80 research outputs found
Palliative sedation and time to death in home palliative care. Retrospective analysis
No full textObjectivesWe described time to death and rates of palliative sedation during home palliative care leveraging a retrospective cohort of patients with advanced cancer. MethodsThe cohort consists of 143 patients with solid or haematological malignancies admitted to home palliative care in the Tuscany region in central Italy. Only patients for whom a date of death was available were included. The outcome measures were time from admission to home palliative care to death and receipt of palliative sedation. Results143 patients were included in this report. Lower Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) scores were significantly associated with anticancer treatment at admission, as was younger age. Increasing ECOG PS scores were associated with lower survival time. Women and patients on anticancer treatment had longer survival time. Thirty-eight per cent of patients underwent palliative sedation at home; palliative sedation was more frequent among younger patients and among patients with brain or lung cancer. The most common reasons for palliative sedation were delirium and dyspnoea. ConclusionsECOG PS, sex and anticancer treatment had a significant impact on survival time. Thirty-eight per cent of patients in our cohort underwent home palliative sedation for refractory symptoms, most often delirium and dyspnoea
Differential diagnosis between type 2A and 2B von Willebrand disease in a child with a previously undescribed de novo mutation
No full textPolymyositis in solid organ transplant recipients receiving tacrolimus.
No full textTacrolimus, also known as FK506, is an immunosuppressive agent widely used for the prevention of acute allograft rejection in organ transplantation and for the treatment of immunological diseases. This study reports two male patients who underwent solid organ transplantation (liver and kidney). After transplant, the patients received continuous immunosuppressive therapy with oral tacrolimus and later presented clinical manifestations and laboratory signs of myopathy. Muscle biopsies of both patients clearly documented an inflammatory myopathy with the histological features of polymyositis including CD8 + T cells which invaded healthy muscle fibers and expressed granzyme B and perforin, many CD68 + macrophages and MHC class I antigen upregulation on the surface of most fibers. Because of the temporal association while receiving tacrolimus and since other possible causes for myopathy were excluded, the most likely cause of polymyositis in our patients was tacrolimus toxicity. We suggest that patients on tacrolimus should be carefully monitored for serum CK levels and clinical signs of muscle diseas
Variant p.Tyr1584Cys: a frequent von Willebrand factor variant in search of von Willebrand disease
No full textGenetic determinants of enhanced von Willebrand factor clearance from plasma
No full textBackground: Enhanced von Willebrand factor (VWF) clearance from plasma is associated with von Willebrand disease (VWD). However, the genetic background of this disease mechanism is not well defined. Objective: To determine VWF variants that are associated with reduced VWF survival. Methods: Two hundred fifty-four patients with VWD (type 1 = 50 and type 2 = 204) were investigated, and the results were compared with 120 healthy controls. The patients were comprehensively characterized for phenotypic and genetic features. The ratio of VWF propeptide (VWFpp)/VWF antigen (VWFpp ratio) was used to establish in each patient the VWF clearance state. Results: Out of 92 variants associated with type 1 (7 were novel) and type 2 VWD, 19 had a VWFpp ratio ranging from 1.7 to 2.2, 24 had a VWFpp ratio between 2.3 and 2.9, and 24 variants had a ratio of ≥3. The VWFpp median ratio in healthy controls was 0.98 (0.55-1.6) so that a cut-off value of >1.6 was considered an indicator of accelerated VWF clearance from plasma. An enhanced VWF clearance was observed in 34% of type 1 cases, 100% of type 1 Vicenza cases, 81% of 2A cases, 77% of 2B cases, 88% of 2M cases, and 36% of 2N cases. Conclusions: An accelerated VWF clearance was found in most patients with type 2A, 2B, and 2M VWD, with a lower proportion of type 1 and 2N. Sixty-seven different variants alone or in combination with other variants were associated with an increased VWFpp ratio. The variants with the highest VWFpp ratio were mostly located in the D3-A1 VWF domains
Erratum to ‘A comparative study in type 2 von Willebrand disease patients using four different platelet-dependent von Willebrand factor assays.’ [Research and Practice in Thrombosis and Haemostasis Volume 7, Issue 3, March 2023, 100139]
No full textThe publisher regrets the graphical abstract was missing from the original publication. Please see the graphical abstract below:[Formula presented] The publisher would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused
What do We Know about Cryptic Aspergillosis?
No full textCryptic Aspergillus species are increasingly recognized as pathogens involved in human disease. They are ubiquitarian fungi with high tenacity in their environment and can express various resistance mechanisms, often due to exposure to antifungal agents employed in agriculture and farming. The identification of such species is increasing thanks to molecular techniques, and a better description of this type of pathogen is granted. Nevertheless, the number of species and their importance in the clinical setting still need to be well studied. Furthermore, their cross-sectional involvement in animal disease, plants, and human activities requires a multidisciplinary approach involving experts from various fields. This comprehensive review aims to provide a sharp vision of the cryptic Aspergillus species, from the importance of correct identification to the better management of the infections caused by these pathogens. The review also accentuates the importance of the One Health approach for this kind of microorganism, given the interconnection between environmental exposure and aspergillosis, embracing transversely the multidisciplinary process for managing the cryptic Aspergillus species. The paper advocates the need for improving knowledge in this little-known species, given the burden of economic and health implications related to the diffusion of these bugs
A influência da teologia da libertação na formação de uma teoria dos direitos humanos a partir da realidade latino-americana
No full textDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Ciências Jurídicas. Programa de Pós-Graduação em DireitoAnálise sobre a possibilidade de conceber a Teologia da Libertação como corrente de pensamento capaz de estabelecer um diálogo entre uma ética de fundamentos laicos e uma ética de fundamentos religiosos, na formação de uma Teoria dos Direitos Humanos voltada para a realidade latino-americana, objetivando a mudança do panorama histórico de exploração e submissão aos modelos oriundos de outras realidades
Vita di mor Augin
No full textLa "Vita di mor Augin" è una leggenda agiografica, patrimonio delle Chiese cristiane orientali di lingua siriaca, che narra le vicende del santo e dei suoi compagni, facitori di miracoli e fondatori di monasteri. Mor Augin, ovvero sant’Eugenio, vissuto secondo la tradizione nel IV secolo, nacque in Egitto. Dapprima pescatore di perle, divenne monaco presso il cenobio di san Pacomio, da dove poi migrò con settanta discepoli diretto verso la regione dell’alta Mesopotamia, intorno alla città di Nisibi, ora Nusaybin (Turchia). Con la sua compagnia risanò miracolosamente malati, risuscitò defunti, ebbe a che fare con santi ed empi, deboli e potenti, sovrani amici e nemici. Si meritò l’appellativo di “secondo Cristo” e un suo sedicente discepolo ne scrisse la "Vita" in lingua siriaca, un racconto che divenne la tradizione fondante del monachesimo nella regione chiamata Tur ʿAbdin, la “montagna dei servi”, ovvero la regione della Turchia sud-orientale che è tuttora patria di cristiani di lingua aramaica siriaca. Questa traduzione in italiano della "Vita" siriaca, opera di un gruppo di studenti e docenti di lingua siriaca e storia dell'arte che hanno viaggiato nella regione nel 2020, è presentata in forma semplice, cioè senza apparato di introduzioni storiche e letterarie, né annotazioni, confidando che così com’è, avvincente e anacronistica, possa servire da chiave d’ingresso nell’agiografia siriaca. Il libretto contiene in appendice una breve guida storico-artistica del monastero di Mor Augin, sulla Montagna di Izlo, a nord-est di Nusaybin, fondato secondo la tradizione dal santo e tuttora abitato da monaci
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