Current Issue : April - June Volume : 2018 Issue Number : 2 Articles : 6 Articles
This study identified factors affecting health related quality of life (HRQOL) in 300 hospitalized patients with heart failure (HF).\nData were collected by the completion of a questionnaire which included patientsââ?¬â?¢ characteristics and the Minnesota Living with\nHeart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ). Analysis of data showed that the median of the total score of MLHFQ was 46 and the\nmedian of the physical and mental state was 22 and 6, respectively. Also, participants who were householders or had ââ?¬Å?otherââ?¬Â\nprofessions had lower score of 17 points and therefore better quality of life compared to patients who were civil/private employees\n(...
Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) in children has a varied course and according to duration is distinguished as newly diagnosed (<3\nmonths), persistent (3ââ?¬â??12), and chronic (>12) types. Several studies have evaluated the prognostic factors for the progression of the\ndisease, but similar works have yet to be performed in Greece.We aimed to identify prognostic markers for the three forms of the\ndisease in 57Greek children during a 13-year period. Information regarding age, gender, preceding infection, bleeding type, duration\nof symptoms and platelets at diagnosis, treatment, disease course, and immunological markers was recorded. 39 children had newly\ndiagnosed, 4 persistent, and 14 chronic disease. Chronic ITP children were more likely to be of age > 10 years (...
Background. There are few data on the mechanism of recurrent neurological events after transcatheter closure of patent foramen\novale (PFO) in cryptogenic stroke or TIA. Methods. We retrospectively reviewed PFO closure procedures for the secondary\nprevention of cryptogenic stroke/TIA performed between 1999 and 2014 in Bologna, Italy. Results. Written questionnaires were\ncompleted by 402 patients. Mean follow-up was 7 �± 3 years. Stroke recurred in 3.2% (0.5/100 patients-year) and TIA in 2.7%\n(0.4/100 patients-year). Ninety-two percent of recurrent strokes were not cryptogenic. Recurrent stroke was noncardioembolic in\n69% of patients, AF related in 15% of patients, device related in 1 patient, and cryptogenic in 1 patient. AF was diagnosed after the\nprocedure in 21 patients (5.2%). Multivariate Coxâ��s proportion hazard model identified age â�¥ 55 years at the time of closure (OR\n3.16, p 0.007) and RoPE score < 7 (OR 3.21, p 0.03) as predictors of recurrent neurological events. Conclusion. Recurrent\nneurological events after PFO closure are rare, usually noncryptogenic and associated with conventional vascular risk factors or\nAF related. Patients older than 55 years of age and those with a RoPE score < 7 are likely to get less benefit from PFO closure. After\ntranscatheter PFO closure, lifelong strict vascular risk factor control is warranted....
Protein S (PS) deficiency, an autosomal dominant hereditary thrombophilia, is more prevalent in East Asian populations than in\nCaucasians. PS-deficient patients have historically been administered a heparin product followed by warfarin for the treatment\nand secondary prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, warfarin can be ineffective or causes detrimental effects\nin rare cases. While direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are being increasingly used for the treatment and prevention of VTE, their\nefficacy in PS-deficient patients has not been established. We describe a 91-year-old woman who presented with chronic bilateral\nlower leg swelling with VTE that was refractory to warfarin anticoagulation therapy for over 1 year. Her recurrent VTE was\ndiagnosed as quantitative hereditary PS deficiency. Rivaroxaban was administered as maintenance therapy instead of warfarin;\nafter 8 weeks, the severities of the patient�s leg swelling and venous ulcerations were significantly reduced with rivaroxaban\ncompared to warfarin, thus demonstrating the efficacy of rivaroxaban for warfarin-refractory chronic VTE associated with\nhereditary PS deficiency. This case illustrates that rivaroxaban can potentially serve as therapeutic agents to treat warfarinrefractory\nVTE in PS-deficient patients. Further investigations are required to confirm the efficacy of rivaroxaban on the long term\nin this regard....
Improved therapies are urgently needed for patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma(DLBCL). Success usingimmune checkpoint\ninhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor T cell technology has fuelled demand for validated cancer epitopes. Immunogenic cancer\ntestis antigens (CTAs), with their widespread expression inmany tumours but highly restricted normal tissue distribution, represent\nattractive immunotherapeutic targets that may improve treatment options for DLBCL and other malignancies. Sperm protein 17\n(Sp17), a CTA reported to be immunogenic in ovarian cancer andmyeloma patients, is expressed in DLBCL. The aimof the present\nstudy was to investigate Sp17 epitope presentation via the presence of a cytotoxic T cell (CTL) and a CD4 T-helper (Th) response\nin DLBCL patients. A significant ...
Cardiac rhabdomyoma can be subclinical or have a fatal presentation according to the onset age and involved site, size, and degree\nof invasion. Although most cardiac rhabdomyomas become smaller with time, emergency intervention is indicated when severe\nobstruction has occurred. In this report, we describe the spontaneous regression of a large cardiac rhabdomyoma (20.5 Ã?â??15.6 mm)\npresenting as severe left ventricular inlet obstruction in a neonate with tuberous sclerosis. Although a cardiac rhabdomyoma can\nbe large enough to induce left ventricular inlet obstruction, conservative treatment without aggressive surgical intervention can be\nconsidered if the hemodynamic condition does not deteriorate....
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