A role for measurement of nasal IgE antibodies in diagnosis of Alternaria-induced rhinitis in children.

Background: Rhinitis is a very common disease, frequently caused by sensitisation to inhalant allergens. Negative results from skin prick tests (SPT) and in vitro IgE tests generally lead to a diagnosis of non-allergic rhinitis. However, it is possible, as indicated by studies addressed with dust mites or pollens that the production of specific IgE occurs exclusively at nasal level.

Allergen-specific immunoglobulin E in the skin and nasal mucosa of symptomatic and asymptomatic children sensitized to aeroallergens.

Background: Asymptomatic sensitization is confirmed by a positive response to skin prick tests (SPT) with allergens in the absence of clinical symptoms of allergy. This is a common observation for which no convincing explanation has been provided.We investigated the extent to which the presence of specific immunoglobulin (Ig) E in the nasal mucosa accounts for the occurrence of symptoms.

Estimate of renal function in oldest old inpatients by MDRD study equation, Mayo Clinic equation and creatinine clearance.

Background: Patients older than 85 years are increasingly admitted to hospital care settings. Despite this, the clinical employment of equations for estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR) has been scarcely investigated so far in this age group. Our study compared 2 commonly employed equations to estimate GFR, as well as measured 24-hour creatinine clearance (CrCl), in patients aged >or=85 years.

House dust mite-related allergic diseases: role of skin prick test, atopy patch test, and RAST in the diagnosis of different manifestations of allergy.

The atopy patch test (APT) was recently defined as an important tool in diagnosis of atopic dermatitis (AD) and also of rhinitis and asthma caused by hypersensitivity to the house dust mites. We evaluated 465 children (279 males and 186 females) aged 0.4-17.

Promoter methylation correlates with reduced NDRG2 expression in advanced colon tumour.

Background: Aberrant DNA methylation of CpG islands of cancer-related genes is among the earliest and most frequent alterations in cancerogenesis and might be of value for either diagnosing cancer or evaluating recurrent disease. This mechanism usually leads to inactivation of tumour-suppressor genes. We have designed the current study to validate our previous microarray data and to identify novel hypermethylated gene promoters.

[HPV infection: comparison between morphological studies and molecular biology].

Human Papilloma Virus plays an essential role in the development of cervical cancer. We investigated the global prevalence of Human Papilloma Virus infection in a population of 699 women recruited at the Ospedali Riuniti in Foggia for gynaecological controls from September 2005 to March 2007, and compared with a group of 90 women, selected on clinical aspects for Human Papilloma Virus features. The observed prevalence was 27.

Clinical and brain magnetic resonance imaging follow-up after percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale in patients with cryptogenic stroke.

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure is reported to result in fewer episodes of clinically manifest recurrent cerebral ischemia than medical treatment. We evaluated by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) whether silent cerebral ischemic episodes are also decreased by PFO closure. Seventy-one patients with PFO were selected for percutaneous closure of PFO at our center.

Ultrasonographic and biochemical parameters in the non-invasive evaluation of liver fibrosis in hepatitis C virus chronic hepatitis.

Background: Prior studies suggest that platelet counts of <140 000/microL can discriminate patients with different stages of fibrosis.

Aim: To determine the added value of abdominal ultrasound analysis of morphological liver features in increasing the diagnostic accuracy of platelet counts for the prediction of liver fibrosis at histology.

Methods: In a retrospective study, clinical records of 1143 chronic hepatitis C patients at their first presentation, naives to both liver biopsy and anti-viral treatment, were reviewed.

Inaccuracy of dipyridamole echocardiography or scintigraphy for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease in patients with both left bundle branch block and left ventricular dysfunction.

Non-invasive diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and left bundle branch block (LBBB) remains challenging, and there is no consensus on the role of myocardial sesta-MIBI perfusion scintigraphy with pharmacological stress (dip-MIBI) or dipiridamole echocardiography (dip-ECHO). We thus performed a prospective study to test the diagnostic accuracy of such non-invasive tests. 27 consecutive patients with both LV dysfunction and LBBB undergoing diagnostic work-up for CAD were studied simultaneously with dip-ECHO and dip-MIBI.

Ultrasound guided fine needle biopsy of early hepatocellular carcinoma complicating liver cirrhosis: a multicentre study.

