Identification of measures to contain the outbreaks on passenger ships using pedestrian simulations.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, since the beginning of 2020, has had a strong effect on many industry sectors including maritime transport. In this context, the passenger transport industry was the most affected and it is still in a very critical situation. Starting from the "No Sail Order" issued in March 2020, cruise companies stopped their operations.

[The ethical, legislative and regulatory basis of therapeutic education].

Beyond its interest in the field of public health and the political aspect with the "Hospital, patients, health and territories" law, therapeutic education now occupies an important place in nursing care. This new nursing culture provides another clinical approach for the nurse and a real means of learning for the patient in the framework of a support and guidance plan drawn up together.

Interferon retreatment in chronic hepatitis C: which patients to choose, and what schedule to use.

Unlabelled: OBJECTIVE; To evaluate the results of a large cohort of non-responder or relapsing responder patients with chronic hepatitis C retreated with various schedules of interferon (IFN).

Methods: Our study included 276 patients (158 non-responders and 118 relapsing responders) who underwent IFN retreatments. Among the non-responder group, 158 patients underwent further courses of IFN.

Ranitidine bismuth citrate with either clarithromycin 1 g/day or 1.5 g/day is equally effective in the eradication of H. pylori and healing of duodenal ulcer.

Background: No randomized double-blind studies have been performed to compare clarithromycin 1 g/day with higher doses of the macrolide (1.5 g/day) when combined with ranitidine bismuth citrate (RBC).

Aim: To compare H.

Oral cromolyn sodium in comparison with elimination diet in the irritable bowel syndrome, diarrheic type. Multicenter study of 428 patients.

Background: In a significant number of patients affected by the irritable bowel syndrome, an adverse reaction to food is proposed to be a causative factor. A diet that eliminates the offending foods is the obvious treatment for such adverse reactions. Compliance with a dietetic regimen is often poor and sometimes not completely free from risks.

Effect of sulglycotide in the prevention of duodenal ulcer relapse.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of sulglycotide, a gastroprotective drug, as maintenance treatment for patients with duodenal ulcer.

Design: A randomized double-blind study.

Methods: A total of 119 patients with recently healed duodenal ulcers were randomly allocated, in a double-blind fashion, to receive sulglycotide 200 mg twice daily (60 patients) or placebo (59 patients) for 1 year.

Recombinant interferon alfa-2b treatment in chronic non-A, non-B/type C hepatitis.

In a study of 60 patients with non-A, non-B/type C (NANB/C) chronic hepatitis alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities returned to normal after treatment with interferon alfa-2b (3 million units for six months) in 70.7% and 29.3% did not respond.

Return of esophageal peristalsis after nifedipine therapy in patients with idiopathic esophageal achalasia.

This study was carried out to demonstrate the possible return of esophageal peristalsis in patients affected by esophageal achalasia chronically treated with sublingual nifedipine and to investigate which parameters are correlated with the return of peristalsis. Thirty-two patients were treated with sublingual nifedipine 10-20 mg taken 30 min before meals. A clinical and manometric evaluation was performed before and after 6 months of therapy.

Prospective clinical and manometric study comparing pneumatic dilatation and sublingual nifedipine in the treatment of oesophageal achalasia.

A study was carried out in 30 patients affected by a mild or moderate degree of oesophageal achalasia to compare the clinical and manometric effects of sublingual nifedipine and pneumatic dilatation. Sixteen patients were dilated twice with Rider-Moeller dilators and 14 were treated with sublingual nifedipine 10-20 mg 30 minutes before meals. A manometric evaluation was performed before and six months after starting treatment.

[Manometry and drugs].

Aim of this study was to analyze the relationships between esophageal motility and pharmacology. The use of a drug during manometry may have three goals: physiopathologic, diagnostic and therapeutic. In the first case, the manometric examination after administration of drugs, hormones and neurotransmitters allows to study esophageal receptors and innervation and to understand the alterations that are at the basis of esophageal motility disorders.

