Ricerc@Sapienza

INTRODUCTION:
Noninvasive assessment of corpus atrophic gastritis (CAG), a condition at increased risk of gastric cancer, is based on the measurement of pepsinogens, gastrin, and Helicobacter pylori antibodies. Parietal cell autoantibodies (PCAs) against the gastric proton pump (ATP4) are potential serological biomarkers of CAG. The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic performance of PCA and pepsinogen I tests in patients with clinical suspicion of CAG with the histopathological evaluation of gastric biopsies as reference standard.

Epithelial thyroid cancers (TC) comprise two differentiated histotypes (DTC), the papillary (PTC) and the follicular (FTC) TC which, following dedifferentiation, progress toward the poorly differentiated TC (PDTC) and the highly aggressive anaplastic TC (ATC). Even though thyroid cancer mortality did not change, its annual incidence has increased over the last two decades, largely due to the improved ability to diagnose malignant transformation in small non-palpable thyroid nodules.

Body weight loss, mostly due to the wasting of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue, is the hallmark of the so-called cachexia syndrome. Cachexia is associated with several acute and chronic disease states such as cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart and kidney failure, and acquired and autoimmune diseases and also pharmacological treatments such as chemotherapy. The clinical relevance of cachexia and its impact on patients' quality of life has been neglected for decades.

Through the conversation analysis of interactions between medical oncologists gathered in a hospital in Italy, the article explores the functions that stories play in the diagnostic discussion of clinical cases. Results show that storytelling combines scientific and formal knowledge with anecdotal and experiential knowledge, integrating the two epistemic domains.

The purpose of the present study is to analyze the quality of attachment in substance abuse patients in outpatient treatment vs. patients in therapeutic communities in order to identify the role of attachment insecurity in choosing a care system. The sample consisted of 127 subjects (107 males and 20 females); 97 were outpatients (83 males) and 30 therapeutic community patients (24 males). Attachment with respect to current, significant relationships was assessed using the Relationship Questionnaire.

Therapist’s emotional responses to the patient (or countertransference) can inform diagnostic
assessment, as well as plays a crucial role in the psychotherapy process and outcome across different
models of treatment. Although the clinical literature on countertransference phenomena in
psychotherapy is rich, to date, little interest has been shown in empirical investigation of therapists’
emotional responses related to the adolescent patient’s personality.
The aims of this study were to: 1) examine the stability of the factor structure and psychometric

An increased calcitonin serum level is suggestive of a medullary thyroid cancer (MTC), but is not pathognomonic. The possibility of false positives or other calcitonin-secreting neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) should be considered. Serum calcitonin levels are generally assessed by immunoradiometric and chemiluminescent assays with high sensitivity and specificity; however, slightly moderately elevated levels could be attributable to various confounding factors.

Angioleiomyomas (ALMAs) are benign tumors that arise from smooth muscle cells that form the tunica media of vascular structures. To our knowledge, only five cases of ALMA of the external auditory canal (EAC) have been reported. We report the case of a 52-year-old man with left otalgia, otorrhea, auricular fullness, and hearing loss. On otomicroscopic examination, a reddish and smooth mass completely occluding the EAC was seen. Computed tomography scan showed a soft tissue mass with a complete opacification of the left EAC.

We investigated if loop characteristics correlate with audio-vestibular symptoms or hemifacial spasm in patients with a vascular loop in the root entry zone (VII and VIII) and in the internal auditory canal.

Purpose: We aimed at evaluating the feasibility of using MicroRNA (miR)-34a and miR-29b to detect inner ear damage in patients with mitochondrial disease (MD) and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Material and Methods: Three patients with MD and SNHL and seven healthy control subjects were included in this case series. MD patients underwent pure tone audiometry (PTA), distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) and auditory brain response tests to investigate the specific cochlear and retrocochlear functions; control patients underwent PTA.