February 2021
26 ArticlesNo Section
Cardiac imaging in heart failure in the personalized medicine era: Pathway to knowledge or Tiresias’ paradox?
Tiresias was the blind prophet of Apollo in Thebes. His figure finds roots in Greek mythology and recurs in literature and art. In Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, Tiresias discloses an appalling truth to... more
Commentary
Sex, age and venous thrombosis—Are men and women indeed from different planets?
“Mars or Venus” titled Elliot and Rubin their editorial that accompanied the landmark study which described for the first time the strikingly higher risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) in... more
COPD is not only one of the several VTE risk factors
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a frequent and severe chronic respiratory disease [1]. It is ranked in the 5th main causes of death worldwide [1]. Patients with COPD suffer from... more
Internal Medicine Flashcard
Family rash
A healty 35-year-old woman suddenly developed a papular rash with linear disposition, involving predominantly her arms. She had no history of allergies and did not take any medication; moreover she... more
Concomitant pulmonary and rib lesions in a 44-year-old male nonsmoker
A 44-year-old male nonsmoker presented to the respiratory department with progressive left chest pain for 20 days. He had previously been healthy with normal immunity. He had no cough, fever,... more
“High absorption area in the pelvis”
A 42-year-old man presented to our emergency room with epigastric pain. He had undergone a barium examination 6 weeks previously for gastric cancer screening. He was apyrexial. Physical examination... more
Letter to the Editor
From the CHA2DS2-VASc score to inflammation: a path leading to frailty? An update of the PURE-Rhythm Trial
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most frequently sustained arrhythmia diagnosed in elderly patients. AF is associated with an increased thrombo-embolic risk and with the development of heart failure... more
Comparative analysis of adropin concentration changes in response to kidney transplantation
Adropin acts as an energy regulator through lipid and glucose metabolism [1,2]. This 76 amino acid protein encoded by the ENHO (Energy Homeostasis Associated Gene) gene is primarily expressed in the... more
Prevalence and influence of gastroesophageal reflux symptoms on sleep apnea and sleepiness
To the Editor,
Home-based COVID 19 management: A consensus document from Italian general medical practitioners and hospital consultants in the Lombardy region (Italy)
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has infected more than 56,628,581 people causing 1,406,449 deaths worldwide, as of November 24, 2020. [1] Among the 17,131,853 active cases (November... more
Prescription of interleukin-1 inhibitors in a French adult cohort of familial Mediterranean fever
Dear Editor,
What changed in the Italian internal medicine and geriatric wards during the lockdown
Italy was the most affected European country in the first few weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a dramatic burden on sub-intensive and intensive care units. Among the several arrangements... more
Autoimmune disorders and venous thromboembolism: An update from the COMMAND VTE registry
There are various well-known predisposing risk factors for development of venous thromboembolism (VTE), including pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and several studies reported... more
Determinants of circulating angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 protein levels in the general population
Similar to SARS-CoV, the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) uses the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor to infiltrate target cells [1]. Previous experimental study provided the genetic proof... more
Risk of thrombosis, pregnancy morbidity or death in antiphospholipid antibodies positive patients with or without thrombocytopenia
Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an immune-mediated acquired disorder characterized by venous, arterial or small vessels thromboses and/or obstetrical morbidity, and the persistent presence of... more
Original Article
Efficacy and safety of rituximab biosimilar (CT-P10) in IgG4-related disease: an observational prospective open-label cohort study
IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is an increasingly recognized immune-mediated disorder that can affect almost every organ system and cause severe damage if left untreated [1-5]. Clinical and... more
Negligible HCC risk during stringently defined untreated immune-tolerant phase of chronic hepatitis B
Among patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), a persistently high serum hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA level, a surrogate marker of active HBV replication in hepatocytes, is associated with an... more
The effect of COPD on the incidence and mortality of hospitalized patients with pulmonary embolism: A nationwide population-based study (2016-2018)
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. It affects more than 10% of people over 40 years old and is expected to become the third leading... more
Long-term recurrence risk after a first venous thromboembolism in men and women under 50 years old: A French prospective cohort
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a frequent and potentially life-threatening disease. Beyond the initial three months of anticoagulation, it is essential to evaluate accurately the recurrence risk of... more
Pre-operative physical performance as a predictor of in-hospital outcomes in older patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery
Improved surgical techniques and intensive care management have dramatically reduced perioperative complications and mortality after cardiac surgery over the last two decades [1]. Therefore,... more
Serum uric acid and mortality thresholds among men and women in the Irish health system: A cohort study
It is widely considered that serum uric acid (SUA), the final breakdown product of purine metabolism in humans, may represent a major cardiovascular risk factor and contribute to adverse health... more
Trends and outcomes of device-related 30-day readmissions after left ventricular assist device implantation
Newer generation, continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) have been introduced for use in end-stage heart failure as a bridge to transplant therapy or destination therapy, leading to... more
Seventeen-year trend (2001–2017) in pacemaker and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator utilization based on hospital discharge database data: An analysis by age groups
National Registries are needed to monitor health care interventions, optimize the resources and utilize them appropriately [1], but are challenging to implement and manage due to the possible lack... more
Baseline and incident hypochloremia in chronic heart failure outpatients: Clinical correlates and prognostic role
Abnormalities in serum electrolyte levels often complicate heart failure (HF) disease in acute (ADHF) and chronic (CHF) settings. Serum sodium has long been considered the most important electrolyte... more
Low Creatinine Potentially Overestimates Glomerular Filtration Rate in Older Fracture Patients: A Plea for an Extensive Use of Cystatin C?
The correct evaluation of renal function is crucial in clinical practice for diagnosis (e.g., imaging with contrast agents), treatment (e.g., drug dosing) and prognostic assessment (e.g., clinical... more
Review Article
The Brain-Gut-Microbiotal Axis: A framework for understanding functional GI illness and their therapeutic interventions
At the core of the BGA is a bidirectional network of communication between the central nervous system (CNS-brain, spinal cord) and the sensory and effector nerve complexes of the GI tract (Figure 1... more