PURPOSE To compare the effect of Homatropine and Diclofenac eye drops for reducing pain after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). METHODS This randomized, double-masked, interventional study included 32 patients (64 eyes) who underwent bilateral PRK. After operation, patients received Homatropine eye drops in one eye and Diclofenac eye drops in the fellow eye for 48 h. The level of pain was ev...

OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to compare the effects of trigger point (TRP) mesotherapy and acupuncture (ACP) mesotherapy in the treatment of patients with chronic low back pain. DESIGN Short term randomized controlled trial. SETTING 62 subjects with chronic low back pain were recruited at outpatients Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic at the University of Rome "La Sapienza"...

Given the rapid development of the banking sector, it is reasonable to expect that the performance of banks has become the centre of attention among bank managers, stakeholders, policy makers, and regulators. In order to maximizing the share-holders’ satisfactory level, two bank efficiency measurement approaches, i.e. the production approach and the user cost approach, which are financial evalu...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the efficacy of Oraqix® during scaling and root planing (SRP) in comparison with 20% benzocaine and placebo. STUDY DESIGN 15 patients requiring 4 sessions of SRP were enrolled. For each patient, Oraqix®, Hurricaine®, vaseline or no anesthetic product were randomly assigned each to a quadrant. Treatment pain was evaluated on a 100 mm Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and on a Ve...

BACKGROUND Assessing pain in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients is a great challenge. There is a need for an adequate pain measurement tool for use in conscious sedated patients because of their questionable communicative abilities. In this study, we evaluated the use of the Behavioral Pain Scale (BPS) in conscious sedated patients in comparison with its use in deeply sedated patie...

Widened perivascular spaces known as Virchow-Robin spaces (VRS) are often seen on MRI and are usually incidental findings. It is unclear if enlarged VRS can be associated with neurological deficits. In this report, we describe a case of lobar dementia associated with unusual VRS widening in one cerebral hemisphere. A 77-year-old woman, seen at a memory clinic, presented with progressive cogniti...