Background: Because hepatic cirrhosis is a major risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma, recent guidelines by the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) on clinical management of hepatocellular carcinoma recommend periodic ultrasound surveillance of cirrhotic patients with immediate workup for nodules >1 cm; an increase in the frequency of screening is considered sufficient for smaller lesions.

Aims: To determine the actual risk of hepatocellular carcinoma associated with the latter lesions and to assess the role of ultrasound guided-fine needle biopsy in their diagnosis.

Patients And Methods: Data were analysed for 294 new nodular lesions <20 mm, including 48 that were <10 mm, detected during a prospective multicentre study involving ultrasound surveillance of 4375 patients with hepatic cirrhosis.

Bone mineral density in acromegaly: the effect of gender, disease activity and gonadal status.

Objective: Data on bone mineral density (BMD) in acromegaly are conflicting as most previous studies collectively evaluated eugonadal and hypogonadal patients of both sexes, with or without active disease. We have evaluated BMD in 152 acromegalic patients of both sexes with varying disease activity and gonadal status.

Design: Cross-sectional, retrospective.

Coarse nodular US pattern in hepatic cirrhosis: risk for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of the coarse nodular ultrasonographic (US) pattern and its prognostic importance in terms of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk in hepatic cirrhosis caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV); HBV with hepatitis D virus (HDV), formerly known as hepatitis delta virus; hepatitis C virus (HCV); and alcoholic cirrhosis (ALC) or primary biliary disease (primary biliary cirrhosis [PBC]).

Materials And Methods: Four hundred two cases of hepatic cirrhosis caused by HBV (94 patients), HDV (100 patients), HCV (100 patients), ALC (63 patients), or PBC (45 patients) were retrospectively reviewed to identify the US pattern present at diagnosis and its possible association with the cause of the disease and subsequent development of HCC during a mean follow-up of 43.9 months +/- 29.

Global skeletal uptake of 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate (GSU) in patients affected by endocrine diseases: comparison with biochemical markers of bone turnover.

This study aimed to clinically validate the global skeletal uptake (GSU) of (99m)Tc-methylene diphosphonate ((99m)Tc-MDP), and to compare it with a marker of bone formation (i.e. serum osteocalcin or OC) and an index of bone resorption (i.

A new hypothesis on the pathogenesis of intestinal pseudo-obstruction by intestinal neuronal dysplasia (IND).

Using morphometry and image analysis, we investigated 17 patients showing intestinal pseudo-obstruction secondary to intestinal neuronal dysplasia (IND) and 20 controls. In addition to an increase in the number and size of the ganglia and the ganglionic cells, we also noted a significant increase in NO synthase-containing ganglionic cells. We found that this enzyme, responsible for the synthesis of nitrous oxide caused by oxidation of L-argynine aminoacid, is a neurotransmitter able to induce smooth muscle relaxation by activating cyclic AMP.

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis: evaluation of damage to nontumorous liver tissue-long-term prospective study.

Purpose: To evaluate damage to cirrhotic liver tissue after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Materials And Methods: TACE was performed in 111 patients with HCC that involved less than 30% of the liver. Baseline liver function was evaluated with Child-Pugh scores and other indicators.

Neuroadrenergic activation and response to dobutamine in congestive heart failure secondary to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.

Detection of contractile reserve is important in heart failure patients. To determine if detection of contractile reserve is influenced by neuroadrenergic activation, we examined the relation between dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) findings and plasma norepinephrine levels (NE) at rest in 35 patients with nonischemic left ventricular (LV) dysfunction (New York Heart Association class >III in all; LV ejection fraction 0.27 +/- 0.

Age-related changes assessed by peripheral QCT in healthy Italian women.

The purpose of this study was to describe the normal cross-sectional pattern of radial bone loss associated with aging in healthy women and to generate a normative database using peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT). Subjects with suspected conditions affecting bone metabolism or receiving any drugs affecting bone mineralization were excluded. The trabecular bone mineral density (BMD) and the total bone density of the ultradistal radius at the nondominant forearm was measured using the Norland-Stratec XCT-960 pQCT scanner in 386 healthy pre-, peri-, and postmenopausal females aged 15-81 years.

