Marche Polytechnic University

About: Marche Polytechnic University is a education organization based out in Ancona, Italy. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cancer. The organization has 5905 authors who have published 15769 publications receiving 382286 citations. The organization is also known as: Universitá Politecnica delle Marche & Universita Politecnica delle Marche.

Seizure control and treatment in pregnancy: Observations from the EURAP epilepsy pregnancy registry

Abstract: Objective: To analyze seizure control and treatment in pregnant women with epilepsy. Methods: Seizure control and treatment were recorded prospectively in 1,956 pregnancies of 1,882 women with epilepsy participating in EURAP, an international antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and pregnancy registry. Results: Of all cases, 58.3% were seizure-free throughout pregnancy. Occurrence of any seizures was associated with localization-related epilepsy (OR: 2.5; 1.7 to 3.9) and polytherapy (OR: 9.0; 5.6 to 14.8) and for tonic-clonic seizures, with oxcarbazepine monotherapy (OR: 5.4; 1.6 to 17.1). Using first trimester as reference, seizure control remained unchanged throughout pregnancy in 63.6%, 92.7% of whom were seizure-free during the entire pregnancy. For those with a change in seizure frequency, 17.3% had an increase and 15.9% a decrease. Seizures occurred during delivery in 60 pregnancies (3.5%), more commonly in women with seizures during pregnancy (OR: 4.8; 2.3 to 10.0). There were 36 cases of status epilepticus (12 convulsive), which resulted in stillbirth in one case but no cases of miscarriage or maternal mortality. AED treatment remained unchanged in 62.7% of the pregnancies. The number or dosage of AEDs were more often increased in pregnancies with seizures (OR: 3.6; 2.8 to 4.7) and with monotherapy with lamotrigine (OR: 3.8; 2.1 to 6.9) or oxcarbazepine (OR: 3.7; 1.1 to 12.9). Conclusions: The majority of patients with epilepsy maintain seizure control during pregnancy. The apparently higher risk of seizures among women treated with oxcarbazepine and the more frequent increases in drug load in the oxcarbazepine and lamotrigine cohorts prompts further studies on relationships with pharmacokinetic changes. Risks associated with status epilepticus appear to be lower than previously reported.

One-month strawberry-rich anthocyanin supplementation ameliorates cardiovascular risk, oxidative stress markers and platelet activation in humans.

Abstract: Strawberries are an important fruit in the Mediterranean diet because of their high content of essential nutrients and beneficial phytochemicals, which seem to exert beneficial effects in human health. Healthy volunteers were supplemented daily with 500 g of strawberries for 1 month. Plasma lipid profile, circulating and cellular markers of antioxidant status, oxidative stress and platelet function were evaluated at baseline, after 30 days of strawberry consumption and 15 days after the end of the study. A high concentration of vitamin C and anthocyanins was found in the fruits. Strawberry consumption beneficially influenced the lipid profile by significantly reducing total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides levels (−8.78%, −13.72% and −20.80%, respectively; P P P P P

Invasive aspergillosis in patients with acute myeloid leukemia: a SEIFEM-2008 registry study

Abstract: Background The aim of this study was to evaluate prognostic factors, treatments and outcome of invasive aspergillosis in patients with acute myeloid leukemia based on data collected in a registry. Design and Methods The registry, which was activated in 2004 and closed in 2007, collected data on patients with acute myeloid leukemia, admitted to 21 hematologic divisions in tertiary care centers or university hospitals in Italy, who developed proven or probable invasive aspergillosis. Results One hundred and forty cases of invasive aspergillosis were collected, with most cases occurring during the period of post-induction aplasia, the highest risk phase in acute myeloid leukemia. The mortality rate attributable to invasive aspergillosis was 27%, confirming previous reports of a downward trend in this rate. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that the stage of acute myeloid leukemia and the duration of, and recovery from, neutropenia were independent prognostic factors. We analyzed outcomes after treatment with the three most frequently used drugs (liposomal amphotericin B, caspofungin, voriconazole). No differences emerged in survival at day 120 or in the overall response rate which was 71%, ranging from 61% with caspofungin to 84% with voriconazole. Conclusions Our series confirms the downward trend in mortality rates reported in previous series, with all new drugs providing similar survival and response rates. Recovery from neutropenia and disease stage are crucial prognostic factors. Efficacious antifungal drugs bridge the period of maximum risk due to poor hematologic and immunological reconstitution.

Second consensus on the assessment of sublingual microcirculation in critically ill patients: results from a task force of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine

Abstract: Hand-held vital microscopes (HVMs) were introduced to observe sublingual microcirculatory alterations at the bedside in different shock states in critically ill patients This consensus aims to provide clinicians with guidelines for practical use and interpretation of the sublingual microcirculation Furthermore, it aims to promote the integration of routine application of HVM microcirculatory monitoring in conventional hemodynamic monitoring of systemic hemodynamic variables In accordance with the Delphi method we organized three international expert meetings to discuss the various aspects of the technology, physiology, measurements, and clinical utility of HVM sublingual microcirculatory monitoring to formulate this consensus document A task force from the Cardiovascular Dynamics Section of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (with endorsement of its Executive Committee) created this consensus as an update of a previous consensus in 2007 We classified consensus statements as definitions, requirements, and/or recommendations, with a minimum requirement of 80% agreement of all participants In this consensus the nature of microcirculatory alterations is described The nature of variables, which can be extracted from analysis of microcirculatory images, is presented and the needed dataset of variables to identify microcirculatory alterations is defined Practical aspects of sublingual HVM measurements and the nature of artifacts are described Eleven statements were formulated that pertained to image acquisitions and quality statements Fourteen statements addressed the analysis of the images, and 13 statements are related to future developments This consensus describes 25 statements regarding the acquisition and interpretation of microcirculatory images needed to guide the assessment of the microcirculation in critically ill patients