serum glucose parameters in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

6 December 2014
Author(s): Ahmet Uygun, Abdurrahman Kadayifci, Hakan Demirci, Mutlu Saglam, Yusuf S. Sakin, Kadir Ozturk, Zulfikar Polat, Yildirim Karslioglu, Erol Bolu

Fatty pancreas (FP) is related to obesity, and may have some clinical implications on glucose metabolism. The frequency and importance of FP in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are... more

Follow-up of patients with hyperglycemia in the emergency department without a history of diabetes mellitus

22 November 2014
Author(s): Kristin M. van Veggel, Maartje K. Kruithof, Elianne Roelandse-Koop, Elisabeth M.W. Eekhoff, Prabath W.B. Nanayakkara

The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of hyperglycemia in emergency department patients without a history of diabetes mellitus, and to investigate whether these patients were referred... more

When should a doctor see me when I get sick? A study of the time of day acutely ill medical patients present and the time they wait to see a doctor

18 November 2014
Author(s): John Kellett, Breda Deane

Reconfiguration of the Irish Health Service has diverted of large numbers of acutely ill medical patients to a reduced number of hospitals and may have caused in delays in treatment. Although prompt... more

Rate and patient features associated with recurrence of acute myocarditis

17 November 2014
Author(s): Ville Kytö, Jussi Sipilä, Päivi Rautava

Rate and patient features associated with recurrence after acute myocarditis are largely unknown.

Developing a list of high-alert medications for patients with chronic diseases

13 November 2014
Author(s): María José Otero, Ana María Moreno-Gómez, Bernardo Santos-Ramos, Yolanda Agra

Patients with chronic diseases often receive multiple medications and are associated with increased vulnerability to medication errors. Identifying high-alert medications for them would help to... more

Adult asthmatics increase the risk of acute coronary syndrome: A nationwide population-based cohort study

11 November 2014
Author(s): Wei-Sheng Chung, Te-Chun Shen, Cheng-Li Lin, Yung-Hua Chu, Wu-Huei Hsu, Chia-Hung Kao

Few studies have examined the risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in asthmatics. We investigate the effects of asthma on the risk of ACS development in an Asian population.

Increased risk of end-stage renal disease among hip fracture patients

8 November 2014
Author(s): Chun-Hung Tseng, Wei-Shih Huang, Tsai-Chung Li, Hsuan-Ju Chen, Chih-Hsin Muo, Chia-Hung Kao

Inflammation-related microvasculr disease, albuminuria, and rapid deterioration of renal function can accelerate the development of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The role of hip fracture (HFr), a... more

Weight loss and metabolic outcomes of bariatric surgery in men versus women — A matched comparative observational cohort study

5 November 2014
Author(s): Andrew Kennedy-Dalby, Safwaan Adam, Basil J. Ammori, Akheel A. Syed

Despite the high prevalence of morbid obesity, the global frequency of bariatric surgery in men is significantly lower than in women. It is unclear if this is due to the perception of poorer outcomes... more

Low ALT blood levels predict long-term all-cause mortality among adults. A historical prospective cohort study

5 November 2014
Author(s): E. Ramaty, E. Maor, N. Peltz-Sinvani, A. Brom, A. Grinfeld, S. Kivity, S. Segev, Y. Sidi, T. Kessler, B.A. Sela, G. Segal

Increased blood levels of alanine amino transferase (ALT, also known as SGPT; serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase) serve as a marker of liver injury by various mechanisms. Less is known about the... more

Risk factors of 30-days re-hospitalization after Hospital at Home in a cohort of patients treated with parenteral therapy

4 November 2014
Author(s): Susanne Cramer, Kirsten Fonager

Hospital at Home provides acute medical treatment in the patient's home. To prevent re-hospitalization in these outpatients, it is decisive to identify high-risk groups. This study aimed to identify... more

People with tuberculosis are associated with a subsequent risk of depression

29 October 2014
Author(s): Te-Chun Shen, Chien-Yu Wang, Cheng-Li Lin, Wei-Chih Liao, Chia-Hung Chen, Chih-Yen Tu, Te-Chun Hsia, Chuen-Ming Shih, Wu-Huei Hsu, Chi-Jung Chung

There is some evidence that the prevalence of depression in patients with tuberculosis (TB) is higher than those in the general population. However, the incidence of depression after Mycobacterium... more

Elevated serum homocysteine is a predictor of accelerated decline in renal function and chronic kidney disease: A historical prospective study

27 October 2014
Author(s): Amos Levi, Eytan Cohen, Micha Levi, Elad Goldberg, Moshe Garty, Ilan Krause

To estimate the effect of elevated serum homocysteine level on renal function decline and on the incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the general population.