[Central core disease. Report of 2 cases in adults].

"Central core disease" (CCD) is a rare disease of infancy and childhood and represents the prototypic member of a group of muscular disorders known as "congenital, benign (non progressive) myopathies". It is very uncommon to diagnose cases affected by CCD in youth and adulthood. The disease is mainly familial with a dominant autosomal pattern of inheritance, but sporadic cases are known to occur.

Phalangeal US velocity discriminates between normal and vertebrally fractured subjects.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic sensitivity of phalangeal bone ultrasound velocity of the hand in the diagnosis of osteoporosis and to compare this technique to bone mineral density (BMD) measurement at the lumbar spine assessed by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and quantitative computed tomography (QCT). We investigated US velocity at the distal metaphysis of the proximal phalanx and spinal BMD in 101 women. Fifty-nine were healthy (mean age 50 +/- 11.

Interobserver reproducibility in diagnosis of breast lesions. A panel in Puglia (Italy). GSBioCaM.

Background: Given the incidence of breast cancer, histologic agreement is necessary to select the proper treatment.

Methods & Study Design: Twelve pathologists working in Puglia (Italy) independently evaluated a set of 88 slides of breast lesions. The set included 31 cases which presented difficulties at the moment of first diagnosis (problem cases) and 57 cases without problems (routine cases).

Alterations of bone turnover and bone mass at different skeletal sites due to pure glucocorticoid excess: study in eumenorrheic patients with Cushing's syndrome.

The aim of the present investigation was to study the effect of glucocorticoid excess on bone mass and turnover not influenced by other diseases known to affect skeleton and/or by different gonadal status and sex. We studied several markers of bone turnover and bone mineral density (BMD) by both quantitative computed tomography (at spine and forearm) and dual x-ray absorptiometry (at spine and three femoral sites) in 18 eugonadal female patients affected by Cushing's syndrome (CS) compared to 24 eugonadal healthy female subjects matched for age and body mass index. In CS patients, serum bone Gla protein, a marker of osteoblastic function, was reduced (3.

Flow cytometric characterization of human umbilical cord blood lymphocytes: immunophenotypic features.

Background And Objective: One of the most important potential advantages in the use of human umbilical cord blood (HUCB) for hematopoietic reconstitution after myeloablative therapy seems to be the lower occurrence of acute graft-versus-host-disease (GvHD) in recipients after allogeneic transplantation. Since mature T cells play an important role in GvHD pathogenesis, we tried to verify whether a different immunophenotypic pattern exists between HUCB and peripheral blood (PB) T cells.

Design And Methods: An immunophenotypic study on 40 HUCB and 40 PB samples from healthy adult volunteers was performed, by means of flow cytometry using a large panel of monoclonal antibodies in double labeling.

Skeletal involvement in female acromegalic subjects: the effects of growth hormone excess in amenorrheal and menstruating patients.

Bone involvement is a common clinical feature in acromegalic patients, though previous studies gave divergent results possibly because of the different gonadal status of the patients studied. To study the influence of estrogen milieu in these patients, we evaluated 23 acromegalic patients with active disease, subdivided into two groups: menstruating and amenorrheal patients, comparable for duration and activity of disease. Forty-two matched women served as controls.

Cytological vs microhistological diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma: comparative accuracies in the same fine-needle biopsy specimen.

There is still debate over the relative merits of cytology and histology in diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic livers. Previous comparisons of the diagnostic accuracies of these two methods may have been biased by sampling errors due to multiple punctures. We compared the diagnostic accuracies of cytology and microhistology using tissue and cells from the same point in liver nodules subsequently proved to be hepatocellular carcinoma.

Percutaneous biopsy in diffuse liver disease: increasing diagnostic yield and decreasing complication rate by routine ultrasound assessment of puncture site.

Objective: To evaluate the usefulness of routine ultrasound assessment of puncture site before performing percutaneous biopsy in diffuse liver disease. Seven hundred fifty-three consecutive patients were studied retrospectively.

Methods: Serial scanning of the last intercostal spaces allowed us to establish the most suitable access to the thicker liver parenchyma (assessing the most favorable angulation of the needle too), avoiding the puncture of adjacent organs; no more than 1 min was necessary for such a determination.