February 2023
30 ArticlesNo Section
Does etiological investigation have an impact on the outcomes of community-acquired pneumonia? – A prospective cohort study
In clinical practice, microbial etiology of Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) remains unknown in at least 60% of the cases [1]. Although there is a lack of scientific evidence that etiological... more
Commentary
Pharmacological treatment of acute alcohol intoxication: More doubts than certainties
The diagnosis and treatment of acute alcohol intoxication (AAI) remains a clinical challenge [1].
Internal Medicine Flashcard
Itchy papules on the back and neck of a young woman
A 19-year-old female, healthy by nature, developed viral gastroenteritis, which cleared within a few days. A month later, she developed symptoms such as thirst, polydipsia, polyuria, and weight loss... more
Endocarditis with disseminated thromboembolisms and hypercoagulable state
Ten months after radical cystectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy for an anaplastic giant cell bladder cancer (pT2N2M0), a 41-year-old woman presented with a 4-week history of intermittent claudication,... more
Internal Medicine Flashcards
Woman in a coma
A 49-year-old woman of unremarkable past health was found comatose in her car. Blood pressure was 130/70 mmHg, pulse 80 beats per minute. There was no circumstantial evidence of drug overdose. Urine... more
Letter to the Editor
Serological testing for SARS-CoV-2: Advancements and future challenges
It is with great interest, that we read the letter by Lippi and Plebani [1] commenting on our review article recently published in EJIM [2]. To our view both articles converge on the position that... more
‘Time out’—more transparency is required in ‘Just-in-time’ consent
Vickers believes that a couple of statements contained in our article [1] are ‘grossly erroneous’ [2]. One is that the control group participants of Just-in-time consent “would not know that their... more
Reliability of SARS-CoV-2 serological testing for influencing public health policies: A reappraisal
Dear Editor,
Inaccurate description of staged consent
In their paper on the ethics of platform trials, Dal-Ré et al. [1] make two statements about “just-in-time” consent [2] (now more widely known as two-stage consent [3]). First, they claim that “... more
The new phase of pandemic: Are BA.2.75 and BQ.1 competitive variants? An in silico evaluation
To the Editor
Arginine in older patients with persistent atrial fibrillation: A link to endothelial dysfunction?
Dear Editor, atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most frequent sustained arrhythmia observed in clinical practice. Still now, thromboembolic stroke is the most relevant acute clinical complication of AF... more
Influence of vaccination and immunosuppressive treatments on the coronavirus disease 2019 outcomes in patients with systemic autoimmune diseases
Systemic autoimmune diseases (SAID) are a heterogeneous group of diseases with a common etiopathogenic basis, often requiring immunosuppressive therapies (DMARD) [1]. Although case-control studies... more
Incorporation of estimated glomerular filtration rate into the GRACE score improves its prognostic performance for 10-year outcome prediction in non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome treated with percutaneous coronary intervention
Current guidelines for the management of patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) recommend the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) score for risk stratification... more
Identification of factors for persistence of AA amyloidosis in patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever
Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is the most common monogenic auto-inflammatory disease [1]. Patients display attacks associating recurrent fever, arthritis, serositis and skin manifestations [1].... more
Liver injury with autoimmune features after vaccination against SARS-CoV-2: The verdict is still open
Dear Editor,
Young diabetics remain at higher risk of acute myocardial infarction with cannabis use disorder
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a known risk factor for cardiovascular complications. Diabetic patients have higher rates of morbidity, mortality, and reinfarction following myocardial infarction than non-... more
‘Paperdemic’ during the COVID-19 pandemic
The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread globally with substantial health and socioeconomic impacts. The scientific community has timely responded to this global crisis by launching... more
Can we use platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) to differentiate JAK2-unmutated erythrocytosis from polycythemia vera?
with great interest we have read the recent article by Ernest et al. [1] reporting distinctive clinical and laboratory features of patients with Janus Kinase 2 (JAK2)-unmutated erythrocytosis.... more
Ibrutinib use and adverse cardiovascular outcomes: A United States federated electronic medical records analysis
Ibrutinib, an irreversible inhibitor of Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase (BTK), forms the standard of care for certain B cell malignancies including chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Atrial fibrillation (... more
Original Article
Prognostic implication of coronary slow flow assessed by cTFC in patients with myocardial infarction with Non-obstructive coronary arteries
Ischemic heart disease, especially myocardial infarction (MI), is an expanding threat to public health and a leading cause of premature disability and mortality [1,2]. A significant number of... more
Patients treated with rituximab are poorly screened for hepatitis B infection: Data from a low-incidence country
Hepatitis B virus infection (HBV) is considered a global health threat as it is associated with liver decompensation, liver cirrhosis and primary liver cancer [1]. Worldwide, approximately 269... more
Delaying clinical events among patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation treated with oral anticoagulants: Insights from the ARISTOPHANES study
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia in the United States, with prevalence currently estimated at 6 million which is projected to increase to 12 million by 2030, in line... more
Similarities and differences between Gaucher disease and acid sphingomyelinase deficiency: An algorithm to support the diagnosis
Lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) are a group of inborn errors of metabolism resulting from defects in proteins crucial for lysosomal function [1]. Phenotypic expression is extremely variable and... more
Systemic treatment in sarcoidosis: Experience over two decades
Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic disease of unknown etiology characterized by the presence of non-caseating granulomas in various organs, especially in lungs and mediastinum-hilar lymph nodes. The... more
The impact of preconception counselling on maternal and fetal outcomes in women with chronic medical conditions: A systematic review
Preconception care (PCC) is defined by the World Health Organisation as a set of interventions that are to be provided, before pregnancy, to promote the health and well-being of women and couples, as... more
Hypertension and mortality in SARS-COV-2 infection: A meta-analysis of observational studies after 2 years of pandemic
Infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been affecting millions of people around the world since December 2019 [1].
Deep vein thrombosis symptoms and 30-day mortality in acute pulmonary embolism
In patients with acute symptomatic pulmonary embolism (PE), the presence of concomitant lower-limb deep vein thrombosis (DVT) has been identified as an independent predictor of death [1–5]. The... more
Review Article
Current approaches for the diagnosis and management of immune thrombocytopenia
Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), previously called idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, is an acquired autoimmune disorder characterized by the destruction of platelets and megakaryocytes, resulting in... more
Autoimmune serology testing in clinical practice: An updated roadmap for the diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis
The diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is based on a combination of clinical, laboratory and histological findings in patients with unexplained acute or chronic hepatitis [1–3]. The disease is... more
Identification and management of acute alcohol intoxication
Alcohol is the oldest and most common psychoactive and addictive substance used in our society: it has been estimated that about 90% of people consume alcohol at some stage in their lives and up to... more