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In the present study we investigate the putative differences in pain catastrophising (PC), pain perception (PP), sexual functioning (SF), satisfaction (SS), and overall quality of life between fibromyalgia (FM) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients as compared to healthy controls (HC).Fifty-seven native Italian-speaking female individuals suffering either from FM or RA and thirty-eight healthy female controls (FM = 40; RA = 17; HC = 38) were submitted to a semi-structured interview aimed at assessing PP intensity (Visual Analog Scale; VAS), general health conditions (36-items Short-Form Health Survey; SF-36), PC (Pain Catastrophising Scale; PCS), SF and SS (Index of Sexual Satisfaction; ISS/ Female Sexual Function Index; FSFI).FM patients had a significantly higher PP both as compared to RA and HC (p0.002 for both), and higher PC as compared to HC but not as compared to RA patients (p0.03 and p0.64). When compared to RA patients and HC, they showed a lower quality of life (p0.002 for both comparisons), a compromised SF (p0.003 and p0.002, respectively) and a lower index of SS with respect to HC (p0.002). RA patients had higher PP (VAS; p0.002), lower quality of life and SF as compared to HC (p0.002 and p0.003, respectively).FM and RA patients showed a significantly lower quality of life, SF and SS as compared to HC. PC was significantly related to PP and low quality of life in FM patients while in RA patients it negatively affected quality of life and especially the sexual sphere both when considering SF and SS.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is highly prevalent in the female gender. Scarce attention has been given to the exploration and description of this syndrome, from a psychological point of view, when occurring in males. The aim of the present study is to develop further knowledge, and to summarise the literature regarding subjective psychological experience, characteristics of symptoms presentation (both onset and development), and treatment options for FM in male patients, in order to highlight differences with FM in females.All studies published between January 1993 and February 2020 using PubMed and PsycInfo were included, provided that they met the following criteria: 1) written in English; 2) original articles on studies with a longitudinal design; 3) prospective or retrospective, observational (analytical or descriptive), experimental or quasi-experimental, controlled or non-controlled studies. Reviews and non-original articles (i.e. editorials, letters to the editor, and book chapters) were not included. We utilised the following keywords: (male), (female), (fibromyalgia), combined with Boolean operators 'AND' and 'NOT'.We found an initial number of 55 papers. Duplicated records were excluded (n=13), as well as papers not focusing on male patients or not fulfilling the inclusion criteria (n=25), thus narrowing the research to 17 papers.FM male patients consider their masculine identity as inefficiently re-negotiated after the onset of symptoms. FM males tend to endure pain for longer periods of time than females before seeking treatment; bodily symptoms are prevalent with a compromised exploration of feelings about FM. Unfortunately, there is still a paucity of evidence on clinical characterisation and treatment options when FM occurs in males. Moreover, no studies have addressed the issue of the psychopharmacological/non-pharmacological management of males with FM and comorbid psychiatric syndromes.

Objective We reviewed literature on drugs for bipolar disorders (BD), utilized in ovarian cancer (OC). Method We adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines in completion of this systematic review. Results We identified 73 papers. Thirty-two studies were finally included. BD is rarely diagnosed in OC patients. Limited finding from case reports is available. Drugs used to treat BD (mainly lithium and valproic acid) have been extensively studied in add-on to chemotherapy for treatment-resistant OC cells or in animal models, with promising results in vitro but not in vivo. Conclusions The clinical underestimation of BD in OC has leaded to the almost complete absence of evidences for a soundly based clinical guidance in this field. There is a urgent need for a systematic multi-disciplinary approach to OC.

In a worldwide collaborative effort, 19, 630 Y- chromosomes were sampled from 129 different populations in 51 countries. These chromosomes were typed for 23 short-tandem repeat (STR) loci (DYS19, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS385ab, DYS437, DYS438, DYS439, DYS448, DYS456, DYS458, DYS635, GATAH4, DYS481, DYS533, DYS549, DYS570, DYS576, and DYS643) and using the PowerPlex Y23 System (PPY23, Promega Corporation, Madison, WI). Locus-specific allelic spectra of these markers were determined and a consistently high level of allelic diversity was observed. A considerable number of null, duplicate and off- ladder alleles were revealed. Standard single- locus and haplotype-based parameters were calculated and compared between subsets of Y-STR markers established for forensic casework. The PPY23 marker set provides substantially stronger discriminatory power than other available kits but at the same time reveals the same general patterns of population structure as other marker sets. A strong correlation was observed between the number of Y-STRs included in a marker set and some of the forensic parameters under study. Interestingly a weak but consistent trend toward smaller genetic distances resulting from larger numbers of markers became apparent.

