Search

Background: Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is an adverse reaction caused by the intake of drugs of common use that produces liver damage. The impact of DILI is estimated to affect around 20 in 100,000 inhabitants worldwide each year. Despite being one of the main causes of liver failure, the pathophysiology and mechanisms of DILI are poorly understood. In the present study, we developed an ensemble learning approach based on different features (CMap gene expression, chemical structures, drug targets) to predict drugs that might cause DILI and gain a better understanding of the mechanisms linked to the adverse reaction., Results: We searched for gene signatures in CMap gene expression data by using two approaches: phenotype-gene associations data from DisGeNET, and a non-parametric test comparing gene expression of DILI-Concern and No-DILI-Concern drugs (as per DILIrank definitions). The average accuracy of the classifiers in both approaches was 69%. We used chemical structures as features, obtaining an accuracy of 65%. The combination of both types of features produced an accuracy around 63%, but improved the independent hold-out test up to 67%. The use of drug-target associations as feature obtained the best accuracy (70%) in the independent hold-out test., Conclusions: When using CMap gene expression data, searching for a specific gene signature among the landmark genes improves the quality of the classifiers, but it is still limited by the intrinsic noise of the dataset. When using chemical structures as a feature, the structural diversity of the known DILI-causing drugs hampers the prediction, which is a similar problem as for the use of gene expression information. The combination of both features did not improve the quality of the classifiers but increased the robustness as shown on independent hold-out tests. The use of drug-target associations as feature improved the prediction, specially the specificity, and the results were comparable to previous research studies.

Background: Worldwide, there has been a marked increase in the number of inguinal and femoral hernia repairs performed as day surgery procedures. This study aimed to outline the epidemiology of the procedures for repairing unilateral inguinal and femoral hernia in the Veneto Region, and to analyze the time trends and organizational appropriateness of these procedures., Methods: Drawing from the anonymous computerized database of hospital discharge records for the Veneto Region, we identified all unilateral groin hernia repair procedures completed in Veneto residents between 2000 and 2009 at both public and accredited private hospitals., Results: A total 141,329 hernias were repaired in the Veneto Region during the decade considered, with an annual rate of 291.2 per 100,000 population for inguinal hernia (IH) repairs and 11.2 per 100,000 population for femoral hernia (FH) repairs. Day surgery was used more for inguinal than for femoral hernia repairs, accounting for 76% and 43% (p< 0.05), respectively, of all hernia repair procedures completed during the period. The % of other than surgery hospital ordinary admissions (day surgery or ambulatory surgery) during the decade considered rose from 61.7% to 86.7% for IH and from 33.0% to 61.8% for FH., Conclusions: In the last decade, the Veneto Region has reduced the rate of ordinary hospital admissions for groin hernia repair with a view to improving the efficiency of the hospital network.

Background: This study evaluates the epidemiological impact of RVGE hospitalisation in the Veneto Region during the period spanning from 2000-2007 along with the associated costs. The analysis was conducted in an area where rotavirus vaccination is not included into immunization programmes and is an attempt to assess the potential benefits of such introduction., Methods: To update the estimates of acute RVGE hospitalisation rates in children ≤5 years in the Veneto Region, we conducted an 8 year retrospective observational population-based analysis (2000-2007)., Results: Over the study period, a total of 4,119 admissions for RVGE were reported, with a mean hospital stay of 3.5 days. The population-based hospitalisation RVGE incidence rate was 195.8 per 100,000 children aged ≤5 years (lower than other European countries)., Conclusions: RVGE is an important cause of paediatric hospitalisation in the Veneto Region. The data reaffirm the substantial burden of rotavirus hospitalisations in children and the potential health benefits of the vaccination as well as the possibility of adding rotavirus vaccination to the current schedule.