March 2016
19 ArticlesNo Section
Letter to the Editor
Safety and clinical effectiveness of propofol for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is an uncomfortable procedure that requires adequate sedation or general anesthesia for successful completion. For instance, over 48,000... more
Efficacy and effectiveness of sublingual immunotherapy for grass pollen allergy
I was very surprised by the letter “Efficacy but not effectiveness of sublingual immunotherapy for grass pollen allergy: time to avoid waste in health care expenditure” by Corrao et al. published in... more
Imatinib mesylate for unmutated hypereosinophilic syndromes: Does it work?
The high efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibitor, imatinib mesylate (IM), is well-documented in patients with hypereosinophilic syndromes (HES) and detectable rearrangements of platelet-derived growth... more
Letters to the Editor
Validation of immune thrombocytopenia diagnosis code in the French hospital electronic database
Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a rare autoimmune disorder leading to platelet destruction and inadequate platelet production, resulting in a risk of spontaneous bleeding. The incidence of ITP... more
No correlation between health care expenditure and mortality in the European Union
There is ongoing debate about the impact of aggregate health care expenditure on health outcomes, and it also remains quite uncertain whether increasing health spending may be a significant factor... more
Original Article
Yield of workup for patients with idiopathic presentation of the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion
To determine the proportion of patients for whom the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) is the presenting symptom of an underlying disorder, to describe the yield of... more
Acute and chronic anemia and short- and long-term outcome of patients with peripheral arterial disease and critical limb ischemia
Evident data about the additive effect of “the fifth cardiovascular risk factor” (anemia) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) focused on morbidity and outcome of patients with PAD are currently... more
Analysis of environmental risk factors for pulmonary embolism: A case-crossover study (2001–2013)
The relationship between environmental factors and pulmonary embolism (PE) has received little attention. The aim of this study was to estimate the influence of climatological factors and air... more
Prior thromboprophylaxis and outcome in patients experiencing acute venous thromboembolism after an acute medical illness
Even despite the use of thromboprophylaxis, some patients with an acute medical illness develop symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE). It is unclear whether the outcome in these patients is... more
Recurrence of venous thromboembolism in patients with recent gestational deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism: Findings from the RIETE Registry
The aim of this study was to investigate the recurrence rate of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and the prevalence of major bleeding or death in patients with previous VTE in pregnancy and puerperium.... more
Do heterozygous and homozygous Factor V Leiden carriers differ regarding risk for incident and recurrent venous thromboembolism? A retrospective cohort study
While Factor V Leiden (F5 rs6025 A allele) is a known venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk factor, VTE risk among heterozygous vs. homozygous carriers is uncertain.
The sudden death of Alaric I (c. 370–410AD), the vanquisher of Rome: A tale of malaria and lacking immunity
Alaric I (c. 370–410AD), King of the Visigoths, sacked Rome for the second time in over eight centuries of history. Historians suggest that malaria, probably contracted either in Rome or in the... more
Coexisting chronic conditions in the older population: Variation by health indicators
This study analyzes the prevalence and patterns of coexisting chronic conditions in older adults.
Association of initial rhythm with neurologically favorable survival in non-shockable out-of-hospital cardiac arrest without a bystander witness or bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has a predominantly non-shockable rhythm. Non-shockable rhythm, and the absence of a bystander witness or bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) are... more
Cost-minimization analysis favors outpatient quick diagnosis unit over hospitalization for the diagnosis of potentially serious diseases
Quick diagnosis units (QDUs) are a promising alternative to conventional hospitalization for the diagnosis of suspected serious diseases, most commonly cancer and severe anemia. Although QDUs are as... more
Reflections in Internal Medicine
The geriatric management of frailty as paradigm of “The end of the disease era”
The sustainability of healthcare systems worldwide is threatened by the absolute and relative increase in the number of older persons. The traditional models of care (largely based on a disease-... more
Review Article
Frailty measurement in research and clinical practice: A review
One of the leading causes of morbidity and premature mortality in older people is frailty. Frailty occurs when multiple physiological systems decline, to the extent that an individual's cellular... more
Cardiorenal syndrome type 4: From chronic kidney disease to cardiovascular impairment
Cardiorenal syndrome type 4 (CRS type 4), or chronic renocardiac syndrome, has been defined as “chronic abnormalities in renal function leading to cardiac disease” and recognizes the extreme burden... more