Thanks to the introduction of detection systems and reconstruction algorithms that allow three-dimensional views of anatomical structures and their functionalities, during the last decade, the imaging solutions for medical issues have suffered a wide expansion and diffusion. A Web infrastructure has been realized for the analysis of thorax radiological images obtained through computed tomography (CT) with volumetric acquisition. The infrastructure is able to perform lung densitometry analysis for pulmonary emphysema diagnosis and follow-up.

International audience; The approach to the diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is under constant revision with advances in technology, noninvasive approaches, and increasing awareness of the risks of ionizing radiation. Optimal approaches in some categories of patients are controversial. Data are insufficient for evidence-based recommendations. Therefore, this survey of investigators in the field was undertaken. Even among experts there were marked differences of opinion regarding the approach to the diagnosis of acute PE. Although CT pulmonary angiography was usually the imaging test of choice, the respondents were keenly aware of the dangers of ionizing radiation. In view of advances in scintigraphic diagnosis since the Prospective Investigation of Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis (PIOPED) trial, ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) lung scans or perfusion scans alone and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) V/Q lung scans are often recommended. The choice depends on the patient's age, gender, and complexity of the findings on the plain chest radiograph.

BACKGROUND: Genetic factors play a role in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but are poorly understood. A number of candidate genes have been proposed on the basis of the pathogenesis of COPD. These include the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) genes which play a role in tissue remodelling and fit in with the protease--antiprotease imbalance theory for the cause of COPD. Previous genetic studies of MMPs in COPD have had inadequate coverage of the genes, and have reported conflicting associations of both single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and SNP haplotypes, plausibly due to under-powered studies. METHODS: To address these issues we genotyped 26 SNPs, providing comprehensive coverage of reported SNP variation, in MMPs- 1, 9 and 12 from 977 COPD patients and 876 non-diseased smokers of European descent and evaluated their association with disease singly and in haplotype combinations. We used logistic regression to adjust for age, gender, centre and smoking history. RESULTS: Haplotypes of two SNPs in MMP-12 (rs652438 and rs2276109), showed an association with severe/very severe disease, corresponding to GOLD Stages III and IV. CONCLUSIONS: Those with the common A-A haplotype for these two SNPs were at greater risk of developing severe/very severe disease (p = 0.0039) while possession of the minor G variants at either SNP locus had a protective effect (adjusted odds ratio of 0.76; 95% CI 0.61 - 0.94). The A-A haplotype was also associated with significantly lower predicted FEV1 (42.62% versus 44.79%; p = 0.0129). This implicates haplotypes of MMP-12 as modifiers of disease severity.

The paper describes the software developed for a numerical evaluation of CT thorax images, aiming to the characterization of the pulmonary tissue... The procedure, implemented in Microsoft Windows, consists on two programs. The program Parenchima processes the images obtained in the examination of a patient in order to detect both lungs in each image; given a photometric threshold, the program detects the blobs contained in the pulmonary areas and produces the blob list whit position and shape features. The program Estrai processes the blob list obtaining a set of global parameters that quantifies the overall area of the pulmonary tissue in the processed images, the overall area of the pixels with luminance values less than the selected threshold and the distributions of blob area and shape values. The paper report an application study where the implemented procedure has been used to process images obtained by patients affected by emphysema: the study shows that the procedure can be used as diagnostic tool in routine applications.

Purpose: To develop a structured model to predict the clinical probability of pulmonary embolism (PE). Subjects and methods: Logistic regression was applied to a clinical data base of 1100 consecutive patients with suspected PE in whom a definite diagnosis had been established. The probability of PE predicted by the model was categorized as low (10%, 50%, 90%). Results: The overall prevalence of PE was 40% (440/1100). The model included 15 variables of which 10 were positively associated with PE (male gender, older age, history of thrombophlebitis, sudden onset dyspnea, chest pain, hemoptysis, electrocardiographic signs of acute right ventricular overload, radiographic signs of oligemia, amputation of hilar artery, and pulmonary consolidation suggestive of infarction), and 5 were negatively associated with PE (prior cardiovascular or pulmonary disease, high fever, pulmonary consolidation other than infarction or pulmonary edema on chest radiograph). With this model, 432 patients (39%) were rated a low probability of whom 19 (4%) had PE; 283 (26%) an intermediate probability of whom 62 (22%) had PE; 72 (7%) a moderately high probability of whom 53 (74%) had PE; and 313 (28%) a high probability of whom 306 (98%) had PE. Conclusion: The prediction model described here may find application to formally evaluate the clinical probability of PE. The latter may serve as pretest probability in calculating the post-test probability of PE after appropriate objective testing.