European journal of internal medicine
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Jun 2024
The usefulness of 18F-FDG-PET/CT in detecting musculoskeletal and vascular involvement in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica receiving glucocorticoids.
Fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET/CT is a promising diagnostic tool for polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and large vessel vasculitis (LVV). PET/CT performance is recommended before the onset of steroid therapy because glucocorticoids (GC) may decrease the intensity of FDG uptake. However, this is not always possible in clinical practice. Our aim was to assess if PET/CT could be also useful to detect musculoskeletal and vascular involvement in patients receiving GC. ⋯ Even though GC therapy may decrease the 18-FDG uptake, PET/CT continues to be a useful tool to detect musculoskeletal and LVV involvement in PMR.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Jun 2024
Neurological hypertensive emergencies: Correlation of blood pressure values with in-hospital outcomes in ischemic stroke.
Few certainties exist regarding optimal management of Blood Pressure (BP) in the very first hours after an ischemic stroke and many questions remain still unanswered. Our work aimed to evaluate the role of BP and its trend as possible determinants of in-hospital mortality (primary outcome), discharge disabilities and hospitalization length (secondary outcomes) in ischemic stroke patients presented with Hypertensive Emergencies (HE). ⋯ BP values and its management can not be related to in-hospital mortality in stroke patients, presented with HE, while they are associated to discharge disability and hospitalization length. In subgroup analysis, results were confirmed only in untreated (not anti-hypertensive therapies nor thrombolytic).
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Jun 2024
Personalized decision support system for tailoring IgA nephropathy treatment strategies.
The ongoing debate surrounding the use of immunosuppressive treatments for IgA nephropathy (IgAN) underscores the demand for personalized and effective strategies. ⋯ Our system accurately predicted IgAN prognosis and evaluated various treatment efficacies, aiding physicians in devising optimal therapeutic strategies for patients.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Jun 2024
TSLP is localized in and released from human lung macrophages activated by T2-high and T2-low stimuli: relevance in asthma and COPD.
Macrophages are the predominant immune cells in the human lung and play a central role in airway inflammation, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), a pleiotropic cytokine mainly expressed by bronchial epithelial cells, plays a key role in asthma and COPD pathobiology. TSLP exists in two variants: the long form (lfTSLP) and a shorter TSLP isoform (sfTSLP). We aimed to localize TSLP in human lung macrophages (HLMs) and investigate the mechanisms of its release from these cells. We also evaluated the effects of the two variants of TSLP on the release of angiogenic factor from HLMs. ⋯ Our results highlight a novel immunologic circuit between HLMs and TSLP. Given the central role of macrophages in airway inflammation, this autocrine loop holds potential translational relevance in understanding innovative aspects of the pathobiology of asthma and chronic inflammatory lung disorders.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Jun 2024
Primary Sjögren's syndrome in Italy: Real-world evidence of a rare disease through administrative healthcare data.
Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is a systemic autoimmune disease with significant impact on morbidity, mortality, and quality of life. This study aimed to evaluate epidemiology, healthcare needs and related costs of pSS patients from the Italian National Health Service perspective. ⋯ According to results of this population-based study, the prevalence of pSS in Italy appears to be consistent with the definition of rare disease. Patients with pSS have higher pharmacological, in-hospital and outpatient specialist care needs, leading to three-times higher overall cost for the INHS, compared to the general population.