Predictive factors and prevalence of microalbuminuria in HIV-infected patients: a cross-sectional analysis.

BACKGROUND: Renal dysfunction is a common problem in the HIV+ population, due to the effect of both the HIV virus and the several classes of ARV drugs such as tenofovir (TDF). It is also known that the presence of renal damage correlates with cardiovascular risk and therefore with the risk of mortality of the patients accordingly. The detection of early renal damage is very important. Albuminuria and microalbuminuria are markers of early kidney disease and cardiovascular risk. The aim of the study is to evaluate the prevalence of microalbuminuria in a large polycentric sample, of unselected and consecutive HIV-patients followed as outpatients, and to assess its association with different therapeutic regimens. METHODS: We studied 326 patients with a mean age of 48.4 ± 1.6 years, treated at the Infectious Diseases Clinics of Chieti and Perugia for 48 weeks. The main metabolic parameters and the microalbuminuria levels in a single sample of urine were evaluated. RESULTS: Microalbuminuria was detected in 61.0% of patients at T0 and in 49.7% after 48 weeks of observation with a median values of 1.1 mg/L (IQR: 0-2.7) vs. 0 mg/L (IQR: 0-2.0). 70% of the enrolled population did not show changes in microalbuminuria levels over time, 19% showed improvement, and 11% of the population had a worsening of microalbuminuria levels without any alteration of creatinine, uric acid and GFR-MDRD. We also found a statistically significant association between the development of microalbuminuria and gender (p < 0.035), Arterial Hypertension (AH) (p < 0.028) and therapy with TDF (p < 0.050). CONCLUSION: We showed a very high prevalence of microalbuminuria, much higher than the literature data; the use of TDF affects the renal function in a statistically significant way and should therefore be considered a risk factor for kidney damage, which can be early assessed with the measurement of microalbuminuria.

Dysregulated Homeostasis of Acetylcholine Levels in Immune Cells of RR-Multiple Sclerosis Patients.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by pro-inflammatory cytokine production. Acetylcholine (ACh) contributes to the modulation of central and peripheral inflammation. We studied the homeostasis of the cholinergic system in relation to cytokine levels in immune cells and sera of relapsing remitting-MS (RR-MS) patients. We demonstrated that lower ACh levels in serum of RR-MS patients were inversely correlated with the increased activity of the hydrolyzing enzymes acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE). Interestingly, the expression of the ACh biosynthetic enzyme and the protein carriers involved in non-vesicular ACh release were found overexpressed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of MS patients. The inflammatory state of the MS patients was confirmed by increased levels of TNFα, IL-12/IL-23p40, IL-18. The lower circulating ACh levels in sera of MS patients are dependent on the higher activity of cholinergic hydrolyzing enzymes. The smaller ratio of ACh to TNFα, IL-12/IL-23p40 and IL-18 in MS patients, with respect to healthy donors (HD), is indicative of an inflammatory environment probably related to the alteration of cholinergic system homeostasis.

Incidence of hip fracture and 30-day hospital readmissions in a region of central Italy from 2006 to 2015.

AIM: Increased life expectancy causes a higher prevalence of chronic and degenerative diseases, and greater frailty among older people. Hip fracture is a common event for older people, and 1-year mortality after hip fracture is high. The present study was carried out in the Abruzzo region, Italy, over the years from 2006 to 2015, entailing as its main objectives the assessment of age and sex-specific trends in the incidence of hip fractures, with the subsequent hospital mortality. Causes of 30-day hospital readmissions were assessed. METHODS: Data were collected from all hospital discharge records. Information on all 30-day readmissions was also retrieved. RESULTS: Overall, 23 075 patients were admitted to hospital for hip fracture (mean age 81.0 ± 11.7 years,72.6% women). The overall hip fracture incidence remained constant over the study period, varying from 175.9 cases in 2006 to 179.3 cases per 100 000 in 2015. However, the incidence progressively increased from 40.0 to 51.0 among men, and from 61.6 to 80.9 among patients aged >85 years. The in-hospital mortality rate was 3.8%. Within 30 days from the hip fracture discharge, 10 526 patients (45.6%) had a second hospitalization, related to the condition of interest in >80% of the patients. Additionally, 414 (3.9%) patients died during the second hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Although women aged >65 years remain the category of patients at highest risk of hip fracture, an increasing trend is observed among men and patients aged >85 years. Hip fracture is frequently associated with early hospital readmission and is responsible for elevated in-hospital mortality. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 483-486.

Outcomes comparison between hip fracture surgery and elective hip replacement: a propensity score-matched analysis on administrative data.

