We determined the tracheo-bronchial mucociliary clearance (MCC) in order to evaluate a possible impairment of this function in patients affected by Sjögren's syndrome (SS) with or without overt clinical symptoms of xerotrachea. The MCC was expressed as flow rate (mm/min) and studied in 22 non-smoking SS patients (10 pSS and 12 sSS) and in 8 control subjects by specifically adapted ventilation lung scintigraphy (VLS). The MCC in the control group was 5.9 +/- 1.1 mm/min. No values were produced for MCC in 16 SS patients (8 pSS and 8 sSS) in the time interval considered and were reduced in the remaining 6 SS patients (3.3 +/- 1.2 mm/min). In all nine cases with clinical evidence of xerotrachea no values for MCC were obtained. A significant correlation was found between the MCC values and the rate of stimulated salivary excretion determined by dynamic scialoscintigraphy in the same patients (p < 0.001). These preliminary data show that the majority of SS patients studied presented with MCC impairment, always found when clinical symptoms of xerotrachea were present.

BackgroundThe PANDORA study has recently examined the prevalence of low ankle brachial index (ABI) in subjects with moderate risk of cardiovascular disease. This sub-analysis of the PANDORA study examines the prevalence of asymptomatic peripheral arterial disease (PAD), as determined by ABI, in Italian subjects presenting with moderate cardiovascular risk, in the absence of diabetes or overt vascular disease.MethodsPANDORA is a non-interventional, cross-sectional study that was performed in 6 European countries, involving subjects with at least one cardiovascular (CV) risk factor. The primary objective was to evaluate the prevalence of asymptomatic PAD using ABI. For this post-hoc sub-analysis, data were extracted for subjects enrolled in Italy, comprising 51.5% (n = 5298) of subjects from the original PANDORA study. Secondary objectives were to establish the prevalence and treatment of CV risk factors.ResultsThe mean age was 63.9 years and 22.9% (95% CI 21.7-24.0) of subjects presented with asymptomatic PAD. A range of risk factors comprising smoking, hypertension, low HDL-cholesterol, family history of coronary heart disease and habit of moderate-high alcohol intake were significantly associated with asymptomatic PAD (p < 0.0001). Statin treatment had the lowest incidence in Italian subjects. Furthermore, patients treated with statins were significantly less likely to have asymptomatic PAD than those who were not (p = 0.0001).ConclusionsAsymptomatic PAD was highly prevalent in Italian subjects, the majority of whom were not candidates for ABI assessment according to current guidelines. Findings from this study suggest that these patients should be carefully examined in clinical practice and ABI measured so that therapeutic interventions known to decrease their CV risk may be offered.Trial registration numberClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00689377

Our findings suggest that CagA-positive strains of H. pylori are significantly associated to atherosclerotic stroke. This is not a merely confirmative study since it has been performed for the first time in the primary care setting and included only subjects with an active infection.

This survey shows that the current management of DD in primary care by Italian GPs is not fully in line with current guidelines and more recent literature data.

Background: Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) leads to frequent medical visits, and available therapies fail in up to 40% of patients. Food allergies may be involved in GERD pathogenesis; however, allergens other than food have received little attention. Nickel allergy is common in the general population and some high-nickel foods are associated with GERD. However, the potential relationship between nickel allergy and GERD remains unaddressed. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of nickel sensitization in patients with and without GERD and to compare clinical and demographic features. Methods: This prospective, multicenter study included 210 adult GERD patients and 140 patients without GERD who presented at the general practitioner. All GERD patients had undergone treatment with proton pump inhibitors and upper digestive endoscopy within the previous five years. Demographic and clinical data were collected by questionnaire and patients underwent a nickel patch allergy test. Results: Patients with and without GERD presented similar characteristics, with the exception of nickel sensitization, which was significantly more prevalent among GERD patients than controls (39.5% vs. 16.4%; p ¼ 0.001). Nickel-positive GERD patients were more frequently female (90.4% vs. 65.4%, p ¼ 0.003) and asthmatic (18.1% vs. 4.7%; p ¼ 0.038), compared to nickel-negative GERD patients. At six-month follow-up, most of the patients, with or without nickel sensitization, reported improved symptoms without differences in drug prescription. Conclusion: Nickel sensitization is particularly prevalent in GERD patients seen in general practice. Whether allergies other than food allergy play a role in GERD remains to be elucidated.