Medicina clinica
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The recent onset of epidemics caused by viruses such as Ebola, Marburg, Nipah, Lassa, coronavirus, West-Nile encephalitis, Saint Louis encephalitis, human immunodeficiency virus, dengue, yellow fever and Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever alerts about the risk these agents represent for the global health. Chikungunya virus represents a new threat. Surged from remote African regions, this virus has become endemic in the Indic ocean basin, the Indian subcontinent and the southeast of Asia, causing serious epidemics in Africa, Indic Ocean Islands, Asia and Europe. ⋯ Although chikungunya infection has a low mortality rate, its high attack ratio may collapse the health system during epidemics affecting a sensitive population. In this paper, we review the clinical and epidemiological features of chikungunya fever as well as the risk of its introduction into the Americas. We remark the importance of the epidemiological control and mosquitoes fighting in order to prevent this disease from being introduced into the Americas.
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Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by hyperglycemia resulting from defects in insulin secretion, a defect in insulin action or a combination of both. Periodontitis is now considered a chronic localized infection of the oral cavity that can trigger inflammatory host immune responses at local and systemic levels, and can also be a source of bacteremia. It is now known that periodontitis has an influence on the pathogenesis of certain systemic diseases. ⋯ There have been studies that show an improvement in both clinical and immunological parameters of periodontitis and glycemic control in long-term diabetes after treatment of periodontal disease. In addition, scientific evidence confirms that poorer glycemic control contributes to a worse periodontal condition. The interplay between the 2 conditions highlights the importance of the need for a good communication between the internist and dentist about diabetic patients, considering always the possibility that the 2 diseases may be occurring simultaneously in order to ensure an early diagnosis of both.
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The increasing prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has led to a growing interest in the investigation of new therapies. Treatment of T2DM has focused on the insulinopenia and insulin resistance. ⋯ The possibility of using these drugs in combination with other currently available drugs will enhance the antidiabetic effect and promote weight loss with fewer side effects. The data provided by post-marketing monitoring will help us to better understand their safety profile and potential long-term effects on target organs, especially the cardiovascular risk.
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The development of new disease-modifying drugs (DMD) in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), which share the common denominator of oral administration, considerably improves patient expectations in terms of effectiveness, tolerability and treatment adherence compared with currently available drugs. However, the common route of administration of these drugs does not mean that they are equivalent, since the heading of "oral route" encompasses drugs with distinct indications and mechanisms of action, as well as heterogeneous results in terms of efficacy and safety, allowing treatment to be personalized according to the each patient' s characteristics. ⋯ Based on the risk/benefit ratio, fingolimod is indicated in patients with suboptimal response to initial DMD or in severe rapidly progressing RRMS, while the remaining drugs can be used as first-line options. Clinical experience with these treatments will provide new data on safety and effectiveness, which will be determinant when establishing therapeutic algorithms.
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For many years irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and celiac disease (CD) have been considered 2 completely separate entities, with CD being clearly related to a permanent gluten intolerance and IBS having no relation with gluten ingestion. However IBS and CD symptoms may be indistinguishable, especially when diarrhea, bloating or abdominal pain predominate. In the last decade several studies have shown that the separation between CD and IBS is not so clear. ⋯ Gluten sensitivity is defined as the spectrum of morphological, immunological and functional abnormalities that respond to a gluten-free diet. This concept includes histological, immunological and clinical manifestations in the absence of evident morphological abnormalities. Therefore, it is mandatory to establish in a scientific way in which patients a gluten-free diet will be beneficial as well as when this is not justified.