BACKGROUND: Increased life expectancy causes higher prevalence of chronic diseases and greater frailty among older persons. Osteoarthritis and hip fracture are the leading causes of disability among the older persons in high income countries. Recent studies showed that patients undergoing hip fracture surgery have an increased risk of mortality and developing complications. The aim of this study was to compare the occurrence of in-hospital mortality events, complications, and 30-hospital readmissions among patients undergoing hip fracture surgery (HFS) and elective hip replacement (EHR). METHODS: The study considered all hospital admissions for HFS and EHR performed from 2006 to 2015 in Abruzzo region, Italy. Data were collected from hospital discharge records. To compare outcomes between HFS and EHR, a propensity score matching procedure was performed. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals for primary and secondary outcomes were computed using logistic regression models. RESULTS: A total of 32,248 patients were selected: 23,075 underwent HFS and 9173 underwent EHR. After matching, 18,078 patients were included in the analyses (9039 patients who underwent HFS and 9039 patients who underwent HER). In the matched population, HFS patients showed an increased risk of in-hospital mortality (OR 2.03; 95% CI 1.58-2.61) and 30-day hospital readmission (OR 1.97; 95% CI 1.85-2.09). A sensitivity analysis performed on patients younger than 65 years of age confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS: In a cohort of Italian patients, hip fracture surgery was associated with a higher risk of in-hospital mortality and 30-day readmission when compared to elective hip replacement.

The Surgical Experience Influences the Safety and Efficacy of Photovaporization of Prostate with 180-W XPS GreenLight Laser: Comparison Between Novices vs Expert Surgeons Learning Curves.

PURPOSE: To assess the extent to which surgical experience can affect perioperative and functional outcomes after photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) with 180W XPX GreenLight laser in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic obstruction (BPO). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from 291 consecutive patients with symptomatic BPO (median follow-up 12 m) were collected and analyzed. Patients were treated at 2 different institutions by 2 expert (G1, n = 182) and 2 novice (G2, n = 109) transurethral prostate surgeons (February 2013 - March 2017) and underwent standard or anatomical PVP depending on surgeons' preferences. Patients' characteristics, perioperative and functional outcomes were compared using the chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests. Patients' satisfaction was measured using the Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) score. Learning curves were analyzed based on changes in quantitative parameters: surgery time, lasing/operative time, and energy delivered (kJ). RESULTS: Patients' baseline characteristics, perioperative data and PGI-I score were similar. Overall the complication rates showed better trends for G1. Serum prostate-specific antigen levels, maximum flow rate, and International Prostatic Symptoms Score improved in both groups, with perceived improvements greater in G2 (p < 0.006). Lasing time/operative time ratio showed greater evolution for G1 than G2 (0.50:IQR 0.38-0.60 vs 0.46:IQR 0.34-0.58, respectively)(p = 0.201). A major increase in energy delivery for G2 was achieved within the first 50 procedures, whereas more than 100 iterations were needed for G1 to reach LT/OT >60%. CONCLUSION: Surgeons' background and expertise appear to affect outcomes over the learning curve, with roughly similar perioperative and functional results.

Profiling of Canonical and Non-Traditional Cytokine Levels in Interferon-ß-Treated Relapsing-Remitting-Multiple Sclerosis Patients.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, progressive autoimmune disease of the central nervous system in which inflammation plays a key role in the induction, development, and progression. Most of the MS patients present with relapsing-remitting (RR) form, characterized by flare-ups followed by periods of recovery. Many inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines have been proposed as backers in MS pathogenesis, and the balance between these differing cytokines can regulate MS severity. Interferon (IFN)-ß, a current disease-modifying therapy for MS, has demonstrated beneficial effects in reducing disease severity in MS patients. However, its immunoregulatory and anti-inflammatory actions in MS are not wholly understood. The aim of the study was to define, in clinically stable patients with RR-MS, the serum concentration of several cytokines, canonical or not, and their modulation by IFN-ß therapy. Methods: Relapsing-remitting-MS patients were enrolled and diagnosed according to revised Mc Donald Diagnostic Criteria. A set of cytokines [including non-canonical neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) and adipokines] and B-cell differentiation molecules, as potential biomarkers, were evaluated in 30 non-treated RR-MS patients compared to 30 IFN-ß-treated MS patients and 30 age, gender, and body mass index-matched healthy controls (HC). Results: Naïve MS patients showed significantly higher levels of interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-12/IL-23p40, IL-18, high-mobility group box protein-1, and IL-18 binding protein (IL-18BP) than MS-treated patients (p < 0.001 for all) and HC (p < 0.01). IFN-ß therapy has significantly downmodulated IL-1ß, IL-12/IL-23p40, IL-18 to normal levels (p < 0.001), whereas it has decreased IL-18BP (p < 0.001). ACh was significantly higher in the IFN-ß-treated than HC and non-treated MS patients (p < 0.001). No significant differences were observed either in adipokines concentration or in B-cell-associated molecules among the three study groups. Conclusion: Although more experimental evidence are required, we speculate that the efficacy of treatment of MS with IFN-ß is mediated, at least in part, by its ability to work on several levels to slow down the disease progression. Proposed actions include the modulation of IL-1-inflammasome axis and modulation of ACh, B-cell activating factor/a proliferation-inducing ligand system, and several adipokines.