Prediction of prognosis to lamivudine in patients with spontaneous reactivation of hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure: Using virologic response at week 4

22 October 2014
Author(s): Yang Xiang-hui, Xiao Lang, Zhang Yan, Zhang Li, Shi Xiao-feng, Ren Hong

Current results had demonstrated lamivudine (LAM) contributed to improve liver function and short-term prognosis in patients with hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), but... more

Gout, allopurinol intake and clinical outcomes in the hospitalized multimorbid elderly

21 October 2014
Author(s): Carlotta Franchi, Francesco Salerno, Alessio Conca, Codjo D. Djade, Mauro Tettamanti, Luca Pasina, Salvatore Corrao, Alessandra Marengoni, Maura Marcucci, Pier Mannuccio Mannucci, Alessandro Nobili, on behalf of the REPOSI Investigators

Increased serum uric acid has been considered a cardiovascular risk factor but no study has assessed its relation with hospital mortality or length of stay. On the basis of data obtained from a... more

A predictive rule for mortality of inpatients with bacteraemia: A classification and regression tree analysis

14 October 2014
Author(s): Daiki Kobayashi, Kyoko Yokota, Osamu Takahashi, Hiroko Arioka, Tsuguya Fukui

To create a predictive rule to identify risk factors for mortality among patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB).

Understanding adverse drug reactions in older adults through drug–drug interactions

10 October 2014
Author(s): A. Marengoni, L. Pasina, C. Concoreggi, G. Martini, F. Brognoli, A. Nobili, G. Onder, D. Bettoni

The aims of this study are to evaluate prevalence and characteristics of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and to evaluate the potential contribution of specific medications, therapeutic categories and... more

Should mild hypogammaglobulinemia be managed as severe hypogammaglobulinemia? A study of 389 patients with secondary hypogammaglobulinemia

9 October 2014
Author(s): Mathieu Blot, Pierre Boyer, Maxime Samson, Sylvain Audia, Hervé Devilliers, Vanessa Leguy, Sabine Berthier, Jean-François Besancenot, Bernard Lorcerie, Daniela Lakomy, Bernard Bonnotte

Although secondary hypogammaglobulinemia is more frequent than primary hypogammaglobulinemia, its etiology and management are poorly described, particularly for mild hypogammaglobulinemia.

Ejection fraction in patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction is greater than in healthy controls: A meta-analysis

7 October 2014
Author(s): Guy Dori, Idriss Rajab, Kestenbaum David, Schwartz Naama, Vardi Moshe

Ejection fraction (EF) slightly declines with age in healthy control (HC) subjects. Yet, studies of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF) often report EF values which are... more

End stage renal disease risk and neighbourhood deprivation: A nationwide cohort study in Sweden

4 October 2014
Author(s): Delshad Saleh Akrawi, Xinjun Li, Jan Sundquist, Kristina Sundquist, Bengt Zöller

Chronic kidney disease has been associated with socioeconomic disparities and neighbourhood deprivation. We aimed to determine whether there is an association between neighbourhood deprivation and... more

Clinical outcome in patients with venous thromboembolism receiving concomitant anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy

3 October 2014
Author(s): Inna Tzoran, Benjamin Brenner, Gleb Sakharov, Javier Trujillo-Santos, Alicia Lorenzo, Olga Madridano, Juan Bosco López-Sáez, Manuel Monreal, RIETE investigators

Patients with arterial disease receiving antiplatelet agents may develop venous thromboembolism (VTE) and need anticoagulant therapy, although concomitant use of these drugs may increase bleeding... more

Impact of admission medication reconciliation performed by clinical pharmacists on medication safety

29 September 2014
Author(s): Géraldine Leguelinel-Blache, Fabrice Arnaud, Sophie Bouvet, Florent Dubois, Christel Castelli, Clarisse Roux-Marson, Valérie Ray, Albert Sotto, Jean-Marie Kinowski

Many activities contribute to reduce drug-related problems. Among them, the medication reconciliation (MR) is used to compare the best possible medication history (BPMH) and the current admission... more

Pre-angiography total ST-segment resolution is not a reliable predictor of an open infarct-related artery

9 September 2014
Author(s): Marek Prech, Ewa Bartela, Aleksander Araszkiewicz, Magdalena Janus, Aleksandra Kutrowska, Lidia Urbanska, Malgorzata Pyda, Stefan Grajek

While the cutoffs of predictive value for ST-segment elevations resolution (STSR) following thrombolysis and/or primary PCI were well documented, the impact of pre-angiography STSR has not been... more

Reflections in Internal Medicine

Reducing the risk of hospital admission: A call to action from the Italian Society of Internal Medicine

10 July 2015
Author(s): Rodolfo Sbrojavacca, Antonello Pietrangelo, Luigi Fenoglio, Francesco Violi, Francesco Perticone, Gino Roberto Corazza

The belief that hospital stays may constitute per se a risk for patients is not widespread among patients and health care professionals. In the balance between advantages and disadvantages of... more

Can and should carotid ultrasound be used in cardiovascular risk assessment?

