1,721,043 research outputs found
Comment on: "Man Plus Machine: A Randomized Control Trial of Artificial Intelligence Including the Impact of Adjunctive Polyp Detection Techniques"
No full textPuraStat for gastrointestinal bleeding management: Effective approach for endoscopic prevention and rescue therapy
No full textHelicobacter pylori infection in shepherds, sheep and sheep-dogs
No full textObjectives: Previous studies demonstrated a high prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection
among shepherds, sheep, sheep raw milk and children having contact with sheep, suggesting a model of transmission
of infection at elevated frequency. The aim of this study was to examine whether H. pylori infection might
be present in sheep-dogs.
Material and Methods: Stool, serum, and wool were collected from sheep and sheep-dogs belonging to different
flocks chosen because the shepherds had documented (13C-UBT) H. pylori infection. H. pylori status in
the animals was evaluated using a homemade anti-H. pylori IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
for sheep and sheep-dogs. Stool samples from sheep and sheep-dogs were also analyzed using the stool antigen
test (HpSA) developed for humans. Results were expressed as optical density (OD450). PCR amplification was
performed using primers specific for H. pylori [cagA, vacA (s and m region), iceA, babA2] as well as primers
specific for Helicobacter species (16S rRNA) from the DNA extracted from sheep wool wash surrounding the
mammalian glands.
Results: 58 animals were studied (44 sheep, 8 lambs and 6 sheep-dogs). The H. pylori antigen test was positive in
82% (36/44) and in 100% of sheep and sheep-dogs stool samples, respectively. Lamb stool samples were weakly
positive. High anti H. pylori IgG serum levels were detected in all 6 sheep-dogs and in 42 of 44 sheep. Genomic
H. pylori and Helicobacter species DNA was not detected from any of the sheep wool samples collected.
Conclusions: Although cross-reactivity cannot be excluded, the presence of the H. pylori antigen in stools obtained
from sheep and from sheep-dogs, and the strong positivity for anti H. pylori IgG in both coupled with the
ability to isolate H. pylori from sheep milk and stomachs, suggest that interaction between species may enhance
the spread of bacteria in heavily contaminated settings
Is probiotic use beneficial for skin lesions in patients with inflammatory bowel disease?
No full textConstipation in the elderly from Northern Sardinia is positively associated with depression, malnutrition and female gender
No full textOBJECTIVES: Constipation is a common complaint in older adults. The rise in life expectancy may amplify the problem and increase social expenditure. We investigated the major risk factors associated with constipation in a large sample of elderly.
METHODS: Outpatients from Northern Sardinia attending a Geriatric Unit between 2001 and 2014 were enrolled. Demographic and anthropometric data, income, education and self-reported bowel function were collected. The presence of constipation was adjusted for cognitive status, assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) test; single and cumulative illness rating scale (CIRS); current or past symptomatic depression and anxiety measured by the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS); nutritional status, evaluated using the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA); type and number of different medications used.
RESULTS: 1328 elderly patients (mean age 77.7 ± 7.2 years) were enrolled. Constipation was present in 32.1%, more commonly in women (35.4% vs 28.3%) and increased with age. The multivariate analysis showed a significantly greater risk of constipation in patients with a risk of malnutrition (OR = 1.745, 95% CI: 1.043-2.022; p = .034), female gender (OR = 1.735, 95% CI: 1.068-2.820; p = .026) and depression (OR = 1.079, 95% CI: 1.022-1.140; p = .006). Other potential predisposing factors assessed such as MMSE, CIRS, body mass index, marital status, smoking habit, education, income and number of taken drugs did not show a statistically significant association. Aging was a risk for constipation also in patients free of medications.
CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of risk factors associated with bowel alterations in elderly individuals may provide important clues for caregivers to prevent or reduce constipation
Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency and Cardiovascular Risk in Familial Hypercholesterolemia: A Retrospective Cohort Study
No full textLongitudinal assessment of brainstem reflexes in multiple sclerosis compared to multimodal evoked potentials, MRI and clinical evaluations
No full textQuestion: We have previously shown in patients with relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis (MS) that: i) the
vestibulomasseteric (VMR), acousticmasseteric (AMR), trigeminocollic (TCR) and vestibulocollic (VCR) reflexes are
able to spot brainstem (BS) dysfunctions undetected by clinical and MRI examinations; ii) the combined use of these
Brainstem Reflexes (BSRs) with multimodal Evoked Potentials (EPs) is more valuable than each single test in the early
years after onset. Our aim was to document BS changes over time by BSRs, EPs, MRI and BS signs/symptoms (CLIN)
before and after at least one year follow up, in MS.
Methods: Forty-five MS patients (34.8±8.6 yrs old; disease duration 8.9±6.6 yrs) underwent BSRs, EPs (namely
Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potentials - BAEPs, median and tibial Somatosensory Evoked Potentials -mSEPs and
tSEPs), MRI and CLIN examination. BSR and EP data were ranked and summed up to obtain a cumulative score
expressing severity of neurophysiological impairment. Before-after changes were tested with Wilcoxon test.
Results: After 15.1±4.2 months from initial evaluation, no relapses had been reported by any patient. This was in line
with the stability of the frequency of CLIN and MRI abnormalities (37.3% and 71.1%, respectively) at the follow up.
Despite this, BSRs and EPs revealed a worsening of BS function. In particular, although the proportion of altered BSRs
did not change significantly (80.6% vs 90.3%; p=0.180), a significant worsening of scores was observed for VMR
(p=0.001), AMR (0.018) and TCR (p=0.013). Similarly to BSRs, the incidence rate of EP abnormalities did not increased
significantly (84.4% vs 86.7%, p=0.564), but the analysis of cumulative score showed a significant worsening for the
whole EP set (p=0.03) as well as for median SEP (68.9% vs 75.6%, p=0.03), P14 mSEP (33.3% vs 51.1%, p=0.005), tibial
SEP (60% vs 66.7%, p=0.03).
Conclusions: BSRs and EPs were able to reveal a significant worsening of BS functions in spite of any variation of
both BS signs/symptoms and of MRI BS lesion load. This is in agreement with previous reports on BSR/EP ability to
detect clinically and radiologically silent BS lesions. Further studies are needed in a larger cohort of patient to assess
BSR clinical usefulness in a longitudinal perspective
Helicobacter pylori eradication may influence timing of endoscopic surveillance for gastric cancer in patients with gastric precancerous lesions: A retrospective study.
No full textLack of influence of apolipoprotein E4 on lipoprotein levels in the island population of Sardinia
No full textNewSART automatic voltage and reactive power regulator for secondary voltage regulation: Design and application
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