Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the primary cause of mortality and morbidity in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Aortic propagation velocity (APV), epicardial fat thickness (EFT) and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) measurements could provide additional information on assessing renal decline in CKD patients. The study aimed to evaluate EFT, AVP and CIMT in CKD patients and then investigate the association among those parameters.

A total of 170 CKD consecutive subjects were enrolled in the study. Patients were divided into five groups according to their estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) values. Each patient underwent complete transthoracic echocardiography examination. APV, EFT and CIMT were measured for analyses. A multivariate linear regression model was used for analysis to determine the independent predictors of eGFR.

The lowest APV was observed in stage IV-V, and the highest APV was observed in stage I-II (P < 0.001). Stage IV-V patients had the highest EFT and stage I-II patients had the lowest EFT (P < 0.001). Moreover, the lowest CIMT was observed in stage III, and the highest CIMT was observed in stage V (P < 0.001). eGFR was significantly and positively correlated with APV and negatively correlated with EFT and CIMT. In multivariate analyses, APV (odds ratio (OR) 0.289, P < 0.001), EFT (OR -0.135, P < 0.001) and CIMT (OR -0.388, P < 0.001) were independent predictors of eGFR.

We found that APV decreased, and EFT and CIMT increased as CKD progress. 6-Diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine mw The present study suggests that APV, EFT and CIMT might be incorporated with the examination of CKD patients in daily practice.

We found that APV decreased, and EFT and CIMT increased as CKD progress. The present study suggests that APV, EFT and CIMT might be incorporated with the examination of CKD patients in daily practice.

Neurological disorders have been identified to be a common extraglandular manifestation of Sjogren’s syndrome (SjS). Central nervous system (CNS) symptoms appear in about 5% of patients with SjS. However, so far, only a few incidences of cerebellar degeneration have been reported, and the clinical features and pathological mechanisms associated with SjS remain to be unclear. Intramedullary production of anti-Ro/anti-SjS-related antigen A (SSA) has been observed in some patients with SjS patients who have CNS involvement, suggesting the involvement of anti- Ro/SSA antibodies as antineuronal antibodies in previous studies.

We recently treated cerebellar degeneration in a patient with SjS. We analyzed the serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in order to detect anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/anti-SjS-related antigen B (SSB) antibodies. We also searched the literature for previous case reports to evaluate the characteristics of cerebellar degeneration in patients with SjS. First, we have studied in mouse brain tissue te that anti-Ro/SSA antibodies were likely responsible for cerebellar degeneration in patients suffering from SjS.

We described the characteristics of cerebellar degeneration in patients with SjS and Ro52/TRIM21 expression in the Purkinje cells of murine cerebellar tissue sections. These outcomes indicate that anti-Ro/SSA antibodies were likely responsible for cerebellar degeneration in patients suffering from SjS.

Utricular degeneration is the source of traveling otoconia inside the semicircular canals in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). The underlying pathology is not clear. The aim of this study was to analyze vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) during sudden head accelerations in those patients since clinical reports designating an association of BPPV with inner ear problems are increasing.

VOR reaction to impulsive head rotations were tested in 34 patients with BPPV (13 lateral, 21 posterior canal BPPV) and 15 healthy subjects in a prospective controlled study. Main outcome measure was the gain (the ratio of head and eye velocity) of vertical and horizontal head auto-rotations to the pathologic and normal sides.

All patients with BPPV and control subjects had normal gain (≥ 0.9) at 1 and 2 Hz but the gain decreased at higher frequencies. No statistically significant difference was found when comparing the gain between the horizontal head rotations toward the pathologic and those toward the normal side (P = 0.89, P = 0.90, P = 0.78, P = 0.20 and P = 0.16, at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Hz, respectively) and between upward and downward vertical head rotations (P = 0.28, P = 0.53 and P = 0.15, at 1, 2 and 3 Hz, respectively) in patients with lateral and posterior canal BPPV.

VOR gain was reduced in some patients. However, head auto-rotation test (HART) does not show any functional abnormality of VOR during head rotations toward the pathologic side. HART is not suitable as a screening test for BPPV.

VOR gain was reduced in some patients. However, head auto-rotation test (HART) does not show any functional abnormality of VOR during head rotations toward the pathologic side. HART is not suitable as a screening test for BPPV.

Vulvovestibular syndrome (VVS) or vulvodynia is a chronic, heterogeneous and multifactorial disease that dramatically affects women’s health and quality of life. Despite important advancements in understanding VVS etiology have been achieved in the past decades, VVS still remains an elusive and complex condition without identifiable causes and effective treatments. In the present observational, retrospective, case-control study, we sought to investigate whether gut dysbiosis developed in patients with VVS.

To this aim, we compared both bacterial and fungal composition in VVS patients (n = 74; 34.3 ± 10.9 years old) with those of women without gynecological symptoms (n = 13 healthy control; 38.3 ± 10.4 years old). Furthermore, to assess whether gut ecology may have an impact on gut function, the degree of intestinal inflammation (calprotectin levels) and gut permeability (zonulin levels) were also evaluated.

VVS patient developed gut dysbiosis, mainly characterized by a significant increase of

along with increased colonization of mold/yeast compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, fecal levels of zonulin indicated that in VVS patients gut dysbiosis translated into increased gut permeability.

Our preliminary study, by demonstrating that alterations in gut microbiota and intestinal permeability are present in patients with VVS, highlights the novel notion that gut dysbiosis may be considered an important associated factor for VVS. These findings, if confirmed, may be clinically relevant and may help in choosing further diagnostic methods and more effective therapies for these patients.

Our preliminary study, by demonstrating that alterations in gut microbiota and intestinal permeability are present in patients with VVS, highlights the novel notion that gut dysbiosis may be considered an important associated factor for VVS. These findings, if confirmed, may be clinically relevant and may help in choosing further diagnostic methods and more effective therapies for these patients.