21 February 2015
Author(s): A. Ray, M.V. Huisman, T.J. Rabelink

Cardiovascular risk management is a major and challenging task for internists. Risk scores using algorithms based on traditional risk factors are helpful in identifying patients in whom intensive... more

Review Article

Acute Complex Care Model: An organizational approach for the medical care of hospitalized acute complex patients

10 September 2015
Author(s): Filomena Pietrantonio, Francesco Orlandini, Luca Moriconi, Micaela La Regina

Chronic diseases are the major cause of death (59%) and disability worldwide, representing 46% of global disease burden. According to the Future Hospital Commission of the Royal College of Physicians... more

Thyroid disorders and gastrointestinal and liver dysfunction: A state of the art review

7 August 2015
Author(s): Angelos Kyriacou, John McLaughlin, Akheel A. Syed

Thyroid disorders commonly impact on the gastrointestinal system and may even present with gastrointestinal symptoms in isolation; for example, metastatic medullary thyroid carcinoma typically... more

Multidisciplinary care in patients with chronic kidney disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

14 July 2015
Author(s): Su-Ming Wang, Lien-Cheng Hsiao, I-Wen Ting, Tung-Min Yu, Chih-Chia Liang, Huey-Liang Kuo, Chiz-Tzung Chang, Jiung-Hsiun Liu, Che-Yi Chou, Chiu-Ching Huang

Multidisciplinary care (MDC) was widely used in multiple chronic illnesses but the effectiveness of MDC in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) was inconclusive. The aim of this meta-analysis... more

Effect of routine diagnostic imaging for patients with musculoskeletal disorders: A meta-analysis

14 July 2015
Author(s): Yasmaine H.J.M. Karel, Karin Verkerk, Silvio Endenburg, Sven Metselaar, Arianne P. Verhagen

The increasing use of diagnostic imaging has led to high expenditures, unnecessary invasive procedures and/or false-positive diagnoses, without certainty that the patients actually benefit from these... more

Challenges and misconceptions in the aetiology and management of atrial fibrillation-related strokes

8 July 2015
Author(s): V. Thijs, K. Butcher

Strokes, whether ischaemic or haemorrhagic, are the most feared complications of atrial fibrillation (AF) and its treatment. Vitamin K antagonists have been the mainstay of stroke prevention.... more

Why use long acting bronchodilators in chronic obstructive lung diseases? An extensive review on formoterol and salmeterol

3 June 2015
Author(s): P. Santus, D. Radovanovic, P. Paggiaro, A. Papi, A. Sanduzzi, N. Scichilone, F. Braido

Long-acting β2-adrenoceptor agonists, formoterol and salmeterol, represent a milestone in the treatments of chronic obstructive lung diseases. Although no specific indications concerning the choice... more

Muscular strength as a strong predictor of mortality: A narrative review

25 April 2015
Author(s): Konstantinos A. Volaklis, Martin Halle, Christa Meisinger

Muscular strength, an important component of physical fitness, has an independent role in the prevention of chronic diseases whereas muscular weakness is strongly related to functional limitations... more

Erdheim-Chester disease

10 April 2015
Author(s): Corrado Campochiaro, Alessandro Tomelleri, Giulio Cavalli, Alvise Berti, Lorenzo Dagna

Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is rare form of non-Langerhans cells histiocytosis with multiorgan involvement. Individuals are more frequently affected in their fifth decade and there is a slight male... more

The clinical and laboratory evaluation of the patient with erythrocytosis

30 March 2015
Author(s): Grace Lee, Murat O. Arcasoy

Erythrocytosis is frequently encountered as an incidental abnormality on laboratory testing that reveals persistent elevation of the hematocrit level (>52% in men and >48% in women). In many... more

Heart rate and cardiovascular protection

20 February 2015
Author(s): Joana Caetano, José Delgado Alves

Recent large epidemiological studies have confirmed that an elevated resting heart rate is an independent predictor of cardiovascular and overall mortality in the general population as well as in... more

Postoperative hyperkalemia

16 February 2015
Author(s): Taha Ayach, Robert W. Nappo, Jennifer L. Paugh-Miller, Edward A. Ross

Hyperkalemia occurs frequently in hospitalized patients and is of particular concern for those who have undergone surgery, with postoperative care provided by clinicians of many disciplines. This... more

