Extrapulmonary mycobacterial infections in a cohort of HIV-positive patients: ultrasound experience from Vicenza, Italy.

Purpose: Extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) is frequently seen in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals in Sub-Saharan Africa and recent work has shown point-of-care (POC) ultrasound to be a diagnostic aid in the resource-limited, highly endemic setting. Its role in industrialized countries, however, has rarely been studied. With international migration, EPTB is increasingly seen in European hospitals.

Alcohol is an important co-factor for both steatosis and fibrosis in Northern Italian patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Background/aims: Steatosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) may be the result of both viral and host factors. To evaluate: (1) the relationship between steatosis and either host or viral factors; (2) the correlation between steatosis and fibrosis in patients with CHC.

Methods: A consecutive series of 349 patients were evaluated for steatosis.