Damiano Abeni - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Damiano Abeni

Value in Health, 2011

ranged between €9.44 (UK) and €121.17 (Sweden); mean direct non-medical costs were Յ€2.85/episode... more ranged between €9.44 (UK) and €121.17 (Sweden); mean direct non-medical costs were Յ€2.85/episode. Indirect costs contributed significantly to the total cost/episode in Italy (81.4%; €91.14), UK (79.8%; €37.55), Germany (60.0%; €26.74) and Sweden (59.5%; €182.07), whereas indirect costs contributed only 14.7% (€3.54) in Spain, where the value associated with absence from work/school was low. CONCLUSIONS: AOM was associated with substantial economic burden in these European countries. The cost per episode and the contribution of direct/indirect costs varied between countries, potentially reflecting socioeconomic differences and variation in AOM management.

Journal of Virological Methods, 2009

In view of the low loads of beta human papillomaviruses in skin samples, amounts of cellular DNA ... more In view of the low loads of beta human papillomaviruses in skin samples, amounts of cellular DNA used in qualitative PCR may become limiting for virus detection and introduce variations in prevalence and multiplicity. This issue was explored within the context of a multicentre study and increasing prevalence and multiplicity was found with increasing input amounts of cellular DNA extracted from hair bulbs. To improve the quality and comparability between different epidemiologic studies ideally equal amounts of cellular DNA should be employed. When cellular DNA input varies this should be clearly taken into account in assessing viral prevalence and multiplicity.

Journal of General Virology, 2012

Viral skin infections are commonly present in organ transplant recipients (OTR). In this study, w... more Viral skin infections are commonly present in organ transplant recipients (OTR). In this study, we aimed to identify factors associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infections in OTR. Patients with solid-organ transplants were recruited from the outpatient nephrology and dermatology clinics in five European countries. Only patients with no current or past skin cancer were included in this analysis. Serum samples were analysed for antibodies to the L1 proteins of 26 cutaneous and two genital HPV types from five phylogenetic genera (α, β, γ, μ and ν). The most consistent association was found between recreational sun exposure and the seroprevalence of all tested genera, except α. The antibody presence of any β type was higher among people who had been transplanted at least 23 years prior to participation than in those who had been transplanted for less than 7 years. The prevalence of two γ-HPV types (60 and 65) and three β-HPV types (15, 38 and 49) was associated with time since tr...

Cancer Treatment Reviews, 2008

Background: Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is an uncommon tumor of the skin with high rat... more Background: Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is an uncommon tumor of the skin with high rates of local recurrence. It is debated whether Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) involves lower recurrence rates than wide local excision (WLE). Recent preliminary reports indicate more consistently favorable cure rates with MMS. We report comparative observational data on 41 patients who underwent MMS and 38 who underwent WLE. Their data were then pooled with those available in the medical literature to obtain more precise estimates of recurrence rates with MMS and WLE. Methods: The records of 79 patients with DFSP who underwent WLE (n = 38) or MMS (n = 41) in 1990-2005 were reviewed retrospectively. The primary endpoint was tumor recurrence rate. The PubMed database was searched for DFSP case series treated with WLE or MMS, and the recurrence proportions reported for the two separate procedures were pooled. Results: Five of the 38 WLE patients (follow-up = 4.8 years) had recurrences (13.2%, 95% CI 4.4-28.1%) as opposed to none (95% CI 0-8.6%) of the 41 MMS patients (follow-up = 5.4 years). Pooling of these data with those from the literature yielded 6/463 recurrences for MMS (1.3%, 95% CI 0.5-2.8%) and 288/1394 recurrences for WLE (20.7%, 95% CI 18.6-22.9%). The relative risk of recurrence for WLE vs. MMS patients was 15.9 (95% CI 7.2-35.5). Conclusions: Significantly lower recurrence rates were recorded in our patients subjected to MMS compared with those treated with WLE. The pooled data also indicated a clear advantage

Cancer Research, 2010

Human papillomaviruses (betaPV) from the beta genus cannot be classified according to their oncog... more Human papillomaviruses (betaPV) from the beta genus cannot be classified according to their oncogenicity due to a paucity of information. This study evaluates the association between betaPV infection and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in conjunction with measures of UV exposure and susceptibility. We performed casecontrol studies in the Netherlands, Italy, and Australia, countries with profoundly different UV exposures. The presence of 25 betaPV types in eyebrow hair follicles was determined using a highly sensitive HPV DNA genotyping assay, and antibodies for the 15 most prevalent betaPV types in a total of 689 squamous cell carcinoma cases and 845 controls were detected using multiplex serology. Multivariate logistic regression models were used for case-control comparisons and interaction analyses. BetaPV DNA was detected in eyebrow hairs of more than 90% of all participants. The presence of betaPV DNA was associated with an increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma in the Netherlands (OR ¼ 2.8; 95% CI 1.3-5.8) and Italy (OR ¼ 1.7; 95% CI 0.79-3.6), but not in Australia (OR ¼ 0.91; 95% CI 0.53-1.6). Seropositivity for betaPV in controls ranged between 52% and 67%. A positive antibody response against 4 or more betaPV types was associated with squamous cell carcinoma in Australia (OR ¼ 2.2; 95% CI 1.4-3.3), the Netherlands (OR ¼ 2.0; 95% CI 1.2-3.4) and fair-skinned Italians (OR ¼ 1.6, 95% CI 0.94-2.7). The association between UV susceptibility and squamous cell carcinoma was stronger in betaPV-seropositive people. These combined data support the hypothesis that betaPV may play a role in the development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Cancer Res; 70(23); 9777-86. Ó2010 AACR.

British Journal of Dermatology, 2004

Background The main dermatology textbooks describe only in passing pruritus in psoriasis and rare... more Background The main dermatology textbooks describe only in passing pruritus in psoriasis and rarely mention other symptoms. A quantification of the presence of symptoms is not available for clinical subgroups of psoriasis. Objectives To investigate the prevalence of symptoms experienced by patients with different clinical types of psoriasis. Methods The study was carried out in patients hospitalized for psoriasis between February 2000 and February 2002 at the inpatient wards of the Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata, Rome, Italy. Symptoms were evaluated using the symptoms scale of Skindex-29. Clinical severity was assessed by the dermatologists using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), and by the patients completing the self-administered PASI. Psychiatric morbidity was evaluated using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. Results In total, 936 eligible patients were analysed. The proportions of patients experiencing symptoms often or always in the 4 weeks before hospitalization were: 63AE8% itching, 59AE7% irritation, 46AE1% burning ⁄ stinging, 39% sensitivity, 26% pain (from 10% in guttate psoriasis to 50% in arthropathic), 25AE4% bleeding (17% pustular, 19% localized plaque, 36% palmoplantar), and 23AE9% bothered by water (from 8AE5% in the guttate form to 68% in palmoplantar). The prevalence of all symptoms was significantly higher in women and tended to increase with clinical severity. Conclusions Our study provides evidence of the high frequency of a number of symptoms in different subgroups of psoriasis patients determined by their sociodemographic characteristics, clinical type and disease severity. Symptoms represent a serious disabling factor in patients affected by psoriasis, including those with low levels of psychological distress. Dermatologists should include symptoms in the evaluation of disease severity both in clinical practice and in clinical trials.