Atherosclerosis, inflammation and Chlamydia pneumoniae.

Coronary heart disease is the single most common cause of illness and death in the developed world. Coronary atherosclerosis is by far the most frequent cause of ischemic heart disease, and plaque disruption with superimposed thrombosis is the main cause of the acute coronary syndromes of unstable angina, myocardial infarction, and sudden death. Atherosclerosis is the result of a complex interaction between blood elements, disturbed flow, and vessel wall abnormality, involving several pathological processes: inflammation, with increased endothelial permeability, endothelial activation, and monocyte recruitment; growth, with smooth muscle cell proliferation, migration, and matrix synthesis; degeneration, with lipid accumulation; necrosis, possibly related to the cytotoxic effect of oxidized lipid; calcification/ossification, which may represent an active rather than a dystrophic process; and thrombosis, with platelet recruitment and fibrin formation.

The PFO anatomy evaluation as possible tool to stratify the associated risks and the benefits arising from the closure.

Aims: According to the current guidelines, the patent foramen ovale (PFO) is still considered a qualitative factor and, as a consequence, its closure is recommended just on the basis of its 'presence'.

Methods And Results: In the year 2008, we evaluated 25 patients (mean age 62.7) with acute cerebrovascular event and 92 patients (mean age 27.

[Management of uncomplicated arterial hypertension in pregnancy].

In the management of uncomplicated arterial hypertension in pregnancy, blood pressure (BP) values of pregnant women should be treated in order to reduce risks of both maternal and fetal complications. To reduce these risks, it is necessary to monitor BP, some hematochemical parameters and albuminuria, to try to prevent more serious clinical complications. Moreover, repeated measurements of BP, as well as frequent ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) over 24 h are necessary.

[Microbiological and serological study in cases of infertility with or without sterility with particular emphasis on the etiological role of Chlamydia trachomatis].

Microbiological investigations were carried out on two groups of men and women--a) with genital non gonococcal pathology and--b) in infertile/sterile people of the same sex and age (mean age 28.4 y) with the aim to document in them the prevalence of various microorganisms particularly of Mycoplasma/Ureaplasma and Chlamydia trachomatis as aetiological agent of their pathology. Serum antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis were also studied by microimmunofluorescence, immunoperoxidase and ELISA methods in the same population in comparison with apparently healthy blood donors of the same sex and age as control.