Search

After a review of the main anatomical districts of relevance to central and peripheral venous catheterization, we analyze the primary guidelines for the management of cannulation of central and peripheral venous catheters; a background study relative to this subject is then carried out. The aim of the present study is to review the main central and peripheral catheterization methods, and to share our experience with particular emphasis on analyzing common complications

Background Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is an atypical orofacial algesic syndrome. The aim of the authors' research was to investigate the morphological characteristics of peripheral blood circulation in patients with BMS in comparison with those of the peripheral blood circulation in healthy people. Methods The authors examined 28 subjects, of whom 14 (10 women and four men) had BMS and 14 (nine women and five men) were healthy control subjects. They performed videocapillaroscopic examination with a capillaroscope with a fiber-optic probe at a magnification of ×200, which allowed them to examine the morphological characteristics within the capillaroscopic area accurately. Results The capillaroscopic examination provided important diagnostic results regarding alterations of the local microcirculation in subjects with BMS when compared with healthy subjects. The results also showed a statistically significant increase in the diameter of the capillary ansae, afferent ansae and efferent ansae in subjects with BMS compared with subjects in the control group ( P = .05). Conclusion and Clinical Implications The results revealed a vascular involvement in BMS. This information could improve the understanding of etiopathogenetic factors and aid in the development of therapeutic strategies for treating this disorder.

Various studies have evaluated the therapeutic effectiveness of vitamin A derivatives in the treatment of oral leukoplakia (OL). Not all the studies have shown concordant results. The aim of our study, which has a 10-year follow-up, was to test the effectiveness of topical therapy based on 0.18% isotretinoin by comparing it with that most frequently used, i.e., at 0.05% concentration. Forty patients with an established diagnosis of OL were involved in the study. The patients were randomly divided into two groups and the drug was administered topically at 0.05% and 0.18% concentrations. The drug was applied twice a day for 3 consecutive months; then it was suspended for 1 month, and the biopsy sample was repeated for the histological follow-up. The higher concentration of the drug, according to the same protocol, was administered to patients who did not benefit from the lower concentration. The results showed a significant reduction in lesions (85%), with no documented topical or systemic adverse reactions at 0.18% concentration. A significant reduction of the aggressiveness of the disease and the disappearance of dysplastic phenomena were observed histologically. The proposed therapeutic protocol was effective toward highly active oral leukoplakia with dysplastic phenomena, and therefore at higher risk of malignant progression.

Recent studies have suggested an increase in sepsis rates, this increase is due to several factors, such as the increase in the average age of the population, the growing number of invasive procedures and use of immunosuppressive drugs. The increase in sepsis incidence causes localized endothelial damage in various regions, it was this aspect that led us to focus the studies on the endothelium and in vivo microperfusion investigations in order to contribute to the scientific knowledge in this field. The present study will meticulously analyze this current and complex issue that affects on a daily basis, everyone involved in critical patient care.