Skin scars and wrinkles temporary camouflage in dermatology and oncoesthetics: focus on acetyl hexapeptide-8

OBJECTIVE: The aim of study is to evaluate the aesthetic outcome of specific formulated cosmeceutical product to mask and reduce the appearance surgical scars or unappealing skin tags in chronic diseases, such as cancer METHODS: In a spontaneous, anecdotal, retrospective study, 26 patients with skin disorders appealed to Second Opinion Medical Network (Modena, Italy), required masking and improving the skin appearance. To evaluate the aesthetic improvement of skin imperfections, a gelcream containing 10% of acetyl hexapeptide-8 (registered trademark Argireline®) was selected, that can be applied directly upon the lesion, followed by a light massage in the treated area for a few minutes RESULTS: The skin quality parameters (hydration, elasticity, sebum), photographs and investigators clinical assessment have been performed before and after the treatment and demonstrated that this cream significantly improved the skin values and the self-image expectation of each patient. No allergic reactions were documented during the period treatment CONCLUSIONS: The topical administration of this cosmeceutical cream is a safe and effective alternative to the invasive procedures, to improve the quality of life in patients with some skin disorders such as cancer, surgical scars, hidradenitis, aging wrinkles

Time evolution of non-lethal infectious diseases: a semi-continuous approach.

A model describing the dynamics related to the spreading of non-lethal infectious diseases in a fixed-size population is proposed. The model consists of a non-linear delay-differential equation describing the time evolution of the increment in the number of infectious individuals and depends upon a limited number of parameters. Predictions are in good qualitative agreement with data on influenza, which is taken to be a representative type of non-lethal infectious disease.

The first breast cancer screening program in southern Italy: preliminary results from three municipalities of the Naples Province.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: It has been demonstrated that breast cancer screening induces a 30% reduction of specific mortality. In May 1990, we started a pilot screening program to assess the feasibility of carrying out such a program in Campania (southern Italy). Herein we report the results of the first round of the program from three municipalities (Giugliano, Mugnano and Qualiano) that lie within the local health district no. 23, close to the city of Naples. METHODS: Women between the ages of 50 and 69 years were sent a personalized letter inviting them to attend the screening test; those not responding were sent a second invitation. The screening test consisted of clinical examination followed by two-view mammography. Second-level diagnostic tools were sonography, fine needle aspiration (manual, echo-guided and stereotaxic) and surgical biopsy. RESULTS: Out of 5,732 women invited for the first round, 1,813 (31.6%) attended the screening. Attendance rate was higher among younger women. Ninety-one women were positive at the screening test and underwent further examination (recall rate, 5.0%). Among them, 19 had surgical biopsy (biopsy rate, 1.0%) that led to breast cancer diagnosis in 11 cases. The benign/malignant biopsy rate was 0.73. Detection rate was 6.07 x 1,000 screened women and varied among age categories, increasing within the 60-69 subgroup; detection rate/expected incidence ratio in the overall group was 4.5 and also increased within the older age category. Seven out of 11 cancers were at UICC stage O-I. Among 327 self-referring women, 38 were positive (recall rate, 11.6%), and 14 underwent biopsy (biopsy rate, 4.3%), which showed cancer in 7 cases (benign/malignant biopsy rate, 1.0). In addition, 2 inflammatory cancers were diagnosed without surgical biopsy. Thus 9 cancer cases were detected in this group. Self-referring women differed from responding women in that they had a higher frequency of symptoms or familiar history of cancer, and a higher educational level and awareness of preventive medicine. Clinical examination added no diagnostic advantage in the responding group but did not significantly worsen the recall rate. In the self-referring group, one case of inflammatory cancer was missed by mammography and diagnosed by clinical examination. CONCLUSION: The early results (recall rate = 5%, detection rate/expected incidence ratio = 4.5, benign/malignant biopsy rate = 0.73, advanced cancers = 36.4%) are encouraging and indicate the validity of the program. Strategies to improve attendance rate are planned.

[Celiac disease as a risk factor for digestive neoplasms]. / La celiachia come fattore di rischio per neoplasie digestive.

Coeliac disease is a primary malabsorption syndrome, whose gastrointestinal symptomatology regresses following a gluten-free diet. Several authors report an increased incidence of intestinal lymphoma in patients with longstanding coeliac disease; on the other hand the association of this malabsorption syndrome with malignant tumors of the esophagus, stomach or large bowel is not very common. The authors describe three cases of coeliac disease complicated after 5, 12 and 18 years by neoplasms of the esophagus, stomach and small bowel. It is stressed that in this disease patients must be monitored with periodic radiologic examinations, in the hope of detecting any malignancy at an early and perhaps treatable stage.

[Morpho-functional evaluation of the small intestine patients with Crohn disease. Enema of the small intestine versus post-heparin plasma diamine oxidase]. / Valutazione morfo-funzionale dell'intestino tenue nei portatori di morbo di Crohn. Clisma del tenue versus DAO plasmatica post-eparinica.

Our study was directed not only towards the diagnosis of small bowel Crohn's disease, but especially to a quantitative analysis, for a correct therapeutical approach. This experimental trial is based on the relationship between radiological evidence, measured during small bowel enema, and the seriousness of the morphological and functional damage to the intestinal mucosal membrane, evaluated with a post-heparin diamine-oxidase activity test. With this method we studied 35 selected patients; 16 of them were affected by the disease with an exclusive localization in the small bowel and 5 have been considered separately, because 3 patients had already been operated and the other 2 showed different localizations. In our results, the two parameters were not constantly related to each other. In other words the enema's morphological data sometimes do not accord with the mucosal membrane integrity index expressed by the enzyme. Anyway the importance of this study is the attempt of making an objective comparison between an anatomic situation and its functional consequence. These aspects have a great significance in Crohn's disease.

[Usefulness and limitations of edema of the small intestine in malabsorption syndromes]. / Utilità e limiti del clisma dell'intestino tenue nelle sindromi da malassorbimento.

Malabsorption syndrome is a clinical condition that can be determined by several situations which can ensue by many etiopathogenetic mechanisms. While the diagnostic approach is, for this reason, complex and uses a lot of clinical, laboratory and instrumental techniques, the therapeutic approach could be surgical or medical. The aim of our research is to establish the diagnostic utility of the radiologic examination of the small intestine by enteroclysis, on the basis of our personal experience and the data referred in literature. We took particular care of the radiological study of primitive malabsorption.

[The role of enemas in the small intestine in the study of ileal subocclusion]. / Apporto del clisma del tenue allo studio delle subocclusioni ileali.

In mechanical subocclusions, when there isn't immediate urgency, is it possible and necessary to probe radiologic examination, for a better surgical evaluation. The authors describe their own experience, achieved in about 3 years, on small bowel double contrast enema. They examined 143 patients; 16 of them were suboccluded. The security and the diagnostic reliability of used method are stressed by the authors to define lesions' morphology and localization.