An unexpected Streptococcus pneumoniae strain.

This clinical driven report describes the unexpected detection of a multidrug resistant (MDR) Streptococcus pneumoniae strain. Italy is usually considered a country characterized by a low prevalence of MDR S. pneumoniae.

Hepatocellular carcinoma in HIV-infected patients: check early, treat hard.

Purpose: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an increasing cause of mortality in HIV-infected patients in the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era. The aims of this study were to describe HCC tumor characteristics and different therapeutic approaches, to evaluate patient survival time from HCC diagnosis, and to identify clinical prognostic predictors in patients with and without HIV infection.

Patients And Methods: A multicenter observational retrospective comparison of 104 HIV-infected patients and 484 uninfected patients was performed in four Italian centers.

Clinical presentation and outcome of colorectal cancer in HIV-positive patients: a clinical case-control study.

Background: Data on colorectal cancer (CRC) in HIV-positive patients are limited. The study objective was to investigate and compare clinical presentation and outcome between HIV-positive and HIV-negative CRC patients.

Patients And Methods: Between September 1985 and November 2003 we identified 27 cases of HIV-positive CRC patients from the cancer registry database - Italian Cooperative Group AIDS and Tumours (GICAT); the clinical presentation/outcome information was retrieved.