Minerva medica
-
Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is the most common type of lower respiratory tract infection and a major cause of morbidity and mortality in adults worldwide. Sex and gender play an active role in the incidence and outcomes of major infectious diseases, including CAP. ⋯ CAP is more severe in males than in females, leading to higher mortality in males, especially in older age. To identify gender differences in CAP can guide patient's prognostication and management.
-
Comparative Study
Autoimmune diseases in first- and second-degree relatives of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases: a case-control survey in Israel.
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are chronic, relapsing, inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract with unknown etiology. IBD are complex, multi-factorial disorders, in which genetic factors play a major role, the so-called phenomenon of familial aggregation or clustering of IBD. A positive family history of IBD is often reported among CD and UC probands, with percentages depending on the geographic context in which the studies are carried out. Israel is a complex and pluralistic society comprising of two major ethno-national groups (Arabs and Jewish) and, as such, represents a unique living laboratory in which to test the role of genetic factors in the development of IBD as well as of associated autoimmune disorders (ADs). While some studies have found a lower prevalence of ADs among Arabs when compared to Jews, few studies directly compared the two ethnicities. ⋯ Israeli Jewish IBD patients had more first-degree relatives with local ADs as compared to Arab patients.
-
The serum marker CA 125 is still the most widely used biomarker for ovarian cancer (OC) diagnosis in gynecological and oncological setting, but its predictive role in early-stage OC is still debated. The aim of this study was to explore the value of CA 125 in distinguishing between early-stage OC and borderline ovarian tumor (BOT) and to evaluate the accuracy of CA 125 in the detection of early stage OC. ⋯ Despite its limited sensitivity for early-stage OCs, CA 125 still represents a useful serum marker to early differentiate between OCs and BOTs. Its sensitivity for stage I OC increases in endometrioid histotype.
-
Tachycardia prior to endoscopic procedures is commonly encountered which reflect patient anxiety status. Despite this frequent occurrence, it is unclear if in a patient with tachycardia sedation dose should be modified. The aim of our study was to assess the effect of pre-endoscopic tachycardia on sedation dose. ⋯ Tachycardia prior to endoscopic procedures was associated with higher sedative dosage and lower adenoma detection rate, however no major complications were recorded. These data should be taken into consideration to optimize procedure quality.