A single-blind pilot study comparing standard and half bedtime doses of ranitidine in the short-term healing of duodenal ulcer.

In this two-center, pilot trial we assessed the efficacy of single bedtime does of 150 mg ranitidine (half dose) and 300 mg ranitidine (full dose) in promoting duodenal ulcer healing by comparing the proportions of healed ulcers after 4 and 8 weeks of treatment. One hundred thirty-nine patients (106 men) were randomly allocated according to a prearranged treatment schedule to either dose and were treated single-blind (endoscopist). One hundred twenty-six patients (63 given 150 mg ranitidine and 63 given 300 mg) completed the trial.

[Esophageal ulcer caused by Geotrichum candidum in a case of AIDS].

Isolate esophageal ulcer caused by Geotrichum candidum in a case of AIDS. We report the case of a 29-year-old white man, AIDS affected, presented with odynophagia, dysphagia and chest pain. X-ray and endoscopic study revealed an isolated esophageal ulcer whose culture demonstrated to be caused by Geotrichum candidum.

Is hepatic ultrasonography a valid alternative tool to liver biopsy? Report on 507 cases studied with both techniques.

In order to evaluate the diagnostic potential of liver ultrasonography (US), the charts of 23 cases with normal liver, 424 patients with chronic widespread, and 60 patients with focal hepatic diseases, who had undergone both US and liver biopsy, were reviewed. The positive predictive value of US was good in all hepatic disorders (range 86.9-96.

Comparison between laparoscopy, ultrasonography, and computed tomography in widespread and localized liver diseases.

The diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonography (US) in various liver disease in comparison with laparoscopy is evaluated. The diagnostic reliability of CT and US is higher in localized than in widespread hepatic disorders. US is more valuable than CT in the diagnosis of diffuse hepatic lesions.

Interplay of cell and serum immunologic markers in chronic persistent or active hepatitis B.

Immunologic markers associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (HBsAg, anti-HBs, HBeAg, anti-HBe, anti-HBc, anti-delta) were tested by radioimmunoassay of serum from chronic hepatitis patients. The corresponding liver biopsy samples were examined for the presence of HBsAg, HBcAg, and delta antigen in the cells by direct immunofluorescence and by electron microscopy. Seventy patients were selected for the presence of both circulating HBsAg and anti-HBc.

[The behaviour of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase in the diagnosis of secondary hepatic malignancy: its relationship to other serum enzymes (author's transl)].

In order to determine the value of serum Gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase in the diagnosis of secondary hepatic malignancy, the variations of the serum measurement of different hepatic enzymes have been studied in 160 patients, 80 of which have hepatic metastases gamma GT showed an increase in 95% of the patients with metastases even if there has been a high percentage of false-positive results in the control patients and in those who were carriers of cancer without hepatic metastases. The Authors, after having briefly discussed the meaning of the false positivity rate, conclude that such an enzyme proves once to be a simple and sensitive test of secondary hepatic malignancy and that further studies will help to make it more specific.

Morphologic evolution of CAH with and without therapy. A two year follow-up.

The morphologic evolution of chronic active hepatitis (CAH) over a two-year period in 57 post-puberty patients with homogeneous characteristics was studied retrospectively. Of these, 29 received therapy with steroids and immunosuppressive drugs while 28 received no therapy. At the end of the 2-year period, the statistically assessed morphologic results showed that the therapy had had a positive effect on the initial morphologic pattern.

Chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) versus ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA): a comparison of their effects in pregnant rats.

Treatment of pregnant rats with ursodeoxycholic acid or chenodeoxycholic acid at 3 dose levels resulted in no dismorphogenic effects although embryotoxicity and fatty infiltration in maternal liver were more frequent after CDCA. Light microscopic examination showed no evidence of derangement in fetal liver. Electron microscopic study, carried out in maternal liver, showed that changes were present only in dams treated with the highest doses of both bile acids.