Renal denervation: A narrative review

9 February 2015
Author(s): Lene Kjær Olsen, Anne-Lise Kamper, Jesper Hastrup Svendsen, Bo Feldt-Rasmussen

Renal denervation (RDN) has, within recent years, been suggested as a novel treatment option for patients with resistant hypertension. This review summarizes the current knowledge on this procedure... more

Risk identification and possible countermeasures for muscle adverse effects during statin therapy

29 January 2015
Author(s): Paolo Magni, Chiara Macchi, Beatrice Morlotti, Cesare R. Sirtori, Massimiliano Ruscica

The use of statins for cardiovascular disease prevention is clearly supported by clinical evidence. However, in January 2014 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released an advice on statin risk... more

Drug treatment of obesity: Current status and future prospects

26 January 2015
Author(s): Ashish Kumar Kakkar, Neha Dahiya

Obesity is a growing epidemic and a major contributor to the global burden of disease. Obesity strains the healthcare systems and has profound economic and psychosocial consequences. Historically,... more

Impact on human health of climate changes

9 January 2015
Author(s): Massimo Franchini, Pier Mannuccio Mannucci

There is increasing evidence that climate is rapidly changing. These changes, which are mainly driven by the dramatic increase of greenhouse gas emissions from anthropogenic activities, have the... more

The 2014 United States NRMP data for primary care programs: A review

8 January 2015
Author(s): Michael T. Flannery

The paper focuses on the past five years of National Residency Match Program (NRMP) information in the Unites States with a comparison point of twenty years ago utilized because of a referenced... more

Management of non-small cell lung cancer in the elderly

22 November 2014
Author(s): Patrizia Froesch, Francesco Martucci, Sandor Györik, André Emanuel Dutly, Stefano Cafarotti

Most developed countries accepted the chronological age of 70years as the definition of “elderly” and there is a general consensus in clinical practice to consider this age as the threshold in risk... more

Fat, epigenome and pancreatic diseases. Interplay and common pathways from a toxic and obesogenic environment

4 November 2014
Author(s): Agostino Di Ciaula, Piero Portincasa

The worldwide obesity epidemic is paralleled by a rise in the incidence of pancreatic disorders ranging from “fatty” pancreas to pancreatitis and cancer. Body fat accumulation and pancreatic... more

Improving the quality and safety of care on the medical ward: A review and synthesis of the evidence base

3 November 2014
Author(s): Samuel Pannick, Iain Beveridge, Robert M. Wachter, Nick Sevdalis

Despite its place at the heart of inpatient medicine, the evidence base underpinning the effective delivery of medical ward care is highly fragmented. Clinicians familiar with the selection of... more

Cystic fibrosis — What are the prospects for a cure?

18 October 2014
Author(s): Shankar Kumar, Anand Tana, Anu Shankar

Significant improvements in the treatment of cystic fibrosis over the last few decades have altered this lethal disease in children to a multisystem disorder with survival into adult life now common... more

Implementation strategies of Systems Medicine in clinical research and home care for cardiovascular disease patients

2 October 2014
Author(s): Fabrizio Montecucco, Federico Carbone, Frank Lloyd Dini, Manuela Fiuza, Fausto J. Pinto, Antonietta Martelli, Domenico Palombo, Gianmario Sambuceti, François Mach, Raffaele De Caterina

Insights from the “-omics” science have recently emphasized the need to implement an overall strategy in medical research. Here, the development of Systems Medicine has been indicated as a potential... more

Clinical implications of the hyperdynamic syndrome in cirrhosis

20 September 2014
Author(s): Anna Licata, Alessandra Mazzola, Daniela Ingrassia, Vincenza Calvaruso, Calogero Cammà, Antonio Craxì

The hyperdynamic syndrome is a late consequence of portal hypertension in cirrhosis. The principal hemodynamic manifestations of the hyperdynamic syndrome are high cardiac output, and increased heart... more

Special Article

Managing a research hospital at the time of a global economics crisis: Cruising between Scylla and Charybdis

30 April 2015
Author(s): Luigi Macchi, Anna Pavan

Recently in this journal Riva and Cesana reported on the origin and evolution of hospitals in Europe [1]. In this frame they described the pioneering vision of the Duke of Sforza, who during his rule... more

The contradictions of homeopathy legislation

6 April 2015
Author(s): Silvio Garattini

Is it possible to regulate a pharmaceutical product that does not contain any active principle? Believe it or not, it is. National laws and European Directives establish the conditions — with many... more

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